2005 Lone Lake History Book by Lone Lake POA

2005

Stories from Lone Lake

Table of Contents Preface Lone Lake Schoolhouse

1-4 5-14

Lee’s Bay View Dance Hall

15-20

Public Beach – Beulah’s Folly

21-24

Cabins: The Original Martin Cabin

25-28

The Elmer Larson Cabin

29-32

Readys’ Little White Cabin

33-36

Resorts: Schlattman’s Resort

37-44

Lost Island Resort

45-50

Jensens’ Farm and the Sorghum Mill

51-56

Malmgrens’ Farm

57-64

Miles Family Farm

65-68

Elwin Johnsons’ Farm

69-70

Farms:

Tower Hill and Tower Road

71-74

Public Access

75-78

Early Settlers

79-84

Attica Post Office and Creamery

85-106

Lone Lake Ice-Out/Ice-Over

107-110

Lone Lake Water Levels and Water Quality Data

111-116

Loons on Lone Lake

117-120

Overview of Aitkin County, Nordland Township and Lone Lake

121-124

Lone Lake Property Owners’ Association

125-136

Lake Map

137

Lone Lake Homeowners – 2005

138

More Stories About Lone Lake – Property Owners’ Remembrances

139-161

Cover pictures: Thank you to the following donors of pictures: Sandi Poppe for the picture of the loons, Carol Tully for the picture of the schoolhouse bell, Karl and Dorothy Miles for the aerial photo, and Ed and Mary Hoeve for the picture of the sunset.

Preface

Each spring, Lone Lake starts anew: “How was your winter?” “Looks like the lake level is up.” “How are the kids?” “Do you need help putting in the dock?” “How about a cup of coffee?” “Hope we have good weather for opening fishing.” And maybe the most important: “Have you seen any loons yet? I sure hope that they have chicks this year.” For the people who live around its shores, Lone Lake is a special place. Perhaps we are drawn back year after year because of the strong friendships that have been forged, a desire to protect the loons and water quality, and to celebrate the wonder of the lake. Lone Lake has a rich history – each of us has many stories to share. But little has been written down. So early in 2004, the Board of Directors of the Lone Lake Property Owners’ Association suggested writing about this very special lake. Fifteen people volunteered to be on the History Team. Some Team members are longtime year a-rounders while others are newer to living year around on Lone Lake. Still others are weekenders. Collectively, the Team has over 350 years of being Lone Lakers, and when you add the years of those who contributed information and pictures, the number of years could well double or triple. In May 2004, the History Team identified over 20 topics to be researched, and each Team member accepted responsibility for writing one or more articles. For all articles, Team members wanted to be as accurate as possible, so during the winter of 20042005, they searched through archives, courthouse records, and picture albums plus talked to neighbors (or anyone else who might have some information).

In May 2005, the call went out for stories from all property owners. Soon, a lot of conversations began with, “Do you remember when . . .? “ or, “what do you know about . . .? “ and written remembrances began to appear. It didn’t take long for the word to get out that all of this hard work was going to be published and soon, comments and inquiries started: “I’d sure like to have a copy of the book.” “You know, [Insert Name] would be a good person to talk to.” “Lone Lake is a beautiful lake. There aren’t many For Sale signs out there.” And from historical societies, archives and courthouse workers, “Yes, we have heard about this project” perhaps because Lone Lakers were scrounging through many of their records. This book is the result of all the research, discussions, and interviews. We have endeavored to be as accurate as possible but in case we have missed something, please excuse any errors. The stories mirror the history of the County and Minnesota, starting in the 1880s with early settlers buying land around Lone Lake and struggling to establish a home and to rear their families. A post office was built in 1889 followed by a school in 1895. Sunday school sometimes was held at the schoolhouse and other times at what today is known as Maria Chapel. The Aitkin newspapers occasionally would report on new people moving into the area, farming, roads (or lack of them), acreage bought, fishing, school and social events, and employment both in Aitkin as well as in North Dakota. In the 1930s, cabins appeared on the east end followed by two resorts that flourished even during the Depression years. In the early 1940s, a dance hall was built on “beautiful Lone Lake” – a large newspaper ad proclaimed, “The time has come! Big Double Header Grand Opening – Lee’s new dance hall and nightclub. Friday night – Whoopee John’s Radio and Recording Band. Be There!” Early roll-in dock? No, it’s Fred Sipher, a Lone Lake resident. The picture probably was taken in the 1920s.

In post-World War II years, lake homes started to appear. Now, there are 163 property owners on Lone Lake.

We hope that you find the stories to be interesting and that they spur you to write some of your own. Happy reading! Author:

Mary Hoeve, Lot #118, March 2005 Thank you to: Maude Wier for the picture of Fred Sipher History Team Members

History Team, front row, l to r: Steve Frazier, Carol Meinke, Dave Scott, Leroy Poppe. Second row, l to r: Pat Jensen, Maude Wier, Lorraine Malmgren, Mary Hoeve

Charlotte Axiotis Anne Benda Steve Frazier Elaine Haberkorn Pat Jensen Lorraine Malmgren Carol Meinke Audrey Osofsky Leroy Poppe Dave Scott Gay Van Slooten Naomi Wagenknecht Diane Weisser Maude Wier Mary Hoeve, Team Leader and Editor

A Note About How This Book Is Organized

Each article in this book: •

Identifies the author, the author’s Lot number, the sources of information, who provided the pictures, and the date that the article was written

•

Has a picture of the lake with an “X” that marks the spot where the article is located

Also, throughout the book, there are some pages that you can use to record your own information.

Board of Directors, Lone Lake Property Association – Row 1, l to r: Leroy Poppe, Dave Scott, Roy Carlson, Steve Frazier. Row 2, l to r: Mary Hoeve, Sandi Poppe (secretary), and Karen Frazier (treasurer)

Lone Lake Schoolhouse -Lot #85

rom 1895 to 2004, Lone Lake’s schoolhouse served as a reference point not only for Lone Lakers but also for many others in the southern part of Aitkin County. For the first 65 years, it provided students with a quality education. For the last 44 years, it served as a home and vacation retreat.

Throughout its 109 years, the schoolhouse reflected the needs of a constantly changing society by serving not only as a schoolhouse but also as a place to hold dances, box suppers, Sunday services, and community events.

The Forming Years According to the September 6, 1895 Aitkin Republican, “The people of District No. 22 . . . are not going to be [left] behind in the matter of education. A few days ago, the ratepayers voted to raise $500 for a new school house.” ($500 in 1895 dollars would be worth about $10,140 in 2003 dollars.) In Minnesota, rural schools were primarily neighborhood schools. Township-based schools, usually an acre in size, were created by Minnesota’s Territorial Legislature but by the time that Minnesota became a state in 1858, the county boards usually established the school districts. When there were enough pupils in the area, a school was built. By 1899, Aitkin County had 65 rural schools. In the southern part

Early view (1920s?) of schoolhouse. Note that the road is next to the lake.

of Aitkin County, some of them included Attica (Lone Lake), Birch Lake, Butts, Beaver, Cedar Lake, Cutler, Chute, Carlson, Cazas, Clear Lake, Cedar Creek, Carpenter, District 18, Eastwood, Farm Island, Hickory, Kimberly, Lingstroms, Long Lake, Ladds, Melberg, Malmo, Rabbit Lake, Rossburg, Pine Knoll, Section 10, Seeley, Sanders and Wealthwood. Just three years later, there were 132 schools. (The Lone Lake School Board’s records from 1895 to 1905 are missing so information about the building of the school comes from Aitkin newspapers.1) According to the September 19, 1895 Aitkin Republican newspaper, “Mr. Jones was laying the foundation” for the school and on November 28, it was finished and “school will begin at an early date.” The December 5th Aitkin Republican said, “There was preaching at the school house here last Sunday morning at 10 o’clock. After services were over, our people organized a Sunday school and elected Mr. Boekenoogen [as] superintendent. We hope all our people will turn out every Sunday at 11 o’clock and help in the Sunday school work. Rev. Mr. Deacon of Brainerd will preach at the schoolhouse every other Sunday.” On November 21, a dance was held at the school. The Lone Lake correspondent for the Aitkin Age noted, “The dance at the Lone Lake school house last Thursday evening was one of the most thoroughly well-managed and enjoyable social functions we ever had the Schoolhouse bell now in possession of Carol Tully, New Braunfels, TX pleasure of chronicling. The spacious school room which, by the way, is the finest in the county outside of Aitkin, was beautifully decorated.” The article goes on to mention the elegant supper that was served at midnight and that nobody went home until morning. Lone Lake District No.22 covered the area bounded by the south side of Mud (Ripple) Lake, to Twin Pines (Blue Bird) corner to the Ditch Bank Road. The road was located between the lake and the new school. At least two deeds to the schoolhouse acre (Lot 5/Section 20/Township 46/Range 26) contained a provision that stated, “It is further agreed that if the one acre of land that is now being used for school purposes . . . is abandoned for school purposes at any time, it shall become the property of the second part . . .”

Also missing are School Board Minutes 1918-1927 and 1932-1937; school census records, and Teachers’ Reports.

In 1927, a deed was given “to take the place of the original deed which was never recorded and which has been lost or destroyed.” Apparently the reference to the property reverting to the owner if it were not used for school purposes was not included in this deed. In 1960, this became an issue when the school was sold.

The Early Years – 1895 to World War I Lone Lake’s one-room school had grades 1-8 and anywhere from 20-35 pupils whose ages ranged from 6 to 15 or 16. Typical subjects were arithmetic, reading, spelling, and grammar for all grades, and history, civics, geography, Latin, botany, and physiology for the upper grades. In addition, other subjects included music and recitation. Of course, recess was also factored into each student’s schedule. Lone Lake students in 1912. Lawrence, Ravlin, 7, Often, there were different is in the front row, right. teachers for the Fall and Spring terms. Today, it is difficult to imagine a typical day at the one-room schoolhouse with 25 students spread across eight grades, and six to nine subjects being taught daily. Add to this high absenteeism during harvesting or planting season, and the image is a complex learning environment. In 1905, the annual budget was $901.89 of which the teacher received $50 per month for seven months. (Generally, there was no school during January and February.) The Board paid $20 for 17 cords of wood that was to be “cut and piled on school house grounds 6’ high with poles underneath sufficient to keep wood off the ground.” As part of their contract, teachers were expected to do routine janitorial work such as sweeping the school and starting the fire. But the school board did pay for someone to shovel snow at a monthly cost of 75 cents. The neighborhood prized self-sufficiency -- in 1898 it held a box supper at the schoolhouse to raise

Lone Lake school students in 1915. Lawrence Ravlin is kneeling, front row, left.

money to buy a flag for the school. In 1902, the pupils held a box supper to raise money to buy a globe. The Attica News proudly announced that the effort raised $10. Christmas celebrations were important to the pupils and to the community. According to the December 29, 1898 Republican, “The schoolhouse was crowded on Christmas Eve and everyone felt well entertained. The following was the program rendered: Christmas Program Song by the school

Recitation “God’s Christmas” by Chas. Austin

Lord’s Prayer by the school

Recitation “Kitty’s Wants” by Harry Honnold

Recitation “Santa Claus” by Eddy Watson

Recitation “Christmas Eve” by Mrs. M.S. Honnold

Recitation “Christmas Gift” by Maud Honnold

Song “Santa Claus” by Ollie and Chas. Austin

Recitation “First Christmas” by John Grubb

Recitation, “Whistling in Heaven” by Mrs. W.A. Honnold

Recitation “Gentle Touch” by Miss Patterson

Song “As Merrily on We Bound” by Mrs. Boekenoogen and Maud Honnold

According to the Republican, “The last part of the program was the entrance of Santa Claus.” In 1909 the school was moved to “within 10 feet of the center of the school lot and the outhouses were moved to the NW and NE corners.” Putting in a new floor was left up to the new School Board as was building a new chimney. M.S. Honnold bid $65 to move the schoolhouse. Most of the District #22 annual meetings during these years covered routine topics such as disbursements and stipends for School Board members.

A Schoolhouse Story Ann Schwartz, columnist for the Aitkin Independent Age, interviewed Lawrence Ravlin in 1996 for a story about “Winter Fun for Old Timers.”2 Ravlin attended Lone Lake’s school from 1912 to perhaps 1918. Parts of that column follow. “Ravlin remembered skating on the lake as soon as it froze over. ‘We skated from morning to night.’ He also commented that they didn’t have a good well, so ‘lake water

“Despite Hardships, Winter Fun for Old Timers,” Aitkin Independent Age, Wednesday, January 24, 1996, page 11.

was hauled to feed cattle and to wash. ‘Your clothes smelled of the lake.’ Spring water was used for drinking and cooking.” Other memories included, “ ‘ My best memory was the first time that I saw Santa Claus.’ When he was about seven, neighbor Paddy Anderson, a short chunky fellow, dressed as Santa for the Lone Lake Christmas program [that] was held on an evening close to Christmas. ‘He was a perfect Santa in a fur coat and big stocking cap with a whip in his hand. He came into the schoolhouse cracking that whip and hollering, ‘Ho, ho, ho, it’s Santa.’ “Nelson Watson, the oldest student, was assigned to hold a pail of water and stand by the huge Christmas tree in case the candles caused a fire. ‘It was a beautiful sight, the pine tree stretching to the ceiling, decorated with colored-paper flowers and popcorn strung by the children, with the candles blazing. Treats of candy, peanuts and apples were handed out and children ran around all over the place. It really was a pleasurable time.”

The Middle Years – World War 1 through World War 2 Throughout the World War I years, the teacher’s salary remained $50-$60 per month and it wasn’t until 1920 that the teacher earned $85 per month. Christmas decorations for 1915 cost $2.85 and cleaning the exterior of the school was $3. The budget for that year was $1017. But the Depression years saw major cost cutting. Teachers’ salaries dropped to $35 per month and supplying wood and cleaning the schoolhouse was done by “cooperation of the people in the district.”

Lone Lake schoolhouse circa 1943. Back row, left, Bobby Leestamper. Front row, left, Louis Davis. The other four children were from the Little family.

The 1943 Treasurer’s Report indicated that school’s debt was almost $1100, the largest amount to date for that item. Books now cost $48 annually and cleaning the schoolhouse was $6. Much of the labor for painting and re-roofing continued to be donated. During the war years of the 1940s, teachers’ salaries rose to slightly under $100 per month for eight to nine months.

The Later Years – the 1950s In 1951, some playground equipment was purchased, and the roof was reshingled. Again, the labor was donated. In 1952 and in 1955, Maude Klingelhofer was elected chair of the School Board for a three-year term.

The 1959-1960 budget was $5210. Of this amount, $2642 was for teacher’s salary, $333 for supplies, $330 for fuel, and $342 for School Board expenses, and the remainder for tuition to other districts, utilities, insurance and transportation. The annual cost of educating one child per year was $155 for kindergartners, $300 for elementary students, and $465 for high school students. The annual subscription for the “Weekly Reader” which was a mini newspaper cost $11. Students could earn $2 per month for hauling water.

Consolidation In post-WWII, while farms were getting larger, the population was declining -- many Aitkin rural schools had fewer than 20 students. Maude Honnold Klingelhofer Wier taught at the Wealthwood School in 1941 and Lone Lake School in 1943 and 1944. She relates that she had six students for one of the years she taught and when one family moved, had just two students for the last month or so. Other issues centered around lowering costs, addressing transportation problems, Schoolhouse circa 1960s and expanding the curriculum to include science and technology subjects. In Aitkin in the 1940s, local taxes accounted for 72 percent and state aid provided the other 28 percent. Taxpayers still recognized that Lone Lake school served as central place to meet and that pupils received a quality education. But it was clear that consolidation would eventually occur. As early as 1948, most Minnesota counties were proposing plans for merging rural schools and Aitkin County was no exception. In June of 1952, the Lone Lake School Board formed a committee to contact other School Boards to gather information about their proposed consolidation plans. Eventually, the state set a deadline of July 1, 1971 for all students to reside in a district that provided education for grades one through twelve. By 1956, other Aitkin County rural schools were already merging with Aitkin Independent School District No. 1. In 1957, Glory School District merged with Lone Lake Common District No. 22. The new designation was Lone Lake

Gordon Tully

Common School District No.22 - 27. At a special School Board meeting in March of 1960, the main discussion topics were consolidating with Aitkin Independent District No. 1, authorizing the School Board to dispose of the schoolhouse, and deciding if some pupils would attend Clear Lake school. The vote was 21-0 to consolidate, and 16-3 to authorize disposing of the schoolhouse. On June 17, the School Board opened three bids to purchase the schoolhouse and lot. The school board accepted the high bid for $610 from Lt. Col. Gordon Tully. The financial books were closed as of June 30 and deed for transferring ownership was filed on October 3.

The School As A Lake Retreat Gordon and Almira (Youngberg) Tully purchased the schoolhouse about the time that Gordon retired. Both Gordon and Almira were from Aitkin -- Almira’s father was the Aitkin depot agent for many years. The Tullys spent the next 30 or so summers at the schoolhouse on Lone Lake. And with those summers came some remodeling. According to Carol Tully, daughter of the Tullys, “The first summer, Dad and his brother, Fritz, The schoolhouse in 1970. A window now replaced replaced the double doors with the the double doors. window. The doors were close to falling off. I can’t guess how old the porch was but I would bet it dated to the 1920s or 1930s.” Gordon and Almira didn' t stay long the first year and most of their time was spent in cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. The next summer they put in the tub and started working on some sort of kitchen arrangement. Each summer they spent time making changes of one sort or another, but eventually, “They bought a mobile home (not the one that was on the property in 2004) as it was too much for Mom to keep up the school building as a living space.” As it became available, more land was added to original acre until there were four to five acres in all. After Gordon and Almira passed away, the Tully children decided to sell the schoolhouse to their cousin, Marcie Rivers. Her plan was to move or to tear down the schoolhouse and build a year-round home there. When she actually started to seriously consider

tearing down the building, Jim Tully, son of Gordon and Almira, asked to have the bell. “Actually I think that was part of the plan when Marcie bought the place. The idea was to keep the bell in the family if the schoolhouse was torn down,” said Carol. “So, when my brother passed away a few years ago the bell came to me by default.” As of January 2005, the bell is in her garden at her home in New Braunfels, TX. In 2004, the land was sold and the contents of the schoolhouse were auctioned. Later that year, the schoolhouse was demolished to make room for a new home.

Lone Lake Schoolhouse, Nov. 2004

So, the story comes full circle -- a schoolhouse that stood proudly from November 1895 to November 2004 – 109 years almost to the day. It was a school, a Sunday school, a site for social events, and a lake home. And thus, it rightfully is worth a chapter in Lone Lake’s history. Author: Mary Hoeve, Lot #118, December 2004 Thanks to the Following Contributors: Maude Honnold Klingelhofer Wier, Marcie Rivers, Carol Tully, Jeanie Thompson, Ann Schwartz and the Aitkin Independent Age for the Ravlin article, Aitkin Age, Aitkin Independent, Aitkin Republican newspapers, and Minnesota Historical Society archives

Lone Lake Teachers Records are missing for 1895 – 1905. Year

Teacher

Year

Salary/ Mo.

Teacher

Salary/ Mo.

1905-1906

Miss O. Chute Miss Schnaar

$50 $50

1929-1930 1930-1931

Linnea Anttilla

$85

1906-1907

Miss Schnaar Laura MacDonald

$50

1931-1932

Jane Snader

$70

1907-1908

Frances Conway Laura MacDonald

$50 $55

1933-1934 1934-1935

Alice Williams

$50 $35

1908-1909

Laura MacDonald

$55

1935-1936

Olive Newhouse

$35

1909-1910

Myrtle Warren J.N. Marr

$50 $53

1936-1937

Altah Wahl

$40

1910-1911

Myrtle Warren Grace Vorce

$50 $45

1937-1938

Flora MacKarnan

$45

1911-1914

Bessie Hronesh

$55 $57

1938-1939

Ruby Johnson

$45

1914 – 1915

Minnie Marsh

$60

1939-1940

Gene Rogers

$45

1915 -1916

Hilma Lind

$55

1940-1941

Mabel Johnson

$45

1914-1915 1915-1916

Minnie Marsh

$60

1941-1942

Elnora Johnson

$78

1916-1917

Anna Swing

$65

1942-1943

Elnora Johnson

$75 $79

1917-1918

Hulda Hillman

$55

1943-1944 1944-1945

Maude Honnold

$93 $105

1918-1919 1919 -1920

Jeanie Fergeson

$60

1945-1946 1946-1947

Elnora Johnson

$135

1920 – 1921 1921 - 1922

Gertrude Smith

$85

1947-1948

Ruth Norgren

$200 $175

1922 - 1923

Lola E. Wolf

$79

1948-1949 1949-1950 1950- 1951

Eria Schoonemaker

$195 $233

1923 – 1924 1924 - 1925

Agnes West

$80

1951-1952 1952-1953 1953-1954

Ella Roberts

$250 $250 $260

1925 - 1926

Ruth Hartman

$80

1954-1955 1955-1956

Bernice Paulus

$275

1926 – 1927 1927 - 1928

Muriel A. Fuller

$85

1956-1957 1957-1958

Myrtle Midthun

$300

1928 - 1929

Gertrude Smith

$85

1958-1959 1959-1960

Ruth Norgren

$275 $290

Schoolhouse Pictures

Early view (1920s?) of schoolhouse. Note that the road is next to the lake.

Lone Lake schoolhouse circa 1943.The sign over the door says Lone Lake School, District No. 22, Aitkin County.

Lee’s Bay View Resort – Lot #27

one Lake residents were abuzz on September 24, 1942 when they read this ad in the Aitkin Independent Age: $15 Cash Prize for the Best Name Suggested For Dance Hall at Lee’s Resort on Lone Lake

The ad promised that the soon-to-be-opened dance hall on the southeastern point of Lone Lake would be “one of the most outstanding in Aitkin County for size and beauty.” The Dance Hall’s history dates back to 1938 when Sidney Leestamper bought the point and 16 acres from Hugh Smith. Leestamper was attracted to Lone Lake because he had read in the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the largest crappie in the state was caught in the lake.

In 1940, Leestamper had plans for a family-style resort on what is still known as Lee’s Point. He built a lodge and three fulllog cabins; the next summer, he built three more cabins and a barn for cows and horses. His wife, Virginia, and son, Bobby, ran the resort. “It was my job to show how to work the kerosene lamps and stoves and fill the iceboxes with ice,” recounts Bob Leestamper. “We cut ice from the lake in winter and store it covered with sawdust.” Lee’s Resort rented out flat-bottom boats that Leestamper had built and offered horseback riding and a sauna. They advertised the sauna in the newspaper – for $1 you could throw water on heated rocks and whip yourself with cedar boughs. (The building, which is still in existence, was used later as a laundry by the last resort owners.) At the end of the point, a diving board with a 12-foot high ladder was the highest board on the lake. Bobby and his friend, Virgil Klingelhofer, had made it from an elm “so it had a lot of spring.” “But business was slim,” Bob Leestamper recalls. Because of the short three-month season, poor roads, and gas rationing during World War II, the resort was losing money.

Then in 1942, his father had a moneymaking idea: he’d build a dance hall on the point. At the time, the lake was three feet lower than the point and the point was one-third larger than it is today (prevailing winds and waves have eroded it). Leestamper thought big. He built the dance hall about 100 feet long and 60 feet wide with Redwood Resort (Lee’s Bay View) 1950 an exterior of vertical split logs. Inside, the walls were knotty pine with knotty pine booths along two sides, a platform stage on the east, and a ticket counter and bar on the west side. For lighting, Leestamper used a 32-volt Delco Plant Battery (16 batteries charged by a gas-driven motor generator). It would last two to three days on a charge; then the lights would dim. Now the dance hall was ready to open. All it needed was creative advertising to attract dancers. Why not a contest to name the dance hall? Mrs. John Hillman of Lone Lake saw the ad in the Independent Age and suggested the prize-winning name, “Lee’s Bay View.” With great anticipation, the dance hall opened on Friday, October 2, 1942 and featured the famous Whoopie John’s ninepiece orchestra. The polished maple floor was perfect for dancing. “Slick – wonderful!” Maude Wier remembers. “Inside was nice and airy – pretty and light with windows that could open.” Opening night was a big success. The dance hall was very crowded. Cars were parked behind the dance hall and jammed along the road next to the lake all the way out to the string of mailboxes. “It was interesting trying to find your car in the dark,” recalls Don Hillman.

