Lake Bluff, Illinois

Description

Lake Bluff is a village in Shields Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,469 as of 2015.HistoryThe first to claim land within the area known as Lake Bluff, arrived in 1836 with their son Henry. They laid claim to 100 acres of land fronting on the lake and going west to the Green Bay Trail. In 1849, John Cloes and two neighbors left to seek their fortune in the California gold rush. He died in Sacramento leaving his wife, Catherine, to raise their seven children and manage the homestead. In 1837, William and Mary Dwyer claimed the land just north of the former Central School. They opened and operated a stage coach stop and tavern along the Green Bay Trail. Some of the other early settlers were Henry and Angeline Ostrander, James Cole and William Whitnell.In 1855, the first railroad through Lake County was completed, running from Chicago through Waukegan, to the county line. Henry Ostrander owned the land where the depot was to be placed, and he agreed to donate the site if the depot were called "Rockland." Therefore, this area, known previously as the Dwyer Settlement and Oak Hill, became Rockland, the only stop between Highland Park and Waukegan. Rockland had a post office and general store on Mawman Avenue with a small school and church located west of the tracks near Green Bay Road.In 1875, a group of Methodist ministers led by Solomon Thatcher of River Forest purchased 100 acres of lakefront property from Ben Cloes, the youngest son of the first settlers. The Lake Bluff Camp Meeting Association was formed and the little settlement of Rockland was renamed "Lake Bluff." The Association planned a resort similar to the Chautauqua movement in the east, one that would provide not only religious activities but also social, cultural, educational and recreational programs. From the beginning, the Camp Meeting was successful at bringing in well-known personalities of the time, such as Frances Willard and Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes. Summer visitors were attracted to Lake Bluff to enjoy the beach and ravines and participate in the Camp Meeting activities. A 10-acre lake in the center of town, Artesian Lake, provided additional recreational opportunities.