An Old Elm Conundrum...

[Bryan Izatt]

Some more random information on Old Elm and John Eliot Warner and the letter.


First, here's an 1892 Railroad map that shows Ft Sheridan station, so the station must have preceded the letter.



In my search for John Eliot Warner, I could find only two John E Warners in Chicago in the 1900 census.  Neither sounded like they would have been a prospective member of a course for the rich elite of Chicago given their jobs and neighborhoods.


As others have noted there was no North Michigan Ave before 1920.  There was no 540 Michigan Ave in the 1900 Census - in fact no addresses on Michigan between the 300's and the 1200's.  Perhaps the 540 address was from some time after 1920 and was a business address and not a home address.


I did find many of the social column references to a Mrs John Eliot Warner in the late '30's and '40's.  They sounded like they might be from the right crowd for Old Elm.  One reference had them throwing a party for 100 people at their home in Winnetka, so maybe they never lived in Chicago.  Winnetka sounds like a moneyed area.


I found another reference to a John Eliot Warner being a director of the Lake Geneva Country Club in 1946.  That club seemed/seems to cater to the wealthy of Chicago in the summer. Following is the article from the 50th anniversary celebration in 1946 that mentions Warner.  There's an interesting mention of Charles Blair Macdonald near the end.  Perhaps Old Elm was soliciting Warner and he chose to go to Lake Geneva instead.





Regarding the Green Bay Road on the blueprint, I couldn't find a historical map of the area with street names on it.  Here is a 1907 topo map that's sized to overlay on the current map.  The configuration of the roads is obviosly different, although what is now Old Elm ran at least to the current clubhouse.  Searching other historical maps of the adjoining areas, with street names, I couldn't come up with any Green Bay Roads.  Sheridan existed back the as did many of the cross streets.  The main north south route was called either Waukegan Road or Chicago-Milwaukee Road or Railway Road.

[Bret Lawrence]

John,

"Green Bay Road" on the dark blueprint is but one of a number of anomalies between the 3 drawings that needs explaining. I'm wondering if there are old road maps from both 1894 & 1913 to see if the road is shown and what its name is at the time.

I don't believe that the "Old Elm" is a surveyor's mark but rather a significant and notable tree from which the club probably derived its name (I could be wrong). The reason why I don't believe its a surveyor's mark is because then one would expect others to be shown on the drawing and none are. In addition, if it were a surveyor's mark wouldn't it be at the actual corner of the property? This isn't.

Phil,


I don't understand the anomaly with "Green Bay Road".  Green Bay Road can also be seen on the first blue print you posted titled "Proposed Golf Course". In the lower left hand corner is a separate map, showing the property as it relates to the surrounding area.  In that smaller map there are only two roads listed and they are both called Green Bay Road. 


Even on a modern map you can see that S. Green Bay Road merges with Old Elm Road, just west of the club.  Green Bay Road was simply the road from Chicago to Green Bay.  Before all the roads were rearranged and names changed this road was the connector to the southern section of Green Bay Road that can still be seen on modern maps.


If you are not sure what I am saying is true, do a quick search on Illinois Route 131.


I agree with Dan that the white linen map and blueprint are most likely from Colt's design in 1913, considering the white linen map shows 140 acres and the blueprint shows 160 acres.


The dark blue print is the map that still perplexes me a little.  This map shows 209.327 acres, including 2 more 20 acre parcels to the west of Holes 1-4 and the 9.327 south of the southwest 20.  There are two shelters that now exist on the property and the fourth hole no longer has the Skokie River running through the middle of the fairway.


Dan mentioned that the Skokie River was shifted in the 30's, so I would have to estimate this dark blue print is from the 1930's.   What is interesting to me is, the Old Elm Tree in the corner of the dark blue print was not on Old Elm's property until they acquired this additional land.  Perhaps there was more than one Old Elm Tree?


Bret

[Phil Young]

Bret,

I used the word "anomaly" to mean differences between the 3 drawings. For example, "Green Bay Road" is only shown on two of them with it missing from the hand-colored one while a large "Slough and Creek" section is not shown on the dark blue print yet is on the others. There are a fair number of "differences" or "anomalies" such as these between all three drawings.