Leestamper was a promoter. “Follow the crowd to Lee’s Bay View” the next week’s ad boasted, “with music by Floyd Munson and His Curly Karels Band.” Admission was 35 cents for ladies, 50 cents for men. Dancers could buy beer and set-ups, pop, coffee and potato chips. The door prize advertised in the newspaper was “A Big Surprise for Somebody: A Real, Live Baby Will be Given Away!” (Research didn’t uncover the results of that evening.) In the first season, old-time dances were held on Friday nights and modern music on Saturdays in October. Then dances were held only on Saturdays until December 5th. In 1943, dances were offered on Wednesday and Saturday nights, but the midweek dances didn’t draw the crowds, so dances were held on Saturdays only. Different bands played through the year – bigger bands from the Cities or popular local bands including Happy Bill King and His Serenaders, The Tiger Band, The Silver Swingsters, Vern Wellington and his Famous Radio Band, and the Scandinavian Hot Shots. “The dance hall was a fun place,” Maude Wier remembers. “It was new, something different – the only thing to do around here, so it was very popular. People looked forward to the dances on Saturday nights.” But Lee’s Bay View could be rowdy at times. “A copper (policeman) was there to keep order, but often he was bent out of shape,” Don Hillman recalls. “Beer bottles were thrown out the windows and sometimes fights would break out around 2 a.m.” Rumors that the Chicago Mafia hung out at the dance hall and used a hideout in the woods nearby added spice to the party atmosphere. Gay Van Slooten and her sister, Patricia Chappell, were too young to attend the dances, but they would listen to the music while having popcorn parties at the Ready cabin. “Our memories of the dance hall are of lots of music, people laughing and having fun,” they wrote. “Starting in 1947, we camped in a tent for five years before Dad built our cabin. We remember lying in the tent and feeling the music and dancing coming through the ground. At the end of the dance as the cars were leaving, they’d honk their horns and the lights would shine on our campground. The next morning, we would pick up beer bottles on the shore.” Bobby Leestamper at Lee’s Bay View Resort, 1943

The dance hall also played matchmaker. Some couples met their future spouses there, including the paternal grandparents of the present owners of the point, the Hawkinsons. And Fritz Lueck has happy memories of meeting Amelia Louise and then celebrating their wedding dance at Lee’s Bay View on May 28, 1945. Later that year, a new chapter in the dance hall’s history began when Lee’s Point was sold to band members. Ted and Lavone Johnson were the eventual owners. Ted Johnson’s Scandinavian Orchestra, the Midnight Suns (with violin, bass guitar, and Lavone on accordion) had played at Lee’s Bay View, so now the dance hall had a built-in band. As new owner, Johnson painted the dance hall barn red, and renamed it Redwood Lodge. He added hot beef sandwiches to the menu and gave away live turkeys at a Thanksgiving dance. “It was a lot of fun,” Gordon Klingelhofer remembers. “They had a pretty good crowd on Saturday nights.” Then disaster struck. In the spring of 1950, Lone Lake started to rise. “Dancers could hear water swishing under the floor as they danced,” Bob Leestamper recalls. The lake steadily rose until it reached a new high level and flooded the beautiful dance floor. “Water flowed around the booths and the stage and ruined the piano,“ Lavone Johnson remembers. The only time Gay Van Slooten and her sister were inside the building, they “walked in water nearly up to our knees.” In 1955, the booths were sold and the dance hall was torn down. Truckloads of dirt were dumped over the point, covering countless beer bottle caps and any evidence of the colorful era of the dance hall. But the music and the laughter and happy, dancing feet live on in memories.Author: Audrey Osofsky, owner of Lot 27 from 1981 to 2004 April 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Interviews: Bob Leestamper, Lavone Johnson, Don Hillman, Gordon Klingelhofer, Fritz Lueck, Maude Wier Contributors: Gay Van Slooten, Patricia Chappell

Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bay View Resort Pictures

Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bay View Dance Hall, 1943; Bobby Leestamper

Picture was taken in 1955. Note the Redwood Lodge in the background and the water elevation. Gay Van Slooten (on dock), husband Dutch (in the boat), sister Connie (washing hair), her husband, Heinz Hartman (sailor hat), sister Grace (other boat), and niece Candy (wrapped in blanket)

Redwood Lodge Dance Hall in 1950. Note the road was next to the lake

Ad in the Independent Age for Saturday, December 5, 1942

Beulah’s Folly

n the east end of Lone Lake, there is a stretch of beautiful white sandy beach that has been attracting swimmers since the early 1930s. Today we know it as the Lone Lake Public Swimming Beach that is under the supervision of Aitkin County Park Commission and is jointly operated with the Lone Lake Property Owners’ Association and the Aitkin County Water Planning Task Force. But before this, it was known as Beulah’s Folly.

There is a wonderful history about this beach and its one-time owner, Beulah M. Garrett. The ownership of the east side of the lake goes back to February 15, 1890 when Anna B. Rosenberg, “deserted” wife of Frank Rosenberg (as stated in the abstract) homesteaded the property. In 1912 and in 1915, Gust West, a relative of Lorraine Malmgren who still owns property on the lake, bought the land; it remained in the West family for the next 30 years. In 1945, Gust sold the property to Lloyd and Carla Davis who owned it until 1957 when they sold it to Norval and Beulah Garrett who bought the property as an investment. The tract of land was located south and east of the Elmer Larson cabin (Lot #56) and north of the Edwin Ready cabin (Lot #36), which has stayed in the family and is now owned by Paul and Kathy Dufresne.

The beach in 1997. Note the exposed roots on tree.

On October 23, 1959, the Garretts filed to subdivide the land into 20 lots and to name it Morningside, one of the earliest subdivisions on Lone Lake. The Garretts believed that they were going to make a substantial profit from the sale of the smaller lots. To enhance the value of the lots, on

October 8, 1959 Beulah requested and received approval to vacate the portion of Nordland Township Road that ran on the east side of the lake and to move it behind her property. Until that time the road meandered along the shore on the east end and was scenic as well as a favorite place for parking and swimming. A.C. Klingelhofer appealed the Township Board’s decision but the appeal was dismissed.

The beach in the fall of 1997.

Some of the neighbors were upset with the subdivision and others were angry about moving the road. Beulah wanted to do right by the subdivision and also wanted people to have access to the lake for swimming. So on October 5, 1959, Beulah gave 200 feet of lakeshore to Aitkin County for public use.

The term “Beulah’s Folly” originated with unhappy neighbors who nicknamed the public swimming beach due to their anger aimed at Beulah for subdividing the property and moving the road. Today, Beulah’s Folly is a favorite swimming beach in the Aitkin area but other public swimming beaches have cropped up from time to time on Lone Lake. In the 1930s, the Attica post office and creamery lots were favorite swimming locations. According to Ellen (Jacobs) Bovee, “Before the current swimming beach was platted by the Garretts, most people swam near the eastern end of Frieda Seifert’s place (Lot #68).” The first group to care for the public beach was the Lone Lake 4-H Club in the 1960s. Ellen (Jacobs) Bovee, daughter of Melvin Jacobs who was a Aitkin County Commissioner, remembers fondly watching the 4-H’ers working on the beach and clearing brush. Ellen recalled, “In the late 1960s and after my father served on the County Board of Commissioners, Beach in 1998 after Phase 1. my father was almost in an accident where the road curved sharply by the swimming beach. He became so concerned about people’s safety at that location that he approached the County Board with a proposal that he would donate land and gravel if the County would straighten out that road. They took him up on the offer and County Road #81, now 380th Ave., was straightened in the mid 1970s.” In the late

1970s, the Red Cross took over the care and maintenance of the site plus gave swimming lessons. In recent years, the Lone Lake Property Association has worked to make the beach an attractive area that families can enjoy. In late 1997, boulders were placed to define the sandy beach and the grassy upper lawn. The boulders were intended to protect the trees by stopping erosion that was exposing their roots. Phase 2 of improvements to the beach was done in late in 2002 when the Association teamed with the County to renovate the beach, to install more boulders, and to provide a safe, enclosed beach. Vehicle parking was moved to behind a row of boulders. Much of the planning of the renovated facility was due to the efforts of the LLPOA Board under the leadership of Board Chairman Walt Weisser. Once the facility met the standards of a County park, the Aitkin County Board entered into a joint powers agreement with the LLPOA to assume liability and legal enforcement of the swimming beach as well as mowing and maintaining the beach. The Lake Association continues to work with the County to keep the facility a â&#x20AC;&#x153;neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;? beach. The Lone Lake Public Swimming Beach was officially recognized and dedicated on May 13, 2003 in a joint ceremony at the Public Beach with officials from the County Park Board including 2nd District Commissioner Dale Lueck, Steve Hughes from Aitkin County Soil and Water Conservation District, the County Water Task Force, and LLPOA Board members Elaine Haberkorn, Steve Frazier and Walt Weisser. An enclosure was built in 2004 to house portable bathroom facilities, thus cutting down on pollution. The lesson history teaches us is that what once was considered to be folly by some is today a wonderful community resource. The public swimming beach allows area residents to have access to swimming at Lone Lake and yet allows Lake residents to have an official role in working with the County to enforce, control and maintain the facility. Author: Steve Frazier, Lot 11, April 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Maude Wier, Walt Weisser, Kathy Dufresne, David Scott, Ellen (Jacobs) Bovee

Lone Lake Public Beach, June 2005

The Original Martin Cabin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lot #9

he Martin cabin on the narrows may not be of significant historical interest, but it is a recognizable landmark on Lone Lake. Because of this, the story of our little cabin may be of interest to people on the lake.

In the early 1950s, Don and Millie Martin built a cabin on Knife Lake near Mora. At that time, they had a growing family and soon realized they wanted a more suitable property for lake activities. In the summer of 1957, they stopped at the Twin Pines Store (later known as Bluebird Corner). The proprietor advised them that the best lake in the area for fishing was Elm Island and that Lone Lake was best known for swimming. After renting a boat at the Lone Lake Resort, they were struck by the water clarity and the beauty of the lake.

That same year, Don and Millie purchased 33 acres including 400 feet of shoreline from Herbert and Priscilla Rea. The purchase price was $2500, which was quite a significant amount at the time for a young couple with five daughters!

Martin daughters in the late 1950s. Note the water level which was down considerably from todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s level.

Beginning in the spring of 1958, the Martin family made many trips to Lone Lake from their home in Bloomington. At that time, the Ditch Bank road was an especially challenging dirt road. Good neighbor John Karelis pulled many

a car, including ours, out of the mud with his tractor. Don and Millie blazed a road ¼ mile through the woods to the cabin site. They spent the summer weekends and vacations clearing land, hauling materials and building while the family stayed in tents. The first building priority was the twotiered outhouse that still remains today. In the 1950s, many tree stumps remained in the water along the shoreline from a previous rise in the water level. While swimming, we would work at removing them. We enjoyed watching Carl Malmgren’s cows coming to the lake to drink and the sheep on the hillside across the lake.

Martin daughters with Malmgren cattle, mid 1950s.

The cabin was 12’ x 12’. We had bunks on the side walls and a “crows nest” above for the youngest. With a cot for when a grandparent visited, we slept eight very comfortably. There was a table with benches for eating inside if necessary, and a stove and dry sink. Shelves lined the walls and kitchen items and clothes hung from nails. We also had a pot-bellied stove. In the winter, we came up occasionally for ice fishing and skating, accessing the lake from the Klingelhofers’. Eventually, the family outgrew the little cabin on the shore. In 1963 Don and Millie built a small long playhouse from popple they cut on site. This little log cabin also remains on the property. After that building experiment, they decided against another log structure and in 1964, they started constructing a larger cabin that, through the years, has evolved into a year-round home. The main house and the little cabin on the shore still belong to the Martin family. The little cabin has been modified through the years to its present state as a guest cabin and beach house. Looking back on our time spent there, we always had fun and the warm feelings of togetherness. It never seemed a bit crowded!

Author: Anne Martin Benda with the help of her parents, Don and Millie Martin September 2004

In 2005, the little cabin still stands on the shore.

The Martin daughters and Carl Malmgrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cattle

Elmer Larson Cabin – Lot #56

he Elmer Larson cabin is believed to be the oldest cabin still standing on Lone Lake. Located close to the lake on the east end, it is a vertical log structure that is painted dark brown. It is currently owned by Mike and Liz Haar who purchased it and the next lot north of it in late summer of 2001.

The title abstract shows that Elmer F. Larson purchased Lot 56 in November of 1934 from Gust and Minnie West who owned the NW1/4 of Section 28, Township 46, Range 26. The Section 28 land was originally homesteaded by Anna B. Rosenberg, the “deserted wife” of Frank Rosenberg, in April 1890.

Maude Wier stated that she visited the cabin during the summer of 1938 so we assume that the structure was built during one of the summers between 1935 and 1937. Maude noted that Elmer Larson was the owner of the Red and White Grocery and Hardware store that was on the main street of Aitkin near the present Office Shop. Maude provided this picture that she believes was taken in the late 1930s or early 1940s. It shows that the lake was much lower and that the cabin was built where the water is now. Over the years, the cabin was moved to higher ground one or more times. When I first visited the cabin about 1970, there were concrete and stone structures in the water along the shore in front of cabin’s current location. They appeared to be support pilings, sidewalk sections and doorsteps. In 1967 the Vidins family purchased the lot north of the Larson cabin (Lot #1 of Lone Lake Heights). In 1968 they constructed a walkout basement with a garage door and entry door facing the lake. In 1970 and before the upper story was built, Loren

and Wanda Heathfield sold the Larson lot to the Vidins. The log cabin immediately became the main cabin with the basement never having an upper level that was built. The basement was removed when the Haars built their new home in 2004 on the north lot. The original wall construction is vertical half logs on the inside and outside with a sheet of fiberboard in between. This gives you the same look on the outside as the inside. The inside walls are varnished with the natural wood grain showing. Throughout the years, there have been many changes to the cabin. In 1970 the roof was rebuilt and reshingled. In 1983 a porch/bedroom was removed from the The original construction is Â˝ logs on the south end of the cabin and the inside and outside with a sheet of remaining cabin was lifted so that a fiberboard in between. cement block foundation could be constructed. Larry Mikes, a Lone Lake property owner, framed a new room with a loft on the south end of the original cabin. During the summer of 1984, Larry finished the new room inside and outside. The new addition was sided with milled vertical log siding in an attempt to match as closely as possible the existing hand-hewn logs. New doors and landings were also installed. In 1987 rotted logs were replaced on the original cabin walls and new windows were installed. The double doors on the lakeside were replaced by windows and the living room north wall windows were removed.

Author: Dave Scott, Lot #40, March 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Maude Wier and the Vidins family

Dave Scott, 1983, with jacks found under the cabin.

The inside walls are varnished with the natural grain showing.

Readys’ Little White Cabin – Lot #36

ne of the first cabins on the southeast corner of the lake was a little white cabin that had dark blue shutters with anchors and round life preserver emblems nailed on them.

The first time I stayed in the cabin was in 1941. That is when my Uncle Ed and Aunt Vi (Edwin and Viola Ready) bought the property. My family, which then consisted of my parents, Wally and Alice Anderson, my four sisters and me, came up quite often to spend weekends with them.

The little white cabin was on the property when my aunt and uncle bought it. I checked at the Aitkin County Courthouse and the first record there of a cabin on the property was in 1937. According to the property’s title, Hugh and Maggie Smith owned the property at that time. It was a small cabin with no electricity or indoor plumbing. It had a very tiny kitchen, a bedroom just big enough for a full-sized bed, a dining room with a small closet, and a room that stretched across the front with a fireplace in the middle. One side of this room had a double bed that folded against the wall when not in use. Uncle Ed and Aunt Vi’s granddaughter, Kathy and her husband, Paul Dufresne, left the fireplace standing when they took down the little cabin in 2001. Before the electricity came through this area in about 1945, the cabin had kerosene lamps for lights, a wood burning stove for cooking and an icebox for refrigeration. The cabin had one door in the back with a little stoop. A path from the stoop went up a hill to the “throne” (outhouse). At the bottom of the path was a washstand attached to a tree that served as a bathroom basin. When Aunt Vi needed water, she would open the back door and shake the water pail. Someone would

come running to get the pail to fill it with water at the end of the dock. At the southeast corner of the property was a shed for storing ice. Every winter the boys from the Klingelhofer farm would cut ice from the lake and store it under sawdust in this shed. They shared the ice with Uncle Ed the following year. I have many memories of the great times Gay’s sister, Grace Maxwell, unknown; we had in the cabin. Uncle Ed and Aunt Vi Aunt Vi (standing); Uncle Ed; Gay’s had popcorn parties every Saturday night. mother, Alice Anderson and Gay’s sister With no electricity, Uncle Ed would pop the Pat Chappell. The people on the right were corn over a fire in the fireplace. We would friends. Picture was taken in 1951. sit around the old round oak dining table and choose our preference of yellow or white popcorn and listen to the music from the dance hall. My family grew, as my sisters got married, and in 1947 Uncle Ed and Aunt Vi sold a section on the western part of their property to my Mom and Dad. My family tented there until we built “Anderson’s Stuga” in 1951. Our memories still grew with the little white cabin when on Saturday nights we walked through the woods for our weekly popcorn party. Note: In 1963 Uncle Ed and Aunt Vi sold my husband and me some land between the two cabins for our cabin, which we called The Van Slooten Huis. Aunt Vi Ready Author: Gay Van Slooten, Lot # 35 June 2005

Ready Cabin Pictures

Darrell Ready, son of Edwin and Alice Ready, and father of Kathy Dufresne.

Aunt Vi. Ready 35

Fireplace in the Ready cabin.

Schlattman’s Resort – Lots #94 - #104

chlattman’s Resort, now called the Lone Lake Home Owners Association, is nestled midway on the north side of Lone Lake amidst oak, butternut, maple and birch trees with a sandy swimming point.

The property was first purchased by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1887 at a cost of $300. It was then owned briefly by the Robert Marmon and D.L. Young families. In 1897, it was bought by Martha and N.C. Honnold who are Maude Wier’s grandparents. Isaac and Emma Boekenoogen and James and Carrie Crocket owned it before William and Angela Griffith who paid $2,400 for the property in 1913.

Known as Griffith’s Point, it was one of many resorts in the area during the golden years of the family resorts. According to one of Lori McDonald’s Aitkin History articles1, despite the great depression, tourism was a booming industry. By 1935, there were more than 210 resorts and 2,000 cottages in Aitkin County. That explains the widespread advertising used by Louis and Olga Schlattman when they took over the resort in 1934. Competition caused them to let people know that they provided completely furnished housekeeping cabins, each with a screened porch, located in the deep shade facing the lake, and offering the ideal setting for a delightful family

Schlattman’s Resort

Aitkin Independent Age, June 2, 1989

vacation. By this time, the resort had electricity. With each cabin came a good, safe, flat-bottomed boat that didn’t leak. The Schlattmans would also pack your fish in ice so that they could be taken home without spoiling. You could get a daily paper from the Twin Cities delivered three hours after it was off the press. Dairy products were delivered daily and poultry and vegetables were delivered twice a week. You could even make local and long-distance phone calls from the resort. Crappie and pike minnows were on hand at all times. In their basement, the Schlattmans carried a small stock of groceries, fishing tackle, tobacco and soft drinks. What? You have no car? Not a problem if you wished to vacation at this resort. Just take the Northern Pacific train into Aitkin. Transportation for you and your baggage to and from Schlattmans was provided free of charge. (This writer had quite a chuckle over this, considering how much stuff we haul up and for each visit to the lake.) Schlattman’s Resort, Cabin #9 From 1953 to 1958, George and Ruth Keiser and Fred and Faye Scheel operated it briefly before Arnold and Dorothy Bare bought it in 1959. In an interview with Arnold and Dorothy, I learned that in their time, the cabins rented for $30 per week. One vacationer drove up in a huge black Cadillac and paid one of their boys $25 just to take their motor out of the trunk and put it on the boat. That same man smoked a very expensive cigar and had a very expensive dog along too. Dorothy always knew where she could find Arnie. He would be down in the fish-cleaning house, visiting with the fisherman. She remembers their six years at the resort as being good and happy years for them. The Beaunier family from St. Paul rented a cabin for the whole summer, in fact for ten summers. Their cabin was down on the lake and their three children grew up at the resort. They later bought the cabin right next door and their family owns it still.

Lone Lake in front of Schlattman’s

The next operators of the resort were James and Marion Zees and Wallace and Caroline Schodean. Judy Tuholsky bought the resort in 1976 and she and her husband, Pat Stevens, plotted the resort into the Stevens Lone Lake Association in 1980.

Most of the people in our Lake Association have owned their properties for over 20 years. Ed and Carol Ott sold their cabin to Al and Jeff Heiser and then built a permanent home on the resort. The cabins are owned by Vickie, Jack and Dee Liepa; Butch and Jackie Saxe; Jim and Sandy Mevissen; the Sherman Williams family; Sally, Rod and Mark Petrik; the Ed Pec family; and Jerry and Naomi Wagenknecht. Gino and Donna Perrozzi and Bob and Meg Hanson rebuilt their cabins just this year. One of the many advantages of our Association is that we never have to mow the lawn, and there is a large area for all of us to enjoy. Schlattmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the1960s Each of us could tell many stories about how important this place is in our lives. For me, our little cabin on Lone Lake is our home away from home. In it are three generations of memories in pictures all over the walls. We come for the fishing; we come for the friends. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our favorite place to be.

Author: Naomi Wagenknecht, Lot # 101, October 2004 Thanks to the following contributors: Maude Wier, Randy Wall, Arnold and Dorothy Bare, Marge Hoaglund, Ed and Carol Ott, Al Heaser, Barb Stone, Polly Rod, the Schodeans. and the Aitkin Age.

Schlattman’s Resort Pictures

Schlattman’s Resort

Cabin #9

Cabin #1

Lone Lake in front of Schlattmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 41

Postcard of Lone Lake Resort, circa 1964.

James and Jennie Kjome, 1971, parents of Caroline Shodean. James was the chief carpenter the first few years.

The main house and front of the garage, circa 1964.

Lone Lake Resort, probably prior to Arnold and Dorothy Bareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ownership.

Cabin #1 ---

Up to 4 persons - Cabin #8 --

Up to 4 persons - Cabin #2 & 3

Up to 4 persons -Cabins # 4, 5 & 6

Up to 4 persons -Cabin #7 --

Up to 6 persons -Cabin #9 -Up to 4 persons -Cabin #10 - For 2 --

1976 Rates LONE LAKE RESORT 2 bedrooms, living room sofa for 1 or 2, Hot water, bathroom, shower, aluminum boat - - $90 weekly, $16 daily 2 double beds, living room sofa for 1 or 2, hot water, bathroom, shower, aluminum boat - - $85 weekly, $15 daily 2 bedrooms, living room sofa for 1 or 2, hot water, bathroom, aluminum boat - - $85 weekly, $15 daily 2 double beds, cold water, bathroom, Lake level location, wood or aluminum boat - - $75 weekly, $12 daily 2 double beds and 2 sets of bunks, hot water, bathroom, lake level, aluminum boat - - $105 weekly, $20 daily 2 bedrooms, hot water, bathroom aluminum boat - $80 weekly, $15 daily pine panel interior, hot water, bathroom, aluminum boat or wood boat $60 weekly, $12 daily

RATES FOR EACH ADDITIONAL PERSON ARE $15 WEEKLY, $4.00 DAILY. EXTRA BOAT $15 weekly or $4 daily. MOTORS – 6 H.P., EVINRUDES, $28 weekly or $6.50 daily plus gas RESERVE NOW – RELAX LATER LONE LAKE RESORT, Rt. I, Box 303 AITKIN, MN 56431

Lost Island Resort â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lots #3 & #4

ost Island Resort was named for the legendary lost or sunken island that was said to be home to the monster of Lone Lake. As you face the lake, the mysterious Lost Island is out in the lake just to the right of the northern most cabin of the resort. The monster of the island was seen rising up and out of the water during the late hours of the night by guests of the resort and local residents. The gigantic black creature with its outspread limbs would emerge from the water, loom over the lake for just seconds and then disappear back into the water.

