Trout Valley, the Hertz Estate, and Curtiss Farm

John D. Hertz, of rental car fame, discovered Trout Valley (then a part of unincorporated McHenry County, Ill.) in the 1920s. He built a mansion, barns, and polo grounds on the banks of the Fox River and called his estate Leona Farms. In 1943, Otto Schering, of Baby Ruth and Butterfinger fame, purchased and transformed the grounds to the headquarters of a large farming operation. Both eras and the more modern time of a residential village that seeks to preserve its history and landscape are covered in text and photos.