Cedar Lake

Cedar Lake has been home to Indians, pioneers, industrialists, hotelkeepers, and more. At the center of town is a 787-acre body of water also called Cedar Lake. In 1882, the Monon Railroad laid tracks along the western lakeshore. In winter, the Armour brothers, John G. Shedd, and the Howkinsons harvested lake ice and loaded it on trains bound for Chicago meatpacking houses. Tourists, and sometimes scoundrels, soon discovered this summer playground. They came by rail or buggy for fresh air a...