Westchester in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Wolf Road Prairie

An Illinois Nature Preserve

Photographed by Sean Flynn, May 5, 2024

1. Wolf Road Prairie Marker

Illinois Prairies>br> Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Click for more information.

Inscription. Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve has been formally dedicated as a sanctuary for native plants and animals. It is maintained in its natural condition so that present and future generations can see the Illinois landscape as it appeared in the past. This living example of our natural heritage is valuable for scientific studies and may provide habitat for rare plants and animals.

Wolf Road Prairie is one of the largest high quality silt-loam prairies east of the Mississippi River. The preserve is a complex of prairie, wetland and savanna. Too wet to plow or graze extensively, the prairie survived a century of settlement unharmed. In the 1920's it was fated to become a housing development and sidewalks were constructed. The Great Depression, however, spared the prairie from destruction.

Visitors are welcome, but please protect and perpetuate the nature preserve by not disturbing or removing anything. All features are protected by law.

Erected by Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Illinois Nature Preserves Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry

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• Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1920.

Location. 41° 50.445′ N, 87° 54.142′ W. Marker is in Westchester, Illinois, in Cook County. It can be reached from Constitution Drive 0.1 miles west of Wolf Road. The marker is in front of the Franzosenbusch Prairie House, on the northern edge of the Wolf Road Prairie. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester IL 60154, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Wolf Road Prairie (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Wolf Road Prairie

The Franzosenbusch Prairie House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, May 5, 2024

2. The Franzosenbusch Prairie House

The historical marker faces the home on the back of the kiosk on the left side of the photo.

(approx. ¼ mile away); Field of Honor (approx. half a mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Wolf Road Prairie (approx. half a mile away); Salt Creek Woods (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named Salt Creek Woods (approx. ¾ mile away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Westchester.

More about this marker. The circa-1850s Franzosenbusch Prairie House is the home of the Save the Prairie Society, a nonprofit that works to preserve and restore the 82-acre Wolf Road Prairie in partnership with the preserve's owners, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

Three other "Wolf Road Prairie" markers can be found on the edge of the preserve, including one about 400 feet to the east, at the corner of Wolf Road and Constitution Drive.

Also see . . . About the Prairie. From the Save the Prairie Society (Submitted on May 5, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 5, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 185 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 5, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.