" I found the photos and Doering articles especially interesting.  Growing up in Markesan, I spent many hours in Marquette and on the lake.  My first recollection of being in Marquette was going there in the spring in the early 1950's to fish for walleyes on the Fox River.  Walleyes didn't bite but I recall seeing numerous boat and shore fisherman, up and down the river.

My next association with the area was playing summer recreation baseball with Al Cahoon, Rudy Winther and Duwayne Jahnke.  Since the kids from Marquette went to Markesan High School, most of them became my friends.  Rudy was then and still is, one of my closest and dearest friends.  We hunted and fished together all through high school, then went our separate ways to college, etc. but stayed in regular contact and still do.  Although we live in LaCrosse, my wife and I make regular trips to Winther's Resort to hunt ducks and kayak the local waters.

Among the many memories I have of Marquette were playing pool for rounds of beer at Stan's Bar, taking our outboard motors to Marv Strahota to repair, swimming in the pool at Winther's Resort and, of course, fishing for catfish and hunting ducks with Rudy.  In the '50's the east end of Lake Puckaway was a refuge full of duck food and it held 1000's of ducks and coots annually.  The refuge was ringed with duck blinds and competition for the best spots got pretty intense.  In those days, geese were pretty rare and one had to go to Horicon to see or hunt them.  When the Grand River Marsh was flooded in 1968, all that changed and geese became common sights in the area.  Another thing I remember were the numerous spring die-offs of geese and swans on the lake caused from ingesting spent lead pellets that were everywhere there was a solid bottom--while some lead probably remains, the switch to non-toxic shot has thankfully ended such waste.

Before the Grand River Marsh was flooded it was one of the most popular deer hunting areas around Markesan.  In fact, until I was almost out of high school, there wasn't a gun deer season east of Hwy 73."


James . M

 

Griffith Family 4th of July Story

 

More than a year ago Rudy asked if I might contribute a story having to do with my grandfather, Fred Griffith, and the then Methodist Church (historical society) across the street from the Griffith family home.  I said that I would and with a skill that I have finely honed, that of procrastination, "pen is finally put to paper".

 

Apparently, one 4th of July sometime after WWII, but before I was born in 1949, the Griffith home hosted a get together complete with a fireworks display.  This is a bit hard for me to picture, for my grandfather was a serious man who followed me around making sure that I didn't trample the gardens or break anything in the house.  I was about eight years old when he died and the funeral service was held in the very same church.  Seeing Grandpa Griffith lighting off skyrockets is something I just have a hard time imaging.  Perhaps there was strange connection to one of his loves, early morning duck hunts on Lake Puckaway.

 

As one might guess, all of the skyrockets did not stay on the predicted path.  One peeled off for the church and lodged in the steeple.  Soon there was evidence of smoke and it became obvious that something up there was on fire. I don't know if the volunteer fire department was called out, but after some degree of panic and damage the fire was put out.  Years later, my mother, Ellie would always use this story to explain why Grandpa was always the chief donor to the church's new roof fund.  It's an amusing tale when told in hindsight, and it's too bad that my folks, who were present, aren't here to flesh out the details.

Aside from missing the occassional Welsh sing, the Griffith family is grateful that the church now houses the historical society.  My grandfather would be especially happy.

 

Respectfully submitted-June 29, 2014

 

Tom Griffith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 "I remember Marquette, WI.........by John Hanneman

Moving there in 1948 to a house with no heat or indoor plumbing the toilet was a "2 holer" out back. The only heat in the house was a big wood burning stove in the kitchen. My mother and grandma could come up with some great meals cooked this way.

Having to make all new friends of which Marquette had a lot of kids plus during the summer you got to know some of the kids that would come up and stay at the resorts every year. In the summer evenings we would all get together in front of the Smith grocery store and play bike tag, hide and seek, or if really looking at new kids a snipe hunt in the cemetery.

Simandals Resort use to put a big wooden slide out in the lake that was great fun to use. Rowing a boat out to it was the best way to get there and there was always someone who wanted a ride.

My borther and I pulling a young lady off from a defective water heater as she was wet and touched it and was getting shocked.

Starting school in a 2 room school that even had hot lunches. Sometimes in the winter the road to the school was so icy you had to walk in the ditch to go up the hill. It was sure fun sliding down the hill on the way home.

We use to slide down our driveway, then in back of the Marquette Hotel, and down the Winther driveway to see if we could make it out on the lake. We found out later that our folks would get together after we went to bed and slide down the road out onto the lake, and then stop at Sparky's Bar to warm up.

My dad use to drive the school bus, plus a grader to plow snow. It was fun to ride in the grader and watch him remove the big drifts. 

When we got our first black & white TV the big program for the kids was the Mickey Mouse Club.

