December 2015 – Historical Society Newsletter

LAKE OF THE WOODS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Newsletter
Volume 4, Number 2
Ramblings From
Your Society
Coordinator
A Boat is a Hole in the
Water You Fill with $$$
--Prominently posted sign at B5, Bob Ellingson
By Bill Dodge, Cabin B3
Our upcoming coffee table
book will expand on these
and many more subjects.
A 12,000 foot mountain
was located where the
Mountain Lakes Wilderness lies today. It would
have been three thousand
feet taller than Mt.
McLoughlin.
Lake of the Woods was a
neutral zone bordering the
Upper Takilma (Sastise)
and Klamath/Modoc tribal
lands. In 1010 Norsemen
likely joined the natives in
Klamath County as evidenced by similar petroglyphs found in Washington (Norwegian scientist
Upsjon in newspaper accounts 1924 and Ryan Bartholomew in Trumpeter
2015). They may very well
have traveled past the
Lake.
December 2015
Government boating regulations have chafed cabin owners for years. In the
minutes from the 1949 Homeowners Meeting we read: “Ed Geary (B8)
gave a general explanation of how the new Lake O’ Woods boat regulations
came into being. They originated in the attorney general’s office under
committee recommendation. At this point, Wesley Lorenz (L7) suggested
that all boats be numbered instead of just the speed boats. No decision
was made at this issue.” Since that time-- and before it too--boats have
been an issue at Lake of the Woods. Over the decades, watercraft, not unlike their human admirers, have been given nicknames. Here are just a few:
Pumpkin Seed, Spuddy and Spuddy II, Catyak, Black Widow, Rage, Galaxie,
Beaver Believer, Mahogany, and Big Pink. It is logical to assume that these
monikers reflected, at least to some degree, the waterborne personalities
of their owners. The “official” manufactured names were only a little less
imaginative: Tollycraft, Chris-Craft, Century, Johnson, Higgins, Richbuilt,
and Old Town.
There were inboards and outboards, canoes, ski boats, sailboats, rubber
rafts and fishing craft. Naturally, this variety of vessels represented competing themes, such as adventure, speed, danger, fishing, romance, and
even frustration.
This is a collection of stories put together from a fraction of our written
recollections, personal interviews, and legends from Lake of the Woods.
Adventure
Betty Maryott (C14) recalls a usual day on the water: “By noon we were on
the dock. Those were the days of lying on the dock spending lots of time in
the sun getting a dark suntan. Friends would putt by in their inboards. I had
a little boat with a five horse motor that I took around the lake. We all
learned to water ski off the dock. Jim Maryott (husband) tried twenty times
to step off the dock on one ski with no success.”
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Boat
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Holly Drew (G2) has “a funny memory.” The Drew’s aluminum “putt-putt” was driven after she learned to swim
at age six. The Big Pink was the family outboard that she operated beginning at age ten. Once, in the mid-1960s,
Holly and her sister took a ride over to the resort to buy some candy. Holly recalled that the trip was uneventful
until she “ran into the (parked) boat in front of me!” They took off, scared after their hit-and-run. Of course the
resort folks knew who owned the Big Pink. They sought Holly’s dad. “We had just hit the ex-governor’s boat!” He
had been staying at the resort. “I had to go apologize to the Governor. He was so nice. We still had to fix the
damage.”
Speed
Mark Mueller (E5) recalls his youth at Lake of the Woods. He once asked Elbert Stiles if his Century boat was the
fastest on the lake. Elbert’s reply: “Mark, it really doesn’t matter whose boat is the fastest--as long as it’s
yours!”
The 1950s featured a crowded lake, “hot” boats and wild parties. At the annual Fourth of July dance at the Resort cars were vandalized and fights broke out. Crazy stuff was going on around the lake. Joe Hicks (N9) and Lon
Skinner (D3) built a ski jump and tried skiing behind an airplane. Crazy Fred Hadlock (C2) was using his ski chair.
