A Beautiful Reflection on Big Bass Lake

Coming to big bass lake is like an adventure in paradise. Those that live around the lake can you confirm this? Leave us a comment and tell us why you came to big bass lake to live.

Marion Boys Club Gymnasium

. This gymnasium was not at the Marion boys club when I worked there. It came several years after I left. It would’ve been a great advantage to that club. I understand this Helps the kids in the community. in the mid-1980s a flood affected the club greatly and they actually had to close down and move to another location. It’s sad that this club is no longer serving in the area. The flood destroyed the electrical system on the entire club and caused great damage.

The Big Wave on Lake Michigan

Wow! What a wave! I’m sure glad I wasn’t swimming on that day! That’s the kind of wave that you might see in one of the oceans. That height is almost unheard of in Lake Michigan. There must have been some fierce winds blowing that day. With that kind of battering its a wonder that pier stood up to all that force.

Have any of you seen a bigger wave on Lake Michigan?

Skiing at Ward Hill by Phil

my name is Phil and I have this video of Ward Hill ski area that I’d like to share with this website. This was taken many years ago. I think it is the same place from what I’ve read at this website. If not, you can think about what might have been.Ward Hills

Camping Chores

Each camping trip to our family farm and forest usually consisted of about six to eight boys. Each set of two or three were assigned three task groups that would rotate daily.

The first group were assigned to gather the firewood for the day and also to start the cooking fires for each meal that day.

The second group did the cooking for all three meals. We had two fire pits, each separated by about thirty yards, for cooking. On some days only one pit needed to be utilized depending on the menu of the day.

The last group was the least favorite of the three for it involved meal clean-up by washing the dishes and putting the utensils and pans in a secure location. It also involved the dreaded task of latrine clean-up.

Since the majority of our trips lasted one week one group had the distinction of earning meal and latrine clean-up three times. The fortunate thing for that group was that they only had the morning meal to consider since we usually left for home after breakfast.

The adults supervised all the chores and made sure they were done with a minimum of complaining. The kids were even more happy if there was a trip away from the property because that reduced their work load by one meal. On those days everyone chipped in for either a picnic lunch or a restaurant purchased meal.

The kids learned full well that camping trips offer a goodly measure of work amidst all the fun stuff there was to do.

The Big Bass Lake School

The school bell is ringing to start a new school year, but, alas, not here for this school no longer exists. It is where my father, his brother, and two sisters attended when they were younger and what better place for a school than on the shores of Big Bass Lake. My dad used to say that it was a one room school house with all grades massed together. It was located a few doors away from the Big Bass Lake store. I believe it is used today as the Sauble Township Hall renovated, of course,thanks to Al Kester who informed us of that.

Dawn, from Memories of Michigan provided us the following information regarding this school-

“In 1907, class room records show that the school name was changed to Lake Natahki School. Joan Collar, formerly Joan Myers, classes of 1938 thru 1941, informs us in 1907 Wm Seaman had the name of the lake officially changed to Lake Natahki by Legal Act #726. Unfotunately the name “Big Bass Lake was so firmly entrenched that the poetic and fitting “Lake Natahki”, an Indian name meaning beautiful, never achieved proper recognition. Thus we are mired in the limbo of ninety or more Bass Lakes in Michigan.”

That Indian name can also be found on our History of Big Bass Lake” found in our BBL Info (top of Sidebar). Is anyone out there that once attended this school that could provide us with more information about it?

The Family of Anton Matson

Rachel Williams who is related to Anton Matson contacted me today through Big Bass Lake history. Her family own Big Point Lodge on the Northwestern side of Big Bass Lake. It was located off of Matson Road quite near the present location of Grant’s Resort. Does anyone know any more information about this? I want to thank Rachel for both of these photographs. She has sent others as well which I will post in the near future. This is a milk wagon that made deliveries around the lake. I do remember my grandmother getting milk deliveries at her old cabin in the 1950s. Any help about any of this would be appreciated and please do so by way of a comment.