Lake Forest-Lake Bluff History Museum

Chicago Evening Post, August 17, 1915, detailing the fall and rise of the Monahan family fortune.

For most new Lake Foresters, arrival in town heralded the fruits of successful labors or the dawning of new opportunity. For the Monahans, it signaled reinvention.Edward Monahan was born in Canada in 1852 to Irish parents, moving to the U. S. in 1864. By age 14 he was working for the Crystal Lake Ice company. Monahan married Laura Sutherland, the daughter of prominent Chicagoan G. G. Sutherland, in 1874.Two years after his wedding, Monahan founded the Wisconsin Dairy Company. The dairy was the originator of milk in sanitary glass jars. At first, this idea was very unpopular among the other milk producers, but before long it was adopted by the health departments of most cities. Monahan soon became the largest milk dealer in the area. He supplied all of the milk and cream for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.

Described by the newspapers as “ex-millionaires,” the Monahans lost their fortune in a crash and turned to Lake Forest for a new chapter. In 1906 they opened the Monahan Chocolate Shop on Western Avenue. As the Chicago Evening Post described it, Laura Monahan, “once a leading spirit in Chicago’s highest circles, now serves with candies, ice creams and lunches those with whom a short time ago she was associated.”The Monahans found success again. Edward branched into North Shore real estate and became active in local politics. By 1920, they were able to retire and purchase a second home in California.

Edward and Laura Monahan: A New Leaf in Lake Forest