The Mail-Journal, Volume 16, Number 19, Milford, Kosciusko County, 30 May 1979 — Page 10

10

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., May 30,1979

SUMMER Lakes, lakes and more lakes

Lake Tippy What do Duke Ellington, a missing aircraft and a full service marina have in common 9 They are al Impart of the illustrious and 3 fascinating history of Lake Tippecanoe near Leesburg. The headwaters of the Tippecanoe River, Tippecanoe Lake is the largest chain of natural, navigable lakes in Indiana and holds more water by volume than even Lake Wawasee, Indiana s largest natural lake. It is also the deepest lake in the state with a.i approximate depth of 178 feet. Spring fed, its waters are clear and cool and have been considered a fisherman’s paradise for some years. Bass, pike, pickerel and blue gill species are most abundant in this body of water that measures nine miles across, including upper and lower bodies of Tippy Lake, sometimes known as the Oswego and the James basins. The region is rich in Indian lore, having been the native ground for the Pottowatomit* Indians, and development of the area began in 1914 when George Paton 4 bought a farm where the marina is now located.

i * — feSBTifcMMW"*" ~~' "W’ "l«4c?fct ... jf ' I | 4jPJ 1 ’- I s e - ' «*"- * r<- **** • " j&-«^iifc • * '< b *?*r I ’■'• < X ’’ :-■ , > _ “ .J* ,*’gS 3?■■‘"i't •■ - ■ . ~ ~-•■' ">*■ ‘ \ '•"* w^.^. ~ ■ e ■- -■* * NO ONE TO BOTHER HIM — A lone figure fishes off of one of the piers located on Lake Tippecanoe at Patona Bay on a relatively inactive day. Scenes such as this won’t be viewed much longer when these and other boats blow their protective tops and head for the high seas of the many lakes available in this area. ’* „ I I r.; .. >.___—.lr. " ... ,/ :rr . SERENE SCENE — All’s quiet on Lake Tippecanoe as evidenced by the calm waters and winterized boats at this dock. Boating, sailing, swimming and various stunmer activities get underway as soon as the weatherman cooperates. > ■IIIJIHI ,1.1,11 JI .1111 JMBIWPWWIWIWWIIMM . E John Kirk world’s largest CENTURY & VIKING dealer E | BLOWS THE BOAT BUSINESS 1 I WIDE OPEN WITHAN , || K unprecedented - 1 W» || I I K pay'you We bought up 100 new ‘79 Boats from other » j Q" dealers anxious to unload. Their loss. Your gain. 9 K rcMTHDV son tc/orr LIST PRICE NOW S K CAN BEAT I CENTURY 180 16 8 renca nn OUR PRICE j Runabout. 120 Merc Cruiser $7455.00 ss9b4.uU ’a® K °^ Y CENTURY 2000 18' 250 Merc Crurser eooco nn H Beautiful boat - goes like h--I' $11,145.00 58358.00 E> £ CENTURY 3000 BR 19' nn -:> cc with 228 Merc Cruiser $11,665.00 $9332.00 \TjM K 3/ CENTURY 4000 21' tllol , nn K: J.x-7 Cutty Cabin. 260 Merc Cruiser - $14,845.00 $11,876.00 jB K ' CENTURY LUXURY CORTEZ 270 nn S ■p Twin 260 Merc Cruisers -58 MPH $29,545.00 $23,b0b.00 K VIKING 190 SS with 165 Merc Cruiser Fantast nn Vm i Viking’s ultimate “sports car - deck boat with top Buy S9,OUO.UU jaH a Other Viking boats ■ low as $2795 K z CLOSED SUNDAY: DAILY HOURS BELOW « I : 6 Kirk. I IJU §PORTS ‘WORLD 0 1 WORLD S LARGEST CENTURY and VIKING DEALER Mon TOTS. ThUfS. Fri. .$0 K-. « 1-2-3-4-5 North Meridian St., Carmel. IN wednesdiyVsXrday INDIANAPOLIS Smiles North of I loop 465. just off H> way 31 9AMto6PM

