A love of nature was passed down from generation to generation in the Morton family of DuPage County. J. Sterling Morton, a cousin of Col. Julius Morton Warren, who founded Warrenville, served as the U.S. secretary of agriculture during Grover Cleveland’s administration.
He established Arbor Day, and his birthday, April 22, is the date that marks it.
Perhaps better known, though, is Morton’s son Joy Morton, who built the Morton Arboretum, the vast outdoor museum of plants and trees that straddles Illinois Highway 53 just north of Interstate Highway 88 in Lisle.
Joy Morton (1855-1934) made a fortune in the salt business. Much like other empire builders of his day, such as John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan, but on a somewhat smaller scale, Morton managed to almost corner the market on the production of salt for the country, making his name and the product almost synonymous.
Morton purchased a large farm in Lisle, and in 1911 he began building a country home called Thornhill on the property.
In 1912, he launched the arboretum, a center for scientific research on trees, shrubs and vines. Several years after that, he organized a foundation that would guarantee that the arboretum would remain after his death. Today visitors can tour parts of Thornhill and most of the grounds of the arboretum. It is particularly well known for its extensive horticultural research library.
