The Mail-Journal, Volume 11, Number 26, Milford, Kosciusko County, 24 July 1974 — Page 8

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Syracuse Lake a spot to remember

The Syracuse Lake area has 'been famous throughout the state of Indiana, in northern Ohio and in the Chicago area, at least as far back as the 1920*5, as a favorite vacation place. A real spot to remember. One of its favorite citizens, Ken Harkless, has lived most of his life on or hear the lake. He was in the boat and storage business on Wawasee, so was closely associated with the lake in this manner also His present home is at the same site as his boyhood home and Harkless has many

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memories connected with this location. His father had a machine shop on the ground when he was a boy in addition to their home. Since retiring seven years ago Harkless has taken up painting, sketching and other artistic skills. He has found a talent that had been hidden for many years, one at which he is most proficient. He is using his art, along with his interest in history'. andlTdoing a series of paintings on early Syracuse, the one he

remembers as a child. Our story on Syracuse Lake combines things which Mr. Harkless remembers, or has researched recently, along with a few facts we learned from other persons and some library books. Harkless Paintings The three paintings, which Harkless is displaying in one of the accompanying photos, tell interesting stories. The one on the left is of the old mill race at Syracuse, the middle one pictures the outlet of Syracuse Lake at the spot the old cement factory formerly stood and the third portrays boat storage of yesteryear along with an ice wagon. These paintings were reproduced from old post card style photographs with a few special items added by Harkless to give personality to the pictures. The picture erf the mill race was painted from a photo taken in the early 1900 s as far as could be determined The race was constructed around 1845. after the old mill had collapsed at Syracuse Lake. The painting shows how unpopulated the area was at that time. Buildings pictured are the old “Dunkard" church and the Sid Sloan farm, according to Harkless. A bridge across the race is also pictured. Many living Syracusans will remember the foot bridges across the race. About 10 years ago the race was filled in because it was no longer used for boat traffic and is now an extension of Dolan drive in Syracuse. The center painting depicts the old Portland Cement factory at the south end of the lake. The company operated between 19001920 and then moved to Milford. This area is undergoing many changes at the present time. The former “hobo jungle’’ will soon be a place where new homes are

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Ken Haridem Displays Patetings la BUsLawa At The North End Os Syracase Lake

being constructed. The most recent publicity about this area of Syracuse Lake was the possibility that oil was to be found at the location. Chet Elder, who is developing the site, has had sample drillings made on his own and has asked the help of the State Department of Natural Resources to find out if the oil slick found this spring could mean a soiree of crude oil located on the site. The final painting shows boat houses at the end of what is now Main street. The old site for the Lutheran church was very* close to the boat bouses and on Sunday morning early, before church, the pastor could be seen tinkering

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Syracuse Lake As Taken From The Bridge At The South End Os Front Street

with his fishing boat. The boat in the foreground of this painting was placed there because of Harkless memories of this weekly event. The ice chute and storage were just south of the boat houses and the old ice wagon in the painting is a reminder to many of those days before refrigeration. The ice plant was an important part of one’s life. Among the places ice was sold in the area were the lumber shed, the tavern, the ice plant and the old B and 0 station. At the location of the ice house it was only about 100 feet off shore until marl could be found. Formerly A Swamp The area where the city park is now was a swamp and was very mucky. In the early 1900’s children thought if you played on

this site you might sink clear to China. The ground at this location certainly has changed over the years and Syracuse can be proud of the nice city park and beach in this area today. The annual vacation time for the gas blowers who came up from the Gas City-Jonesboro area in Grant county is one of the boyhood memories shared by Harkless. Separate tents for eating, sleeping, etc., were placed about where the Ralph Thornburg home is located today. There were always a large number of people in this annual camp-out and they were friendly , wanting local persons to join

them in their activities. Each year a number of the gas blowers would go over to the Johnson Bay area on Wawasee where turtles ware abundant. They would make as big a catch as possible during the week. Near the end of the week a big turtle feed would be held for the vacationers and any local people they could “rustle up” to enjoy the delicacy with them. Harkless can remember when the only home on what is now North Shore drive at Syracuse Lake was owned by a farm family called Bartholomew. His mother sleighed across the lake in the winter to visit her neighbor. The old Bartholomew home is still used but has been remodeled and is not recognizable unless you knew

where the original house stood. The first new home built on the north shore was by Nelson Miles. This was followed closely by the Stoelting cottage. Old Swimming Hole Many senior Syracuse area penmns remember swimming at the old swimming hole at the Indian Hill site. Now homes and the Lakeview campground occupy this spot. According to

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writings of the late Joseph P. Dolan, the hill was so named because it was used for an Indian burial ground before the white settlers came. The Indians would wrap their dead carefully and hoist the bodies into the trees for burial. The wrappings would eventually rot and fall to the ground and the bones of the Indians would fall along with the decayed wrappings. Early settlers used to say (around 1870) that the wail of the Indian squaws could be heard along v)jth the howling of the wind, the thunder and the lightning on a stormy night. The only flat treeless ground existed near the hill was a favorite place for the tribal dances held by the Indians. According to the history written by Dolan it is thought the ground had been cleared just for that purpose. Old timers around Syracuse Lake remember the black smoke and the dirt from the cement factory. Most of the lake homes were built after the company moved. Syracuse Lake was always a spot for family fun in the good old days. There was something to do year around. Swimming, boating, fishing, ice skating were family recreation for all who lived nearby. Today the lake is almost entirely surrounded by year around type homes. A lot of these have apartments which can be rented by vacationers or persons owning them are summer residents of the lake. In the winter they rent their homes to other persons. The lake is still busy for family fun, just used differently. Motor boats, skiing, and other modem types at recreation have come to the foreground. The old types of recreation are still used but not as much as before. Syracuse Lake is still a spot to remember, whether as a vacation spot or year around home. LAKELAND LOCALS Mr. and Mrs. Roy Niles of Syracuse called on former Syracuse resident, S. A. Bauer, on Sunday at his home* at Michigan City. Mr. and Mrs. William H Myers of Evansville were Sunday morning visitors of Mrs. Earl Treadway in Syracuse and were en route to an insurance convention being held at Milwaukee, Wis. They will return to Syracuse the last of the week.

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