Former Crystal Lake man writes book about history of Fox Chain O'Lakes

LAKE COUNTY – The past 27 years of Dave Lester’s life have revolved around summer, anxiously awaiting boating season and play time on the Fox Chain O’Lakes.

Now retired, Lester’s passion for water sports and investigative research has moved him to ink the history of McHenry and Lake County waterways for generations to come.

“The History of Boating on the Fox Chain-O’Lakes” is a nearly 600-page account of the various uses of the Fox River and the Chain O’Lakes – starting in the mid-1800s, when steam paddle-wheeled boats were transporting passengers and goods, leading up to the recreational boating and racing that came after the turn of the 20th century.

Lester, a Crystal Lake native who has often moved around Lake County, most recently settling in Salem, Wisconsin, started writing the book about three years ago when he said he realized “no one knew anything about past drag boat racers.”

“I began researching some of the earliest races and quickly realized there was a never-ending story there,” Lester said.

Describing himself as always being a bit of a “water rat,” Lester started attending Blarney Island drag boat races on Thursday evenings in Antioch 25 years ago with a friend, Gary Frankowski, who soon became Lester’s racing partner. The duo has been racing since 1999, having captured 16 season High Point Championship titles. Frankowski is the driver of the 980-HP Cole flat-bottom race boat named “Ni-Cole-n-Dimed.”

The sport is not cheap, Lester said, which is why participation has dropped over the years with the economic downturn. Lester re-founded the Northern Illinois Drag Boat Association (NIDBA) last year in hopes of promoting Blarney Island drag boat races.

Blarney Island is entering its 36th race season this year with races from 6:30 p.m. to sunset each Thursday, Memorial Day through Labor Day. This year’s opening race is set for May 28. Lester said the NIDBA still is recruiting.

“We’re actively looking for entry-level lake racer boats and drivers,” Lester said, adding that several of the top boats are capable of speeds of more than 180 mph, and “safety comes first” – all boats, technology and gear will be inspected before each race.

The race course is a straightaway of 800 feet and races last “eight to 12 seconds,” Lester said.

Studying biology and chemistry at Illinois State University and working for Abott Laboratories – Waukegan post-graduation, Lester spent his entire professional career doing pharmaceutical research, supply-chain development and global market research, among many other assignments.

“I sometimes feel as though I should apologize [to those] who thought I used my off-time to study the pharmaceutical industry,” Lester wrote in his book. “I was really boating and playing on the Fox Chain O’Lakes for as often and for as long as possible.”

Deciding to write the book, Lester started out much like he would with drug research, he said, by sorting through old records and speaking to locals – genealogists, waterway experts, historians and well-known private collectors.

Lester found the earliest account of boat racing to be a half-mile (2,640-foot) race in 1898 on Pistakee Bay, but “who knows how accurately they measured distances on water at that time,” Lester said.

“Automobiles weren’t popular until the 1920’s, so trains were what opened the northern lakes to tourism,” Lester said, adding train service was extended from Chicago to McHenry in 1854, Lake Villa in 1882, Antioch in 1886, Ingleside in 1899 and Fox Lake in 1901. A three-part train ticket including the train ride, water transfer and an excursion, would have cost about $1.50, Lester said.

The book describes boating experiences shared by generations of full-time and summertime residents, as well as tourists who sought a break from the busy city of Chicago. By 1924, there were 5,000 boats on the Fox Chain O’Lakes and the economy was “booming,” Lester said.

These days, the Fox Waterway Agency registers anywhere from 24,000 to 28,000 boats annually.

“So many national champion boat racers came out of several generations of people with lake homes,” Lester said. “Fox Lake’s winter population in 1924 was 400 people ... the summer population: 20,000.”

Lester said more than 50 resorts and hotels lined the Nippersink Peninsula around this time, adding “likely more than 300” existed throughout the Fox Chain O’Lakes region.

The Mineola Hotel, 91 Cora Ave., Fox Lake, is the largest pre-1900 hotel standing today, Lester said, noting his research shows it still may not have been the largest of the time.

“Some very large hotels burned before the turn of the century,” Lester said. “The list is longer than you might think.”

Lester’s book went to press in October. He now has a water navigation/safety guide in the works he said would point out hazardous boating areas with aerial photos. Also included would be a fishing guide that identifies types of fish and offers tips for the sport.

The first-time author has been speaking at local libraries and history museums, giving slide show presentations and selling signed book copies.

Lester’s next lecture is set for 1 p.m. July 26 at the McHenry County Historical Society and Museum, 6422 Main St., Union.

Call the historical society at 815-923-2267 or visit www.foxchainboatinghistory.com for more information.

The book can be found at local libraries and small vendors. Find “Fox Chain-O’Lakes Boating History” on Facebook for upcoming events.