Recently, a viewer sent this comment to the website:
“I returned to Clark Lake after 45 or so years, boy was I surprised and disappointed. Clark Lake was a quiet and enjoyable, now it is over built and populated and commercialized, It just broke my heart.
Regards,
Ken Dickey”
Is he correct?
Rick Belcher responds.
Mr. Dickey’s comments inspired me to take a deep dive into lake history. When I hit the water, I found more than I anticipated. I gathered available historical facts and provided context.
For our Clark Lake journey, let me give you a frame of reference. I am fourth generation at the lake. My first swim took place when I was 6-months old. It took that long because I was born in December, and the ice had to go out first. I believe in those days, parents cradled their newborns in the water for their first dip. About five minutes later, kids were on their own. My memories of the lake start in the early 1950s.
POPULATION
Bill Ligibel recorded the 1972 house count on an inside wall of his garage where it remains to this day
To focus on the population comment, let’s start with some basic numbers. On August 9, 1972, Bill Ligibel got in his boat, circled the lake, and counted 346 lakefront cottages. Six years ago, Columbia Township records showed there were 377 lakefront property owners. Since then, several lots combined. In those cases, two or more adjacent properties were purchased, and the existing cottages taken down to be replaced by a single, larger dwelling. In other cases, the existing dwelling was taken down and not replaced, but turned into green space. Today’s number is something less than 377.
Have you ever owned a property in a planned community where an HOA controls everything from the exact shade of paint to your lighting fixtures? I have. The craze for sameness can be oppressive. What’s remarkable about Clark Lake is the variety—mansions, smaller year-around homes, and original cottages. Some of those originals aren’t winterized. Others have been. Recently a cottage that looked like a candidate for a bulldozer was completely renovated instead. It’s an example of the owner’s choice to preserve the cottage, improve the structure and install modern conveniences. If you favor that outcome, don’t be too quick to judge when an original can’t be saved. This winter, renovation began on an original. It went badly. As it was disassembled, workers discovered that it was full of mold and had unsolvable infrastructure faults. Now a new dwelling fills the same foot print. And did you know that some cottages rest not on a typical foundation, but on tree stumps?
At Clark Lake, renovated originals stand side by side with newer larger homes, adding to the variety. Overall, it’s safe to say that Clark Lake dwellings have improved dramatically. That will happen when a locale is desirable–and when it becomes a place to live year around, rather than summer only.
BOATS
Mr. Dickey didn’t mention boats, but they are certainly part of our world. According to the 2020 Boat Count, boats have doubled since 1960. Data went missing from 1961 to 1986. From 1987 to 2020, the number increased by about 20%. Yet, in the last couple years, the number of boats has actually decreased. Gridlock on the water doesn’t happen because not everyone goes out at the same time. That’s not to say today’s traffic on a beautiful weekend isn’t heavy. Because it is, and not everybody likes that.
For context, let’s go back to a specific Sunday in the mid 1960s. I hopped in the family speedboat powered by a 75-hp Evinrude. The lake was busy, and I liked that. It was fun to zig-zag through the commotion. But as I rounded the Point, the level of activity was confounding. You could almost walk across the lake, one boat to another. And the counterclockwise rule was not observed. I turned around and went back to the dock. On any given Sunday now, notice the difference between 3 pm and 8 pm. By Monday morning at 10, you could be the only boat on the lake.
Is the lake busier today? Influencing lake traffic is the type of watercraft. On Sundays back then, the lake would fill with sailboat races. By the 1970s, it wasn’t just the slower moving Rebels, Interlakes and Lightnings. Introducing Fleet 58. Clark Lake received national recognition as the inland lake with the largest number of Hobies. With skippers and crews speeding to win, it could be a game of dodgem, not only for them, but for anyone on the lake. Today, rafts dominate, and traffic moves a bit slower, on average.
WHAT ELSE HAS CHANGED
One improvement not always recognized is water quality. Before sewers, leaky septic tanks tainted the lake. The effluent reached unsustainable levels. People reported the water sometimes had a phosphorescent glow. With septic fertilizer aplenty, weed growth went crazy. Something had to be done. Sewers ended that problem, and the lake recovered. Controversy swirls around the sewers today–but at least, what they carry doesn’t find its way into Clark Lake.