Lost Island Resort was built on property given by the United States to the State of Minnesota in 1883 in a Swamp Land Grant. During that time the United States was giving land to states to raise revenue for the building of railroads. In 1886, the property was given to the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Railway Company for that purpose. The railroads owned it until 1899 when it was sold to a private party. The land changed hands several times between 1899 and 1918 when the Herbert and Jennie Rea bought it. The resort was built in the late 1920s by the Reas. At that time people in Minnesota were beginning to realize the potential for tourism in the lake region of Central Minnesota and many resorts were being built in the area. The Reas purchased the place in 1918 from Edward and Herschell Leggitt who reserved the mineral rights.

Lost Island Resortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fishcleaning house which still stands today (2004).

The Reas first built a log cabin toward the back of the property for their personal use. That cabin no longer stands. The resort had four log cabins built from upright, half-sawn logs. The cabinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inside walls were the

rough-sawn side of the outer logs. The rafters were open to the ceiling. Three cabins were built 20 feet from the lake. The fourth stood on the hill about 100 feet from the water’s edge. They were 16 x 20 feet with an enclosed porch added at a later time, extending each to 20 x 24 feet. A fish-cleaning house and a small house were built during the time that the Reas owned it. The house was torn down in 1990 but the fishcleaning house is still on the beach. An Aitkin Area Vacationland Map and Resort Listings from the early 1950s describes Lost Island Resort as an, “Ideal Family resort, 4 fully equipped cabins 150 feet apart for privacy; crystal clear spring-fed lake, excellent fishing and beach, spacious grounds with play equipment. Perfect vacation spot.” There were five outhouses, each with a bucket of lime and a dipper. None of the outhouses are still standing. There was a well and the cabins had cold running water. Tea kettles were provided for the hot water. The water was carried from the lake in a big enameled bucket for washing the dishes. Baths were taken in the lake. Open shelves held unmatched sets of dishes and cooking utensils. Enameled dishpans and wash pans hung by nails on the wall. The cabins were furnished with Lost Island Hill old wooden drop-leaf tables, pressedback chairs, mission-style rockers, and other mismatched pieces. Some of the furniture is still on the property. Cabins rented for $50 a week. In 1956, the Reas sold the resort to Oliver and Ruth Froiland who continued to run the resort until the early 1960s. During that time, Oliver Froiland died and Ruth married George Oldenburg. They owned the property on Lone Lake from the Public Boat Access down around the point now owned by the Carlsons. The backside of the property extended out to the Ditch Bank Road and to the Martin’s property to the east. Ruth donated the land for the Public Boat Access to the State of Minnesota. The resort was no longer in operation in 1966 when Marcus and Charlotte Axiotis purchased the two cabins on the south end along with the property over to the boat landing and back to the Ditch Bank Southern-most cabin

road, a total of about 44 acres and 600 feet of shoreline. Those two cabins are still standing. In 1977, the southern-most cabin was sold to Dane and Patsy Maddox, the sister and brother-in-law of Charlotte. Marcus and Charlotte bought the two cabins and the house at the north end of the resort, about 5.9 acres and 500 feet of shoreline, from Ruth Oldenburg in 1981. Patsy Maddox sold her cabin and property to Walt and Dianne Weisser in 1989. They kept the cabin and built a home. Marcus and Charlotte tore down the cabin on the hill in 1991 and built a permanent residence. The remaining two cabins that they owned were later deeded to their daughters and sons-in-law, Rhea and Peter Johnson and Theia and Peter Hill. What was once a lively resort is now peaceful homes until the property comes alive again on weekends with children, grandchildren and friends. But they have never seen the gigantic monster that lives on the mysterious lost island in Lone Lake. Authors: Marcus and Charlotte Axiotis, Lot #4 August 2004

Lost Island Resort Pictures

Lost Island Resort â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fish-cleaning house

Lost Island Resort Hill

Lost Island Resort southern-most cabin

Lost Island Resort â&#x20AC;&#x201C; site of present-day Weisser home

Lost Island Resort â&#x20AC;&#x201C; site of present-day Axiotis home

Jensen Farm – Lot #93

he Jensen Farm (Lot #93) has its origins in a February 23, 1892 deed which transferred property “from the United States government to the minor orphaned children” of Catherine (Garlinghouse) Wallbridge. The children were William, Sherman and Evalina (aka Eva) Garlinghouse. Unlike other Lone Lake properties, no railroads or timber companies owned the land previously.

Originally, there were 38.5 acres and included the land from Jensens’ west section line to the Lone Lake school house. At some point, another 44.2 acres were added so that the farm encompassed all of the land from Lone Lake on the south, to what is known as Township Road # 90 on the north, to the schoolhouse on the east, and to the section line on the west. The farm was sold often during the first half of the 20th century. On April 22, 1903, the Garlinghouse children sold the land to Samuel J. Lee who, a little over a decade later, sold it to Jay G. and Ida Myers. The Myers then sold the land to Frank West (Frank was a brother of Gust West). In 1937, Frank sold it to Ben O. and Hulda Carlson who sold it to Norvel and Beulah M. Garrett (see article on Beulah’s Folly) in 1948. A decade later, Valley T. Ervin bought the property. Valley T. Ervin’s real name was Valjean Urbanski. He was born in 1903 in Benton County, MN and at some point, lived on the west coast. He moved back to Minnesota after losing the love of his life. Dorothy Bare mentioned that “Valley had a ‘rough’ experior but a heart of gold.” Original house circa 1920s.

His passion was books and magazines about murder mysteries. Every evening at dusk, he would let the piglets out, and read his mysteries as his piglets roamed as far as

Klingelhofers or down to the schoolhouse. When they roamed down to the Point to play in the water, Caroline would scream at him from the lodge porch, “Valley, call these damned pigs --- or I am going to have bacon for breakfast!!! All that Valley had to do was whistle and off the herd, sometimes numbering 100, would go!! Valley died in 1984 and is buried in Morrison, MN. The original house probably was built in the mid 1910s, most likely 1914- 1917 when the Myers owned it. When it was torn down in the mid 1930s, some of the boards went into an addition on the Honnold house that is now owned by the Max Sanfords. The present-day barn was built in 1938 and the house two years later. Guy Honnold helped pour the foundation for the house and build the barn. This barn and the one located on the Wier property are both built alike and have roof trusses that are bent.

Valley Ervin circa 1970s.

In 1971, Jean Bode added a dining room and a fireplace, a back porch, an upstairs dormer, and the front porch. In 1970, Marvin and Jeanette Bode were living in Illinois but would visit Jean’s parents, Hilding and Gladys Berg, who had built their retirement home on Lone Lake. (Today, this house is Lot #116 and is owned by Russ and Denise Peterson.) Hilding was considered to be one of the best architectural draftsmen in Illinois and occasionally after his retirement, would return to Illinois to work on special projects.

Bode house circa 1970s.

On one of the trips from Illinois to Minnesota, Marvin inquired about buying Valley’s farm. Valley was probably ready to sell – he was tired of the constant activity in Schlattman’s Resort next door. So, Valley named a price, Marvin and Jean put down the earnest money, and with some “seller’s remorse” from Valley, the deal was sealed.

In the spring of 1971, Jean and the children were living at the farm while Marvin closed up things in Illinois. Jean had gotten a large dog – some tires had been stolen from her truck on the farm, and she wanted to be a little

more secure. The family began to settle in – Marvin had bought a snowmobile, a pontoon, and four beef cows. At the same time, the road that ran along the lake shoreline was moved to about where County Road #39 is now located. Moving the road meant that a number of trees had been knocked down and had to be cleaned up.

Bodes’ circa 1970s.

So one day in early June, Marvin was picking up tree limbs and Jean was mowing. All of a sudden, the dog, which would never go near the mower, started circling it. After shooing it away several times, Jean thought that the dog wanted her to follow. Jean did so and found Marvin in the barn, slumped on the snowmobile. She asked him, “what’s the matter” whereupon he fell to the floor. He had had a heart attack and died later that day.

Jean thought that she and the kids should move back to Illinois – there was too much work on the farm for Jean and the two children to handle. But the children wanted to stay on Lone lake. Eventually, the Bodes had 28 beef cows, some chickens, rabbits, tame deer, a goat and some horses. Jean learned vehicle maintenance such as changing tires and oil, and cleaning a carburetor. By the mid 1980s, Jean’s children had graduated from high school and had left the Aitkin area. Maintaining the property was too much for Jean to continue to handle. So Jean sold several lots and in 1990, sold the buildings and 5+ acres to Don and Pat Jensen, the present owners of the farm. Jensens were impressed with the clarity of the lake and the wonderful sand beach so when the Bode place was for sale, they “knew the minute we turned into her driveway that ‘This Was the Place!” Since 1990, the Jensens have made many changes to the house plus added on to the east end of the house.

Sorghum Mill Like many other early settlers in Minnesota, Jay and Ida Myers made syrup from sorghum. Sorghum is a cereal grass and ranks fifth in the world after wheat, rice, maize and barley as the most important cereal crops. It can be made into bread, porridge or into syrup. It is sweeter than molasses, and can be

Picture of Jay and Ida Myers making sorghum, probably taken about 1916

substituted for honey, molasses or sugar. Twenty-five gallons of sorghum juice is needed to make one gallon of syrup. The Myers raised the sorghum in the field north of what is now County Road #39. The mill was located in this field and the vat pipes ran under the road to the vat that was located on the shore of the lake. In the fall, the Myers harvested the sorghum and cooked it in the big vats until it became syrup. Then the syrup most likely was put into metal pails that held several quarts.

Author: Mary Hoeve, Lot #118, May 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Don and Pat Jensen, Maude Wier, Jean Bode

Jensen Farm Pictures

Jensen Farm circa 1920s

Jay and Ida Myers making sorghum circa 1920s.

Bode farm circa 1970s

Malmgren Farm – Lot #10

little over a century ago, Gustaf and Ida Malmgren and their family settled on a farm on the south side of Lone Lake. Since that time, the farm has always been owned and occupied by the Malmgren family.

Lorraine Malmgren’s paternal and maternal grandparents lived on Lone Lake. Gust and Ida Malmgren settled this farm while Gust and Maria West owned land on the east end. Gustaf (Gust) Malmgren was born in Sweden and, at age 14, came by himself to the United States in 1875. Apparently, some family members remained in Sweden.

Like many other immigrants, Gust changed his surname, in his case, from Hall to Malmgren. (In Sweden, there are still are many people who have the Hall surnames.) “He learned how to do blacksmithing and always did the shoeing of the horses,” Lorraine commented. Gust settled in Burlington, Iowa where later he met and married Ida Nelson in 1887. She was born in Sweden in 1858. At some point, the family moved to Ottumwa, Iowa and by the early 1900s, they were living on Lone Lake. Gust and Ida had seven children including two sets of twins. Five children – Luther, David, Ruth, Carl and Judith -- lived to adulthood. Two children died in childhood; one was the eldest child and the other was a twin to Lorraine’s father, Luther Malmgren. “Dad didn’t have a birth certificate and when he needed it, he wrote to Ottumwa officials who didn’t have it either. But in the family Bible,

Picture taken circa 1918. See end of article for people’s names.

there was just one entry, a baptism for Dad. He always regretted having to remove that page from the Bible,” she said. “Grandpa Malmgren was quite inventive. He irrigated the raspberry patch long before irrigation became commonplace. And he also had carbide lights in both the farmhouse and the barn. “We had kerosene lamps in the kitchen and the living rooms but he replaced coal oil lamps in other parts of the house and barn with carbide lights. These lights burned a gas that was formed when water was mixed with carbide granules. There was a water tank outside that had a hopper and a lever on the top. When the lights dimmed, you would hit the level to drop the carbide granules into the water. The light fixtures each had a small gas line. The gas was ignited at a jet by a flint-and-steel wheel.

Gust and Luther Malmgren

“Ruth and David never married and Carl married later in life. He and Minnie lived on the farm for a few years and then moved into town. Ruth and Judith were twins but didn’t look alike. “Judith married Fred Villnow who had a farm on Farm Island Lake. They had one daughter, Dorothy. Judith died in 1920 at age 27. Dorothy spent the school year with the Malmgrens and attended Lone Lake School. Ruth died in 1944,” she said. Maude Wier remembers Dave. “He was quite a character,” she said. “One time, there was a ‘basket social’ at the schoolhouse. A basket social was like a box lunch except that the food was in a good-sized basket. The women would fix the basket and the men would bid on it. I had just come back to Minnesota so didn’t quite understand why everyone was laughing when Dave bought my basket – it was probably a set up because Dave never had a girlfriend. As I remember, he paid quite a bit for it.”

Luther and Cecilia Malmgren Luther and Cecelia were married on January 2, 1923 in Eveleth. He was working in Virginia, MN in a lathe mill. “They came home in 1925 and never left again, Lorraine said. Luther started a business in McCormack Deering equipment. It was located next to a John Deere dealer. “When the Depression came, Dad quit the business and became a night clerk in the Willard Hotel and in the McGregor Dennerly hotel. Luther and Cecelia had four children: Lorraine, Jerrold, Marie and Donald. “Jerry, Marie and I spent several weeks each summer at the farm on Lone Lake. Donald was younger so maybe didn’t spend as much time there as we did. Most of the time we spent with Ruth, Dave and Carl. But I do remember Grandpa Malmgren. He was a tall man and

dressed up for church. I heard at one time that he helped get money from the church members to buy the bell (at Maria chapel).”

The Malmgren Farm The Malmgren farm stretches from the present-day Martin home (Lot #9) east to Meinerts (Lot #11). It also includes acreage on the other side of the Ditch Bank Road. The multi-paged abstract contains interesting information beginning with the Swampland Grant of 1850. On September 28, 1850, the United States Congress passed an act to grant to the various states all of the swamp lands within their borders. The purpose was for the states to sell those lands and use the proceeds to drain and reclaim the lands for agricultural purposes. On May 23, 1857, the Territory of Minnesota granted land to the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad Company. On May 5, 1864, the State of Minnesota granted the land “to aid in constructing a railroad from St. Paul to Duluth.” Some 38 years later, the Railroad mortgages were foreclosed. In 1902, Katherine S. McQuillin sold the land to Gust Malmgren. Lorraine bought the land from her uncle Carl and cousin Dorothy in 1960. At one time, there were two roads into the farm. The road through the woods was called the winter road since snow didn’t drift as much in the woods. It is no longer used. The other road is accessed from Nordland Township # 1028. just slightly south of the beach. On a hot, windy day in May 1950, Jarrold Malmgren, Marie Malmgren, Luther Carl and Dave were working in the Malmgren, and Lorraine Malmgren. Note the fields across the road when they golf clubs and the tent in the background saw smoke. The house was on fire and by the time that the fire department got there, it was too late to save the house. The fire started in a bedroom and may have been started by intruders. The other buildings weren’t harmed. “There were many things that burned that day including some large pictures of Gust and Ida,” Lorraine commented. Soon after the fire, Virgil Klingelhofer built a new house, which is still standing. Virgil and Maude had just moved back to Lone Lake from California and were living at the Honnold house that is now owned by the Max Sanfords on Lot #123. Each morning, Virgil would load his carpentry tools into the boat and go across the lake to the Malmgrens.

Sometime prior to 1918, the original barn also burned down after being struck by lightning in a spring storm. The second barn fell down sometime in the 1980s after its stone foundation caved in. Gust raised Guernsey cows, horses, pigs, oats, corn, hay, alfalfa and best of all, raspberries. Ruth raised chickens.

The Golf Course Dave Malmgren and Virgil Klingelhofer built the golf course and called it “barnyard golf.” It had perhaps nine holes and people came from Minneapolis, St. Paul and Chicago to play on it. No one today is quite sure how people found out about the golf course but according to Lorraine, “Grandpa Malmgren was friendly and would invite a few people to camp and to go fishing so maybe people learned of it by word of mouth. They all used tents at that time. No one knows either where he got the golf clubs but Lorraine says, “We all had them.” For several summers, three young men came from Chicago; two of them had the last name of Gunderman. Maude Wier relates that, “One of them asked me out on a date but my parents, especially my mother, absolutely wouldn’t hear of it, so I didn’t go.” ARE T

The Mini Lake There’s a small lake on the Malmgren farm that is called either the Mini Lake or the Malmgren Lake. “It was always a good place to hunt ducks,” Lorraine recalled. “In the 1920s, Gust had fish stocked in the lake. Carl said that if there was a cold winter and lots of snow that in the spring, there would be a lot of dead fish in Mini Lake.”

Author: Mary Hoeve, Lot # 118, June 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Lorraine Malmgren who has provided not only the information but also the many photographs

Malmgren Pictures

Dave Malmgren, Fred Villnow, Carl Malmgren, unidentified, Judith Malmgren Villnow (who died in 1920 at age 27), Gust Malmgren, unidentified, Ida Malmgren, unidentified, Ruth Malmgren, Dorothy Villnow

Luther Malmgren, Carl West, Dave Malmgren, Carl Malmgren. Picture taken prior to 1920.

Jarrold Malmgren, Marie Malmgren, Luther Malmgren, and Lorraine Malmgren. Note that even the children had golf clubs.

Malmgren farm in the early 1900s. Note that the trees have been clear cut and the lake is visible.

The Miles Family Farm – Lot #148

n the 1950s, Karl and Dorothy Miles were living right across the street from the Aitkin high school. They longed for the quietness of owning a farm and to get away from the activity that was always going on at the high school.

They learned that Carl Johnson had a 239 acre farm on Lone lake for sale. They fell in love with it and bought it in August 1954. There were three buildings on the Miles’ farm -- the house, a large barn and a sheep barn. Karl (now 89 years old in 2005) remembered fondly that they started with one cow that their folks had given them and then bought two more. He said with a twinkle in his eye, “When the kids left, all the animals left too!”

It took two years for Karl working in construction in Greenland to raise the money to pay for the farm. Finding good employment in Aitkin at that time was difficult and, as Karl put it, “Aitkin was a good place to live but a poor place to make a living.” Meanwhile, Dorothy had four children, all under the age of five, to rear plus take care of the farm. In all, the Miles’ had five children -- Karla, Brian, Francis, Gary and an older son, Karl Bruce, who died before they moved to Lone Lake. Each morning, Dorothy and the children took care of milking the cows and feeding the animals. Dorothy also worked at the hospital as a nurse’s aide. She and the children raised hay and oats for cash and feed while Karl was in Crosby, working on site with heavy equipment in the mines for a couple of years. He also had some odd jobs. Again with a twinkle in his eye Karl says,

Aerial photo of the Miles Family Farm.

“I’m a jack of all trades and master of none!” They made their summer porch into a four-season porch and today, the view from it and their living room is simply breathtaking, especially at dawn. They also built on to the south side of the house from money they earned gathering wild rice. When remembering the events of the past 60 years, both Karl and Dorothy were pleased with living on the lake. Karl remembers the terrific ice fishing. His largest walleye was 13 lbs. And in the early days, they use to catch lots of nine “pounders.” They recalled a huge rainstorm in the 1950s in which 13 inches fell in two nights -- the fish were actually up in the road ditches and their driveway was under water in several places. The family’s main recreation was on the water. The kids lived in the lake during the summer months and the family took lots of lakeside picnics. Dorothy felt that “Lone Lake was a good place to raise the kids.” At this point Karl smiled and again with a twinkle in his eye he says, “We lived on Poverty Hill on Starvation Lane!” And Dorothy quickly adds, “It is now Prosperity Hill because we are rich on paper!” Of the 239 acres, 100 acres remain and they have kept five lots that have 760 feet of lakeshore of the 1200 plus feet they once owned. When asked if they are going to sell any more of their property and/or lake lots, Karl again gets that twinkle in his eye and says, “Many people want to buy the lots and have offered us big money but we are leaving the property to the kids to let them fight over it!” Both have been amazed at the skyrocketing property values in the past several years. Karl says, “I really liked the old days when you could slash and burn the fields and lawn to get new spring growth. It also got rid of the wood ticks!” All kidding aside, Karl recalled that back when they bought their farm, there were seven operational farms on Lone Lake – John Ravlin, Guy and Maude Klingelhofer, M.R. Johnson, Fred Sipher, Lloyd Davis, Malmgren’s, and Milburn Miles. The farm’s property abstract is interesting since there are multiple transfers among several people. With the help of Karl and Dorothy, briefly here is the succession of ownership of the farm: 1891-- United States to Olof and Katrina Norein; 18921902 -- multiple transfers of Noreins to others and then back again to the Noreins; 1905-1917 – multiple transfers to Joseph and Mary Darling, then from Darlings to Anna L. Brooks, to R.C. and

Karl and Dorothy Miles and the aerial picture of their farm.

Mabel Harriet Bolden and back again to the Darlings. In 1932, there was a Sheriff’s Foreclosure Sale of three lots for default of $2,685.36. Eleven years later the State of Minnesota sold the property to Karl and Elizabeth Swanson. In 1951, Elizabeth was a widow when she sold to a portion of Lot 4 to Hilbert and Ardith Swanson. Karl and Dorothy bought the property from Elizabeth Swanson on August 30, 1954. Karl noted that, “Back then, the water clarity was 4th in the state. Now with all the homes, septic systems and people fertilizing their lawns we have slipped to 9th in water clarity in the state.” Karl makes this challenge to the Lone Lake Property Association, “Clean up the lake and get people to stop using phosphorus fertilizers so that we can again become the 4th cleanest lake in the state and then I will join the Lone Lake Property Owners Association.” Although we would like everyone to join the Lake Association, we think that Karl makes a wonderful challenge to everyone on Lone Lake and in its watershed to stop using phosphorus fertilizers, maintain healthy septic systems and to engage in practices that will maintain and improve the aquatic environment for the posterity of Lone Lake to all future generations.

Author: Steve Frazier, Lot #111 Thank you to Karl and Dorothy Miles for their candid and wonderful history of the Miles Family Farm and the pictures

Miles Pictures

Elwin Johnson Farm – Lots #80 - #84

he Johnson farm was part of 80 acres originally homesteaded in 1892 by Stephen Northrop. County Road 52 ran east-west through the property along Lone Lake’s northern shore.

The land, shown as government Lot 5 in Aitkin County records, sold later that year to Robert Marmon, then six years later to James Patterson, “reserving and excepting a tract of land for School House purposes.” In 1904, James and Nettie Patterson signed a Quit Claim Deed to the Trustees of School District 22 for the approximately one acre schoolhouse property on the southwest corner of Lot 5.

