Waterway official delves into Fox Lake history
Editor's note: This is another installment in our weekly series highlighting what people like about living in Lake County. This week, we asked that question of Howard "Bud" Scott, chairman of the Fox Waterway Agency.
Delving into the rich history in the Fox Lake and Ingleside area is one of Howard "Bud" Scott's favorite things in Lake County.
Scott, chairman of the Fox Waterway Agency in Fox Lake and a Lake Villa Fire Protection District board member, said that history helps shape the future of the northern town.
"It's important to have the history available to everyone," he said. "It's important to see how everything started. How we got from there to here and where we can go in the future."
He said Fox Lake, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has been the home of four generations of Scotts.
He said his great grandfather owned an ice business, while his grandfather was the postmaster of Fox Lake for years. His father served as a village trustee and school board member and operated a business downtown.
"I've got roots here that I'm really proud of," he said. "This area has been real good to me. You can truly find everything you ever need within a 10-mile radius of where I live."
His pride for the area extends to the creation of the Fox Lake-Grant Township Historical Society on Washington Street in Ingleside.
He said society members have worked exceptionally hard to trace the history of the area, and document it in such a way so that everyone can learn about the area.
"I think we've done a nice job retracing the history of the village and the township," he said. "The people and governments in the area have been real good to us. They've always been very supportive of what we do."
He said because of that support, the society will continue on to retrace the steps forefathers have left behind.
"As people come in new and fall into the mystique of the area, you see things come to fruition that wasn't there before," he said. "We are always moving forward, but we should always look back and see where we've been."
-- Lee Filas