Kind of a melancholic Throwback Thursday this week. This is a shot from November 18th, 2005 of the lodge at White Pines State Park near Mt. Morris, IL.
I just learned yesterday that the operator of the lodge is going to file for bankruptcy and will close after 31 years of operating the lodge, cabins, restaurant and wedding venue. It’s an early casualty of the economic side of Covid-19. I fear that there will be many more to follow.
It was a family tradition to spend a weekend in November in the cabins at the park. For almost 20 years from the late 1980s through the late 2000s, we went almost every year, only missing one year when my dad’s cancer was really starting to take a toll on him. I got to know the park like the back of my hand and it’s still a pleasant stop for me when I find myself in Ogle County.
The one hope that I have is that the lodge and the cabins are actually owned by the state, vintage buildings built by the CCC’s during another period of economic turmoil. I hope that someday the state will be able to find another operator and re-open the hospitality arm of the park. I’m sad for the current operators and hope that they will be able to find their way in the turbulent economic waters we’re in. Thank you for all of the memories.