217 – Abandoned Soccer Field
Both ends of a long forgotten Peoria Park District soccer field.
Check out StfRon’s GeoCache of this place. Pretty cool.
A sign at the trail entrance says Wildlife Preserve, Parcel #5157, Peoria Park District. To get here, pull into SanKoty Ln, just down from Gardner Ln off Galena Rd. Park on the side of the road just where SanKoty curves. To the south you will see a small break in an old fence. That is the beginning of the trail.
Aerial view of what is officially parcel# 1414100008, via PeoriaGIS:
You can relax, Billy, although I understand your frustration, I’m almost certain that this was never a sanctioned Park District soccer field.
A big thank you to Scott O’Brien for taking these photos and sending me off to a place I previously never knew existed.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I have no idea where – but I am thinking soccer would be a whole lot more interesting on a field like that…
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:38 am
That field is located on the trail at the end of Sankoty Ln- I happen to have a geocache in that area, called “The Abandoned Soccer Field”
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=79121c30-01f1-4892-87f8-85e7375cd24e
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
StfRon beat me to it. And his geocache is a pretty cool find.
January 24th, 2008 at 12:15 am
*snarky remark which would include the words Glen Oak Park, upkeep & trail…..
and how did you find this place?
January 24th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Sorry for the hijack but, any recommendations for a entry level GPS unit for geocaching? I have read everything online, but my problem is I can’t find where I can go look at them in person in Peoria. Best buy was the only place that even had one (the blue, $160 Etrex one).
January 24th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Chef- these aren’t my photos. That’s how I found it!
BeanCounter, I’m sure either StfRon or Josh can answer your question.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
A good entry level gps is a garmin etrex h. I got my sons for $95 brand new from here http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?item=0182AA. They have about the cheapest prices you will find and they are located in IL so shipping is quick. A garmin 60 csx is a b.a. gps unit if you want to jump in big.
January 24th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Beancounter – Gander Mtn, and maybe Dicks, has display models to hold. Might not be attended by somebody bery knowledgable tho. And if you can meet up with StfRon, Josh, or me we’ll even let you play with ours.
Well that didn’t come out right. But you know what I mean.
The spot is across from Sankoty well fields on Galena Rd. You’ll see a gravel road on the east side labelled Sankoty Ln. Go back to the corner where it turns north and park there. Then wander through the woods south. There used to be a structure there certainly worth an obscure NTPL. (Trying not to spoil it) Haven’t been to StfRon’s geocache yet. I added a small addition to that structure back in the day. Lots of interesting stories about that spot.
January 25th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Pics like this make me angry. The Peoria Park District board is supposed to be maintaining park land for the use of residentsd. While their attention is turned toward developing a brind new spiffy new zoo, they are ignoring vast parts of the park system that aren’t sexy enough. Where’s the economic bang for the buck in maintaining trails that already exist within Glen Oak Park, or some soccer field out on the outskirts of town. Feh.
January 25th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
I believe the area was prone to flooding but I’d have to dig a little. It should have never been developed for sport field type of use. Would have had more potential as just walking trails and an extension of Forest Park Nature Center.
Rant Warning –
I’m with you Billy. After 9 years there, 7 as a manager, I still couldn’t understand their reasoning. I eventually chalked it up to typical consumerism. Gotta buy buy buy more more more rather than maintain what you’ve got. And what they end up with is so bland nobody is impressed after long. When what they had was full of complex flavors and scintillating scenery.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
I visited this site last weekend. It was not flooded, but much of the land between this spot and the river was… I’ve been searching, but I still haven’t figured out what or whose this property used to be.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I have the eTrex as well, I bought mine on eBay for 75 bucks used, a few yrs ago. It works great, and is the perfect entry level unit for geocaching.
For the record, when I was placing the cache, I had quite a long discussion with the PPD regarding the property. The soccer field was never a park district field, that they could find any record of.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Did they give you any info on whose property it used to be or any other history?
January 27th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
They had record of who the property had been owned by, I don’t remember the name, but the land was willed to the PPD some time ago. They had no record of the soccer field unfortunately, I was hoping to make the cache a testament to the field. But, it appears as though there is no info on the field. Maybe some evening, we can ask the ghosts who come out of the fields to play futbol ala “Field of Dreams”
February 2nd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
How long ago was the property willed to the Park District? Also, how many acres does this site encompass? I have taken a walk along the river bank a few times and it is a nice place for a stroll when the river isn’t up.
February 6th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I remember that the person from the Park District who responded to the request for permission to place the geocache on the property said he knew of a man who might know more about the soccer field, but the man was ill, and I believe in the hospital at the time.
StfRon might remember more.
It’s a very interesting property, and I just feel like it would have been neat at one time, being right on the river, for events and such, but I don’t know that it has ever really been utilized.
February 16th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
[...] Nature Center, accessed via SanKoty Ln. This was the subject of Name This Peoria Landmark #’s 217, 218, and 219. Gary also got in touch with Dale Goodner of the PPD for additional information. I [...]
July 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Okay everybody, here is the scoop. There are 66 acres of land that encompass a beach, house (now torn down), a HUGE yard with soccer posts at both ends and a barn. My father was the care taker of this land from 86-91 and we lived in the house that used to be there before it was torn down. There was never an official soccer field on this land, there was another family that took care of the land before us and they put the goal posts in. The official address was 6206 Galena Rd, Peoria Heights. There was an access road right off of Galena Rd with only a mailbox marking the spot, it was a long driveway that had a huge metal gate so that drunken, sex crazed teenagers couldn’t get onto the property. It is located between San Koty and the Longshore Subdivision. It was once an extremely beautiful piece of land with a tons of dirt bike trails, walking paths and an orchard out behind the house. I believe I still have pics from when we lived there. The yard was big enough for a soccer field but trust me, you didn’t want to have to cut that grass, it sucked!