Unlocking the Mysteries of Lake County: The Fox Lake Massacre

The story of Fox Lake's dark ties to organized crime didn’t begin on that fateful night in 1930. During the Roaring Twenties, as Prohibition gripped the nation, Lake County became a crucial battleground for Chicago’s mob bosses. The Chain O'Lakes, with its sprawling waterways and secluded areas, was a perfect haven for bootlegging operations. Gangsters ferried illicit booze smuggled from Canada under the cover of darkness, establishing hideouts and resorts that catered to their criminal enterprises.

One of the most infamous locations in this saga was Manning’s Hotel, a lakeside retreat that doubled as a gathering spot for the Chicago underworld. Owned by local entrepreneurs looking to profit from Prohibition's lawless allure, the hotel saw its fair share of shady deals and violent feuds. Rival factions—loyal to the North Side’s Bugs Moran or the South Side’s Al Capone—jockeyed for control over this lucrative territory. The stakes were high, and the price of disobedience was often paid in blood.

On June 1, 1930, this simmering tension finally exploded. The air was sticky and heavy, a typical summer night in Fox Lake, Illinois. Manning’s Hotel, quaint in appearance, masked its bloody undercurrent of mob activity. Inside, laughter and clinking glasses echoed from the enclosed porch. Members of Chicago’s most infamous gangs were gathered, enjoying a rare moment of camaraderie. But outside, a storm of bullets was about to erupt.

At the center of this deadly story is George 'Machine Gun' Druggan, leader of the Druggan-Lake Gang. His gang, along with Michael Quirk of the Klondike O’Donnell Gang, Sam Pellar, and Joseph Bertsche, operated as allies or underlings in Capone’s sprawling network. They were untouchable—or so they thought. But Prohibition wasn’t just about alliances; it was about revenge, greed, and territory.

At 1:40 a.m., all hell broke loose. Gunfire shattered the quiet night. Bullets tore through the windows and ripped into the wooden walls of the porch. Glass exploded, and the air filled with screams and chaos. The shooters didn’t just come to scare—this was an execution.

By the time the smoke cleared, three men lay dead. Michael Quirk, Sam Pellar, and Joseph Bertsche were riddled with bullets, their bodies sprawled on the blood-soaked floor. George Druggan and Vivian McGinnis survived, but just barely. George was hit in the arm, and Vivian’s injuries left her permanently scarred.

But who pulled the trigger? And why? Theories abound, but the most compelling suggests Bugs Moran orchestrated the hit as retaliation for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Just a year earlier, Capone’s men had gunned down seven of Moran’s crew in cold blood. The victims of the Fox Lake Massacre, loyal to Capone, suggest this was Moran’s attempt to reassert power in the ongoing beer wars. It was a bloody message: Moran wasn’t finished yet.

The Fox Lake Massacre didn’t just send shockwaves through the criminal underworld; it etched itself into the fabric of Lake County’s history. Manning’s Hotel, long a hub for illicit activity, now holds the dual legacy of its elegant past and its sinister ties to organized crime. As the Encyclopedia of Chicago History notes, this region was a hotspot for gang activity during Prohibition, with its idyllic lakes masking a dangerous undercurrent of betrayal and violence.

Today, Manning’s Hotel still stands, transformed into a charming Airbnb destination. Visitors bask in its picturesque views, often unaware of the blood-soaked history lurking beneath the surface. Locals, however, haven’t forgotten. They speak in hushed tones about the ghosts of the Chain O’Lakes—phantoms of gangsters who paid the ultimate price in the fight for dominance. Whether it’s the eerie sounds of footsteps in the night or the cold whispers of wind off the water, the legacy of the Fox Lake Massacre lingers in the air.

This is just one of the many stories that make Lake County a place where history, mystery, and legend intertwine.