The Mail-Journal, Volume 19, Number 23, Milford, Kosciusko County, 23 June 1982 — Page 18
THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., June 23,1982
18
Summer
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SECHRIST LAKE — The Barbee Chain’s clearest take. Sechrist provides an ideal setting for residents. The lake is so clear that it was recently stocked with brown trout which will add to the fishing pleasure. (Photo by Gary Lewis)
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BARBEE CHANNEL — A boat with two fishermen heads for the marina in “downtown’’ Barbee after a day on Barbee Lake. This is the channel which joins Barbee Lake with Little Barbee. A number of marinas service the area surrounding the Barbee Chain.!Photo by Gary Lewis)
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BANK FISHING — Chuck LeMaster spends some time along one of the many Barbee channels fishing. The cemented shorelines provides easy access for shore fishing. Extensive channeling has destnn ed most of the natural shoreline at the Barbee Chain. (Photo bv Gary Lewis) n
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739 acres of water in Barbee Chain
By GARY LEWIS With seven lakes joined together by an extensive system of channels, the Barbee Chain in the southwest comer of the Lakeland area of Kosciusko County forms a total of 739 acres of water. Those 739 acres can be considered one body of water for fish-management purposes. For fishermen, it means any lake in the system — and even three lakes of the Tippecanoe Lakes — is accessible by boat from any point in the Barbee Chain. The water level of the seven lake system is maintained by a dam on Grassy Creek near the Grassy Creek Public Access site. The lakes include: 118 acres — Kuhn Lake. 143 acres — Irish Lake, 69 acres — Barbee Lake. 278 acres — Big Barbee Lake, five acres — Banning Lake, 99 acres — Sechrist Lake and 27 acres — Sawmill Lake. The lakes have a wide-range of differences in water depth and clarity. The clearest lakes are the Sechrist and Kuhn Lakes with light penetration being fairly deep. John Weyler, president of the Barbee Property Owners Association and vice president of the Barbee Conservation Club, has been a resident in the Barbee area for three years. Although an official number of residents living in the Barbee Chain won’t
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SUPER SWIM — Wawasee High School swim team members and swim club members will be participating in the Super Swim Saturday. July 3. at 7:30 a.m. on Lake Wawasee and at the school swimming pool to help raise money for timing equipment at the school. Registration will begirt-at 7 a.m. The swimmers, mainly those on the school’s swim team, will start at Pier 16, the home of Richard Green, and swim approximately two miles to Pier 603. the Jack Darr residence. In order to swim, all participants must have at least 120 pledged and must have their own boat, rower and life preserver. In addition to the swim team members there are also several adults who will be participating. The Kosciusko County Lake Patrol will be providing assistance for this event. Those not swimming across Lake Wawasee, but swimming in the school pool will be sponsored per lap by various sponsors. The swimmers will be contacting people to sponsor them. Shown in the row boat is Rob Green, one of the swimmers who will be participating. In the water are Michelle Berkey. Jennifer Darr, Andy Wysong and Tim Crum, all members of the Wawasee High School swim teams. (Photo by Deb Fox)
Nine festivals this week
A total of nine summer festivals are slated to begin this week. Corn is king on June 24-27, as Kentland hosts its annual Com Festival. In addition to com on the cob, specialty dishes include pork chops and chicken. Country and western music and a queen contest are also on the schedule Morocco, a small town in northwestern Indiana, holds Homecoming, the longest running festival in Newton County, on June 25-27. A marathon, carnival and tennis tournament are planned Vincennes begins its July 4th Festival on June 25, and celebrates all the way through Independence Day. A boxing exhibition, horseshoe pitching, model airplane racing, canoe racing, amusement rides, bowling tournament and colorful
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be known until a survey by the Emergency Medical Service is completed, Weyler estimates the number of homes to be around 1,500. According to a 1972 survey, five lakes of the chain were found to be heavily developed and extensive channeling had been done to lengthen shorelines for development of the lakes. The extensive development has destroyed nearly all of the natural shoreline. The property owners have been active in a major fish-stocking program at the lakes. Weyler said that 14,300 channel catfish were released in Irish Lake last November. In April of this year, catchable size brown trout were released in Sechrist Lake and sometime this summer tiger muskies will be stocked in Lake Barbee. The trout will not be able to reproduce because of the water temperature but Weyler said they will be able to live. Indiana fishermen who plan to fish for trout and keep the fish must purchase a trout stamp. There is no penalty if a trout is caught accidently. All trout that is caught should be registered at the Barbee Hardware store in Barbee Village. The information gained from this registration procedure will assist in determining future fish-stocking plans, Weyler said. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources did the fish-
