This unique site is one of the rare remnants of the surviving 1/100 of one percent of the native prairie that once covered two-thirds of Illinois. It preserves some of the original biotic diversity of this area for reference and discovery. Its historical significance became a focus for the Morton Grove celebration of the Bicentennial. Recognizing its irreplaceable value for study and appreciation, the Park District resolved on July 29, 1975, to preserve it as part of the new park that became Prairie View Park. As a representative portion of a vast ancient ecosystem containing over 100 species of plant life found only in these surviving prairie remnants, the Morton Grove Prairie was dedicated on 22nd October 1979 as an Illinois State Nature Preserve and is to be held, maintained, and used as provided for Nature Preserves in Illinois law.