Illinois' Chain of Lakes-- Part 8: The Lakes

Of the 15 lakes, 10 are connected by the Fox River:  Lake Catherine, Nippersink Lake, Lake Marie, Grasslake, Bluff Lake, Fox Lake, Pistakee Lake, Channel Lake, Petite Lake and Redhead Lake.  (Some people also say Spring Lake between Lake Marie and Petite Lake is also a lake, but it is more of a wide spot in the channel.

The other five lakes are Duck Lake, Long Lake, Spring Lake (this might be the one I mentioned in the earlier paragraph), Dunn's Lake and Brandenburg Lake.

These last five are connected not by the Fox River but by small channels.

This weekend, we plan to be at Cabana's on the Chain on Pistakee Lake, and Rally by the Lake on Nippersink Lake (old cars) and the Keeping the Spirit of 45 Alive at Veterans Park in McHenry (one block from the Fox River).

So, you can see, we are very much involved in the Chain of Lakes.

--CootChain

Illinois' Chain of Lakes-- Part 7: Result of the Melting of the Wisconsin Glacier

The Chain of Lakes is the result of the melting of the Wisconsin Glacier, which left a unique landscape in northern Illinois.  The Fox River winds its way southward from Wisconsin, through Antioch, Illinois, and then it connects a series of lakes, 15 in all.  (The river eventually runs into the Illinois River and on to the Mississippi.)

These lakes, collectively known as the Chain of Lakes, or Chain O' Lakes, cover more than 7,000 acres of water and includes 500 miles of total shoreline (50 miles of river shoreline from where it enters Illinois down to Algonquin where a dam with no locks impedes boat traffic beyond it.  There is a dam south of McHenry, Illinois, which has locks.

The Chain of Lakes Waterway Agency oversees its use and maintenance.  This is a big job as the area has more boat usage per acre than any other inland waterway system in the United States.  I have even heard that it is the second busiest only to the Intercoastal Waterway.

--CootChain