The History of Michigan Shores Club
Sitting high atop the lakeside bluffs of East Wilmette, Michigan Shores Club has been creating history since 1898. Early settlers of the village circulated the idea of a country club (1897), and by the following April, Wilmette’s first family club was born. Complete with a six-hole golf course, lawn tennis courts, and archery range, the Club would continue to thrive and grow, over the next century. Early golf course designer, Herbert J. Tweedie, arranged the heavily-wooded links.
During those days, the Club was known as the Ouilmette Country Club, having been named for Wilmette’s founding family. Originally, the clubhouse was located near 9th Street and Ashland Avenue, surrounded by thick deciduous forest. By 1905, the small clubhouse in the woods had faded into history. Land was acquired and a larger clubhouse constructed at our current location. The board selected this setting for its beautiful vistas and significance to the history of Wilmette. The site chosen was directly adjacent to the old Ouilmette family home on Lake Michigan (even then lost to the waves of time).
Athletic pursuits including golf, tennis, billiards, bowling, ice skating and archery remained popular in the early years. The Club joined the Western Golf Association (1907). However, the Wilmette landscape was rapidly changing. Sheridan Road had opened (1900), and this began the paving of the Village streets. Less than ten years after the Club’s founding, the land comprising the golf course had been surrounded by road construction, and sub-division planning was accelerating. Finally, the golf course was abandoned (1909). Despite this loss, sporting functions remained paramount and the club continued to flourish. Bowling was introduced through a clubhouse expansion (1910). As well, clay tennis courts were added alongside the traditional lawn courts (1912). Each winter, ice skating and hockey were enjoyed on a rink set atop the tennis courts.
A few years after World War I, the Club absorbed the membership of a small social club in Evanston. The Century Club addition quickly pushed the facilities beyond capacity. Plans for expansion were soon approved and the old wood-frame clubhouse demolished (1928). Not long after, a new name was chosen to reflect a growing membership from all across the North Shore. The newly re-named Shawnee Country Club was to be housed in a grand limestone structure. Burnham Brothers Architects and J.B. French Construction crafted our elegant clubhouse in the English Country style with unique Tudor elements. The new building opened in February, 1929 featuring a grand ballroom, indoor swimming pool, bowling alley and outdoor tennis. So many of the Burnham’s original design elements are well preserved, even to this day.
During the late 1940’s, a group led by Club President Wayne R. Bellows revitalized the Club and modernized the membership structure. What emerged from this transformation is what we know today: Michigan Shores Club.
Since 1898, the Club has remained a social center for its membership whether known as Ouilmette, Shawnee, or Michigan Shores. For well over a century, the Club has continued to prosper. The golf course has gone. The old tennis courts and skating rink have faded away into the shadows of time. Gracefully, the Club has adapted to the times without sacrificing its founding traditions as an essential family club. Embracing the winds of inevitable change, Michigan Shores endures as a vibrant and iconic club on Chicago’s North Shore.
David H. Melsheimer
Club Historian
November, 2021
©2021 David H. Melsheimer