McHenry Historical society to distinguish fish hatchery

The McHenry County Historical Society Committee has announced it will place a plaque on the Spring Grove Hatchery at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at the site, 2314 Hatchery Road, Spring Grove.

The village of Spring Grove has invited the general public to the ceremony which, in conjunction with the annual Taste of Hatchery Park event, will take place outside the Fish Hatchery building.

The year was 1914 and the village of Spring Grove was only 12 years old, oil lamps were used to illuminate the town, as electricity wouldn't arrive until 1918. Ford Motor Company announced a $5 a day minimum wage, and Charlie Chaplin and Babe Ruth were both making their debuts.

Although a paved Route 12 was still two decades away, the invention of American Automobile Touring was just beginning and the Spring Grove Fish Hatchery would soon become one of the Illinois touring attractions.

Because of its cold water springs producing more than 300,000 gallons of water per minute, the tiny hamlet of Spring Grove was chosen as the location for Illinois' first, and now oldest, state fish hatchery. In 1913, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources purchased this site and work began to transform a useless 52-acre peat bog into a beautiful and productive facility, which opened in 1914.

Soon this fish hatchery was supplying fish for streams and lakes all the way to Springfield. Transporting live fish was all but impossible on the early roads, so in 1915 the Illinois Game and Fish Commission purchased a State Fish Car. Built to passenger car standards it could transport live fish in a safe and timely manner.

By 1924, this Spring Grove facility became one of the model hatcheries for the United States. Rebuilding and enlarging took place in 1917, 1924 and again in 1932. Early records show that in 1916 visitors to the hatchery marveled to see 50,000 four-month-old rainbow trout, 30 million hatching pike eggs and 25,000 2-month-old trout.

After being open to the public for more than 90 years and with up to 55,000,000 small fish being produced here annually, the state stopped fish production and the hatchery was closed in 2004, and eventually sold in 2007. The village of Spring Grove agreed to take over ownership of the property and work began diligently in 2008 to return the Hatchery Building to its 1938 appearance.

The Hatchery Building is now on its way to becoming an interpretive and educational center. The surrounding land, which includes ponds and trails, will be known as Hatchery Park and used for hiking, picnicking and the exploration of restored native flora and fauna.

The ultimate goal is to connect the Hatchery Park to Spring Grove's downtown area via a bridge and a pedestrian bike trail system, making the Spring Grove Fish Hatchery once again an Illinois touring attraction.

For a park development plan, visit springgrovevillage.com/sports_parks_rec/Hatchery_Pamphlet.pdf.