When M. R. Johnson paid $8,000 for the land in 1921, it was agreed that if the school district land were abandoned, it would become his property. M. R. and his wife, Petra, built a new barn and farmed there with their family for more than fifty years. County records show that the property was incorporated as Johnson Farms, Inc. in 1952, “the purpose to conduct farming business, ownership and buying and selling of lands.” M.R., his son Elwin and Elwin’s wife, Ruth, were the corporation principals. According to Elwin and Ruth’s daughter, Janie Martz, the corporation’s “golden cows” were exactly that – Golden Guernseys, as many as 60 at one time, a breed known for their rich, sweet cream. “Dad and M.R. would haul the cream to the dairy in Deerwood, and feed the milk to the pigs,” said Janie. In the summers, twins Janie and Jeanie would help herd the cows to the west end of the lake, where they owned several acres of pastureland. Jeanie Thompson also remembers floating boats and playing in the spring thaw runoff water that gushed through a deep farmyard trench and disappeared into the six-foot culvert under the road and into the lake. Janie and twin Jeanie, the youngest of seven children, grew up in the old farmhouse. The house grew as the family grew, and Grandpa M.R. had his own room too. The children attended Lone Lake School, an easy three-minute walk from their door. “Sometimes, though,” said Janie, “the snowdrifts on County Road 52 were huge after a

blizzard blew across the lake onto the road.” The twins finished first grade at the school before it closed. Janie said that the school property was sold by the Trustees, even though the 1921 agreement stated that it would become M.R. Johnson’s “if the school is abandoned.” Johnson sued the school trustees, but the case was never brought to court or resolved to the Johnson family’s satisfaction. In 1971, County Road 52 was relocated about 400 to 500 feet to the north, giving the Johnsons lake access without crossing a road. Now the road is renamed County Road 39, or Oak Avenue.

Aerial photo of Johnson Farm.

Today, the Guernseys, pigs, farmhouse and barn are gone, but Jeanie and Janie live with their families on part of the Johnson Farm property.

Author: Carol Meinke, Lot #81, June 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Janie Martz and Jeanie Thompson, daughters of Elwin and Ruth Johnson Pictures from: Janie Martz and Jeanie Thompson, daughters of Elwin and Ruth Johnson; aerial photo from American Images, Marshfield, WI

Tower Hill and Tower Road

n the early days, there were very few houses on Lone Lake and no houses on Tower Hill. At 1,403 feet, Tower Hill is the second highest elevation in Aitkin County; Quadna Mountain is first at 1,589 feet.

Tower Hill took its name from the fire tower that used to stand at the highest point of the hill. The first tower was made from wood. In 1937, it was replaced by a metal tower that stood until the late 1940s or early 1950s.

Most of Minnesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lookout towers were constructed during the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a project of Franklin D. Roosevelt' s National Recovery Act. Hundreds of fire towers were erected during this time, many in Minnesota' s woods and rolling farmlands. It was said that at one time, there was a fire tower every eight square miles in the northern counties of the state. Many of Minnesota' s tall fire towers had eight sides; later ones had six sides. The cabs were mounted on tall steel girders, some as high as 130 feet tall, and had vertical rung ladders to climb. Later ones had a safety cage around these ladders but early ones had none. The observation cabs were tiny, with little room for accessories or creature comforts. The six-sided versions are still in use today by the Canadian Forestry Service.

The Honnolds Maude Wierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father, John Honnold, rented Tower Hill from its owner, John Ravlin, for pasture for the cattle. Maude used to go after the cattle and remembers walking across the end of the bay that is now covered with lake water. From Maude' s living

The metal fire tower on Tower Hill.

room, you can still see the path made by the cattle along the shoreline at the base of the hill as they made their way to the pasture. In the 1930s, the lake was very shallow and much of the shoreline had various types of crops on them. Burt Brownell owned the shoreland below Tower Hill and raised corn on the large field next to the lake. In fact his corn took first prize at the Minnesota State Fair.

Bert Brownellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cabin on Tower Hill

He had a log home where the Susan Rued property is now and you can still see the excavation where the log home was. Brownell then sold that area to the Darling family who then sold it to a man named Bateman. It was at that point the Ravlins bought the property. Later M.R. Johnson (Elwin Johnson' s father) had milk cows in the area where Tower Hill Road comes down to the end of the lake. The abstract title for Tower Hill has a fascinating history with its record going back to the late 1890s: Date

Purchased by

Purchased from

1899

Elvira and Simeon Brownell

Nellie L. Redlon, guardian for Lewis Redlon, a minor

1907

Burdett Brownell

Elvira and Simeon Brownell

1908

Charles and Eva Warner

Burdett Brownell

1912

Joseph and Cora Darling

Charles and Eva Warner

1915

Paul Bateman

Joseph and Cora Darling

1916

James Patterson

Paul Bateman

1923

Clark and Louis Ravlin

James Patterson

1924

John and Mary Ravlin

Clark and Louise Ravlin

1967

David and Ardella Rued and Ivan and Annette Russell

John and Mary Ravlin

In 1967, Government Lot 2 was platted as Tower Hill.

Tower Hill Road For many years, there was a road and some buggy paths on Tower Hill. The road, however, was in great disrepair. Fred Hasskamp, who owned the cabin on the point, tried to get access from the south but wasn’t successful. In 1955-1956, Fred petitioned the Nordland Township Board to provide him access. His first thought was that the road would come from the Turtle Lake road. The Township Board denied him access and said that if he wanted a road to his property that he would need to pay for it himself. So Fred and Guy Honnold got some equipment and graded what is now known as Tower Hill Road. Actually what they did was to straighten the wagon trail that ran onto Tower Hill. In 1968, Tower Hill was platted as part of the Tower Hill Subdivision by Dave and Ardella Rued. For several years, Dave graded and maintained the road and in the winter. Then the residents hired a snowplow to keep the road open. In the 1980s, the residents hired a contractor to bring the road up to the standards required for becoming a Township road. Now the Township maintains the road. Over the years, many Lone Lake residents have asked why there isn’t a road between County Road #39 and the County Road #112 (the Ditch Bank Road). The story is that there used to be a road that went from the Tower Hill Road through what is now Humphreys (Lot # 147) and past Karl and Dorothy Miles (Lot #148) to the Ditch Bank Road. According to early residents, in the 1940s and 1950s, there was a “path” that went through Karl Swanson’s property (now the Miles Family Farm) and Karl would let people use the path to get to Tower Hill. In 1954, Karl and Dorothy Miles bought the property from Swanson’s widow. Karl said that there never was a designated road from the Ditch Bank to Tower Hill since it would have gone straight through his pasture. Dorothy Miles recalled that when the Ditch Bank Road was under construction in the late 1950s or early 1960s, she would drive the boys to school by going to Tower Hill. She said, “We had an awful time getting through and got stuck many times. We hauled buckets of gravel to fill in the ruts just to get to Tower Hill.” Karl and Dorothy recalled that the REA asked to come through their property beyond the Postal road to put in electric lines. They remember that distinctly because Dorothy exclaimed, “We offered to let them have access through the gate to the pasture provided that they closed it so that the cows wouldn’t get out. One day the REA folks left the gate open and we had to round up the cattle from all over Tower Hill.” Karl recalled that in the 1970s, Hasskamp plus others petitioned the Nordland Township Board to put a road through from Tower Hill to the Ditch Bank Road. Dorothy and Karl said that they were against it because it would have gone through their pasture and front yard. At that time as well as today, the Postal road only goes to the Miles. No road has ever run through there by use of adverse possession or as a common access. Karl said,

“They evidently had a public hearing on putting in a Township road and determined that there was a farm fence line and pasture across that area. They denied the petition to put in the road because it would have crossed an established fence line.” Byron Schlagel (Lot # 139) talked from the point of view of the Tower Hill residents by saying, “I signed the petition along with the Hasskamps because we felt that a road from Tower Hill to the Ditch Bank Road would be a good idea and would provide convenient access for residents on the north and west sides of Lone Lake to the Ditch Bank Road. He said there was some precedence for the road because it is a causeway or fire lane even though it wasn’t a Postal or Township road. He recalled that there petition would have connected Pat Humphrey’s access from Tower Hill Road to 396th Place and then to the Ditch Bank Road. The petition was denied and no one attempted to extend the new Township Road on Tower Hill to the Ditch Bank Road.

A Story Late in the fall when the frost covers the ground on Tower Hill, you can see some depressions in the earth. No one seems to have counted how many there are but perhaps there are 15 to 20, lying side by side, each of which is about six feet long by four feet wide. One early version of this story said that the depressions were Indian graves. Later versions gave no credence to this story and instead said that the depressions were merely where some trees had fallen. Dave Rued recalled hearing stories that Indians use to camp on Tower Hill. He had also heard the stories about Indian burial mounds. In 1956 when Fred Hasskamp and Guy Honnold were building the Tower Hill Road, they cut through several mounds that looked like Indian burial mounds. Dave and his daughter noticed that one of the mounds contained a hive of ground hornets. As Dave explained, “Many times ground hornets will build a nest where there has been a previous structure below the ground.” So Dave and his daughter excavated the site but did not find any remains or artifacts. Dave said, “I doubt that the indentations are Indian graves because with all of the construction over the years, someone most likely would have found some remains or some artifacts but none have ever been found.” So, what is the real truth? Probably exactly what you want it to be.

Authors: Steve Frazier, Lot #111 and Mary Hoeve, Lot #118, May 2005 Thank you for the information: Maude Wier, Karl and Dorothy Miles, Dave Rued, Byron Schlagel, Maude Wier

Public Access – Between Lots 1 & 163

he Lone Lake public access was proposed by the Minnesota Conservation Department, Division of Game and Fish in August 1957. Landowners Oliver and Ruth Froiland and Herbert and Priscilla Rea deeded the strip of land for the road, parking and boat launching area in December of that year. They received $35 from the state for about 2.5 acres. From County Road 28, the proposed road would be built straight north for about 1500 feet to the lakeshore. The access was next to the Lost Island Resort, and a state official commented, “The resort owner (seller) might want a fence along the east side if in the future the public interferes with his resort business.”

Department of Trails and Waterways records indicate that funding was not available to complete the access project until 1970. Three hundred fifty yards of gravel and dirt at $1 per yard were provided by contractor Stanley Holmberg, Deerwood, and the project was completed in early October. Letters in the state file indicate the access was unsatisfactory because of poor road drainage and overgrown vegetation. A copy of a Letter to the Editor of the Aitkin Independent Age states, “Mike Pittman (Lone Lake property owner and an avid fisherman) said the public access was flooded and unusable most the summer of ’73.” In 1982, DNR personnel sent permit applications

to upgrade the access to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The upgrade included “removing organic material to expose mineral soil in parking lot area, turn-around spur and the area in between. Backfill with DNR Public Water Access Rules 3200 cubic yards of granular rock in the wetland for a culverted access Keep launch area clear road.” Permission was also granted to DNR Trails and Waterways to Take trash with you purchase 1585 square yards of engineering fabric to lay under the The following activities are unlawful: parking and ramp areas and to build a 16-by-20-foot concrete ramp. The o Camping project was approved and was awarded to Brisk, Inc., Little Falls, for o Shooting $23,818. It was completed and o Building fires inspected in July 1984. o Consuming alcoholic beverages Today, the Lone Lake Public access offers convenient boat launching for both lakeshore owners and the general public. Turn north on 390th Place from County Road 28 and the hard packed road will lead you to a large, well-maintained launching and parking area. Because of the spread of invasive plants and animals, signs are posted at the ramp requesting users to remove all vegetation and zebra mussels from their boats, motors and trailers. Volunteers from the Lone Lake Property Owners Association are present at the access on busy weekends and holidays to give boaters information about how they can protect Lone Lake from invasive species of plants or animals. Author: Carol Meinke, Lot #81, June 2005 Information Sources: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Trails and Waterways, Brainerd, MN; Aitkin County Recorder’s Office for the plat of the public access Picture: Carol Meinke

Early Settlers

ost of the early settlers around Lone Lake came to Nordland Township between 1880 and 1900. Their names appear in census records, land records, and often in newspaper social columns. And if you wander through the cemetery at Maria Chapel, you will see their headstones.

Newton and Martha Honnold Maude's grandparents, Captain Newton Clark Honnold (1838 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1906) and Martha Honnold (1841 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1910) came to Lone Lake in 1895 in a covered wagon most likely from Nebraska. Newton (usually referred to as N.C.) was born in Tuscaraus County, Ohio in 1838 and moved to Marion County, Iowa when he was 18. In 1861, he enlisted as a private in Co. K, Third Regimental Iowa Volunteer cavalry and was promoted several times, first to sergeant, then to full lieutenant, and to full captain. Most of the Third Iowa battles were fought in Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. Maude was told that her grandfather was a very kind and caring man who judged others by their actions and not by the color of their skin. He befriended both blacks and Indians. In fact, Captain Honnold facilitated the secret transport of blacks from the south through the Underground Railroad. Martha (Vaughn) Honnold was born in Indiana in 1841. N.C. and Martha were married in Iowa in 1866 and had 10 children. Both N.C. and Martha are buried in the Diamond Lake Cemetery located by the Ripple River bridge on Co. Highway #39. Maude Wier 1

Sources for this information comes from Aitkin County census records, obituaries, death certificates, Maude Wier and Lorraine Malmgren.

Maude’s father, John C. Honnold, homesteaded the farm where Maude and Marv now live. John and Grace were married in April 1903 at the east end of the lake at the Attica post office and creamery which was located at the corner of what is now #39 and #l2. John and Desmond, two of Maude's four brothers, were born here on Lone Lake. The others were born in North Dakota. Maude’s parents, together with some others, left Lone Lake to seek their fortunes in North Dakota. They had a section of land and a ranch and Maude was born there. Her father held on to the land at Lone Lake and leased it out while they were gone. She remembers coming back to Lone Lake to visit and they camped out on the land when she was eight years old. She recalls vividly of returning to the property and finding a deerskin tepee down on their shore with a white man and his Indian wife living there. The man was very frightened but her father told them that they could stay there to hunt and fish. That was a real lesson for Maude about her father's acceptance and generosity to people. They had a wonderful time that summer at the lake camping and going fishing. Her mother fixed fish for breakfast on an open fire. Prairie life was very different than the beautiful lakes and trees of Minnesota. It was not until 1938 when Maude's parents decided to return to Lone Lake. Her father bought the house that was the Post Office at Bennettville and moved it to their property on Lone Lake. He rented a railroad boxcar in North Dakota and brought the furniture, cattle and horses back to Minnesota. It took about two years before the family came back here to live. Maude says, "I have lived here ever since then!" In 1938 she had just graduated from high school when they moved back and she was ready to go to junior college at Crosby for teacher training. She eventually went on to Duluth, California, Washington and finished at the University of Minnesota.

William and Catherine Grubb Maude’s other grandparents, William (1844 – 1917) and Catherine Grubb (1850 – 1926), also lived in the Lone Lake area. William was born at Monroe, Iowa in 1843 and enlisted in Company L, 9th Iowa Cavalry and served as a private throughout the war. The 9th Iowa Cavalry was organized at Davenport and mustered in on November 30, 1863. It was attached to Districts in St. Louis, Arkansas, and Rolla, Missouri. Catherine Lee was born in Pennsylvania in 1850. William and Catherine were married in 1868 in Monroe. They moved to Lone Lake in 1889 and had 13 children of whom seven were living at the time of William’s death in 1917.

Gustaf and Maria West Gust West (1870 – 1959) owned land around Lone Lake and operated a farm at Lone Lake from 1913 to 1945. He came to the United States by himself in 1886 at the age of 16. His parents, Andrew J. West (Jonsson) and Sophia Swenson West came to the U.S. in 1887 with their three sons: Frank (Franz), Charles (Karl Ludvig), David and daughter, Ida Maria. Gust purchased the Lone Lake property in 1915 and owned it until 1945 when he sold it and moved to Aitkin.

Lorraine Malmgren

Gust raised cows, horses, chickens and, at one time, sheep. Gust worked in the logging camps, and was one of the men who rode the logs down the river. He had a long pole and would keep the logs from forming log jams. In 1895, he married Maria Lidstrom who also was born in Sweden and had immigrated to the United States two years earlier. She and a daughter died during the influenza epidemic in 1918. In 1930, he married Minnie Anderson. Gust was one of the organizers of what is now known as Maria Chapel and served on township and school boards. He also was an assessor.

The 1918 Influenza Epidemic At first, few people seemed to be concerned about the epidemic. The October 31, 1918 issue of the Republican said, “Within the past week or ten days, the influenza has made is appearance in town and the doctors are having a busy time. . . . One death has already occurred.”

Gust West family, back row, l to r: Gust, Oscar, Maria, Cecelia. Front row, l to r: Gertrude, Hazel, Carl and Ellen.

By the next week, the newspaper said, “The epidemic of influenza with which the nation is afflicted has been claiming its victims in Aitkin and vicinity. . . Mr. Gust West’s home at Lone Lake has also been invaded by the dread disease, and the wife and mother and

Mr. West’s little daughter are both victims, the daughter passing away Monday and the mother the day following.” The November 14, 1918 issue stated that, “This morning there were 84 patients at the hospital. . . Another death in the Grubb family has occurred. The father and mother died on Monday and Tuesday of last week, and on Nov. 12, their daughter Frances, 6 years old, passed away. The hospital authorities have had several letters from people wishing to adopt the children of Mr. and Mrs. Grubb.” The November 21st issue said that “Seventy-five patients were receiving treatment and all are improving.” The newspaper also listed the names of 40 people who had died in Aitkin and vicinity from the influenza.

Gustaf and Ida Christina Malmgren Gust Malmgren (1861 – 1937) was born in Sweden in 1861 and came to the United States by himself at age 14 in 1875. He lived first in Iowa where he met and married Ida Nelson (1858 – 1934). They were the parents of seven children, including two sets of twins. Four children – Luther, David, Ruth, and Carl -- survived Gust. The family members were active members of Maria Lutheran church. Ida was born in Saby Parish, Jonkoping, Sweden and immigrated to the United States in 1881. Gust and Ida Christina were married in Burlington, Iowa in 1887 and lived in Ottumwa, Iowa prior to coming to Aitkin County. came to Aitkin County and settled on the shores of Lone Lake.

William and Angeline Griffith Griffith’s Point, location of the present-day Lone Lake Homeowners Association, is named for William and Angeline Griffith. William Griffith (1858 – 1934) was a Minnesota native; he was born in Kasson. As a young man, he went to Inkster, ND and in 1911, came to Aitkin. Two years later, according to his obituary, he “bought a farm at Lone Lake, one of the beauty spots of this area.” In addition to his wife, he was survived by a stepson, Roy Tiffany who was county treasurer, a son, and two daughters. Angeline Griffith (1872 – 1964) was also a Minnesota native and lived her early years in Winona. She came to Aitkin in 1911and moved to Lone Lake two years later. One of her daughters, Winifred, was Mrs. Carl Malmgren of Aitkin.

Garlinghouse Family The Garlinghouses owned various parcels of land and their name was often associated with many events around Lone Lake. Jasper Garlinghouse was a farmer and also did farm work for the Honnolds. Sherman Garlinghouse, also a farmer, built his home “near the schoolhouse.” Mrs. Jasper Garlinghouse and Mrs. David Garlinghouse are often

mentioned in the Republican newspaper’s Attica News column in social events such as when they “entertained the M.S. Honnold family” or held ice cream socials. Edward Garlinghouse, son of Jasper, was a talented violinist and was remembered for playing music “that would charm all who heard it.” He was born in Excelsior, MN and his parents brought him to Lone Lake when he was an infant. They homesteaded on Ripple Lake. At the time of his death in 1943, he was survived by eight children, one of whom was a prisoner of war. This son plus another are buried in Diamond Lake cemetery as are many other Garlinghouses.

Pattersons There are two Pattersons, both of whom are named James Edward Patterson. James Sr. was born in Ireland circa 1823. James Jr. was born in Blue Earth County in 1866 and had lived in Nordland Township for 45 years at the time of his death in 1943. In 1904, he owned the land where the schoolhouse was located.

Robert Marmon Robert Marmon was born at Elkhart, Indiana in 1828. He was a Civil War veteran and resided in Aitkin County for 20 years at the time of his death in 1901. He and his wife had 14 children. Author: Mary Hoeve, Lot #118, April 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Maude Wier, Lorraine Malmgren

Attica Post Office and Creamery – Lots #64 & #65

he Attica post office was in existence for only 22 years – 1889 to 1911. It was located in Nordland Township at the corner of the present-day County Road 39 and Highway 12 on Lots #64 and #65. The Attica Creamery was located nearby.

According to Anna Peterson Behning, “Grandpa Kjel . . . delivered mail between Attica at Lone Lake and Glen for awhile – about three times a week.” Presumably the Post Master was also a justice of the peace -- Maude Honnold Klingelhofer Wier’s parents were married there in April 29, 1903.

There is very little information that is available about either the post office or the creamery. However, there was a column called the Attica News that appeared periodically in the Aitkin Republican newspaper. Many of the newspaper’s issues didn’t survive and for those issues that did, the Attica News isn’t in all of them. But the remaining columns do provide a glimpse into the lives of Lone Lakers as well as events such as buying land, fishing, people moving into the area, baseball, Sunday school, and farming. At the end of this document are the columns for the years 1895-1901. The column itself was published in the Republican for many years after 1901; the Republican ceased publishing in 1945.

Attica postage (courtesy Randy Wall)

Excerpts from the columns include the following:

The Post Office “Mr. Haugh has put up a new house on Milton Grubb’s land near the post office.” (July 4, 1895)

The Creamery “Mr. Grout of Minneapolis is here inspecting the creamery.” (May 5, 1898) “The Lone Lake creamery has started up again.” (June 16, 1898) “Milt Grubb has sold his farm near the creamery to S.F. Adams of Lillo, Minn.1. The latter gentleman has bought the creamery and expects to run it this summer.” (January 31, 1901) “R. Rodgers of Lillo, Minn. is here this week helping S.F. Adams in making cheese.” (May 16, 1901) “S. Adams has a store at the creamery where it is handy to do trading when you haven’t time to drive to town.” (June 27, 1901) “Mr. Sandberg’s fame as a farmer and stockraiser and the backbone of the creamery is well known.” (September 26, 1901)

Attica corners circa 1920s.

Fishing Not everyone had fishing skills, even back then. “A party of young people went to Mud2 River last Saturday evening on a fishing expedition. An enjoyable time was had, but no piscatorial ability was displayed and hence the party returned home without any fish.” (April 18, 1895) And people paid attention to who was fishing and when:

1 2

Lillo, MN was located in Red Lake county Ripple River and Ripple Lake were originally known as Mud River/Lake.

“I think the game and fish warden had better be on the lookout on Lone Lake this spring as someone is spearing fish every night. There were three torches on the lake the other night.” (April 4, 1902)

Land Acquisition And Housing The Attica News column highlights a number of changes in ownership of land as well as people who were looking for land for sale. “F.P. McQuillin, real estate agent from Aitkin, was out to Lone Lake with two Dakota land hunters a few days ago and they were well pleased with the country. We understand they purchased half a section of land south of the lake.” (April 11, 1895) “W.A. Honnold has purchased from F.P. McQuillin of Aitkin fifty acres of land in sec. 29 on the northwest side of Lone Lake, which is a good location.” (May 30, 1895) “Harry Infelt has bought of Mr. McQuillin of Aitkin, lots 3 and 4 south of Lone Lake and will build and settle on the same immediately.” (June 20, 1895) “Mr. Infelt is building a house on his land south of Lone Lake.” (July 11, 1895) “Robert Marmon is coming back from North Dakota where he moved with his family last summer. He has purchased land on the south side of Lone Lake. He finds no place suits him as well as Aitkin County.” (May 4, 1899) “The land around and near Lone Lake has all been bought up.” (August 31, 1899)

Local Families and Social Events Almost all Attica News columns featured the goings and comings of the Honnolds, Grubbs, Brownells, Marmons and some other families. Also noted were social events such as ice cream cake parties.

Employment In the earliest years, timber was the primary industry. A decade or so later, farming became important too so there are numerous reports of cutting hay, lack of rain or too much rain, cut worms, etc. People found it necessary to go where the work was which frequently wasn’t in Aitkin County. So there are many entries of men going to “Dakota”3, or working in lumber camps, or going on “drives”.

North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union in 1889.

