Members of the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project will host their next Freedom Trail Hike, on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., starting at the Beaubien Woods boat launch, 134th Street and the Little Calumet River.
The free tour is conducted with the support and assistance of the Cook County Forest Preserve District and the Calumet Heritage Partnership, as well as Chicago’s Finest Marina.
Experts from the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project will present the fascinating and historically accurate story of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of escaped slaves, called “Freedom Seekers,” who traveled the Underground Railroad (UGRR) through the South Chicago region seeking freedom in the North prior to the U.S. Civil War. They often found refuge and replenishment from local abolitionists such as the Jan Ton Family, who owned a farm that was located near the Beaubien Woods Forest Preserve on the Little Calumet River.
Leading this educational outing about the history of the UGRR in the Calumet region will be Professor Larry McClellan, foremost authority on the Underground Railroad in Northern Illinois, and Tom Shepherd, of the Little Calumet River Underground Railroad Project. The program is co-sponsored by the Forest Preserves of Cook County and the Calumet Heritage Project.
Source: www.beverlyreview.net