Something happened to me early this spring that adds to the story. While in my boat, I was cruising slowly along the Eagle Point shoreline. My eye caught something dark bobbing in the water. An animal of some sort? I pulled up next to it and saw the animal was actually a brown bottle. I picked it up. It had weeds growing inside it, and its shape and brand were not something found on the shelves of Country Market. The bottle had been on the bottom for years, and somehow developed buoyancy to rise to the surface. At one time, people threw bottles and who knows what else into the water. That’s rare today. We, as “guests” on this wonderful lake, have more respect for it, and as a result, are better caretakers.
Then there was this.
On the lake one morning several summers ago, my cell phone rang. On the other end I heard an agitated Roger Lyons. While on the lake he had spotted some scary looking weeds–scary because they lurked just below the surface and there was a massive amount of them. I reached out to another friend, John Deming, who has always taken a strong interest in the outdoors, and in particular, the ecological well-being of Clark Lake. He joined me for a boat ride. We dredged up some samples, and John sent them out for testing. The result? Hybrid Eurasian water milfoil. Clark Lake was under attack.
When I presented the findings to the directors of the Clark Lake Spirit Foundation, they quickly voted to fund the preliminary testing. When alerted to the threat, interested Clark Lakers joined together to form a committee and elected John, chairman.
Calls went out to other lakes, and feedback came back. This one thing drove our committee to find a solution: lakes that didn’t take action paid a big price. Invasive weeds can rapidly cause havoc with boating, destroy habitat, and diminish property values.
After exploring every known treatment program, the committee concluded only one had a chance of working. It required treating weeds anywhere found in the lake. To enable that, we would have to involve the government. The committee went door to door with a petition to establish a program. Seventy percent of lake front property owners were reached, and 95% of them signed the petition. That’s about as close to unanimous as you will ever find with a public issue. It also demonstrates the high level of concern and care Clark Lakers have for the lake.
How does the weed story end? The entire lake was treated in 2019. The survey this season showed 99.9% of the invader is gone, a spectacular outcome. Oh, but the story doesn’t really end. Last summer, Starry Stonewort was found near the County Park and at the Eagle Point boat launch. Starry has wrecked some lakes. At a nearby (but unnamed) lake this week, one owner could not move his boat and his kids couldn’t swim from the dock. The algae was that thick. It’s a red flag. Vigilance is the answer against this invader, or some surprise monster of the future.
COMMERCIALIZATION AT CLARK LAKE
Let’s hop into Doc Brown’s DeLorean, dial back to the 60s and 70s, and take a drive on Ocean Beach Road. Starting at the Jefferson Road intersection, we find a miniature golf course (or some other failed endeavor). Moving north, Elsie’s Restaurant is on the left. On the right is a convenience store (Mugsy’s today). We come next to the Beach Bar. It’s been there since 1946. On the lakeside is Dave’s Marina, offering outboard motor repair. Closer to the park is the Lighthouse Restaurant and Teen Town. Inside Teen Town you find pool tables and pinball machines. Parents are suspicious.
Fast forward to today. At Ocean Beach and Jefferson is the first successful enterprise at that location—Lucero’s Restaurant. Who saw that coming? The Beach Bar remains steadfast with marina slips added around the pier. Dave’s Marina has been replaced with the Gear Garage. It sells branded lake items and ice cream cones. Also, on the left is the dam, critically important to the water level. Through the Foundation’s efforts, the dam was saved twice. Dam Strong also turned a tangled mess around the dam into a welcoming mini-park. Elsie’s and Teen Town are gone. The Lighthouse is now a private dwelling.
Today the Triangle at Ocean Beach and North Lake is carefully managed to increase the beauty of the lake. The Foundation’s recent grant to the Garden Angels for an automatic irrigation system means Bigger Blooms for Thirsty Plants. And the Angels awesome work around the Community Center is not to be overlooked.
Let’s stay in the present for a few more moments. We must recognize something special that didn’t exist in the 60s and 70s—the Clark Lake Spirit Trail. Thank you, Tom Collins for your inspiration. “If common cause is needed as a focal point around which to rally, let us build a PATH.” In the 60s and 70s, it was nearly impossible to run, walk or bike around the lake without climbing through bramble or risking your life on Jefferson Road. The Spirit Trial changed that. It only happened because the community joined together in a “common cause,” and this was not the work of government.
