In the northeast corner of McHenry County, the Fox River winds its way through Johnsburg, a small village of German ancestry settled in the 1840s. The center of all community activity was St. John's Catholic Church, which stood on the highest spot in town. Its steeples were visible when entering the village. On the other side of Johnsburg, Pistakee Bay was an unsettled area known for good hunting and fishing. Many of the visitors to...