Elgin was hit just as hard by The Depression as the rest of the country. During that time, The WPA and the PWA created as many projects as they could.  Their number one goal was to put as many men to work as possible.

 Using a $28,000 grant from the WPA, eleven thousand cubic yards of gravel was dredged from the bottom of The Fox River to expand its surface. The work was done with manual tools, in an effort to employ as many people as possible. Under the direction of the Isaac Walton League, the debris was turned into Walton Island. It was seeded and landscaped with trees and shrubbery.  It can still be seem today while visiting The Gail Borden Library.