Sand Ridge Nature Center Freedom Canoe Underground Railroad Bus Tour

            As a descendant of the Underground Railroad, the activities at the Sand Ridge Nature Center this summer were very healing. I took tons of pictures. I sent them to my family. I called Sand Ridge Nature Center to tell them I’ve never been on a canoe trip before. I was told how to prepare: “Use sunscreen all over your body, including your hair, have sunglasses, a sun hat, bug spray.” Considering these were items I could easily purchase at the dollar store, I said, “Great! Thanks!” There were poetry readings and songs sung for the ancestors before the canoe trip. The narrator pointed out locations along the Chicago River that were significant to the Underground Railroad. Words cannot describe how emotional this all was for me.

The Underground Railroad Bus Tour of the South Suburbs of Chicago was also very moving. If you are looking for more information, please see the book, “Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois” by Larry A. McClellan, a Governors State University professor who has officiated these tour for years and studied the Underground Railroad as it ran through the South Suburbs of Chicago. These is also a YouTube video of Professor Larry McClellan lecturing about this topic called “The Underground Railroad in Your Back Yard.”

            Before this time, I had to work, but I was grateful I was able to spend a couple Saturday mornings and afternoons attending these events.