Oak Brook in DuPage County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Being Number 1

Century Trail

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 22, 2025

1. Being Number 1 Marker

Inscription. You are standing in York Woods, DuPage County's first forest preserve. The 1917 purchase marked the start of efforts to protect land for the "pleasure and recreation" of county residents. And the county bought it to build a road.

By today's standards it wasn't the most conservation-minded reason to preserve 70 acres, but as the Chicago Daily Tribune reported, "Commissioners of DuPage county, the road supervisors and the public spirited citizens" were "deeply interested in the project." The road extended 12th Street - today's Roosevelt Road from Chicago so motorists would have "a direct thirty mile drive without a turn through the southern edge of Wheaton."

The county has added many roads to the map since then, but fortunately York Woods and the Forest Preserve District's other 25,000 acres of open spaces remain popular retreats from all of them.

Erected by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.

Location. 41° 51.478′ N, 87° 55.894′ W. Marker is in Oak Brook, Illinois, in DuPage County. It is on Harger Road north of Ronald Reagan Tollway (Interstate 88), on the left

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when traveling north. The marker is just north of the parking lot for York Woods that is south and west of York Road's intersection with Roosevelt Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15W769 Timber Edge Drive, Oak Brook IL 60523, 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 territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Melvin Jones (approx. 0.7 miles away); Saint Cyril (approx. 0.9 miles away); Mammoth Spring (approx. 0.9 miles away); Slovak World War II Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Saint Methodius (approx. 0.9 miles away); Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (approx. 0.9 miles away); St. Catherine of Siena (approx. one mile away); Saint John Eudes (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oak Brook.

More about this marker. The sign says that this is one of 11 historical markers erected in DuPage County forest preserves in honor of the district's 100th anniversary.

Also see . . . York Woods. The official webpage from the DuPage County Forest Preserve site. (Submitted on May 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 22, 2025

2. Being Number 1 Marker

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 22, 2025

3. Being Number 1 Marker

Mile marker 16 for the Salt Creek Trail is in the rear.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 159 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.