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A short excursion to the Bailly family cemetery.


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Map Key

0.3

Miles

0.5

KM

100%

Runnable

683' 208 m

High

671' 205 m

Low

15' 4 m

Up

4' 1 m

Down

1%

Avg Grade (1°)

3%

Max Grade (2°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Wildlife

Free parking and access. The trail is not wheelchair accessible. No bicycles or motorized vehicles allowed. Stay on the trail to protect the wildlife and yourself. Pets are permitted on a leash (6' or shorter). There are year-round restrooms and potable water source at the parking lot. Park at the main Bailly / Chellberg lot, which is open daily from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. Use insect repellent, wear long sleeves, and tuck long pants into socks to avoid ticks and poison ivy.

Description

The Bailly Cemetery Trail, along with the Bailly Homestead / Chellberg Farm Trail and Little Calumet River / Mnok Prairie Trail, reveal the rich natural diversity that has drawn people to this area for over 10,000 years. Run through a forest dominated by maple, beech, basswood, and oak trees. Follow a stretch of the Little Calumet River, once a critical transportation route for early regional travelers. Explore the recently restored Mnok Prairie for a glimmer of the vast stretches of pre-settlement grasslands.

Visit the Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm to glimpse how families lived and farmed in Northwest Indiana.

The Bailly Homestead, a National Historic Landmark (1962), was the home of Honore Gratien Joseph Bailly de Messein (1774 - 1835). Bailly played a role in the development of the Calumet Region of northern Indiana. He was an independent trader in the extensive fur-trading network that spread from Montreal to Louisiana, and ultimately to Europe. Joseph Bailly was one of the earliest settlers in northern Indiana. In 1822, Bailly set up his fur trading post at the crossroads of several important trails. The Bailly Homestead complex is the last remaining site of its nature in the Calumet Region.

In the 1870s, Swedish immigrants Anders and Johanna "Kjellberg" bought 80 acres to establish a modest family farm. They were the first of three generations of the Chellberg Family to make their living here. In the 1930s, the Chellbergs started to tap the many maple trees on their property for the production of maple syrup.

The Annual Maple Sugar Time event in early March features the evolution of "maple sugaring" in Northwest Indiana from an early American Indian method, to the pioneer method of boiling sap in open iron kettles, to the relatively modern commercial method of producing syrup. Indiana Dunes National Park is the only National Park Service location that makes maple syrup.

Contacts

Shared By:

Rafi Wilkinson

Trail Ratings

  3.3 from 6 votes

#24655

Overall
  3.3 from 6 votes
5 Star
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4 Star
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3 Star
50%
2 Star
17%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#274

in Indiana

#24,655

Overall
3 Views Last Month
497 Since Dec 17, 2015
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