Ridge Road History Walk
On October 12, 2008, current and former residents of Ridge Road and around Christmas Lake gathered to share stories and reminisce about life in the past on Ridge Road. Thanks go to Mike McCarthy and Peter Brown, historians and long time Ridge Road residents, who led the walk and shared their memories of life growing up on the Ridge in the 50’s and 60’s. Imagine a view with no houses on the east side of Silver Lake where the boys claimed their stomping ground. They roamed in search of adventure; camping, hunting, digging up old bones, making their own ski hill, and inventing fun. Mike and Peter spoke fondly of great annual holiday traditions including Ridge Road Halloween costume parties with bobbing for apples, July 4th Lake parties including fireworks, and group caroling at Christmas. There was a real sense of neighborhood on the Ridge.
We learned that the 20’s and 30’s attracted an artist colony to Ridge Road. Over the years, there have been writers, bakers, birders, naturalists, and a ship model builder. At one time, there were farms with horses and cows, and a barn with a silo. There are remnants of a vineyard on Ridge, and maple syruping was always an annual event. We toured the “maple sugar hut” which used to be the site of hours of boiling and stirring to make and bottle syrup. The syrup making was followed by a celebration pancake breakfast for the boys that were in charge of collecting the sap (it was, by tradition, a male-only event, except for the year that Sue Brown was sneaked in with a charcoal mustache applied by her mother).
We heard stories about how the houses have multiplied on Ridge Road. We learned about the Dayton property on the north end, houses built and lived in by the (always on the move) Bruce family, houses that were physically relocated to new sites, and other homes rebuilt after the 1965 tornado hammered the Ridge. We heard how the Niles family had tried to outrun the tornado but were stopped below the Browns’ house when no fewer than 5 large oaks fell on their car and stove in the top of it—they had to crawl out the broken windows. There were so many downed trees across the road following the storm, it took over a week of clearing before anyone could get off the Ridge by car.
In the tales recounted, a cottage called “Overbank” was cantilevered over the ridge and held in place by the weight of its fireplace, summer cottages became year round homes, one house was built with a working greenhouse, another changed hands in a poker match, and neighborhood kids gave a wide berth to a house they had good reason to believe was haunted. A house built in 1938 for $12,000 could be bought today for—well, perhaps in exchange for your first-born.
We heard Ridge Road stories about coming to agreement over finally paving the Road, how the use of the chain at the county line has evolved, and legends of the fastest Ridge Road drivers.
Our beautiful fall visit down memory lane concluded with cider and donuts at the Ofstehage’s home (originally built by the Bruces) and a chance to meet new neighbors to the Ridge.
Look for more local history at a Christmas Lake Road History Walk in the spring. Think about tapping into your own neighbor historians and planning your own history walk in your corner of the lake. Stories from these history walks and other interviews and research will be included in the Christmas Lake History Book currently in the research stage. Order your copy from Christmas Lake Publications by following the History Book link on the Christmaslake.org website.
Below are pictures taken during the Ridge Road History Walk:
