Blaine Baesler (1920-2015), a three-sport player in high school, including making All Conference as a football player, discusses growing up and playing football, basketball, and baseball in Lake City, Minnesota, and ice boating on Lake Pepin. He also discusses how his father, a harness maker, helped Ralph Samuelson, the inventor of waterskiing, experiment with making straps for water skis.
Interview with Harry Bedman. Bedman gives a history of the fishing resort his family owned from about 1880 into the 20th century. He talks about the trains bringing in tourists, shipping fish packed in ice by train. His father was named Charles Bedman and was the founder of the Alexandria Boat Works.
Marvin Howatt (1941-), of the Cliff and Coulee Climbers Club, presents the history of snowmobiling in Lake City and Wabasha County, Minnesota. Marvin also discusses snowmobile registration, grant-in-aid funding, trail building, landowner permits, landowner liability, trail signage, trail maintenance, and trail maps.
If you remember a lifeguard watching over you at the Lake Andrew Beach at Sibley State Park in the 1980s or have ever played volleyball at the park- you owe a thanks to Gregg Luther. Past lifeguard at the park Gregg grew up on Lake Andrew on Como Beach and visits each year from Colorado on the 4th of July.
Bernard "Ben" Simons (1912-1995) discusses the fishing barge at Lake City, Minnesota. He also discusses being the Lake City harbormaster, replacing the fishing barge, excursion boats, recent development of Lake City, the ice skating rink, Vietnamese fishers, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's visit to Lake City.
Jim Stubstad (1922-2011) describes the development of Central Point in Lake City, and his life on Lake Pepin. He discusses his career in the US Navy and in rocket science, and boating, ice boating, boat building, sailing, and climbing Maiden Rock at Lake Pepin. He mentions the Sea Wing Disaster, water pollution, Zump Adolph's popcorn stand, the Old Goats Club, and renovation of the Lake City State Bank clock.
