Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
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Contact: Logan Lee or Marta Witt
Phone: 815-423-6370
Fax: 815-423-6376
Address:
30239 S. State Route 53
Wilmington, IL 60481
E-Mail: Logan Lee llee@fs.fed.us / Marta Witt mlwitt@fs.fed.us
Web Site: http://www.fs.fed.us/mntp/
Additional Information :
The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was established in 1996 on the former Joliet Arsenal. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service as the first national tallgrass prairie in the country. Today, 7,200 acres or about a third of Midewin and 22 miles of trails are open to the public every day of the year from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. The Midewin Welcome Center, located two miles north of Wilmington on State Route 53/Old Route 66 offers interpretive exhibits and information about visiting the area. Activities at Midewin include hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and deer and turkey hunting. A variety of public tours is offered on Saturdays throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Many people also participate in volunteer work projects to help restore the prairie, research the natural and cultural history of the site, or build trails. More of the 19,000-acre site will open to the public in phases as the Army and the Forest Service complete cleanup projects.
The name Midewin (mi-DAY-win) is the Potawatomi name for their "Grand Medicine Society," an inter-band group that used their power and influence to not only heal individuals, but also keep the greater Potawatomi society in balance. It was thought appropriate to give the first national tallgrass prairie a Potawatomi name, because of their long occupation of the general area during the late 1600s through the early 1800s, and because the Midewin society's purpose in healing and balance represented the future vision for returning the prairie to the Prairie State.
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