Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899. His father Clarence, a physician, and his mother Grace, a former opera performer, lived in the upscale Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois. Built for Ernest’s maternal grandfather and namesake, his childhood home stands today as a museum and visitors center cared for by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park. During his early years, Hemingway spent much of the summer months on the shores of Walloon Lake in Michigan, at the family’s summer home, Windemere. While vacationing in the Michigan woods, young Ernest was able to explore the land, hunting squirrels and other small game, as well as fishing the many streams that fed the lake. Hunting and fishing remained two of Hemingway’s favorite pastimes throughout his life.