Book Authors Seek Old Photos of West Lake Forest

Do you any older family or other photographs of Lake Forest's west side, from Everett on the south to the Knollwood Club on the north, west of Route 41?

These images are needed for a new book planned to come out before the end of the year. 

Lake Forest historians Arthur H. Miller, Susan L. Kelsey and Shirley A. Paddock are co-authoring a book on West Lake Forest, including the southwest portion known prior to annexation as Everett, Illinois. The book will tell the story about the pioneers that started the community and how this western half of today's City grew into present-day Lake Forest.

The authors are searching for personal collections of photos from the west side of Lake Forest, from the pioneer days in the mid-1800s through 1940s and early 1950s. These could include the Lasker estate; the J. Ogden Armour estate, by 1948 Lake Forest Academy; Elawa Farm; and the Knollwood Club. Photos being sought include pictures of people, pets, farms, school classes, events, programs, sports, businesses, churches, Sunday school and family photos.

The best photos, too, often have more than one thing going on: a building and people, cars and people, people in costumes, wedding receptions at a historic location, etc.  

The authors prefer to have names on photos so they can be recognized in the book. All photos will be credited in the book, scanned and returned if in hard copy.  Residents that would like to share photos can scan them at minimum of 300 dpi and email the jpeg format to Kelsey at irongateproductions@gmail.com or can contact her to perform the scan.