Once we got 3-speed bikes riding to some of the farms to visit friends and when bigger even helping with some of the harder jobs. I learned to drive a tractor and truck on the Bauman farm.

As big of shock it was moving to Marquette from the city, it was worst moving back and going from a 2 room school to a grade school and high school that seemed to have a 100 rooms.

That turned out okay as I met my future wife there even I didn't know it then.

I still get to Marquette a few times a year and will still bring back more memories.

 

 

 

 

 By Joseph T. Charles

 Back in 1947 the Charles family, my mother,father and my brother Bob would make their first trek to Marquette, WI. on Lake Puckaway.  We had reservations at Simandl's Resort located at the west end of town for a week over the Fourth of July. An associate of my father had recommended the resort and for the first few years they stayed closer to town in another cottage that I believe was owned by Simandl.

As the years went by we stayed for two weeks over the same fourth of July period and developed a long lasting friendship with all the kids that came at the same time every year. Some time in the early 50s the resort changed hands and became known as The H&H Resort owned by Jim and Ladd Hajicek. 

It was always fun going to Puckaway but getting there in most years was a very long trip given the National Guard Convoys heading from the Chicago land area to Camp McCoy and Route 14 was only a two lane highway.  We would take a break for lunch in Whitewater and let the convoy gain some distance.

The anticipation of getting to the resort and going thru the annual drill:  Unload the car, hit the out house-yes no indoor plumbing, fill the drinking water bucket at the pump-yes no running water just a bucket and a dipper, and after getting settled we headed to the Puckaway Lodge where we would pick up a block of ice for the ice box-yes no refrigerator just an ice box. Groceries were available in town but limited so bringing most of the staples was standard procedure for our mother.

H&H had 9 or 10 cabins all with a monicor ending in "Inn."  We always stayed in our favorite "Never Inn." After all the arrival chores chores it was time to get line up with one of the many flat bottom row boats-yes flat bottom wooden boats that leaked when were'nt careful and dropped the anchor which was a paint can filled with cement and attached to the boat with a chain.  Very exciting if you were on the Big Lake and had to row and bail all the way back to H&H. 

It was a big deal when my father bought a 7 1/2 horse Evenrude motor and Ergo, no more rowing but racing around in our hot wood bottom boat. It was always easy even in a a good rain to locate H&H because it had the water slide. Always a good spot for swimming after there was enough action to flatten out the mud bottom-yes Puckaway is a mud lake. 

Annually my father would bring a fire works display package and on the Fourth of July at the boat house the crowd would gather for the spectical-ok it seemed like a big deal back then.  JIm would supply the pop and the beer and how we would all look forward to the party.

Check out was on Saturday and on the Sunday when we arrived one of the things on the list was to make reservation for Sunday chicken dinner at the Kohn's farm house. 

During the week most of the kids that were old enough to hold a shovel got to dig for worms and there was alwsys the project of pumping the water out of the woden boats-yes Jim was very good at allowing us to do the work. I guess the older we got the smarter we got as well and left some of that work to the newcomers.

Always a highlite of the week were the outdoors movies.  The one in Marquette was shown on the west wall of the building attached to the Puckaway Lodge.  We would travel to Kingston and Markesan on the other nights for 5 cent popcorn and if you were old enough a 20 cent cup of beer.

Of course there was always a job if you were old enough on helping with the "Pea Pack."

When I was in high school and after my folks and brother would go back to Mt. Prospect, IL., I would move in with the Hajicek's and work for Jim and Annette mixing the oil with the gas and carry two five gallon cans from the barn to the boat house, diggings and selling workms, painting and reparing the wooden boats, cutting grass, and as the season wore on start to get ready for the winter. 

the old saying "you can't go back" is certainly true having visited Marquette a few times since our last year staying the resort in 1956, On occassion my wife Barbara and I drive to Marquette and visit Marlene (Hajicek) Kohn who we all refer to as my "summer sister."

 

 By Jean Kriz Coe

A long time ago, Joe Kriz and Joe Jr. went fishing on Puckaway. Joe Sr. had to go to the bathroom so they put into the island.  He went into the trees and meanwhile a raccoon came and climbed into the boat and curled up on a jacket stowed under a seat.  My dad just watched and figured someone had made a pet out of it and dumped it off out there.Then my grandfather came back and climbed in the boat and never saw the raccoon. He slept all the time they were fishing.  Got back to shore and Joe Jr. picked up the raccoon and put him in the car where he promptly  climbed up in the back window. When my grandfather was putting fishing gear in the back seat he came eye to eye with the raccoon and really banged his head on the car backing out.  Of course, I'm sure there were a few words spoken! Well, the raccoon went to a farm in Lyndon Satation and lived out his days well fed. I saw him often when we went to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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