Foley's Pond

This park is designated a natural area. In 1897 Foley’s Pond was a brickyard owned by the Foley family, where they mined the area for clay to make bricks. About 20-30 feet down they hit an underground spring and the hole quickly filled with water creating a pond. The Park District bought the pond from Mr. Foley in 1925. The pond was stocked with bass, perch and pickrels. During the 1930s and 1940s wild canaries roosted in the trees around Foley’s Pond. The pond is tucked between the first and second hole at Sunset Valley Golf Course.

Features, Amenities and Activities

Foley’s Pond is 4 ½ acres with a large 2-¼ acre pond surrounded on all sides by Mesic Closed Savanna. The pond serves as a good rest stop for migratory birds. It provides the birds with much needed shelter, water access, and a high protein diet of seeds and berries. Spring and fall are the best time to see migratory birds. Foley’s Pond serves as an important part in the Lake Michigan Flyway, which consists of the natural areas, located along the coast of Lake Michigan. Animals that have been seen at Foleys pond include: rabbits, mallards,  wood ducks, various songbird species, kingfishers, red-headed woodpeckers, scarlet tanagers, orioles, carp, and catfish. Some rare species that have been sighted migrating through the area are peregrine falcons, goshawks, yellow-headed blackbird, black-crowned night heron, brown creepers, and western tanager.