(dark past)Weve always been from the wrong side of the tracks (In our case, lake chain.)Were sandwiched between lakes that are way fancier than us (Geneva, Delavan, Lauderdale), so the cottages around here were built as affordable summer cabins for the working class. The land was so cheap back in the 20s that you got a free lot to build just by buying a newspaper subscription. Were so excited to launch a new secret squirrel project with our friend @austinsailsbury soon. (And its got us digging into archives to unearth some of what made this place a blue collar getaway and hideout for criminals)These photos are of the OG ads & postcards EXCERPT FROM AMERICAN GETAWAY.100 Years of Saints & Sinners at Camp Wandawega Land Boom (1920 1925) In July of 1925, the Elkhorn Independent made front-page news of the land boom currently taking place: People from outside the state are flocking to Walworth County right now and are buying the choice summer site building lots at prices which would astound older residents … who can remember when every lake in Walworth County was considered free property. Better roads to and through Walworth County made it practical for subdivisions to be built, as well as easier for Model Ts full of out-of-towners to pour in from Chicago during the summer months. Located just four miles north of Elkhorn, with 4,800 building sites, Made for an idyllic locale more than ripe for the picking. In a 1925 newspaper ad, the US Bond & Mortgage Company of Chicago described the area of the new development as beautiful … good, rolling, partly wooded land bordering 4,000 feet on Lake Wandawega. The ad promised the locals that the migratory occupants of these future summer homes would soon become new neighbors who will trade in your stores, bank in your banks, and buy from your farms. parcels located on lands adjacent to the lake originally sold for $240 per acre and were reserved for sale to the respectable. This era of development brought those eager to seize a variety of money-making opportunities with both hands.including one Chicagoan who would buy a 25 acre parcel to build a resort called THE WANDAWEGA HOTEL

April 6, 2021 • Published by Tereasa Surratt