John Kinzie Clark
Coroner of Cook County
In office
1831–1832
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byElijah Wentworth
Personal details
Born1792
Died1865
Deerfield, Illinois

John Kinzie Clark (1792–1865) was a trader, trapper and a prominent early settler in the Chicago area. He was raised by Native Americans, who called him Nonimoa or Prairie Wolf. Clark first arrived at Fort Dearborn in 1818.[1] In 1830, Clark settled in the vicinity of today's Jefferson Park area where he built a log cabin on the prairie.[2] Hired to carry mail by horseback between Chicago and Milwaukee, he would make stops in Deerfield with provisions for early settlers there.[3] Clark eventually moved to Deerfield, where he is buried at the Deerfield Cemetery.[4]

Prairie Wolf Slough, a forest preserve in Deerfield, Illinois just north of Deerfield High School is named for Clark using his Native American name.

According to New York Times science writer William K. Stevens, Clark was the first owner of a part of Somme Woods in Northbrook. He sold that property to John Frederick Werhane in 1853. The site was farmed by the Werhane family until it was acquired as a forest preserve in the 1930s. It is currently known for its prairie, savanna, and woodland restoration, as featured in Stevens' book.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Deerfield Area Historical Society".
  2. ↑ http://www.jeffersonpark.net/modules/jphistory.htm
  3. ↑ "Deerfield Area Historical Society".
  4. ↑ "Deerfield Area Historical Society".
  5. ↑ Stevens, William K. "Miracle Under the Oaks". Pocket Books. 1995
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