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GUITAR GLORY: Music enthusiast touched by donations PAGE 8A
From Roger’s Field to Benson Airport BY DEBRA NEUTKENS EDITOR
The Benson name goes way back — long before there was a concept of a little airport on the hill in White Bear Township. The family’s story is an interesting one, starting with the patriarch, Frederick W. Benson, who settled in White Bear Lake in 1881. Quite the entrepreneur, F.W. built — then sold — the Chateaugay Hotel several times over the course of the decade, advertising it as the “Finest Place at the Lake” in an 1892 Lake Breeze ad. “We talk about the Chateaugay a lot,” said Sara Markoe Hanson, executive director of the White Bear Area Historical Society. It sat on the corner of Second Street and Lake Avenue next to a second hotel and drew tourists from all walks of life. The two could accommodate more than 500 people. “It wasn’t unusual back then to have property revert back to the owner,” Hanson noted, “especially with some of the economic panics that occurred
in the late 1880s.” Benson sold out of the White Bear Lake property by 1895 and began focusing on Bald Eagle Lake, opening a resort he called Hotel Benson. “When they became invested in the Bald Eagle area, they started buying land. The land straight west from the airport was all part of the Benson Farm and it was a fairly significant chunk,” recalled Hanson, who gave a presentation on the Bensons at the White Bear Lake library last month. Frederick and his wife Mary married in 1875 and had two sons, Herman and Caleb. Both boys married sisters; Herman married Frances in 1906 and Caleb married Ellen in 1917. All stayed in the Bald Eagle area. Herman and Frances had seven children, including Roger and John Benson, the youngest. Roger was born in 1916 — he would have turned 100 on March 30 — and graduated from White Bear Lake High School in 1933. In the historical society presentation “From Roger’s Field
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WWII pilot Roger Benson is pictured in this vintage photo with its original border. Benson, who graduated from White Bear Lake High School in 1933, learned to fly on a grass strip located on his family’s farm next to Bald Eagle Lake.
to Benson Airport,” Hanson portrayed Roger as a man who loved to fly. “He was a grown man when WWII broke out. Roger was not obligated to enlist but felt he
had a skill to bring to the war,” she said. “He was a trained pilot who felt he could make a difference in the war effort.” Roger joined the Army Air Corps and was sent to the Pa-
cific. He died of burns Nov. 8, 1944 suffered when his transport plane was hit by enemy fire and burst into flames upon SEE BENSON FAMILY, PAGE 9A
Post session: Lake augmentation not dead in the water Funding in Legacy Bill keeps several White Bear projects alive BY DEBRA NEUTKENS EDITOR
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
The Admiral is now docked in front of Admiral D’s restaurant and marina. Its shallow draft permits the boat access to Commercial Bay, one of the lowest spots on White Bear Lake. Water level is currently about 922 feet; up about 3 feet from its low point three years ago.
ST. PAUL — White Bear Lake’s water level woes were not completely ignored this legislative session. The millions requested in a bonding bill did not pass, but one proposal did get Legacy funds, avoiding a shutout when it came to the lake. Money was appropriated through the Clean Water Fund for three augmentation design-build proposals, an amendment introduced on the floor by Rep. Matt Dean. What it means is next year the Department of Natural
Resources commissioner will receive $150,000 to obtain design-build proposals from three qualified entities. The proposals must address increasing the water level in White Bear Lake by piping water from Vadnais Lake. The design work must ensure that the water in both lakes remains as clean and clear as before augmentation. The design work must ensure the project does not allow the spread of any invasive species or increase phosphorus levels. The language also included a statement that no detailed design or construction for augmentation may be undertaken
by the DNR until the commissioner, the city of Vadnais Heights, the White Bear Lake Conservation District, Met Council and any other communities, agencies or entities involved in the White Bear Lake project enter an agreement as to how the project will proceed. There were other caveats as well: The city of Vadnais Heights will not lose its ability to develop lands near Vadnais Lake, the city will be consulted regarding all aspects of the siting of any water filtration or treatment facility; and the city SEE AUGMENTATION, PAGE 9A
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