Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Artesian Lake |
Description |
Sepia photograph of Artesian Lake and footbridge also showing Swan Island. Artesian Lake was once a ten acre lake formed in 1883 by the Lake Bluff Camp Meeting Association for summer recreational use; Swan island was used for picnics. A concrete dame was built west of Evanston and the lake was fed by an artesian well drilled near the present fire station. However, an underpass from the train station was completed in 1904, when the spur line for the North Shore Electric Line to Libertyville was built. There was an obvious problem: This underpass was several feet lower than Artesian Lake and needed a story water drain. Also in 1904, the dam that formed the lake burst, thus draining the lake. By this time the Camp Meeting era was long gone and the lake had outlived its usefulness. For over 30 years it was a refuse dump until the Park District filled it in 1938 and created Artesian Park. |
Caption |
Artesian Lake |
Date |
c. 1889 |
Search Terms |
Artesian Lake Swan Island Camp Meeting |
Collection |
Camp Meeting |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Object ID |
Photo 470 |