The entire lake began to take shape soon thereafter, beginning with the first picnic grounds and rented fishing boats, plus the first boat service and marina. The picnic grounds are still maintained but only for lake residents’ use and George I claims the distinction of having the first outboard motor boat on the Lake. From 1935 to 1946 the three generation family of the Patons operated a passenger boat on the lake. This was during the Big Band era of the 40’s and 50’s. Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, the Kingston Trio and others graced the shores: of Lake Tippy at the Tippy Gardens, located near the southwest corner of the lower basin. The Garden, which used to be a young people's dance hall, is not in operation but is still standing, waiting for someone to reopen the doors of the building that was once the stopping point for the big bands of the time as they traveled across the country. Attempts have been made to open the Gardens, but only one-night stand performers have nipped at the bait. The Patons are seeking to have a regular showing of activities that would be beneficial to the lake community. George Paton II noted, “The young

people need something to do around here and disco dances would be just the thing.” He’s not quite sure why nothing has been re-established at the Gardens and stated, “You’d think someone around here knew something about music to get things going again.” Missing Jet! One of the most interesting stories surrounding the lake’s history concerns a missing military jet which is believed to have gone down in the Tippy basin. This occured 10-15 years ago. After the jet had been reported to have gone down, a search party was dispatched to the area to locate the aircraft and its two occupants. According to George 11, “Several attempts have ben made by private individuals all the way to last year to locate the craft, but no evidence has turned up for verification.” Other points of interest that add to the overall appeal of Lake Tippecanoe are several camps. Camp Crosley, on the southeast corner of the James basin, was purchased by a Mr. Ball and given to the Muncie YMCA in memory of his son Crosley. Camp Dick Runyan, further north, is run by the Huntington YMCA,

and Camp Tippecanoe is run by the Baptist Church. Mineral Springs, situated between Russel and Hoy parks, and the Tippecanoe Boat Company, was developed by Bruce Pierce. Two golf courses are available for those interested in the sport. On the north shore is the Tippecanoe Lake Country Club. According to George 11, this course “is the finest natural golf course in the Midwest." This is a private club for members and their guests, only On the south shore is a nine hole course near the Tippecanoe marina. Indian Hills golf course is open to the public. For those who wish to spend the summer at Tippecanoe Lake, summer cottages of all sizes are available for rent. There is also a modern lake front trailer court and camping facilities, with some cottages and building sites for sale. Anyone seeking an ideal vacation spot, good for fishing, swimming, boating, skiing, sailing, dancing, hiking or whatever one can think of. won’t be dissappointed at Lake Tippecanoe Lake Webster North Webster Lake, formerly Boydston Lake, is 640 acres of spring fed lake with an outlet to the Tippecanoe River. A dam is located at the old mill site. It controls the lake level. The old mill site was once the Boydston Mill built by Thomas Boydston in 1848. In 1853 the mill was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt in 1861. On the land there are five burial plots where the Boydston family is buried. There was a surge of immigration into the area when land was first open to the public and again after tie War between the States, World War I and World War 11. The summer visitors enjoyed the lake and the native hospitality and stayed. When the town of Webster grew the mill became less vital than it once was but the mill dam was the key to existence of the lake. R. R. Shoemaker, platted the village of Webster on the southeast quarter of sector 10 near the western end of Boydston’s Mill in May 1937. The first merchant of the village was Henderson Warner. Earlier the town’s first post office was located at the mill and was moved to the village in 1861 and then returned to the mill in 1862. On August 18, 1879, the town’s name was changed to North Webster. The mill changed hands often and after the 1949 fire the mill was never rebuilt and the Webster Lake Property Owners Association purchased the site and the surrounding property from Milo Long, the last owner North Webster Lake is Ushaped and has four housing parks, Eckhart, ont the west side of Epworth Forest; Willis Park. Yellow Banks and El-Ray Park. Epworth Forest has the entire north side of the lake. In 1924 Epworth Forest took over and developed the north side. Also Epworth Forest has approximately 80 families living there plus the United Methodist Church Camp. Sites Os Interest North Webster has taken on the theme of King Arthur legend. Throughout the town the buildings are designed with this theme. Besides the Epworth Forest Camp, which was a beach, there is the Palace of Sports and the

' "' W’- 4 ». • .■"" ' *“ ?.- € Mh.jtWt <■- v-„ «' TEMPORARILY MOORED — These sailboats and other assorted craft rest on the sandy shore on Lake Tippecanoe. Warmer weather will see these sleek vessels displaying their sailing colors.

