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The Vision of May Theilgaard Watts, the Creation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs

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The Vision of May Theilgaard Watts, the Creation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs Antioch University AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses Dissertations & Theses 2016 "One Narrow Thread of Green": The iV sion of May Theilgaard Watts, the Creation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs Anne M. Keller Antioch University, New England Follow this and additional works at: http://aura.antioch.edu/etds Part of the Environmental Studies Commons Recommended Citation Keller, Anne M., ""One Narrow Thread of Green": The iV sion of May Theilgaard Watts, the rC eation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs" (2016). Dissertations & Theses. 281. http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/281 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Department of Environmental Studies DISSERTATION COMMITTEE PAGE The undersigned have examined the dissertation entitled: "One Narrow Thread of Green": The Vision of May Theilgaard Watts, the Creation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs presented by Anne M. Keller, candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and hereby certify that it has been accepted. * Committee Chair: Joy W. Ackerman, Ph.D. Title/Affiliation: Core Faculty, Department of Environmental Studies, Antioch University New England Committee Member: Alesia Maltz, Ph.D. Title/Affiliation: Core Faculty, Department of Environmental Studies, Antioch University New England Committee Member: Ann Durkin Keating, Ph.D. Title/Affiliation: Toenniges Professor of History, North Central College, Naperville, Illinois Defense Date: April 2, 2016 Date Submitted to the Registrar's Office: May 26, 2016 * Signatures are on file with the Registrar's Office at Antioch University New England. "One Narrow Thread of Green": The Vision of May Theilgaard Watts, the Creation of the Illinois Prairie Path, and a Community's Crusade for Open Space in Chicago's Suburbs by Anne M. Keller A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England 2016 Copyright © 2016 by Anne M. Keller All rights reserved. Dedicated to my mother and my father: there is no font size large enough to show my gratitude. In loving memory of Adela Beckman, who taught me how to read the landscape viii Acknowledgements I have passed many mile markers--geographical, physical, professional, emotional, and intellectual--on the path that has resulted in this dissertation. Along the way, countless people have rallied at each step of the process to guide, cajole, encourage, motivate, help, distract, and inspire me, all in effort to cheer me on to the final destination. May Theilgaard Watts has been a source of inspiration for my research through her amazing writing, artwork, and dedication to teaching others about the natural world. The women who banded together to help realize Watts' vision have taught me the value of cultivating environmental awareness and civic engagement. Telling their story has been the greatest gift. My committee members have shared generously of their time and wisdom. Joy Ackerman, my committee chair, helped me think about my research and role as a scholar from my first summer in the program. Her questions and insights challenged me to revisit my writing and communicate my ideas more confidently. Alesia Maltz introduced me to the wonders of archival research, interviews, and environmental history. I appreciate the many ways she helped my thinking grow. Ann Durkin Keating provided an incredible wealth of knowledge about the Chicago region and helped me situate Watts' work within a suburban and regional context. Her feedback and encouragement have been invaluable. To be able to work with them all has been a privilege. The foundation for this dissertation was built on the teachings of many professors who guided my learning. I would especially like to thank John Elder, Robert Stepto, and Harriet Chessman whose courses at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English helped me explore my love of landscape and literature. Libby McCann provided direction during my Learning Domain at Antioch University New England. Jenifer Banks fostered my interest in viii regional literature and landscape in her nineteenth-century American literature course at Michigan State University. Diane Lichtenstein, Professor of English at Beloit College, has been an important role model and continues to encourage and extend my learning. I am grateful to Kim Butler, former archivist at North Central College, Rita Hassert, Library Collections Manager at The Morton Arboretum's Sterling Library, and Rebecca Skirvin, Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections at the North Central College Archives and Special Collections, for their help and support. I wish to thank Carol Doty, Jean Mooring, and Bridget Watts for their willingness to share their stories about May Watts and the Illinois Prairie Path. Mary Jo Malach, Secretary and Director of The IPPc, has been a valiant crusader to preserve the historical records of the Illinois Prairie Path. I owe her much gratitude for her diligence, persistence, and generosity. I also wish to thank The IPPc Board members, especially Eric Spande and Rob Sperl, who graciously answered my questions, provided information, and hosted me during my service learning project work. To my cohort members, thank you for becoming May Watts fans along with me, especially Carolina Saiz and Jason Rhoades, great friends and scholars. Thanks, too, to Erin Seiling whose feedback helped shape and sharpen my writing. I also appreciate the kind and helpful audiences at conferences hosted by the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment and the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, where I presented early versions of my research. Many friends and family members have traveled this path along with me. A special thanks to Trinna Frever who helped me brainstorm, offered ideas, and told me it was all about persistence. Thanks to Rosie Crane, who has cheered me on from England and Kenya as she worked on her own research. Erica Dunn has been a constant source of encouragement with her viii schedules and promises of ice cream. Ereni Stavrou has offered support, love, and positive thinking throughout this process. My summers in Vermont have been restorative thanks to Jennifer Green-Lewis and her family and to MacNair Randall, my swimming buddy. Heartfelt thanks to Sarah Elliott for the many ways she has supported my work—from walking and biking the Illinois Prairie Path with me, driving through blizzards to help me in the archives, reading my drafts, and bolstering me with encouraging notes and kindness. And thanks to teacher and friend, Adela Beckman, my own May Theilgaard Watts—I share this work with you. My family has been a huge support for me during my dissertation research. Thank you to Teddy, the wonderful Corgi who listened to my ramblings, snoozed on my drafts, and took me outside for walks. Thanks to my siblings, Charles and Stephanie, for their support and good humor, and especially to my parents, Michael and Mary Keller, who have instilled their strong faith, work ethic, and love for learning in their children. Their love and encouragement have sustained me throughout this doctoral program. viii Abstract Women's environmental activism prior to the early 1960s in America focused on women's roles as municipal housekeepers or emphasized wilderness conservation. I offer in this dissertation the story of the Illinois Prairie Path, the country's first rails-to-trails conversion to apply for National Recreation Trail status, and the innovative women who fought for nature preservation in a suburban setting rather than in a wilderness area. Led by renowned writer and naturalist, May Theilgaard Watts, these women built support for the public footpath project by fostering an ecological awareness throughout their region. I place them in the tradition of Chicago female reformers as a bridge between women of the Progressive Era and members of the modern environmental movement. My aim in this research is to show the ways in which May Theilgaard Watts and the Illinois Prairie Path founders cultivated a new post-wilderness era model of environmental thinking through their emphasis on the restoration of a suburban open space. These women scientists and naturalists worked for democratic equality through ecological restoration and access to nature. Through an interdisciplinary focus on ecocriticism, the politics of place, and the history of the suburban landscape, specifically in Chicago's metropolis, I examine how these women redefined space by linking communities across a region. By analyzing the documents, letters, speeches, and photos generated by founding leaders of The Illinois Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation, I demonstrate that this community of women challenged the hierarchies of the day. Their vision for conservation and connecting people to nature continues to serve as a model for the future of the Illinois Prairie Path and other rails-to- trails conversions. viii Abbreviations CA&E Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad IPP Illinois Prairie Path The IPPc The Illinois Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation IPPc The Illinois Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation "About the capital T. There are two distinct entities known popularly as the Illinois Prairie Path, a not-for-profit corporation and a trail. The legal, official name of the not-for-profit corporation according to the State of Illinois is 'The Illinois Prairie Path', no more, no less, spelled with a capital T. To distinguish the trail from the corporation, the board long ago decided that the trail would be called the Illinois Prairie Path with a lower case t.
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