The Wallooner
4
Walloon Stories Submitted by Lauren Macintyre
Along the North Shore...
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ith its proximity to the Village, golden sand and wonderful swimming beaches, it is no surprise that Walloon’s beautiful North Shore Drive was once home to some of the lake’s oldest hotels, resorts and cottages. Fern Cottage, Mizer’s Hotel and The Pines Hotel were just a few of the hotels on the North Shore, and of course, in the Village were the New Walloon, Sunset Lodge and others. Today most of the hotels and resorts are gone, but many of the lovely old cottages still remain, some of them owned by the same families for multiple generations. Martha Link Wiles Krimendahl’s parents, for example, bought their beautiful cottage in 1942, after initially spending vacations in Bay View. The Wiles house was originally the site of The Pines, a popular hotel in the early 1900’s. Besides its beautiful houses, the North Shore is also known for the picturesque path that passes in front of the houses all the way to the Village, which one can still walk today. “We all walked along that path,” noted Link Krimendahl. “It was a way to socialize, to say hello to everyone.” The path varies according to the terrain: at times it is smooth and flat; in other places it is steep and rocky. Of course, the steeper the path is, the higher the houses above the lake, and the more likely you are to see a unique Walloon phenomenon: the tiny trams that ran from the houses down to the path, or all the way down to the lake, enabling the residents to get down to the lakefront more easily. Barnie Bishop remembers seeing her neighbors’ tram back in the 50’s; later she and her husband bought that property and added another tram from the cottage down to the dock. “Children would walk by and were just fascinated with the whole scenario!” she recalls. The family of Lucia Scully Oelz came to Walloon in the early 1930’s, first renting the Mohler Cottage then building their own on four lakefront lots. North Shore Drive was originally just feet from their garage, but when the Corps of Engineers came through in the late 30’s, they were persuaded to move the road to the back lots farther from the lake. Other cottages were built on the side streets just off North Shore. The McIlwraiths, for example, an old Walloon family, sold their Country Club Shores property and bought two cottages and most of the woods on Third Street, Jean McIlwraith Tebay recalls. Jean’s father, John McIlwraith made their family’s beautiful little log cabin available to executives of his company, thereby introducing many other families to Walloon. The log cabin still exists today on Third Street and is largely unchanged.
And into the Village...
The Walloon Village in the 1950’s — the old General Store can be seen on the left, as well as the little “pointy roofed” building which served as the post office and later as a shop. The old General Store was destroyed in a fire and replaced; the pointy roofed building was moved and is now privately owned.
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nd when Wallooners walked that beautiful North Shore path, they were often headed for one place: the Village at the Foot. Today we know the Village as a vibrant food and entertainment center, with beautiful shops and restaurants, and a charming boutique hotel. Just imagine it over a hundred years ago, when it was equally vibrant, with multiple hotels, a train depot, a bath house, several shops, dance halls and even a bowling alley. But in between those years the Village businesses experienced some good times and some not so good, as people’s tastes and the economy changed. Throughout the years, though, the Village has always remained the hub of life on the lake. For young Wallooners spending all or part of their summers at the lake in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s — the “glory days” of the Village — life at the Foot was wonderful. Whether it was running on the beach, swinging in the park, watching sailboats racing or getting treats at the General Store, the Village was the place to be. The names of the old businesses at the Foot during that time period are legendary: The General Store. Renwick’s. Master’s Boatworks. Si’s Marina. Brower’s Grocery. The Sail Inn. Shepherd’s Soda Fountain. Betty’s Klothes Kloset. The Keyhole Snack Shop. The Inch and Foot. The Silver Birch Inn. The Bait Shop. The Rock Shop. And just around the corner, the Pied Piper Roller Skating Rink, beloved of teenaged Wallooners. The Walloon Post Office has always been one of the centers of social activity at the Foot. “We would always congregate around the post office,” noted Link Krimendahl. “Because that was where we were sure to see everybody in the morning.” (Continued next page.)
