What's in a Name? Appellations for West Lake Forest

Dating back to the earliest settlers, the growing community in west Lake Forest collected several monikers – official and unofficial.Meehan's SettlementIrish immigrants Michael Meehan and his wife Bri...

Dwyer Settlement: Foundations of Lake Bluff

In 1837 William and Mary Dwyer and Mary's brother Dr. Richard Murphy settled on the west side of the Green Bay Trail, north of what is now West Washington Avenue in Lake Bluff. This property included...

O Pioneers: Early European Settlers in West Lake Forest

The first pioneers to settle in west Lake Forest were mostly Irish immigrants. Many had come to Illinois to work on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Under the terms of the Treaty of Chicago, by 1836...

Map: Lake Forest and environs, 1861

Pioneering West Lake Forest: Michael and Roseanna Yore

Irish immigrant Michael Yore, his wife Roseanna, and their 12 children played an important role in shaping west Lake Forest. The Yores came to the U.S. in 1827. First settling in Salina (Syracuse), Ne...

Steele Family: Farmers Along Waukegan Road

William Steele settled in Lake Forest with his sons in 1838, only five years after a treaty was signed with Native Americans to open up the land for settlement. Originally from Scotland (via Canada, w...