Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve is a sanctuary for native plants and animals maintained in its natural condition so present and future generations can see the Illinois landscape as it appeared in the past. This living example of natural heritage is valuable for scientific studies and may provide habitat for rare plants and animals. Wolf Road Prairie is one of the largest high quality silt-loam prairies east of the Mississippi River. The preserve is a complex of prairie, wetland and savanna. Too wet to plow or graze extensively, the prairie survived a century of settlement unharmed. In the 1920's it was intended to become a housing development and sidewalks were constructed, but the Great Depression spared the prairie from destruction.
