The story of the Arnolds on Armour Lake begins around 1959. At that time, Dr. Don Woodrow Arnold and Marian Otto Arnold were living in DeKalb, IL where Don was a professor in the College of Business at Northern Illinois University. The Arnolds had three children, Frederick, Stephen and Gretchen. Steve had just finished junior high at NIU’s lab school and was getting ready to enroll in DeKalb High School. Chuck Dayton was the Athletic Director at DHS and sometime in the 50’s the Daytons bought a cabin on a lake in Ely, Minnesota. Chuck Dayton and his four sons began running summer canoe trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for the boys of DeKalb. When the Arnold’s son Steve heard about this opportunity he signed up for a trip. That first canoe trip got Steve hooked on canoeing in the northern wilderness. He went on several more trips with the Daytons and as he got older, he organized his own trips with friends.
Steve loved the outdoors and spent his summers in DeKalb managing the Kishwaukee Country Club swimming pool and later the Hopkins Park swimming pool, as well as coaching the swim teams at both locations. It was at the pool that he met Peggy Allen, one of the kids on the KCC swim team and later a life guard and coach working under Steve at Hopkins Park. In the early 1960’s he took up skiing and on a trip to Indianhead Ski Resort in the UP in the winter of 1967-68 with his friend Dave Smith , the two decided to take a different route home that took them through Marinesco and Presque Isle. As Steve drove through this area it struck him that it looked very much like the area around Ely. When he got home he talked to his dad and brother about looking for property in Presque Isle.
In the summer of 1968 the three of them came north to look for lake front property. Don wanted to look at some lots on the Wisconsin River near Wisconsin Rapids so they stopped there, but Steve was determined to buy in the Presque Isle area. They looked at lots on Stateline Lake, but Steve was not satisfied with the water quality. When he canoed the Boundary Waters he drank right out of the lakes. As they passed the intersection of Highway B and Crab Lake Road, Steve noticed a hand lettered sign saying “Lots for Sale – Walter Eiler. They found Mr. Eiler who showed them some lots on Horsehead Lake but Steve was still not satisfied. Finally they drove down East Armour Lake Road and looked at lot 28 of the Far Away Shores development. After walking the whole lot they all agreed that this was just what they were looking for. To seal the deal, Walter Eiler took them around the lake in his boat. As they were passing lot 16 Steve said, “That looks like Bill Farley”, his P.E. teacher at NIU’s Lab School, and it was! They stopped and chatted with Bill who was as surprised to see them as they were to see him. On October 30, 1968 they returned to the northwoods to sign the deed for the lot. The price was $7350. Steve provided the largest part of the purchase price with his summer earnings from the swimming pool and his father and brother contributed the remainder. Thus the groundwork was laid for Steve’s vision of a simple place in the wilderness.
In 1969 the Arnold’s erected a 16’ X 20’ Lindahl Cedar Home shell. This was going to be a temporary structure until a real cabin would be built on the primary house site. Almost 40 years and two additions later, the cabin is still the only structure on the property. Steve and his brother cleared the driveway and house site by hand. A concrete block foundation was constructed by hauling water from the lake and hand mixing concrete. Steve’s mother and father and a friend, Harold Gilbert assembled most of the cabin with Steve and Fred helping when they could. During the 1970’s the cabin remained little more than a wooden shelter. Drinking water was secured from the spring on the present day Samborski property, dishes were washed with lake water, and a chemical toilet and a gas stove provided the only conveniences. In 1971 Steve married Peggy Allen and they honeymooned at the cabin on their way to a trip in the Boundary Waters. In 1974 Peggy and Steve ordered an addition from the Lindahl Company and the cabin gained an additional 10 feet in length. A wood burning stove was also added at this time. Steve and Peg enjoyed many winter trips to the cabin in the 70’s for cross country and downhill skiing. In 1979 Peggy and Steve had a baby: Kate Elizabeth Arnold. Since Steve and Peggy were teachers, Kate grew up on Armour Lake. She would later go on to attend Camp Manito-Wish for six years and to work on the camp staff for seven years. Armour Lake at that time had a whole group of Camp Manitowish Alumni on the lake and they groomed Kate for camp for years. One summer when Kate was on a canoe trip from camp and was camping on Bill’s Island, Pat Farley and Toby Toburen snuck out to the island in the middle of the night with recorded wolf sounds to scare the girls. None of them woke up, so the joke was on Pat and Toby who gave up a lot of sleep for naught.
