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by Leo (Bilby) Dowling for the Historical Club at Onsted
- : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - Musgrove Evans, a scholar and a gentleman native of Pennsylvania, a member of the Society of Friends. His wife was a sister of General J. W. Brown. He settled in Tecumseh 25 miles from any road or white family building a house 20 ft. square with bare floors or earth and strips of elm bark for a roof. During the winter of 1824-25, it furnished shelter for 16 persons. Mr. Evans was the first mail contractor and postmaster. Musgrove Evans had heard of a Land Office being opened in Monroe for the sale of land in Lenawee County, which had previously been surveyed in1819. So a little band of settlers came from Jefferson County N.Y. of whom Musgrove Evans was the leading spirit to make homes in Michigan. Being anxious to explore the intervening county, Musgrove Evans, General Brown and two others, decided in the spring of 1826 to journey to this mission on horseback following the Indian Trail. They came upon the beautiful Hillsides covered with wild flowers and fragrant shrubs and the shores of a firm clear and white lake with sandy beaches and suggested the name “Sand Lake”. They had brought along some liquor to christen the lake. But when they went to get the liquor it was gone. But it was christened “Sand Lake” just the same. The Indians afterwards said the name meant “The Great Spirit here smiles” or, “God is with us here”. The first account of any permanent resident was Rev. Henry Tripp, who was an Englishman and a clergyman of the Baptist Church, but in his early life he had been a sailor and had crossed the Atlantic, before steam ships, some 18 times. In 1831, when he came to this country which was a solitary wilderness and the territories of Michigan and Wisconsin combined territories, he purchased 160 acres of land upon the southern bank of Sand Lake in Section 13 Cambridge. And lived there many years with his family. When he first came to the lake in the wilderness he felt he had found the “promised land”. Around all the distinguished men who have resided in the county there were few more kindly mentioned than he. He was rough and unpolished in manners, blunt and plain of speech. He would have been an utter failure as a teacher of eloquence, yet under that rough and rugged exterior lived one of the noblest and truest hearts that ever throbbed. He was very determined and set in his way. In those days, there were no calendar clocks, almanacs were not very plentiful and even a clergyman sometimes found it hard to keep track of the days of the week. On one occasion, when he was supposed to go preach at the home of Giles Hubbard the people are gathered there on Sunday, but no preacher came. The next day he dressed all up and went to the Hubbard Home, finding Mrs. Hubbard washing and violating the Sabbath, but Mrs. Hubbard convinced him he had the wrong day proving it by the calendar. But soon he was convinced that the weather and crops were profitable subjects of conversations. His near neighbor was Rev. William Lyster, a clergyman of the Episcopal Church. Rev. Lyster was born in Wexford County Ireland. March 1805, very refined, brought up in luxury and wealth, as his father owned a large amount of land in Ireland. He was educated for the ministry and was terimel for the best society in and country. His manners and all his life were as simple as a child could have had large salary’s and occupied a prominent pulpit, but he preferred the simple life on the banks of Sand Lake to any other place in the world which he called “Angel Lake”. As he had purchased land nearly around the lake, building a house on the west bank. Some of his unique schemes for improvement were a log fence, a rope fence and a chair which could be raised and lowered be a windless and chain from the top of the bank at the edge of the water, which he occupied while writing his sermons. He graduated at Trinity College in Dublin Ireland in 1826 and in 1827 he decided to come to the new country, as there was more opportunity for a young graduate. So going to Ohio and was assistant pastor of the Trinity Church in Cleveland and has been reported he founded some 20 parishes. He returned to Ireland and was ordained a priest of the Episcopal Church by Bishop Saurin. At this time he married Miss Ellen Cooper of Wexford County. His home burned in 1886, he then preached at the Springville School house, the first schoolhouse in Springville, which is the brick one, that now stands in the Village. Rev. Lyster died Sept. 9, 1877 and unlike Rev. Tripp, there was nothing rough or harsh in his preachings. In 1882, property on the south shore of Sand Lake was taken over by Joshish Putnam, building a hotel calling it “Lake Park House” later because “Hotel Putnam.” His son, Elmer was the next owner, they had a stage