Island Lake history

American settlers started to migrate west from New England and Virginia in the early nineteenth century. It wasn't long before pioneers pushed past the Great Lakes into the territory beyond and established small communities in the name of westward expansion. Many precursors to the Chicago suburbs were created at this time, as was Island Lake, now a modest village surrounded by several lakes and farmland.

Following the Black Hawk War in 1932, much of Northern Illinois was cleared of its Native American inhabitants and new colonists chose to build homes in the rolling hills and prairie land surrounding the Fox River (in what is now McHenry and Lake Counties). The new settlements were located too far from Chicago and Cook County to be effectively governed from the city or county administration. This need for a more local seat of government resulted in the formation of McHenry County in 1836. At the time the new county stretched to Lake Michigan however it was divided three years later to form Lake County, which separates McHenry County from Lake Michigan.

The Village of Island Lake (incorporated in 1952) straddles these two counties. The small development was primarily a resort community of small cottages that sought recreation in the nearby waterways and lakes. Today Island Lake is a far-removed suburb of Chicago that enjoys its distance from the city (it's about an hour drive to downtown) but wouldn't trade its scenic location for all the skyscrapers on Michigan Avenue. Island Lake has about 8,000 residents and a pleasant rural appeal that thrives on its small town roots and beautiful Northern Illinois landscape.