My fascination with Lake Avenue history started before I was born, when my great grandparents worked together at the Chateaugay Hotel, which was located on the land where our current home is situated at Second St. and Lake Ave.
This is not purely coincidence; I am sure that my Grandma Ruth (their daughter) was aware that this was the case when she bought the house in the 1960s.
We didn’t talk about this much when I was growing up, but her friend artist Edna Imm gave her a painting of the renowned hotel, which has since been featured prominently in this home since the 1970s.
Chateaugay Hotel painting by Edna Imm circa 1970.
Grandma’s father Ole Knudson immigrated to the Midwest from Norway around 1880. Her mother Emma Bloom was the daughter of a Swiss immigrant, Caspar Bloom, a Civil War veteran who grew up in New Glarus, Wis., which was a mecca for Swiss immigrants.z
He and a dozen other Blooms migrated to White Bear Lake after grasshoppers ate all their crops (except potatoes) in Nobles County, Minn., which had offered free acreage for veterans after the Civil War.
My grandmother’s father Ole spent nine years in White Bear Lake (1890-1899). Records indicate he was probably an engineer in charge of the boiler system for the grand Chateaugay Hotel. He married Emma in 1894. She may have been a maid at the hotel. According to my Mom (Barb Chapman Nelson), “cleanliness is next to godliness” was her motto.
Hotel Chateaugay (also known as the first Hotel Benson and the Oriental) was on our property, as well as on several of our neighbors’ properties. There is little left of the Hotel Chateaugay, but a field stone fence on our property. The complex burned in 1903, when it was fortunately deserted.
Surprisingly, the property remained vacant until 1938, when at the end of the 10-year Depression Lilly and Frank Jensen built our charming Cape Cod home facing the lake from Second Street. They had fond memories of honeymooning at the Chateaugay.
Our dog Mr. French in front of the old Chateaugay fence.
Lilly R. Jensen published a book of religious essays and poetry titled The Light of the World in 1940. She started the book for “those who have been bereaved” in January 1937. “Only two weeks later, an only child, a daughter was called away.” It is rumored that they set the table for their daughter as long as they lived in their home on Second St. According to my Dad Curt Nelson, whose memory is long, Frank Jensen owned a furniture store in St. Paul.
A general history of Lake Avenue
My goal for this section of the blog is to provide a history for walkers on Lake Avenue who don’t want to be bogged down by the details. I start my walks along Lake Avenue from my home on Second Street. I either walk southwest to Highway 61 or northeast to the Chateauguet Condominiums. On good days, I go farther.
No matter which way I go, there are many lovely old homes to admire, creative landscaping and plentiful flowers during the summer. I often pass the time thinking about those who walked this path before me and those who lived in the homes that have been on the avenue since the 1880s.
As Nancy Woolworth wrote in her 1968 book The White Bear Lake Story, “for centuries, prehistoric and historic Indians camped in the WBL region” because sources of food were abundant, ranging from berries, to maple syrup, to fish, fowl and deer. Prehistoric artifacts unearthed in 1889 show that humans lived in this area for 2,000 years before the Christian era.
There once were Indian mounds on Lake Avenue
There were nine round and oblong mounds near Lake Avenue north of its intersection with Shady Lane, which are believed to be memorials created by the prehistoric Woodland Indians.
According to Woolworth’s book, objects from the mounds included a bone scoop, a bone bodkin (a small sharp-pointed tool for punching holes in leather or fabric), some red and blue paint and a pipe with geometric designs.
The largest mound included the remains of 17 bundle burials (bones of individual humans reburied in a bundle), which now reside in Union Cemetery. Some bone fragments were given to the Minnesota Historical Society. Experts believe the objects may be related to the Silvernale culture, which was found in southern Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin.
Silvernale appears to be a relatively short-lived cultural phenomenon, existing for perhaps only 50 years around AD 1200, according to the Minnesota state archeologist. However, it is believed that the mounds were built between 1400-1700 A.D.
Catherine Carey who wrote White Bear: A History in 2008 says the name “Bear’s Lake” comes from the Dakota word “Mahto-mde”. Explorers who ventured through this area before the 1850s logged this name on their maps.
White Bear Lake Legends
Undoubtedly, there were black bears here. But the histories of White Bear Lake I’ve read also tell the story of an Indian legend about a young warrior and maiden, who were star-crossed lovers, until a large white bear threatened the young woman.
