Markham in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Markham Prairie
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 31, 2025
1. Markham Prairie Marker
Markham Prairie has been designated a National Natural Landmark
This site possesses exceptional value as an illustration of the nation's natural heritage and contributes to a better understanding of man's environment
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the National Natural Landmarks series list.
Location. 41° 36.278′ N, 87° 41.448′ W. Marker is in Markham, Illinois, in Cook County. It is on Whipple Street 0.3 miles north of 159th Street (U.S. 6). The marker is affixed to the fence outside the prairie, found at a cul-de-sac at the end of Whipple Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Markham IL 60428, 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,
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Markham Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Village of Posen Veterans Memorial (approx. 1½ miles away); Veterans Memorial Flag Pole (approx. 1.6 miles away); Midlothian Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.8 miles away); September 11, 2001 (approx. 1.9 miles away); Century Time Capsule (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Original Village of Lighted Flags (approx. 1.9 miles away); Can We Wave the Flag Too Much? (approx. 1.9 miles away).
More about this marker. The prairie's name on most official websites is the Gensburg-Markham Prairie. The first part is in honor of the Gensburg family, who donated 60 acres of land in the 1970s that makes up the majority of this nature preserve. The second part is for the city south of Chicago where it is located.
The marker is made of metal but is flat and appears to be either something of a photocopy of an original National Natural Landmark plaque for the site or a reproduction.
Regarding Markham Prairie. Gensburg-Markham
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 31, 2025
2. Ginsburg-Markham Prairie
The historical marker is to the right of the entry in the fence, which leads to a hiking path through the prairie. The wooden sign to the right calls the property "Ginsburg-Markham Prairie," with Northeastern Illinois University listed below it. Semi trucks on Interstate 294 (the Tri-State Tollway) can be seen in the far background, about a half-mile east.
According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, there were 22 million acres of prairie in Illinois in 1820, almost all of it gone by 1900 as it was converted into rich agricultural land. Of the surviving undisturbed prairies in Illinois, most were on railroad rights-of-way, in pioneer cemeteries, or on land that was not suitable for farming, according to the DNR.
According to the National Park Service, 606 sites in the United States have been designated National Natural Landmarks, including 18 in Illinois.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. A marker titled "Betz & Swink," located about 20 miles northwest of Markham in suburban Hodgkins, commemorates the efforts of Robert Betz and Floyd Swink in finding and preserving Illinois's prairie remnants.
Also see . . .
1. Gensburg-Markham Prairie Nature Preserve.
Excerpt: "Gensburg-Markham Prairie is a large natural area consisting of wet-mesic and mesic prairie, dry mesic and mesic sand prairie and sedge meadow communities representative of the Chicago Lake Plain Section of the Northeastern Morainal Natural Division. The Chicago Lake Plain was formed as glacial Lake Chicago receded at the end of the Wisconsinan glaciation. As the water receded, it left behind deposits of clay and sand. The wetlands on the preserve are underlain by clay while the drier sites are underlain by sand. An old beach ridge formed by the ancient lake runs southeast to northeast through the preserve, and is responsible for the difference in relief over the preserve."(Submitted on June 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Chicago Wilderness magazine: Gensburg-Markham Prairie. The summer 2000 edition of Chicago Wilderness magazine examined some restored prairies in the Chicagoland region.
Excerpt: "Here, on this sandy strand of ancient Lake Chicago, Dr. Betz claimed that he'd found a large patch of original prairie. Others disputed that claim by insisting that the land had too many trees and shrubs to be a real prairie, or by noting that large parts of the land were given over to weeds. Dr. Betz saw that. But he also recognized that beneath all the evidence of degradation there survived the remnants of an ancient ecosystem that, with care, could come back to life."(Submitted on June 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
3. National Natural Landmarks: Gensburg-Markham Prairie. From the National Park Service (Submitted on June 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 1, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 172 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 1, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
