Because Williams Bay was a popular location for Illinois vacationers, the university built summer homes on part of the land to rent out to produce the astronomers’ salaries. So, the location was outside of Chicago’s “smoke zone,” but was also still considered commuter distance. First, Williams Bay was 80 miles away from Chicago. George Hale chose Williams Bay over 27 other locations, including Lake Forest, Illinois and Pasadena, California, to be the home of Yerkes Observatory for many reasons. That same year, construction of Yerkes Observatory and the 40-inch refracting telescope began. By 1894, Williams Bay contained a residential subdivision, school, church and several businesses. Shortly after, more people came to settle and the area became a vacation spot for wealthy Chicagoans. The first railroad came to Williams Bay in 1888. Instead, the land was used for road and railroad development. Until 1890, only a few families lived in Williams Bay. Williams Bay was later named in honor of Captain Williams. Williams and his two sons originally traveled to Wisconsin from their Massachusetts home to look for good farmland. Wisconsin Public Radio’s Wisconsin LifeĬaptain Israel Williams founded Williams Bay, Wisconsin, in 1835.
The Lumber Industry in Northern Wisconsin Exhibit.A Landscape of Leisure: Tourism in Wisconsin.Wisconsin Waterways: A Great Lakes Legacy.
