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About Oconomowoc Lake, WI

Development of the Oconomowoc lakeshore began in 1858 with the newly arrived Gifford family, who built a large summer home near the present-day site of the Oconomowoc Lake Club. Train service to Oconomowoc was initiated in the same year, allowing wealthy families from Chicago and Milwaukee to tour "Lake Country" on weekends. In 1878, the Giffords converted their property into the Gifford Hotel, a 100-acre (0.40 km 2) luxury summer retreat for Milwaukee's elite. When the hotel closed in 1910, it had lured many well-heeled families to build their own summer homes along the lakefront. By 1910, prominent homeowners along the lakefront included Philip Armour of Chicago's meatpacking conglomerate, Frederick Pabst of the Pabst brewing family, and Frederick Miller of the Miller Brewing Company.