Visit the Arsenal Worker Statue and WWII Bunker near the Iron Bridge Trailhead
“At its peak, over 20,000 people worked here during WWII.”
Eastern Region, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
September 16th, 2022
On Saturday, June 4, 2022, USDA Forest Service employees and volunteers hosted a public program to re-dedicate a statue of an arsenal worker and to honor the history of the workers who “served on the home front,” during WWII at the Joliet Arsenal. The arsenal was active where Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is located today.
In increments, land where tons of TNT, detonators and a range of different munitions were once manufactured years ago is being transferred from the U.S. Army to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. So far, 18,500 acres of land have been transferred. In 1996, the Illinois Land Conservation Act called for arsenal buildings, including some of the hundreds of bunkers where ammunitions were stored, to be cleared from the land so that space could be cleared for growing tallgrass prairie plants once again.
With some roots exceeding 11 feet deep into the ground, forming an active, carbon-hungry web, prairie plants are essential to the health of the environment. Once, prairie plants covered Illinois. There was so much prairie that Illinois became known as “the prairie state.” Today, less than one-tenth of one percent of prairie remains. At Midewin, USDA FS employees and volunteers are working with over 275 different species of prairie plants to try to restore prairie.
Near one of the many concrete munitions storage bunkers that will remain intact for the purpose of future historical reference, family and friends recently gathered to re-dedicate the arsenal worker statue. The statue represents tragic events that occurred that many arsenal workers did not survive. It depicts a worker carrying a lunchbox and wearing a safety helmet. It stands tall, overlooking a scenic wayside that was constructed in Spring 2022 along the Group 63 loop trail, where there are many more bunkers for people to experience. Species of plants and trees that are native to the Illinois prairies, including bur and white oaks, were planted in the wayside. A new interpretive panel calls attention to the story of the arsenal workers who are so key to the history of the land. “At its peak, over 20,000 people worked here during WWII” the sign says.
Former Joliet Arsenal worker, Elmo Ray Younger, a WWII U.S. Army veteran, spoke during the program. He was instrumental in raising funds to cover the costs of the statue and its installation. Elmo turned 100 years old on February 18. He thanked everyone for being there and for caring so graciously about the important history of the land.
“It is good to be together with everyone here, today,” Elmo said. “Thank you for being part of this very special day.”
Throughout his life, Elmo’s dedication has extended widely. The Illinois House of Representatives acknowledged him in a very special resolution some years ago, which stated: “The life history of Elmo Ray Younger is one of quiet public commitment and dedication to serving his country and community well.”
The program also acknowledged the late Lorin Schab, a former USDA FS volunteer and president of the Midewin Heritage Association who was very active in history interpretation. In the 2016 Travels with Darley episode “Route 66 & Midewin,” Lorin led show host and documentarian Darley Newman through the areas where the land had been farmed.
After the presentations and acknowledgements, some participants placed flowers at the base of the arsenal worker statue. Chicago resident Keith McCawley placed a colorful bouquet of prairie plants, including black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), McCawley’s grandfather, Kankakee resident Lawrence “Alvin” McCawley, was one of the dozens of arsenal workers who lost their lives in an explosion that occurred at the arsenal June 5, 1942.
Keith McCawley and his mother, Armeline, were interviewed in 2021 for a WGN-TV story about Midewin and the arsenal worker history. The story highlighted the 1942 tragedy and the restoration work that is happening at Midewin now. Here is a link to the episode, titled: “Forces of Nature”.