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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the Lake Bracken Country
4Club on the occasion of its 100th anniversary on October 23,
52022; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 1920, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
7(CB&Q) Railroad purchased 1,002 acres south of Galesburg for
8the cost of $368,000 in order to build a lake to supply its
9yards in Galesburg with water for steam locomotives and other
10machines, equipment, and systems requiring large amounts of
11water; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In 1921, Lake Bracken was formed with the damming
13of Brush Creek, with a surface area of 172 acres; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Just two years later, the Knox County Country
15Club approached CB&Q Railroad about the prospect of leasing
16all 1,002 acres of the property to be used by the club; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The Knox County Country Club was incorporated on
18October 23, 1922; a lease was signed between the Knox County
19Country Club and CB&Q Railroad, with the latter maintaining
20all rights to pump water, on December 28, 1923; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 1930, a nine-hole golf course was ready for
2play, with the back nine holes becoming ready for golfers in
31951; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Country Club Board changed the name from the
5Knox County Country Club to the Lake Bracken Country Club in
61947; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In 1974, Bracken Holdings, Inc. was formed to
8formally purchase the property from CB&Q Railroad, following
9years of declining revenue for the railroad that led to a stark
10increase in lease fees in 1965; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In the last 50 years, the Lake Bracken Country
12Club has added a tennis court, a swimming pool, and a
13bathhouse; the club's current clubhouse was completed and
14opened for business in 1988; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Outside of golf, the Lake Bracken Country Club
16has a number of outdoor activities for recreation enthusiasts
17to enjoy, including fishing, boating, ATV trails, hiking, a
18playground, and sand volleyball courts; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In July 2022, the Lake Bracken Country Club will
20have a week-long celebration honoring that 100 years have
21passed since the incorporation of the Knox County Country

 

 

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1Club; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we congratulate the Lake Bracken Country Club on its 100th
5anniversary; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the Lake Bracken Country Club and Bracken
8Holdings, Inc. as an expression of our esteem and respect.