Ashburn Prairie (in Marquette Park)

Marquette Park’s three and a half acre prairie remnant has a very special history. The story begins during the pre-settlement era at 87th Street and Kedzie Avenue where the original Ashburn prairie thrived, untouched by farming, housing and commercial development into the 1990s. When looming land development threatened this rare patch of virgin prairie, a heroic effort by members of the community and the Chicago Park District moved the prairie to Marquette Park. In the spring of 1993, the Park District dug up and transported several plugs of prairie using a tree spade. Each plug measured four to five feet across. With the important roots of these prairie plant plugs intact, crews carefully installed the prairie plugs at Marquette Park. Fortunately, the soil profile at the old site was similar to the soil profile at the new site, and overall the prairie rescue was a success. Since then, Park District volunteers have seeded, planted, and weeded the site as well as a small area to the north of the transplanted prairie. This mesic prairie contains nearly 100 species of native plants. Visitors will enjoy a glimpse at this extraordinary piece of Chicago’s natural history.