The Fish Creek Park Company was a small land development company formed in 1892 in what is now the Village of Bayside, Town of Mequon, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Fish Creek Park, or Fairy Chasm as it was later called, came into being when a group of Milwaukee businessmen led by Jacob F. Donges purchased two farms totaling 146 acres just beyond the north boundary of Milwaukee County on Lake Michigan's western shore. The area was a uniquely beautiful woodland, cut by a ravine and full of many species of flowers, plants, and wildlife. Formally incorporated on September 13, 1892, the company was empowered to buy and sell real estate. Its charter authorized 146 shares of stock at 285 dollars per share. During the first ten years of the company's existence, the stockholders were permitted to use the land in any way they chose, from Sunday picnics to construction of summer homes. By 1900, seven summer residences had been or were being built.
At this point, it was decided to implement a more systematic method of dividing the land in order to avoid future conflicts. The land was surveyed, platted into lots, and eventually sold to stockholders. Three tracts were held as “reserved land” for the use of all members. Because the company retained the right to make rules and regulations governing company-owned property, it was able to maintain control over the development of the area. Along with this control went the obligation to maintain roads and paths to the beach. Raising money to meet this obligation was a problem that plagued the company throughout much of its history. Volunteer contributions by stockholders and proceeds from annual picnics met a portion of this need.
By the early decades of the twentieth century, the area was well settled, both with summer homes and year-round residences. A dam was built, activities were organized, and a feeling of community spirit developed. In 1942, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the company was celebrated. But by this time, problems in the original survey and platting of the area also began to surface. Quarrels arose over property lines, and eventually a resurvey and new plat were prepared. At this time also, the name was officially changed to Fairy Chasm.
Soon after this, the continuing need for financial self-sufficiency on the part of the community led to a split between North and South Fairy Chasm. The eventual annexation of the latter into the newly incorporated Village of Bayside raised a considerable amount of controversy and had to be settled by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This move, however, did not mitigate the financial problems. The final solution attempted was the formation of the South Fairy Chasm Association in 1968, followed shortly thereafter by the North Fairy Chasm Association; both were autonomous and supposedly more manageable legal entities. At this point, the only asset retained by the original Fish Creek Park Company was twenty acres of reserve land, which was deeded in 1970 to Nature Conservancy, a non-profit corporation devoted to environmental conservation. In January of 1971, Articles of Dissolution were filed, officially ending the Fish Creek Park Company.
