Four Lakes, IL

In the north of Lake County Illinois there is a quaint little town of three thousand, nestled between four lakes.

Ruby Lake is on the west, so named because from the bluffs the setting sun turns the waters deep red and gold. This is taken advantage of the half dozen Bed and Breakfasts that line the shores on Ruby Ring Road, which circles the lake.

To the south is the wide, clear Sapphire Lake. To the east is the tiny, tree-lined Emerald Lake in the shape of her namesake.

In the thirties Pearl Creek was dammed as part of the WPA. The dam created Pearl Lake, a sprawling, shallow bifurcated waterway surrounded by a newly created Pearl Lake State Park. The state park continued over the border to become a Wisconsin state park as well. The park was administered by a purpose built town named Pearl City.

It was at that point that the fate of little Four Lakes took a turn for the worse. Her electrical needs were met by the dam, but the new lake shut her off from any major roadway. The railroad already bypassed her and when the highway system expanded they went straight to the newly built town of Pearl City.
Now Four Lakes is a sleepy haven for those who seek distance without leaving the second most populated county in Illinois.