Chicago Northwest KOA in Union, Illinois | 1973 & 2016
Despite not having my grandmother’s travel journal for this image, I was able to learn the location and a bit of history from the truck in the photograph. Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Fischrup were from nearby Marengo, Illinois and the owners of this KOA in 1973. Fischrup, a Hawthorn Mellody milk distributor, was the owner and operator of the Marengo Dairy. A true entrepreneur, it was said that Ralph’s ultimate venture was building the first KOA Campground in the Greater Chicago area.