Chicago Region 1890–1925

More than 1300 collections at Field Museum of Natural History are from the Chicago area for the period of 1890 to 1925. Other herbaria, including at the University of California – Berkeley and the New York Botanic Garden, also have collections from these early botanists.

Chicago Mycological Society

A group of local botanists were very active a century ago in the Upper Midwest. They formed the Chicago Mycological Society in 1898 with Will Sayer Moffatt as secretary: “Its purpose was the scientific study of the fungus flora of the Chicago area.” The work of this society led to the publication of the first mycobiota for Chicago with 405 species.

• Moffatt, W. S. 1909. The Higher Fungi of the Chicago Region: Part I, The Hymenomycetes. Natural History Survey, Bulletin No. VII, Part I. Chicago Academy of Sciences. 156 pp., 24 plates.
• Moffatt, W. S. 1923. The Higher Fungi of the Chicago Region: Part II, The Gastromycetes. Natural History Survey, Bulletin No. VII, Part II. Chicago Academy of Sciences. 24 pp., 26 plates.

This 2 volume work contains 420 names [110 current names; 270 synonyms; 40 excluded names]. About 15 species are not represented by past or present collections.

Edward T. Harper

Edward T. Harper was the most prolific collector and photographer at this time in the region. The Field Museum has more than 4,500 of his collections (more than 800 for Chicago area), many with photos, plus a large collection of stereoscope photos.

1908: The Prairie Club

A Century ago this spring, a spirited group of Chicagoans formed a club with a purpose so unusual that it would help remake society, politics, and the very landscape of our region. They wanted to hike. Chicago Wilderness Magazine 2008.