North to Syracuse • w _ " Sons —— \ T Fisher W. 750 S .. \ /’J 2 i I w T u, ' e E *A S a h- \ To Gome » 700 N ' Preserve Forest \ * f | ' \ * Sworth I I—L. wRKeKzt - ; — i —in r s ““T“" ■■' 550 N N. *f~* V, u. y F I v si "I Wl L * ke tls \ 1 s £ w ~ e -II 8 ? * I-HP L Heronl ( | 4-nx ___ 40ON • V 4W: Ss \ I X LX / ' \ I ■ a -sg.. &: : ■ \ Aq. IS 111 I X-j. i 1 idEyl 3nnN “*■ —— - | 3 and Ing \ 1 See LAKE TIPPECANOE J J J) J \ g c / O fX KJJV ?soh . -o i * r x- T ? Indiana s Deepest Lake 212 At '*l* 8- I I r 200Et*-‘ 3 3 To 100 n 1 now ». To Old Rd 30 J, To Old Rd.3o To Pierceton XT To Old Rd 30 and U. 5.30 90OE+|

Counting House Bank. M and M Restaurant. Adventure Land on SR 13 and of course the lake. The lake offers excellent fishing, stocked with blue gill and bass; swimming and other recreational activities. At the end of June the Mermaid Festival is an attraction which brings people fro’m all over to watch, and enjoy. Barbee Chain Neighboring Webster lake is the Barbee Chain of Lakes which includes Irish, Tippecanoe, Sawmill, Sechrist. Kuhn. Little Barbee and Big Barbee Lakes. The Barbee Lakes are a chain of seven lakes with a total area of 738.5 acres They are connected by channels so large the lakes could be considered one body of water for fish management purposes. The water level of the lakes is maintained by a dam on Grassy Creek near the Grassy Creek Public Access Site. The dam is not high enough to prevent migration of fish upstream. Three other lakes totaling 198 acres are connected by small ditches to the Barbee Lakes above the dam. These lakes are Shoe. Ridinger and Heron. There were five lakes in the chain surveyed in 1972. All were found to be heavily developed and extensive channeling has been done to lengthen shorelines for development of all lakes. The extensive development has destroyed nearly all of the natural shoreline of the lakes. The five lakes surveyed were Irish. Sawmill, Sechrist, Banning and Little Barbee. On the lakes it was found there were 623 homes and 1,127 boats and one camping area. The largest lake with boats was Sechrist and Banning lake was the smallest boat lake. Irish Lake was the largest lake with homes and the smallest lake was Banning. The lone camp then was located on Little Barbee. Vanning \ acation If you're planning to go vanning this summer, now's the lime to customize your vehicle into a real home-away-from-home. There are so many exciting ways to convert vans that there's no need to “rough it” any more when you take to the open road. Carpet squares make it easy to install luxurious carpeting and installing wood paneling doesn't require a pro. You can make your van as convenient as you want, thanks to the specially designed stoves, refrigerators, toilets and seats that convert into beds, available at van accessory stores.

< / * * * * g " i - —l> ■ n arniiiißir fii r i uriii, . jaiw—JClOTJ'miA- ■■ -» - •~T*« =■ " READY FOR SUMMER — This photo, taken at Barbee Lake, shows the shoreline of an area that is ready for the w armer temperatures of summer. t A*. - itlrawfe-' -*-• j- Jbmbi • "W m r """' 1 "w ' n "* wilWWw - — PEACEFUL SETTING — This gentleman seems to be enjoying the peace of a warm afternoon as he relaxes at Barbee Lake. The boat is ready for cruising or skiing at a later date. "The superior man lives quietly and calmly, waiting for the will of Heaven, while the mean man does what is full of risk, looking out for turns of luck." Confucius griffith’s qp wawasee SPECIAL SALE ON 1978 CORRECT CRAFT "DEMOS" • 18' Southwind . , 8 ' Martinique ~r M us tang *no if A- - - STORAGE 1856-22861 % MILE N OF FISH HATCHERY ON MORRISON ISLAND RD.NOIOSON ROUTE 2 SYRACUSE