Forest Glen in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Old Treaty Elm
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 29, 2012
1. Old Treaty Elm Marker
Erected 1937 by Chicagos Charter Jubilee. Authenticated by Chicago Historic Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. In addition, it is included in the Chicago's Charter Jubilee series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.
Location. 41° 59.121′ N, 87° 44.447′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Forest Glen. It is at the intersection of Noth Kilbourn Avenue and North Rodgers Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Noth Kilbourn Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60646, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sauganash Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); LaBagh Woods (approx. half a mile away); Hazelton-Mikota House (approx. Ύ mile away); Trinity Slovak Lutheran Church (approx. 0.9 miles away); Henry V. Peters House
this page online
Also see . . .
1. The Old Treaty Elm in 1928. A photo of the tree. (Submitted on June 10, 2016, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
2. 1928 article about the possible loss of the Treaty Elm. (Submitted on June 10, 2016, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
3. Historical markers that don't quite hit the mark. As part of Chicago's WTTW (PBS affiliate) "Ask Geoffrey" series, Geoffrey answers questions regarding some of Chicago's mysterious historical plaques. The Old Treaty Elm is one of them that he talks about. Contains video. Published in May 2020. (Submitted on July 27, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
4. Chicago magazine: The Chicago Legacy of Billy Caldwell.
Excerpt: A plaque at the corner of Kilbourn and Rogers avenues (the traditional 'Indian Boundary' that marked the division between American and Native territories) purports to mark the site of the 'Old Treaty Elm' where the 1833 treaty was signed. 'The tree which stood here until 1933, marked the northern boundary of the Fort Dearborn Reservation, the trail to Lake Geneva, the center of(Submitted on February 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)Billy Caldwells (Chief Sauganash) Reservation, and the site of the Indian Treaty of 1835,' the plaque reads. This is likely fictional. The treaty was actually signed at Fort Dearborn. In 1912, a real estate firm, Koester and Zander, bought 260 acres of Caldwells Reserve to build a housing development they called Sauganash, after the lands former owner. 'It is suspected that the firm created the Treaty Elm story and installed the plaque to enhance the appeal of Sauganash,' according to a neighborhood history by the Sauganash Community Association.Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 29, 20122. Old Treaty Elm Marker
circa Circa/1928
3. Treaty Elm
Today's marker was placed several feet west of the actual location of the trunk of the tree, which stood roughly in the middle of what is now Kilbourn Avenue, just north of Rogers Avenue, which is the Northern Indian Boundary Line established by the Treaty of St. Louis - 1816.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 22, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,426 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 22, 2012, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 3. submitted on April 21, 2026, by M.Bloom of Leyden, Illinois. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
