Countryside Lake

Countryside Lake is a manmade lake located in Lake County Illinois. The private lake is in the center of the Countryside neighborhood and is designated for use by the CLA (Countryside Lake Association) and their guests. Countryside Lake was created in 1926 by putting a dam at the end of a boggy stream. After the dam was created dredging equipment was brought to clear the surrounding area to expand the stream into a lake. Since Countryside Lake is manmade it is very shallow, at a maximum depth of 10 feet (3.0 m) the lake is mostly recreational.[2] The lake is around 120 acres (49 ha) so it is on the smaller side for a lake. Since the lake is so small, only boats with 15 horsepower or less are allowed on the lake, this is intended to keep the shoreline from deteriorating. Countryside Lake has one beach that has a lifeguard for most days of the summer months.[3] At the beach there is a playground, horseshoes, and numerous docks for boats.

Countryside Lake
Countryside Lake
Countryside Lake
LocationLake County, Illinois
Coordinates42°14′48″N 88°01′48″W
TypeReservoir
Built1926
Max. depth10 ft (3.0 m)
Surface elevation781 ft (238 m)
References[1]

History

Countryside Lake was created by Samuel Insull in 1926. Since there was only a boggy stream when he started to make the lake, it was a difficult task. He began by damming the southeast end of the stream. Once the dam was built, the stream was transformed into a lake using dredging equipment to create the intended outline of the lake. Once Insull finished the lake, he built a hunting lodge on the lake that still stands today. The surrounding area of the lake is a neighborhood called Countryside. This neighborhood consists of Countryside Lake and Countryside Oaks.[4]

Wildlife

Countryside Lake is home to many fish and has numerous birds that migrate through. Some of the fish that are in the lake are crappie, muskellunge, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, perch, bluegill, grass carp, sunfish, and catfish. Since the lake has all of these fish it is a common spot for fishing.[5]

References
  1. "Countryside Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
  2. "Countryside Lake Bathymetric Map Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine." Integrated lakes management. Web. 18 Mar 2011.
  3. Dane, Leonard, Michael Adam, Shaina Keseley, and Adrienne Orr. Lake County Health Department. 2007 Summary Report of Countryside Lake. Waukegan, IL: , 2007 Archived 2011-08-23 at the Wayback Machine. Web. 22 Mar 2011.
  4. Donahoe, Brian. "About". Countryside Lake Association. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  5. "CLA Newsletter." CLA News. Feb. 2011: 1. Print.
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