TO THE BEACH AND BACK

JULY 15 CAN’T COME SOON ENOUGH for the curators at the Lake Bluff History Museum. Its newest exhibit—”The Lake”—has been years in the making.

Covering the role Lake Michigan and its beach have played in the lives of those who have resided in Lake Bluff since 1875, Exhibit Director Pam Russell hopes that museum visitors will take away a new appreciation for one of the community’s greatest assets.

“It has taken us some time to pull this exhibit together because there is such a big story to tell,” Russell says of the small but mighty crew of museum volunteers who have been conducting the research. “How the beach was enjoyed in the Camp Meeting days, what it was like once Lake Bluff was incorporated, and how erosion may impact its future—there’s a lot to be said.”

The Lake Bluff History Museum, which shares a space with the Lake Bluff Library, provides a glimpse at local history and highlights topics deserving a more detailed look. These exhibits trace Lake Bluff ’s evolution from a rural farm community to a summer resort, to the suburban community it is today, and link it to the bigger picture of what’s happening in our country as a whole.

As the story goes, it was in the late 1800s that a group of Methodist ministers purchased 100 acres of local lakefront property. The Lake Bluff Camp Meeting Association was formed and the little settlement was renamed “Lake Bluff.” The Association provided not only religious activities but also social, cultural, educational, and recreational programs.

Summer visitors were attracted to Lake Bluff to enjoy the beach and ravines and participate in the Camp Meeting activities. By the mid-1880s, there were more than 30 hotels and boarding houses—in varying degrees of luxury—plus a large tabernacle with seating for more than 2,000 people in what today is East Lake Bluff.

“There was an emerging middle class with leisure time on their hands because of the advances of the industrial revolution,” Russell says. “People had time to be away from the city during the summer months and these camps were the perfect destination. They appealed to all income levels.”

As the Methodist Camp Days came to an end, Lake Bluff incorporated and soon after, formed a Park District.

“Much like today, the Park District issued annual beach passes and they hired their first lifeguard,” Russell says with a laugh. “The only hired one and we have pretty detailed records of the breaks that one lifeguard on duty was given.”

Among the treasures available to be seen at The Lake exhibit are the beach tags residents had to affix to their swimsuits when they visited the beach. The metals used for the tags varied largely based on what was available during the years the United States was at war. There are also a number of suits on display to show what swimwear was in style throughout the decades.

Lake Michigan and its beach played a significant role in the social lives of Lake Bluff ’s residents. In the 1950s, Lake Bluff ’s volunteer firemen would catch smelt, freeze them, and then host a Smelt Soiree (serving fried smelt and coleslaw to the community). A social group called “Tab & Tennis” was formed that organized beach parties, carnivals, bonfires, and even prettiest baby contests. And in 1961, the Lake Bluff Yacht Club was founded, formalizing the community’s love for water sports that is still going strong today.

“One of the things that I found most interesting in working on this exhibit is that the same things we complain about today—too many people parking at the beach, too many outsiders using the beach are the same things residents were complaining about 150 years ago,” Russell says. “Except instead of cars being the problem, it was the horses and buggies.”

While the recreational activities of Lake Bluff lakefront may be what draws people to the History Museum’s newest exhibit, it’s the information beachfront’s erosion that might leave the greatest impression.

“I think the environmental piece will be really surprising to people,” Russell says. “The impact the erosion and invasive species have had on the beach over the years are hard to ignore. I hope people who visit our exhibit take away a greater appreciation for the lake and how important it is that we take care of it.”

“The Lake” will open to visitors at the Lake Bluff History Museum on Saturday, July 15. To learn more, visit lakebluffhistory.org.