Lake Linnea
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Lake Linnea, also known as the upper lake, covers 8.3 acres. It has 3 small islands. A boat house and dock sit just above the dam spillway.
The upper lake was created by Jim Kirby with the construction of a dam in 1924. According to Kirby’s great-niece, Gale Betterly, the purpose of the lake was so that he could stock it with larger fish than the lower lake could handle. Seems true enough, as he built a still bigger fishing lake when he and his wife moved to their home closer into town. Two-thirds of the lake was on Kirby’s property. One third was on the property of Clarence and Clara Neal who paid one third of the cost for the dam construction and built their home to face the lake.
When the Cleveland Girl Scouts acquired the Kirby estate in 1937, they named the upper lake “Linnea” after their council president Linnea Friede. Seely Cabin and Waterfront Tent Unit were built above the beach to support the Mariner boating program in what was at the time, the most remote area of camp. The Neal’s son Herbert had just built his own home along the opposite shore. Twenty years later, the Girl Scouts purchased the rest of the lake and the Neal homes.
The lake is currently (2018) home to a plentitude of fish. Snapping turtles and water snakes have been observed.
The upper lake was created by Jim Kirby with the construction of a dam in 1924. According to Kirby’s great-niece, Gale Betterly, the purpose of the lake was so that he could stock it with larger fish than the lower lake could handle. Seems true enough, as he built a still bigger fishing lake when he and his wife moved to their home closer into town. Two-thirds of the lake was on Kirby’s property. One third was on the property of Clarence and Clara Neal who paid one third of the cost for the dam construction and built their home to face the lake.
When the Cleveland Girl Scouts acquired the Kirby estate in 1937, they named the upper lake “Linnea” after their council president Linnea Friede. Seely Cabin and Waterfront Tent Unit were built above the beach to support the Mariner boating program in what was at the time, the most remote area of camp. The Neal’s son Herbert had just built his own home along the opposite shore. Twenty years later, the Girl Scouts purchased the rest of the lake and the Neal homes.
The lake is currently (2018) home to a plentitude of fish. Snapping turtles and water snakes have been observed.
From The Millwheel Sept/ Oct 1969