“Several of the young men about Attica left Monday morning to get work on the drive.” (May 9, 1895) “Most of the boys from this section have gone to the harvest fields of Dakota.” (August 17, 1899) “Work hands about here have nearly all gone to Dakota for the harvest.” (August 31, 1899)

Roads and Transportation For those of you who remember spring breakups when the Ditch Bank Road was not paved, the following may bring a smile. “The citizens here want bridges and good roads so that people can get around to do something. At the present time, it is almost impossible to get to Aitkin.” (May 23, 1895) On the next pages are the Attica News columns for the years 1895 to 1901. (No issues prior to 1895 were located.) If you would like to read more issues of Aitkin newspapers, please contact the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul or the Aitkin Historical Society. Author: Mary Hoeve, Lot #118, December 2004 Thank you to Information and Picture Sources: Maude Wier and Randy Wall

1895 ATTICA NEWS April 11, 1895, page 1 Robert Marmon is improving, being able to walk around. He has had a hard siege of sickness. F.P. McQuillin, real estate agent from Aitkin, was out to Lone Lake with two Dakota land hunters a few days ago and they were well pleased with the country. We understand they purchased half a section of land south of the lake. Garden making is all the rage around here just now. A large acreage of oats will be sown in this vicinity this year. Last Wednesday evening a social hop was given at the residence of Mrs. Jarves. The light fantastic was tripped until a late hour and Mrs. Jarves’ popularity as a hostess was kept up to its usual high place. M.S. Honnold met with an accident on Saturday while chopping wood. A stick flew up and struck him just above the eye, cutting his head quite badly. April 18, 1895, page 1 4

A party of young people went to Mud River last Saturday evening on a fishing expedition. The party consisted of Celt Honnold, Lillie Grubb, Ollie and Blanch Honnold, Cliff Martin, Milton Grubb and some lesser lights. An enjoyable time was had, but no piscatorial ability was displayed and hence the party returned home without any fish. Robt. Marmon was taken to Aitkin last week to undergo an operation, which Dr. Graves performed, and at last accounts he was doing nicely. Bert Brownell and Ed Honnold are doing the carpenter work on Capt. Honnold’s new house. Milton Grubb will soon erect a building on his farm. Mr. Ball’s old store building has been torn down and hauled to Aitkin. Since the nice evenings have come, the people are having a fine time angling for the finny tribe. Mr. Winters’ housekeeper has left him and he is batching it again, but as he is adept in the culinary department, he will get along all right. April 25, 1895, page 1 Mr. Ball’s saw mill was burned to the ground last Friday evening. Maywood Marmon and her two brothers spent two days at Mille Lacs Lake last week. A good ball game was played the last of the week by the Attica and Wealthwood boys. Sherman and Dave Garlinghouse are breaking N.C. Honnold’s land. May 9, 1895, page 1 George Cleary and wife, Mrs. Minnie Northrop and Miss Della Marmon spent Wednesday last at Aitkin. Several of the young men about Attica left Monday morning to get work on the drive. Robert Marmon has returned home from Aitkin, where he has been to receive medical attention. He is improving fast. The Lone Lake young people enjoyed themselves boat riding down the river on Sunday afternoon. Mr. T.M. Honnold is planting a few acres of corn on the Jarvis farm. May 16, 1895, page 4 Corn planting is in its prime around Lone Lake. Jack Rowley lost another horse by it getting injured, making three in all he has lost inside a year. Mr. Haugh, a new comer, lost a horse by being mired in a swamp. Three families have just arrived from Rockwell City, Iowa. They are living in M.S. Honnold’s house on section 32. W.A. Honnold, another newcomer from Rockwell City, has moved in the house belonging to Sherman Garlinghouse. They are thinking of settling on Snake River, but there being no roads, they could not get there at present. We hope they will all find places to suit them.

Ripple River and Lake were originally known as Mud River/Lake.

The frost has hurt the fruit about Lone Lake. Mell Orcutt, of Rockwell City, Iowa, is visiting at N.C. Honnold’s. May 23, 1895, page 1 Mrs. Ruth Lacy and daughter, Miss Mabel, have come to spend a few weeks at the home of Robert Marmon, father of Mrs. Lacy. Mr. Winters is at Aitkin this week attending court. Bert Brownell is now going the rounds assessing the personal property of the people. Mell Orcutt, after spending a few days with friends near Lone Lake, has gone to Dakota. The small fruit in this vicinity escaped the frost of the past few nights. There appears to be plenty of blueberries and June berries. The citizens here want bridges and good roads so that people can get around to do something. At the present time, it is almost impossible to get to Aitkin. The Wealthwood and Attica boys are enjoying themselves these days playing ball. May 30, 1895, page 1 While the carpenters were at work a few days ago on the eaves of Capt. Honnold’s house, the scaffolding broke and the boys were unceremoniously left without support. They succeeded in grasping hold before reaching the ground and serious consequences were averted, except that Bert Brownell had his ear torn a little, which causes it to “list a little more to port” than the other one. Mr. Winters returned to court this week. W.A. Honnold has purchased from F.P. McQuillin of Aitkin fifty acres of land in sec. 29 on the northwest side of Lone Lake, which is a good location. Rus. Martin is happy since the state failed to find him guilty of the serious crime with which he was charged. Charley and Sid Hilton have gone on the Bear River drive. We have Sunday school every Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock in the Swedish church, and it would be gratifying if more of the little boys and young men attended. Arthur Harris has gone on the Mud River drive. June 6, 1895, page 1 Messrs. Haugh and Infelt are breaking land at Jack Rowley’s. B. Miller and Miss Abbie Scribble visited Mrs. Redland at Winter’s on Sunday afternoon. Maywood Marmon is on the sick list this week. E.M. Honnold had the misfortune to lose a large bill book a few days ago. He offers a reward for its return. There is a scarcity of news in this vicinity this week. June 27, 1895, page 1 Mrs. Redland and her son spent Sunday at Aitkin. Mr. Jones and Maywood Marmon came home from the drive Monday morning. From what the farmers hereabouts say, they are losing most of their beans by cutworms. Robert Marmon’s family and Mrs. Shriner are spending a few days at Sugar Lake. The ball club came up from Garrison Saturday and played with the Lone Lake club. The score stood 19 to 4 in favor of Lone Lake. The clubs then took possession of Capt. Honnold’s new house and enjoyed themselves with music and dancing. Miss Lillie Grubb’s school closed Saturday last. June 20, 1895, page 1 Mr. Lacy and Mr. Shriner enjoyed themselves fishing the last of the week. Will Prince and George Coply of Wealthwood were here on business Thursday. Mr. Winters and Mrs. Redland spent Thursday with friends near Aitkin. The Attica and Garrison ball nines met on the diamond on Saturday. An interesting game was played, the Garrison boys coming out one score ahead. Mr. Miller and Miss Scrivens of Aitkin spent Sunday afternoon on Lone Lake. Harry Infelt has bought of Mr. McQuillin of Aitkin, lots 3 and 4 south of Lone Lake and will build and settle on the same immediately. Charley and Sid Hilton left Monday for Montana. Mr. Juno and Hannah Sloan have gone to Dakota. The Attica boys were all at the train to seem them off. Jack Rowley and Capt. Honnold are picking their mustard.

July 4, 1895, page 1 Mr. Haugh has put up a new house on Milton Grubb’s land near the post office. N.C. Honnold, having built a new residence on the north side of Lone Lake, moved into it a few days ago. Robert Marmon has gone to Dakota to visit his sons. He was accompanied by his daughter, Ruth Lacy. Geo. Copley and Joe Daily of Wealthwood spent Sunday on Lone Lake. Mrs. Redland has gone to Aitkin to spend a few days. A number of our young people met at Mr. Hutchinson’s Friday evening and had quite a sociable time. Wes. Marmon met with an accident the other day by getting his foot cut quite badly. July 11, 1895, page 1 Mrs. Haugh is on the sick list. Several of our young people spent the Fourth at Garrison. The Attica and Garrison baseball nines met on the diamond at Garrison on the Fourth. A good game was played, but it was somewhat one sided, at the Attica boys proved their superiority by a score of 26 to 8. Miss Laura Shriner from near Aitkin spent a few days with friends near Lone Lake. Mr. Infelt is building a house on his land south of Lone Lake. Ed. Honnold and Miss Lill Grubb were in Aitkin Monday afternoon. Mr. Winters spent Sunday at Daily’s. July 25, 1895, page 1 Mr. Haugh, who has been very sick for some time, is gradually improving. Mr. Boekenoogen returned to his home in Iowa on Wednesday. He is well pleased with the country hereabouts and intends in the fall to return and make his home here, bringing his sons with him. Bessie Edlund has returned home from Aitkin to spend the rest of the summer. Mr. Hutchinson has gone to Dakota where he expects to work in the harvest fields. Mrs. May of Mille Lacs spent Saturday and Sunday with friends here. Mr. Jones has been on the sick list but he is now able to be about. Mrs. Simpson from near Aitkin spent Sunday with Mr. Redland at Winters’. August 1, 1895, page 1 Farmers hereabouts are all busily engaged making hay. Will Prince was up from Mille Lacs on Sunday visiting friends. Mr. Boekenoogen of Iowa is enthusiastic over the quality of the soil in this locality and will locate here. So well pleased is he over the bright prospects of the county that he telegraphed to his son-in-law in Iowa to come up and he is expected here in a day or two. Will Grubb is home from Aitkin after a tedious time sitting on the jury in the Christello murder case. August 8, 1895, page 1 Mr. O.E. Shauck from Swan, Iowa is visiting at the Honnold residence. Mr. Boekenoogen of Iowa who was here looking at the country some time ago has written a letter stating that he would be back this fall with several other families. Mr. C. Wilson, while haying on Mud River on Saturday undertook to cross the river on a floating log and fell in and was drowned. His remains were sent to Keokuk, Ia., for interment. Mrs. Wilson and the children accompanied the body. Robert Marmon returned home from Dakota on Friday morning much improved in health. August 15, 1895, page 1 O.E. Shauck after a week’s visit at Honnold’s left for his home in Iowa on Thursday. Mr. Infelt, W.A. and T.M. Honnold left on Thursday for Dakota. Miss Lillie Grubb is at Aitkin this week attending the institute. Little Blanch, the daughter of George Hutchinson, has been on the sick list the past week. A gay crowd of our young people spent Tuesday at Mille Lacs lake. Miss Della Marmon spent Monday at Wealthwood. A baby girl came to bless the home of W.A. Honnold last Tuesday. Harvesting has begun in this vicinity, Capt. Honnold being at this writing engaged in cutting his oats. August 22, 1895, page 1 Mr. Jones, M.S. Honnold, M.J. Grubb, M.C. Marmon and T.A. Hilton came home from the Bear River drive on Sunday evening. We are pleased to see Mr. Haugh able to be about and looking so much better. Lu Redland left for Minneapolis a day or two ago where he expects to make his

home for a while. Ed Sloan left Monday evening for Dakota. Mrs. Maywood Marmon is staying at home while her husband is absent in Dakota. August 29, 1895, page 1 M.J. Grubb, M.S. Honnold and M.C. Marmon left Monday for the harvest fields in Dakota. W. Grubb has built a fine root house and has plenty to put in it. Robert Marmonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boys are putting up hay, which they intend selling. George Cleary is going to break some new ground and go to farming in earnest. Some of our good farmers are harvesting their beans and find they have good crops. A special school election has been called in district no. 22 for the purpose of raising money to build a schoolhouse on the banks of Lone Lake. A number of your young people gave Mr. Winters a pleasant surprise Saturday night. September 6, 1895, page 1 Mr. Shriner and family and Miss Trunnels, of Aitkin and Mrs. Dick Bond and daughter spent Sunday with friends here. Miss Alma Watson of Aitkin was a guest of Miss Lillie Grubb last week. School opens at the Oleson schoolhouse Tuesday, Miss Lillie Grubb, teacher. The people of district no. 22, this township, are not going to be behind in the matter or education. A few days ago, the ratepayers voted to raise $500 for a new schoolhouse. September 19, 1895, page 2 We had quite a hailstorm on Wednesday morning. Lu Redland returned home on Thursday from his visit to Minneapolis. He and his mother expect to move to Aitkin soon. Robert Marmon and wife, N.C. Honnold and wife, Mrs. W.A. Honnold, and Miss E.B. Honnold spent Sunday at Mille Lacs. A bright baby boy arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A. Jones on Sunday morning last. Ed Sloan returned home from Dakota Friday morning. Mr. Jones is laying the foundation for our new schoolhouse. Rus. Martin returned home from Deer River last Wednesday. Robt. Marmon and N.C. Honnold dug a hill of potatoes on Sunday morning from which they took 125 potatoes that were fit for consumption. Some small ones found in the same hill were not included in this county. Surely this is evidence of a fertile soil. September 26, 1895, page 2 Rus. Martin and Will Grubb are on the sick list. We notice a new house going up near Elm Island lake. Mr. Haugh and Geo. Cleary are doing the work. Maywood Marmon returned home from Dakota Monday evening. A number of our people visited the fair at Aitkin Saturday. Some first premiums were brought home. October 3, 1895, page 1 Mr. Haugh is at work on his house. Mr. Jones is putting a new roof on his house. Sid Hilton returned home from Dakota on Sunday morning. J.W. Pancoast of Des Moines came on Tuesday on his bicycle to make the Honnold family a visit. A deer was seen swimming across Lone Lake Wednesday morning. October 12, 1895, page 1 Milt Grubb and Marion Marmon returned home from Dakota Friday evening. Mr. Haugh and family have moved into their new house. George Hutchinson came home from Dakota with a team of white mules. He reached here Saturday evening. Misses Maud and Blanch Honnold visited friends at Wealthwood on Sunday. Andy Sours and Frank Constant are back from Arkansas. Arthur Woodrow and Will Simpson visited friends here Sunday. Miss Ollie Honnold of this place and J.W. Pancoast of Des Moines, Iowa, were married here Oct. 8. Miss Honnold is one of our favorite young ladies while the groom during his short visit made

himself popular with the good people here. We all join in the wish that the happy couple may always enjoy a large share of the world’s pleasures and their lives be filled with a full measure of prosperity. November 23, 1895, page 4 The dance at the Lone Lake school house last Thursday evening was one of the most thoroughly well-managed and enjoyable social functions we ever had the pleasure of chronicling. The spacious school room, which, by the way, is the finest in the county outside of Aitkin, was beautifully decorated and the work of the committees of management, floor, etc. was so well performed that the large attendance was in once voice in declaring the whole ball perfect. Messrs. Beecher, Hanson and Reynolds of the Aitkin orchestra were present and lent the aid of their “sweet melodic phrase” to swell the tide of enjoyment, and with the aid of a piano, the music would have set stocks and stones to dancing. Besides a general attendance of the good folk of the locality, a large number of Aitkin’s young folk were present, and one of the young men – and a good judge he is – told us in confidence that if any locality in the state could beat Aitkin in the matter of pretty girls, Lone Lake was the place. Will Bond met with an accident going out, by which is buggy was disabled, but he came back to town, procured another, and was there on time. An elegant supper was served at midnight and nobody went home till morning, which came altogether too soon to suit the vast majority of the merry throng. November 28, 1895, page 1 Miss Laura Shriner of Aitkin, who has been visiting Miss Maud Honnold, returned to her home on Sunday evening. The Lone Lake schoolhouse is finished and school will begin at an early date. Nov. 14 a bright baby girl came to bless the home of Maywood Marmon and wife. E.M. Honnold of this place has gone to Aitkin for a while to work in Marr’s blacksmith shop. Several of the Wealthwood people spent Sunday near Lone Lake. Quite a number of the Aitkin young people attended the Lone Lake ball on Thursday evening and they all seemed to have a good time. Miss Maud Honnold is visiting friends at Aitkin this week. December 5, 1895, page 4 There was preaching at the schoolhouse here last Sunday morning at 10 o’clock. After services were over, our people organized a Sunday school and elected Mr. Boekenoogen superintendent. We hope all our people will turn out every Sunday at 11 o’clock and help in the Sunday school work. Rev. Mr. Deacon of Brainerd will preach at the schoolhouse every other Sunday. Maywood and Marion Marmon have gone to the woods to work part of the winter. Mr. Infelt has been engaged to work in the woods for Geo. Cleary. We understand Mr. Cleary intends moving his family to his camp this winter. We are sorry to lose them. Several of our young people attended the ball at Aitkin Thanksgiving evening. Charley Northrop and W.A. Honnold have taken the contract to furnish the wood for the school. 1896 and 1897 ATTICA NEWS The issues for 1896, 1897, and January through April 1898 are missing. 1898 ATTICA NEWS May 5, 1898, page 1 T. Brunt and family, Mr. Austin and family, and three other men from Michigan arrived here Saturday to make their homes near Lone Lake. Geo. Garrison has bought the Northrop land. He

expects to move his family from the southern part of this state here this fall. James E. Patterson of the southern part of this state has bought the Charley Young farm. He expects to bring his family this fall. Mr. Grout of Minneapolis is here inspecting the creamery. Miss Maud Honnold had her right hand scalded badly a few days ago. Mr. and Mrs. Northrop transacted business in Aitkin Monday. The drive was hung up on Mud River Monday and our boys spent the day at home. Mrs. M.S. Honnold has the misfortune to run a nail in her foot, but we see she can get around again. May 26, 1898, page 1 Messrs. Patterson and Garrison have arrived here with their goods and machinery. Misses Campbell and Perry, teachers in Section Ten and Melburg schoolhouses visited at the Honnold residence on Sunday. The little boy of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Brunt died last Thursday and was buried Friday. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Mr. Bell. Mr. Ady accompanied two land hunters up river the first of the week. Mr. and Mrs. I.E. Boekenoogen are mourning the death of their baby, which occurred Monday. They have the sympathy of the community in their loss. R. Marmon’s children are at Mille Lacs lake. Percy Young and Geo. Cleary of Aitkin attended the funeral of Mr. Brunt’s child here on Friday. Mr. Ady’s parents have arrived and expect to spend the summer here. “Local News” May 26, 1898, page 4 J.E. Patterson and Mr. Garrison, two young men who purchased the Marmon and Northrop properties at Lone Lake, arrived with their goods on Wednesday of last week. They brought with them a stump puller of the latest pattern and intend to go to clearing land in a business-like way. Messrs. Patterson and Garrison start out with evidence of carrying on their farming in an energetic manner and time will show them to be successful. June 16, 1898, page 1 Mr. and Mrs. S.J. Lee of Mitchellville, Ia., arrived at Capt. Honnold’s last Thursday where they expect to make a short visit. Fred Romans, Earnest Bord, Geo. Wood and Mr. Spencer have gone up river. Maywood Marmon, accompanied by several others, are outing at Mille Lacs lake. C.F. Boekenoogen left Monday for Iowa where he will join his wife. M.S. Honnold’s baby has been quite sick for two weeks but is slowly recovering. The Lone Lake creamery has started up again. Charley Austin’s children have the measles. June 30, 1898, page 1 H.A. Squires of Lohrville, Iowa visited with W.A. Honnold over Sunday. Mr. Hungerford of Aitkin and two Iowa men were out viewing Lone Lake Friday. Mr. and Mrs. Lee have returned to their home in Iowa after a two weeks’ visit here. Lone Lake people are busy harvesting wild strawberries. A party from here spent Saturday at Mille Lacs lake. Little Daisy Marmon is quite sick. Baby Gail, daughter of Mr. and M.S. Honnold, died Saturday evening after an illness of four weeks. The funeral took place at Capt. Honnold’s Sunday at three p.m. and the remains were laid to rest in Mud Lake cemetery beside her little cousin, Freddie Boekenoogen who died just four weeks before. “Only budded on earth to bloom in heaven.” “Local News” July 28, 1898, page 4 J.E. Patterson, one of the new residents in the vicinity of Lone Lake, is at present at his former home at Granada, Minn., harvesting his crop there. He will return here permanently in a few weeks. September 1, 1898, page 8 Mr. Heuse of Aitkin spent Sunday at Lone Lake. Mrs. Lizzie McGinnes of Aitkin has been visiting with Mrs. Redlon for a few days. Miss Grace Grubb and Mrs. Watson transacted business in Aitkin Saturday. Mrs. Frank Brunt has been quite sick lately. Wm. Grubb and Capt. Honnold were among the farmers at the monthly fair Saturday. Miss Maud Honnold has been on the sick list.

Mrs. Redlon spent Sunday in Aitkin. The farmers are all busy stacking grain and making hay. A baby boy came to brighten the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Boyd on Monday morning. September 29, 1898, page 1 Mr. Earl Kelley visited Aitkin on Tuesday. Mr. W.A. Honnold returned from the harvest fields Monday. Mr. Jack Rowley was wired to come home on account of the serious illness of his wife. We are glad her found her somewhat better. The farmers from around here visited Aitkin Saturday. Miss Maud Honnold is mourning the loss of her white kitten that the dog killed while she was away. October 20, 1898, page 1 Mrs. Patterson’s baby has been quite sick of late. Mr. and Mrs. M.A. Honnold’s home has been brightened by a baby girl. Wm. Grubb, M.J. Grubb, W.A. Honnold, Geo. Watson and John Honnold drove to the Brainerd mill Wednesday and returned Friday. While there they heard J. Adam Bede speak. Chas. Austin, Ed.Tucker and Trance Briggs returned from Dakota last week. Mr. Tucker is building a new house on his place. E.M. Honnold of Aitkin visited his parents a few days last week. Quite a number from Aitkin attended the speaking at the schoolhouse Saturday evening. November 10, 1898, page 10 Miss Grace Grubb, Maud Honnold, John Honnold, and Nathan Grubb visited at Wealthwood Sunday. A party of young folks gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. Boyd on Friday evening and enjoyed themselves dancing. All report a good time. A box supper will be given at the schoolhouse next Saturday evening, Nov. 12, to raise money to buy a flag for the school. A program will be given. Everybody is invited. Everyone that attended the Republican rally Saturday report a good time. Mrs. A. Usher is quite sick. C. Beecher, F. Cleary and R. Tully attended the dance at Mr. Boyd’s. Mr. Geo. Garrison and family have arrived at their future home. November 17, 1898, page 1 Miss Olind visited over Sunday with Miss Honnold. F.M. Honnold of Aitkin visited his parents a few days this week before leaving for Iowa. T.W. Honnold has returned from the West. Mrs. A. Usher is improving. Mrs. Wilber of Aitkin is visiting Mrs. Redlund. Francis Briggs has completed his new home. December 22, 1898, page 1 Our school will close Friday for a week’s vacation. There is to be a Christmas tree at our schoolhouse Christmas eve and an entertainment given by the Sunday school. Everyone is invited to attend. Santa Claus will be there. Mr. and Mrs. Will Grubb visited at M.S. Honnold’s Sunday. Little Richard Henry and the Marshall children have been on the sick list. Maywood Marmon is stepping around quite lively since the arrival of a baby boy at his house. Little George, the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Patterson is getting better now. He has been very sick. December 29, 1898, page 1 Earl Kelly spent Christmas with his brother in Aitkin. Mrs. N.C. Honnold has been quite sick lately. Mr. Copley and family of Wealthwood attended church here on Sunday evening. The schoolhouse was crowded on Christmas even and everyone felt well entertained. The following was the program rendered: Song by the school; Lord’s Prayer by the school; Recitation “Santa Claus” by Eddy Watson; Recitation “Christmas Gift” by Maud Honnold; Recitation “First Christmas” by John Grubb; Recitation “Gentle Touch” by Miss Patterson; Recitation “God’s Christmas” by Chas. Austin; Recitation “Kitty’s Wants” by Harry Honnold; Recitation “Christmas Eve” by Mrs. M.S. Honnold; Song “Santa Claus” by Ollie and Chas. Austin; Recitation, “Whistling in Heaven” by Mrs. W.A. Honnold; Song “As Merrily on We Bound” by Mrs. Boekenoogen and Maud Honnold. The last part of the program was the entrance of Santa Claus.

