Citizens are central characters in the story of Illinois park districts and forest preserves.
In the mid-1800s in Chicago, citizens on all sides of the growing city were banding together to preserve public parks and recreational areas. So citizens led the charge, including Dr. John Rauch of the Chicago branch of the National Sanitary Commission. He was particularly concerned about the health threat posed by the shallow graves in the Chicago Cemetery, where victims of cholera and smallpox were buried along the northside lakefront. His citizen drive was the catalyst to the formation of Lake Park, renamed in 1865 and better known today as Lincoln Park. The picturesque river town of Quincy can thank a group of 32 residents from 1888 for the early preservation and wise use of its riverfront and island land assets.