Chapter 56
-- Compiled by the Cumberland Women's Club
and Published by the Cumberland Advocate
1874-1974
(used by permission of the Cumberland Advocate)
Donated by Linda Mott
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Summer Cottages and Resorts
Cumberland's history would be incomplete without mentioning the cottages and homes on the lake. In the early 1900s there were only cottages for summer use around the lake. The Millers, Hineses and Huntingtons all had summer cottages of their own. The W.C. Jefferys had a houseboat that was located where Biro's resort is now. It was here they spent their honeymoon.
It was about this time that W.G. and A.H. Miller distributed a booklet entitled "Vacation Days" describing the simple and peaceful life that could be spent on the lakeshore in the summertime. It also pointed out the easy access to their cottages on Sunset Point from the Twin Cities.
Their cottages were described as having a living room, two bedrooms, kitchen, pantry and a front porch fully screened. A good well was on the premises and ice was available from the ice house on the grounds. Area farmers would deliver fresh milk, eggs, cream and vegetables to the cottages.
Vacationers were transported from Cumberland to the cottages, via a boat, the only means of transportation to the cottages. Rental fees were $10.00 a week.
T.O. Mason and his wife, Grace, built a large two story cottage which became the focal point for a number of summer visitors from the Twin City area.
Huser's Grove on the north shore was the scene of the annual Methodist Sunday School picnic.
Ernie Miller's dance pavilion, also on the north shore, was the center of community and private summer dances.
W.C. Jeffery built cottages from the present Sam's Corner to the Jirsa home. They were occupied all summer, usually by the Sponobles from Manistee, Michigan, Mrs. M.E. Dunham and children, Boyd, Ruth and Dot from St. Louis; the Frank Bruelhides. The Rogers and Spears family from the Twin Cities also spent their summers here. Frank Bruelhide was a published bridge expert.
Huntingtons also built about 20 cottages on the north shore. These were generally rented to clergymen. Other places around the lake included Ernie Miller's cottages, the Miller farm at the head of the lake, and the Hines and Miller cottages in that area.
Idlewild was built by Frank Olcott and was later owned by Emil Kokes, Cicero, Illinois, who was a friend of Chicago's Mayor Cermak. It was later purchased by Frank Roman and turned into a resort. A group from Clinton, Iowa, including the Boegles, built a few cottages on the edge of Huser's Grove and spent each summer there.
It was in these early years that "camping" or "cottaging" became a way of life, not only for people from the Twin Cities who responded to the lure of "getting away from it all" but for the townspeople of Cumberland as well.
Everyone remembers the trips to the pump and the return with two brimming buckets. After dark it was always wise to be equipped with a flashlight, whether on a trip to the privy or to visit a neighbor so that a wandering skunk could be spotted first, rather than vice versa.
The water front was the center of activity from early morning, when sturdy souls took a quick wake-me-up swim, to early evening fishing on the quiet waters. There were evening bonfires on the shore for toasting marshmallows and group singing. Moonlight nights brought out the canoes and boats, manpowered, and the call of the loon was heard over the water.
The weeks were leisurely and the whole area had the atmosphere of a big family reunion. The colony consisted mostly of women and children during the week for many of the men commuted from the Cities for weekends.
Housework was kept at a minimum, consisting mostly of sweeping the tracked in sand. The children all had "pump duty" and lucky were the ones whose cottage was near the well so that the heavy pails of water did not have to be carried far.
Through the week when the berries were in season a berrying expedition was formed. Two or three carloads of women, children and picnic baskets drove to a good area for berries and spent the day. The whole lake front was scented with the fruits of their labors and the next morning pies were baked.
The ladies of the colony were great for fancy work on someone's screened porch in the afternoon while the children swam, played tennis, or roamed from one cottage to another in search of adventure. One of their favorite pastimes was roaming the shore to catch frogs. Some of the men were always ready to pay a nickel for a nice fresh frog for their evening fishing.
The sandy beach and tennis court were main points of interest. Both belonged to Mr. Mason, but he was very generous and offered their use to everyone. In the later afternoon when the men came home there were many hard fought matches. These occurred throughout the summer.
The children copied the idea and held their own all summer tournament. They were required only to keep the court rolled off and to be off the court when the adults were ready to play. Then they became quiet onlookers.
There were many corn roasts during the late summer with one large fire for the whole area. There was always a sing afterwards around the fire. The Cole family and their relatives were usually there. They all had beautiful voices.
One haunting memory is a leaping fire surrounded by singing adults. "Juanita" seems to be the song that they always sang in harmony while the children drowsily snuggled up to their favorite for-the-minute adult.
Ernie Miller and Zean Douglas were among the first to have year round homes on the lake. The early 1940s saw the change from summer homes to year round homes. Curt George built where once had been Huser's Grove. As this area opened up more and more lots were changed from woods and summer cottages to lovely year round homes.
There are two resorts still in operation at the present time, Biro's and Holstein's. Camp Brigadoon, which at various times has been a boys' camp, a boys' and girls' camp, and a private home, is now a campground owned by Jim King.
The summer only homes that remain around the lake are now all privately owned and the era of the "cottager" in the old sense, is over.
Billie
Dunham Young
to City
Hall--Nostalgia and Now--1874-1974
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