Come along to McHenry. Nestled between the Fox River and McCullom Lake, it is a friendly, welcoming city with a rich history. It was designated as the first county seat of the newly formed McHenry County in 1837. Its surrounding farmland provided both food from its crops and milk from its cows to the Chicago
area. Diverse businesses such as boatbuilders, ice cutters, lumber companies, flour mills, brick makers, and cigar makers chose to make McHenry their home. It is a unique city that grew as three separate business districts: along the river, along the railroad, and one in between....

In the northeast corner of McHenry County, the Fox River winds its way through Johnsburg, a small village of German ancestry settled in the 1840s. The center of all community activity was St. John's Catholic Church, which stood on the highest spot in town. Its steeples were visible when entering the village. On the other side of Johnsburg, Pistakee Bay was an unsettled area known for good hunting and fishing. Many of the visitors to Pistakee were wealthy businessmen or Chicago politicians who built large mansions here. The Pistakee Yacht Club with its colorful regattas brought visitors to...

Scattered across northeast McHenry County are small communities that have grown in close proximity to one another with the common thread of the Nippersink Creek. Each prides itself on maintaining a unique identity despite some common characteristics and shared resources. Richmond, Ringwood, and Spring Grove were all settled in the mid-1800s by European immigrants who farmed the land. The presence of the railroad helped them prosper, encouraging commerce. Wonder Lake was founded in the 1900s, formed by the damming of the Nippersink Creek and flooding farmland to produce the first and largest...