Whispering Pines Resort History

The History of Whispering Pines Resort Three Lakes , Wisconsin 

Whispering Pines Resort had its beginning when Mrs. Emma McCrary (nee Gotchy) purchased 32.25 acres of land on the northwest shore or Round Lake, Three Lakes, Wisconsin from the United States government on January 15, 1903.  The McCrarys evidently established a lodge or fish camp there soon thereafter, as Carol Goodenough Roberts has reported that her parents stayed at Whispering Pines in 1906.  In the 1960's when we tore down the residence then on the property, we found that the three upstairs bedrooms had formerly been more than six cubicles, evidently for fishermen.  The first floor was occupied by kitchen, dining room, and lounge, no doubt to serve guests.

Mrs. Doris Blankenburg owned the property from 1920 until 1923, when it was bought by John and Frieda Graef, probably from Chicago.  They hired Charlie Hacker, a local carpenter who designed and built the Himes Engman Lumber shed in Three Lakes as well as Mrs. O'Neill's Shady Shore cottages on Long Lake, to build five frame cottages at Whispering Pines.  As there were no roads in the area, all building supplies had to be rowed in by boat after they were delivered to Wheeler Island by horse and buggy.  Once when Charlie was rowing two boats in tandem filled with stones for a fireplace in the main lodge, the boats began to sink.  Quickly Charlie cut the boats apart, threw some stones overboard, and saved himself and one boat. But somewhere on the bottom of Round Lake lie the remains of a boat full of stones. 

In 1929* a bridge was built across the channel south of Long Lake by Ed Korth of Eagle River.  (Some of pilings can still be seen.)  In 1931 a road was constructed from the east end of that bridge southward to Whispering Pines, its route having been laid out from the advice of Charlie Hacker as to the skirting of swamps etc.  Later Highway X was built north from the Blue Ribbon bridge to join part of this road.  The south end of the road is now Burchmore Road. Deliveries by boat were no longer a necessity.

The Graef family sold Whispering Pines to Sherida and Sam Territo in 1946.  The main lodge was converted to be their residence where they lived with their daughter Linda during the "tourist season" until 1960.  They wintered in Chicago.  The resort now had two cement block cottages as well as the original five frame ones, which by now had been modernized to include inside plumbing and hot water.  Charlie Hacker had stripped a wild cranberry bog near the lakeshore to create a harbor for resort fishing boats.  A rustic birch log footbridge crossed this lagoon at its entrance to Round Lake.  Towering white and red pines stood all along the lakeshore, only remnants of the large grove which had either been sold off for 50 cents apiece or traded at the lumber yard for finished lumber.  

When in May of 1960 Carl and Phyllis Anderson along with their children Leslie and Kristin took over Whispering Pines Resort, they winterized the house so that they could stay in Three Lakes year round.  Efforts to further modernize the building were abandoned when it was realized that the log-on-sand foundation was not sound, and a new house was built adjacent to the old in 1967.  The first cement block cottage west of the boat lagoon was demolished due to structural problems.  The other six cottages remain in use today after considerable modernization.  Today, the resort continues to be operated by Phyllis Anderson, who resides on the property from May through October and in Florida the balance of the year, and her son Les and her daughter Kris. 

*Some dates stated herein are estimated, as they are based on stories told to Les and Kris Anderson by Charlie Hacker in the1960's. Dates of real estate transactions were obtained from the property abstract.

In the summer of 2003 the last two cottages, 6 and 7, were sold and are no longer a part of the resort.

In the summer of 2004 Joyce (Anderson) Foster retired and is now spending her summers with her family while living in #3.  She is remodeling and landscaping and turning the cottage into a summer home.  We are happy that she is able to be with us, but sorry to say that the cottage is no longer available for rental. 

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