Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area

Welcome to Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area located in Jasper County, Illinois near Newton. Preserve History: Before the arrival of European settlers, the Native Americans fished and hunted this land. In the late 18th Century, French settlers began to push the Native American’s westward to Illinois. The Piankashaw who settled in the region lived relatively peacefully with the French in the region. In 1812, a treaty pushed by General Harrison ceded nearly one million acres of Piankashaw Land to the United States Government. In 1960, the State of Illinois purchased the first 72 acres. Over the years additional tracts were purchased and the name was changed from Jasper County State Fish and Wildlife Area to Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area in honor of a local conservationist. For the lover of the outdoors this preserve boasts miles of multipurpose trails and a 183 acre lake stocked with bass, catfish, sunfish, bluegill, and crappie. Come on out and have a blast!