THE FUNERAL PLANNER

The Clark Lake Story - a featured location in the novel

POINTE BAR & GRILL is located on Clark Lake in Michigan.  Below is some pretty cool information about the history surrounding this lake. 

Clark Lake has long been one of the most popular resorts in southern Michigan, Ohio and northern Kentucky.  With a heritage that dates back to the mid-1880’s, the lake has always been sought after as a place for summer fun and recreation. Its first visitors traveled by horse and train to the resort hotels at Eagle Point and Pleasant View.  The popularity of this summer haven quickly grew and eventually supported three hotels, three dance halls, four restaurants, three grocery stores, a marina and two fuel docks.  

Born from a glacier more than 10,000 years ago, Clark Lake’s cool, clear waters come from the hundreds of shore side springs.  Each spring provides an average outflow of 5.1 gallons per minute and pours more than 7,000 gallons per day, into the lake, resulting in an amazing outflow of 2,680,560 gallons of pristine water per year.  On an average day, the lake itself contains 3 billion gallons of water!

2.  Kentucky Point and the Graziani home

The history of Kentucky Point begins with the Graziani family, prominent residents of Covington, Kentucky.  They first visited Clark Lake in 1896 and quickly fell in love with the area.  As a result, they purchased a three-acre estate, situated on a distinguished point, from the local Hitt family.  The Grazianis named their site “Kentucky Park” and in 1899 built a large airy cottage, which became their summer retreat.  This landmark house remained in the family for nearly a century, and even today its location is still referred to as Kentucky Point.  In 1994, the Graziani House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

In June of 1997, the Clark Lake Historical Preservation Committee floated the historic Graziani house on two connected barges from Kentucky Point to the east end of the lake where it was relocated in the Jackson County Park.  Overlooking the lake from its new location, the 100-year-old house is now known as the Clark Lake Community Center and is open for the use of the whole community.

3. Pleasant View

Resort developer Tom Beech purchased the property at the center of the north side of the lake from the local Every family. He christened the site “Pleasant View” because of its broad views overlooking the lake from atop the sandy ridge that rises above the shoreline.  In 1891, Beech built the Pleasant View Hotel on this site which rapidly grew in size, becoming a popular summer destination.  Visitors were treated to many amenities, such as a lofty toboggan slide, canoes, rowboats and sailboats, but the crown jewel of Pleasant View was its open-air waterside dance hall and pavilion.  Disaster struck on October 6, 1964 when the hotel caught fire and was destroyed; fortunately the Pavilion was spared and became known as “The Lodge.”  As a remnant of Pleasant View’s once-glorious past, the Lodge continued to provide a variety of entertainments until it was demolished in 1984.

4.  Jackson County Park at Clark Lake

In the mid-1920s, Emmet Windle, a supervisor for Columbia Township, became concerned that the lakes in Jackson County were becoming over-populated, leaving little public space for non-property owners to otherwise enjoy the lakes.  Windle took his concern to the Jackson County Board, expressing the need for creation of a series of county parks on the shores of the area’s lakes.  In 1925, land for a county park at Clark Lake, along the shore at the northeast corner, was purchased for $4,500 from businessman Chauncey York.  This park at Clark Lake is one of the oldest in the Jackson County park system.

5. General

Clark Lake has long been host to countless summer activities and organizations.  One of the longest standing organizations is The Clark Lake Yacht Club.  The current CLYC began in 1931 at the Pleasant View Pavilion but for many years changed locations to different spots around the lake until settling at its current home, at the old Hayes Ganyuard house on the south shore, in 1960.  The CLYC raced various classes of sailboats, but was well known for its Rebel class races.  In 1973, the first Hobie Cat catamaran class was launched as Fleet 58.  Members raced their boats, complete with tall colorful sails, on Sunday mornings throughout the summer, and hosted an annual regional race, now known as the “Voodoo Winds Regatta.”  Clark Lake’s Hobie Fleet 58 was said to be the largest inland lake fleet of Hobie Cats in the world.