History of Magician Lake
Return to Home PageHistory of the Establishment of Magician's Water Level
New Staff Gauge installed to display Magician's Water Level
New Staff Gauge installed to display Magician's Water Level
Past information on fishing and stocking from DNR
Legends: Where did the Name Magician Lake Come from? The following are two theories we've heard of.
Story One:
Magician Lake was originally known as Silver Lake. The name Silver Lake came from the appearance of the bottom of the lake, which is rich in marl, an excellent organic fertilizer for lime-deficient soils. Quite some time ago, the area apparently became popular with some gentlemen from the Chicago area that were versed in the practice of sleight of hand, illusion and prestidigitation. This led to the lake being referred to as "The Magician's Lake", eventually leading to it being called Magician Lake.
Story Two:
Another story revolves around the original inhabitants of the area. According to this legend, the Indians in the area considered the lake to be magical since no matter how bad drought conditions in the area became, the lake level never dropped. They called it the “Magic Lake” which eventually became Magician Lake.
Also check out the pictures of Magician from around 1900 here.
We're looking for more information so, if you have any thing to add to the history of Magician, please send it to us here
The following information is taken from copies of documents on file in the Cass County Drain Commissioner’s office.
On October 14, 1957 the Cass County Board passed a motion “that the drain committee be requested to instruct the Drain Commissioner to request the Conservation Department to make a survey and report for the purpose of the establishment of the lake level of Magician Lake.” Subsequently on May 13, 1958 the Cass board resolved "that a legal level of the waters of Magician Lake be established…"
On November 1, 1958 a hydrograph survey of water level was started. This particular survey ended on 9/30/1959. A review of these charts show a high recorded at the end of April 1959 of 762.88 and a low of 762.04 at the start of November 1958 and Late September 1959. Other surveys were also on file covering 1959 through December, 1960 and are discussed in the report issued following the completion of this survey.
In March, 1963 a report was issued by the Michigan Department of Conservation, Engineering and Architecture signed by 3 registered professional engineers. Excerpts from this report relate the background given above as well as some details of Magician Lake and how and were to levels were recorded. In summary concerning the levels recorded, “The maximum recorded level of Magician Lake was 763.1 feet above mean sea level in June 1960 and the minimum was 762.1 feet in September 1959. The average level during the summer period of June to September was 762.4 feet in 1958 and 1959 and 762.9 feet in 1960. Recorded fluctuations during the summer periods were 0.3 feet in 1958, 0.6 feet n 1959 and 0.4 feet in 1960.”
The report goes on to state that “Points considered in this study were shoreline erosion, ice and flood damage to shoreline installations, operation of domestic sewage disposal systems, boating, beaches, and fish and wildlife habitat.” Further in the report it states “Undesirable saturation of lake side areas can occur if normal summer levels exceed 763.0 feet.” It does say that this level can be exceeded for short and infrequent intervals without causing property damage. The report does discuss the sewage disposal systems but are no longer pertinent to Magician.
The report concludes with “In conclusion, the most desirable normal summer level for Magician Lake is763.0 feet above mean sea level. This is a maximum normal level established by septic tank operations and to avoid the saturation of lake side areas and is high enough to provide adequate boating depths.”
The report also discusses methods of control and recommended a dam at the culvert that passes under the road. We now know that it was located further downstream than that. The report recommends that “Stoplogs must be removed or replaced to maintain a legal normal level during the summer season. All stoplogs should be removed in late fall to lower the lake to its natural winter level and provide storage for spring flows. Stoplogs should be replaced in the spring as spring flows subside.”
The report discusses what steps would be necessary to establish a means of control and legal levels of Magician as well as a person who would be responsible for maintenance. “The dam operator must remove or replace stoplogs as necessary in order to maintain the legal level. It is suggested that he remove stoplogs in the fall after the resort season to provide storage for high spring run-off in the spring. After the spring runoff stoplogs should be replaced to maintain the summer lake level.”
The report also states that this operator “Keep a daily record of lake levels and a record of dam operation to provide data for future modification of operation if conditions warrant such action. Such records will provide dependable background data in case of future question of litigation over lake levels. These records should be filed with the County Boards of Supervisors…”
On September 10, 1962 a petition was filed in Circuit Court requesting establishment of legal levels for Magician Lake. On November 13, 1962, the court order was issued to establish the summer level at 763.0 feet above mean sea level and a winter level of 762.0 feet above mean sea level.
In a condensed description of Magician Lake outlet drain dated July 24, 1963 and prepared by T. A. Smith, Registered Civil Engineer (who’s name later appears on dam inspection reports as the designer) he proposed that a dam be constructed in said drain” (described earlier in the document) “…for the control of the water level of Magician Lake as specified in the court order…”
In an interoffice communication dated April27, 1964 from Hathaway Hanes, CE, Engineering Section to Nicholas Olds, Asst. Attorney General the recommendation to place the dam at the road crossing was mentioned. However it states “The present plan calls for the construction of the dam at a point about one hundred feet below, or downstream, from the location recommended…” In this letter it also states that “We presume that the cost for… … constructing the control dam will be borne by the riparians on Magician Lake and others who are benefited. “ There was an undated special assessment role in the drain commissioner’s file.
No actual records of the dam’s construction were found in the drain commissioner’s files but correspondences as early as March, 1965 indicate the presence of a dam.
