Shafer Lake
Located south of Lake County, Shafer Lake was a small resort mecca for the steel workers and hard hats of Hammond who needed to get away and at least feel like they had a vacation. The Ideal Beach Resort had all the amenities of a resort, including the roller rink. Shafer Lake even had a "Toboggan Slide," an early rendition of the now popular water slide.
Cedar Lake, another lake visited by Hammond residents who liked living on the edge and enjoyed fishing for muck raking, bottom fish, the "Bullhead," is described in Jean Shepherd's book, too.
I believe my aunt and uncle had a small cottage on Shafer Lake. They liked to fish. I was never fortunate enough to have received an invitation to visit them at Shafer Lake. Thus I was also fortunate enough to have been spared the awkward situation of having to refuse. While I loved my aunt and uncle and enjoyed fishing, I had also read Jean Shepherd's book at an early age.