The preserve is a satellite area of Dolliver Memorial State Park, located 2 miles (3.2 km) to the south.

The rock was produced over time from chemical and physical processes acting on the bed of ancient marine seaways that once covered vast portions of North America between 66 and 550 million years ago.

The shoreline of the ancient seaways migrated back and forth from roughly Oklahoma to Illinois, and the river delta systems deposited clay, mud, peat, and channel sands across the area.

[3] Numerous old growth trees, some over 300 years in age, exist within the boundaries of the preserve, some old enough to be used in climate reconstruction through Dendrochronology.

The entrance to the main area of the preserve is a narrow, overgrown corridor between two farm fields that heads south for roughly 1,000 feet (300 m), which is the old access road grade.