Trout Valley, IL

Trout Valley is a McHenry County village along the Fox River, but its backstory begins with a large estate. John D. Hertz used the property for horse breeding and built the ponds, pool, and gates that still shape the place. In the 1940s Otto Schnering’s Curtiss Candy Company turned the estate into a working farm with animal breeding and trout raising. After Schnering’s death, Don and Norm Maxon helped develop the land, and the name Trout Valley came from Norm’s fly-fishing interest. Residents incorporated the village on March 19, 1996, after opposing development plans from Cary. The old barn, pool, ponds, and stone entrance keep the estate’s outline visible beside the newer homes.