Fox Lake

By Paul J. Jakstas

Fox Lake, nestled as it is in the the heart of the chain, has been one of the Chicago area s favorite recreation destinations for over 100 years. Starting in the late 1800s, wealthy sportsmen constructed clubs that sparked an era often referred to as the resort heyday. An explosion of resorts and cottages beckoned tourists to come to hunt, fish, enjoy nature s gifts, or be entertained. In 1910, the Chicago Tribune referred to the area as the Vice Capital, noting the openness of gambling, saloons, dance halls, and more. Through the magic of vintage postcards, some of the ghosts of the past are brought to life in this book scenery, structures, boats, and people gone but not totally forgotten.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jun 7, 2006
• ISBN: 9781439616888

Paul J. Jakstas

Longtime resident and community activist Paul J. Jakstas teamed with four other like-minded Fox Lake residents who share a passion for the area's history. Together they have sourced a unique collection of postcards, providing visual reminders of the lives, culture, and structures of the region, focused on the fi rst half of the 20th century. The individual team members have demonstrated a keen interest in the community as business owners, elected officials, and volunteers for civic and charitable activities.

Book preview

collection.

INTRODUCTION

Is this book about Fox Lake the town or the lake? The answer is yes, it is about the town, the lake, and more. It includes images from the Ingleside area and lakes named Pistakee, Nippersink, and Grass. As far back as 1909, this whole area was referred to as the Fox Lake Region.

Through the magic of old postcards, you will be transported to a bygone era. Images from the 1880s through the 1950s are presented, as the region evolved from being a jewel of nature through its resort heyday. Time has not been kind to the old resorts, and as they faded, so did the era of the postcard. Few of the old resort structures remain, but the images and reputation linger in the hearts of many. We identified some remaining structures and the location of where others existed. This book brings ghosts of the past to life; scenery, people, boats, and structures are gone but not totally forgotten.

Why did this region have such great appeal a century ago? Starting as a hunting and fishing paradise (late 19th century), it quickly transitioned to a resort-centric tourist mecca (early 20th century). With its proximity to Chicago and improved transportation, the Fox Lake region became a favorite destination for sportsmen and vacationers. Wealthy sportsmen constructed clubhouses, which later became resorts and cottages affordable for the average worker. As the number of resorts increased, they promised entertainment: fishing, hunting, dancing, slot machines, card games, boats, or whatever else your imagination needed.

How popular was the region? Consider that today there are far fewer resorts, cottages, and rooms to rent on the Chain O’ Lakes than there were in 1910, when the local population was much smaller. Most of today’s 28,000 boats registered on the chain belong to residents or to weekend warrior boaters. The old resort business model faded, along with its aging structures.

During its heyday, it was a vacation destination, where people would stay for a week or two, and possibly for the entire summer. In the early 1900s, when there were only a few hundred permanent Fox Lake residents, the summer season population reached an estimated 20,000 people. At its peak, the region supported an estimated 50 hotels and 2,000 cottages.

People, places, and modes of transportation are highlighted during an exciting era. The Roaring Twenties popularized the many new dance pavilions. Businesses survived during Prohibition by opening ice-cream parlors, sometimes to cover for other products being sold. The area was not immune to Chicago’s mob scene turf wars. There was a booming water transportation business, which flourished with local boatbuilding companies providing vessels suited to every need, from the paddle-wheel steamboats, to the excursions, to the duck hunter specials. Expanded railroad transportation made it easy for average worker families to get away from the city and enjoy lake recreation.

While the Prohibition repeal was good news for the area, the Great Depression was devastating to the resort economy, with many businesses never recovering. Resort properties were subdivided; summer cottages were converted to year-round homes. Over the next 20 years, the resorts slowly disappeared. The resort heyday was over. While some water-related businesses have survived, and a few have prospered through the decades, they are the exceptions.

Although postcards usually depict the good times, cameras also captured some bad times. Fire victimized a shocking number of local businesses during the first half of the 20th century. Floods also caused damage to many properties. Cameras captured some of these unhappier moments as postcards.

This book is divided into five chapters, each covering specific geographic areas. Chapter one provides images from the old Fox Lake and Ingleside business sections, as well as a few other area scenes. The remaining chapters each focus on one of the four primary lakes associated with the Fox Lake region. Each chapter is approached as a tour, sequentially following the shorelines and identifying the resort and landmark locations.

This is not intended to be a classic history book, entailing a sequential presentation of the area’s growth and timelines. Basically, it is a picture book with facts, insights, and locations identified for a better understanding of the area’s history.

Sometimes it is difficult to discern fact from fiction when it comes to local history, since the people who were there did not always document their stories, leaving it for others to provide embellished versions. In researching the facts for this book, we encountered a fair share of conflicting stories. We have tried to determine and present the true facts, but we are certain there will be challenges to some of our information. We will leave the task of sorting out myths and folklore stories to other research documents, but if anyone has proof that Capone slept here, we would like to see it.

Doing the research for this book was fun. We hope you will also enjoy your journey into Fox Lake, the heart of the chain.

This image was taken shortly after the opening of the Fox Lake Fair and the railroad station (both in 1901), with the downtown view of the (current) Grand Avenue and Nippersink Boulevard intersection.

One

FOX LAKE AND INGLESIDE

The tour begins on the land, exploring images of old downtown Fox Lake and Ingleside. Initially the Ingleside train station was actually named Fox Lake.

The original Fox Lake town was nestled between three of the major lakes in the Chain O’ Lakes (Fox, Nippersink, and Pistakee), making it one of the main arteries of activity on the