Canton Park District

About

The Canton Park District manages 1,403 acres of open space to enhance the quality of life within our community. Organized in 1923, the District has seen steady growth in both land holdings and facility development. Canton Park District boundaries are the same as those of Canton Township and serve a base population of seventeen thousand individuals. The District offers many unique and varied recreational opportunities to meet the leisure needs of its constituents. Wallace Park is the operational hub of the Canton Park District and houses the Donaldson Community Center, administrative offices and maintenance facilities. The Donaldson Community Center was recently improved to allow for all public activities to be held on the first floor. The Park itself offers many recreational activities; two that stand out are the one-half mile hiking trail and the accessible playground. Big Creek Park was the first property purchased for park development. A scenic drive follows the gently rolling terrain in contrast to the adjacent urban thoroughfares. In addition to its beauty the park also features lighted tennis courts, skate park, Frisbee golf, picnic shelter and a bocce ball court. It is the site of the new Big Creek Park Swimming Pool and Senior Citizen/Teen Center. Lakeland Park is an example of positive cooperation between local, state and federal agencies and the private sector. Officially opened to the public in 1981, the park is a showcase of the recreational potential of reclaimed coal strip-mined lands. Fulton County is very rich in history as a major coal mining area and Lakeland Park will always stand to remind future generations of that era. The Consolidated Coal Company donated the nearly 450 acres of land and water to the District and the park was developed by state and federal grants. The park contains over 5 miles of hiking trails, picnic shelters, fishing opportunities, scuba diving and natural areas. Ingersoll Airport is named after the late William P. Ingersoll who was fascinated with aviation and truly cared about his local community. His legacy can be witnessed throughout the area by his ongoing financial support of many varied service organizations. Ingersoll Airport is a general aviation airport that has two paved runways of 3900 feet and 3300 feet. The airport has been a valuable asset to the economic redevelopment of the area by providing an important transportation link to other regions. It is only one of a handful of airports in the state of Illinois that is owned by a Park District.