Laughton Preserve began with the District's acquisition of an 8-acre parcel from the Gerdes family, and has grown to 430 acres from extensive acquisitions in the 1990s and in 2006.

The preserve contains approximately 2 miles of Forked Creek and has been left largely undisturbed, as it protects a remnant of the historic Twelve Mile Grove (a prairie grove 12 miles along the road from Joliet to Danville), portions of the 1832 Ce-Na-Ge-Wine and Joseph Laughton Reservations, and the historic Wallingford Settlement in Wilton Center on Joliet Road.

The only access area is Gerdes Grove, which features an old Civilian Conservation Corps picnic shelter for public use. Come to Laughton Preserve for a great picnic area and enjoy the land as it used to be!

Photograph Courtesy of Marsha Corley