Bangs Lake
Encyclopedia
Bangs Lake is a natural glacial lake that is located in Wauconda, Illinois
. It is named after Justus Bangs, the first permanent settler in Wauconda, who arrived in the summer of 1836. Justus Bangs reportedly named Wauconda as well, supposedly after a Native American Indian character in a story Bangs had read. However, some believe that Wauconda was named after an Indian chief who is buried on the southern shore of Bangs Lake.
In the early 1900s the Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad
brought vacationers to Wauconda from Chicago. Up through the 1960s the beaches of Bangs Lake continued to be a popular vacation destination. The Blues Brothers (film)
, in the 1980s, filmed beach scenes along the shores of Bangs Lake.
, channel catfish
, largemouth bass
, northern pike
and yellow perch
. The Bangs Lake Multisport Festival is scheduled for August 2010 and has three different distances including an Olympic Triathlon, Duathlon, and Aquabike.
The winter months bring ice skating and ice fishing to the lake. The Walk on Water Charity Ice Fishing Derby will take place for its seventh year in February 2011. This is an ice fishing event that helps raise funds for the Andrea Lynn Cancer Fund.
Wauconda, Illinois
Wauconda is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,448 at the 2000 census, estimated to be 12,614 in 2006, and is projected to reach 13,811 by 2011. It is the site of the Wauconda Bog Nature Preserve, a National Natural Landmark...
. It is named after Justus Bangs, the first permanent settler in Wauconda, who arrived in the summer of 1836. Justus Bangs reportedly named Wauconda as well, supposedly after a Native American Indian character in a story Bangs had read. However, some believe that Wauconda was named after an Indian chief who is buried on the southern shore of Bangs Lake.
In the early 1900s the Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad
Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad
The Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad was an 11-mile short-line railroad built to connect the towns of Palatine, Lake Zurich, and Wauconda in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois....
brought vacationers to Wauconda from Chicago. Up through the 1960s the beaches of Bangs Lake continued to be a popular vacation destination. The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
, in the 1980s, filmed beach scenes along the shores of Bangs Lake.
Activities
Bangs Lake hosts many activities including swimming, boating, skiing and fishing during the summer months. The lake is home to such species as bluegillBluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
, largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
and yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
. The Bangs Lake Multisport Festival is scheduled for August 2010 and has three different distances including an Olympic Triathlon, Duathlon, and Aquabike.
The winter months bring ice skating and ice fishing to the lake. The Walk on Water Charity Ice Fishing Derby will take place for its seventh year in February 2011. This is an ice fishing event that helps raise funds for the Andrea Lynn Cancer Fund.