September 2, 1916
Daily Republican
Conference Is held At Old Sporting Place
Cedar Lake, Ind., Aug. 26—On ground once well known as
the training quarters of Jack Johnson, negro champion, and
favorite spot for Chicago beer parties, the Moody
Evangelistic, Missionary and Bible Conference convened
today. The site of the conference is Monon Park, formerly
owned by the Monon Railroad.
For years Monon Park was the rendezvous for members of the
Chicago sporting fraternity and beer flowed freely. Today
it appears destined to become one of the leading religious
gathering places of the Middle West.
As a thirst quenching resort it was profitable to the
Monon Railroad, but when Fairfax Harrison became president
of the road it was abandoned. The board of directors agreed
with President Harrison that it wasn’t good business to
allow one of the most beautiful lake resorts in the Middle
West, within forty miles of Chicago, to be known as a prize
fighter’s paradise.
The picnics were stopped and Monon Park, with its large
buildings deserted.
It happened that Rev. E.Y. Wooley, associate pastor of the
Moody church, passing Cedar Lake one day on a Monon train
got the idea that Monon Park would be an ideal place for a
conference similar to that started by Moody at Northfield,
Mass. Obtaining interview with Frederic S. Delano, then
president of the Monon, he explained the need of the Moody
church at his own vision of a conference center.
“We will give Monon Park, its ground and its buildings to
the Moody church,†said President Delano.
An understanding was quickly reached and a contract drawn
up which was ratified by the official boards of the
railroad and church and the latter was given possession of
the property.
In development of its conference project, Moody church
recently acquired about sixty acres immediately south and
north of Monon Park. A big athletic field has been laid
out and a bathing beach constructed.