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AUGUST *, im - PLAIN DEALER CENTENNIAL EDITION-PAGE 13 Pistakee Yacht Club Formed In 1897 STUDENTS -1898 STYLE - Pupils in the seventh and eighth grade classes of McHenry public school in 1898. Upper row, left to right, are Nina Golby, Bessie Mason, Bertha Curtis, Anna Frisby, Lizzie Bolton, Jessie Simpson, Edna Storey, Willie Botts and Dora Stoffel; seated, Ethel Owen, Deborah Cooper, teacher; Belle Gallagher and Mabel Johnson; bottom row, from left, Archie Auringer, Sammy Zimmerman, Lynn Cristy and Earl Waite. MALE QUARTET - This fine male quartet of 1926 was formed by the' musical director, Elmer Koerner, to sing at an orchestra concert. From left, members are Mr. Koerner, Earl (Marty) Conway, Richard Stenger and Ernest Barbian. TEACHERS OF 1924 - Eighth grade teachers of 1924 are shown above in front of Landmark school. From left, they are Miss Doherty, Miss Knox, Miss Kinney, Miss Claxton, Miss Bonslett and Miss Phalin. SCHOOL BOARD OF 1916 - Members of the board of education of the McHenry public schools in 1916 s are shown above with A.E. Nye, left, superintendent. From his left are William Bonslett, N.J. Justen, James B. Perry, Wm. J. Welch, Stephen H". Freund, Charles L. Page and John Claxton. R1NGWOOD PUPILS IN 1916 - Pupils of the lower four grades of the Ringwood elementary school are shown in 1916 with Miss Lois Whorton, teacher, at left. In first row, left to right, are Byron Hitchens, Delia Jung, Earl Smith, Mildred Peet, Kirk Schroeder, Gerald Brunswick and Lee Brunswick; standing, second row, Lillian Smith, Doris Whorton, Edward Thompson, Cora Beth, Clyde Carr, Frances Welter and Tillie Miller ; third row, Harold Bell, Dorothy Peet, John Thompson, Ethel Bell and Alex Justen. PETER WEBER LINUS NEWMAN CUSTODIANS - Two popular custodians of 1924 are shown in front of the old grade school on Waukegan road. From the rising of the curtain until the close we are held in a turmoil of suspense as we watch the lovely heroine in her struggle against old fashioned ideals, and her modern tendencies. With the whimsical "Adventure" and mischievous Kitty we are kept in a gale of laughter, not without sympathy for poor auntie in her chase of the capricious monkey-wrench. We soon learn to pity poor gallant "Mac" beset on all sides wih business troubles and a far more troublesome love affair. There are several pretty love stories woven daintily into the tale, all of which end happily for every one's peace of mind. The villain is squelched at last and his clever confederate finds that she is not quite so clever as she was so fond of boasting. The gruesome image gives up the hidden pearls just in time to pay "for the wedding ring", and Belinda gets her last revenge. (Taken From Yearbook Of 1919) THE SPELL OF THE IMAGE (Given by the Sepior Class of 1918) On December 29, 1897. Phillip .Jaeger, Jr., Edwin Blomgren, Alexander R. Beck, William M. Gunton, Philip Knopf, Ernest Hedinbergh, Nicholas Morris and Henry L. Hertz in­ corporated the Pistakee Yacht club as a not-for-profit cor­ poration under the laws of the State of Illinois with the following objectives: "To develop and encourage an interest in "yachting and boating; to conduct racing regattas; to provide and maintain a club house and grounds for the use of members of the club; to furnish wholesome amusement and recreation to its members in variousjrnanners, to further the social and proprietary interests among the cottagers and residents." Although these eight men have long since passed from the Pistakee scene, the club they founded * seventy-eight years ago continues as an active center of sailboat racing and social life in the Chain of Lakes region. It is appropriate on this oc­ casion to recall some of the events of earlier times and to learn how the original ob­ jectives of the founders have been realized. The club is fortunate to have many written records made by its officers in the form of Minutes of Direc­ tors and Membership meetings and the Annual Yearbook as source materials. These records, together with the personal collections of photographs and other club memorabilia by several long time members, form the basis of this history. A further dimension is provided by the many stories and "Club Lore" passed down the generations by word of mouth, and the result is an interesting account of the origin.-groyfh and evolution of the Pistakee Yacht club as it exists today. In the late 1890's Pistakee Lake was a quiet~^summer retreat for many Chicago families. Frame summer homes were being built primarily in the Bay area along the shore of the lake, then lined with bullrushes, water lillies and reeds. In early June, following the closing of the Chicago schools, families would board the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroad train to Ingleside and Fox Lake. Passengers and belongings would then be taken down to the shore of Pistakee Lake, where they would board the steam launch operated by Captain Anderson and later by Math Pitzen, to be transported across the lake to their homes. The summer cottagers drew their water from the lake and from wells , illuminated their homes by kerosene or gas, and purchased ice from the two large ice houses located east and west shores of Eagle Point, or from a third but smaller ice house just off Regner road. During the summer, the wives and children would be in residence all summer long, with the men spending weekends at the Bay. The Friday afternoon train was always crowded with the men bringing fresh meat and produce out from the city. When September arrived, and with it the start of school, houses would be boarded up' and most of the acitvity on the Bay would end until the next season. For the early residents,, boating on Pistakee Lake was; not only