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There was another lake and slew similar to this. It was two towns over in Fox Lake, and was called Dollar Lake. The swamp was on the south side of town and there was an elevated bed of train tracks that connected the mostly commuter trains to Chicago, and that went through the slew. The rumor was some train cars had fallen off the tracks into the slew and sunk in the muck, and were never seen again. It had such a reputation for quick mire that it was also rumored that the Al Capone gang used it as a dumping pit for bodies. Whether true or not, Capone had had a summer mansion not that far distant in Johnsburg.
They built a blacktop road parallel to the rail bed, and driving it was a bit of a roller coaster, since the road kept sinking in places. Of course in later years some developer did what developers do --- which was build a shopping mall on the swamp. The last time I saw it, the parking lot was like rolling hills and the stores had cracking facades and offline profiles and closed up.
I sort of remember skirting Mud Lake, starting across the swamp, crossing the channel once or twice, and just a bit of my walk through town, across the main street through the neighborhoods to my house. The time must have been between six and seven. I must have been covered in mud and soaking wet carrying two halves of a shotgun. Not sure anyone saw me, looking out their windows. I saw no one. After that I must have taken a good long hot bath. Guess that is enough not-hunting for a life-time.
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