Images: 100 years of Fox River Grove
Louis' Place was a prime dining venue off Route 14 in downtown Fox River Grove, dating back to the village's birth 100 years ago.
Courtesy of Village of Fox River Grove
Louis' Place in downtown Fox River Grove. Louis Cernocke purchased a small bakery at the corner of Lincoln and Route 14 in 1919, which he turned into a roadhouse featuring his wife's bohemian-style cooking and a well-stocked bar. The building no longer exists.
Courtesy of Village of Fox River Grove
The site of Fox River Grove's first post office off Lincoln Avenue, established in the 1920s, now is home to an antique store.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
The site of Fox River Grove's first post office off Lincoln Avenue, established in the 1920s, now is home to an antique store.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
Fox River Grove Village President Bob Nunamaker talks about the village's history, identifying buildings that once made up its downtown.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
Fox River Grove's Metra train station located on the Union Pacific Northwest Line is the focal point of the 100-year-old town.
Daily Herald File Photo
Fox River Grove's fire station along Foxmoor Road and Route 14 is situated in an area that will become the village's new downtown.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
Fox River Grove's Village Hall, 305 Illinois St. The village marks its centennial this year and has a colorful history that includes bootlegging and hosting world class ski jumping events.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
The Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove was formed in 1905 before the town was incorporated in 1919. It hosts two ski jump tournament yearly, drawing professional skiers and thousands of spectators.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
The Norge Winter Ski Jump Tournament draws thousands of people to Fox River Grove to this day. The ski club formed in 1905 before the town was incorporated in 1919.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
The Bettendorf Castle off Concord Avenue in Fox River Grove was built by hand over 36 years by Theodore Bettendorf, a tool-and-die maker. It includes a moat, working draw bridge and a dungeon, and today is home to an elderly couple.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
This gray building off Route 14 was Fox River Grove's first hardware store owned by the Opatrnys.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
The Fox River Picnic Grove, formerly owned by the Opatrny family and Louis Cernocky, was a popular recreation spot dubbed "40 Acres of Paradise." It featured picnic areas, a baseball diamond, a merry-go-round, a Ferris wheel, boat rides, beer halls and a ballroom.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
The Fox River Picnic Grove, formerly owned by the Opatrny family and Louis Cernocky, was a popular recreation spot, including a bustling marina. In its heyday around the 1940s, the marina attracted thousands of people from Chicago and Wisconsin.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
One of Fox River Grove's founding farming families, the Opatrnys, moved into town not long after the 1832 Black Hawk War between the United States and Native Americans, led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The Opatrnys owned a hotel, dance hall and picnic grove. The village named this street after them.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
St. John's, the first church in Fox River Grove, was established by a group of Bohemian Catholics. It remains open one day each year for Mass. Some of the town's prominent residents are buried in its adjoining cemetery at Church and Algonquin roads.
Madhu Krishnamurthy/mkrishnamurthy@dailyherald.com
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