Dufield Pond

78 acres | 0.75 miles of trail

Trail Maps:       PDF       AllTrails

Site Hours
Open Daily Sunrise to Sunset (Some sites are subject to Seasonal Closures or closures due to special circumstances).

North Entrance
11750 Country Club Rd, Woodstock

South Entrance
11418 McConnell Road, Woodstock

Pond Depth Map

About
Dufield Pond offers both fishing and hiking opportunities.  On the Country Club Road (north) entrance, fish in the 7 acre lake for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie channel catfish and yellow perch.  In 2014, this lake was stocked with 50 bluegill, 50 largemouth bass and 100 channel catfish.

The McConnell Road South Entrance opened in August of 2013 and offers visitors a beautiful 0.75 mile nature trail that winds under the branches of ancient oaks, traverses the site’s steep topography, and offers a different perspective of the woodland, pond, and wetland complex.  Featured along the trail are interpretative signs to help guests identify and learn about the different trees in this community.

History
Dufield Pond Conservation Area was once owned by two well-known families, Dufield and McConnell, who were among the first to settle in McHenry County in the late 1830s. Henry Dufield was born in West Virginia and came to McHenry County as a widow in his early 20s. Dufield bought the lush acreage now bisected by Country Club Road. It was recorded the he chose it “for its flat grassland, stand of woods, and the bottomless pond near where friendly Indians camped on their way north to their hunting grounds.” Dufield built a cheese factory on the south side of the pond, known to be the only one in Dorr Township. Sometime around 1882 the factory was torn down and the timbers were reused in building a barn and later a house for Dufield’s granddaughters. 

Abram B. McConnell was one of three sons of William McConnell, the first documented settler of Richmond Township who went on to hold many offices in the county and state. Once they were of age each son received their own farm. Abram received the Woodstock farm located southeast of the Dufield Farm which remained in the family for generations. A.B. McConnell II (third generation) was not only a respectable farmer, but also a member of the County Board and State Representative who sponsored the Conservation Education Act.