Atop the hill in the County Park sets an historic building. The 120-year old Graziani house is now the Community Center. No magic wand moved it from Kentucky Point. It was through the ingenuity and support of Clark Lakers that this iconic cottage was saved from destruction and floated down the lake. Amazingly, this herculean task was accomplished at the same time the Trail was under construction. In addition to providing a place for gatherings, the Center connects the lake to its past, and is dedicated to preserving its history.
On North Lake, we see something new that didn’t exist last year or in the 60s and 70s—the Welcome to Clark Lake Sign on the Trail. Because of local talent and the hard work of many, this mural now graces the curve.
Our DeLorean ride is now whisking us back to the 60s and 70s. We see the Pleasant View Hotel and Pavilion. Depending on when, the Pavilion or hotel houses a beer garden, bar and the Clark Lake Players. In its last days, it is the Clark Lake Lodge. Today all of that has been replaced by private residences.
Approaching present day Hyde Road, we see the work of another Clark Laker who cares for the triangle at the intersection. No one asked him to do it. Like a lot of what happens at the lake, people simply pitch in.
Back in time on Hyde we see two small groceries—Roberts’ and Lakeside. Hoppy’s Lakeside and the Post Office adjoin each other. A Citi-Service station operates on the north side of Vining, offering gas for boats and auto repair. To the north is the Burg Restaurant. To the the south, is the County garage. On the lake is the Clark Lake Schoolhouse. At the Jefferson Road intersection is another place you can take your 3-hp Johnson for repair, Roosa’s Garage. We gently whoosh back to 2020 (sorry about the time-travel whiplash). Now only Doyle’s, successor to Roberts’, serves west end convenience needs. Your Home Town, a print shop, replaced the Citi-Service station. The Post Office moved next to Doyle’s. Roosa’s and the Burg no longer exist. The schoolhouse is gone, replaced by the Columbia Township Park. And the Clarklake Community Church has remained in its current location since 1961. The County Garage is now under private ownership and is adjoined by a boat storage facility.
Below are some historic photos of Hyde Road that were part of a school term paper written by Norma Gallaway in 1947. To read the entire paper, please click here.
Lakeside Grocery
We’re back to the 60s and 70s and have arrived at Eagle Point. A major portion of the Hotel burned in 1957, but part of it still stands. Before the fire, the Hotel included a restaurant, and a store. At Bill’s you can get a milk shake, Coke or beer. Depending on the year, the pavilion houses a roller-skating rink, a summer playhouse, a venue for music groups, boat service, boat storage, gas station, restaurant, and convenience store. Today, the various restaurants, including the Eagle’s Nest, have been replaced by the Pointe Bar and Grill. The Marina offers boat service, storage, and boat slips. Across from the Shipwreck Party Store are cottage rentals.
I took this photo at the tip of Eagle Point in July 1962. You can see Pleasant View across the lake. Also in the foreground is the post that held a gasoline sign. What you can’t see is what was behind me—the Pavilion, marina dock, etc., and what remained of the Hotel.
If you’re wondering about the Yacht Club, it moved from Pleasant View to its present location, the C.B. Hayes cottage, in 1960. This photo shows the cottage before the Yacht Club moved in.
Does Mr. Dickey’s over-commercialized charge ring true? The look and feel of businesses at Clark Lake certainly have changed. The number of enterprises hasn’t increased. In fact, it looks as if there are fewer.
What our visitor did not see are Clark Lake events, some that occur annually. They contribute mightily to the Clark Lake Spirit. Here are some of them.
Great American Crab Races - 29 years
Time to come up for air from the deep dive into Clark Lake’s past, and to take another look at our community.
People are at Clark Lake because they want to be here. Some have made sacrifices to enable that. And why? Clark Lake’s essence includes all of its wonderful physical attributes—who doesn’t love the sparkling water and frequently awesome sunsets? Clark Lake also embraces preserving its past, the improvements of today, and the activities that make it a community. Follow the major thread running through this piece and you find the Clark Lake Spirit that unites us through our love of the lake.
A POSTSCRIPT
Clark Lakers have a strong interest in its history. For good reason. The lake’s past helps us understand who we are today. Regarding Mr. Dickey’s disappointment, visiting your past or someone else’s has its hazards. If we expect a place to remain unchanged through decades, we’ll be disappointed. Even a mostly unchanged location may not recreate what we’re looking for.
