Hidden among the hills of Jackson County within two miles of the village of Pomona, in southwestern Illinois, a natural rock bridge is considered by tourists to be among the remarkable features of the celebrated Ozarks region. Research workers comparing its dimensions with those of a similar bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia, found that the Pomona bridge, with a span of 100 feet, a height of 80 feet, and a width of nine feet, is ten feet longer, but narrower and not so high. Both bridges were formed by erosion.
Visitors to Giant City State Park, in southern Illinois "Egypt," have compared it to coastal regions along the Gulf of Mexico, principally because trees and birds common to the gulf area abound there. Tulip, sweet gum, tupelo, and winged elm trees, almost unknown above the Mason-Dixon line, are found in considerable numbers. Species of birds common only in warmer climates, as well as southern types of squirrels and rabbits, thrive in this region. Added natural beauty is provided by a spur of the Ozark Mountains that extends into the perk area.
Timber, which was once a source of considerable revenue in one Illinois
county, may again be a valuable product if a reforestation experiment, now
being carried on, is successful. A tract of 15,000 acres, lying between
Fountain Bluff and Big Muddy River in Jackson County, is now being allowed
to revert to its natural state, and under systematic forestry management, it
is believed, will, in the course of some years, be profitable.
The
experiment is being conducted in an area in which efforts have been make to
drain the land by dredging. This work, however, has failed because of the
heavy quality of the soil. If the experiment develops well, the timber will
be a considerable addition to the list of local resources. Little marketable
timber is now left in the county, as most of the wooded areas have been cut
over several times.
Extracted 20 Oct 2019 by Norma Hass from Stories from Illinois History, compiled by the Workers of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Illinois, published in 1940, pages 28, 48, and 83.