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Phantom Lake – opened in 1932. Large building in background was the Flin Flon Aquatic Club dance Hall.
PHANTOM LAKE
Information from the early days of 1932, I have obtained from the Flin Flon History Book which was published in 1974 by Valerie Hedman, Loretta Yauck and Joyce Henderson.
Easily accessible to the community of Flin Flon is Phantom Lake beach and resort area, open to the public for swimming and picnicing but open only to Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited, employees for summer camping. The beach has a lengthy history dating from 1932 when Paddy Faubert of Port Arthur, Ontario, and Lillian Smith of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, who were both engaged in businesses in the Flin Flon district, formed a partnership to develop a summer resort there.
In the summer of 1932 there were change houses, boat rentals, diving platforms, and a board walk was to extend four hundred feet out into the water. A dance pavilion was erected also. By 1935 the project was under direction from the Board of Trade and Retail Merchants' Association who organized a work bee of some fifty persons to clean the beach of refuse and to see that about forty loads of sand were dumped along the shoreline. Sand was obtained from a pit about one quarter mile from the beach, and the intention was to spread additional loads of sand whenever necessary. This practice eventually resulted in an extensive man-made beach at the north end of Phantom Lake.
A combined executive committee of the two organizations included Jack Sturley, Robert Ash.
George Evans, and L.M. McKenzie spearheading the improvements to the popular beach. The next couple of years found E.W. Thompson, contractor, supervising work on the mile and a half road at the expense of donations from business firms, and carried out with the assistance of Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited. The resort became much in demand to the point where the municipal council took measures to regulate squatters' buildings, and to seek an acceptable level of sanitation standards by applying for a lease from the Saskatchewan government.
By 1943 the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited, which had taken over the development of Phantom Lake, was able to prepare a four-page photographic spread and story in the Northern Lights magazine of the startling change in the area. A picturesque footpath led from the townsite to the beach. There were expanses of grass, elaborate picnic sites, docks, and change houses all gleaming white with red trimming, a quaint bandshell where loudspeakers were located to beam radio of recorded music over the beach, and playground equipment enjoyed by youngsters.. The Elks Band held concerts on Sunday afternoons.
Tennis courts were laid out in two locations, the first one near the picnic and camping area and the second near the concession booth. An early diamond drilling expedition had discovered a fresh-water spring in the immediate vicinity of the resort development assuring a supply of water to the facilities when the spring was subsequently piped and covered with a pump house.
There are eleven cottages along the east shore of the bay. The owners are longtime residents of Flin Flon district, among them, D.B. McGilvrays and C.G. Donalds, who were employed by the mining company in the early thirties. Another old timer in Flin Flon was Sam Wood, whose wife, Jenny, was in charge of the Phantom Lake concession booth in addition to the curling rink concession, for more than twenty-five years.
The landscaped grounds at Phantom Lake are accented by formal flower beds and stonework ledges, paths, and a pond, while each season improvements are made to the parking areas and picnic grounds by the year-round maintenance staff employed by Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited.
First and Third Docks
This photo shows the layout of Phantom Lake estimated taken from 1943-1945. It shows the tennis courts, the two docks, cabins on east shore and the red and white pavilion.
A stranger making his way out to Phantom in the summer of 1938 would have viewed a typical northern Lake with a few scattered cottages on one side of its rocky shoreline and an apology for a beach with numerous weeds and rushes. He would likely have thought to himself, “A pretty little spot in the rough northern wilds” and dismissed it at that.
