Located
in the far northeast corner of LaPorte County, Hudson lake is comparable
in size to Pine Lake in LaPorte. This quaint town offers summer rentals
and lakeside RV camping but limited public access. Motor boats and personal
water craft are permitted. Fish
includes Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Redear.
Its a short drive down Highway 20 from Michigan City and offers an alternative
to often crowded beaches found there.
History
The earliest settlement in LaPorte County was on the east shore of Lac
du Chemin or Hudson Lake. Here a group of cabins had sprung up by 1829 surrounding
a Baptist mission and school. Established in the late 1820's as a branch
of the Carey Mission in Niles, Michigan, the Hudson mission tried to Christianize
the native Pottawattomie population while teaching them American methods
of farming. The mission remained at Hudson Lake only until the Indians began
leaving in large numbers in the 1830's but the surrounding town of Hudson,
or Lakeport, continued to prosper.
A thriving market center
with flourishing businesses, the town was considered a powerful rival of
LaPorte for the trade of the northeast part of the county. But after the
railroad located its depot at the nearby community of New Carlisle, the
townspeople began to drift away.
It was not until the
turn of the century that Hudson enjoyed prosperity again. A popular summer
resort business had built up around the Smith Hotel by the 1890's and the
hotel owner constructed the Hudson Lake Casino to attract additional visitors
to the town.
By the 1920's, the casino
was the summertime hangout of wealthy Chicago residents. The South Shore
RR brought hundreds of dancers every weekend anxious to sway to the sounds
of such big bands as Guy Lombardo's "Royal Canadians" or the South
Bend "Indiana's". The lake resort also advertised excellent bathing
and picnicking facilities and large Chicago and South Bend firms often rented
the entire resort for the company outings.
The Hudson
Lake resort began to decline in the 1930's as the influence
of the Depression and competing dance halls was felt. Today
the Hudson Lake Casino has been restored and is open for business.
The Hudson Cemetery on 700N is one of the oldest in the county
and includes several interesting family plots.
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