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Waukegan, city, seat (1841) of Lake county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. It lies on a high bluff above Lake Michigan, about 40 miles (65 km) north of Chicago. One of the oldest communities in the state, it was originally a Potawatomi Indian settlement. It was visited by the French explorer Jacques Marquette in 1673 and became a French trading post and fort known as Little Fort. During the 19th century the community grew as a port...