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To Protect and Preserve: An Early History of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois, 1900-1930

Flyer advertising Forest Preserve Referendum, 1910

Members of Perkins' Saturday Afternoon Walking Club enjoyed the beauty of the area's forests and worked to ensure that they were available for all to enjoy. The legislature responded by passing a statute that called for the citizenry to vote in a 1910 binding referendum. Forest Preserve District of Cook County records (MSFPDC09), box iii-57, folder 1434, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Illinois Chicago Library.

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The 1910 Referendum 8 plain 2023-10-06T13:41:11-05:00
The excursions of the Saturday Afternoon Walking Club’s drew attention to the statehouse hearings on a new forest preserve law. In 1909, lawmakers finally drafted new legislation that corrected the ambiguous language of the 1905 statute. This law once again called for a referendum of the voters, which was to be held in November 1910.

By that time, a number of prominent and influential organizations endorsed the idea of a Forest Preserves District for Cook County:
- Chicago Association of Commerce
- Citizens’ Association of Chicago
- City Club of Chicago
- Commercial Club of Chicago
- Cook County Real Estate Board
- Hamilton Club
- Iroquois Club
- Lincoln Park Board
- Playgrounds Association
- Special Parks Commission (previously known as the Municipal Science Club)
- Truck Growers’ Association of Cook County
- Union League Club
- West Parks Board
During the election, residents approved the referendum by a 20,000 vote margin. Again, a forest preserve district seemed well on its way, or so its supporters thought.