Chief Shemauger Park

October 6, 2025

I visited the Chief Shemauger Park in Urbana, IL on the 7th of October. The park is named after a "Patowatomi Chief who signed a treaty with white settlers who moved to Urbana" [source]. Some more historical information is provided here, like how Chief Shemauger advocated for peace with white settlers, helped bury their dead, and was in turn ordered by the Federal government to relocate to a reservation in Kansas.

The park is nice enough, though, it has a weird layout. It's next to a cemetery, so it's hard to tell what the bounds of the park are before you are being intrusive.

Chief Shemauger ParkNice, wooded area serving as somewhat of a boundary with the cemetery

There is enough room to throw a frisbee, there is a baseball diamond, basketball hoops, and a few picnic tables.

Overall, it was nice.

Chief Shemauger ParkVery bright moon during the sunset

I am hoping these large, bright moons will not decimate my upcoming Milky Way shot - I am renting a UIUC camera tomorrow (Tuesday) to try shooting.

Chief Shemauger ParkBasketball + baseball setup

The park was pretty average and had the essentials. It was fine. I probably wont return, since I'm on a time crunch to visit all of the other parks + hit 50 posts.