In the early twentieth century, our part of the woods was pretty well logged out. The logging companies were able to make a little bit more money off the land a second time by selling off their holdings. It only made sense that the owners of paper companies were the first to become aware of the lands coming onto the market. continued......
Among these was one Emil Kirchheimer of the Kirchheimer Paper Bag Company in Chicago. Emil purchased some fifty acres on Teal Lake in the early 1930s. There he built what the Sawyer County Record referred to as "a palatial log home." He did, indeed, build a beautiful estate. A boathouse right on the shore was a part of it.
In the early 1950s, the estate was for sale. Preston Zimmerman, of Chicago, purchased it to be used as a boys' summer camp. In 1952, Indian Waters Camp for Boys in Hayward, WI was born. The camp ran until 1977. Brochures for the camp, and ads in Boys Life magazine advertise such adventures as horseback riding, arts, outdoor skills, target shooting, fishing, swimming, sailing, and boating. The latter took place right here at the boathouse.
One of the prominent features of the boathouse was a dock that stretched a hundred feet into the water. Along one side, the boats and sailboats were tied. From the other side, the boys could fish or dive into the water for a swim. No doubt, there was some horseplay that resulted in someone going into the water unintentionally. Well, not of his own intention anyway.
Another prominent feature of this boathouse was the large cast iron bell on the roof that called the boaters in for dinner, activities, or a campfire. The boathouse is still there, and if your eyes happen to fall upon it, picture the happy times of youth at play. Picture a sand beach strewn with inner-tubes and towels. Sadly, you will also have to picture the bell, as in the summer of 2010, someone came along in a pontoon boat and decided to take it. For almost eighty years, this boathouse has stood as testament to grand and happy times on Teal Lake. It is part of our heritage here on the Quiet Lakes.
