Before the 1870s, in Illinois, market men – men who hunted for profit – exercised free reign over state natural resources deemed wildlife.
Despite economic downturns and social upheavals, Illinois’ fertile fields, ample transportation systems, and geographic proximity to two of the nation’s top five population centers (Chicago and St. Louis) all but guaranteed the state’s continued growth. The question asked, but not answered, was at what price to the natural resources would this growth occur?
