About
Coal City Area Club
The Coal City Area Recreation Club #1 is a private non-profit organization that has been the focal point of recreation in the Coal City Area since the early 60’s. The 1480 acre club was established from abandoned strip mines that were active in the early 1900s until the 1950s.
With a primary focus on family activities, the lakes are well stocked each year for the big and small fisherman. Camping is a major activity for families with sites that are primitive to those that include water, electricity, playgrounds and bath houses. You can also cruise down the lakes in your pontoon and hunt for fossils. Along with a beautiful swimming beach, water skiing area, picnicking, scuba diving and bird watching the summers at the Coal City Area are bustling with activities. During the winter months activities include hunting, ice fishing, ice skating and trap shooting.
Currently, membership is restricted to those living within the Coal City School District.
WAITING LISTSAs of December 2022
GENERAL INFORMATION
GAME WARDENS – CONSERVATION OFFICERS
The game wardens do have access to the club property and authority to enforce the Conservation Rules. For the safety of yourself and others please have your boats up to the State Of Illinois Conservation Dept. rules (safety equipment, life jackets, etc.) Also observe all fishing and hunting regulations. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
CHILDREN’S APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
Reminder: Children must apply for membership prior to their 22nd birthday to join the club without going on a waiting list. After reaching age 22, children of members must go on the waiting list to join.
YOUTH CARDS AND CURFEW
Youth cards are provided for the children (ages 12-21 years old) of club members only. A valid card shall be signed by the youths parent or guardian (Club Member), shall have a current picture of the youth attached to the back and the entire card shall be laminated on both sides. Youths will be denied entry if their card is not valid by June 15th of each year.
CURFEW HOURS: 11:00 pm to 5:00 am for youths 17 or younger. Youths remaining on club premises after curfew shall either be a club member on their own or be signed in by and remain in the immediate company of a responsible club member.
Youth cards for individuals 17 or younger that are left at the guard house or in the club after curfew will be collected and held at the club office. The youth’s parent or guardian (Club Member) will be notified that they may reacquire their child's youth card at the next board meeting.
Refer to the bylaws for more information
RESERVE PAVILION
Pavilion #2 may be reserved for 1 day by making a $25.00 non-refundable deposit. Sign up must be made at the club office. See by-laws for further details. This pavilion may also be rented in the winter when the walls are in place. It is heated. No cooking inside the pavilion. Reservations may be made after January 1.
ROADS
To preserve the roads, all roads will be shut down in the club up to two weeks during the spring thaw. This will be determined by the weather conditions. Thank you for you for your cooperation.
COMMITTEES
President: Erik Frederiksen
Vice President: Ryan Cumming
Treasurer: Jim Bolker
Recording Secretary: Georgette Vota
Property Manager: Tom Uerkwitz
Operations Manager: Gina Uzzardo
Operations Manager: Gina Uzzardo
AREA/FARMING
Ryan Cumming
Justin Obert
Erik Frederiksen
Nick Trotter
BEACH
Ryan Cumming
Georgette Vota
Brittney Halliday
BOATING
Jim Bolker
Georgette Vota
Cameron Stiles
Cameron Stiles
BUDGET
Jim Bolker
Georgette Vota
Erik Frederiksen
BYLAWS
Georgette Vota
Erik Frederiksen
CAMPING
Jim Bolker
Jim Gabehart
Pat Mallaney
DOCKS
Mike Noffsinger
Tony Jacovec
Nick Trotter
Nick Trotter
EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE
Justin Obert
Pat Mallaney
Tony Jacovec
FISHING
Jim Gabehart
Justin Obert
Ryan Cumming
Cameron Stiles
GATES & SECURITY
Max Easton
Mike Noffsinger
HUNTING
Pat Mallaney
Erik Frederiksen
SAFETY
Mike Noffsinger
Max Easton
SEASONAL ACTIVITIES/TRAP
Jim Gabehart
Tony Jacovec
Nick Trotter
Brittney Halliday
HISTORY
Long before the founding fathers got together to form the Coal City Area Club, the property that is now the Coal City Area Club belonged to a few farmers.
In 1874, the property that is currently the Coal City Area Club (parts of section 22, 23, 27 and 26) was part of the Wilenou, Short and a few other farms. This is before any mining took place and the townships were established.
In 1892 Carbon Hill had been established. The railroad company, Gardner , Coal City and Northern Railroad Co., had established the Dell Abby Station along what became the EJ&E track. Today the EJ&E track is currently leased by Com Ed where the high lines are located and which is the west border of the Coal City Area Club today.
In 1904 the shaft mining was still prevalent and most of the Area Club was still farmland. However the Star Coal Mine now owned land just south of the Club and sold out to the Big Four Coal Company in 1902.
By 1925 the Big Four Coal Company had developed more railroad spurs to transport the coal and bought more property, which in 1928, was bought out by the Northern Illinois Coal Company and strip mining began.
According to Melbourne McKee, a chemist for Peabody, this Marion Type 5560 shovel was assembled in 1935 on site after it’s parts arrived at the railroad spur known as Del Abby. It was the largest built at the time with it 32 cu yard capacity bucket. It worked alone for many years starting at the Peart Road mines and moved south until it reached it capacity at depths of 50-60 feet. It continued east and then worked with a drag line in the deeper pits and continued east through the Coal City Area Club in the 1940’s and 50’s continued to work in Braidwood and to Essex.
