It was originally a steep-sided lake created by the melting of a large chunk of glacial ice at the end of the Wisconsonian glaciation.

About 6,000 years before the present, a mat of sphagnum moss began to grow out into the water, playing a major role in the evolution of this geological feature from a lake into a bog.

The bog's changing pH levels encouraged the growth of other acid-loving plant species, such as leatherleaf, certain specialized orchids, and coniferous tamarack trees.

While the center of the bog remained a pool of open water, shallower sections of the sphagnum-moss cushion had begun to provide a substrate for the growth of woody plants, such as tamaracks and poison sumac.

As the 20th century moved forward, population growth in the Chicago area placed Volo Bog under threat from residential development.

Cyrus Mark, the first president of the Illinois chapter of The Nature Conservancy, spearheaded the efforts to purchase Volo Bog for preservation.