AN AMERICAN FRONTIER

<p>They found a region rich in available, cheap land. The black soil, clear water and abundant forests of oak and hickory supplied the resources needed to build homes and communities.</p><p>The first non-native settlers arrived between 1834–1839 and claimed land by marking homestead boundaries with plow lines, stones or fences. Land was not available to purchase until it was surveyed by the government. Lake County surveys were conducted from 1837 to 1840.</p><p>The county’s first permanent non-native settler, Daniel Wright (1778–1873) of Vermont, asserted his position as the first in a letter to the <em>Waukegan Gazette</em>: “I was surrounded by the native tribes of Potawatomi. They helped me raise my first rude log cabin in June 1833.” </p>