The Three Weaver Brothers, Jim, Jack and Tom, together purchased 2 cabins, lakeshore and backland from Alden C and Edyth Palmer in 1967 on Pelican Lake, Crow Wing County. Tom, this author, was attending Carleton College in Norhfield and maintained his connections with Faribault High School classmates who were attending the University of Minnesota. Here are Greg Larsen, Fred Zahn, and Steve Wafler interacting with a snapping turtle on the sandy back road behind Sunset Beach, lot 11 where the Weaver parents, Paul H and Margaret Weaver purchased the lot in 1946.
This is the front of the Palmer Big Cabin as it appeared in 1967 when we completed the purchase. Later on, we learned that the original cabin with the taller roofline, was built by Shattuck School instructor Fred Haeberle in 1912, making it the first cabin build here on the shore. The neighbors, Winnie and Dave Leonard, next door, mentioned that Winnie's Grandfather, FE Jenkins, the First Headmaster of St James School, in Faribault, built his cabin in 1913. The Leonard "Old Cabin" still maintains the original architecture and character to this day!
The Palmer Cabin garage with railings of birch as it appeared in 1967 soon after the purchase by the Weaver brothers.
Interior of the kitchen with original furnishings as purchased from the Palmers.
In the spring of 1968, I was joined by some Carleton undergrads who supported my vision to plant some evergreen seedlings, then available through the state of Minnesota for a few cents each. Here is the old Buick 1949 Woody Station Wagon that I drove at the Badora Nursery where I drove to pick up the seedlings that Winnie Leonard decided to plant.
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Likely one of the first times people stayed at the Palmer cabins after we purchased the property. Here are Carleton underclassmen I knew from Burton Hall, John Trucano, Jeff Ball and Will Bouricous planting the seedlings in front of the cabin.
The interior of the Palmer small cabin, looking southeast, as it appeared in 1967-68 when we first visited the properties.
In the winter of 1967-68 Jim Weaver visited our parents cottage on Sunset Beach and together he and I explored the property we had purchased as three brothers, to get a sense of how we could manage the property. Here is how the mailbox area looked with signs for AC Palmer and W Hokans seen.
In the winter 1968-69, the sign with Jim looking on, that AC Palmer had erected by the mailboxes to encourage people to drive down a second road to East Pelican Cottages, 800 ft to the east. Later this road was renamed Leonard Drive, in honor of the Leonard family who inherited the Jenkins Property.
Tom Weaver, the author, walking down the "private road" indicated by Palmer's sign toward the newly purchased cabins in the winter of 1967-68.
In 1968 Jack Weaver, invited his financee' Nellie Jane Williams and her father, Harold Williams, to test out the fishing. At that time, we still had the old red pontoon boat left by the Palmers to fish on the big lake. I think I took this at night after a successful venture out on the big lake. Also, a possibility is from Lougee Lake, where we created a landing for fishing that was used with an access road for many years. And I just read in the log book from the cabin, that these fish were caught on Markee in July of 1970. So there you go, consider the possibilities.....lots of fish over the years. An abundant experience regardless of when.
One of the benefits of having sugar sand beaches, is being able to make large bays and islands out of the sand. Jack Weaver in 1968 is modeling how this has been done over the years on Pelican Lake and lakeshore stewarded by the Weaver family.
"Pete" AKA Paul H Weaver, MD, at the sink on Sunset Beach cottage with Nellie Williams in 1968 during the summer visit.
Jack Weaver and his dog "Tau". Nellie attended Western Illinois University which is reflected in the sweatshirt worn here. .
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