Joliet in Will County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Hadley Valley Preserve
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 27, 2026
1. Hadley Valley Preserve Marker
A Changing Land
Over 200 years ago, the Illinois landscape was a mosaic of vast prairies, oak woodlands, and abundant wetlands. As settlers moved into the Chicago region, they transformed wild lands into places to live, work, and travel.
In the 1830s, settlers began to plow the prairies to grow corn, grains, and soybeans, and to support livestock. They cut down forests to expand agriculture. To farm wetlands, farmers straightened Spring Creek and buried miles of drainage tiles to dry wet soil. Within a century of settlement, native habitats had all but disappeared. But then, times changed.
Looking Back to the Future
In the mid-1990s, the Forest Preserve identified Hadley Valley in it's preservation plans. The surrounding area was quickly developing. Through voter referenda, the Forest Preserve District sought support of Will County residents to purchase the land. Forest Preserve biologists then developed a plan to return Hadley Valley to a healthy, natural landscape.
In 2007, the Forest Preserve began restoring more than 180 acres of native habitats to Hadley Valley, supported by Illinois Tollway 1-355 mitigation
this page online
Restoring the Land
By comparing recent maps and land surveys with historic ones, the Forest Preserve identified areas of Hadley Valley that needed to undergo a process called restoration.
Restoring a landscape doesn't mean making the land exactly like it was years ago. Instead, restoration is a process that re-establishes the natural conditions that help native habitats to flourish. By restoring native plant species, water flow patterns, and natural processes to the land, we can encourage more diverse and productive habitats to thrive.
Restoration includes removing non-native plant species and reintro-ducing diverse native plants. Removal sometimes includes treatment of non-native or invasive plants with herbicides.
Agricultural drain tiles remove excess subsurface water from soils too wet to grow crops. Drain tiles are buried under the soil in a grid style layout. Here, drain tiles are being removed for natural area restoration.
22,000 feet
The restoration
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 27, 2026
2. Hadley Valley Preserve
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Environment • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1830.
Location. 41° 32.879′ N, 88° 1.302′ W. Marker is in Joliet, Illinois, in Will County. It is on Maple Road (U.S. 6) 0.8 miles west of Gougar Road (County Route 52), on the right when traveling west. The marker is in Hadley Valley Preserve, on the walking pathway about a quarter mile west of the Route 6 access parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Joliet IL 60432, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in 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
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 27, 2026
3. Hadley Valley Preserve Marker
Also see . . . Hadley Valley. From the Forest Preserve District of Will County. (Submitted on July 1, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on June 30, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2, 3. submitted on July 1, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
