I have been honored to have met and made dear friends with several of people who have rich history and connections to King and the surrounding areas. My dear neighbor Arley Swanson who passed away a few years ago was known by anyone with a boat on the Chain, as the "Genie of Fixing Boat Motors". He worked at Peterson Marine for many years. Up until his death at the age of 84 he could still be seen tinkering in his garage on a boat motor, or trying to sell a boat parked in his driveway. Everyone who knew Arley was well aware of that mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. He was a member of the Monday night "Sippers" club. When I asked him what that was,,,,he smiled and said, "Well, it's a group of friends that get together every Monday night to "Sip" on drinks". Full of stories, some fact, some fiction, some just fun the one I remember is the lore that a diver was down exploring the underwaters of the Chain when he came across an old vintage automobile. He took the license plate and later found it to be registered to the infamous Al Capone that was known to have taken refuge here a few times. Fact or fiction ??? I never cared,,, I loved the way Arley told the story and I truly believed him.. Another dear friend who I met through Arley is Connie MaCDonald. At the spry age of 85,I still see Connie out on QQ driving her very sturdy station wagon. She has told me many stories about the Chain 'O Lakes from a different perspective and I want to retain that cherished knowledge with deep respect for her and this beautiful area I am blessed to live in.
A big part of the Chain O' Lakes history began in a "swampy" wooded piece of land next to The Indian Crossing Casino. Pictured below is a photo of a truck hauling in dirt to fill in the area where the docks would later be built.
The newspaper clipping below heading states, Girl + Boat = Success and that is what happened to Connie Doerfler (MacDonald) and her husband "Ding" back in 1947. Blood, sweat and tears are the foundation of this now famous destination which was almost named something else according to Connie who is described as 90lbs soaking wet. Her vivid memories of how they started with nothing and built it into a famous landmark are still very clear. Her stories are numerous and will be continued here as I keep learning from her the rich history of the King area.
Prior to "Ding's Dock" Connie remembers working for 3 summers at Edmonds Dock (which is now Clearwater Harbor). Edmunds fleet consisted of The Starlight, The Viking, and the North Star. She remembers the day that she served ice cream to (swimming movie star) Esther Williams husband , while Esther waited in the car.
Their fleet of launches started off with a small Criss Craft with a capacity for 6-8 people. As their popularity grew they graduated to a fleet of 3 Launches named Connie D I, Connie D II, Connie D III. Connie's stories of the area are rich with information. The 2 launches of Connie's were originally at Nelson's Boat Livery. Nelson's then sold out to Ding and Connie. The original launch that started Ding's Dock was built on Green Lake, WI. They originally started out with canvas canoes and gradually went to Gruman aluminum canoes.
Back in the beginning of Ding's Dock a 1 hour launch ride was a mere .35 cents and cost $1.50 to rent a canoe for the entire day.
