It is representative of the type of getaways used by successful Chicagoans who sought the tranquil surroundings of the Des Plaines River.

Native American tribes with a history of settlement and activity along the Des Plaines River include the United Nation of Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi.

Ryerson commissioned Edwin Hill Clark, a North Shore architect, to design the property.

[2] As the Ryersons awaited the development of their farm, the 1938 New England hurricane destroyed "Aucoot Haven", the family vacation home in Marion, Massachusetts.

Ryerson commissioned Ambrose Cramer to design a Greek Revival inspired by the Anson and Orson Rogers Houses in Marengo.

[2] Hermon Dunlap "Dutch" Smith, the vice president of Marsh & McLennan, purchased 8 acres (3.2 ha) to the east of Barnes' property.

Smith enjoyed the surroundings so much that he wrote The Des Plaines River 1673-1940: A Brief Consideration of its Names and History, published in 1940.

Chauncey Borland, a real estate executive, built a cabin on 15 acres (6.1 ha) southeast of Millard's in 1941.

Ryerson donated 85 acres (34 ha) north of Aptakisic Road to the newly established Lake County Forest Preserve District in 1966.

David Dangler, who had come into possession of the Millard property in the 1950s, likewise sold 7 acres (2.8 ha) to the district the next year.

Borland donated his acreage in 1985; the forest preserve moved his cabin north of Aptakisic Road for use as an interpretive center.