Forest Preserves History
[N]o city conditions, however ideal in themselves, supply the craving for real out-of-door life, for forest and wild flowers and streams. Human nature demands such simple and wholesome pleasures.
– Daniel Burnham, Plan of Chicago (1909)
By the turn of the 20th century, it was clear that Chicago would soon become one of the world’s great cities. It was also clear that the beautiful landscapes surrounding the city would soon vanish under a fast-growing spread of houses and factories. In 1904, community leaders came together to propose an audaciously big idea: create a huge ring of public land around the city’s core, and protect it forever in its natural state.
A decade of struggle passed before the Forest Preserves of Cook County were at last established. But the passion and perseverance of early visionaries gave the people of Cook County an unparalleled urban wilderness to enjoy.
MORE
“To Protect and Preserve: An Early History of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois,” an online exhibition of items from the Forest Preserve District of Cook County archives (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Historic photographs from the Forest Preserve District of Cook County archives (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Historic documents from the Forest Preserve District of Cook County archives, including newspaper clippings, posters, letters, lectures and reports (University of Illinois at Chicago)
“To Preserve and Protect: The Origins of the Forest Preserves” (Chicago Wilderness Magazine)
“The Early History of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, 1869-1922,” (Forest Preserve District of Cook County) (Forest Preserve District of Cook County)