About 20-years ago I was with a bunch of guys up north. We were at the house of one of them. His place was on the water, and we were there to sail. His inside walls were lined with bookcases filled with large historical collections, many of them about life in England in the 1700-1800s. Outside of sailing, I suspected he occupied his leisure with those books. He made the comment that he’d be happy to be transported to England and live during those times. Being a smart-ass for the moment, I asked him how he would feel about sanitary practices? Each day at a certain time, chamber pots were emptied from second story windows onto the pavement below. You were advised not to walk on the streets then. The stench was only mitigated when it rained. Well, by his reaction, I think I rained on his parade. I took this away from the encounter. It can be rewarding to visit the past. We can learn from it, find relief from current day troubles, and simply enjoy a stroll down memory lane. However, we have only the present. Let us make the most of it where we are, right now.
Rick, what a wonderful essay you have penned tying together the past with our present. Our Clarklake community is indeed lucky to have you as both a community activist and “historian”. I hope there is a way to print a copy of this so I can share it with visitors. Thanks so much.
WOW!
Rick, you always enlighten us. The pride of living here shines brightly. Clark Lake is so blessed to have you.
Loved reading this article and will share it with my family as well. We also love living on Clark Lake. Thank you!
Even as only a “summer resident” this lake has always been a huge part of my life. So many memories that you just reminded me of! Thank you!
Rick. What a fine and true statement It made me homesick. Keep up the fine spirit.
Larry Ryan
Bel Air, Ca and Buckfield, Maine
Very well said, Rick. With all due respect to Mr. Dickey, it may be time to climb back into his time capsule.
Kudos, Rick. Your “Back to the Future” ride is a joy to read for all Clark Lakers, both old timers as well as new. Thank you for all you do for the spirit of Clark Lake.
This was a great read. Thanks Rick. My early memories of the lake were with my mother spending hot afternoons at the Ocean Beach side park, then ice cream afterwards. Time does change things, but Clark Lake is still as special as it ever was.
Rick, once again you raise the banner of our beloved Lake and allow us to cherish our memories, enjoy our present, and find faith in our future. While I cried at the loss of my tree friends when the ballpark was paved, and was dismayed when the roller rink and the Nest were rebuilt, these events heralded the next generation of Clarklake residents who create their own vision of our Camelot. We added our imprints to Lake history. Our memories and the generational iterations of our Lake, live on. Preserving them is a sacred duty for which you have my eternal gratitude.
Thank you Rick, we really enjoyed your “Back to the Future” publication. You are truly a Clark Lake Treasure and greatly appreciated by all Clark Lakers.
Started going to Clark Lake when I was 5 years old. Renting a cottage on Eagle point cove. I remember having a hamburger and Milk shake at Bills, right behind the cottage. We went skating at the roller rink. There was a ski jump in front of our cottage and the sound of a wooden Chris-Craft engine made your heart race. family came many years from Cleveland. We moved to Cincinnati and missed 4 or 5 years. My parents were traveling up north and decided to check on rental cottages. They were so fortunate to stop by and talk to Dorothy Seegar who actually did have rental property. she told my Mom and Dad that she would not rent to “Ninkinpoops”. Luckily we were not. So we rented this cottage from then on to this day. I am 75 years old. The Seegar family still remains and owns many cottages on Kentucky Point cove side. Their family has grown and enjoy the lake to this day. We are so fortunate to have grown up knowing this special family and still enjoying spending time at our beloved Clark Lake!! Not the same as the old days, but one of the most special places in my heart!!
Rick, a great historic ride. An an especially well written one. Clark Lake is truly a treasure.
Thank you for a trip down Memory Lane. Clark Lake is, and will always be, my favorite place to visit.
Rick,
Another presentation well done. Bravo to you.??.
Great article!! This is why my granddaughters are now the 5 th generation spending their summers at Clark lake!!
What a lovely article. It forgets To mention Clarklake Elementary on Northlake Rd & Newman Field. The smell of our lake has always remained the same!
Thank you for this trip down memory lane !
Rick,
We true Clark Lakers are dedicated and very protective of our home. We all love Clark Lake.
My dad adored you, and as you well know, he told you much history we four Bentley girls never knew.
For years, after a long but rewarding day at the hospital I have had the privilege of working in ultrasound for now going on 35 years. I would rush home to my children and horses. My children are grown, my horses are a huge part of my life. I then rushed home to check on my parents, but not until they were older.