Five years later, in the summer of 1943, if that same stranger trod the picturesque mile and a half foot path to Phantom, he might well gasp with astonishment at the panorama that would meet his startled eyes at the journey's end. The pretty “little” lake would be there still but its attractiveness he'd find immeasurably enhanced by an inviting soft, sandy beach, dotted with gay beach umbrellas and laughing kiddies in bright sunsuits; by sturdy red and white piers extending into the lake with diving boards and slides painted to match; by numbers of vary-colored canoes and motor boats skimming over the cool blue waters. All this he would see first – then he would notice the various white buildings, jauntily trimmed with red, situated at different spots along the water front, showing up vividly against the green of the trees and the azure water. Upon further investigation, he would find the central edifice to be an attractive store and refreshment centre, complete with Wurlitzer; the building to the left a double bathhouse, and of course he would recognize the picturesque structure on the right as a bandstand. Between the store and the bandstand, his attention would be caught by a vivid green lawn, neatly marked off with white stones and dotted with small trees and flowers. His interest by now thoroughly aroused, he would likely stroll over to the side of the lake opposite the cabins to see if any changes had transpired there. He would find a veritable picnicers' paradise – tables, benches and stone fireplaces scattered at attractive spots among the trees; an up-to-date ice house with numerous lockers for hikers to keep their provisions in; a fine community kitchen, and even special parking stands for bicycles! Back further he would see white-clad figures enthusiastically batting tennis balls around on three dandy courts. Yes, he would doubtless pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming; standing here on the heights he'd be conscious of laughter floating up to him from the merry bathers and young folks in the canoes below; the bronzed lifeguards paddling around in their little boats; the tantalizing odour of frying bacon from the friendly campers' kitchen; the white dots over yonder getting their recreation on the tennis courts; the figures enjoying a coke on the front porch of the white and red store. Could this popular people's playground be the same quiet spot he had viewed five short years ago? “Oh, to see Phantom in 1948!” he'd exclaim, as he strolled off to join the happy throng on the inviting sandy shore.
This photo was retrieved from a 1943 Northern Lights which was very likely a July celebration on the shores of Phantom Lake. These celebrations were a yearly event which everyone looked forward to. They carried on into the late 1970's and then gradually tapered off. With two roads into Flin Flon and the changing life style of the work force, the July 1st celebration was not the event that it once was.
This shows the Band Stand and assemblance of people on the beach around 1942-1945 which was very likely a July 1st celebration. When I first arrived in Flin Flon the Band Stand was still very much a part of Phantom Lake. I can recall it being there in the late 1950's but I believe it was somewhere in the early 1960's that it was taken down and disappeared from the landscape. I have heard some very interesting stories from some of our elderly citizens recalling band concerts, an event which they enjoyed sitting on a bench in a cool breeze and listening to the music of the day which they were all fond of as it was the era of the great bands and music that will live forever.
This is an aerial photo which I took in the late 1970's showing a great deal of Phantom Lake. In the top right hand corner, the roof of the canoe club is visible. This is an area where many people who were involved in canoeing spent many hours. This is where the members of our centennial canoe team got their start and the glory days of Norm Crerar and Gib McEachern. Also on the east shore of the bay, you can see the row of cottages, the tennis court on the east side of the Pavilion which today houses a series of little buildings that provide shelter for our golf members carts. You can see the red roof of the house in the foreground which was the home of the caretaker Jack Thompson.
This image was taken with the first camera I owned in February 1958, a Minolta A.
During the winter months there wasn't much activity at Phantom Lake. This photo was taken approximately 1968-1969. The United Church young peoples hosted a youth rally for all youth groups from Swan River north and as far as Thompson. I forget the exact number but I would estimate around 200-250 youth participated. This was a wind-up wiener roast that was held at Phantom Lake on the Sunday before departure for home. I am sure there are still many of you out there who will recall this event. As a youth councillor at that time, I found this a rewarding experience to see a group of young people participating in fellowship and recreation where you make friends and acquaintenances which sometime last a life time.
This image was taken this past winter of 2014. When I sit and look at the skidoo tracks and the large blanket of snow that covers the shores of Phantom Lake, our memories of happy times are days gone by.
This photo was taken in the 1960's when Phantom Lake was still playing a vital role in our community. There was full time life guards which created employment for summer students, swimming lessons for many young children, areas where people still had picnics and camped, and some spent time laying on a blanket reading a book.
This image was taken in July 2014 and one never would of believed that the beach of Phantom Lake would look like this.
This image was taken in the early 1970's showing all three docks.
This image was taken in July 2014. You can see that there is vey little left of the main dock and in the centre are the stairs which led up to parking and picnic area. There is still one little booth remaining which was once used for dispensing ice cream, drinks, etc.
I believe these stairs were installed in July 1944 and are still there today and still in usable shape.
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