Ultimately, she was saved from sure demise by the young warrior hero. However, there are two versions of this story – one that ends well for the warrior and one that says the bear and the warrior both died in their contest and now haunt Manitou (which means Spirit) Island.
To find out more about this story, you can visit the plaque in Matoska Park somewhat near Manitou Bridge. A visit to the Lake Country Booksellers at Third Street and Washington Avenue or the Ramsey County library at Clark Avenue and Second Street in White Bear Lake will afford you with many great area history books that contain a plethora of information about the history of this area from prehistoric to modern times. (Please see sources at the end of this article.)
Plaque featuring story of the Dakota Legend at Matoska Park.
Mound Cottage is the oldest home on Lake Avenue
In 1873, William F. Markoe purchased the property surrounding the largest burial mound and built Mound Cottage near it. Hundreds of visitors enjoyed picnic lunches on the mound, while enjoying the spectacular view it provided, thanks to its height. Markoe was also the builder of the first hot air balloon in Minnesota.
In 1888, according to the Carey history, a young man named Charles Wheeler was killed near the mound while riding in a carriage with his sister and fiancée. Although the horse may have been spooked by a train whistle, Wheeler’s relatives brought an unsuccessful lawsuit, alleging the mound obscured young Wheeler’s view. A 2021 White Bear Press article suggests that the carriage may have upended on its way back from Cottage Park, nowhere near the largest Indian mound.
Sadly, William F. Markoe was unable to protect the mound from residents concerned about old-fashioned transportation safety, and in 1889 it was leveled. As mentioned above, many Indian artifacts were discovered as the mound was dismantled, along with human remains – most of which were later reburied in Union Cemetery. See the blog on Side Trips for more info on that.
The oldest home on Lake Avenue stands not far from where the old burial mound was situated. Known as the Markoe cottage, 4581 Lake Ave. is now occupied by the David and Wendy Espe family.
Sketch from book published in 1890 by the editor of the local newspaper Lake Breeze.
4581 Lake Ave. after recent renovation.
According to an interview with David Espe, he said, “During a 2021 home renovation, it was interesting when they took the siding off to see where the windows were. We were able to look at the historical society pictures, but what was done to to our home in the early ‘70s made it impossible to meet historic preservation standards.
“I’d seen a picture of William Markoe standing on the front porch, so we wanted to put the front porch back on. When our contractor hit the stone footings, he found a gun down there. It was packed in dirt. We thought we had quite a find until we called a gunsmith - turns out it was an antique toy cap gun,” Espe said laughing.
Across the street and a block west of the Markoe Cottage now owned by the Espes is the former home of original town settler Frederick H. Murray, now owned by Mike and Mary Parenteau. The home at 4574 Lake Ave. was built between 1914-16. And the Parenteaus say there have been only four owners of 4574 Lake Ave. since their home was built.
According to an interview with the Parenteaus in late 2022, Fred Murray started the first bank in White Bear Lake, and his wife was (James) Cooper Fulton’s sister. Fulton was president of the bank, and his former home (4572 Lake Ave.) is kitty corner from the Parenteaus.
4574 Lake Ave. at sunset.
4671 Lake Ave.
The Parenteaus have lived at 4574 since 1974. Before that, Mary said “we were running the Parenteau’s Store, and we lived above it.” Mike Parenteau’s father started a grocery business in 1939, and after World War II (1945) he sold that business and opened a clothing store at Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue.
His oldest son joined the business full-time in 1958 – just four years before his father died. His youngest brother (Mike) joined the family business in 1969, and worked at Parenteau’s Clothing until 1997 when a quilting company took over the storefront.
The Parenteaus also mentioned that the Dougherty house, which was originally across Lake Avenue from them, was moved in 2001 to 4980 Moorhead Ave. to make way for the townhomes that are now there. For more info on the Dougherty house, see the blog/chapter on Architecture.
Lake Ave and the resort era
When I start my walks from Second Street with the intention of heading northeast along the shore of White Bear Lake, I can’t help but think about the resorts that once dotted Lake Avenue.
The Williams House was across the street from us, where Maple Cottage (4681 Lake Ave.) now stands. Maple Cottage is now owned by a master gardener, who can often be seen during the summer gardening along the picturesque lake shore across from her home.