fireworks display are among the activities. The Tippecanoe Battlefield in Battleground is the scene of the Indiana Fiddlers and Traditional Musicians Festival, which spans a pair of week ends, June 25-27, and July 2-4. The Midsummer Arts Festival in Lafayette on June 25-July 5 provides a showcase for craftsmen. musicians, dancers, and other artisans. Checkers and chess strategists will also be on hand. Portland's Bluegrass Festival on June 26-28 will feature the area’s best banjo, fiddle and mandolin players. Organizers have promised "pickin' and grinnin' and down home fun, plus good vittles." in addition to arts and crafts and a flea market The community of Twelve Mile
stocking after a fish count of the lakes was completed. Weyler said the property association is planning on purchasing 4,000 walleyes to be stocked in the lakes by August. Bluegill, crappie, redear, perch and largemouth bass can also be caught in the lakes. One problem the Barbee Chain faces is the control of weed growth. In some years, the weed growth has adversely affected the fishing and the boating. The association, said Weyler, only assists property owners by arranging for weed control. It is the responsibility of each owner, however, to control their portion of the lakefront from aquatic growth. Another problem, like other lakes in the region, is trying to preserve the wetlands. The necessity of these areas are often overlooked, said Weyler. The wetlands “help the fish and wildlife populations and keeps the water clean,” he said. Weyler is working with both the conservation club and the property owners to preserve these areas. Representatives of the US Fish and Wildlife service, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, assists in these efforts. A public access site is located at the Grassy Creek dam. Paid access is available at the Barbee Hotel on Barbee Lake and Wickes Marina on Big Barbee.
(near Logansport) hosts the ”500” Riding Lawnmower Race Festival on June 26-July 5. Nine days of festivities lead up to a climactic race involving a number of fiercely competitive pilots of riding lawnmowers. Centerville's Quilt and Needlework Show on June 26-July 5 draws visitors from around North America, as three floors of the historic Mansion House are filled with lively-patterned quilts and needlework The Freedom Festival in Evansville spans three weekends, and many call it America's largest birthday celebration. The highlights include a chib cooking contest, and "Thunder on the Ohio." a nationally sanctioned hydroplane race.
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LIFETIME RESIDENT — Ed Kuhn has lived in the Barbee area his entire life and has first-hand knowledge of the area’s folklore. He is the owner of Kuhn’s Bug House. (Photo by Gary Lewis) Barbee rich in history
For such a tiny community, Barbee, along the shores of Barbee Lake, is rich with a history all of its own. Al Capone. John Dillinger and “Baby Face” Nelson have been alleged to use the Barbee Hotel and surrounding cabins as a hideaway from the law. Stories of movie stars Carol Lombard and Clark Gable spending their honeymoon in a log cabin on Big Barbee still a bound. Lifetime resident Ed Kuhn knows many of these stories. He and his wife Lillian have lived in the same house along Barbee Lake for 52 years now, operating the Kuhn's Bug House bait shop. Kuhn was born in a 100-year-old frame house that stood on the site of the present cement block home he now lives in. “Everytime there was a gang war in Chicago Al Capone s gang would move into the Barbee Hotel for awhile," he said. Kuhn was 15 or 16 years old at the time. During those days, the Barbee Hotel was about the only lodging available in the Lakeland area. His memories of Carol Lombard are vivid. "1 used to play with her when she was just a little girl. Her real name was Carol Peters. Her father. Art Peters, was from Fort Wayne and he owned a log cabin," he said. The cabin is still there. Kuhn added, but it now has been remodeled and covered with siding. Kuhn said John Dillinger also was a regular visitor to the Barbee Lakes. Dillinger had a cottage in North Webster. But Dillingers counterpart, “Baby
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Face” Nelson, is the gangster Kuhn remembers the most. “I was at the Jot Em Down Store and a guy was pacing up and down, as though he was waiting for someone. He came up to me and asked if 1 had a car. I did have one, but I didn’t tell him that. He said he needed a ride to Webster. 1 told him to see my cousin Charlie Kuhn who was down the street. Charlie gave him a ride but the man insisted that he stop and let him out. It was somewhere along the road on the east side of Webster. “Charlie did as the man told him. We were discussing it later on and the next day we saw the man’s picture. It was “Baby Face” Nelson. Charlie didn’t let me forget that for awhile.” Kuhn said the house across the street from the hotel was used by the gangsters occasionally. He heard about a story of a man who bought the house. The man did some remodeling work on the inside of Che house, Kuhn said, and the story goes that he found money that the former residents had stashed away. Kuhn said he doesn't know if the story is true or not, but he does know this much: the man was never heard from again. The 76-year-old resident of Barbee has seen many changes at the Barbee Lakes. Kuhn remembers when “There was only about two dozen cottages on the Barbee Lake and very few people." But some things will always remain — like the legend and folklore of Barbee.