John Kinzie Clark

Who was John Kinzie Clark?

John Kinzie Clark was a trader, trapper and a prominent early settler in the Chicago area. He was raised by Native Americans, who called him Nonimoa or Prairie Wolf. Clark first arrived at Fort Dearborn in 1818. In 1830, Clark settled in the vicinity of today's Jefferson Park area where he built a log cabin on the prairie. Hired to carry mail by horseback between Chicago and Milwaukee, he would make stops in Deerfield with provisions for early settlers there. Clark eventually moved to Deerfield, where he is buried at the Deerfield Cemetery.

Prairie Wolf Slough, a forest preserve in Deerfield, Illinois just north of Deerfield High School is named for Clark using his Native American name.