Part Five of how the Last Resort came to be! Scroll down to read Parts One, Two, Three, and Four!
My daughter Jennifer came to the resort for the summer of 1983 which was great. I immediately put her to work on the grounds and cottages and she was a willing and energetic worker. The information bureau sent over an elderly couple to look at the cottages for a possible weeks stay. They walked around the place and complained that the walk down to the beach was too steep for her husband. She then asked me who the young lady was working at the resort. I replied that she was my daughter. She started reading me the riot act regarding Child Labor Laws, child abuse, etc and stormed off. I got a call a while later from the information bureau as she had stopped to lodge an official complaint of child abuse at the Last Resort. They thought it was funny and sent them over to St Germain instead.
Jenny and I began going through the cottages checking out the furniture and dishes. I began giving away some 3 legged tables, formica and chrome kitchen tables and chairs and took beds to the dump. In those days you could actually drive to the dump on Rangeline Road. There was a huge hold dug in the ground and a perpetual fire was burning. You would back up as close to the hole as you dared and empty the contents of your trunk or pickup truck in the hole. The dump King was always there and he took your aluminum cans toward his retirement. For some reason I almost always found something interesting at the dump and never came back empty handed. Remember that someone else’s junk may be your treasure.
The dishes at the resort were particularly fancy and Fru Fru looking for a Northwoods Resort. I decided to get rid of them and buy some normal looking ones at garage sales. Jenny and I took them to the shooting range on Hwy 45 North and had a grand old day shooting platters, plates, soup dishes, cups, saucers, gravy boats and more.
It was years later that I discovered the dishes were all Currier & Ives, and we had shot up a small fortune in really nice collectible dishware. AND it turned out that the 3 legged MAPLE tables I gave away were real antiques. I guess you have to call that tuition paid.
To be Continued………………
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