Hotels in 1945

[Bob Johnston]

I would like to know the name of the one hotel (not the Cliff House)in 1945. My wife and I stayed in that hotel -- the one with the fireplaces. I can't remember the name, but I think it was NOT called the Wildmere then.

[Suzanne Phillips]

The two hotels at Minnewaska were Cliff House and Wildmere - named in 1879 and 1883 respectively. Both had many fireplaces - Wildmere had 144!! Perhaps you actually stayed at Mohonk where there was/is just the one hotel the Mohonk Mountain House. The Laurel Inn was at the foot of the mountain at Minnewaska, but had closed before 1945. Whatever the name, I guess you had a memorable time 56 years ago!

[Bob Johnston]

Suzanne:

Thanks for the info on Minnewaska hotels. It must have been the Wildmere where we stayed. Our hotel was down near the lake, and I think you could see the Cliff house across the lake. . . I've been trying to recall some of the old memories for my memoirs, which are written only up to 1948 at the moment.

Bob Johnston

[biggrowlybear@aol.com]

Bill and Suzanne or anyone else who might have pertinent information,

I have a book, Lake Minnewaska, which belonged to my aunt and uncle, Mort and Freda Davenport. It is full of over 50 greetings and signatures on the front and back pages, including a salutation from the author, Wm Doughty, The Cliff House, 8/29/49. I am trying to determine who the folks are that have signed the book. Were they guests? or employees? I believe my aunt and uncle performed there, as they were professional singers, but don't know the exact time frame, but assume summer of '49. I would love to hear more about the format, if there were multiple performing acts, anything that might help me picture the time they spent at the resort. Was it customary for employees to buy these books and use them as autograph books?
Thank you in advance for information you can provide.
Laura Bernard

[allenmarton]

very nice and informative post,i like this and appreciate this very much.thanks for sharing...

[well, well]

I live in Oregon but lived in Illinois growing up, and worked at Lake Minn, Cliff House summer of 1959, sophomore year in college. That beautiful landscape was a revelation to this flatland girl! Northern lights were visible that summer, only time I have seen them, and they were spectacular. Most of the wait staff were eastern college kids, except me from Illinois, another girl also from the University of Illinois and one boy from Ohio. Those east coast kids, going to reputable schools, asked me seriously whether we had to be afraid of the Indians in Illinois! And they were shocked when I had what was called a "sack dress" - the rage, at the time. They had evidently forgotten that some pretty wealthy people lived around Detroit and Chicago and were aware of fashion trends! There was a crevice in the earth that you could access by a rickety wood ladder, and generally the geography had a lot in common with the Paciic Northwest, as I later learned after moving west. It was a wonderful summer. I have some photos taken on the grounds. And I believe they used to photograph a cigarette commercial along a stream on the grounds where there were some rapids and small falls. At least when I saw the commercial I felt sure it was taken there. There was a deer in a pen in the hotel yard that summer, which seemed rather tame, one could feed it wild blueberries. Now I wonder how that could have been, but I didn't know from deer at that time - we had none in Illinois then - which is now overrun with them. I only learned last year that Grossingers, which was visible from the Cliff House tower, had closed, which prompted me to look up Lake Minnewaska. I am sad to see that it is gone, but pleased to see so many people loved it. I was told that the lake resulted from a volcano, which is like Crater Lake, tho much smaller, out here. I wonder whether that is true. At least that wonderful landscape has been save as a park. I hope to get back there again to visit in the near future.