To fill in gaps in the surrounding I-80 Tollway, dirt was taken in the 1950s, resulting in the formation of Wampum Lake. Wampum Lake Woods’ 380 acres were classified as an Illinois Nature Preserve in 2019, which is the state’s highest level of land protection.
Indigenous people have lived on this land since at least 1100 A.D., according to excavations. In the early 14th century, Native American tribes established a sizable hamlet that housed nearly 2,000 people. Houses, kitchens, graves, and outer ditches or trenches that were a part of the village’s defences have all been discovered by archaeologists. By the 17th century, this region was a part of the Ojibwa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Tribes’ Council of Three Fires traditional homelands. As part of the ongoing migration of people through the Chicago region’s crossroads, members of other tribes also passed through and lived in the area.
In the 1880s, John Hoxie bought the land. Hoxie was a businessman and cattleman who worked for the Michigan Southern Railroad, the entity that controlled the Chicago Stockyards. Hoxie believed the stockyards would move because of plans for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, so he bought 750 acres of land nearby. He eventually constructed his farm here, where he raised cattle that won competitions. Hoxie’s son, Gilbert, rented out the land to several farmers when Hoxie passed away in 1896. Most people like to visit the Homewood Railroad Viewing Platform, that’s another great place in Homewood, il. Preyon Pest Control is situated in Homewood, il. Contact them at 708-232-7703.