Since I was a kid growing up in Ottawa, IL. I could remember waking up on the weekends and spend the whole time at the garden. It never occur to me being difficult, but it was hidden almost because it was constructed in the middle of the forest.

Illinois is flat and surronded by premium farmland, but yet the my parents construct this 20 acre vegtable farm in the middle of a forrest, located in a remote clearing next to a National Gaurd training facillty in Marsalles, IL. We would have to drive 20 minutes along the I&M Cannal. We past the G.E. Plastic facillity through the City of Marsalles. Countined past the ball feild, Nabisco facillity, and over the two lane bridge over Illinois River. You could see a park under a part of the bridge that led to a lock and dam.

This garden was special because it was at the bottom of a valley. The only way to reach the valley by vehcle, was a bulldozed dirt road my dad created. If it rained, you had to trek your way down either along the road or use forest animal trails. At the bottom of the valley was a large creek. To cross the creek my dad constructed a land bridge using two huge culverts. Gravel was placed over the culvert that allowed us to cross over a 20 foot section. I remember during hard rain seasons that flooded the area the bridge would sometime get washed out.

Parts of it had sandy depoits from the glacial era. Sometime you would wonder if was an Indian Burial Mound like the one here on campus.