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Skokie Lagoons: Constructed Nature

Welcome

Spanning hundreds of acres along the western edges of Winnetka and Glencoe, Illinois, about 15 miles north of Chicago, the Skokie Lagoons provide an oasis within the urban environment. Visitors can come to bird-watch, fish and kayak in the lagoons, and bike or walk along wooded trails. But a century ago, such recreation was not possible.
This exhibit explores how workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed a new nature, turning marshland into the Skokie Lagoons. Click through to uncover what the Skokie Marsh was like before the lagoons, why and how the lagoons were created, how the area has changed over the last 80 years, and what this tells us about the past.
This online exhibit was created by Katherine Macica for the Winnetka Historical Society, December, 2012