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Depot Dispatch July 1983

SHADOWS OF THE PAST

By Jean Strebe

 

Looking at the clear, cool waters of Crystal Lake rippling the past entered my mind, reminding me that once this lake had only been a gem of water in a vast wilderness.

 

Who roamed these lands many years before we were born?  Who owned this wooded paradise only gotten to on horseback or buggy?

 

Old timers of Crystal Lake say there was once a hotel on the lake, located where the Girl Scout camp is now.  Many youngsters would sneak into the old hotel to collect dishes which were left in the deserted hotel.

 

What is was called or who owned it remains a mystery, for even the oldest resident of the lake remembers it only as an abandoned hotel.

 

The smallest island on the lake was once owned by Judge Voight, who rowed to his island home, eventually have a heart attack and dying in his boat.

 

The Waldes Ruhe house located on the west side of the lake remains intact except for the beautiful gardens which were said to have bloomed from early spring through fall.  Exotic shrubs and plants cared for with the utmost care made this home a showplace for all those who visited.

 

THE STREETCAR once came to Crystal Lake in the early 1900’s bringing in families and young people who would enjoy a day at the beach.

 

The stop located on the west side of the lake at what is now called the Nautical Inn was graced by picnickers who’d get off the streetcars with baskets and gear for a day on the beach.

 

This streetcar line, built from Plymouth to Elkhart Lake by George Brickbauer, connected Elkhart Lake, Crystal Lake, Plymouth, Sheboygan Falls, and Sheboygan, bringing many visitors to the area for a day in the sun.

 

Old-timers of the area say a line extended to the waters of Crystal Lake, where the streetcar was brought down into the water for a washing.

 

Crystal Isle Inn was visited and became a part of any lake outing. Surrounded by a lovely park grown in with large cedar trees complete with a windmill to pump fresh water, many days were spent here and at the bathing beach which featured an 18’ high drive.

 

The bridge which connected Crystal Isle Inn to Reigh’s Ressort on the island was built by the original resort owner and is unusual to this day since there is now way for boats to pass beneath it.  Nothing remains of this posh resort which has now been totally demolished.

 

ON THE FAR south side of Crystal Lake many years ago in the mid to late 1800s section 5 was owned by Englishman Algernon Charles Satoris and a few co-investors.  Who was Algernon Charles Satoris?

 

He was the first man ever to marry a president’s daughter in the White House in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1874.  A handsome 23-year old scion of a wealthy English family, he married Ellen (Nellie) Grant who was called “daughter to the nation” at the time.

 

Being a favorite of President Grant’s, he watched as his daughter was wed, and it was said he was found crying in her room later.  Both sets of parents were against the marriage, which was quite an affair.

 

President Grant’s favorite daughter married, was taken away to her husband’s native land, England, to live, only to return to the U.S. once a year.

 

Algernon was said to have visited Crystal Lake on occasion during this time when he returned to the U.S. but never settled there.  Tom Glyn among others squatted on this land for years.

 

By 1883, Nellie and Algernon had three children, tow girls and a boy, and their marriage was failing.  He was said to have invested $12,000 of President Grant’s money at this time eventually losing it for him.

 

Why Algernon Satoris ever came to Crystal Lake, called Cedar Lake at the time, remains a mystery.  The land was eventually divided and sold.

 

Later Algernon and Nellie were divorced and he was banned from his native land of England to Italy, where he became a remittance man, paid a monthly fee on the condition that he never return home.  He died in 1880, leaving Nellie a wealthy widow.

 

FATHER-IN-LAW to Satoris, General Grant once visited this area by special train.

 

News from the “Cream City” (Milwaukee) state that ex-President General Grant and his party would pass through Plymouth on Friday, June 18, 1880, enroute to Green Bay.  City agent John Knowd confirmed the information and 1:30 was slated as the hour of arrival.

 

Plymouth prepared to do him honor by letting the children out of school dressing in their finest attire and waiting for the ex-president in the sweltering heat.  The depot was decked with flags and streamers, and every effort was made in honor of the occasion.

 

The ladies were dressed in their Sunday best, their presence said to have brought a particular charm to the setting composed of care-worn laborers, school children and businessmen.  Approximately 500 people showed for the gala event.

 

After waiting patiently in the sweltering sun , at precisely 1:66 the train came thundering along and sped through the crowd of well-wishers on either side of the track and over the railroad crossing at a mile a minute!

 

The men gave vent to their displeasure with shouts of anger and the women, exhausted from the heat, were aghast.

 

An hour or so later, it was learned, not to anyone’s disgust, that the train had become disabled a mile or so north of Plymouth – delaying the train so the conductor could walk back for help.

 

The delay of the train for several hours brought out framers and their families for miles around for a peek at the ex-President.

 

Yes, there are many stories of famous people who have visited our area, but they only remain as shadows of the past.