Al Buck's Cottages in the Pines

This story was written by Eric Elfner in 2008 after some correspondence with Donna Hansen.  It was originally published on the old WhiteLakePOA.org website in 2008 and printed in the November 2008 WLPOA Newsletter.

- Eric Elfner, August 2018

Until 1964 there were two resorts that operated on White Lake.  One was Scharenberg's, which still operates at the east end of the lake to this day.  The other was Al Buck's Cottages in the Pines, which operated on the south point of the lake, where it narrows across from the main point.  This picture from May 1955 shows the resort at the beginning of its 1955 season.

Al Buck's step-daughter, Donna Hansen, still owns the original Buck residence.  She contacted the WLPOA after I wrote an article for the newsletter about a rowboat, probably from Buck's Resort, that was recovered by scuba divers in 2007.  She shared the following information with me in a March 2008 letter.

"In the 1950s, there were only five rental cottages at 'Buck's Cottages in the Pines'.  When the resort was operating there was a boat for each cottage, and a few extra."

At some point I heard that Scharenberg's had been the family resort, and Buck's was more of a sportsman's resort for hunters and fishermen.  But current resident and WLPOA Board Member, Bill Vich, told me he had found old metal beach toys with his metal detector so I asked Donna for clarification.

"The resort at one time could have been more of a sportsmen's place, but I only remember it as mainly a family resort.  Often the children of these families, mostly from the Chicago area, would arrive wearing their swimsuits and were in the lake even before the luggage was out of the car."

I sent Donna the 1955 photo and noted that if you zoom in on it, you can see a boathouse and a shed with an overhang that still exist today.  Donna pointed out a fireplace you can see to the right of the shed.  It's no longer there, but I have photos showing it still in place in 1985.  I think the high water may have gotten it soon after.  Here is the zoomed photo with her thoughts below.

"The small shed with the overhang was used for boat storage in the winter.  In the summer, cottagers could leave their innertubes, fishing tackle, etc., rather than taking it back up the hill.  Every Tuesday night my folks hosted a wienie roast for the guests with lots of pop, beer and marshmallows.  There was also at one time a little fireplace on the beach, and that was where everyone cooked their hot dogs.  Just to the west, there was also a small fish cleaning shed, screened in.

"Al's brother built the house and the boathouse, where two boats were always stored.  The guest house and the garage were built by Al later.  Everything was painted white, except the stairs which are no longer there.  They were stained."

Today the boathouse has a red door.  There's plenty of beach between the boathouse and the water today, but I do remember walks around the lake in the 1980s when I had to squeeze between the water and the boathouse on its narrow step.  Most of us remember the high water of the 80s, but Donna mentions folks remembering high water from before the 1950s!

"Al had a hired hand, Gus Heller, who always talked about when the lake was really high, so high the 'point' was under water.  When that happened he said the crappie fishing in the spring was spectacular.

"As for the lake levels, old timers always talk about the cycles it has gone through, but I admit this is the lowest I have ever seen it."

She also mentioned the joys of swimming in our beautiful lake.

"I enjoyed swimming off our point, but we always kept guests away from it because the drop off was only a few feet from the beach.  In my swimming days my mother would row one of the boats while I swam from the south to the north many times.  I only swam the length once."

Donna tells me that Al died in 1963 and recalls that her mother operated the resort for one more year, then sold it to a man from Wautoma, who divided the property and sold the lots as they are drawn today.  Fred Forest picks up the story from there in an e-mail he sent me in 2007.

"Spoerl, Lenert, Vich's upper house, Spoerl's white shack, the boat house you have shown---- All are remnants from Buck's Resort. Our home, Rowe, and Vichs were built at a later date on the original Resort grounds after the sale. This is my understanding from word of mouth. Each place has beach waterfront and the lots are highly irregular to make this possible. As a result driveways drift from one lot to another (such as Forest/Rowe) and most of Lenert's lakeside property is Spoerls. It's really wierd but has worked quite well over the 27+ years we have been here."

In August 2007, scuba divers recovered a rowboat that had likely belonged to Buck's.  This story can be found here.

Finally, Donna shared some memories of Scharenberg's, the resort that operated down the lake from Buck's.

"Everyone has a special place in their lives, and White Lake is mine.  In my mother's album, there is a picture of me at two or three playing in the sand on Scharenberg's beach with my mother.  In the background are my grandmother and uncle sitting on one of those rustic benches that I guess maybe "Grandpa" Scharenberg made when that resort was first established.  At one time there used to be a beautiful stone fish pond with a rustic bridge located next to the walkway from the restaurant down to the beach.  And I can remember going to dances there as well."

My dad remembers the fish pond too, but I don't.  Donna suggested I talk to Eddie Scharenberg for some further lake history.  I already have a bit, but it would be nice to get some history on that resort as well.  Thanks for sharing your memories of Buck's Cottages in the Pines with us, Donna!