4681 Lake Ave. today( far above) and two nearby homes were the site of the Murray House (second picture), which was expanded to become one of the area's largest resorts, The Williams House (last picture).
The James F. Murray family with three grown sons (Thomas F., John B. and James C.) came to White Bear Lake in the spring of 1854 via covered wagon. They brought many head of cattle and bought up most of the area along what is now Lake Avenue, from Shady Lane to 12th St., and most of Manitou Island, which they sold a few years later, according to Woolworth’s book.
The Murrays were involved in many businesses, including the Murray House, one of the area’s first guest houses, which was built in 1857. The home was eventually enlarged to become the second largest hotel in the area. The Williams House was run by Mrs. R. H. Williams. In 1870, five cottages and an octagon pavilion near the water were added. By the 1880s, it accommodated more than 200 guests.
The resort era was spurred by the railroad built in 1868 to connect St. Paul to White Bear Lake. This provided transportation for southerners escaping the heat, as well as Minnesota city dwellers who wanted to escape the tensions inherent in city life.
For the purposes of this publication, imagine walking from The Williams House and Chateaugay toward a comfortable cottage for up to 20 guests built in 1881 by Emma Drake at Sixth St. and Lake Ave, which was called “The Lake Shore House.” According to Catherine Carey’s history, Drake’s horse and carriage picked up guests at the railroad depot and brought them to her small resort.
As one walked along Lake Avenue at that time, they may have spied one of the many steamboats that took customers for tours of the lake. Some of the boats came from other waterways, but several were built on the shores of White Bear Lake by a variety of hometown boat builders.
The largest steam yacht on the lake, Steamer Dispatch, was docked at the Hotel Leip; the Steam Yacht Manitoba could accommodate 50-75 people and left from Ramaley’s Pavilion in Cottage Park. And launches Don Quixote and Crawford Livingston docked at the foot of Clark Avenue, the Chateaugay and Hotel Mahtomedi. A round trip of the lake cost 25 cents per person.
In addition to hotels, in the 1880s many summer cottages for wealthy families were built along Lake Avenue, on Manitou Island and in Dellwood. These cottages were much larger and more statuesque than lake cottages that come to mind today.
In the chapter on “Homes of Note”, you can see from old-time sketches that portions of these cottages remain in many of the older homes on Lake Avenue. During and following the resort era, the density of Lake Avenue was very low, and since then the sprawling yards of the early 1900s have been subdivided into modern-size parcels.
Bridge to Manitou Island
In an interview with White Bear Press Publisher Carter Johnson, he mentioned that the bridge to Manitou Island used to be very long – but sediment has been dumped there to shorten it.
The first bridge to the island was built in 1882 when a group of stockholders, according to the book by Vadnais, agreed on a number of improvements including clearing trees and debris, building two barns and a clubhouse, adding a road and harbor improvements.
Winter ice floes wreaked havoc with the bridge, which was reinforced in 1888 and rebuilt in 1897. The most recent version of the bridge was constructed in 2001, but the entrance to the island looks much as it did in the 1880s, according to a picture of the entrance guarded by its caretaker in the Vadnais book.
Today's bridge to Manitou Island
End of resort era
Not far from the bridge in Matoska Park is the Geist Gazebo, which was originally built in 1884 as a summer cottage for the Geist family who lived on the 2300 block of South Shore Blvd. It stayed in their family for 60 years, and when it fell into disrepair, it was rescued by the White Bear Women’s Club and moved to the park.
The 50-room Chateaugay burned in 1910. In the early 1900s, the Williams House was no longer popular and was ultimately torn down. Lakeside Cottage remained open until 1917.
By 1912, according to Woolworth, most of the resort hotels had burned down. Vacation trends changed and the two steamboats at Ramaley’s Pavilion were burned and buried in the lake, marking the end of the resort era in White Bear Lake.
Sources
Carey, Catherine (2008) White Bear: A History Published by White Bear Township.
Perkins, A.H.S. (1890) All About White Bear Lake Published by Lake Breeze Printing House.
Vadnais, Cynthia (2004) Looking Back at White Bear Lake - A Pictorial History of the White Bear Lake Area Published by Sentinel Printing Company, Inc.
Woolworth, Nancy (1968) The White Bear Lake Story Published by White Bear Chamber of Commerce.
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