A diverse group of Chicagoans--including those who sought spiritual rejuvenation from nature, progressives who hoped that contact with nature would act as a curative for the effects of urbanization, and scientists who believed that evidence of the process of evolution could be found in the ecologically diverse duneland--established the Saturday Afternoon Walks Club specifically dedicated to escaping the confines of the city during weekly hikes. The Indiana Dunes of Porter County soon became their favorite destination, as a site out of the reach of urban development but only a short train ride from Chicago. With participation in the hikes increasing from 30 to 300 within the first year, and to more than 4,000 within two years, Walk Club members decided to establish a more formal organization to coordinate activities: the Prairie Club.

Author: Prairie Club
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37448)