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Pebble Lake stirs some wonderful memories
Published Saturday, August 9, 2008
The recent Daily Journal article about Pebble Lake lifeguards in bygone decades brought back good memories.
Some of the lifeguards that were not mentioned include Chuck and Dick Beck, Hugh Jacobson, Jim Davenport, Nancy Larson, Sylvia Hoff and Wayne Grinnell — all who guarded in the mid to late 1960s and into the early 1970s.
I began life guarding at Pebble Lake in 1962 and continued through 1965. During the summers of 1966 and 1967 I life guarded at a boys camp in eastern Wisconsin. I returned to Fergus Falls in 1968 and life guarded as head lifeguard through the summer of 1972.
My total years of commitment to life guarding at Pebble Lake was nine years. During those years all of us lifeguards took pride in turning the beach at Pebble Lake into one of the finest beaches in western Minnesota.
We had two diving towers with four diving boards in the deep water of the swimming beach. These towers were very capably assembled each spring by Roger Hutchins and his city crew. We had a raft halfway between the two long docks and the towers.
We had a huge elm-rolling log, 10 feet in length and two feet in diameter which we anchored halfway between the west dock and the diving tower. In the summer of 1964 Dean Nelson and I went up to the city landfill, cut and pealed this huge log and arranged to have it transported to the beach.
Also in the summer of 1964, Dean and I drove to Detroit Lakes to check their waterfront to see if they had anything that we had not included at the Pebble Lake beach.
The length of the swim docks were extended reaching from the old bath house on the east to the existing beach house on the west. There were at least 180 feet of dock.
A kid's dock was installed to the west. The kids dock was about the same size as the total dock system that exists at Pebble Lake today. Thanks to Oats LeGrand (summer recreation director), two water slides were purchased and assembled in the shallow water between the two long docks.
The lifeguard staff and I spent many hours during our time off duty building
basketball backboards and setting up a water basketball court inside the east dock. This proved to be a very popular addition and it was constantly used.
The old shuffleboard court on the sand beach behind the lifeguard chair was cleaned and repainted. This also proved to be popular. Yes, those were the good old days at Pebble Lake Beach.
Joe Edlund - Ely
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by Callie25 (anonymous) on August 11, 2008 at 12:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's not the same anymore. Get over it.
Posted by PD (anonymous) on August 11, 2008 at 2:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nice article Joe, I, as a born & raised in Fergus Falls resident, sure appreciate what all of you life guards did in the chore line to make the beach more fun. I think you should also be commended for the Life Guard Duties you performed involving the safety of all those swimmers . I am sure there were many near misses of drownings that you accomplished while on duty, through your constant viginance.
"thank you to all of the former life guards at Pebble Beach.
Posted by sametoyou (anonymous) on August 12, 2008 at 1:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Callie needs to get a life!! The guy was just reflecting on something he wanted others to know about. What sounds like a good time in his life, and others, that he wanted to share. As far as it not being the same, might have been one of the points he was also making. It doesn't have to be the same! If they would spend one fourth the money they talk about putting into a waterpark, at Pebble beach, they would have a great natural waterpark again! I'm not against an outdoor pool in town! But it only has to be a large pool! It would not need to have all the bells and whistles. If it was a large pool, it would be just as busy on a hot day, as any pool with a bunch of fancy toys. The water park is and should be, at Pebble Lake Beach!! If the city would fix that road, right for once, and now that the lake has a pump,(which could benefit all tax payers that want to use the lake (Cooper))maybe the city can get it close to what it once was.
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