coach that met the trains at Pentecost. Taking the passengers to and from the hotel several times a day. Elmer Putnam sold the hotel to Mr. & Mrs. Carl Schlek about 1918, she served chicken dinners, which were greatly enjoyed. The Schlch sold the hotel to a Mr. Reumm which burned in 1928. Mr. Schlch built a two story building a bathhouse on the first floor, and a store where lunches were served on the second. Mrs. Schlch had a green house left of the store. In 1925, Mr. Schlch built a dance hall, having very talented musicians such as Ray and Carl Goril, Rudy Valley, Cab Callaway and Eddie Duckin, Del Delbridge and Wayne King. He later turned the dance hall into a skating rink which he sold to Mr. & Mrs. William Davis, who had their opening July 4, 1944. The Davis’s sold to the C.I.O. about 1956. The Adrian and Tecumseh residents were among the first to build cottages around Sand Lake on the South Shore. The Gruel cottage is way over 70 years old and was first owned by the Slater’s. The cottage was built with square nails were used, but is owned by Mr. & Mrs. Victor Gruel of Adrian who enjoyed this as their summer home, until their heath failed. Don Bowen was another of the first people to build a cottage on the South Shore. He was from Tecumseh. Another old cottage is the “DeWolf Den” built by their parents of the James, and now owned by Mr. & Mrs. August Rendigs, Jr. of Cincinnati Ohio. Mrs. Rendig was a daughter of the James’ of Tecumseh. They travel a lot but spend some time each summer at their Sand Lake Cottage. In 1889-1890 a cottage on the east shore was built by the Willets, and which is the home of Fred Willets today. It was built by his father and grandfather. The east shore has the clay cottage, which was built and used at first as a store for some time, then turned into a family cottage where the younger generation are still enjoying it each summer. WATTS COTTAGE When Sand Lake first began to attract transient settlers, the hill on the north shore were usually chosen as the most favorable location. A farmhouse near by afforded some accommodations to fisherman. The demand increased and in the early 1870’s a hotel was erected where the farmhouse stood. This became the “North Shore Hotel”, which was owned by Edd and Gil Kennedy. They sold it to a Club, and later taken over for back taxes. And in about 1935 it was tore down. A short distance south east of the hotel, a house was erected by Mr. Pentecost, where boats and fisherman’s supplies could be kept. Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd Sagar came to the North Shore in 1919; Mr. Sagar being a baker, sold baked goods to the lakers for a number of years. They were better known as Grandpa and Grandma Sagar. The first cottage on the North Shore was the “Silver Cottage” which is now the home of Mr. & Mrs. Mike Horton. On the beautiful wooded north shore of Sand Lake, is a cottage of which the land was taken up be Wm. Lyster from the United States Government May 30, 1837. It was sold several times, and was laid out in Killarney Park Sub-Division. On Sept. 20, 1921, Alice Angel bought a lot of Ignacio M. DeVarona, a Spaniard. She built a small cottage. The Spaniard was taken sick and died and his wife not liking it around the lake, would have nothing to do with it, sold all the land he owned. Alice Angel exchanged her property to Charley Kerr of Onsted for lumber and another lot Sept 28, 1922. Charley Kerr built a new cottage but without having it completed, Chas & Eva Kerr sold it to Edd Heilman and wife of Tecumseh May 22, 1923, they finished the cottage. Mrs. Heilman being the daughter of Mr. Gaston of Gaston and son Jewelry Store in Tecumseh. Mr. Heilman died June 19, 1964 and today Mrs. Heilman and daughter Mrs. Sally Pape and two sons Edward and William enjoy their summers there. In 1836 the lake was very low and again in 1895, anyone could drive from the west side to the north shore hotel along the waters edge. And again in 1930 it was low. In 1932 the water was so low that Jack Myers walked across the center of Sand Lake. But the water always came back. A channel was put from Wamplers Lake to Sand Lake, which raised the lake. Dr. Benjamin Workman said in 1836 while rowing over the western portion of Sand Lake, he came directly over some very large springs where the water fairly seemed to boil. They say the lake has no visible outlet or inlet, is supposed to be supplied from springs. (Found in Tecumseh Paper) 1919. A group of Toledo men have leased the Putnam Hotel at Sand Lake and will remodel it into a clubhouse. Today the sloping wooded land and the beaches of Sand Lake are lined with beautiful cottages, many are permanent homes. (This paper was found in the files of Mr. Dean Bailey, nephew of Mrs. Leo (Bilby) Dowling. It has been typed as written.) Donated by Lin Bailey, April 19, 2005 |
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