# Fort Daniel Conservation Area
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{{About|the park in Illinois|the fort in Georgia|Fort Daniel}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Fort Daniel Conservation Area
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| map = USA Illinois
| map_width = 180
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| map_caption = Location of Fort Daniel Conservation Area within Illinois
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| location = [Macon County, Illinois](/source/Macon_County%2C_Illinois), United States
| nearest_city = [Decatur](/source/Decatur%2C_Illinois)
| coordinates = {{Coord|39|46|54.12|N|88|49|41.88|W|display=inline}}
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| area_acre = 611
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| website = https://maconcountyconservation.org/conservation-areas/fort-daniel-conservation-area
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'''Fort Daniel Conservation Area''' is a 611 acre (2.47 km2) park located 4 miles (6.5 km) east of [Mount Zion, Illinois](/source/Mount_Zion%2C_Illinois). The land preserve protects the site of a [ghost town](/source/ghost_town), ''Whistleville''. Today, the site centers on [hiking](/source/hiking) and [picknicking](/source/picnic) in the Big Creek watershed southeast of [Decatur](/source/Decatur%2C_Illinois).[{{cite web |url=https://maconcountyconservation.org/conservation-areas/fort-daniel-conservation-area/ |title= Fort Daniel Conservation Area |work= maconcountyconservation.org |publisher= Macon County Conservation District |accessdate=November 21, 2016}}]
Seven marked trails comprise 5.1 miles (7.0 km) of hiking opportunities that cross and recross Big Creek. At the north end of the conservation area, a recreational complex includes a picnic shelter, playground, and [fire ring](/source/fire_ring). Tree watchers are encouraged to find and identify the [sugar maples](/source/Acer_saccharum), [chinquapin oaks](/source/Quercus_muehlenbergii), [pawpaw](/source/Asimina_triloba), [wafer ash](/source/Ptelea_trifoliata), and [Kentucky coffeetree](/source/Kentucky_coffeetree)s that grow in the conservation area. The conservation area is maintained by the [Macon County Conservation District](/source/Macon_County_Conservation_District).[https://www.wandtv.com/news/over-1-million-to-mean-added-land-at-fort-daniel-conservation-area/article_ab16ba92-22dd-11ea-a4ae-c347f88b5202.html]
In 2022, the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation awarded a $2.9 million grant to the MCCD to enable a 235 acre land acquisition adjacent to the existing conservation area.[{{cite web |url=https://www.decaturtribune.com/2022/08/08/macon-county-conservation-district-awarded-2-9-million-for-addition-to-fort-daniel-conservation-area/ |title=Macon County Conservation District Awarded $2.9 Million for Addition to Fort Daniel Conservation Area |author= |date=August 8, 2022 |website=decaturtribune.com |publisher=Decatur Tribune |access-date=September 22, 2022 |quote=}}]
The nearest major highway is [Illinois Route 121](/source/Illinois_Route_121), southeast of Decatur.
==Eli Ulery House - Woodbine Farm==
In June 2023, the Macon County Conservation District acquired the 5 acre parcel containing the [Eli Ulery House](/source/Eli_Ulery_House) aka Woodbine Farm. This site has been linsted on the National Register of Historic Places.
==2025 Pothole Prairie and Seasonal Wetland Creation==
MCCD applied for and was awarded an Open Space Land Acquisition & Development grant (OS-24-2517) by [IDNR](/source/Illinois_Department_of_Natural_Resources) in 2024 in the amount of $600k. This project involves converting old farmland acquired in 2023 by the district into a unique pothole prairie ecosystem. A pothole prairie is a habitat characterized by many small, shallow wetlands surrounded by prairie. The district plans to add new trails, access point, and educational, interpretive signage in this area.[https://www.maconccd.org/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2025/04/02b-Regular-Board-Meeting-Minutes-2025.2.19.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=December 2025}}][https://omb.illinois.gov/PUBLIC/GATA/CSFA/Grantee.aspx?id=687737&FY=2026]
==Whistleville==
Although the Big Creek upper watershed is open space now, it was one of the first points settled by Euro-Americans in the 1820s in what became [Macon County](/source/Macon_County%2C_Illinois). Looking for wooded land and firewood on the unforested prairie, the settlers found mature oaks and hickories here. The first comers named their pioneer village ''Whistleville''. Soon a stagecoach route made the settlement a port of call between [Indiana](/source/Indiana) and [Central Illinois](/source/Central_Illinois). Early settlers were mostly from the [American South](/source/Southern_United_States), and the settlement was identified as a location of Southern sympathizers during the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War). After the Civil War, Whistleville dwindled and disappeared into ghost town status.