a pleasure but also a necessity, as it was often the' shortest and quickest route between home and destination. Power boats consisted of steam launches fired by coal or wood. A number of families also had sailboats, among them the family of Henry L. Hertz. Mr . Hertz was the proud owner of not one, but five sailboats -- two 38-foot sloops, HARRIET H. and PISTAKEE, and three 16-foot catboats called NIP, TUCK AND JONAH Mr. Hertz has been described. with ample justification, as "The Grand Old Man" of the Pistakee Yacht club and it is not surprising that the owner of such a sizable personal fleet became in­ strumental in the organization of a Yacht club. Mr. Hertz proceeded to interest his neigh­ bors and sailing friends in the formation of the club during the' summer of 1897 and im December the club's formall charter was issued. Henry L. Hertz was elected the club's; first commodore, and continued to hold the office through 1900. Irj$ft«yj}. the first year of forrnal ^eration, the club had eighty-six members who paid an initiation fee of $5. The Hertz home, located atop the hill northeast of the present club, was the center of all activity. Mr. Hertz had always been active in public affairs, in' Chicago and the original membership roster contains the names of no less than fif­ teen members who were in public service, two-thirds of them being employed in the office of the Cook County Clerk. During the early years of the club, many members were in public life, such as Cook County Sheriff Charles W. Peters, Recorder of Deeds Joseph F. Haas, Congressman (and later Senator) William Lorimer, and Commissioner of Buildings Henry Ericsson. Directors and membership meetings were customarily held in the winter in the city of Chicago, Vogelsang's restaurant and the Union and LaSalle Hotels appearing to be the favorite locations. On Feb. 11, 1899, Mr. Hertz's wife, Mary P. Hertz, acquired the land which is now the site of the Pistakee Yacht club, and that year, following a sub­ scription drive which realized $230©, a club house was erected on the Hertz property. The original club house served as a dance pavilion in the summer and during the winter was used as a storage area for members' sailboats. Additional subscriptions were sought and obtained in 1902, resulting in the construction of a boat house complete with iron railway just south of the club house at a total cost of $1500. There is some evidence that by 1914 several of the members' wives felt that the land under the boat house could be better utilized as lawn, and the structure was torn down in June of that year and its lumber and materials auc­ tioned off. In 1905, with the land improved with a club house and boat house, the board of directors contracted to pur­ chase the land for $12,000, giving a mortgage to secure the payment of the purchase price. In the early days, the club house served the members well for sailing as well as social activities. During the Summer, dances were held in addition to the men's smokers which were the fashion of the day. The records speak of minstrel shows and bazaars as social functions to help raise money for needed club improvemnts. On 1910, with the club still in debt on account of the purchase of the land from the w Hertz family, it was decided to hold a Pistakee County Fair to raise the funds necessary to pay off the mortgage which would fall due on Aug. 24, 1910. The Fair was held on the club grounds on Sept 3. 1910, under the general direction of past Commodore Andrew McAnsh. The program of events varied from wrestling matches, dice games, and stet machines to cattle and fish exhibits, dog shows, and gingle boards. Booths were set up to handle the sale of Japanese, Irish and German articles, and a Swede, Clarence '"Pete" Peterson, then 20 years of age, was the feature attraction in the wrestling matches. One of the major contributors to the event was Samuel Insull, later to gain wide notoriety in the business of public utilities. He supplied the bulbs, wiring, and current necessary to bring to the Bay area for the first time "the brilliance and pleasure of electric illumination, tran­ sforming the heretofore comparatively dingy grounds of the Pistakee Yacht club into a blaze of splendor." On Nov. 21,1910, the club held its annual meeting at Vogelsang's restaurant at 177 Madison street, Chicago, to report a financial profit of $2500 on the Fair. The mortgage having been paid off and released, thanks to the tem­ porary forebearance of Mr. Hertz, the mortgage papers were burned by Mr. Hertz amid the applause of the members present. By 1912 the ladies began to take a more direct interest in the club The Pistakee Ladies club as it was then known, had "rendered material aid in furnishing and beautifying the club house in making it com­ fortable and presentable." There later appeared a Young Ladies club, a counterpart to the Young Men's club already in existence. On Feb. 16. 1914, the annual meeting of the, club was held with 100 persons present, women among them for the first time in the history of the club. During the First World Wlir (the "Great War" to the members of 1917) the club house fell into a state of disrepair and was ultimately closed as interest in sailing and the cjub greatly declined. In July of 1920 Commodore Carl Buehler undertook to rekindle interest in the club. A year later. after extensive remodeling and repairs, he was pleased to advise the mem­ bership; "You can depend on it, the danger of the porch falling down, or the roof falling in, or possibly the whole building collapsing, has been entirely eliminated. Even the rain drops from now on will have to rema.ii on tne outside." (Continued on page 14) Typical scene during sail boat races as sponsored by Pistakee Yacht club today. Pistakee Yacht Club House