A View from the Lake

This article submitted by Linda Lorentzen on 6/2/98.

In the blink of an eye summer is upon us. The winter layer of dust has been removed from the cabin, the dock and boat lift occupy their place on the beach, and the birds are back at the feeders. A mellow Minnesota winter melted quickly into spring allowing all kinds of early lake activity.

This year's warm weather allowed us to open the cabin early. But our wanting to have the summer season begin is not unique to the 90s. In the April issues of The Paynesville Press in 1918 and 1919, the focus was on how to get the word out about Lake Koronis.

Paynesville citizens were challenged by the editor of The Paynesville Press to find ways to increase lake business and increase the numbers of people who would come to spend their vacations at Koronis. Three suggestions to increase tourism at Koronis were made.

First, the roads would need to be improved. Both the road that led to the lake and the "driveway along the shore" were in need of repair. In addition, the road from the inlet to the city was "never in good shape, in fact there is no road. There has been very little work done on it considering its condition. Teams and autos got stuck and farmers living on the east end of the lake were compelled to go around the west end in order to reach town."

Second, the editor felt that placing advertisements about Lake Koronis in some of the daily papers would bring more people to the lake. He claimed that many people were unaware of the benefits of vacations at Koronis. The beauty of the large lake with the three islands was a sight to behold. Seemingly limitless fishing was an attraction for the fisherman of the time. Sandy beaches and clear swimming waters were a paradise for young and old alike. Accommodations in the form of a hotel as well as boating offered potential tourists a haven away from their city lives.

Third, Koronis was known as a "good fishing lake." The editor wanted to make it an even better one. He agreed with a proposal that a "screen be put at the outlet in order to keep the fish in the lake that go down the river in the spring, many of which never come back, because of the high dam at Manannah. What the cost of such a screen will be we are not able to say, but probably in the neighborhood of $300."

Eighty years later, with most of Lake Koronis' shore occupied by summer or permanent residents, the word seems to have rather effectively been spread. Often people ask me about the location of "our lake." When I reply that it is in Paynesville, many times they say, "Oh, do you go to Lake Koronis?!" It seems that everyone knows someone who has a cabin on the lake or has a friend who fishes Koronis. Considering the close proximity to the Twin Cities, it is amazing that the lake is not crowded with people each weekend.

Decades after the initial push to make Koronis known to tourists, the lake continues to provide a haven for all its visitors and residents. As we begin another lake season I have to agree with the editor of the 1918 Press who said, "What more could one wish than a cottage upon its rugged shores?" All who visit in the 1998 season can be guaranteed a perfect view from the lake.

Information for this column was taken from the following issues of The Paynesville Press: April 4, 1918 and April 10, 1919.

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