ca. 1905 to 1914

In 1881, the Monon Railroad was completed and originally skirted the western shore of Cedar Lake. The railroad considered the possibility of running special excursion trains daily to and from the lake, which at the time, were known to many as a quiet fishing and camping adventure. The railroad envisioned hotels and a park, where people could relax and enjoy themselves. They also envisioned two depots along the lakeshore. About that time, the railroad established a picnic grounds about two blocks south of where the conference center sits today. It was called Monon Park. By 1895, it was a popular place for picnic groups from Chicago and was becoming congested. More space was needed. At about that same time, the Monon Railroad purchased twenty acres of land and moved the park to where Cedar Lake Ministries is located. By 1890, Monon Park was considered a huge success. The grounds were crowded on a daily basis. In May of 1897, the dancing pavilion, now Torrey Auditorium, the old dining hall and the bowling alley were completed.
 

By 1912, Monon Railroad was not satisfied with the current management and began looking for new park managers. E.Y. Woolley, Associate Pastor of the Moody Church of Chicago had the vision of a conference grounds & a summer camp for those who attended the Moody Church. Early in 1914, Woolley's vision became fulfilled when the Monon Railroad gave the church permission to become the new manager of Monon Park. In 1915, Paul Rader became pastor of the church and was very instrumental in the work at Cedar Lake. The Church accepted the wooded park as a gift and promised to take good care of the grounds and lake front. The excursion trains would continue with trains running with tickets sold to Christian groups in need of summer outings. The Church made many improvements, which resulted in an increase in picnic crowds. By 1919, Monon Park was officially sold to the Moody Church for the total sum of $1. The park was now the Moody Assembly Grounds at Cedar Lake.

To meet a need for overnight lodging, Mr. Glendenning gave his hotel to the Moody Church's Conference Grounds. The Reverend Charles Watt was known as an expert carpenter. Watt and his helpers literally cut the huge Glendenning Hotel into two pieces. They then moved the sections deeper into the park property, where they were reassembled to become once again a tourist abode. The building was dedicated in 1919. Other permanent buildings were constructed and named for loyal church members.

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By 1923, Moody Church experienced financial difficulties, which stopped its work at Cedar Lake. Simultaneously, the work was handed over to Mr. Bowles, Mr. Erickson and Mr. Swanson, three elders of the church. On April 23, 1923, the Cedar Lake Conference Association was incorporated. As a means to purchase the grounds from Moody Church, association stocks and summer homes were sold. 

During the 1940's conferences, concerts and camps continued. By 1948, the Monon Railroad moved the section of the tracks that skirted the western shore of Cedar Lake about a quarter of a mile west, which left about a half of a mile of lakefront open to purchase by the Cedar Lake Conference Association. Soon enough this land was purchased from the railroad for $15,000 with the help of a short-term loan from the First National Bank of Crown Point. Several loads of dirt were brought in and the lakefront was re-landscaped. By about 1950, South Gate Chapel was built and construction of the west wing of Hotel Rest-A-While began. In 1958, Richard Boldt became the new manager.

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In the 1960s, there was a realization that more modern conveniences were needed for guests. By 1964, Cedars #1-6 were beginning to be built. During the mid-1980's, rooms in Hotel Rest-A-While were being remodeled and by the early 1990's, Cedars #7-12 were constructed. With this realization for modern facilities, the Cedar Lake Bible Conference Grounds was renamed the Cedar Lake Bible Conference Center by about 1980. At this time Al Lackey became Executive Director. One of the largest struggles for Mr. Lackey and the conference association during the 1980's was the efforts to get the grounds septic system hooked up to the town's sewer system.

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2001 saw Hickory Lodge (built in 1924) renovated & air-conditioning added. Eight rooms in Rest-A-While Hotel were gutted, renovated and two handicap accessible rooms added. The fall of 2001 through the spring of 2002, Torrey Auditorium, built in 1897, was completely renovated with a new foundation, windows, carpet, drywall, lighting, sound system, siding, seating, heating and air-conditioning. Rest-A-While Hotel, built in 1936, also had improvement. The west wing had not been improved since it's original construction in the early 1950's. It now contains 18 brand new rooms with a new conference room on

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