Posted by a neighbor this morning, here is a fox visiting the Ridge Historical Society. Urban wildlife is a sign of a flourishing environment.
And there is always a history story to be told. Before the European settlers "developed" the Ridge, the area teemed with wildlife and natural resources. Predators like wolves and fox were prevalent, along with the occasional bear and cougar. There were plenty of smaller prey animals, rabbits, squirrels, etc.
The sky would be blackened by the millions of passenger pigeons flying overhead – now they are extinct. Prairie chickens, quail, grouse, song birds, wild turkeys, and birds of prey populated the prairies and forests surrounding the Ridge. The prairie grasses were taller than men and teams of horses.
Streams cut through the Ridge, draining into the wetlands to the east. Migratory waterfowl stopped in the wetlands during their journeys to feast on the wild rice that grew there.
Sand hill cranes built their nests in the local sloughs. The water was so deep in a slough at what is now 107th and Wood Streets that it was impassable.
Deer and earlier, buffalo, were larger grazing animals. Paths like the Vincennes Trail originated as animal trails, as they skirted the wetlands, keeping to high ground.
Forests and savannahs included many species of oaks, birch, and other trees. Wild fruit and nut trees and bushes were numerous. The wild berry brambles were so thick native snakes could be observed travelling along the tops. Edible plants like wild artichokes and wild garlic (that gave Chicago its name) were plentiful, as were medicinal plants known to the Native Americans who lived here.
The streams and rivers to the south of the Ridge – Stony Creek and the Little Calumet River – teemed with fish like pike.
The Blue Island Ridge was paradise.