IN THE BEGINNING . .
.
It would have been
hard to imagine over 30 years ago that some rolling pasture land in Mercer
County, Illinois, would become a thriving private lake community -
Fyre Lake. It all began when an area farmer, Glen
Tomlinson, decided to turn 40 acres of his land into a lake and sell
approximately 195 acres around it. His search for someone
interested in buying a lake and some surrounding property brought him
together with developer, Kenneth Hansen, doing business as Valhalla
Enterprises.
Ken's vision of the lake
development was much, much larger, and in 1969 construction was
underway. Hansen's 800+ acre development would constitute not one,
but three lakes, a swimming beach, covered bridge park, tennis courts and
other amenities. It was reported that when Ken's wife, Nancy, saw a
picture of the lake on paper, she thought that it looked like a
big fire and in keeping with the Hansen's Norwegian heritage, it was
decided to use the Norwegian spelling of "fire", which is "fyre".
Therefore, the main lake and the entire development became Fyre
Lake. The Norwegian theme carried through in some of the
additions and streets as well with names like Fjord View and Valhalla
Court. The two smaller lakes were named for the Hansen children,
Karl and Renee.
For
many years different houses in Fyre Lake were used for the developer's
office. When he decided that a more permanent office was
needed, Ken set out to build an authentic Viking
Ship. Plans
were obtained from the University of Oslo in Norway. The
ship was built to sit on two concrete cradles which held the base of
wood beams that formed its ribbing, with the entire structure situated in
a small pond so as to appear to be afloat.
The
exterior of the ship featured large black, silver and gold shields on both
sides, mounted where the oarsmen would have been stationed.
A man named Waldemar Arnholtz carved the head of a dragon that was mounted
on the bow and the dragon's tail located on the stern. Neither the
shields nor the carvings remain on the ship today. The
Viking Ship was christened the "Saga" at a dedication ceremony held in May
of 1976, with many state and local dignitaries in
attendance.
For many years few people
knew what Fyre Lake was or where it was. Early newspaper ads
read, "Discover the life worth living. Build your next home in the
lake country..." With much of the development yet to be
completed, severe economic recession in the area during the 1980's
made it necessary for developer, Ken Hansen, to move on.
However, in the ensuing years the Fyre Lake community has continued
to develop and grow under the leadership of the Property Owners'
Association, Fyre Lake Association, Inc.
Now, more than 30 years since it
all began, more than 255 families call Fyre Lake their home, and
approximately 60 lot owners enjoy the many amenities such as boating,
swimming, fishing and water skiing that this unique development offers.
It is aptly called a "year 'round vacation
lifestyle".
With 2007 exciting new changes are coming with Fyre Lake Ventures' development underway on the west side of Fyre Lake for "Fyre Lake National Golf Club and Marina", an 18-hole Nicklaus design golf course, marina, and residential lots.
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