Postcards from the Lake: Vintage Views

I've been writing Postcards from the Lake for a number of years, but long before I started, others were writing postcards, too.

I've been collecting postcards of the area around our cottage for years. While many of the spots wouldn't be recognizable now, some are very close! It's fun to try to figure out whose cottage was which!

This is a card I found at an antiquarian book show. The line with the X at the top points down to a house mostly obscured by trees. That's my cousin's cottage now and was the original family cottage, bought in 1923. 

Imagine my surprise when I turned it over and saw the message on the back -- written by my grandmother (who died before I was born) to her next door neighbor in 1940! I stood at the booth and cried -- and then paid way too much for the card!

This is the house next door to the family cottage. It looks a little different now (they've changed the shutters) but the view is the same.

Just down the beach from the family cottage we find these two places. I think one of the two houses belonged to my mom's best friend, Fran. I'm just not sure which one!

 Here's a wider view.

 I've shared photos of my former neighbor Jim's house more than once here. It's a couple of doors down from us. But I still remember when the cottage looked this way with a previous owner and there was a lighthouse on the point.

From another view.

You can't see our house in this one (it wasn't built till years later), but that little white house is the lot next door in the very long ago!

Here's another view.

And down the road is Oak Grove, where my grandfather used to get off the train when he would come up weekends in the 20s and 30s to spend time with the family. Now it is a large and well preserved vintage-style lodge that is great for family reunions.

 Downtown Gaylord doesn't look anything like it did back in the 20s and 30s when my mom was growing up here.

Now it has an Alpine theme with lots of A-lines, balconies and false fronts. (To be honest, I liked it better the old way; it looks a little tackier now.) This is one of the cards from an early Alpine parade, around 1970. (And yes, I wore one of those outfits when I worked up at the Pancake House one summer!) My aunt and uncle's former sporting goods store is in the background (with the flags and the two alphorns.

The Sugar Bowl is a restaurant that was founded in 1919 and survived until 2022. It was a spot that many passing through the town visited, with its family dining room and one with somewhat more "fine dining" offerings. I don't remember when it had a counter.

It was located on Main Street and had a mostly good reputation. But one person, as indicated by the "Oh, Pooh!" written on the front of the card, was not impressed.

Here's what she had to say when she wrote to a friend in 1942. When you see a review like this on Trip Advisor, one usually steers clear: If you ever come up this way, don't stop! . . . Now we're hurrying out of here so we won't have to stay for supper."

Somehow, the restaurant managed to last another 80 years after that card was sent! While I agree it might not have been the best restaurant in town, I sure do miss it!

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