WEST PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - After 25News reported on a land dispute near Rocky Glen Park in West Peoria, some viewers remarked they hadn’t even heard of it. That is part of why we’re shining a light on this hidden gem, highlighting its place in Peoria’s development and its place in American Labor history.

“It’s the same kind of box canyon you might see up at Starved Rock,” said David Pittman, co-founder of Friends of Rocky Glen. He fell in love with the land when he first moved to Peoria.

“Without permission of the landowner, I hiked it… I was at the wrong end of a long-barreled revolver,” Pittman recalled.

After that close call, he and the old owner worked out a deal where Pittman and others would lead hikes in the tradition of Ernest Jones, the Glen’s unofficial “park ranger” i

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