Former campground a forest preserve attraction in St. Charles Township

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – The downstairs program room in the lodge at Brewster Creek Forest Preserve was full of preschoolers in Kane County's Little Acorns nature program on rodents. They squealed with delight when naturalist Ben Katzen pulled a small white mouse from a plastic case filled with shredded bedding.

"You can touch him with one finger," Katzen said, as he held the wiggling mouse in his hand while a clutch of little index fingers aimed for the tiny rodent. "Don't poke him," he warned.

These days, the lodge at Brewster Creek bears a small resemblance to its former self, when it was YWCA Camp Tu-Endie-Wei, which closed in 2006. The Kane County Forest Preserve District bought it in 2007 for $2 million, preserving its 27 acres from development and adding to its open space and public amenities.

Spokeswoman Sherrie McLaughlin said the district put an additional $600,000 into the lodge with renovations.

The lodge officially opened in January 2010 and is available for programs such as Little Acorns. But the lodge is available for private parties and has brought in more than $1,000 a month in rental fees last year, McLaughlin said. As more people became aware of it, she expects that number to rise.

"We've had weddings in the summer outside on the grounds and the reception inside," McLaughlin said. "We have had sweet 16 parties, quinceñeros, surprise birthday parties, class reunions. It's very affordable."

Rates vary, but during weekend hours, the cost is $400 for the first four hours to rent the full lodge and $75 an hour after that. The full dining area has a maximum of 125 people, she said, but that includes an outdoor deck and a dance floor.

The industrial kitchen is gone, replaced by a smaller catering kitchen, McLaughlin said. The district has a list of approved caterers. Alcohol is not allowed unless served by one of the approved caterers or a bar service with insurance.

The history

The Elgin chapter of the Young Women's Christian Association bought the camp's acreage in 1928 so girls could enjoy outdoor education, according to "Elgin: A Women's City" by E.C. Alft. It was called Camp Tu-Endie-Wei, a Native American phrase meaning "mingling of the waters."

The Elgin Kiwanis built the lodge in 1941. The YWCA ran summer camps and outdoor education for age groups and school groups, as well as support for Boy and Girl Scouts earning various badges.

Its grounds included a small woods for hiking, small cabins with bunk beds, fire pits, a picnic shelter, a bathhouse and a 4.3-acre lake built in 1930 for swimming and canoeing.

But the dam aged and was in danger of failing, so the YWCA partnered with Kane County Division of Environmental Management to remove it and restore Brewster Creek, a tributary of the Fox River, to its natural condition.

The project cost about $500,000, according to the project's final report in 2004. To accomplish this, engineers lowered the concrete dam bit-by-bit in 2003 and 2004.

This allowed a natural channel of Brewster Creek to open up – a new way to remove dams and restore streams, according to the report.

'This is awesome'

One of the preschoolers enthralled by the little white mouse was Leo Arends, 5, whose mother, Theresa Arends, 50, of St. Charles, was waiting in the next room.

"I bring Leo here once a month in the Little Acorns nature program," Arends said. "In the warmer weather, they go outside and hike around. It's a nice facility."

Also waiting was Carie Sanders, 43, of St. Charles Township, who remembered bringing her Brownies and Boy Scouts to Tu-Endie-Wei while it was still a YWCA camp 10 years ago.

"I think this is awesome," Sanders said of the remodeled lodge and naturalized areas. "There's no houses here, they did not sell it to a developer. Everybody complains about our taxes being so high. I grew up in northwest Indiana where there's very low taxes – and you can tell the difference. There's nothing to do. I think this place is great and I'm glad they bought it."

Know more

More information about Brewster Creek Forest Preserve is available online at www.kaneforest.com and lodge rental information is available at 630-444-3064.