This is Throwback Thursday #284. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! email:esconi.info@gmail.com.
If you follow our Throwback Thursday “Looking Back At ESCONI” posts, you may have noticed the entry mentioning Isabel Bassett Wasson in the September 2025 post.
It left me wondering who was Isabel Bassett Wasson, what is the Trailside Museum in River Forest, IL., and Lake Chicago? We’ll tackle Lake Chicago in a later post, but here is the Trailside Museum.
The Hal Tyrrell Trailside Museum of Natural History still exists in River Forest. Their mission is to protect and preserve public open space… here’s how they state it on their Mission & History page.
“To acquire, restore and manage lands for the purpose of protecting and preserving public open space with its natural wonders, significant prairies, forests, wetlands, rivers, streams, and other landscapes with all of its associated wildlife, in a natural state for the education, pleasure and recreation of the public now and in the future.”
The page includes a detailed historical summary of the institution. Looks like we need to do a deeper dive about this museum and the Forest Preserves that surround Chicago!
The Forest Preserves of Cook County, with more than 70,000 acres, is one of the oldest and largest forest preserve districts in the United States. It receives an estimated 62 million visits each year, providing an escape into a world teeming with wildlife and rich with outdoor recreation and environmental education opportunities. Within its boundaries are rare habitats that offer plant and animal diversity on par with the rainforests of the world.
At the start of the 20th century, it was clear that Chicago was fast becoming one of the world’s great cities. It was also clear that the beautiful landscapes surrounding the city could soon vanish under the aggressive spread of houses and factories.
Led by the same ideals that were launching the National Park System around the same time, community leaders came together to propose an audacious idea: Create a huge expanse of public land around the city’s core and protect it forever in its natural state.
Isabel Bassett Wasson (1897-1994) was one of the first female petroleum geologists in the world. She held a keen interest in archaeology, botany, ornithology, ecology, and science education, with significant contributions in those fields.
Born in Brooklyn in 1897, Isabel graduated from Wellesley College in 1918 with a degree in history, but her passion for geology led her to additional studies at MIT and eventually to a graduate degree in geology from Columbia University. During her time there, she met her husband, petroleum geologist Theron Wasson.
In 1919, she made national headlines by leading a tour of national parks for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. During that trip, she gave a geology lecture at Yellowstone National Park that so impressed the superintendent, he hired her on the spot. She became the first female ranger at Yellowstone, and one of the very first interpretive rangers in the entire National Park Service. She even proposed using college students as seasonal guides—an idea still in practice today.
Wasson worked briefly in Venezuela for the Pure Oil Company as one of the earliest women in petroleum geology. However, after settling in River Forest in 1926, she turned her focus to education, science outreach, and community involvement. She taught science in local schools, gave hundreds of lectures across Chicago institutions like the Field Museum and the Morton Arboretum, and authored numerous articles on geology, ecology, and local archaeology. She inspired countless students and naturalists in the Chicagoland area.
She was also an avid birder and served as president of the Chicago Ornithological Society. Her contributions to archaeology included mapping Native American settlements and trails throughout the Des Plaines River valley—and even discovering a previously undocumented effigy mound in Thatcher Woods.
From the oil fields of South America to the classrooms and preserves of Chicagoland, Isabel Bassett Wasson led a life filled with exploration, education, and discovery. Her legacy still resonates in the natural history and geology communities of Illinois.
To learn more, see this link on the Oak Park River Forest Museum website. https://oprfmuseum.org/people/isabel-bassett-wasson, her entry on Wikipedia, or this page at the National Park Service website.
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