Michigan Beach Update
Ok… So I think I found the elusive “Michigan Beach” in Joliet.
I googled “Michigan Beach” Joliet and stumbled upon this topo map from the USGS.
The dual horizontal red line is I-80. I’m pretty sure the vertical red line is Richards Street. Now if Michigan Beach is “lake 565″ there in the middle, some others from the Joliet area might remember it as the Joliet Beach Club. I used to go there all the time when I was a kid. They eventually had to close it due to some really nasty virus that infested the water. You can still see this gem from I-80 if you’re heading west. Hop on at Briggs and stay in the right lane. When you start driving on the elevated highway, look off you your right. The beach house/concession stand is still there and the “beach” is completely overgrown with weeds, but it’s still there.
Looks like Uncle Leroy is gonna lose some business…
Here’s an aerial link from Google Maps
I was doing an appraisal south of 80 a couple years ago, on a gloomy day(Or most of Joliet or that area of is gloomy everyday) and drove by that body of water on Rowell Avenue, seen what looked to be a concession stand as you stated. I though to my self what the hell is this place surrounded by industrial crap as it looked to be some sort of recreational facility and my Microsoft Map program shows it at Michigan Beach. At the time I tried doing to bunch of internet searches and came up with nothing. I came across it again and was interested again, and I found some history about how they brought tons of car loads of sand they in the early 1900′s. When did it close? Just amazaing how it was left as is almost…….that Joliet for yah I guess……
I’m 30 now and the last time I went was in grade school, so I’d say it closed around 20 years ago. I used to have a blast there.
The property is is owned by and The Beach was run by the Keck family. We closed it down due to my mother dying and it had nothing to do with a nasty virus.
Sean Keck
Thanks for that update, Sean.
I was pretty young when it did close and remember employees putting chlorine in the water during break time, and warnings about not swallowing the water, so I just figured it was due to that.
Sorry to hear of your mothers passing back then. I’m sure she’d be happy to know that a lot of people had a great time there.