Betty Koller Remembers - early cranberry life

Manitowish Waters History

As recalled by Betty Koller

3-17-15

CRANBERRY MARSH

In 1945-46 five families came to Manitowish Waters to start cranberry marshes.  Vern Goldsworthy found the land suitable for cranberries – acid soil and alkaline water supplied from Little Trout Lake.    The five families were Howard & Mary Folsom, Herbert & Florence Indermuehl, Delbert & Myrtle Bartling, John & June McFarland and Frank & Betty Koller.  The town did not welcome us.  The land was in forestry, where no one could live year-round.

We had together changed the land into agriculture.  There was no telephone or electric.  To get our weather reports, Ehlerts Market would get them, and then we would get them there.  After a few years the growers hung wires for both utilities.  We had to get to the marsh from Powell Road as there was no way to cross the Rice or Trout Rivers.   There was a road we could park in, it had once been a camp.  First one in had to be last one out.  Everything had to be brought in by wheel barrow, stoneboats, or any other means that you could carry with.  Some years later, the growers had a culvert put in so we could get to the marsh down Hwy 51.

We had to get roads into each marsh.  The growers had very little equipment that they shared with each other.  We all dug the ditches into Trout Lake and individual marshes with a hired drag line by hand.

Postcard Collection

 These are scans of postcards recently donated to the library by David Bohnett.  They depict many area resorts and businesses.  A few of the postcards at the end include scenes from locations in the surrounding area including Boulder Junction (Camp Manitowish YMCA), Minocuqua, Mercer and Manitowish (Circle Lily Lodge, Chuck's Tavern).
Other postcards depict (in no particular order): Koerner's Spider Lake Resort, Koerner's Coffee Shop and Oval Bar, Buck's Resort, Voss' Birchwood Lodge, Voss' Breezy Point, Little Bohemia, Rudy's Rest Haven, Ilg's Camp, Deer Park Lodge, Island Lake Log Cabins, Island Lake Resort, Northern Lights Resort, Warnier's, Red Feather Lodge, Twin Pines Resort, Meinel's, Williamson's Stone Lake Resort, Beaumont's Island Resort, Lange's Sylvan Lodge, Balaty's, Lakewood Lodge, Win-Mar, 30-30 Lodge, Rest Lake Dam and Fish Hatchery, Arial Views from the Tower, post office, Hanson's Hardware, LaPorte's, Harry's Supermarket, Theilacker's Ehlert's.
More information to come.

Doriot's Deer Park Lodge: "the last word in summer resort hotels"

Charles H. Doriot, proprietor of Deer Park Lodge in Vilas County, was born at Kelly, Marathon County, Wis., July 3, 1885, son of Calvin H. and Effie (La Port) Doriot. The father, a native of Ohio, and the mother, born in Marathon County, Wis., were residents of the latter county after their marriage until 1892, when they removed to their present home in Iron County. Charles H. Doriot was educated in the schools of Langlade, Oneida and Iron counties, and his subsequent career has found him in many and varied capacities, including those of logging contractor, guide, sawmill operator, and, for six years, proprietor of a general store in Manitowish and postmaster of that village. In 1908 he established a resort on Stone Lake, known as Clear Lodge, and he operated this until 1917, when he sold it and took over his present resort, Deer Park Lodge.

Deer Park Lodge, which has been graphically called the Palace of the Northern Woods, lies on the eastern shore of Lake Manitowish, in the western part of Vila County, sometimes known as the Manitowish Lake Region. To the sportsman, tourist and summer camper who have visited this country the name calls up entrancing memories of forest, stream and lake with all their attendant joys of sport in every outdoor form or needed rest and recuperation from the strenuous battle of life in the busy marts of trade and commerce.

Such relief as a sojourn in these picturesque wilds brings to those who seek it is of the sort that both cheers the spirits and invigorates the body, adding years to life and sending the rest seeker back to the city or town with renewed vigor, hope and ambition. In truth, a few weeks in such a place is a good investment, adding largely to one's capital of energy and endurance without an abundant supply of which even business success -- the accumulation of dollars -- may be jeopardized.

more images from Deer Park Lodge

For your viewing pleasure, a few more images from Deer Park Lodge. Enjoy!



Memories of Deer Park Lodge with Rita Anderson

A short time ago, our head librarian, Janelle, conducted an interview with Rita Anderson about her time working at Deer Park Lodge as a teenager. We are pleased to share Rita's memories below.

Rita Anderson worked at Deer Park Lodge on Spider Lake as a summer employee from 1956-1960. At the time of her employment, Ben and Ruth Epstein were the owners.

Rita's very first job at Deer Park was cleaning cabins. She did that for two weeks before moving to a more enjoyable job as a lobby girl. Lobby girl duties included cleaning the lobby, bathrooms, bar room, and cocktail lounge.

Another job that Rita had was play school manager. Taking care of the kids was fun work. The children ate before the other guests so they had the dining room to themselves, giving the parents time to enjoy their lunches and dinners. After lunch, Rita had all afternoon off. At 5pm she returned to help the kids with dinner and stayed with them until 7pm.

In the evening, staff members had the option of babysitting if parents wanted to go out. The adults enjoyed going to a traveling orchestra. This orchestra visited one other resort, and a professional dancing couple gave dance lessons to the guests and put on an evening performance.

Rita also had a waitress job at Deer Park Lodge. Her wage was $60/month, plus room, board and tips. Waitresses would have the same families/tables to wait on each day for however long the family stayed. Each waitress had six tables and a bus boy was shared with another waitress. The kitchen staff had off every other Sunday afternoon.

Rita enjoyed working with the kitchen help. The main workers in the kitchen were the chef, first cook, fry cook and salad man. Rita remembers the salad man, John Now. He was very talented and would sculpt ice and food for the lodge's guests. But he was also sort of a mystery man - he never left the lodge.

Another worker Rita remembers as a mystery was the laundry man. Rumor had it that he had served time in Alcatraz, and he was a bit strange!

Rita really enjoyed the group she worked with, and many of them returned each summer. The kids could go to the rec hall for entertainment, and Mr. Epstein also gave them a lodge car o Sundays to go to church.

The girls/women lived in the upstairs of a large building on the property. It had one big room plus a separate bathroom with shower. The boys/men occupied the downstairs, where there were separate rooms.

Ben Epstein was a good boss. He was also very watchful of the lodge. At night he slept in a screened-in porch near the road so he could hear anyone coming or going. Before the lodge opened for the summer, Ben would open up for conventions, such as A.O. Smith and a doctors' group, to name two. Most of his guests were Jewish. Ben and Ruth Epstein had three children: two boys, Frank and Steve, and one girl, Marilyn. Rita, Frank and another friend, Susie, would go water skiing together on some afternoons. The five years at Deer Park Lodge were fun and memorable for Rita.