On the north shore, in 1874, Methodists took advantage of the beautiful beaches along the lake and established the Lake Bluff Camp Meeting Association as a summer gathering place. Within a decade wealthy Chicago businessmen and their families began to travel to Lake Bluff and other northern suburbs on the lake to summer at private resorts such as the five-story Hotel Irving built in 1883.

Creator: Lake Bluff Hotel and Improvement Co.
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37315)