Read the latest blog story from the Forest Preserve District, and connect to nature in DuPage.
July 1, 2026
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary Part 4: Building for the Future
With America’s semiquincentennial upon us, it seems the perfect time to look back on the past 250 years of the land that is today’s Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. This...
June 3, 2026
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary Part 3: Expansion
With America’s semiquincentennial upon us, it seems the perfect time to look back on the past 250 years of the land that is today’s Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. This...
May 6, 2026
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary Part 2: A Changing Landscape
Emaly Allison and Abby Douglas
With America’s semiquincentennial upon us, it seems the perfect time to look back on the past 250 years of the land that is today’s Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. This...
April 1, 2026
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary Part 1: A Natural Landscape
With America’ssemiquincentennialupon us, it seems the perfecttime to look back on the past 250 years of the land that is today’s Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. This...
January 22, 2026
Preserving a Century-Old Wall: Restoration Continues at Mayslake Hall
Sometimes a small repair morphs into an extended project. This is especially true when dealing with a century-old home like Mayslake Hall, part of the Mayslake Peabody Estate at...
June 23, 2025
In many ways, each forest preserve across DuPage County reflects a different chapter in American history. Around the turn of the 20th century, Kline Creek Farm ushered in the...
February 2, 2023
Valentine’s Day and Courtship on an 1890s Farm
Valentine's Day had already gained popularity with American school children by the early 1880s, and many of the traditions from the time we still hold true today.
November 17, 2022
Candy confections were a sweet part of historic holiday farm life. In 1895, both the Sears and Roebuck Co. and Montgomery Ward Co. catalogs had candy departments where families...
August 1, 2022
Hidden History of the East Farm Barn
Looking at the east side of St. James Farm today, visitors might not fully appreciate the transformation it has gone through over the years. Let’s turn back the clock to the early...
June 30, 2022
Hidden History of the Baker House
It’s hard to fathom the connections a little old house on St. Charles Road has to the history of DuPage County, Illinois, and the nation.
May 25, 2022
Hidden History of McDowell Grove
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...
April 20, 2022
Hidden History: Burlington Park as Chicago's Recreation Destination
Railroads were crucial to the development of the United States, sparking economic and industrial expansion all around them and carrying people and goods across the country. One of...
April 15, 2022
Dyeing Easter Eggs in the 1890s
Natural dyes were used in a variety of ways in a colorful Victorian life in the 1890s.
March 25, 2022
Hidden History of Mammoth Spring Icehouse
If you look closely while walking along the Night Heron Trail at Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve in Oak Brook, you can find a little piece of history.
February 24, 2022
Hidden History of Dunham's Equine Legacy
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?
January 12, 2022
Hidden History of the Blackwell Mammoth
It started like a normal day for Gary Jones, a heavy equipment operator for the DuPage Forest Preserve District.
November 23, 2021
The Hidden History of Ancient Artifacts
People have lived in DuPage County for thousands of years, so it’s no surprise that some of the tools and objects they used are still being found in many DuPage forest preserves.
October 26, 2021
Hidden History of Waterfall Glen's Lincoln Park Nursery
Many people visiting the city of Chicago spend time in Lincoln Park, but few know the connection that DuPage Forest Preserve District’s Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Darien...
October 12, 2021
Nature's Tricks Are a Nature Lover's Treat
Wildlife have long embodied the spirit of Halloween using tricks, treats, and costumes. These strategies are essential for wild animals to survive, find food, and attract mates.
October 6, 2021
Hidden History of the Steeplechase
What happens when you combine a love of horses with a passion for philanthropy? At St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville in the 1980s and 1990s, it resulted in an annual...
