I honestly can't remember what it used to look like. Only thing, I live across the street (almost) from it since 1976. As far as I can remeber, its always looked like it does today.

 

Yes the creek did run through but there was a little 40 acre pond where the south pool is today. 2 2

 

Darn it all any hoot, was hoping to find out when first vehicle was backed into a parking space.

 

Darn it all any hoot, was hoping to find out when first vehicle was backed into a parking space.

The day you got there :lol:

 

Ed n Bassi were already there....

 

:roll: :roll: :lol: :lol:

 

Day of the pike....

 

bassingator is correct ; south pool was there. The main lake was dug out by earth movers, as was the lake on the north side of rt72 . The dams were built in 3 or 4 spots , to fill in the lakes . It took over 2 yrs to complete. Then the stocking , and no fishing for 3 yrs . Except for the sneaky bucket people , even back then you couldn't get a cook county forest pres. cop to come out. All the dirt removed for the lakes was used elsewhere in the preserve .

 

All the dirt removed for the lakes was used elsewhere in the preserve .

So is that where that huge hill on the south side of busse came from?

 

Didn't they use the dirt to build Hwy. 290 extension???

 

The big hill south of Busse (we called it Hospital Hill as kids), was created from the earth dug up to create Pita Lake and Cosman. At least, this is what I was told growing up in EGV by friends who live in that neighborhood.

Not sure what they did with all the Earth to create Busse Lake and to deepen sections of it.

As far as I know, Busse has looked almost the exact same way today vs. 1984 (4 years after opening) when I first visited there and played there as a kid.

 

None of the dirt was used for the 290 ext. The dirt and and clay from the no. side of rt72 was put on the south side . Most was used for the berm's around the 3 main dams . The 1 near the circle , the 1 near the boat ramps , and the main dam off arlington hts. rd.

 

Great history. I was out geocaching in one of the forest preserves and stumbled onto an old rearview mirror that must have fallen from an old truck on a farm before it was a FP. Most of 'em are old farm land.

 

I was told by an ex Cook Co tree cop, but haven't independently confirmed it, that there were mobile homes all around Busse. If you go down Higgins, you can see where the curb opens up for a vehicle.
So that's how some of the urban legand goes...

 

I was told by an ex Cook Co tree cop, but haven't independently confirmed it, that there were mobile homes all around Busse. If you go down Higgins, you can see where the curb opens up for a vehicle.
So that's how some of the urban legand goes...

I knew 2 guys that lived there in mobile homes (trailers) in the late 70's. Back then we used to refer to it (derogatorily)as hillbilly heaven

 

Check out this website historicaerials.com. It shows aerial views of the Chicago area as far back as the 1940's. I also use it to see how old the lakes and ponds around the house are. When you look at Busse back in the 1970's it looks like there was a truck terminal at the Higgins ave bridge. Real cool website.

 

When I first went to Busse, there was an entrance about halfway between Arl Hts rd and 53... I think the road is still there with a guardrail blocking it... My first wife lived in Bar Harbor off of Nerge and Meacham (I remember you could see it from Higgins back then) and we went to Busse often in the mid-70's... No bike paths, no picnic pavillions, no lake... Just woods, and lots of trails and people selling things........

 

very cool website,Chief..East dundee in 1953..they hadnt even built our garages yet

 

Thanks Hunden! The site can be addicting if you're a map & history geek like me. Some of what I thought to newer retention ponds are actually old farm ponds. Grew up in Jefferson Park it's neat to see what the neighborhood looked like before they put the Edens & the Kennedy in.

 

hey chief....how'd u get that handle? 8

Maybe we know each other

BLHK Staff 1992

 

bottomdweller76 Camped there as a scout in the late 1960's. Troop 999 out Jeff Park Lutheran Church. Took the handle because it gave me my love of the great outdoors.

 

awesome handle, glad you got it. 2

I have to give all credit to Lake Wolverine for my love of bass fishing....man that place has some monsters!!

 

Yeah, that historicaerials.com website is cool. I bookmarked that one. Thanks for the tip. 8

 

Alto-Went back on historicaerials and what I thought was a truck depot is more likely the mobile homes you mentioned

 

Wow, ChiefOwasippe, you sure gave me something to do over the next week. :lol:

 

Definitely a cool website.Interesting to see the places I grew up weren't built all that long before I was born.