Unlike the west side, settlers began farming Deer Grove East around 1835. They cut down trees for their homes, plowed prairies for fields, set out livestock to graze, and built irrigation systems to drain the wetlands. These changes, plus the suppression of naturally-occurring fires necessary for the health of the native ecosystem, dramatically altered the landscape.

In 2008, a massive restoration project was initiated by Openlands and the Forest Preserves of Cook County. A volunteer group was formed in 2010 with the mission to help restore, preserve, and protect the ecological health of Deer Grove East. In 2016, Deer Grove East was named as an Illinois Land and Water Reserve.