L akestyle rebelled. They said, ‘No, we would prefer to celebrate that birthday at Priest Lake.’” Jason Rice summed up life at their cabin as “being able to live the culture and the history that my great-grandparents laid out in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s: to be a part of the continuity of then-and-now, and to have so many things in common with them.” obert Hamilton told of going fishing with his father. “We would rent those row boats that Art (a neighbor) had built. Usually we would go in the evenings, because that’s when the fishing is best. It was the collection of those sights and sounds, during those times, that stays with me today. Just a few years before Dad died, I found out he didn’t even like to eat fish.” Speaking of her daughters, Katie Berge said: “It’s a place to share memories. It’s one of the dearest places in their hearts. It’s sacred to our family as a place to connect.” Her voice caught with emotion. “It has brought our family together. I know my girls, no matter where they (eventually) go, they’re going to want to come see me on the lake. I look forward to future memories.” Jennifer Brizendine’s parents have been married 43 years. They met at Priest Lake: “My mom worked summers at Indian Creek campground. y dad met her the first year he worked there. She was 15 and he was 17, and they were smitten… . Eventually, they got married and had five kids.” Bri endine’s grandpa, on her mom’s side, owned the first pair of water skis on the lake. Her grandpa’s great-aunt, Louise Anderson, was spending summers on the lake during the 1920s. Claire Bistline and her siblings spent
their childhood on Warren Island, expanding their imagination. “As children we loved to play Robinson Crusoe, exploring the barren cliffs and hiding in the old growth cedar at the center of the island.” Erin Hughes, Claire’s daughter, also spent summers on Warren Island. “When I was about 22 and my brother was probably 18, we decided to camp on a grassy hillside in our sleeping bags. (Mine was cotton — his, nylon.) Dinner ran well past dark. We had to find our way to the hillside using a flashlight with failing batteries. We laid out our sleeping bags and went to sleep. Nylon and a grassy hillside are not a good combination. I woke up in the morning and he was gone. I couldn’t believe he just left me out there; and for how long? That’s when I sat up and noticed that he had slid all the way to the bottom of the hill and was still sleeping.” Jodi Rice and her sons gained an unexpected friend. “We had a pet squirrel named Skippy. We domesticated her with a lot of peanuts and by holding very still. Skippy came back for three or four years in a row.
Simple rustic cabins, like the former Bistline cabin on Warren Island, are becoming rare on the lake. PHOTO: PAT BISTLINE
We taught her tricks and even had a birthday party for her. Skippy was pretty much a part of the family.” Owning a summer cabin isn’t all singalongs and huckleberry picking expeditions, however. These days there is very little, if any, “worthless” ground in or around a Bonner County lake, which means an increase in land lease fees and property taxes. This is particularly true on the east side of Priest Lake, where much of the land is owned by the state of Idaho. As existing contracts expire, the state is holding auctions on the leases. Families who’ve inhabited cabins going back five generations are losing their spots to the highest bidder. Small, rustic cabins are rapidly being replaced by palatial lake homes valued at multiple millions of dollars. “There’s a significant financial component of it. The cost of leasing has gone up exponentially. It’s far outpaced what you’d assume to be typical real estate inflation,” said Jason Rice. And the idea of “cabin” has changed, said Erin Hughes. “It used to be small cabins on the island and now there’s massive homes, but it seems everybody respects and cares for the island.” Even without the worry of losing the ground you’re leasing, owning a summer cabin includes the expense of upkeep. Older people on fixed incomes are having trouble meeting the escalating costs, and young families often have difficulty maintaining Left: A Bangle family campfire. PHOTO: ROBERT HAMILTON Opposite, top: The Berge’s recently
remodeled outhouse. BERGE FAMILY PHOTO
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