Not to be outdone, William Smith got into a race with a Century while towing his son, Richard, on skis. Richard
did a flip and had the wind knocked out of him. The Smiths built a new dock in town and hauled it up to the lake
with their boat on top. Of course, while floating the dock the boat came loose and crashed onto rocks by the
boat ramp. It took a long time to idle across the lake towing a dock with a bent prop.
The ski jump story is corroborated by Catherine Vilas Hayes (B7) in a
2012 interview. “The Barnum (B6) and Skinner boys built the first ski
jump on the lake. Catherine excitedly supposed it a high dive for her.
Scrambling up and poised to dive--oops--rocking, swaying, tipping-ouch. Go under water and stay there. Watch from below while barrels
and beams all tumble down and roll over or sink. Oh woe. The boys
were plenty upset ‘will never speak to me again.’ The next morning
guest Robbie Collins smoothed it over with casual, strategic observation and questions while they worked to retrieve, reassemble, rework
and rebuild. ‘You boys have insurance? Someone could be badly hurt
with that jump.’ All OK?”
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Ramblings (continued) . . .
Dead Indian Memorial Road was named for the dead natives found near the road, the result of a
fight among tribesmen (Judge Orange Jacobs).
Our earliest private land owner at Lake of the Woods was Marcus Daley, the Copper King of Berkley
Pit in Montana, who owned 5000 acres including parts of C and D blocks and Sunset Campground.
Two holes were found in the bottom of the lake, which created whirlpools and were later plugged.
The content of the coffee table book will include the history of the lake, your recollections, and a
fantastic collection of photographs by our highly regarded Larry Turner.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and the Season's best--Bill Dodge.
Boat ...continued from Page 2
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Danger (Somewhere near the intersection of speed and adventure)
Mark’s dad, Dr. Robert Mueller (E5), a general practitioner, was always “on call.” Usually his duties were rather
mundane--removing splinters, giving tetanus shots, “sewing up kids”--a constant stream of minor injuries. When
Mark was ten, a near-sighted water skier, skimming along at an estimated 50 mph, came onto the dock too fast.
The skier hit his head on the dock. “I saw it,” reported Mark. “Dad and I fished him out.” His jaw was broken.
Sitting boats can be dangerous too. Early in 1960s Mueller recalled that a Mercury was being refueled at the Resort. It caught
fire and was soon fully engulfed in flame. The boat was cut loose
from the dock. One of the boaters was injured by the explosion.
Dr. Mueller took care of that one too. The boat burned and sank.
“For years Elbert Stiles (A4) was a Deputy Sheriff and a good enforcer of boating regulations--especially in the southeast portion
of the lake. One day when Stiles had guests on his dock a
bold skier shot a giant wave over them, drenching all
guests. Elbert was really upset--grabbed his star, pinned it
on his chest and with siren screaming took after, caught
and lectured the culprit. It was only then that he realized
he had no shirt on. Elbert told me of this event, so it must
be true????” Memory furnished by Noel Flynn (A3).
Fishing
Bill Dodge (B3) compiled this reminiscence, which he calls Outboard Overboard! “Herman Darley (B1B) loved to
fish and that’s putting it mildly. Herman even had an ongoing competition with Caretaker George Bosley to see
who could catch the most fish. One morning Herman was joined by his wife Jeannie trolling between the Resort
and Boy Scout Camp. The outboard engine was loosely secured and tethered with a light line, two hasty decisions they would regret. Taking a turn in the water the outboard gently rose up into space and down into the
Lake. What to do? That five-horse Johnson was Herman’s favorite. He had to retrieve it. After returning to the
cabin he brought back his drag hooks but could not snag the engine, bringing up only green flakes of paint. Frustrated, he attached an anchor with a line secured to a piece of firewood. He lowered the anchor into the water
at the spot of his loss. The intent was to return the next summer and retrieve the motor. As the firewood would
probably be carried away by winter ice, he came up with the perfect plan. Herman and Jeannie went to the
Lodge, sat at a table, and pinpointed the floating firewood by marking a spot on the window sill. That was the
winter of 1951 when the Lodge burned to the ground. That wonderful engine is still in Davy Jones’ Locker.”
