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Caption: UIS Long Range Plan - 1970 (Sangamon State Univ)
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PART II - THE PROGRAM AND THE LAND C. THE LAND Most of the Sangamon State University campus acreage has been under cultivation for many years. The highly productive soil is part of the Illinois prairie, a generally flat terrain with occasional shallow ravines that are natural drainage channels. Most rural tree growth of this area is along the ravines, bordering creeks, rivers and lakes, and in farm yards. The ancient ice sheet that passed over this region laid down a considerable thickness of glacial till, densely packed by the weight of the ice and overlaid by shale deposited as the ice sheet withdrew. Bedrock in this area is usually sandstone and limestone, with occasional coal seams and layers of clay. The top soil stratum is loess, which eons of wind deposits built up to a thickness of about 10 feet. In upland areas, such as the campus site, the depth to bedrock is about 30 feet. Ground water is rather close to the surface. The flatness of the land and the looseness of the upper soil layers impose structural conditions, while also offering exceptional design opportunities. The soil conditions are limiting factors on building height and structure. The loess layer will support lightly loaded buildings, tolerant of minor earth movements, on spread footings or slabs. Pilings driven into the dense stratum of till or down to bedrock are necessary for tall buildings. These general conditions were found in a pattern of borings in the central campus area. Additional borings can determine the support characteristics of each site. Qualities inherent in the site provide design opportunities, inviting sensitive architectural response to the gently rolling prairie, to the nearness of Lake Springfield, and to the long established pattern of farm life in the area. The prairie has its regional character, just as do the mountain ranges, the forests, 9
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