PART 3: THE CLUBHOUSE: VISION TO VENUE [1]
It began when Otto Koehler shared news of a new reservoir to the North with the members of the newly formed Denver Sailing club. The lure of a place to sail without the increasing restrictions and power boats they were experiencing on Sloan’s Lake, underscored by the possibility of obtaining a club site on the lake, was incentive for the sailors from Denver to make the drive north to the Carter Lake Reservoir. In August 1954, the Denver Sailing Club members were given permission to use the lake. They lost no time, and by Labor Day nine boats were sailing on a “partially filled reservoir, water level at 35’, no dock, no outhouse, dirt roads and a whole lot of mud”[2]. The sailing was wonderful, though, and the group felt like pioneers.
Throughout that winter of 1954-55, club leaders continued the conversation about the club site with the Larimer County Recreation Board, and by March 1955, Emmy Koehler shared the answer to the question on everyone’s mind: What about the promised club site?
“The Recreation Department of Larimer County had allotted us ground on the east side of the road leading to the shaft house, with rights extending clear to the shoreline. Later the U.S. Forest Service objected to this as every citizen has the right to every foot of the shore. In the end, we obtained the 2 acres we have now on the west side of the road with our promise to build a club house later.”
In 1957, James Howard, Larimer County Recreation Board, sent a hand-drawn map of the club site with instructions to send him clubhouse plans for approval.[3]
While nothing was finalized, the years of 1957-58 were spent planning and “collecting money for just about everything: meetings, refreshments, dinners, etc. for the benefit of the building fund.” The Club sold Christmas Cards and $25 bonds to be repaid in two years. In 1958, the plot and road were graded and in fall, 1959, the foundation was poured. The shell of the building was completed under the budget of $600 in the spring of 1960. Many years ago, long-time member Bill Kieser, Commodore and head of the building committee, shared his pride in this accomplishment. He was also proud that in 1961, he signed the first written lease with Larimer County Parks.[4] Up until then it had been a verbal agreement.
A few pictures of the early construction have been preserved to compare to similar pictures taken in August, 2020. Pictures 1, 2 and 3: These are taken from the road, behind the building and the completed shell. The most striking difference between 1960 and 2020 is the lack of trees around the clubhouse site. There are trees visible above the shell to the west, though, so we may assume the original grading of the road and site took a toll on the vegetation.
Picture 4 was taken summer of 1963. The flagstone deck was complete, and the caption on the back from Lynn Kieser (third from the left) states, “Wives and children enjoy the shade in front of the clubhouse. Bring your own chairs!” Lynn once shared that the flagstone patio was incredibly hot (remember the trees were still growing back), so they waited for the shade as the afternoon progressed. Notice the different sized windows. The clubhouse was built on a shoestring budget and as with many components, these were most likely donated. The curtains are a homey touch!
Picture 5, 6 and 7 show the stages of taking out the flagstone patio and building the wooden deck and roof, beginning in 1982. Note the water tank located to the side of the building. Water was brought up and moved into this tank for use in the kitchen. The tank was sold when the County put in the water tap.
The deck was later expanded with the addition of the uncovered southern deck in 1992, with the addition of the large telephone poles. The plan was to expand the main deck further to the east to accommodate a hot tub. Some plans remained just that, though, and this project was never completed.
The founding member’s tenacity and communication with Larimer County Parks resulted in a realization of the clubhouse vision that has been maintained, improved, utilized and enjoyed by CLSC members for many decades. A National Park Service drawing from 1959 shows the plan for five clubhouse sites west of the road, with Denver Sailing Club occupying Lot 1 and the other five extending north from Lot 1 to the main road. It appears that only the Denver Sailing Club founders pursued the vision of a club house as a place for to gather for potlucks, meetings and sailing camaraderie.
Sources:
Koehler, Emmy, (1960). The First Seven-Year Cycle of the Denver Sailing Club.
- This article was originally published in the Carter Lake Sailing Club Newsletter in August, 2020, under the title, The Clubhouse is Sixty Years Old! It has been revised to fit the format of this historical account. ↑
- All quotes from Koehler, Emmy, (1960). The First Seven-Year Cycle of the Denver Sailing Club ↑
- See Sailing Through History, Part 2: The Birth of a Sailing Club for this 1957 hand-drawn map of the club site. ↑
- The lease with the county was verbal and in development for several years as it had to be reviewed and approved by the National Parks Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Water Conservatory and finally Larimer County Parks, which explains the changing information in the first years regarding the actual clubhouse site. ↑