Talking about history, I am lucky enough to own a beautiful historic part of The original Point land, The Every barn. This barn is at least 100 years old, I recently found writing on the wall from 1902, maybe even earlier with several names, I never saw before.
Clark Lake was my first home being born in 1957, in July.
I left Clark Lake to go to college, but returned in 1994, and built our home up the hill from the Point. Wanted to be close to the barn and horses.
As my (our) parents aged you “Rick” became a great part of our lives, and I have a very heart felt affection for you.
I unfortunately am not a gifted writer.
As I have said my dad Jack loved you and told you so much he could never tell his girls. Thank you for the time you spent with him, thank you for loving Clarklake, and the story about my dad.
An old saying, It takes a village to raise your children totally apply’s here. My younger sister Elise, a true Clark Lake girl had between 4 and 14 children all summer every summer, as she was a teacher and had some summers off, but still took classes, and taught classes. She managed to take a multitude of children skiing, biking, swimming, taking them to her house for lunch, even when some relatives wanted their children to have special diets.
Any way Clark Lake was our mothers Camelot, and when someone thinks any different we feel very protective of our very special community and our beautiful lake.
Community, yes we are!!!! Home yes!
I’ve had multiple people declare their disgust as the lake changed from the “Glory Years” of old. Heck I’ve noticed change I’n not excited about in the last 10 years. But that’s life on a very sought out lake. I agree this lake is becoming far too expensive for the middle income family. I do feel eventually most waterfront will be mansions. It’s just life. This diamond in the rough still holds so many community values that all incomes cherish. I cringe when I hear about too may boats or people at the County Park. I’ve not seen that park out of control or too many boats. This is what keeps the lake accessible to all people. I love seeing young kids at the parks. We were all young and enjoyed the great fun of lake life. I fear the money people expect and plan on changing the natural fun of Clark Lake as a gorgeous PUBLIC lake. I personally cherish everything about the community and hope to spend my many more years enjoying this wonderful community.
What a wonderful road trip back in time . . . My first “real” job when I was 14 was working at the concession shack at the county park on Ocean Beach. I worked at Elsie’s when I was in college. My parents were close friends with Harry and Marie Collins and my mom worked at the Beach Bar for several years and also the Lighthouse. We lived on Crego Road and Clark Lake was our lake. We swam and picnicked at parks on both sides of the lake as we had friends who lived on both sides.
Thanks for this . . . it was fun.
Thank you so much, Rick, for another great history lesson about Clark Lake. Richard and I, along with our three sons Andy, Aaron and Ryan, moved here in the late summer of 1987. It has been a wonderful place to live with lots of great memories.
There have been changes along the way, but most have been for the good and betterment of the lake and the community. 2020 brought a huge change for our family…our first year without my wonderful husband, Richard, who was also a super father, fantastic grandfather, and a great friend to many. The good life goes on as it always does at Clark Lake. Some changes are sad and hard to deal with and some changes are for the best…except for the flashing lights on the end of the Yacht Club docks. Those lights are a sad distraction when looking out at the otherwise peaceful lake in the evening. However, as people say, “Life is Good” and “Life is Better at the Lake”!
Hi Joanne. Sorry about the lights. Sadly there was an accident just before July 4th weekend where a boat ran into our docks at around 10:30 pm. Three dock sections were severely damaged and two lifts were nearly destroyed. Fortunately, no one was hurt. So for safety sake, we decided to put lights at the end of our docks. We hope that the lights are bright enough to alert late night boaters, but not so bright as to create too much of a distraction. Comment from your friends at the Clark Lake Yacht Club.
I remember purchasing my first dickey (mock turtleneck insert) at one of the fine men’s clothing stores in downtown jackson in the 1960’s.Today those stores are gone and my dickey is a fading memory,it brakes my heart.
Rick, This accounting is TOTALLY TRUE, the way I remember it,
I’m not from around here. Texas! I’d like to say something!
I’ve been coming to Clark Lake, every year of my life, except age 13, when I rode my unicycle in New Mexico and met 80 year old Robert Geronimo, the last living grandson of Geronimo, the famous Mescalero Apache chief. We met in Cloudcroft, in the parking lot of the Knotty Pine Motel. A moment in time that I will never forget. I was short, but already at age 13 I was taller than an Indian chief.