In 1950 Northern Illinois Coal Company was bought out by the Sinclair company which in 1954 merged with the Peabody Coal Company. (Section 22,23, 26 and 27). The Will County area continued to be strip mined until 1974, when Peabody moved all its operations to southern Illinois
The Coal City Area Club after it was mined in 1955.
In 1955 the Northern Illinois Coal Company owned the Area Club & there were railroad spurs to haul the coal out, as well as truck hauling.
Banuchi “BJ”/“Red” Ulivi at the Coal City Area Club in 1958 at what is now the swimming beach, there is little to no vegetation and trees. These pictures were taken at what is today the swimming beach. He and Irene were the 1st managers and they lived and breathed the Area Club. Irene did all the paper work by hand and sometimes she would even commandeer her children to help with the decals.
Northern Illinois Coal Company became a subsidiary of the Peabody Coal Company in 1955 Mr. Kelce was the president of the Peobody coal company and a sales agent for Sinclair. His brothers and he ran many coal operations.
The idea of developing a recreational club came about rather quickly. Earlier that spring, following a meeting of the Claypool Drainage District, William Weimer, an engineer and land surveyor for the coal company, mentioned to Thomas Berta that the company had completed its strip mining in that area and was interested in selling off the 1,485 acres. The Northern Illinois Coal Co. had operated a strip mining operation in that area for about 30 years
Weimer, Enrietta said, questioned if there was a civic or not-for-profit group in the village that might be interested in the land. In turn, Berta approached the civic club which declared its interest in obtaining the site.
It was the spring of 1958 when a group of local businessmen traveled to the Woodruff Hotel in Joliet to meet with a land agent from the Northern Illinois Coal Co. for the purpose of negotiating a land deal.
The land agent, having arrived by train from southern Illinois, hashed out the purchase price and contract terms with members of the Coal City Civic Club-George Enrietta, John Ross, Bob Trotter, John Winterbottom, Tom Bretto, Don Koerner and BJ Ulivi. The original board members were:
Tom Berta
John Born
Tom Bretto
George Enrietta
John Ross
Bob Trotter
"After the terms were agreed on, we walked across the street to the Union National Bank to have the contract prepared," Enrietta said. Before returning to Coal City, the men signed the contract and paid the agent $30,000 from funds borrowed from the bank.
The balance of the $198,000 sale price was to be paid annually from the purchase of memberships to the new Coal City Area Club.
Not long after the contract was signed, the founding members of the club set out to prepare the land by clearing brush and back filling ditches that had been used to carry the water pumped out from the pits. Quinn Ulivi, a worker at Illinois Clay Products, which was located north of the club property, was granted permission to use some of the company's heavy equipment on the weekends to clear the land. Tom Bretto developed the beach and beach house and interviewed and hired the 1st lifeguard, Hester Hirsch from Wilmington.
Articles in the local Coal City Courant started appearing in the newspaper about the land acquisition and membership was open to only those in the Coal City High School District. The first 500 members would be admitted as “charter members” for the price of $20.00 and would be exempt from paying the annual dues of $15.00.
The operators donated their time, so "the only cost to the club was for the gas and oil," Enrietta said.
New trees planted in the club were provided by a tree nursery located on Carbon Hill Road. The owner had agreed to donate the trees as long as the club dug them up, back filled the holes and leveled the ground.
With the preparation of the site complete, the next step was to bring in electricity, which was accomplished through donated time and materials.
The beach was one of the first areas to be developed and over time, then camping areas began to take shape.
Initial memberships were available only to Coal City residents. "We put it in the paper, but there were locals who were hesitant, they didn't think (the club) would fly," Enrietta said. Unable to support the club on local memberships alone, the board opened the area up for non-local residents to join.
In the late 60’s and early 70’s the swimming beach was the place to be in the summer for the children and teenagers, while families picnicked and camped each weekend in their tents, campers or pop-ups. Fishing was popular as well as waterskiing.
In 1981 the well was drilled and water lines were added to the camping area.
As the club grew in the 80’s and 90’s the campground expanded and added electricity and the waiting list grew from a few years to a 10 year wait. It was a place where life long friendships developed and flourished.
Since its formation, the club has continued to develop and grow. A few years ago, the board purchased an additional 80 acres for future development.
Now several generations of friends and families still meet to picnic, camp, swim, fish, ski and enjoy the outdoor recreation, while new friendships and memories are being made.
Today there are 120 camping sites that have water and electric hookups, over 100 speedboat permits and hundreds of swimmers and fishermen enjoy, what at one time, was a big whole with piles of shale/clay/sand and dirt around it.
The club provides its members with year-round recreational opportunities from camping, swimming and boating in the summer, trap shooting and hunting in the fall and ice fishing, ice skating and snowmobiling in the winter.
Currently there are 2,600 memberships and many on a waiting list.
Thanks to George and Mary Enrietta, Mike Berta, Delores Martis, Deb Fatlan, Mrs. Eleanor Fulton, Michelle Micetich, Mrs. Nancy Lyons, Melbourne McKee, Suzanne Hamilton, John and Irma Klancir for pictures and information for this history.