1899 ATTICA NEWS January 26, 1899, page 8 Mr. and Mrs. Maywood Marmon visited Aitkin Monday. Mr. Ed Tucker, Ernest Boyd, and Charley Austin of Mausten’s camp Sundayed at home with their families. John Honnold is doctoring a lame horse. Rev. Lewis of Aitkin will preach at the schoolhouse Sunday morning, Jan. 29 at 11 o’clock. Miss Carrie Poor and Miss Marcia Potter of Aitkin visited at N.C. Honnold’s Saturday. Fred Copley is laid up with a severe cut on one of his knees. February 23, 1899, page 1 Mr. and Mrs. Marshall visited over Sunday at Wealthwood. Harry Honnold has been suffering from an attack of the grip. Roy Dunn spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Garrison. The county superintendent of schools visited the school at Lone Lake on Monday. Earl Kelly spent Saturday at Aitkin. Miss V. Patterson has been visiting a few days at Wealthwood. Misses Grace Grubb and Maud Honnold entertained the Lone Lake young people at the latter’s home on Saturday evening. Miss Maggie Norine visited in Aitkin last week. May 4, 1899, page 1 Mr. Henry Haugh and family arrived here a week ago from Mingo, Iowa. Mr. Haugh is now busy putting in his crops. He says he is glad to get back to Minnesota where they can have good health, good soft water and less mud. Ernest Boyd has moved on the Boekenoogen farm. Ed Tucker has moved on his place and his making some improvements. Robert Marmon is coming back from North Dakota where he moved with his family last summer. He has purchased land on the south side of Lone Lake. He finds no place suits him as well as Aitkin county. James Peters and George Furnson are making things hum on their farms. George gets a little out of temper once in a while when his stump puller breaks. Most of the young men here have gone on the drive. Wheat that was sowed early is looking well. Capt. Honnold is fencing in all his land and sowing it in grass. Sherman Garlinghouse is opening up a new farm south of Lone Lake. David Garlinghouse is building a new house close to the schoolhouse. Chas. Austin has bought the Geo. Hutchinson farm. May 18, 1899, page 1 Misses Maggie Norin, Maud Honnold and John Honnold and Louis Redlon attended the basket supper at Ole Sjoden’s on Saturday evening. Over thirty dollars were taken in and all had a good time. Mrs. M.J. Grubb is quick sick. M.S. Honnold’s baby has been sick but we are glad to learn she is improving. Till Honnold and Dr. Kelly of Aitkin were at Attica last Thursday. June 8, 1899, page 1 The Mud River drive is in Diamond Lake and will be in the Mississippi in a few days. Wm. Grubb, John Erickson and Ceil Honnold were thrown out of a wagon the other day and received injuries that laid them up for a short time. Captain Honnold went to Aitkin on Monday. The people around here were much surprised at the report of the patriotic demonstration in Aitkin taken from the columns of the Aitkin Age which was published in the last Republican. Some from here attended the meeting and all agree that it was a good one and not a “joke.” It looks as though the Age’s patriotism was of the Agruinald color. July 6, 1899, page 8 Austin Honnold of Aitkin visited his family here on Sunday and he and Maywood Marmon went “fire hunting” the same evening. They bagged the usual amount of game, viz., nothing. Mrs. Haugh entertained the Honnold and Tucker families to an old fashioned dinner on the Fourth. Capt. Honnold returned the compliment by entertaining the same company the evening of the Fourth. M.S. Honnold entertain Jap Garlinghouse and family and Mrs. Redlon on the Fourth. Johnnie Honnold spent the Fourth at Malmo.

July 13, 1899, page 1 T.M. Honnold has been quite sick since the Fourth. Mrs. I.E. Boekenoogen returned home from Gardner, N.D. where she was to spend the summer. The ladies of this neighborhood are busy in the blueberry field. Mr. Watsen is building a new house on his farm. Mother Patterson left last week for Minneapolis where she will spend the summer and winter. Little Hazel Grubb is quite sick. Mr. Geo. Woods is enjoying a visit from his brother Frank of Michigan. July 27, 1899, page 5 Mr. Geo. Garrison has improved the looks of his farm by moving his house in the grove. Rev. Phelps of Nebraska accompanied by two other land-seekers, visited Mille Lacs lake Saturday. The boys are busy in the hay fields. George and Frank Woods left last week for North Dakota. They report plenty of work and good wages. Drury Haugh visited Aitkin Saturday night. Miss Lizzie Brooks and Mr. Richard Tully of Aitkin visited at Capt. Honnold’s Sunday. Miss Maud Honnold returned to Aitkin with them and spent a few days with Miss Brooks. An ice cream social at Capt Honnold’s Saturday night. All report a good time. August 17, 1899, page 8 Most of the boys from this section have gone to the harvest fields of Dakota. Geo. Garrison had the misfortune to lose a valuable colt lately from being kicked by a horse. Captain Honnold also lost a horse last week. A party of Chicago boys has been camped on Lone Lake for eight or ten days. They all like our invigorating climate and some of them may decide to buy some land here and remain in Aitkin county. August 31, 1899, page 4 Lone Lake has raised a foot since the last rain. Corn and vegetables are looking splendid, hay in the stack is somewhat damaged, and the low meadows are yet too wet to mow. Cattle are looking well here. The land around and near Lone Lake has all been bought up. Work hands about here have nearly all gone to Dakota for the harvest. Mrs. Copley is on the sick list; also Mrs. N.C. Honnold who has had a stroke of paralysis. Several black bears have been seen about here lately. One of them carried off a calf belong to George Garrison on Sunday night. Mr. Lorene thinks some of his sheep went the same way. Mr. Daly is harvesting his oats. The crop is good. Mr. Brownell is about to buy out Mrs. Redlon. Mrs. Charlie Austin has a fine garden on Mud Lake and will probably have something good to take to the fair. Robert Marmon has lost one of his horses. November 2, 1899, page 1 Mrs. Jasper Garlinghouse entertained a number of ladies Saturday at a quilting bee. Messrs. Haugh and Tucker are erecting a new barn. Quite a number from here attended a meeting at Mr. W. Prince’s at Wealthwood Sunday evening. Services are now held every Sunday 10:30 a.m. at the Lone Lake school Mr. Boyd and family of Michigan arrived here last week and intend to make their home here. Geo. Garrison is raising a new building. Ed Tucker returned from the Dakota harvest fields last week, and brought back a good team with him. W.A. Honnold was in Mille Lacs county last week dehorning cattle. A.C. Kilmer passed through this burgh Monday enroute to Aitkin. M.S. Honnold is building on his farm on Lone Lake. November 16, 1899, page 1 Miss Marie Wedmark spent Saturday and Sunday in Aitkin, the guest of Miss Werger at the Foley. Mr. and Mrs. Danewick spent Sunday with Mrs. Redlon. Messrs. H.A. Haugh, Dewey Haugh, E.D. Tucker and Roy Johnson of Michigan are on a hunting trip at Sugar Lake. Rev. Lewis will preach at Lone Lake Sunday, eleven o’clock. Ernest Boyd has moved into his new house. Miss May Daily and brother Howard spent Sunday at N.C. Honnold’s. Dewey Haugh entertained a number of friends at a taffy “pull and jerk” Tuesday night. D. Carly who has spent the summer on the Potter farm in Gardner, N.D. returned home Thursday. Messrs. Burns and Till Honnold visited at Lone Lake last Thursday and Friday.

November 23, 1899, page 1 Rev. Lewis preached Sunday at the Lone Lake schoolhouse. A party of land seekers from Iowa was seen in this burgh Saturday. Sherman Garlinghouse is transacting business in Motley. Miss Maria Wedmark will close a successful three-month’s term of school Thursday. She will not remain for the next term as she expects to attend the St. Cloud Normal. Miss Olive Chute has been engaged to teach the next term of Lone Lake school. John Honnold and Lewis Redlon spent Sunday at Wealthwood. 1900 ATTICA NEWS February 22, 1900, page 1 Ed Tucker was surprised Monday morning to find a fine girl in his house, weight ten pounds. Geo. Garrison is around lively now since his wife presented him with a bouncing boy. Ernest Boyd is home from the woods. John Honnold and Lew Redlon have finished their contract getting out posts. Sim Brownell is kept busy nowadays tending to his goats. One of them had its legs frosted. Lone Lake school closed Tuesday. Miss Chute has been a very successful teacher and we understand an effort will be made to get her back again if Aitkin doesn’t get ahead of us. Jap Garlinghouse has moved back to his farm. Sherm Garlinghouse has got well and gone into the woods. Jack Rowley is getting well again and will soon be around. Babies are getting very plentiful around Lone Lake. March 22, 1900, page 1 Jack Rowley and wife are both on the sick list. Royal Johnson is having some trouble about getting a title to his land on section 19. Robert Marmon is very sick. His arm has broken out again and he wants it amputated. Farmers have a hard time getting their hay off the meadows this spring on account of there being no snow. Mrs. Redlon has concluded to remain at Lone Lake this summer. She has rented a house from Sim Brownell. The goat that Sim Brownell was feeding up for the fair has passed away. Sim will have the funeral when the frost gets out. Geo. Wood came in from Thomson’s camp with a new team. He will soon have his farm in running order now. Geo. Is very industrious. Nearly all the men from around Lone Lake who were in the woods the past winter have gotten home, and the most of them will go on the drive as soon as the ice goes out. A couple of young fellows undertook to cross Mud River with a team a few days ago and broke through. They had a very narrow escape but finally got their horses out safely. May 10, 1900, page 8 The people are all wishing for rain. Most of our farmers have their crops in. Mr. Belitz has his new house up on the south side of Lone Lake and has moved in it. Lu Redlon, Ed Tucker, C.D. Boekenoogen and Maywood Marmon came home Monday from the drive. T.M. Honnold and Mr. Ditmore of Aitkin visited at the N.C. Honnold residence on Sunday. Drury Haugh just came up from Opstead where he has closed a three-months’ term of school. Robert Marmon who has been on the sick list most of the winter is some better. Marion Marmon who was called to Monroe, Iowa, two weeks ago on account of his father’s illness has returned and reports his father much better. Ed Ennis has been very low but is improving at this writing. May 24, 1900, page 1 N.J. Grubb and family visited at Wealthwood Sunday. N.C. Honnold lost a fine colt on Sunday. Ed Ennis who made a trip to Iowa is expected home this week. L.S. Rowley and family left here in a covered wagon Monday. They expect to visit this summer on account of Mr. Rowley’s poor health. John Honnold and Louis Redlon spent Saturday and Sunday in Aitkin. E.B. Boekenoogen left a few days ago for Wentworth, Wis., where he has work. He expects to be gone most of the summer. Ples. Marmon is home from Dakota where he has been at work for the last year.

June 14, 1900, page 8 We are still waiting for a good heavy rain. Mrs. Nelson Boyd expects to leave here soon for her new home in Alberta, Canada where her husband has already gone. Ed Reynolds of Rockwell is visiting at M.S. Honnold’s this week and is so taken up with the country that he expects to buy land and make his home here in the near future. Dewey Haugh has been at Malmo for a few days. M.S. Honnold and family, Ed Reynolds and Mrs. I.E. Boekenoogen visited at Dick Bond’s over Sunday. Mrs. Geo. Keath of Aitkin is visiting her father, N.C. Honnold. Sherman Garlinghouse is down at Wealthwood this week doing some breaking on his farm. Geo. Wood is clearing and fencing his farm and is ready to build now. He expects his mother here soon from Michigan to make her home with him. Sim Brownell made a trip to Aitkin Tuesday. We are all glad to see Mr. Robert Marmon up again and able to get about his work. June 20,1900, page 4 H.A. Haugh and wife drove to Brainerd on Friday and visited friends in that city over Sunday. Mr. Warner and some of his men spent Sunday at Lone Lake. Capt. Honnold and his brother, who is visiting here, drove up north of Aitkin on Tuesday to see that section of the county. Z.T. who is from Iowa is well pleased with Aitkin county and its people. Louis Redlon and Dewey Haugh spent Sunday afternoon at Aitkin. Ed Furry and O. Velitz made a business visit to Aitkin on Monday. The Garlinghouse brothers have gone up near Round Lake to spend a week or so camping. The crops and garden produce in this locality have almost given up growing on account of the unprecedented dry and hot weather. As a consequence the farmers are beginning to feel rather blue. M.S. Honnold and Ed Furry are putting down a well on the I.E. Boekenoogen farm. The people of this neighborhood are preparing for a picnic on Mud Lake on the Fourth, and they expect to have a big time. July 5, 1900, page 4 The rain has made the farmers glad. They are all busy putting in corn for feed for their stock, and some are also putting in millet. The Ennis brothers were Aitkin visitors Monday. I.E. Boekenoogen from Wentworth, Wis., is home to spend the Fourth with his family. Mrs. Nelson Boyd left Saturday for Alberta, Canada, to join her husband. The Sunday school at half past two every Sunday is well attended, but there are still more children to come, and we would like to see the older folks take more interest and turn out better. Burt Brownell has just returned from a trip to St. Paul. W.J. Grubb, Joe Garrison, Wes and K.L. Marmon are down on Snake River looking over the land. Annie Sjodin of Mud Lake visited over Sunday with Maggie Norin. J.C. Honnold has been having a bad time with poison ivy. His hands and face were badly used up. July 19, 1900, page 4 Geo. Watson left Saturday for Michigan where he will make his home in the future. Mr. Luther and wife and F. Schadegg and wife of Aitkin spent Sunday on Lone Lake. A number of the people round here met on the south shore of Mud Lake Saturday evening and spent the evening in dancing. Miss Annie Lochman is home from Aitkin to spend a few days. Sim Brownell and wife visited over Sunday at Farm Island Lake. Rev. Walton will preach at the schoolhouse next Sunday at 3 o’clock. Everyone will be welcomed. Most of our men and boys are busy making hay. Robert Marmon leaves Friday morning for North Dakota for a visit with his brothers. “To the Editor” - June 18, 1900, page 4 Mr. Brownell Explains To the Editor of the Republican: In the last issue of your paper, your Wealthwood correspondent takes me to task because, as he says, I have had in my hands for six weeks a petition, signed by fourteen settlers, asking for a new road to be laid out by the town board of Nordland, and have done nothing with it. It is true that I have had the petition for some time, but it is through no fault of mine that it has not been acted upon. The town board has not had a meeting since the petition came into my hands. In fact, since the board was elected it has only held two meetings and one of these was required by law.

The town is in debt and it was deemed best that as few meetings as possible be held, and so keep down expenses. Furthermore, I do not think that I have the authority to call any special meeting of the board. I am in favor of good roads and believe the one petitioned for should be laid out, and at the very first opportunity, which will be in a few days, I shall take pleasure in presenting the matter to the board for action. Bert Brownell, Town Clerk of Nordland. “To The Editor” - July 5, 1900, page 5 Wealthwood Bert Brownell’s explanation in the last issue of the Republican reads well and if it had the merit of truth back of it would be satisfactory but unfortunately for Brownell his written explanation is directly opposite to his “talk” of June 14 made in front of the Willard hotel at Aitkin. At that time he said the board would not act on the petition until after the county commissioners had acted on the petition in their hands to set off the south part of Nordland township into a new township to be called Wealthwood. He said he was not making his living by holding town meetings and acted as though the residents of Wealthwood had no rights which he as secretary of the board was bound to respect. The law is mandatory on road petitions and so long as the petition was properly drawn and stated all the facts demanded by the statutes, it was clearly the duty of the town board to act in a reasonable time. Two months is too much delay, especially at a time when owners of lands abutting on the road wished to work the road. Brownell’s “penny wise and pound foolish” action has resulted in the county spending about $75 on the old “cow trail” from O’Fallon’s place to the lake which is simply thrown away, because the crooked path with soon be closed up by men who buy the land for farms. The new road, as petitioned for, will go on quarter section lines, and over better ground than the old road. Every settler in the vicinity of the proposed road signed the petition and is anxious to see if favorably acted upon. We hope the board will act promptly. July 26, 1900, page 5 We had a good crowd at church Sunday and heard a good sermon. Mrs. D. Taylor of North Dakota is visiting her sisters, Mesdames Jas. and David Garlinghouse. May and Harry Daly of Aitkin visited at William Grubb’s over Sunday. Ed Lewis of Illinois and Geo. Keith and wife of Aitkin are spending a few days on Lone Lake. Ed Furry has bought the Baumgarten farm. The Baumgarten family and Etta Tonies of Aitkin spent Sunday with friends at the lake. John Honnold and Dewey Haugh drove to Aitkin Sunday afternoon. They seem to have some interest in the town Sunday evenings. Helen Cline is spending a few days at her home this week. Joe Garlinghouse had the misfortune to break his ankle the other day. The Reed family was out from Aitkin looking over the farm Monday. August 2, 1900, page 1 Ed Furry has been under the weather for a few days, but he is now able to get around again. Louis Redlon is home from the drive. School begins Monday with Miss Olive Chute in charge. We are glad to know she is to teach here again, as she is liked by all pupils and parents. Bert Brownell has been out through the country most of the last two weeks buying up cattle. Riley Marmon visited at Wealthwood Sunday. Born to Mr. and Mrs. Maywood Marmon Sunday a tenpound girl. I.E. Boekenoogen left Monday evening for Moorhead, Minn., where he has secured a job running a threshing machine this fall for S.A. Holmes. Mr. Holmes say he has a fair crop, part of it being as good as it was last year. J.R. Grubb lost a cow by lightning last Thursday evening. Mrs. H. Haugh made a flying trip to Aitkin Monday. C.B. Maben was seen Tuesday passing through this country going out to Wealthwood. August 9, 1900, page 1 Ed Tucker and Charley Austin have started for the wheat fields of Dakota where they have secured work. The people of Lone Lake are busy getting up their hay. It is very thin on the ground. Louis Redlon has an uncle visiting him, and they are putting in their time fishing in the lake. Capt. Honnold and family were up to Aitkin on Sunday to visit their daughter Maud, and on their way home one of the wheels broke down and they had a very narrow escape from an

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accident. They got out with slight bruises. Maywood Marmon has had some close calls lately with th lightning. He says he thinks he will have to reform. School commences at Lone Lake on the 9 with Ollie Chute as teacher. We will have eight months school. August 30, 1900, page 8 H.C. Haugh’s family starts for Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday. Louis Redlon sprained a knee while on the drive, and had to give up work and come down home. Mrs. Redlon and son leave Monday next for Grand Rapids, Mich., to make their future home. We are all sorry to lose them, but wish them success. Louis has secured a good position in a factory in that city. Mrs. Hartman of Aitkin is visiting Mrs. Lockman this week. Mrs. Neiltz’s family have moved on the Haugh farm. Mable Honnold, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I. Honnold, has been on the sick list for the past two weeks. st She is on the mend at present. A large crowd attended the H.C. Haugh sale Tuesday, the 21 . Mrs. Sim Brownell has been very sick but is able to be about again. Miss Olive Chute spent Sunday at Aitkin. T.M. Honnold drove out to his father’s Monday evening to see his folks before leaving for Mitchellville, Iowa. T.M. has had very poor health for some time and the trip and rest will do him good. W.M. Grubb made a flying trip to Aitkin Monday. Carrie Usher of Hickory is visiting her friends here this week. Mr. Tucker’s little girl is very sick. Geo. Sands spent part of Sunday here. He was on his way home from the horse sale at Malmo. John Honnold has been busy breaking and clearing his land since he bought his team of mules. Our hay makers now look more pleasant, as they think the weather is settled for a while. There has been quite a little hay spoiled on account of the rains. September 6, 1900, page 8 Miss Ollie Chute, our teacher, spent Sunday and Monday at her home near Morrison, returning to her school Tuesday morning. Ed Tucker was called home last Friday from Wheatland, N.D., on account of his little girl’s illness. She was very low but is some better now and seems to be improving slowly. Joe Lochmann lost a horse last week. Nathan Grubb is home from the drive. Miss Ida Anderson of Fargo is visiting her uncles, David and S.L. Garlinghouse. Ed Ennis returned home Saturday from the drive to put up his hay. Mrs. Sim Brownell visited at M.S. Honnold’s Sunday. The Garlinghouse boys are building them a nice root house. September 27, 1900, page 8 O. Veletz is very busy making molasses. Everyone is pleased with his work. Ole Norin has been losing his sheep by dogs or wolves. Mrs. Jim Jarvons and children of Fargo have moved here to make their future home. Geo. Garrison has been on the sick list but is able to be about again. Porter Morse of Farm Island has moved his family on the Brownell farm for the winter. Wm. Bond and family of Aitkin spent Sunday at O. Edlund’s, Mrs. B’s father. October 4, 1900, page 7 T.J. McMahon of Aitkin drove out this way Sunday evening. Miss Olive Chute spent Sunday in Aitkin. Annie Lochmann is spending a few days at home. She has been in Aitkin most of the summer. M.S. Honnold is putting up his new house on the east side of Lone Lake. There was a good-sized crowd out Sunday to hear Rev. Welton preach his farewell sermon. Mrs. Ernest Boyd visited her sister, Mrs. Chas. Austin, over Sunday. While John Grubb was out looking for his cows the other evening, he ran on to a bear. He had his little gun with him, but being a little boy, he was afraid to shoot, and ran home. His dog chased bruin into the swamp and an older boy started to hunt for it, but he failed to find him. October 11, 1900, page 3 Wm. Grubb and N.C. Honnold and their wives drove up to Waldeck Friday to visit over Sunday with the families of George Keith and Otto Rosenburgh, returning on Monday. Porter Morse and wife made a trip over to Farm Island Monday. There was no school Monday Miss Chute not being able to teach. Royal Johnson and father are building a new house on the former' s land near Spirit Lake. M.S. Honnold has moved in his new house on the west side of Lone Lake.

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October 25, 1900, page 4 Ernest Boyd and M.W. Marmon are away on the drive again. George Rice visited on the lake the first of the week. Ed Fuhre and his father made a business trip to Aitkin the first of the week. J.C. Honnold is hauling lumber from Aitkin for Royal Johnson. Annie Lochmann has gone back to Aitkin for the winter. L.D. Bryan of Aitkin spent Sunday at N.C. Honnold’s. M.B. Armstrong visited Attica the first of the week. Ed Ennis expects one of this brother’s sons from northern Iowa; he is coming through with teams. J.B. Baillet who bought the Jack Rowley farm has arrived here with his family. Mrs. Norin has been under the weather for a few days but we understand she is now better. 1901 Attica News January 10, 1901, page 8 Edgar Furry made a flying trip to Aitkin last Friday. Mrs. P. Morse visited at Dave Garlinghouse’s Sunday. Mrs. James Watson and Grace Grubb visited all the sick people Sunday. Royal Johnson has been busy the last two weeks taking care of his sick horse. M.M. Walker is very sick as is Chas. Way but we understand he is on the mend now. Ed Reynolds, Ike Cline and Geo. Garrison have gone into the woods for the rest of the winter. Sim Honnold has been laid up for a few days from having a rusty nail through his foot. I.E. Boekenoogen and J.C. Honnold are putting Charley Young’s logs in Mud Lake this week. The children on the sick list are Hazel Rodgers, Mabel Honnold, Lee Boekenoogen, Alice Reynolds, Elsa Veilitz and little George Garrison. Nate Grubb and Geo. Watson who have been in the Kilmer camp Sundayed at home, then started for a new camp out on Snake River where they expect to stay until spring. James Patterson just returned from Williston, N.D., where he has taken a homestead and put up a house. He expects to move his family early in the spring. When Jim goes, we are losing one of our good neighbors. January 31, 1901, page 8 John Winter is getting out fencing to fence his land. Ed Reynolds expects to build a house soon, on his farm south of Lone Lake. Mr. and Mrs. Will Garlinghouse expect to move soon onto their farm near Wealthwood. Kenneth Cline came home Sunday evening from the woods. He does not appear to like logging. Mrs. O. Veilitz is having bad luck with her cattle. She has already lost one fine cow and the rest are sick. O.C. Johnson is enjoying a visit from his daughter, Mrs. Vesta Warrington, accompanied by her son of Des Moines, Iowa. Those on the sick list are Mrs. Sam Brownell, Mrs. N.C. Honnold, Robert Marmon, G. Garrison, Mrs. Chas. Austin and Florence Tucker. Geo. Garrison came home from Kilmer’s camp very sick with the measles. His children have also been very sick with them but are now getting better. Mr. Lang of Rockwell City, who has bought the Kelly farm, is expected soon to start his new buildings. His family will come in the spring. Mr. Way on Spirit Lake lost both of his horses the other night. He thinks it was something in the hay that killed them; they were both in good order and fine horses. Milt Grubb has sold his farm near the creamery to S.F. Adams of Lillo, Minn. The latter gentleman has bought the creamery and expects to run it this summer. Mr. Grubb intends to move his family about the first of April to Williston, North Dakota where he intends to make his future home. February 28, 1901, page 5 I.W. Cline has returned home from the woods. Sam Rogers has sold his farm on Mud Lake and will move to Aitkin on Monday next. J.C. Honnold and Will Watson have been laid up for a few days on account of the grippe. Hazel Grubb who has been very sick is able to be about again. Nate, her brother, has also been very low for the past two months but he is now showing improvement. The Honnold children were all called to their father’s home last week on account of their mother being so very low, but we are all glad to hear she has improved a little. February 14, 1901 – page 5 I.E. Boekenoogen visited at home over Sunday. Joe Lochmann came home sick from the logging camp but is getting better. J.C. Honnold and Ed Reynolds are putting logs into Mud Lake for Mr.