It wasn’t until 1980 that electricity was added. During the 80’s, the Arnold’s experimented with a gas burning toilet and a composting toilet. They also used an outdoor solar shower. A fire pit provided many evening campfires and Steve became a very good outdoor cook, using Dutch ovens, large skillets, and a grill to prepare wonderful breakfasts and dinners. Canoeing to Crab Lake, trips to Yondota Falls and the Porkies became traditions. During the 70’s and 80’s Fred and Barb Arnold and their three boys Erick, Gary and Steve spent one week at the cabin each summer and Gretchen and Craig Carpenter and their three children Amy, Jake and Ben also spent a week there. Fred and Barb often used the cabin as a staging area for canoe trips to Sylvania. Craig and his twin sons Jake and Ben were the family fishermen. Don and Marian Arnold often came up during the week Craig and Gretchen were there and stayed at the Skyview, providing showers for the weary fishermen.
By about 1990 the difficulties of joint ownership emerged as the prospect of the next generation marrying and having children complicated the usage issues. Other issues involving equitable sharing of repair and improvement expenses and labor could not be resolved. Also, joint decision making often resulted in no decision being made and the cabin started to show serious signs of deterioration. Steve and Peggy offered to sell their share or buy the others’ share of the cabin. Ultimately in January of 1993 Steve and Peggy took full ownership of the cabin. Under their ownership a new roof, deck, kitchen, well, septic, pier, foundation and addition were added along with other smaller improvements. In 2002 the foundation of the cabin was failing. The front wall was leaning toward the lake. The two major beams under the cabin were rotting so a decision was made to have the cabin jacked up and the old cement foundation was completely removed and a new insulated poured concrete foundation was built. The cabin was then lowered back onto the new foundation. In 2005 a 48 square foot addition was added to the bunk room, making it a “real” bedroom with a sleeping porch feel.
During all of these years a conscious attempt was made to keep the shoreline and property as natural as possible. In 200 Steve started restoring the little bit of shoreline we had cleared over the years by the boat dock. Steve and Peggy have never owned a motor for a boat, although some other family members have used small motors for fishing. Canoes, kayaks, a rowboat and a sailboat provided transportation on the water. Swimming in the clean cool water was also a big activity for Steve, Peg and Kate. After driving to the cabin from St. Charles, Illinois for over 30 years, Steve and Peg moved to Madison in 2004. In 2006 Kate took a job as Outreach Coordinator for the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, so the whole family is closer to their beloved Armour Lake.
Peg’s Comments: The joy of the cabin for me was always the alternative lifestyle that it provided. Preparing food, staying warm, and entertaining ourselves where quite different than being “at home”. The small size of the cabin necessitated a closeness of the inhabitants. Someone always had to go get lake water or drinking water from the spring. Wood needed to be cut and split. With no TV, evenings were spent playing Monopoly or cards. Nearly every summer evening Steve and I would go out on the lake for a sunset canoe ride. I have also enjoyed the community of people on the east side of the lake. For many years we had annual pig roasts or potlucks at the Farley’s. With the advent of the Friends of Armour Lake the gap between the two sides of the lake was bridged and we got to know more residents of Armour. Of course the ultimate joy is the natural surroundings of woods and water that we have been privileged to enjoy for 38 years. I am partial to the loons and love watching and listening to them. I love to swim with them too. The natural beauty of the lake and the peace and quiet of the environment are priceless treasures.