Countryside Lake
Encyclopedia
Countryside Lake is a manmade lake located in Lake County
Illinois
. The lake is in the center of the Countryside neighborhood and is a private lake to members of 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 m) the lake is mostly recreational. The lake is around 120 acres (48.6 ha) so it is on the smaller side for a lake. Since the lake is so small it only allows 15 horsepower for boats on the lake, this is to keep the shoreline from deteriorating. Countryside Lake has one beach that has a lifeguard for most days of the summer months. At the beach there is a playground, horseshoes, and numerous docks for boats.
in 1926. Since there was only a boggy stream when he started to make the lake it was a difficult task. Starting by creating a dam at the southeast end of the stream Insull. 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 sits on the lake today. The surrounding area of the lake is a neighborhood called Countryside. This neighborhood consists of Countryside Lake and Countryside Oaks.
, 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.
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The lake is in the center of the Countryside neighborhood and is a private lake to members of 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 m) the lake is mostly recreational. The lake is around 120 acres (48.6 ha) so it is on the smaller side for a lake. Since the lake is so small it only allows 15 horsepower for boats on the lake, this is to keep the shoreline from deteriorating. Countryside Lake has one beach that has a lifeguard for most days of the summer months. At the beach there is a playground, horseshoes, and numerous docks for boats.
History
Countryside Lake was created by Samuel InsullSamuel Insull
Samuel Insull was an Anglo-American innovator and investor based in Chicago who greatly contributed to creating an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States. Insull was notable for purchasing utilities and railroads using holding companies, as well as the abuse of them...
in 1926. Since there was only a boggy stream when he started to make the lake it was a difficult task. Starting by creating a dam at the southeast end of the stream Insull. 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 sits on the lake today. The surrounding area of the lake is a neighborhood called Countryside. This neighborhood consists of Countryside Lake and Countryside Oaks.
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 crappieCrappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, muskellunge
Muskellunge
A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, grass carp
Grass carp
The grass carp is a herbivorous, freshwater fish species of family Cyprinidae, and the only species of the genus Ctenopharyngodon. It is cultivated in China for food, but was introduced in Europe and the United States for aquatic weed control...
, sunfish, and catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
. Since the lake has all of these fish it is a common spot for fishing.