#FunFactsFriday: Mout Hoy AKA Mount Trashmore
Did you know that Warrenville’s most famous sledding hill was built up in a most unusual way? Read all about the history behind Mount Hoy as recently recalled in our quarterly newsletter! Learn these fun facts on this Friday!
Since its founding in 1833, Warrenville kept its rural feel with many connections to nature. The majestic open space led the community to attract visitors seeking a retreat from the more urban areas of Chicago and busier suburbs. In the early 1960s the DuPage County Forest Preserve set to capitalize on Warrenville’s recreational reputation by remaking a worked-out gravel pit that occupied land originally settled by the Hoy family into a fine recreation area that would be known as the Blackwell Preserve. In 1964 when the remaining gravel was sold to pay for construction of the preserve, clay that was found under the gravel proved to have little to no value. This clay became the heart of a plan to build a large hill that would serve as the centerpiece of Blackwell.
Hoy Farm, image from the Museum’s collection
Starting in 1965 trash collection agencies and community members were invited to drop off junk and other discarded garbage items. At the end of each day county workers spread the clay, which they had excavated, onto the growing pile of garbage named Mount Hoy after the pioneering family.
Mount Hoy quickly earned its nickname of Mount Trashmore. As the Chicago Tribune article in 1973 announcing the competition of the project read, the hope was to create a popular ski destination by literally “turning garbage to ski slopes.” Although the idea seems a bit farfetched, the City of Evanston was undertaking a similar project and many were trying to convince the City of Chicago to do the same thing.
Overall three millions cubic yards of garbage and clay went into Mount Hoy, becoming a 150 foot hill. By 1974 Mount Trashmore was supposed to host four ski slopes, a snow machine and a chair lift along with two toboggan slides, however a less elaborate setup welcomed skiers and tubers to the area.
Photograph from the “topping off” ceremonies at the opening of Mount Hoy in October 1973, image from the Warrenville Digest
The plan for preventing contaminated groundwater by encasing the garbage in the clay also failed and in 1990 the Environmental Protection Agency enrolled the site in the Superfund Program due to the presence of contaminated groundwater. The EPA cleanup repaired the landfill cap, installed an extraction system, treated and disposed of the landfill leachate, and installed additional landfill gas vents successfully allowing winter sports and tubing to continue to this day. In September of 2020 the EPA deleted the site from its National Priorities List.