Lake Opeka

About

Lake Opeka is a small, 40 acres (16 ha) lake in Des Plaines, Illinois. It is located in the Des Plaines Park District's 76-acre Lake Park.

The man-made lake was created out of what had been farmland to provide dirt for the construction of nearby Interstate 90 (the Jane Addams Tollway). According to a sign at Lake Park, it took two years for 2 million gallons of spring-fed water to fill the lake.

After the highway was completed, the Des Plaines Park District acquired 60 acres including the new lake for $1 in 1957, and opened Lake Park in 1961.

In subsequent years, the park district acquired several parcels of land that had been owned by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, which was located on the northern bank of the lake. In 2021, the church closed and sold its building to the park district. The building was converted into a restaurant, which opened in 2023.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.