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Adams. Royal Johnson and Chas. Way have gone north to look over the land near Waldeck. Wm. Grubb’s children are very sick with measles. Hildred, his four-year-old baby, died Tuesday morning at 5 o’clock, and Hazel the eight-year-old girl, is still very low. March 7, 1901, page 6 Grandpa Bailit is on the sick list. Nate Grubb is still improving slowly. Mrs. N.C. Honnold is still improving some. Dave Grindle visited at Dave and Will Garlinghouse’s Saturday. W.A. Honnold left Saturday evening for his home at Rockwell City. Annie Lochmann who has been in Aitkin all winter returned home Saturday. Robert Marmon who has been sick most of the time during the past two years was taken worse on Saturday last and died on Sunday morning at 5 o’clock. Two of his sons were at work at a camp near Kimberly and were sent for, but they did not arrive in time to see their father alive. Mr. Marmon was a veteran of the Civil War and throughout his long life, was an ardent Republican in politics. He was born in Elkhart, Indiana, June 28, 1828 and was therefore nearly 73 years of age. The funeral was held Wednesday, services being conducted by Rev. G.A. Wickwire, of Aitkin and the remains were laid to rest in Mud Lake cemetery. He was a kind husband and father and was universally respected by his neighbors. A wife and fourteen children survive. March 14, 1901, page 8 Mrs. J.S. Lee, Ed Honnold and Mrs. Will Lacey have returned to their homes at Mitchellville, Iowa after visiting relatives and friends here for a short time. Leroy Marmon accompanied Mrs. Lacey. M.J. Grubb expects to start with his family for North Dakota about the first of April. Rosa Honnold of Rockwell City, Iowa, has come to make her home with Mrs. Reynolds for the summer. The latter will teach the young the coming term in our school sessions which begin on Wednesday. Nate Grubb is still improving, a fact which we are very glad to learn. March 28, 1901, page 4 Ed Reynolds has moved from the I.E. Boekenoogen house into the S. Brownell house. M.I. Honnold has sold his farm on the west side of Lone Lake to P. Casey. M.I. will move his family into the C. Martin house until he can build on his land south of the lake. Lone Lake Sunday school will open next Sunday at two o’clock. We would like to see everyone take an interest in it. Joe Lochmann expects to leave here with his family for Dakota about the first of April. Doug Parks who has been making his home at S. Brownells'the past year, left Saturday for North Dakota for the summer. J.H. Ballett left last week for a month’s visit in Michigan. March 28, 1901, page 4 Division of Township To the Editor of the Republican th

At a town meeting on the 12 inst. A resolution to divide Nordland township and make a new township to be called 45 26 was passed unanimously and a petition to be presented to the county commissioners was signed by over fifty voters before I left the voting place and since then twenty more names have been added. The petition will be presented at the next session of the board and advocated by a committee of five composed of the following residents of the township who were present at the meeting when resolution to divide was passed: C.B. Maben, O.G. Peterson, P.J. Ecklund, F.W. Winter, and John O’Fallon. $297 was voted for roads and bridges and $297 also voted for general expense fund. All officers at the last election were selected from 46-26 in the expectation of an early division of Nordland Township and a special election to be held soon for the new township of Wealthwood. C.B. Maben April 4, 1901, page 4 I.W. Cline and family started on Wednesday for Luverne, Minn., where they expect to make their home for the summer. Our Sunday school opened last Sunday. The new officers are: Superintendent, Mrs. E.E. Reynolds; Assistant Superintendent, Mrs. Geo. Ballett; Secretary, Mrs. M.S. Honnold; Treasurer, Beverly Ballett; Bible class teacher, Mrs. Watson; Teacher of little boy’s class, Mrs. G. Ballett; Teacher of infant class, Mrs. D. Garlinghouse. J.W. Winter is boarding at S.

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Brownell’s while he is building his new house on Mud Lake. Nate Grubb is improving. He is now able to sit up most of the day, but is still weak. He is gaining strength, however. April 11, 1901, page 4 Mr. Lessler from Wisconsin who bought the James Patterson farm on the south shore of Mud Lake is here and expects his family about Saturday. Geo. Garrison while crossing Mud River Sunday with a horse, broke through the ice. He had hard work in getting his horse out alive but he thinks it will get over it, although it is quite lame and stiff from the chill. Mrs. Chas. Austin has been very sick but is improving at this writing. Geo. Ballett has been under the weather for the past week. Mrs. N.C. Honnold is able to be about again. James Patterson has changed his mind about going west. He says Aitkin county is good enough for him, so has settled down to stay. Royal Johnson and John Honnold took in the East Monday ball at Aitkin. May 21, 1901, page 4 All the farmers are busy putting in their crop. Ed Tucker and family, Chas. Austin and family, and Geo. Wood left Tuesday for White Earth, N.D., where they expect to make their homes. Geo. Ballett has his new house almost ready to move in. T.M. Honnold and Will Myers of Aitkin are spending a few days on the lake. Maywood Marmon who has been away on the drive for some time came home Saturday. Joe Lochman and family left Monday morning for North Dakota going through with a team. I. Chute and daughter, Ollie, stopped at N.C. Honnolds’ overnight Sunday. They had been to Wealthwood looking after a school. May 16, 1901, page 8 Edgar Reynolds and son returned home last Thursday from their trip to Rockwell City, Iowa. Heskett Honnold came with them. He expects to make his future home here in Aitkin county. His family will come later. R. Rodgers of Lillo, Minn. Is here this week helping S.F. Adams in making cheese. Miss Augusta Bodie who has been staying at the home of S. Adams for a few weeks left for her home at Lillo, Minn. On Sunday last. Jas. Patterson is at Aitkin this week attending court. Jim Watson who has been at Ishpeming, Mich., for the past year, returned home on Tuesday to visit for a while. June 30, 1901, page 4 Mrs. E.J. Ennis is enjoying a visit from one of her cousins from Iowa. Walter Walker who has been down with rheumatism for the past three weeks is up and around again. Mr. N.C. Honnold made a trip to Waldeck to take home his daughter, Mrs. Geo. Keath who has been visiting at home for a few days. Mr. S.F. Adams gave an ice cream supper on Saturday evening. On account of the rain there were quite a number that failed to come. The young folks had a surprise party at M.S. Honnolds on Friday evening. Ice cream and cake was served and all had a good time. Miss. P.G. Gregg of Rockwell City, Iowa is visiting her sister, Mrs. E.E. Reynolds. Mrs. Vesta Warrington of Aitkin visited at her father’s over Saturday. June 27, 1901, page 4 Mrs. Baker of Iowa who has been visiting the Ennis brothers returned to her home Tuesday. Our school will close July 3. The children have a good program for that afternoon and the teacher would like all parents to be present. The young people had a surprise on Mrs. M.W. Marmon last Thursday evening, but Mr. Marmon surprised the party by not being at home. His wife and children, however, were there and the young people say they had a good time. Geo. Balle and family, Ed Reynolds and family and Miss Phoebe Gregg Sundayed at Mille Lacs Lake. T.M. Honnold and Dan Reath of Aitkin visited N.C. Honnold Saturday evening. S. Adams has a store at the creamery where it is handy to do trading when you haven’t time to drive to town. July 18, 1901, page 5 The Marmon boys, Roy Johnson, Wm. Grubb and Jim Watson left Monday for North Dakota for harvesting. Mrs. Brown of Duluth is visiting at her father’s, Mr. Lester, for a few weeks while her husband is in North Dakota. Some of our young people attended the picnic at Peter Linder’s

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Sunday. Miss Babcock who has been visiting her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Brownell, left last week for her home in Michigan. Our farmers are busy putting up their hay. August 22, 1901, page 4 A series of revival meetings were conducted at the Malberg schoolhouse the past week and a number of young people have been converted. The interest is not only kept up but is steadily increasing as there are new converts coming out every night so far. The meetings are to be continued. Next Sunday, at 11 a.m. the meeting will be at P. Linders and at 3 p.m. conducted in English so that our American friends are all cordially invited. August 29, 1901, page 4 Revival meetings are still going on, a very good one having been held on Sunday last at Peter Linder’s. There is much interest being manifested in religious matters here lately, and the meetings have been attended with good results. Christian teaching never hurt anybody. Its tendency is to uplift, and those who are working for the advancement of Christianity are entitled to and should get a fair hearing. The workers and ministers here were much encouraged last Sunday by the attendance at the meeting of delegations from Malmo, Opstead and Eastwood. Let the good work go on. Rev. O. Dahle held meetings last Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Malberg schoolhouse. Rev. Dahle is always welcome when he comes around our way. He will hold meetings at the Jellesed schoolhouse on Sept. 22 in the forenoon and in the evening at the Malberg schoolhouse. A brother and sister of Mrs. Kittleson of Wisconsin have arrived and are looking for land. We hope they will find what they are looking for. Andrew Jellesed has begun the erection of a new house as has also Ole Kittleson. We were glad to hear the whistle on Finke Bros. Portable mill on Saturday. Settlers about here will now be able to get their lumber for building without hauling it long distances. A good road is already built to Linder Lake and the mill will start up next week. Ed Ennis and M.S. Honnold left Monday for the west with their teams to work on the railroad. Our school opening Monday, Mrs. Ed Reynolds teacher. Mrs. Geo. Keath is visiting at her father’s a few days. Miss Emma Bodie of Minneapolis visited her mother, Mrs. S. Adams, last week. Ed Reynolds lost a good horse last week by getting in a swamp. September 5, 1901, page 5 Several Iowa men are here this week looking up land. Geo. Keith and Mrs. Dan Keith and children of Aitkin spent Sunday at N.C. Honnolds’. J.C. Honnold and I.E. Boekenoogen are doing good work with their new corn cutter this week. Mrs. Ella Eichlepp and baby of Curtis, Wis., are here visiting Mrs. S.F. Adams, Mrs. E’s mother. Mrs. Kelly, her son Karl, and Miss Reynolds of Aitkin drove out to Lone Lake on Monday to look over the Kelly farm. Wm. Grubb’s little girl has been quick sick for some time, caused by a gathering on her ankle. She was taken to town on Saturday and received a surgical treatment and is now rapidly recovering. September 12, 1901, page 4 Finke Bros. Succeeded last week with a small crew of men in getting their sawmill in running order. They are turn out a stock of evenly sawed lumber. Mrs. E.P. Malberg and son Erick are here on the Malberg farm putting up hay. George Peterson of Glen is cutting for them with his mower. The dry weather has settled Mud River so that the river bottom is solid enough to drive a team over. Miss Ida Swanson fell down the cellar last week, and although she got quite a shock, she was not seriously hurt. The religious meetings at Emil Martinson’s last Sunday were very largely attended and were very helpful. A goodly number gave testimony of their conversion and others were stirred into greater Christian activity. Next Sunday the meetings will be held at J.F. Johnson’s, on section 10, Nordland. All are welcome. September 26, 1901, page 4 Rev. H. Bergman of Aitkin conducted services at P. Linder’s place Saturday evening and at Andrew Edlund’s Sunday morning before an interesting audience. Mr. Bergman has made a host of friends here through his earnest and upright work. Andrew Edlund has been clearing and

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breaking land lately. J.O. Johnson and P.J. Anderson of Eastwood are clearing land and cutting and hauling logs, preparatory to doing some building. They have returned to Eastwood. Mr. and Mrs. S. Swanson were visiting at Frank Karsen’s at Glen last Sunday. P. Linder is busy nowadays hauling lumber from the mill to his place. Mr. Albert Grant of Cambridge, a voluntary missionary who has made an extended tour up along the Mississippi River, conducted services at N.A. Linder’s Sunday evening. Mr. Grant is on his way home; he is in great earnest for the salvation of his fellow men, speaks both English and Scandinavian. Mr. Grant traveled afoot from Cambridge to Leech Lake and back. J.A. Sandberg and wife and J. Lundquist of Malmo called at P. Linder’s on their way home from the county fair, which Mr. Sandberg pronounced to be very profitable to him. Mr. Sandberg’s fame as a farmer and stockraiser and the backbone of the creamery is well known. All of the farmers that put logs into Linder Lake are busy picking them up now. Their booms “busted” during the summer. And. Lindgrath is working for Finke Bros. on their sawmill. The corn is about all cut and put into shocks. It is a very heavy crop. Ida Swanson is now at the Willard hotel, having taken the place of Maggie Malberg who has been on the sick list. The ladies who have been conducting the religious services in this neighborhood have gone to Aitkin where they will hold a series of meetings at the Baptist Bethel. Their meetings here have been much appreciated and productive of great good. October 3, 1901, page 4 Peter Linder made a flying trip to Aitkin yesterday. Dr. Kelly of Aitkin was out to Finke Bros. mill Tuesday, his visit to this locality. Mr. Tully of Aitkin is here threshing and it is unnecessary to say that he is welcome. He is the only man doing threshing in this neighborhood this fall, and we are all depending on him. Rev. Mr. Dahle preached to an interested congregation in the Jelseth schoolhouse last Sunday morning and in the evening at the Malberg schoolhouse. Mr. Dahle’s place in the affections of the people is growing larger and larger as the years pass. He is one of the few who is devoting his life to traveling about among his countrymen preaching the gospel, visiting and comforting the sick and assisting the poor. May he long be spared to continue in his missionary work. The meeting at P. Linder’s place last Sunday afternoon was the last one to be held in this vicinity this fall, as the lady evangelists who have been conducting them have taken their departure after three months’ labor. They have had many hardships, not the least of which were their contentions with flies, mud and water during the early part of their sojourn here, and in the latter part with the cold and dampness; still they were happy and took with them the best wishes of a large number of friends they made while here. They went to Minneapolis and will take a much-needed rest. Their work here during the past has been referred to in the Republican, which has our thanks. Last Sunday’s meeting was the largest that ever occurred in this section. Some of our American friends were present, for which we desire to thank them. They took part in the meeting thereby making it ever so much more interesting. Misses Thomson, teacher of the Lindstrom school; Asher of the Malberg School; Jacobson of the Clear Lake school; and Hunt of the Malmo school were also there to cheer the evangelists, and last but not least, Rev. Dahle was present and exhorted the congregated and administered the Lord’s supper. There were 250 persons present at the meeting.

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Ice-Out & Ice-Over Dates

Some Interesting Comparisons Ice Out Dates The date range spans 34 days, from March 28 (earliest) to April 30 (latest) 17 ice-outs occur within 11 days (April 16 – April 26). This is a little less than 1/3 of all ice outs occur in about 1 ½ week The earliest ice-out date was March 28, 2000 and the latest date was April 30, 1996 Ice-Over Dates The date range spans 37 days from Nov. 8 (earliest) to Dec. 14 (latest) 9 ice-overs occurred in 6 days (Nov. 27 – Dec. 2) The earliest ice-over date was November 8, 1991 and the latest date was December 20, 1998

Specific dates are located on the next two pages. We appreciate the efforts of Denise Hanson Bryant (Lot #39), Dave Scott (Lot #40), Jerry Baker (Lot #87), and Bev Mason (Lot # 48) for gathering this information on the ice over and ice out dates that span almost 30 years. Denise’s information, in turn, was taken from her dad, Ron Hanson’s, records.

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Sequential Dates Ice-Out Dates Year 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Ice-Over Dates

Date April 14 April 17 April 29 April 20 April 5 April 25 April 25 April 16 April 18 April 14 April 6 April 11 April 22 April 21 April 8 April 20 April 22 April 18 April 23 April 30 April 23 April 6 April 12 March 28 April 26 April 19 April 16 April 17 April 12

Year 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

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Date November 16 November 27 November 21 December 1 November 24 December 5 November 19 December 1 November 20 November 21 November 16 November 27 November 21 November 23 November 29 November 8 November 28 November 27 November 30 November 22 November 20 November 17 December 20 December 12 December 2 December 12 November 28 December 2 December 14

Consolidated Dates: Ice-Out Dates: 1977 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2005 Date 30 April 29 April 28 April 27 April 26 April 25 April 24 April 23 April 22 April 21 April 20 April 19 April 18 April 17 April 16 April 15 April 14 April 13 April 12 April 11 April 10 April 9 April 8 April 7 April 6 April 5 April 4 April 3 April 2 April 1 April 31 March 30 March 29 March 28 March

Ice-Over Dates: 1976 - 2004 Year

Date December 20 Dec. 14 Dec. 13 Dec. 9 Dec. 8 Dec. 7 Dec. 6 Dec. 5 Dec. 4 Dec. 3 Dec. 2 Dec. 1 Nov. 30 Nov. 29 Nov. 28 Nov. 27 Nov. 26 Nov. 25 Nov. 24 Nov. 23 Nov. 22 Nov. 21 Nov. 20 Nov. 19 Nov. 18 Nov. 17 Nov. 16 Nov. 15 Nov. 14 Nov. 13 Nov. 12 Nov. 11 Nov. 10 Nov. 9 Nov. 8

1996 1979

2001 1982, 1983 1995 1997 1989, 1993 1990 1980, 1992 2002 1985, 1994 1978, 2004 1984, 2003 1977, 1986 1999, 2005 1988

1991 1987, 1998 1981

2000

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Year 1998 2004 1998, 1999

1981

2003 1979, 1983 1994 1990 1992, 2002 1977, 1987, 1993

1980, 2000 1989 1995 1978, 1985, 1988 1984, 1996 1982 1997 1976, 1986

1991

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Lone Lake Water Levels & Water Quality Data

innesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Natural Resources -- Division of Waters has a historic water level data for Lone Lake from 1957 through 2004. During that time, the lake has varied 4.65 feet based on 314 readings through September 2004.

The highest reading of lake elevation, which is feet above sea level, was at 1265.06, which occurred on August 15, 1973.The lowest reading was on December 6, 1963, at 1260.41. The average reading is 1264.03 feet and the ordinary high water mark is at 1264.9.

Court Case From reading some old newspaper articles and minutes from the first four years of the Association, this is what seems to be the history of the channel that runs from the northwest corner of Lone Lake down an elevation drop of about fifty feet to Ripple Lake. A group of people living near the lake, with the idea to maintain a certain water level, first opened the channel around 1907. There was a drought in the 1930s and by 1936 the lake had gone down in size and the channel had dried up. During this time someone built a road to provide access to the western side of the lake. At this time there was a bridge over the channel. In 1950, there was a flood and the channel was dynamited to allow more flow of water, but this prevented access to the western side of the lake. Two years later one of the local residents replaced the road but did not install a culvert or a bridge. With the water rising every year, there was considerable loss of trees and shoreline. In addition, there was the worry of pollution to wells and sewer systems On September 4, 1971 the Lone Lake Property Owners Association was formed. One of the reasons for this was to try to find a way to maintain a desired water level. In June of 1973, the Association petitioned the Commissioner of Natural Resources for the

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authority to construct a culvert beneath the road in the approximate location of the previously constructed bridge. The permit was issued in July of 1973 and authorized the Association to install a culvert, provided the bottom of the culvert was not situated lower than the northwest outlet elevation of 1263.6 feet above sea level. This was done on August 20, 1973. On or about August 30, 1973, Elwin Johnson (a local farmer who owned the property the channel went through) constructed an earthen dike downstream from the culvert, which rendered it functionally inoperative. Upon order of the Commissioner of Department of Natural Resources to remove the dike, Mr. Johnson demanded a hearing on the order. The Commissioner scheduled a hearing and directed Mr. Johnson to open the dike during the pendency of the proceeding, which he did. A hearing was held on January 10, 1974. The Commissioner then ordered Mr. Johnson to desist from blocking the channel and to remove the remainder of the dike. Mr. Johnson filed an appeal on May 17, 1974. On November 25, 1974, an Aitkin County District Court ruling upheld the Department of Natural Resources in the case, saying the evidence showed that the channel was a natural watercourse and that this obstruction damaged private and public interests.

Lone Lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Water Quality Since 1974, Lone Lake volunteers have participated in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (MPCA) Citizen Lake Monitoring Program (CLMP) which, among other things, records Lone Lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water clarity. In recent years, the primary volunteers have been Jerry Baker, and Elmer, Sylvia, and Mathew Mazurs.

Years for which data has been collected

The volunteers use a secchi disk to measure how deep they can see into the water. The standard secchi disk is an 8-inch diameter metal plate that is painted with an alternating white-and-black pattern. The disk is lowered into the water until it disappears from view.

112

The depth at which the disk can no longer be seen is the secchi depth that is recorded. Secchi disk readings can vary by season with the clearest water generally occurring in the spring, shortly after ice-out. Beginning in May, these volunteers record secchi disk readings each week. They also provide comments about the physical condition and recreational suitability of the lake. At the end of September, the readings cease and the weekly findings are averaged to obtain the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual reading. For Lone Lake, the lowest annual reading of 13.8 secchi depth feet occurred in 1983 and the highest annual reading of 30.3 feet took place in 1988. A number of weekly readings have exceeded 30 feet and one of them exceeded 40 feet! The reading for 2004 was 24.5 feet, the highest since 1991. Lone Lake has a low algae productivity, which means it is a clean lake.

Lone Lake covers 448 acres of which 148 are classified as littoral acres. Littoral acres are defined as that portion of the lake that is less than 15 feet in depth. The littoral acres are where the majority of the aquatic plants are found and is a primary area used by young fish. This part of the lake also provides the essential spawning habitat for most warm water fishes such as bass, walleye and pan fish. On the next page is a chart of the secchi readings starting in 1974. For each month, there are also multiple secchi readings.

113

All of the following readings are found at: http://www.DNR.State.MN.US

LONE LAKE SECCHI DISK READINGS

Year

Av. Secchi Reading (ft)

Year

Av. Secchi Reading (ft)

1974

25.2

1993

22.2

1975

27.8

1994

23.0

1983

13.8

1995

22.2

1984

21.0

1996

23.8

1985

15.0

1997

22.9

1986

19.6

1998

22.5

1987

21.6

1999

22.6

1988

25.6

2000

22.8

1989

28.1

2001

24.1

1990

24.5

2002

22.4

1991

27.5

2003

22.4

1992

23.7

2004

26.1

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Year – 2004 – Weekly Readings

Date & Time of Sample

Secchi Reading

Physical Condition

Recreational Suitability

May 4, 10 a.m.

20.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

May 12, 10:30 a.m.

20.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

May 18, 10 a.m.

35.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

May 24, 11 a.m.

30.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

June 2, 10 a.m.

36.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

June 6, 11 a.m.

44.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

June 12, 11 a.m.

39.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

June 18, 9 a.m.

27.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

June 19, 10:30 a.m.

31.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

July 2, 10 a.m.

25.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

July 14, 11 a.m.

23.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

July 15, 10:30 a.m.

24.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

July 23, 10:30 a.m.

24.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

July 24, 10:30 a.m.

24.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

July 29, 10 a.m.

22.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

Aug 5, 10 a.m.

