Village Services

One reason why the community incorporated was to ensure greater local control over the government services. While police and fire assistance were considered high priority, additional services were expanded through the years with the streets, sewer and water being added to the list. Although limited space does not allow for a review of the various departmental histories, one area deserves attention due to its impact on the overall Village history.

Fires
Fire caused many problems for the Village through the early years. With extensive wooden frame construction and limited fire fighting capacity, an extraordinary number of businesses succumbed to fires. The worst fire occurred on December 17, 1917 when a great fire destroyed most of the downtown business section.

Before there was a fire department, residents would fight fires themselves. They would alert neighbors by running down the streets yelling “Fire! Fire!” Bucket brigades were hastily formed to carry the water to the scene. If needed, they would climb ladders to pour water on neighboring roofs to keep the fire from spreading. Rugs were soaked and placed on the adjoining buildings to protect them.

Fox Lake Volunteer Fire Department
The Fox Lake Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1908. Its expenses during the first three years were raised by holding dances. The horse-drawn pumper and a hose reel on wheels were stored in the original Village Hall. Teams of horses from the nearby Marvin Livery Barn were used to pull the fire engines and were otherwise rented for village work.

When the fire alarm bell was signaled, there would be a race between the Marvin, Harbaugh, and Ed Sayles horse teams to get their horses harnessed. The winner received five dollars from the village funds. Since no single fire department could afford enough equipment to fight the serious fires, the surrounding area departments formed a strong spirit of cooperation to help each other, a spirit that continues today.

Ice harvesting
During the winter, ice harvesting was a major business in the early years. Some ice would be used locally, while most would be shipped to Chicago by rail. Teams of horses and laborers would cut and retrieve blocks of ice from the frozen lakes, storing them in huge sawdust-insulated ice houses to be shipped to Chicago or for summer use by local businesses. Day laborers were brought from Chicago’s Skid Row, given temporary living quarters and put to work. There were three ice houses in Fox Lake, located near the shores of Fox Lake, Pistakee Lake and Duck Lake. The invention of artificial freezing equipment ended this industry.