People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1895 — At Wisconsin's Matchless Lakes. [ARTICLE]

At Wisconsin's Matchless Lakes.

The praises of Jasper county were fitly sung last week by a party of about twenty Rensselaer merrymakers on the banks of beautiful Phantom lake, near Mukwonago, Wis. They left here the morning of the 11th, cyclone Sunday, going by rail to Chicago, thirteen of the number taking their wheels with them. The day was spent in sightseeing there in the parks and art

galleries and in pedaling over the miles of superb boulevards. A Goodrich lake steamer con veyed the paity to Milwaukee Sunday night, and the next morning after some delay the wheeling contingent started for Waukesha, a distance of eighteen miles, the balance of the company following by rail at a later hour. It was a late dinner the wheelers sat down to in the far : famed city of mineral springs, and with scarcely an opportunity to see its magnificent spring parks, hotels and residences, where aristocracy’s bluest blood is enteitained each year, the party started again for Muk wonago. It is quite fourteen miles from Waukesha by wagon road to Idlewile park, the popular camping resort near that place, where the party was to remain for their short outing, and it was long after dark before the last hungry traveler arrived, a puncture in one of the wheels causing an agravating delay. Landlord E. YV. Chafin had prepared material for a huge campfire, around which his guests, to the number of fifty or more, were assembled to enjoy the grandest entertainment* fertile brain could suggest, made doubly successful by the willing co-operation of all. The campfire feature, together with the warm hospitality and wealth of royal good humor of the landlord, were sufficient alone to cap tivate the hearts of the Indiana visitors. Tuesday and Wednes day were spent in reveling in the beauties that nature has lavished upon Phantom lake and its surroundings. Some visited the neighboring lakes and springs so numerous and grand all oversouthern Wisconsin. Phantom lake is one of a chain of lakes that extend for miles, all famous for fishing, boating, bathing and camping, surrounded by summer hotels and residences. The water of these lakes is of transparent clearness, with gravel bottoms and pebbly shores. Idlewile is a pretty horseshoeshaped park of gentle undulations plentifully covered with natural oak groves. Here Mr. Chafin has constructed a summerhome of unhewn logs in true pioneer style. There is also a spacious log chapel. Besides these buildings there is a frame structure used for a dining hall, kitchen, office, etc. Guests at the park are supplied with tents, and the place is truly the campers’ paradise. The Mistic Cycle works are located at Mukwonago, and the managers took pains to show- the visitors through the shops and explain the various details of the work, and just before leaving on the return by rail to Milwaukee the Mystic invited them to luncheon at the Dillenbeck house, w-hich was indeed greatly appreciated and will be kindly remembered.

The party reached Milwaukee on the return at about 1 o’clock p. m. Thursday, and after dining proceeded to Whitefish bay, six miles north on Lake Michigan, where the afternoon was spent on the splendid beach. The lake trip back to Chicago was made Friday, and proved a pleasant part of the journey; The following is the personnel of the party; Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Starr, Feme Starr, Flosse Starr, Bessie Reeve, Mr. and Mrs. G. D. Warner, Miss Helen Kelly, Miss Martha Robinson, B. S. Fendig, Mr. and Mrs. F. D. Craig, Mrs. F. B. Meyer, Lawson Meyer, Miss Eva Washburn, Rex Warner. Mrs. Geo. Meyer of Chicago, and 0. S. Martin of Russiaville.

NOTES OP THE TRIP. Lawson Meyer laid his wheel on the shelf and, like a duck, took to the water. F. D. Craig gave a very amusing exhibition of the celerity with which a coasting bicyclist who has lost his pedals can get over a wire fence. A dime-and-pin was presented to Landlord Chafin by the Hoosiers as a souvenir of this their first visit to Idlewile in recognition of his “rare.” very rare, musical talent. The dime handsomely mounted on a large safety pin by the village tinsmith. All the little folks of the visitors delighted the Badgers with their feats of fancy bicycling. They performed around the camn fire at night and also on the public square before leaving town. Mrs. F. B. Meyer gracefully collided with a three-year-old cherub on Michigan avenue, Chicago. The juveuile cyclists stood the trip splendidly and were always in the lead of the procession. The singing of Miss Robinson was the great feature of the entertainment offered by the Indiana crowd.