This community has its origins in the first ever episodic website The Spot. Started in June of 1995, The Spot went through a rough period in the fall of 1996. Due to disagreements with the site's management at the time, many Spotfans participated in a boycott of the site, which lasted over a month. In the interim, however, they needed a place to congregate. Thus, www.spotfans.com and the Spotbored were born.

Eventually, the boycott was called off, and the Spotfans returned to their home. The new site became a source of information for all Spotfans, as well as an additional on-line gathering place. The return did not last long, however, as The Spot closed down for good on June 30, 1997. The Spotfans needed a new home, and a new source of entertainment and an outlet for their creative energies. The brainchild of Ri, Spotfans Unplugged came on line July 21, 1997, to help fill the void created by The Spot's demise. It combined a bulletin board for community interaction with reality-based journal entries as a form of entertainment. These journal entries were written by a core group of spotfans who volunteered their time to put up new content nearly every day. SFU went through some graphical tweaks and staff changes, but for two years, the site was one of the main places for ex-Spot Addicts to spend their online time.

Over the past two years, we've shared laughter, tears, anger, fears, any emotion under the sun, it's been out there. Whether we came upon The Spot in the first few days of an exciting time in online entertainment, or just before its end, those of us who knew and loved The Spot will never forget what it meant to us. However, we also recognize that there are some in our community who have no ties to The Spot. We've moved from being identified by our ties to The Spot to a community with a life and pulse of its own. We took on a new name so that it would better reflect the feel of this site.

In the late fall of 1998 Ri proposed some changes to the site. Along with the introduction of several new posters and less emphasis on the reality aspect of the site, she wanted to completely redesign it and give it a new name. While the process was long (a lot longer than most of us anticipated!), the Elgonquin went live on July 21, 1999, the second anniversary of Spotfans Unplugged. With its debut, we open a new chapter in our community's history, and we invite you to be a part of it!