I feel a debt of gratitude to numerous people and organizations whose relationship and history with the Des Plaines River has allowed me to walk it, learn about it and be inspired by it. The following is an incomplete list, which I will add to and update as I continue to fill out this website.
The People Hermon Dunlap Smith (1900 - 1983) Former president of the Chicago Historical Society, the Adler Planetarium, the Newberry Library and scores of other organizations, he and his wife had a small cabin on the Des Plaines River in what is now the Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area in the Lake County Forest Preserves. The cabin remains, and serves as an exhibit on the Life and History of the Des Plaines River. Smith authored a 1940 publication entitled The Des Plaines River, 1673-1940: A Brief Consideration of Its Names and History. Edward L. Ryerson (1886 - 1971) Inland Steel executive also served on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust and built a cabin on the Des Plaines River in 1928. He eventually donated 471 acres to the Lake County Forest Preserve, now the site of the Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area. He was a friend of Hermon Dunlap Smith. David Adler (1882 - 1949) Chicago architect and longtime board member of the Art Institute of Chicago, Adler bought an estate and built a house near the Des Plaines River in Libertyville, which is now operated as the David Adler Music and Arts Center. The estate was donated to the Village of Libertyville, where much of it today comprises Adler Memorial Park, along the Des Plaines River Trail. James Krohe Jr. Illinois writer who wrote The Upper Des Plaines River Basin: An Inventory of the Region’s Resources for the IDNR, funded by the Conservation 2000 initiative. He did a tremendous job distilling and reporting the findings of the Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP) and the IDNR Ecosystems Program, and has written numerous other books about Illinois history. Click here for more information John Mach (1947 - 2022) Called the Des Plaines River’s best friend, Mach was an active volunteer who was almost single-handedly responsible for the removal of the low-head dam in Riverside, along with all the other low-head dams on the river. The benefits of his advocacy will be felt for generations to come. Click here for more information
The Organizations K/RLT Conservancy Lake County Forest Preserves Forest Preserves of Cook County Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Forest Preserve District of Will County Izaak Walton League Des Plaines Memory Online archive of materials related to the town, with great references to the river, especially flooding The Historical Society of Forest Park Des Plaines River Anthology: Historic Voices from the Graveyards of Forest Park Order a copy from Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore in Forest Park Riverside Public Library Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Illinois Department of Natural Resources Illinois Environmental Protection Agency United States Geological Survey National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration United States Army Corps of Engineers
The Trails Des Plaines River Trail Lake County Cook County Trailside Museum of Natural History Centennial Trail I&M Trail