German U-Boat in Lake Michigan Waters

This week it was reported that Russian military submarines are patrolling the coast of the Eastern United States in international waters. The incident has raised eyebrows, but most analysts cough it up to the Russian's flexing their muscles and checking U.S. surveillance capabilities.

This isn't the first nor the last time a foreign nation's sub has been near or in our waters.

A view of the German U-boat, UC-97, courtesy of the Eastland Disaster Historical Society.

Immediately following the end of World War I, the United States was still in the process of paying off its war debt. The United States Navy expressed an interest in acquiring several surrendered German submarines for display purposes in conjunction with a Victory Bond drive. Early in 1919, UC-97 and five other German U-boats were allotted to the United States by the British Government.

UC-97 was commissioned by the German Imperial Navy on September 3, 1918. The Chicago Tribune reported on August 17, 1919 that the sub was credited with sinking seven merchant ships, although other sources note that this class of submarine (UC III) conducted no war patrols and sank no ships. It was surrendered to the United States in November 1918.

"A German Sea Serpent With Its Fangs Pulled," Chicago Tribune, August 17, 1919.

Once the sub cleared the locks and entered the Great Lakes, it began a series of visits to American ports on Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan. Though scheduled to visit Lake Superior ports as well, the voyage had to be cut short due to wear on the engines.

In August 1919, the U-boat started back down the coast of Lake Michigan toward Chicago, making a stop in Waukegan.







This series of photos was taken of the U-boat docked in the Waukegan Harbor, and being inspected by the local citizenry. (LCDM 93.40.1 Photo album)

This photo of the submarine appears to have been taken from inside a truck or automobile.









































On June 7, 1921, the U-boat was sunk as a target by the USS Wilmette on Lake Michigan 20 nautical miles off the coast of Highland Park.

Ironically, the USS Wilmette was originally built as the SS Eastland of the infamous Eastland Disaster. In 1915, the SS Eastland--a Great Lakes day passenger and transportation ship--turned over after pulling away from her berth on the Chicago River, drowning 812 people out of over 2,500 passengers - the greatest single loss of life in Great Lakes nautical history.

In 1917, the U.S. Navy purchased the salvaged hull, cut it down in height and rebuilt it into the training vessel USS Wilmette, which served until it was scrapped in 1948. Prior to using the UC-97 for target practice, she was stripped of all armaments, propulsion and navigational equipment.

The German U-boat's wreckage was located in 1992 by A&T Recovery, but its location has not been released to the public.

The Dog Days of Summer

To celebrate summer, I looked through the archives for evidence of how our predecessors dealt with the heat before there were water parks and air conditioning. These images should cool you off even if it is 90 degrees and 80 percent humidity outside.

This picnic scene from about 1895 is unidentified, though it may be attributed to the Lux family of Wadsworth.

This detail of the picnic photo shows a large dog napping in the shade in the foreground, and the pleasant group of picnickers, enjoying tea or coffee in ceramic cups and saucers.












Perhaps a dip in the lake is more your style. How about this diver caught on film, circa 1895, a split second before hitting the water. Today, it costs on average $90 for a season pass to a water park. I'll bet it didn't cost this lad a penny to cool off.










And a detail of the boys who stayed on the boat, watching the dramatic plunge and waiting for their turn.













This real photo postcard from circa 1910 is captioned: "'We Are Having an Awful Splash' at Lake Zurich, Ill."

The close-up of the bathers, in there wool swimsuits, is proof of the great fun they had "posing" for this Masure and Leonhard postcard.








Take a lesson from the past to keep cool during these Dog Days, and find a shady spot under a tree or dip your toes in a local lake!

Waukegan's 150th

This year, Waukegan celebrates its 150-year charter as a city. This large letter postcard from the collections of the Curt Teich Postcard Archives exudes the vibrancy of 1950s Waukegan.

Waukegan's history goes back to at least 1695, when it is believed a trading post existed on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, in the area of today's Sheridan Road and Water Street. The post would have facilitated the fur and silver trade in northeastern Illinois. A map by surveyor Thomas Hutchins, published in 1778, records this location as "Riviere du Vieux Fort," and a year later the journal of ship's captain Samuel Robertson refers to the site as the "petit Fort."

The remains of a decaying structure were found by settlers in 1835, and the new settlement was named “Little Fort.”

Despite its key location on Lake Michigan, Little Fort remained quite small until 1841, when a countywide vote relocated the county seat here from Libertyville.

In 1849, the community reached a population of about 2,500, and it incorporated as a village and changed its name to Waukegan. The designation “little” was no longer satisfactory, and the Native American equivalent--Waukegan--was agreed upon, meaning “fort” or “trading place.” In 1859, this receipt (above) was issued from the town's treasurer. By then, the city had grown to 3,400 inhabitants. The Native American image on the receipt seems to represent the town's name, and the woman with goods and a ship behind her represents trade and commerce.

When this photo was taken on November 22, 1870, Waukegan was a hub of commerce. It was connected to Chicago by train, and its port was one of the busiest on the Great Lakes. The view is Genesee Street south of Madison Street.







The city's centennial was celebrated in grand sytle in 1959. Men were encouraged to grow beards, in remembrance of the city's founders.

Favorite son, Jack Benny, was brought back for his very own "Jack Benny Day." Here are two Chicago Tribune photographs by Ford Wilson of "Waukegan's Own" Jack Benny.

Note Jack Benny sitting on the backseat of the white convertible designated his "personal car." He's being driven on Genesee Street in downtown Waukegan. In the second photo, his car appears to be led by a police color guard.

Lake Michigan in Winter

This is one of my favorite views of Lake Michigan. 

It's a colorized postcard of the Waukegan shoreline made by the E.C. Kropp Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

I use this circa 1910 image in my lectures on Lake County history, usually when speaking about the last Ice Age that ended around 12,000 years ago. That's the "truth of art." You use what you can to illustrate a point, even if it's not quite accurate. 

Ken Burns did that expertly in his Civil War series, and kudos to him for bringing that moment in American history to life for us all. 

This 1899 photograph shows a fishing tug frozen in Waukegan harbor. Lake Michigan was a vital part of Lake County's development and economic growth, from the 1840s. Winter ice build-up in the harbor could cause mayhem for even the most experienced sailors and fishermen.

In 1963, the News-Sun reported that five fishing tugs were frozen in the ice a mile off shore. Lucky for them, within a day they broke through, unlike Ernest Shackleton's harrowing 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition.
Large chunks of windrow ice are visible in this 1913 photograph of the harbor and lighthouse. This photo is credited to E.W. Plonien. During a normal winter, 17 to 29 inches of ice grows in sheltered harbors and bays on Lake Michigan.

Break water, looking north from lighthouse, Waukegan, January, 1947.

The ice formations along the lakeshore are quite remarkable. It's worth a trip to the Waukegan harbor in mid-winter to see the frozen waves over the docks and piers.