Shared photos: Big Whitefish Bay Resort and a Historic Mailboat

(P) Big Whitefish Bay Resort (1)

I want to thank Tim Donohue for sending photos taken at Big Whitefish Bay Resort during the summers of 1963-64, when he was a young boy. Tim’s sister, Jane, worked at the resort and they both share fond memories and images of the resort and the people they met. It was operated at that time by Audrey Ternus (1908-1991). Tim has also included a detailed description of the resort.

(H) The Mailboat

One of Tim’s memories describe a man in an old wooden inboard who delivered mail and gave free rides to kids along his route. Although Tim may not have known it at the time, this would have been the legendary mailman, Ben Knebel, who delivered mail to Whitefish Lake residents from 1930 to 1969. If you look at Figure H, you will see the mailboat docked at Big Whitefish Bay in 1963. In 1992, over twenty years after Ben died, his 1949 mahogany 22 foot Chris Craft Sportsman boat was discovered after a long search. It was extremely deteriorated, but with personal affection, it was meticulously restored by two Whitefish Lake Resorters, Joe Ruttger and Ron Schultz.

I have not seen this historic boat, but look forward to finding it next summer. Information may be available at the Crosslake Historical Society.

We can all appreciate that Tim and Jane donated these photos and information, which give us a historic glimpse of Big Whitefish Bay Resort and Ben Knebel’s cherished mailboat.

To read Tim’s writeup and view all of Tim and Jane’s donated photos, click here.

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5 Responses to Shared photos: Big Whitefish Bay Resort and a Historic Mailboat

  1. Bruce Peterson says:

    In the 1950s and 60s my family would stay at Ben Knebel’s Camp Bertha Resort most every if not every summer. I believe that the picture of the mail boat posted on April 14th, 2018 listed as photo (H) is docked at Camp Bertha in front of and below Cabin #5 which had a road down to the shore that Ben could drive his 1958 white Chevy Impala down with gas, mail and a red metal Coca Cola cooler filled with ice and small glass bottles of Coca Cola of which Ben would pop the top off of as he handed each passenger on his boat about half way through his route.
    I learned to swim off that dock and one day when a small toddler from one of the cabins was playing in the water between the two docks and between the shore and the two planks in front of the boat. The toddler floated under the two planks and couldn’t get her head above the surface of the water so stepped into the water I pulled her from under the planks so she could breathe again. I may have been about 10 years old at the time.

    • Sharee Rask says:

      Love hearing stories about these old places. Do you know if there is a resort there now or what end of the lake it was located? Thanks for sharing.

  2. Bruce Peterson says:

    In the 1950s and 60s my family would stay at Ben Knebel’s Camp Bertha Resort most every if not every summer. I believe that the picture of the mail boat posted on April 14th, 2018 listed as photo (H) is docked at Camp Bertha in front of and below Cabin #5 which had a road down to the shore that Ben could drive his 1958 white Chevy Impala down with gas, mail and a red metal Coca Cola cooler filled with ice and small glass bottles of Coca Cola of which Ben would pop the top off of as he handed each passenger on his boat about half way to his route.
    I learned to swim off that dock and one day when a small toddler from one of the cabins was playing in the water between the two docks and between the shore and the two planks in front of the boat. The toddler floated under the two planks and couldn’t get her head above the surface of the water so stepped into the water I pulled her from under the planks so she could breathe again. I may have been about 10 years old at the time.

  3. Steven Gustafson says:

    I have noticed you don’t have a resort called Frazer Bay Lodge on you list, it was on Lake Vermillion between about 1942 to the late 50’s. It was owned by my granfather Albert Anderson. Have many pictures of it.

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