Wisconsin's Elkhart Lake

ELKHARTLAKE.COM | 4 Legendary Name Well known among local tribes was a handsome young warrior who proved his bravery by slaying an elk and devouring its heart - thus becoming known as Elkheart. Attracting the favor of many young maidens, Elkheart began wooing the one named Silver Birch. But his eyes soon strayed to another beautiful maiden known as Singing Bird, leaving Silver Birch heart-broken. One night as the new lovers paddled out on the lake, an arrow from the bow of the dejected Silver Birch pierced Elkheart, who fell into the deep water. Horrified, Singing Bird plunged into the water after him, followed by a sorrowful Silver Birch, who drowned with the ill-fated lovers. Now, when the moon is full, the spirit of Silver Birch passes over the lake crying the name Elkheart. Legendary Water Spring-fed, crystal clear and 119 feet deep, the unique blue-green water of Elkhart Lake is a legend itself. In Elkhart Lake you don't just catch big fish, you can see them - deep below the surface. From the days when Native Americans lived on its banks, the pristine quality of Elkhart Lake's water has soothed the souls of people from far and wide - and kept them coming back year after year. To many, it's the legendary water of Elkhart Lake that makes it famous. Legendary Gambling Elkhart Lake could not escape the wave of illicit gambling in the early 1900s. Illegal gambling became the accepted standard in the state, and for all of its resort charm, Elkhart Lake became touted as a gambler's paradise. The popularity of the slot machine among resort visitors took the village by storm. With the Roaring Twenties came an influx of roulette and poker at four well-established Elkhart Lake gambling halls. The end of this legendary era was signaled when, after years of lax enforcement, Elkhart Lake's infamous Paddock Club was raided and gambling equipment destroyed. Legendary Racing Open road racing over the hills and around the curves of Elkhart Lake gained prominence in the early 1950s. Now landmarked, these early closed-loop courses around the lake drew sports car racing enthusiasts from across the Midwest and led to the development, 60 years ago, of Road America - a rolling four-mile track near the village. Long recognized as one of the premier road racing tracks in the world, Road America has become legendary. It is a favorite spot for the sport's best professional and celebrity drivers of every type of racing vehicle from motorcycles to Indy cars. Legendary Train Depot Elkhart Lake's early growth as a resort destination is attributed, in part, to the arrival of the Milwaukee & Northern Railroad to the village in 1873. Trains full of vacationers, race enthusiasts, gamblers and gangsters alike from Chicago, Milwaukee and Green Bay stepped onto the passenger platform at the Village's Train Depot. 1847 The earliest settlement of Elkhart Lake occurred in 1847 when J.L. Moore purchased considerable acreage to use as farmland. He was followed by Peter Sharpe who later purchased 80 acres which became known as Sharpe's Hotel. This was the start of Elkhart Lake as a tourist destination. 1872-1894 When the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad pushed northward, William Schwartz influenced the railroad officials to route the tracks through what is now the Village of Elkhart Lake. The track was laid in 1872 and created opportunities for businesses and resorts in the Village. In 1894 a group of businessmen petitioned the Sheboygan Circuit Court for incorporation and on September 17, 1894, incorporation of an area of 595 acres to be known as the Village of Elkhart Lake was approved. The first Village President was T. C. Sharpe. 1920'S-1940's Along with the railroad and resorts came gambling. Slot machines were everywhere in Elkhart Lake during the summer months. By the 1920's gambling was so out in the open that an undercover reporter from Milwaukee stated that never had "games of chance been operated more openly or with less regard for the anti-gambling laws." Raids on gambling continued to be a nuisance during the 1930's and 40's, but didn't put a stop to gambling until the State banned gambling in 1945. 1950-1952 Road racing began in the Village in the 1950's. In 1950, '51, & '52 the Sports Car Club of America and the Elkhart Lake Chamber of Commerce got together and sponsored road races. The course was 3.35 miles in 1950 and grew to 6.5 miles in 1952. The race in 1952 was the last allowed on the streets, as state law banned racing on public roads. In 1955, local businessmen came together to develop a permanent racecourse in the hills just two miles east of the Lake named Road America. 1984-2023 During this first 100 years, the Village had a variety of hotels and resorts, including Sharpe's Resort, Schwarz Resort Hotel/ Barefoot Bay Resort, Victorian Village Resort, Pine Point Resort, Osthoff Resort Hotel/Camp Harand, Siebkens Resort, and Fleck's Resort/Camp Brosius. Currently the Village is home to three resorts: Osthoff Resort, Siebken's Resort, and Shore Club. Step Back in Time

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