A favorite activity of many who live near Lake Zurich is to take the walk around the lake there. The total distance is about 3 1/4 miles and usually takes about an hour or so. Quite a bit has changed around the lake since the area was first settled in the mid 1830s. At first it was called Cedar Lake, but was renamed Lake Zurich by the early settler Seth Paine around 1841. Walking around the lake was probably more pleasant 150 years ago when there were dirt trails and far less traffic. To give you a sense of what it was like walking around it in the old days, Ela Historical Society has put together this historical self tour around the lake. It describes some of the interesting spots that you walk by all the time, but maybe have no clue about what roles they may have played in the past. This tour starts at Paulus Park, located on the west side of the lake under the Lake Zurich water tower. So get your walking shoes on and get over there. Park your car, get out, and hit NEXT to start the tour.