Fort Sheridan is a residential neighborhood within the cities of
Lake Forest,
Highwood, and
Highland Park in
Lake County,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, United States. It was originally established as
Fort Sheridan, an
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
post named after
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
cavalry general
Philip Sheridan
General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...
, to honor his services to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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.
Early history
A French trading post was established ''circa'' 1670 on a trail between
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...
, and the early Chicago area. The trail and trading post was used by Native Americans and settlers alike. The settlers were mostly Irish, German, and Scandinavian immigrants. The area was never considered suitable for farming due to the many ravines and heavy forestation.
In the 1840s a small community, St. Johns, was established. It was settled on a bluff over looking
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
. The villagers were active in logging, leather tanning, brick making, and iron casting. The area eventually became ravaged by rampant deforestation associated with the production of 400,000 bricks annually. The village grew idle and became mostly deserted by 1865.
Fort Sheridan closing
![Post Commanders Quarters, Building 9 (8707827717)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Post_Commanders_Quarters%2C_Building_9_%288707827717%29.jpg)
The main fort was ordered closed as a result of the first round of closures initiated by the
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end o ...
Commission in 1988, and was officially closed by the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
on May 3, 1993. The majority of the property was relinquished to the Fort Sheridan Joint Planning Committee as the redevelopment authority, which then sold large segments of the land and housing to commercial land developers. Most of the original housing structures were then refurbished and resold as a residential community. Other buildings were given to cultural organizations like the
Midwest Young Artists Conservatory
Midwest Young Artists Conservatory (MYAC) is a youth music and jazz organization based near Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest youth ensemble music program in the Midwest.
MYAC was founded in 1993 in Evanston, Illinois by Dr. Allan Dennis and ...
, the largest youth music program in the
Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
. Approximately of the southern end of the original post were retained by the Army; there the Army now operates the
Sheridan Reserve Center
The Philip H. Sheridan Reserve Center is the former Fort Sheridan now in Lake Forest, Highwood, and Highland Park in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It was originally established as a United States Army Post named after Civil War Caval ...
complex. This includes the Great Lakes Training Division, 84th Training Command (an Army Reserve Brigadier General command), as well as numerous Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel commands. Newly refurbished housing is part of the military enclave and is used for active duty and active guard/reserve personnel and families stationed at Fort Sheridan and Great Lakes Navy Training Center.
The Fort Sheridan cemetery, established in 1889, is still an ongoing military burial site owned by the federal government. Retired armed forces members may be buried there.
Historic district
In 1984 parts of Fort Sheridan were designated a
National Historic Landmark District
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
. The National Park Service states that the site "possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America." The historic district includes of land and buildings bounded by Hutchinson and Bartlett Ravines and the shore of Lake Michigan. There are 94 buildings in the district. The buildings include officers' quarters, barracks, stables, a drill hall, water tower, and many other institutional buildings. The parade ground was preserved as open space.
Forest preserve
A forest preserve, operated by
Lake County Forest Preserves
Lake County Forest Preserves (also called Lake County Forest Preserve District, or LCFPD) is a governmental organization that purchases land and oversees the use of such public open-space in Lake County, Illinois. It is a member of Chicago Wilder ...
, now sits on of the former fort. The preserve had been working since the 1980s on acquiring land from the U.S. Army. In 1997, the Army began conveyance of the northern section of the former base. The third and final section was obtained in 2001.
The preserve has roughly of trail for
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
, of trail for
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
, and of trail for
bicycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, Physical exercise, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bike ...
. The preserve includes roughly of shoreline. Throughout the preserve are educational exhibits and viewing stations along the trails.
References
Further reading
* Dretske, Diana. ''Fort Sheridan.'' Charleston, SC : Arcadia Pub., 2004.
* Haberkamp, Douglas B. ''The History of Fort Sheridan from Its Beginnings to World War I.'' 1982.
* Fort Sheridan (Ill.). ''Fort Sheridan, 1887–1993.'' Fort Sheridan, Ill?: The Fort, 1993.
* Fort Sheridan Association, and Fred Girton. ''The History and Achievements of the Fort Sheridan Officers' Training Camps.''
hicago? The Fort Sheridan Association, 1920.
* Melichar, Paul, Diana Melichar, and Nina Bennett Smith. ''Fort Sheridan: Historical Analysis.'' Lake Forest, Ill: Paul Melichar, 2000.
* Prall, J. S. ''Picturesque Fort Sheridan.''
hicago1890.
* Schall, Robert. ''The History of Fort Sheridan, Illinois.''
llinois? Clerical School and the Visual Training Aids Section, 1672nd Service Unit, 1944.
* Sorenson, Martha E., and Douglas A. Martz. ''View from the Tower: A History of Fort Sheridan, Illinois.''
ort Sheridan, Ill. W.W. Sorenson, 1985.
* Tucker, Laura. ''Fort Sheridan.'' Charleston, SC : Arcadia Pub., 2008.
{{authority control
Geography of Lake County, Illinois
National Historic Landmarks in Illinois
National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Illinois
Neighborhoods in Illinois
Unincorporated communities in Illinois
Unincorporated communities in Lake County, Illinois
Populated places established in 1887
Lake Forest, Illinois
Highland Park, Illinois
Highwood, Illinois
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