By Melanie Holmes
No one likes to talk about garbage. People shove it in the bin, wheel it to the curb, and then it’s out-of-sight, out-of-mind. With Earth Day on April 22, it seems a good time to ask: Where does that trash go? And where did it used to go (pre-EPA days)?
First some facts. The U.S. EPA has a list of 95 landfills in Illinois; however, some are in a phase called “closure,” which means they’re in the process of being “properly closed.” Others are listed as “post-closure.” And 33 landfills are categorized as “abandoned” (including one in Will County). Abandoned landfills are those that were closed without being properly sealed. Proper sealing procedures are meant to protect groundwater, air, crops, and animals; they include a bottom liner system, storm water drainage system, leachate and methane collection systems, and a final covering or cap.
Trash companies do not use the word, “dump.” However, before the U.S. EPA was created in 1970, people dumped garbage in all sorts of ways. A lot got burned. Once upon a time in Manteno, people outside the village limits did just that; they burned whatever they could; the rest was buried or hauled off. In Manteno, a dump operated from 1911 to 1964. And we’ll use the word “dump” because that’s the lingo Mantenoans used (as did the Manteno News reporters of that time period). Plus, it was never a “landfill” as defined by the EPA.
The old dump began life as Skinner Quarry. Old records reflect that when “stoning of the roads” began in 1888, Skinner Quarry provided the stone. The Skinner Building on Main Street (which now houses LaMore Realty) was erected from stone from that quarry. Around 1908, the stone in that old hole-in-the-ground was depleted. By 1911, it became the official “depository for town refuse.” By the 1960s, the land that held Manteno’s dump was owned by Miles Smith (husband of Hilda Skinner), and in 1963, Smith notified the village he wished to exit the garbage refuse business. (Note that Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, came out in 1962, which eventually led to creation of the U.S. EPA; thus, it’s possible that Smith saw the writing on the wall.)
The location of Skinner Quarry/old town dump was just east of town – bordered by Birch Street on its west edge, and East Third Street on its south edge. The town’s boundary lines have changed over the years, thus, the village has grown right over the old spot. Today, Hendrickson Park sits on most of the old dump land. In fact, about two years ago, Jerry Jarvis shared with this reporter that the park’s big sledding hill consists of some leftover building material from the Manteno State Hospital.
Jarvis said at the time, “We shoved it all into one big mound, covered it over, and planted grass.” Jarvis was tickled when he heard how much kids have loved sledding on that hill over the decades.
Also weighing in with memories are the Henrisey Brothers. Vince remembers two entrances to the old dump. One was off East Third Street (not far from the swale adjacent to the cemetery), and the other entrance was a lane that branched off Birch at East Fourth. That straight gravel extension of Fourth Street is still there today (now called Jay Ray Court); it leads to parking areas for Hendrickson Park and the adjacent apartment complex. Vince also remembers finding old bottles when the village dug a line through Hendrickson Park for a water main.
Pete Henrisey remembers Birch Street dead-ended at an old farmhouse (just north of the entrance to the dump). This was before the days of Jan Drive, Maple Crest Mobile Home Park, or anything else on that section of North Birch.
As for ways to honor Earth Day this year – and every year – reducing waste is the highest priority when it comes to protecting soil, groundwater, and animals from materials pollution. This means buying less, buying resale/used, and re-purposing. Every single act of conservation counts, as illustrated by the quote: “No drop of rain feels responsible for the flood.” Happy Earth Day one and all!
Please tune in the first Thursday of the month for another bit of trivia on Manteno and beyond. Melanie Holmes, who hails originally from the village, is author of four nonfiction books (including Manteno/Images of America, 2020), with a fifth book due from Reedy Publishing in May. She can be reached at holmesauthor11@gmail.com.