Illinois' first naturalist, Robert Kennicott, grew up at The Grove, in Glenview Illinois and made two expeditions to the Yukon, in 1859 and 1865.  At the age of twenty, he made a comprehensive survey of southern Illinois for the Illinois Central Railroad; at twenty-one, he helped to establish the Chicago Academy of Science; at twenty-two, he established a natural history museum at Northwestern University. In the late 1850s, Kennicott joined the Smithsonian Institution as an explorer and cataloger. He was made the curator of the Chicago Academy of Science and later chosen to head the Western Union Telegraph expedition to Alaska.

This over life-size bronze depicts him in his voyageur clothing and was commissioned by the Grove Heritage Association. He wore a voyageurs hat, a Metis sash, and native moccasins. Near his right hand is a plant press and he has a marmot skin bag. The bronze In the studio and on site pictured. Unveiled September 2023 at the Grove in Glenview.