Conquering the Frontier

Early Settlers
In the 1830s, this area was the wild and unimproved frontier. A treaty between the federal government and the Indians opened the land to settlers in 1836, although some adventurous pioneers staked out homesteads long before then. The early settlers liked the land closest to the water. Even today, the lakefront property is coveted.

The area was initially settled by farmers and hunters from Ireland, Scotland, and New York. They hunted, fished, and lived on what they could raise on their own land. Game and fish were plentiful and the fields were fertile.

Many of the area’s streets and subdivision names date back to the owners of the early farms and resorts. Among the family names are Sayles, Stanton, Marvin, Crockett, Rosing, Larkin, Tonyan, Brophy, Tweed, Devlin, Stratton, O’Boyle, Dalziel, and Graham.

In July of 1846, Ammi Crawford purchased 80 acres of land in the vicinity of Fox Lake’s current downtown. The land transfer was signed by President James Polk. Before the year ended, Crawford sold it to Francis Munson for $150, who resold it to Aaron B. Paddock for the same price. The Paddocks sold the property in 1848 to David Smith of Vermont for $112.50.

In 1848, John Sayles purchased the property for $200, having moved here from Wisconsin with his wife Betsey, daughter Ellen Jane, and son Frank. John built a log cabin on the hill near the site of the current downtown water tower, where he farmed the land. A daughter, Cynthia, and a son, Edward were born later.

In 1868, John and Betsey deeded 134 acres to Frank for $2,350 with an agreement that he would feed, clothe, support and maintain them in a generous and comfortable manner during the full period of their natural lives and deed half the property to Edward when he reached 21 years of age.

Edward eventually purchased Frank’s half and continued to farm the property which expanded to 170 acres by 1876. Edward was a visionary, who was interested in seeing the area grow. He began subdividing the farm and sold property for bargain rates to encourage commercial development. He donated land for streets, and in 1899 sold a strip of land to the Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties Railway Company for $1 and another piece in June of 1900 for an additional $1. His generosity paved the way for the railroad and the eventual right of way to be called “Route 12.”

In 1900, Edward subdivided the land at what is now Grand Avenue and Nippersink Boulevard, where he built a store. That was the start of the downtown business section.

A daughter, Cynthia, married Harry Dunnill in 1868 and helped establish the famed Dunnill House, a sportsmen’s headquarters. Harry and his sons were expert woodsmen and crack shots. Their fame as marksmen became nationwide and helped attract sportsmen to this area.

This was during the time when the sportsmen were constructing their clubhouses, such as the Waltonian in 1874 and the Mineola in 1884.

John Sayles’ son Frank and his wife Jane operated the Old Point Comfort Summer Resort on Fox Lake until 1888 when Jane died. Frank later left the area for the Dakotas. The resort was renamed the Lakeside Hotel when it was operated by Colin Ostrander in 1903. By the late 1930s the property was acquired by the Korpan family, who operated businesses there for many decades.

Fox Lake incorporates as a Village
In January 1907, a provisional village committee was elected, comprised of Otto Muercke, John Brown, George Maypole, Edward Scott, Converse Marble, and C.H. Ostrander. The group had two resort operators, two storekeepers, one liveryman and one boat operator. Harry Dunnill, owner of the Dunnill House hotel was appointed Village Clerk.

Fox Lake was incorporated as a village on April 13, 1907. At the time of incorporation the (Fox, Nippersink, Pistakee) lake shorelines helped to form the original Village boundaries (Nippersink Point). For the next 100 years, these same lakes served to define the economy and character of the community.

During the May 1907 election, the following took office; Mayor John Brown (storekeeper and original postmaster), Village Clerk George Koeth (tavern owner), Village Treasurer A. E. Burnside (lumber yard manager), and Trustees John Baily, Thomas Collins, Frank Marvin, Otto Muercke, Theo Olsen and Daniel Devine. There were resort men, a livery man, a hardware merchant and a retiree.

The full-time residents numbered between 200 and 400 at the time of incorporation.

Why did Fox Lake incorporate as a Village?
As an unincorporated area, residents relied on services from the county seat in Waukegan. Since the Fox Lake area was so far from Waukegan, response time was a concern. While the residents and business owners wanted timely services, they did not want interference from the county government. The resort and saloon owners were particularly interested in the governing bodies maintaining a laissez faire attitude concerning the area’s activities. Increasingly, militant dry groups were pressuring the county to address what they considered to be “abuses of the law.” Local business owners viewed county raids as being unwarranted harassment.

Eventually, the resort owners decided they would have more control over a local village government than with the county, even though there would be additional taxes levied. Adequate police protection without “harassment” was viewed as being worth the additional taxes, so incorporation was approved. Not surprisingly, three of the original trustees were resort men and the Village Treasurer was a tavern owner.

What’s in a name?
How did Fox Lake receive its name? Some attribute the name to the Algonquin Indian tribe (the “Muskwaki”) who were called the “Fox” by the French. Others believe the name came as a result of the large fox population in the area, particularly on Crab Apple Island, the site of a large Indian cornfield.

When the railroad tracks were extended to what is now Ingleside in 1899, that railroad station was initially called “Fox Lake” (later changed to Ingleside). Additionally, prior to 1900, some area maps showed the name “Fox Lake” at what was called “Monaville.” This tiny settlement was a busy farm town during the Civil War. A Fox Lake post office was established there in a farmhouse in 1850. In 1901 the post office name was changed to “Long Lake” and a year later to “East Fox Lake.” When that office was closed in 1904, the community reverted back to the Monaville name.