Deep Lake and Ishnala: An icy past with Native American roots

Icy History

In 1888, The Knickerbocker Ice Company built a plant on the south shore of Deep Lake with a railroad spur to the site. Blocks of ice cut from the frozen lake were shipped by train to Chicago. Today, Deep Lake is a private recreational lake for Ishnala residents and the other communities that surround the lake. Pillars of the past, or at least from the ice piers, remain in the lake to this day. Those few remaining pillars hover just below the water's surface on a small area of the south shoreline.

Early Settlers

Early settlers in the area include the Potawatomi native American tribe. Another lake just north of Deep Lake is Nippersink Lake. It is probably of Potawatomi origin and signifies "at the little water/lake." The post office at Fox Lake was called Nippersink until 1901.

After the displacement of the Potawatomi, the earliest landowners in the Lake Villa area were farmers, who first bought the land from the government in the 1840s.

Resort Beginnings

Originally settled in the early 1800's, Lake Villa was once a resort town where the affluent and tourists came to relax. Several of the early mansions built here at that time, still stand and are a rich part of our history.

E.J. Lehmann, the "Merchant Prince of State Street", had a profound impact on the history of Lake Villa. Lehmann bought land between Cedar Lake and Deep Lake and built a private resort and a sumptuous, 150-room hotel to entertain friends, guests, and vacationers.