This page was created by Jane Darcovich. The last update was by Dan Harper.
The 1905 Referendum
Supporters of the referendum campaigned on the need to maintain natural forests in the face of suburban expansion, securing the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers. They struck an urgent tone. E. A. Cummings, for example, argued that the “movement to preserve the fast disappearing beauty spots near Chicago should commend itself to all who have pride in Chicago’s present and hope for its future.” He warned against the encroachment on natural land: “It takes a hundred years to grow some of the forest monarchs [trees] that line the parts of the Des Plaines valley, so when once gone, they are gone forever.”
Cook County voters, apparently convinced by these and other arguments, approved the referendum on November 7, 1905. But the victory did not last. While a majority of citizens who voted on the referendum voted yes, thousands chose not to cast a vote one way or the other. And according to the Chicago Tribune, the legislation that created the referendum was clumsily written, seeming to require that a majority of all votes cast in that election was necessary for it to become law. Given this legal ambiguity, Illinois Governor, Charles Deneen, refused to name commissioners to create the preserves, effectively killing the measure.
