|
Clarks’
Castle Point Resort
Jack and Jeanie Clark, Castle Point Resort, Indian Pete Bayou
In 1954 after vacationing and fishing on Hamlin Lake
since 1946, our grandparents, Merrill and Ethel
Bennett bought property on Indian Pete Bayou.
Grandpa Bennett decided to make his and grandma’s permanent
home on the lake they loved.
They purchased the property with our beautiful cottage from
Ruth Keldernik for $14,000.
In the spring of 1955 he and his son-in-law Ed Clark began
and completed construction of six rental cottages and opened for
business that same summer.
The previous owners of the property
knew a woman from Germany that used to vacation on Hamlin
Lake
and she built stone castles at different locations on our property.
These were replicas of castles in Germany she had
seen, thus, the resorts name came to be. We have been told that the
castles were made in the 1920’s.
Gale and Helen Myers were the first
customers at the resort that summer.
Mrs. Myers continued to come up for the next 44 years!
There have been several
families that have been of three generations down through the years
that continue to vacation with us.
Grandpa and Grandma Bennett
continued to operate the resort until 1976, at which time their
daughter, Janet, and her husband Ed took over ownership and
operations. They had
moved up to Ludington from
Dayton,
Ohio in 1973, but Grandpa and
Grandma were not quite ready for “retirement” at the age of 80!! So
it was in 1976 that Ed and Janet were able to take over the family
business. Ed constructed
a three bedroom home for Grandpa and Grandma on the property, as
well as doing a lot of remodeling of the main house and the
cottages. They continued
to operate the business thru the summer of 2001.
Upon the winter of 2002 their son, Jack, and I purchased the
resort, and are proud to be the third generation to own and operate
Clark’s Castle Point Resort!
This coming summer of 2005 marks the resort’s Fiftieth
Anniversary.
It has always been Jack’s dream to
continue what his grandfather started back in 1954.
He spent every summer at his grandpa’s side since he was nine
years old. So down thru
the years there has been new construction, remodeling, docks and
activities added, but our family’s dream has always remained the
same!
|