Peterson Park Gymnastics Center

Peterson Park Gymnastics Center Uncovering Chicago Parks’ Rich History Chicago's historical park system is this country's best-kept secret, and Chicagoans may not know the history of the parkland they enjoy every day. Come and find out more about the rich history and beauty of Chicago parks in the beginning. Chicago Parks History: Chicago’s Pre-Incorporation Chicago's park history began with the city's formation. Early Chicago recognized the need to protect lakefront land as open space. Early leaders further recognized this and created a series of maps for the sale of land related to the Illinois and Michigan Canal. These maps included a feature not present in standard land sales maps. In about 1836, someone wrote the following inscription on a portion of the lakefront area on one of the land sales maps: “Public ground forever to remain vacant of buildings.” This established legal precedents to protect the lakefront and was the foundation of Grant Park.