But those memories pale in comparison with my annual treks north of the Mason-Dixon line, to the crystal clear spring fed soothing waters to that fountain of youth (Ponce de Leon couldn’t find it) now called Clark Lake. Lewis and Clark obviously never found it, either, on their explorations, west thru Michigan, to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and beyond. You can see by their photographs just after the journey, in their 30’s and 40’s, which showed them to be hardened, crispy, wrinkled with age and scaling due to unprotected sun exposure and bug bites. Compare to me, now at 68, looking like I was recently extracted from a granite stone by Michael Angelo, with ageless perfectly smooth skin and not even a single skin spot. Rippling muscles. Due entirely to my lifelong dips (skinny) in the medicated Clark Lake waters, before it escapes the STRONG dam at the end by the Beach Bar, and enters the River Raisin, which turns your skin to raisins and cardboard, infested with leaches and stream scum. How lucky I am to be born to parents who DID FIND Clark Lake in time. Unlike L & C, who wrote, “Michigan is a bug and snake infested swamp that is not habitable by humans!”
I get distracted but, as I was saying, getting to come here every (except one) year of my life, has helped me stay young and beautiful. And it was fun, too. Clark Lake for me was candy runs to Hops grocery, swimming, skiing, sailing, tennis, horseback riding, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating, ice boating, runs in the woods, bicycles around the lake, turtle hunting, motorcycles, sports cars, RAFT rides (not PONTOON boat rides), getting out of speeding tickets with the help of my grandpa, and just sitting down beside the lake and enjoying a cool refreshing adult beverage, whether watching the sunset or sunrise. If you’re patient enough, you just might get to see both in one sitting.
We/I started coming here when I was 3 months old, before they invented the car. We came in a covered wagon called a Vista Cruiser on the “interstate”, but it was like dirt and travel was tough, and slow. It only took 8 days, though. We came the next year on a brown pony, a ’61 Mustang, a little faster since my daddy liked to run him a bit, and we made it in 2 days, but it killed the horse. I was just older than 1 year now, and was scared to ask about killing it, so I let it go. My memory, at one, is a bit fuzzie, too. The next year we came by propeller airplane and I thought that would be fun, but we had landings at Dallas, Chicago, change planes to a tail dragging DC 3 to Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing, AND Jackson! Our vacations were ALL to Michigan after that since we had already seen the U.S. It was about time to go home when we landed, so we never went that way again. Next, they invented the jet and we liked those. There was a little sack that the pilot said I could barf in it, and that was fun! I put my pilot’s wings on the bag and that “helped” keep the barf inside. I didn’t even know I was sick.
Like Ken Dickey said, it does seem that it has gotten more crowded in the last 45 years, but it is still CLARK LAKE. And I still so love this place.
I do not know a single better place to live on the planet, and the two girls that came to me from there! I love and will always love them them both. I lived happily ever after! Must be the Clark Lake in them that I love.
David Haskell Nichols
Finally had time to read this, and so glad I did. Such a thorough recap. I just love this. Thank you Rick.
In response to Mike P., great family friend. And for all lovers of Clark lake. Kept me going in anticipation these many years since I was 14 years old. Our cottage, a dream event every year. From the time I ran down the hill and on the dock and jumped in to the cool water of the lake, I love this lake. No where on earth is there a better place to be. I know, I’m here now sitting at our old stone area outside the cottage door. With my iPad reading away. Have my book, a cup of coffee and I’m home!
Rick,
You are a gifted storyteller and you’ve brought Clark Lake’s history to life for those of us who did not grow up here. I first visited Clark Lake in the Summer of 1967 when Ron brought me here. I have loved the lake ever since and am blessed to call it my home.
Thank you for the “Back to the Future” ride. Has the lake changed since my first visit? Of course it has. No place stays the same. We take the good with the not-so-good because it’s still the most wonderful place to live.
The same amount of lake front homes maybe there was undeveloped shore line then the same amount of boats maybe but the size and horse power of the boats has increased a lot also are jet skis included in your count ? I caught my first fish there about 51 years ago I still come and fish 3 or 4 times a year I look forward to it every spring I am 58 now. I think the lake has changed for sure for the better to each his own I guess. The lake I guess was more of a blue collar get away in the past .Oh well time marches on ,the fishing is still great
The family and friends rented cottages here is the summers of 1961 and 1962. Yes, we teenagers went to Elsies and Teen Town. Those were golden memories of an age gone by.
All of this, the article and all the comments is what still makes Clark Lake home to me <}