A note on our boat: Grandpa Watson (E21) built a plywood hulk of a craft in his garage in the early 1960s. Inspired by a Popular Mechanics blueprint, it was 17 feet long, painted bright red and white. On late-evening fishing voyages across the lake, we would anchor the craft on the west side channel in a quest for kokanee. That
anchor was a paint can, filled with concrete (or was it spark plugs?) for mass. My brother Stan would use his 29cent flashlight to signal my mom, who awaited us on our dock. A 3.5-horse Montgomery Ward “Sea King” motor
propelled the boat. Mom had her own name for it: Sink-king. For some unfathomable reason, that motor was
stored nightly in our cabin at E-21. As a kid I thought it was cool that our living room smelled like the marina.
Romance
Shirley Stearns recounts her memories of C-11. “Through the years much entertaining took place. My grandmother would bring my dad and my aunt up to stay for many weeks at a time. In 1948 my dad, Ralph “Perky”,
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Boat ...continued from Page 3
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was the proud owner of a small outboard racing boat. Much fun and follies were experienced as he and his dear
friend Doug Dryden raced around the lake. But it was the year 1949 on a beautiful moonlit night in July, out in
the middle of the lake in the old Century boat that Dad proposed to mom. Truly a romantic night! They were
married in June of 1952 and then spent the summer at the cabin before heading off to England where Dad was
stationed in the Air Force for 2 years.”
Suzanne Smith: “About 1958, some handsome boys asked several of us to go for a boat ride in a splashy red and
white Higgins Runabout. One of those was Richard Smith, whose dad owned the boat and had part ownership in
N-2, with Alice Smith, Richard’s grandmother. We were married in 1962.”
Frustration
The following tale comes from George Nitschelm (N9). In 1956, Dwight French (O8) built a one-step planked
“hot” inboard with a high compression Ford flathead V 8 with no reverse gear. At school one day in his senior
year, Richard Smith (N2) heard over the PA system, “Richard Smith report to the team room.” Richard had just
received a new car, and as Dwight’s boat was reported as stolen he wanted a ride to the lake to check it out.
Upon their arrival all they could see was the bow line in the water. Looking down, Richard saw Dwight’s pride
and joy ten feet down on the bottom of the lake. It seems that Dwight had forgotten to swell the planked
bottom before launching. By pulling on the bow line the boat slowly surfaced and they commenced to bail with
five gallon cans. Boats were flying by creating a wake. This was the only time Richard ever heard Dwight cuss!
Happily, they were able to winch the craft back into the boathouse.
Your author recalls the kid from next door at E-22. His family shared our double dock back in 1962. They had an
inboard; we had an outboard. Every day, when he had the chance, that kid belted out his own number-one song,
“We got an inboard--You got an outboard.” Every day.
Adventure, speed, danger, fishing, romance, frustration and more. . . Mark Watson, LOTWHS Author
Newsletter published semi-annually by the Lake of the Woods Oregon Historical Society, a committee of
the Lake of the Woods Recreation Association. Articles by Mark Watson and Bill Dodge. Design and
editing by Karen Poole.
Bill Dodge, Society Coordinator
1176 Harbor Isle Blvd., Klamath Falls, OR 97601
541-891-1549
[email protected]
Membership in the Society is granted to all who
provide consent to access their Forest Service cabin
file. Members receive two newsletters annually.
Committee Members: Bill & Nancy Dodge, Ginger Dehlinger, Dean Fortmiller, Molly Gillaspie, Catherine Hayes, Susan McLaughlin, Shirley Stearns, Nancy & Charley Thompson, Mark Watson, and Amy
Wilkins.