A fishing pier and floating kayak launch nine years in the making will formally debut this Saturday at William W. Powers State Recreation Area, Chicago's only state park, tucked along Wolf Lake on the Far Southeast Side. The dedication ceremony kicks off a free Take Kids Fishing Day that will hand out fishing poles and tackle to 300 kids before wrapping up at 1 p.m.
The park, located at 12949 S. Avenue O in Hegewisch, finished construction on the ADA-accessible fishing pier and floating kayak launch back in June, according to Block Club Chicago. Signups for the free fishing poles are already closed, though unregistered kids may still get a pole if registered children don't show up, per Sam Phipps, director of conservation for the Union Sportsmen's Alliance, who recruited the skilled tradespeople who built the new pier and launch.
Alongside the pier itself, the project added 1,100 linear feet of new ADA-compliant concrete walkways and access paths, including a 500-linear-foot stretch that completes a circumferential trail letting visitors of all abilities circle Wolf Lake entirely by land, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Project partners also converted more than an acre of turf grass into a native pollinator garden, restoring habitat as part of a broader effort to bring back the Calumet region's historic prairie and wetland ecology.
Nearly a Decade From Idea to Ribbon-Cutting
The improvements have been in the works since 2017, taking nine years to complete — a timeline that Block Club Chicago's reporting attributes to leadership changes among project partners, pandemic disruptions, and sharply rising material costs. Funding came together from multiple sources, including a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and additional money from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while the Illinois Conservation Foundation and IDNR's coastal management program also had a hand in the project.
“The new amenities remove barriers to participation and expand access to fishing, paddling and time on the water,” said Natalie Phelps Finnie, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which manages the state's park system. Phipps, whose organization recruited the volunteer union tradespeople who built the pier and paths, said the project speaks to a bigger need. “Chicago needs outdoor access and youth mentorship,” he said, adding that the improvements will encourage children to spend time outdoors.
A 580-Acre Refuge Surrounded by Industry
William W. Powers State Recreation Area covers 580 total acres, including 419 acres of water, and draws more than 500,000 visitors a year as the only state park operating inside Chicago's city limits, per the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The state first acquired the land as a 160-acre parcel in 1947, later expanding it to its current footprint; state legislators renamed it in 1965 to honor Representative William W. Powers, a Chicago alderman who organized food, fuel, and picnic relief for needy families during the Great Depression.
Wolf Lake itself carries a complicated environmental history. During the 1950s, extensive dredging split the lake into five distinct pools separated by levees, providing soil fill for the Indiana Toll Road and nearby railway lines, according to Openlands. Despite that industrial reshaping, the lake remains biologically diverse, supporting more than 170 bird species — including state-endangered yellow-headed blackbirds and black-crowned night herons — along with bluegill, redear sunfish, largemouth bass and bullhead, per Block Club Chicago's reporting.
Fishing, Paddling and a Cold War Relic
Kids and families will be able to fish from the new pier and elsewhere around Wolf Lake once Saturday's dedication wraps, with organizers framing the project as a way to provide quality outdoor access for future generations. The park also connects directly to the Burnham Greenway, an 11-mile paved trail system linking Southeast Chicago forest preserves like Eggers Grove to suburban Cook County and the Indiana border, giving cyclists and pedestrians a car-free route to the lake.
The site's history stretches beyond conservation and recreation — the park property also encompasses a former Cold War-era Nike Ajax missile defense site, now marked by a military memorial area on the lake's eastern shore, according to South Side Weekly. William W. Powers is also one of the few urban public lands in Chicago where legal hunting is permitted, maintaining 459 huntable acres for waterfowl and lottery-allocated archery deer hunting, per Hunt Illinois. Families are invited to attend Saturday's free dedication and fishing event, which organizers say is meant to increase access to a park that remains free and open to the public.