[Bret Lawrence]

Phil,


I understand now and agree there are certainly differences between the three maps.  Obviously a big part of the conundrum was the filing of these items.  If we remove the letter and the dark blueprint, we have two maps that have more similarities than differences.  Both of these maps could have been used side by side with Colt's book of plans to build the golf course he designed.


The dark blueprint has more differences than similarities and represents to me, a golf course from a later date.


Have you or Dan come to any conclusions regarding the date on the dark blue print?


Bret

[Bret Lawrence]

Here is a map from 1907 showing the property Old Elm Club would eventually purchase in 1913.


Forwarded to me by Jim Kennedy:


http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/220484/Deerfield+and+West+Deerfield++Highland+Park++Lake+Forest++Lake+Michigan/Lake+County+1907/Illinois/


In 1907, this property was not owned by W.A. Alexander.

[Bradley Anderson]

Here is a map from 1907 showing the property Old Elm Club would eventually purchase in 1913.


Forwarded to me by Jim Kennedy:


http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/220484/Deerfield+and+West+Deerfield++Highland+Park++Lake+Forest++Lake+Michigan/Lake+County+1907/Illinois/


In 1907, this property was not owned by W.A. Alexander.

The plot thickens!

Unless I am mistaken, this 1907 map indicates that the same people (Mr. Hugh T. Birch and Mrs. H.M. Williams) who owned the land that eventually became Old Elm, also owned the land that eventually became Bob O' Link?

Am I reading this right?

[Jim_Kennedy]

Back in the 1890s Hugh Birch and others were buying up as much land in the area as they could, and promoting the electric railway, in anticipation of reselling it to the rail company and making a buck on the residential and commercial development that would necessarily follow the passenger line.

[Dan Moore]

Brian,


Interesting find on the rail station. The current Ft. Sheridan station definitely opened in 1895 so they must have renamed the stations when the new station opened with the old Ft Sheridan station seen in your map being renamed Highwood.  That would put the Ft. Sheridan/Highwood station in 1894 closer to the Stupey Farm scouted by Macdonald with the Old Elm land no longer located "directly west of the Ft. Sheridan station." 


Regardless, it is clearly documented Warner Insurance opened a new office at 540 N. Michigan Ave. after 1930 and a John Eliot Warner was VP of the Company at that time. Also appears that North Michigan Ave. did not exist before 1920. Until that information is discredited I'm sticking with my original conclusion the letter post-dates 1930. 

[Jim_Kennedy]

Back in the 1890s Hugh Birch and others were buying up as much land in the area as they could, and promoting the electric railway, in anticipation of reselling it to the rail company and making a buck on the residential and commercial development that would necessarily follow the passenger line.

It's pretty interesting if in fact Hugh T Birch would have been promoting an electric railway - since he was counsel for STANDARD OIL!!

"Ready For The Road", col. 3
https://www.newspapers.com/image/28548520/

[Bret Lawrence]

Brett:  it might as well have been.  Hugh T Birch was a founding governor of Exmoor and therefore a friend of WA Alexander.   

So I'm sticking with my instinct- All roads run through WA Alexander here.

Want to take a guess what the name of Hugh T Birch's farm in Highland Park to the south of Exmoor was?

David,


Was it Bob O'Link Farm?

[Bret Lawrence]

Thanks.


It makes a lot of sense that a bird lover like Hugh Taylor Birch would name his farm after a bird.


Dolichonyx oryzivorus Farm would be too hard to say.


Was Birch a member at any of these clubs?  How about Mrs. H. M. Williams?  Who is she and where does she fall into the picture?


Both of these clubs bought property from Hugh T. Birch, but they also bought property from other owners.  Hugh T. Birch seemed to be a shrewd real estate investor.  He also owned property in Florida, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.  Not all of his properties turned into W. A. Alexander Country Clubs. 


I agree that W.A. Alexander was a pioneer when it came to Chicago golf.  He may have also ran in the same circles as H. T. Birch, but to assume Birch bought all of this land for Alexander's future golf courses may be too much for me to swallow given the little information we have available.


Bret

[Jim_Kennedy]