The Ten Mile Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area is located in
southeastern Jefferson County and the western sections of
Hamilton County. Access to the site can be gained from rural
roads leading from Illinois Route 142 and Illinois Route 14. The
site provides a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities
which include wildlife viewing, hiking, fishing, target
shooting, hunting and The 5,820 acres comprising Ten Mile Creek
were purchased in 1988, and approximately one third of the site
was strip mined for coal. These areas, all within Jefferson
County, have been reclaimed to varying degrees resulting in some
areas being returned to flat agriculture land and others to
steeply sloped areas with many ponds and lakes. The remainder of
the site, which was not mined, is a mixture of fields and forest
bisected by small streams. The site is divided into four
management units, each consisting of a main area and smaller
scattered tracts. Of these, the Eads Unit (1,550 acres) is
located southwest of the town of Belle