In childhood, Gypsy folklore abounds. There are great stories about the wild Gypsy ways, and tall tales about selling naughty children to the Gypsies. In Lake Zurich, these tales had an element of truth. There was a time when Lake Zurich's south side was a stopping point for Gypsies on their summer journey to Wisconsin.

The Gypsy history began around 1000 A.D. in Northwest India. Around this time the Gypsy clans were encouraged to leave India for unknown reasons, and then began a nomadic lifestyle that exists to this day. They are known to have lived in Hungary and Romania, and to speak the Romany dialect. They exist with their own government rules and courts, and each clan has its own king or "chief'. Tracing their numbers is just as difficult today as it has been for centuries, because they are constantly on the move, and do not cooperate with census reports. There are estimated to be between 3 to 6 million in the world today, and at last count, 5,000-10,000 in the Chicago area.

Gypsy life abounds with great mystery. To outsiders, they were reputed to be thieves and scoundrels. But they were not without skills that were envied and revered. They were tinkerers who sold their wares from the colorful caravans they traveled in. Men were swarthy and handsome, and the women were colorful and flamboyant, adorned with lots of jewelry and scarves. Women were renowned for their fortune telling skills. Gypsies were also revered for their musical skill. All these characteristics were quite a contrast to the gentle country life of the farmers who dotted the rural landscape of Lake County.

Before Rand Road was paved around 1922, it was called the Lake Zurich Trail. This trail was a frequently used roadway from areas south by those who wished to travel north to Wisconsin. Older farmers tell how the Gypsies would travel this road during the late spring as they moved their caravans up north. Area farmers feared the Gypsies because they were notorious thieves, particularly threatening to livestock and chickens. Often signaling their arrival, their music could be heard from far away.

Gloria Paul, whose family has lived in the area since the 1800s, tells how the farmers would get nervous when the Gypsies were in town: "There were always whispers about the Gypsies. They would camp at the cemetery by the Grever's farm (Rand/Long Grove Road). The farmers kept a neighborhood alert during the night to protect the farms so that nothing was stolen. No one relaxed until they were gone." Although arriving with great fanfare, the Gypsies would vanish in the night without a trace.

To area children, the Gypsy visits were mysterious and exciting. With the parents whispering, music floating across the fields and tension building, children's imaginations ran wild. Gypsy tales were stretched and elaborated upon. In a time when exciting things happened so infrequently, the Gypsies were a diversion to the standard chores.

After Rand Road was paved, the noise and mystery of the Gypsies were replaced by others. The resort crowds brought their own excitement and stories of debauchery.

Each decade seemed to have its own characteristics of mystery and excitement, such as Al Capone's brother-in-law Terry Druggen, who owned land around Quentin Comers. But that is a story for another day...