24.0

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

115

Date & Time of Sample

Secchi Reading

Physical Condition

Recreational Suitability

Aug. 14, 10:15 a.m.

21.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

Aug. 21, 10 a.m.

21.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

Sept. 3, 10:30 a.m.

18.5

Not quite crystal clear – some algae present

Very minor aesthetic problems. Excellent for swimming or boating

Sept. 16, 10 a.m.

20.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

Sept. 25, 10 a.m.

22.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

Sept. 30, 10:30 a.m.

21.5

Crystal clear water

Beautiful, could NOT be nicer

Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership Program1 Lone Lake Property Owners’ Association is one of eight partners from Aitkin and Itasca counties in the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership Program. The objective of the Program is to establish a Lake Management Plan for each partner. This plan will create a record of historic and existing conditions and influences on Lone Lake, and will identify the goals of the Lone Lake community. The plan will be revised and updated as new or better information becomes available. Author: Gay Van Slooten, Lot #35, and Roy Carlson, Lot #106, June 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Jerry Baker, and Elmer, Sylvia, and Mathew Mazurs plus various newspaper articles and minutes

For additional information on the Healthy Lakes and Partnership Program, please contact any member of the Board of Lone Lake Property Owners’ Association.

116

Loons on Lone Lake

he Minnesota Loon Monitoring Program (MLMP) is in its 12th year and is a longterm project of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Non-game Wildlife Program. The program is designed to detect changes in Minnesota’s loon population and in the health of their lake habitats, plus anticipate any problems that could jeopardize the future of our state bird.

Each year since 1994, over 1000 experienced volunteers complete loon surveys in six 100-lake “index areas.” These areas were chosen to represent the different factors that may affect loons and their habitat throughout the state. These factors include human population growth, acid rain sensitivity, densities of humans and roads, and comparing predominantly public or private land ownership.

Aitkin/Crow Wing Index Area One of the index areas is the Aitkin/Crow Wing. This area is known for rapid human population growth, high density of humans and roads, low acid rain sensitivity, and predominately private lands. A total of 109 lakes are surveyed in this area. Elaine Haberkorn has been the Lone Lake volunteer since 1994, the same year that the program started and the year that Haberkorns moved to Lone Lake. All volunteers in the six areas visit their assigned lakes during the morning hours of one day during a specified 10-day period in July. Lakes must be over 10 acres and deep enough to sustain loons.

1 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 117

• •

•

• • •

Fun Facts1

The bones of most birds are hollow and light, but loons have solid bones The extra weight helps them dive as deep as 250 feet to search for food. They can stay underwater for up to five minutes Because their bodies are heavy relative to their wing size, loons need a 100- to 600-foot “runway” in order to take off from a lake Loons can fly more than 75 miles per hour The red in the loon’s eye helps it to see under water Scientists think loons can live for 30 years or more

Survey methods can vary widely and often are dependent on the size of the lake. Some volunteers use boats or canoes while others can conduct their surveys from the shore. Binoculars are often used as well. The MLMP staff standardizes methods by providing guidelines to every volunteer. Volunteers are also asked to report on other factors such as weather conditions. Completed surveys are returned to the MLMP for compilation and analysis. It’s important to understand that on the morning of the count, only those loons that are seen on the lake that morning are counted. For example, “I live on Lone Lake and know how many adults and chicks have been around all spring and summer. However, loons have parties (check out 1996!) and often fly off to visit neighboring lakes.” In order to get an accurate count across the entire Index Area, volunteers are trained only to record the number of loons they observe that day, regardless of what is seen every day on the lake.

Results from the 1994 – 2004 Here are the results from Elaine’s surveys from 1994 – 2004:

Year

Adults

Chicks

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Overall 1994-2004 results show that Minnesota’s loon population in the six areas is remaining stable. The Aitkin/Crow Wing area has the second highest loon abundance among the area. Loon abundance for adult loons has ranged between 2.2 and 2.7 in the past 11 years and there has not been any significant change during the MLMP. The ratio

1 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 118

of juvenile loons per every two adults has ranged from 0.32 to 0.56, which means no significant change. The percent of lakes in the Aitkin/Crow Wing area with any adult loons has ranged from 69 percent to 81 percent during the MLMP, also with no significant change. For the Aitkin/Crow Wing index area, there are three interesting points: 1. There has been a small, significant increase in the total number of juvenile loons within the area 2. The percent of developed shoreline and human population density have a positive relationship with the presence of loons. It appears that loons and people are attracted to the same type of lakes in this Index Area. 3. Larger lakes and longer shoreline are associated with more loons in this area. In summary, the loon populations in all six areas are remaining stable. This is good news for all of us who recognize and enjoy our state bird as an integral part of our lake ecosystems. The MLMP will continue to monitor loons in the future and Elaine also plans to continue as a volunteer in this worthwhile program.

Author: Elaine Haberkorn, Lot #157, April 2005 Thank you to the Information Sources: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

1 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 119

1 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 120

Overview

Aitkin County

itkin County was named for William Alexander Aitkin, a fur trader with the Ojibwe. Established on May 23, 1857, the County wasn’t organized until July 30, 1872.2

According to the WPA Inventory of the County Archives of Minnesota, the legislation that created Aitkin County placed the county seat at Lankiagun, which was an Indian village near the mouth of Ripple Creek (Mud River). In 1871, the Legislature used the name Aitkin in designating that site as the county seat. The boundaries of the created county were shifted a number of times prior to the organization but the organized county was almost the same as the present county with the exception of a few irregular acres where the Mississippi River follows a wandering course. Adjustments concerning these acres were made in 1887 and 1917.3 Nordland Township was organized on March 21, 1885. The majority of the other Aitkin townships were organized after Nordland.

Lone Lake According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 1992, “Lone Lake, in sections 29 and 30 of Nordland Township, has no visible outlet but probably supplies the 1

Information sources are the Internet pages of the Minnesota Historical Society, Aitkin County Historical Society, History of the Upper Mississippi Valley, and Commissioners’ Record.

“Organized” meant that an infrastructure was established, for example, a Board of Commissioners had been appointed, as were a justice of the peace and the treasurer. Later on, 2 the Board was elected.

History of the Upper Mississippi Valley, page 656; Commissioners’ Record, A, 1-4.

121

water of large chalybeate springs that issue near the middle of the south side of Mud (Ripple) Lake. The lake area (in acres) is 448, the maximum depth in feet is 60, and the water clarity in feet is 25.8.”4

William Aitkin William Aitkin' s name is properly spelled with an "e," although in a letter written in 1898 to the Minnesota Historical Society from his son, Roger, it was always spelled with an "i." The name was changed to its present spelling in 1872 by an act of the Legislature. Aitkin was born in Scotland, most likely in the mid 1780s, came from Edinburgh to America in his boyhood, and in about 1802 came to the Northwest. In 1831, he took charge of the Fond du Lac department of the American Fur Company, under John Jacob Astor, with headquarters at Sandy Lake in this county. According to the St. Paul Pioneer dated October 9, 1851, Aitkin died “September 16, 1851 at the residence of Rev. J. Henderson in Benton County, aged 66 years.” He is buried on the east bank of the Mississippi, opposite the mouth of the Swan River in Morrison County. William married several times. His wife, Madeline Ermatinger (Payshahquodoquay or Striped-Cloud) was a daughter of Charles Oakes Ermatinger and Charlotte Kalawabide. His second wife was Gingioncumigoke. Some of his children were: Alfred, John, Matilda, Roger, Nancy, Elizabeth, Ann, Julia E., Salina, Robert, Amanda, Sarah J., Childe, Isabel, Henry and Edgar. In the 1850 census in the Sauk Rapids district, Aitkin is listed at age 58, is a farmer, and has eight children ranging from Roger, age 23 to Childe, 4; and Edgar, age three months.

Early Occupations In 1875, the primary occupations in Aitkin County were the railroad and logging operations. In 1880, the population increased slightly to 366. Inhabitants were located mostly in Aitkin or along the farms located on the Mississippi. The growth years started in the mid 1880s when Scandinavian farmers started coming into Aitkin. During the two decades of 1900 to 1920, the Scandinavian population more than doubled. The next information is taken from the federal government census starting in 1860 and going through 2000. Since the 1920s, the population has hovered about 15,000 with the high year occurring in 1940. 4

Information from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1995. Survey Date: June 12,1995, Inventory Number: 01-0125-00

122

Year

Total

Males

Population

Females

1860

1870

178

1880

366

263

103

1890

2,462

1,431

1,031

1900

6,743

3,872

2,871

1910

10,371

5,781

4,590

1920

15,043

8,231

6,812

1930

15,009

8,124

6,885

1940

17,865

9,693

8,172

1950

14,327

7,608

6,719

1960

12,162

6,367

5,795

1970

11,403

5,770

5,633

1980

13,404

6,711

6,693

1990

12,425

6,164

6,261

2000

15,301

7,712

7,589

Author: Mary Hoeve, Lot #118, November 2004

123

124

Lone Lake Property Owners’ Association

n the next several pages is information about the Lone Lake Property Owners’ Association including:

• Host families for the Annual Meeting and Potluck – 1971- 2004 • Important events from 1994 through 2004 • LLPOA Board Members – 1994 – 2004 • Annual Meeting guest speakers

Author: Mary Hoeve, Lot #118, June 2005 Many Thank You’s to: Dianne Weisser who compiled all of the information.

125

LLPOA Annual Meeting/Potluck Picnic Host Families Year

Host Family

1971

John Daly

1972

John Daly

1973

John Daly

1974

John Daly

1975

John Daly

1976

Berg??

1977

Jeanette Bode

1978

Jeanette Bode

1979

Jim and Joy Stuart

1980

Al and Joyce Berg

1981

Russ and Jane Johnson

1982

Jerry and Edna Baker

1983

Dwaine and Marilyn Boucher

1984

Russ and Jane Johnson

1985

Gary and Carol Meinke

1986

Jerry and Edna Baker

1987

Russ and Jane Johnson

1988

John and Elaine Palthe

1989

Gary and Carol Meinke/ Tom and Jean Henderson

1990

Lester and Dianna Kachinske

1991

Rob and Cleo Siverson

1992

Max and Lucy Sanford, Sr.

1993

Walt and Dianne Weisser

1994

Don and Pat Jensen

1995

Maude Klingelhofer

1996

Walt and Dianne Weisser

1997

Walt and Dianne Weisser

1998

Walt and Dianne Weisser

1999

Andy Rozenthals

126

Host Families (continued) Year

Host Family

2000

Maude Klingelhofer

2001

Walt and Dianne Weisser

2002

Troy and Jill Hallstrom

2003

Gary and Carol Meinke

2004

Maude and Marv Wier

2005

Gary and Carol Meinke

2006

Larry and Deana Mashuga (tentative)

127

LLPOA IMPORTANT EVENTS – 1991 - 2004 1991

Loon Nest constructed and placed in the northwest bay (Honnold’s Bay) of Lone Lake

1992

69 paid members Erected watermilfoil sign at public access Designed Lake map and roster Discontinued door prizes at Annual Meeting and Picnic Jerry Baker began monitoring water clarity, lake levels, rainfall and surface temps. Jerry keeps data on his home computer

1993

93 paid members Designed LLPOA logo Erected enclosed sign box at the public access Held 1st Annual 4th of July Boat Parade Offered silk-screened LLPOA garments Membership approves increase of dues from $10 to $15 Secretary/treasurer position is divided New By-Laws & Articles of Incorporation were adopted as a result of incorporation October 26 – approved LLPOA for “Adopt a Highway Program”

1994

117 paid members May 11 -- filed for non- profit status May 21 -- first road clean up Elaine Haberkorn volunteers to participate in Loon Watch Maude Wier begins working on the history of Lone Lake LLPOA is given a copy of “Big Sandy History” Edna Baker, treasurer, secures a post office box (#15) July – LLPOA receives non-profit status for May 1993 -1997 LLPOA embroidered clothing added to garment sales Membership approves $150 donation to 1st Responders Membership approves 3-yr. term – Director A and 2 yr. term – Director B Painted the watermilfoil sign at public access

128

LLPOA Important Events (continued)

1995

125 paid members Soil & Water Conservation Dept. water monitoring completed Yearly post office box rates increases to $40 Membership approves $15 donation to 1st Responders

1996

125 paid members Floatable LLPOA key chains given with each paid membership Jerry Baker participated in “Citizens Lake Monitoring Program” funded by MN Pollution Control Agency, 645 participating lakes Lone Lake ranked as 5th clearest lake $150 donation to 1st Responders Cleaned culvert plugged by beavers Aug. 24 – 1st Pig Roast at Don and Pat Jensen

1997

122 paid members Jerry Baker awarded a certificate from MPCA for his contribution to the Water Quality Monitoring Program $150 donation to 1st Responders $53 donation to Rivers and Lakes Fair Aug. 2 -- 2nd Annual Pig Roast at Jensens

1998

98 paid members LLPOA granted continued non-profit status $150 donation to 1st Responders $50 donation to Rivers and Lakes Fair Aug. 8 – 3rd Annual Pig Roast at Jensens Troy Hallstrom appointed as secretary 2 beavers trapped Loon nest repaired

129

LLPOA Important Events (continued)

1999

108 paid members Discontinued P.O. box County Roads 39 & 81 upgraded and paved Awarded 1999 Conservation Cooperator Award by Soil and Water 3 beavers trapped Beach restoration project completed $150 donation to 1st Responders $50 donation to Rivers and Lakes Fair Aug. 21 -- 4th Annual Pig Roast at Gerry and Marty Gilmer Larry Mashuga obtained permanent Road Clean Up signs

2000

113 paid members 1 beaver trapped $150 donation to 1st responders $50 donation to Rivers and Lakes Fair Installed “dry hydrant” in Ripple River Max Sanford builds 2 new loon boxes Aug. 19 – 5th Annual Pig Roast at Jerry and Barb Higgins

2001

103 paid members $150 donation to 1st Responders $50 donation to Rivers and Lakes Fair Loons produced two offspring on loon nest box in Humphreys’ area. No nest on Honnold’s Bay nesting box Trapped 3 beavers ($75) Problems all summer with nuisance beavers Wet spring with very high water all summer Conducted and published Lake Membership Survey Aug. 25 - 6th Annual Pig Roast at Higgins Applied and received $3,000 in grant monies from the Aitkin County Water Planning Task Force for 2nd phase of beach improvements. Total project cost $5,000 Aitkin County. implemented new addresses for the enhanced 911 system Edna Baker was winner of Loon Print presented to LLPOA. Monies from raffle were donated to the Aitkin Hospital Fund Applied for $880 in grant monies from Mille Lacs Community Trust. Awarded $1500 to be used for beach maintenance

130

LLPOA Important Events (continued)

Parks Department entered into a partnership with the LLPOA, ACWPTF to accept the public swim beach into the Parks system, effective in 2002, and will budget maintenance expenses effective 2003 Oct. 19 - The LLPOA Board rejoined the MN Lakes Association

2002

111 2/3 Paid Members April 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ice out Beach project completed Reinstated membership drive Paid MLA $100 Steve Frazier/Lee Poppe built 3 signs for LLPOA events $150 donation to 1st Responders $100 donation to Rivers and Lakes Fair Maureen Sanford repainted watermilfoil sign at public access Jerry Baker receives KNR award for years of service in recording lake levels, clarity, rainfall and other environmental records Instituted saying Grace prior to beginning the Annual Meeting/ Potluck Roland and Betty Zacharias win the Wildlife Photo Contest for their picture of loons on Lone Lake 6 beavers trapped Surveyed members; published results 7th Annual Pig Roast moved from Wiers to Weissers due to inclement weather Established a website and email address for the LLPOA New revised LLPOA Bylaws are approved by LLPOA Membership Sept. 21 - held 1st Annual Bonfire at Brian & Molly Baker. Highway department installed water control device at Pat and Don Jensen, Lot # 93, to control run-off from north side of County Road 39 Oct. 15 - County Board approves John Welleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s request for maintenance on County Ditch #2, which controls the water level of Lone Lake Oct. 19 - County cleans Ditch #2

131

LLPOA Important Events (continued)

2003

110 Members Paid April 16 - Ice Outh May 13 - 2003 Dedication Ceremony of Swim Beach into Aitkin County Parks Department $250 donation to 1st Responders Established a dedicated Eurasian Watermilfoil Fund Include a check-off box for donations on future Membership Dues Form May 24 Memorial Weekend - begin Public Access Monitoring Program First Once Upon Lone Lake History article appears in May Newsletter June 14th Training Session for 16 LLOPA Watermilfoil Zone Teams Members Edna Baker steps down after 15 years as LLPOA Treasurer. Presented with plaque and honored at June 21st Annual Meeting & Picnic Karen Frazier appointed Treasurer 2nd Annual Photo Contest winner Karen Frazier 2 Baby Loon Chicks hatched. Nested on Humphreys’ box July 1 - Voluntary No Wake Zone implemented to combat shoreline erosion Several beavers trapped over winter Aug. 2 - Pig Roast held in Wiers’ barn October - County Road 28 (Ditch Bank Road) resurfaced October 4 - Ditch Clean-Up Received Commendation certificate from the Highway Dept. for LLPOA’s years of service in the Adopt a Highway road clean-up program December 2 - Ice On Date

132

2004

100 Members Paid $150 donation to So. Aitkin County First Responders April 17 - Ice Off Late May clarity level at 36 feet Lake down 11 inches from last year LLPOA secures a post office box,( #10) Larry Mashuga secures new Clean-Up signage $100 donation to the Rivers & Lakes Fair Jerry Baker participates in Citizens Lake Monitoring Program Satellite enclosure at Swim Beach built with remaining Community Trust Fund monies New Ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Packet Available Walt Weisser retires from Board after 12 years. Dianne Weisser steps down as Secretary after 8 years. Both are presented and honored with plaques at the June 26th Annual Meeting Bylaws amended and approved changing all Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terms to 3 yrs. No longer A & B Director positions Sandi Poppe appointed Secretary Karen Frazier agreed to continue as Treasurer No loon chicks born.. Eggs removed and given to the DNR Mary Hoeve agrees to head History Committee

133

LLPOA Board of Directors

July 1994

July 1995

July 1996

July 1997

July 1998

July 1999

Walt Weisser, Chair Maureen White Fred Hasskamp Don Jensen Dave Scott

July 2000

Walt Weisser, Chair Maureen White Fred Hasskamp Don Jensen Dave Scott

July 2001

Walt Weisser, Chair Maureen White Fred Hasskamp Don Jensen Jim Kroening

July 2002

Walt Weisser, Chair Maureen White Jim Kroening Jerry Nelson Pat Humphreys

July 2003

Brian Smeltzer Jerry Higgins Jim Kroening, Chair Pat Humphreys Jerry Nelson

July 2004

Walt Weisser Jerry Higgins Jerry Nelson Pat Humphreys Jim Kroening, Chair

July 2005

134

Walt Weisser Jerry Higgins Jerry Nelson Pat Humphreys Jim Kroening, Chair Walt Weisser Steve Frazier, Chair Jerry Nelson Elaine Haberkorn Leroy Poppe Walt Weisser Steve Frazier, Chair Jerry Nelson Elaine Haberkorn Leroy Poppe Steve Frazier, Chair Walt Weisser Roy Carlson Dave Scott Leroy Poppe Steve Frazier, Chair Mary Hoeve Roy Carlson Dave Scott Leroy Poppe

LLPOA Annual Meeting/Picnic Guest Speakers Year/Date

Name

Topic

July 25, 1992

Harold Dziuk, VP, Big Sandy Lakes The Importance and Role of Association, President of Aitkin County a Lake Association Lakes Association (ACLA), and Board member of Minnesota Lakes Association, (MLA).

July 17, 1993

Kathy Galliger, County Commissioner,

Q&A

Bob Barkaloo, Water Patrol with Aitkin County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dept. July 16, 1994

Kirt Schubert, Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, Northland College, Ashland, Wisconsin

Loons

July 15, 1995

Nancy Pope, Raptor Center, University of Minnesota, Mpls.

Birds of Prey

July 13, 1996

Peggy Callahan, Wildlife Science Ctr., Carlos Avery, Forest Lk., MN

Wolves

July 12, 1997

Dick Anderson with the Fergus Falls Dept. of Natural Resources

Black Bears

July 11, 1998

Joe Fellegy, Local Historian, Fishing Guide, Author and Writer

Mille Lacs Lake Issues

June 24, 1999

Richard Keyser and Christopher Fredrickson, Aitkin County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department

Boating Regulations and Related Issues

July 28, 2000

Steve Hughes, Aitkin County Soil & Water

Lakeshore Regulation Issues

July 28, 2001

Pam Perry, DNR Non-game Wildlife

Loons

Dennis Landborg, Aitkin County Sheriff

Neighborhood Watch & Operation I.D.

June 22, 2002

Warren Nelson

Presentation & Slides of Birds

June 21, 2003

Jim Ravis, Master Gardener

Presentation & Slide Show on Lakescaping

June 26, 2004

Rich Rezanka of the DNR

Presentation & Slide Show on Harmful Exotics

135

136

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104

mE NUMBERS REPRESENT APPROXIMATE LOCATIONS OF CURRENT PROPERTY OWNERS INCLUDING 11I05E WITH DEEDED ACCESS. AS NEW NUMBERS ARE NEEDED, mEY WILL BE GIVEN A LETIER SUFFIX. FOR INSTANCE, IF A LOT WERE PLOTIED BETWEEN NUMBERS 9 AND 10, IT WOULD BECOME 9A. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED TO SUPPLY CORRECTIONS, UPDATES AND ADDITIONS. PLEASE CALL THE ASSN. SECRETARY FOR CHANGES.

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LONE LAKE 527 acres

AITKIN CO., MN.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 6.1 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Kosloski Weisser Hill Axiotis Johnson Olson Olson Lundeen Carlson Benda Malmgren Meinert Rowe Eliason Johnson Grendahl Ding./Miller Koski Lillehei Hoffman Houser Palthe Greffin Rogneby Sundell Nelson Sauerbrey Hawkinson Christiansen Lattery Mikes Bester Burgmeier Gerads Chappell VanSlooten Dufresne Wilkinson

38 39 40 41 42 43 45 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 62 62 62 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 69 69

69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 81.1 82 83 84 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104

Thomas Anderson Alexander Wallace Hill Davies Sachse Hanson Johnson Eull Higgins Martz Meinke Baker Thompson Backstrom Kniefel Martinson Schultz Moberg Baker Hallstrom Smith Preiner Paulbeck VanSlooten Jensen Perrozzi Liepa Saxe Mevissen Williams Petrik Hanson Wagenknecht Pec Heaser Ott 134 135 135 136 137 138 139

133.1 133.1

114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 133

113.1

105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113

Carlson Roti Gilmer Kics Bragelman Frazier Schlagel Bulut Kimmel Lawson/Sporl. Szymanski Peterson Lane Hoeve Ott Sarracco Feesl Wier Sanford Honnold Carlson Wilke Vinje Peterson Hover Collette Wilke Stanley Theiler Theiler Rued Ward Warren Zacharias Bowman Poppe Schlagel 163

161.1

145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161

144.1

144

143.1

140 141 142 143

Lone Lake Residents by Lot Number as of June 21, 2005

Hawkinson Bryant Scott Ekstrand Rotsch White Ogrins Ogrins Carlson Peterson Mason Mashuga Eglitis Porietis Mazurs Linde Ksilander Lucs Haar Swanson Olson Cook/O'Neil Volkman Hillman Erkel/Johnson Klingelhofer Paulbeck Skatt Wiederholt Zimmerman Tremmel Hanson Ansari Grev Gmac/Mann Grulke Kennedy Rathbun Pearson Hasskamp Hasskamp Hermanson Hasskamp Loreno Ziebarth Kisch, Jr. Kisch Humphreys Miles Nelson Thurmer Evans Hjort Jindra Lund Huber Soliday Misko Haberkorn Voelker Fox Swanson Lamm/Prichard Sauerbrey Morgan