OTHER CITIES OF THE LAKE BASIN Along the North Shore.—The distance from the Illinois Wisconsin boundary line to the city limits of Chicago is 35 miles. The distance between railroad stations along the lake front averages less than two miles. Eight cities along this route had, in 1910, populations varying from 3,168 to 24,97S with a total of 65,000. Smaller communities contained a total permanent population of about 10,000. The next census returns will doubtless show a large increase in the number of people living under the favorable conditions of North Shore cities. The military and naval population of 1918 under the pressure of Great War activities at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station and at Fort Sheridan probably equaled the total permanent population of the North Shore.
Zion City (4,789) is located within three miles of the state line. Founded in 1900, and incorporated in 1902 by John Alexander Dowie and his religious followers, the open country became a thriving city in a remarkably short time. Its most important industry is a lace factory, established at the time the city was founded.
Waukegan (16,069) is the county seat and largest city of Lake County, containing more than one-fourth of the popula tion of the county. Waukegan is served mainly by railroads, but some commerce is carried on by lake.
North Chicago (3,306) adjoins Waukegan on the south and is an extension of the Waukegan industrial district. Its population is growing rapidly.
Great Lakes, just to the south of North Chicago, is the site of the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. The following statements written in the latter part of 1917 show how, through active warfare, Great Lakes became a great center of training: The history of the Great Lakes Naval Training Station falls naturally into two epochs—the period embraced before the declaration of war and that subsequent.
The station was established by an act of Congress approved April 27, 1904, and ground was broken the following year. In 1911 there were 23 buildings on the station. From a hamlet with 1,500 inhabitants, to a bustling city of more than 15,000 men, has been the growth of Great Lakes since 1916. During the summer months there were about 5,000 tents in the
camp, but with the wintry blasts of November the boys were tucked away in the new quarters where 25,000 youngsters can be accommodated com fortably.
Great Lakes today prides itself on being the largest university in the world. Here there is a larger enrollment, more subjects taught, and more faculty experts, than in any other institution of learning on the educational lists.
Great Lakes has the largest single radio district in the United States, and one of the best schools. The communication radius of the station is approximately 2,000 miles, with records of messages as far as Japan, Ger many, and Honolulu.
Great Lakes in 1917 became the base of a fleet of training ships which plied the inland seas all summer, taking new crews on practically every trip. More than 50,000 men have been graduated to battleships after receiving their preliminary training at Great Lakes., The high level of Great Lakes Naval Training Station was reached in August, 1918, when 50,000 men were in training at one time. A total of more than 200,000 received training here during the period of the war. In addition to training seamen, three special schools are organized at the Station: Aviation Mechanics School, United States Naval Radio School, Hospital Corps Training School.
Lake Bluff (726) is a village just south of Great Lakes Naval Training Station.
Lake Forest (3,349) is the seat of Lake Forest University.
Fort Sheridan is a United States reserva tion on the lake shore formerly used for train ing men for the United States Army. Soon after the United States entered the great world war on April 6, 1917, Fort Sheridan was se lected as one of the places to train officers for the United States Many thou sands of officers have been given their preliminary training here. Since the close of the war, Fort Sheridan has been transformed into a military hospital.