Editing Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
The town was founded in 1799 as "Evansburg", named for local farmer Abner Evans, who had opened a successful [[Gristmill|mill]], of which several more followed. The town’s population would continue to grow as soon it would be connected to other towns by a [[canal]] and later by railroad.

By the 1880’s the town’s economy boomed with the foundation of several important businesses, most notably, the famous tool company [[Channellock]] and The Conneaut Lake Ice Company (which was a major supplier of fresh ice for cities and towns around the [[Northeastern United States|northeast]]).

As locals around the area were colloquially referring to the town as the name of the neighboring lake, the town was officially renamed Conneaut in 1892. The same year the [[Conneaut Lake Park|famous local park]] was also opened, and the town became become a major tourist destination in [[Western Pennsylvania]].
[[File:MarionChristy.PNG|thumb|left|90px|Announcement of Marion Christy swimming Conneaut Lake in 1901.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Donovan|first1=Henry|title=Chicago Eagle|url=http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&d=CHE19010608&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------#|website=Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections|accessdate=2 July 2015}}</ref>]]In 1907 [[Tram|trolley]] lines were installed that connected the town and park with several other local towns, but by the 1920s these were mostly removed due to the automobile rendering it obsolete.

By the 1930’s the rise of [[refrigeration]] meant that most towns no longer needed fresh ice to preserve food, and thus saw the closure of the town’s Ice Company. This along and the closure/moving of other companies caused town’s local population to decline (although the population rose once again in the mid 20th century). Today the town serves mainly as a resourt town, home to many shops, restaurants and other amenities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Community Foundation |title=About Conneaut Lake |url=http://newconneautlake.com/index.php/about-conneaut-lake |access-date=August 22, 2023 |website=Conneautlake.com}}</ref>