Late 1930s: Harter Kulseth and friends enjoying a picnic at Eagle Lake. Picnics were elaborate courting opportunities for Maple Grove’s young, complete with neckties and straw boater hats! Photo: Maple Grove Historical Preservation Society
If lakes could talk, what stories would Maple Grove’s lakes tell?
Eagle Lake, with a maximum depth of 37 feet and a span of 285 acres, once had three resorts near Mi-No-Ka-Mi Point—now Eagle Point—as well as the popular Chubb’s Ballroom. The venue’s permanent pavilion and anchored raft were big draws. When The Trashmen visited in 1963 to play their newest song, Surfin’ Bird, it was such a sensation that police reports noted, “[The] crowd was nearly out of control.” Yes, the chorus, “bird is the word,” premiered publicly right here in Maple Grove. Now good luck getting that tune out of your head!
On the 1855 Settlers Plat Map, Weaver Lake was called Lake Chaney. That changed when the Weaver families settled along the lake in the mid-1860s and renamed the lake after one of the daughters, Percilla Weaver Blakeborough. On the western shore, the Jobes family rented rowboats for $1 for the afternoon, but one had to walk carefully through a cow pasture to get to the water. Today, Weaver Lake is 166 acres with a maximum depth of 57 feet. It sports both a public boat launch and fishing pier.
Fish Lake was previously called Swan Lake. In the ’20s, Frank Krebs operated a small golf course on the west side of the lake. Later, in the ’40s, Willie and Emma Rambow farmed the north end of the lake, rented out row boats and sold minnows from a stock tank. Their customers had to cross a gravel road (now Weaver Lake Road) to access the weedy, muddy shoreline. On the eastern side, the Lucht family’s popular resort offered cabin and boat rentals. It had a permanent concession stand selling beer, cigarettes, ice cream, pop and snacks. The property also boasted the lake’s best beach. Today, public access is via Fish Lake Regional Park in the Three Rivers Park District. Fish Lake’s 239 acres contain a maximum depth of 48 feet and offers some of the best fishing in the area.
Kate Wodtke is a research and inventory specialist with the Maple Grove Historical Preservation Society and a Minnesota Author Project judge. Discover more at maplegrovemnhistory.org.
