Jordan Countryman

Jordan Countryman is the records coordinator for the Forest Preserve District. He has an M.A. in history from Wright State University. As a member of the District's artifact collections committee, Jordan strives to ensure the District continues to follow best practices as a steward of public history and serves to connect DuPage residents to their land through its past.

May 25, 2022

Hidden History of McDowell Grove

Jordan Countryman

Sometimes the history of a DuPage forest preserve is simply forgotten, but other times it is purposely kept secret. In the 1940s, McDowell Grove Forest Preserve in Naperville...

February 24, 2022

Hidden History of Dunham's Equine Legacy

Jordan Countryman

Most people know that “in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” But did you know that in 1893 Christopher Columbus took a train to Dunham Forest Preserve in Wayne?

August 23, 2021

A Gateway to History, Golf and a Healthy Environment

Jordan Countryman

When an 11-year-old Randy Cochran snuck into Salt Creek at night to pilfer lost golf balls at the private Elmhurst Country Club in Addison more than 50 years ago, he never...

March 17, 2021

The Hidden History of Winfield Mounds

Jordan Countryman

With the passage of time, nature disguises the land’s cultural legacy, covering the marks of human impact and often protecting the past with brush and vegetation, but this can...

Jordan Countryman

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