Raccoon Reservation After the 1832
Treaty of Tippecanoe, daughters of
Marie Bailly, an
Odawa or
Potawatomi woman, were granted 1,280 acres of land in Monee Township surrounding the site of today's
Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve. The reservation was purchased by
William B. Ogden of Chicago in 1851.
Cyclone of 1917 On May 26, 1917, Monee Township was hit by a
devastating cyclone. The cyclone, which appeared to have multiple tornadoes, was visible from neighboring
Peatone, and left a two to three mile wide path of destruction as it moved from west to east through
Will County. Crops were damaged, and at least 50 horses and 100 cattle were killed in Monee and
Green Garden townships. The cyclone destroyed multiple homes, wrecked an Illinois Central freight train, drove the water out of
Monee Reservoir, and made the road through the wooded picnic grounds at Raccoon Grove impassible. Many trees were downed in the village of
Monee, but most structures were spared. ==Geography==