Donna Shehane’s Illinois As It Was….By Those Who Were There is a remarkable compilation of firsthand accounts, personal narratives, and reflections from settlers, travelers, and early residents.

MOKENA, IL, July 02, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ — Soon to be published, this book is a historical anthology that promises to provide readers with a picture of what made Illinois so special and different from what it is now!

Illinois As It Was...By Those Who Were There is a title inspired by Donna Shehane’s quest to discover more deeply what Illinois has lost of its natural heritage. Visits to prairie restoration projects such as Schulenberg Prairie at the Morton Arboretum and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Joliet filled in some of the knowledge gaps, but Donna knew that heartfelt and impassioned descriptions of life in pioneer Illinois must be buried in documents from the time. So, she turned to Emigrant Guides and other eyewitness accounts from the 1800s and even earlier to find rich sources of information.

Leaving behind her captivation and desire to live in the mountains, Donna redirected her focus to the place where she had lived all her life…Illinois. In doing so, she rediscovered the majesty of the prairie, along with stories of the hardships and trials undergone by the early settlers in establishing a foothold in the wilderness. From Native Americans to fur trappers and explorers, to the frontiersmen, to American and European immigrants—here you will find the unmediated voices of our forefathers formerly concealed in age-old chronicles.

Donna Shehane is a mother of three and a grandmother of seven. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. The author worked as a regulator in the Bureau of Land at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, thus dedicating her professional career to public service. Here, she contributed to environmental protection efforts across the State. As a current retiree, Donna resides in Mokena, IL, with her husband, Jeff. Donna’s love and passion for science, the environment, and family continue to inspire and motivate her writing and social service initiatives.

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