What about the hole? None of the documentation specifically talks about the hole located in the present “stoplog” or board. According to Leo Schur, who was custodian for over 30 years, the hole was always there.
How does the hole affect the water level? Simple laws of physics, hydraulic, also demonstrate the lack of effect on plugging this hole. Since there is nothing on the downstream side, this is said to have free discharge. The only factors affecting how much water flows through this hole are the size of the hole, the depth of the hole and the shape of the opening or orifice. It doesn’t matter what the size of the body of water is behind it. http://www.mcnallyinstitute.com/13-html/13-12.htm has a more detailed explanation for those interested in the engineering aspects. Using the appropriate numbers for the size of the hole in our dam and the depth from the top of the water to the center of the hole and the appropriate factor for the shape, it will take 30 days to lower the lake level one inch if there are no other factors. One inch is a whole bunch of water over 500 cares. So the hole alone is responsible for 1/30 of an inch a day. And since it’s blocked to 80% that means only 20% of 1/30 of an inch is going through or 0.006667 of an inch a day.
So where’s the water going? One word, evaporation! And July and August are the months that have the highest evaporation rates.
Remember, this association does not maintain custodianship of the dam.
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Grandfather
Edmund Robert Polk and Grandmother Agnes Mary Little Polk raised a
family of five children…Wesley, Arthur, Robert, Mary and Edna.
The children were born in LaGrange, Illinois, in a large, rambling
house, which is still in use and remains painted the original yellow.
Grandfather was an entrepreneur who dealt in horses, real estate, and
various other business ventures. Both he and Grandmother owned
property in Illinois and Michigan, and Grandfather liked to trade, and
sell, his plots of land. Prior to summering at Magician Lake, the
family would travel to Muskegon, to a tract of land called Idlewild, on
Lake Michigan. Many family photographs record their happy times
there.Back to the top of the page
On
Wednesday
afternoon, August 20, 2008, a crew from Wightman & Associates
installed
a staff gauge to display the current water level of Magician Lake.
The gauge is located in Silver Creek on the north side of the
road (Gilmore Avenue) crossing
Silver Creek. Silver Creek is located on the southeast side of
Magician about 1/2 mile from the east end. Wightman &
Associates is an Engineering, Surveying and Architectural firm located
in Benton Harbor. Cass and Van Buren Counties hired
them
to install this gauge as well as confirm several elevations.
During this installation, they checked the elevation of the
bottom of the dam in Silver Creek, the top of the board currently
inserted in the dam and the current water level. The bottom of
the dam checked at 762.01 which is within 0.01 feet of what
it is supposed to be at 762.0. The top of the board inserted in
the dam checked at 762.94 feet above sea level and the current water
level measured exactly 763.0. 763.0 is the summer level set by
court
order and what was measured from the bottom of the dam earlier that
day.
The gauge is mounted on a long pipe driven deep into the creek
bed
and attached with a series of U bolts that are rendered tamper
resistant. It is graduated in one tenth of a foot increments which is
1.2 inches (See picture below). The gauge is intended to allow
anyone to see the actual lake level relative to the court ordered level
of 763.0 and to provide assurance that the level is maintained.
Also, any modification to or tampering with this gauge or it's
location or elevation can result in a $1000 fine and imprisonment,
On June 23, 1910 E.R. Polk purchased the Magician Lake property from Mary H. Southwick for a sum of $3,460. The property was a grain farm prior to the sale; the land was left fallow under Edmond’s ownership. The Polk’s, with the help of their sons and daughters, developed a summer resort, providing rental cottages for the season. Of eight original cottages, built one per year, beginning in 1911, seven are still in use as summer homes. The cottages had no electricity, and were supplied with blocks of ice cut out of the lake in the winter and stored in the ice-house. As a child I remember when all the oak ice-boxes were dumped to make way for the new Frigidaire’s. Oh, to have all those old ice-boxes now!
Behind the original 8 cottages there was a swamp that sported beautiful, bright yellow cowslips each spring. The fields behind the family cottage, where the old white house stands now, were blanketed with waving, yellow daisies. What a treasure to discover one solitary cowslip plant at the edge of the channel last spring (2006) where the swamp once was!
On April 19, 1930 Edmund and Agnes gave the Magician Lake property and business to their son, Arthur Eugene Polk. A quit- claim deed was filed for the sum of one dollar. Edmond R. Polk passed away in December 1936 and Agnes in October 1950.
The love of the land by magical Magician Lake has spanned many years, and new generations of Polk’s, and other families near and far. Many changes have taken place over the years, many faces have come and gone, and still others return, year after year, to enjoy the peace and tranquility of Magician Lake.
Cynthia Polk Muller
Also see the following from an article in the Dowagiac Daily News about Polk's land
'Cardinal Charlie' Gill writes a nostalgic weekly column for the Dowagiac Daily News about growing up in the Grand Old City.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007 9:15 AM EST
"The last time I saw the late Dr. John Smith was at one of the Beckwith plays. We sat next to each other in the front row. He told me he had something to give me which I might find interesting. He said it contained a lot about the old Polk resort at Magician Lake years back. Dr. Smith was one of my article readers and my wife and I, on our daily walks, used to stop and chat with the dentist when he was out in the yard. Also, when Peg had her business, he was one of her clients, and we used to sit in his yard to watch the fireworks.
I had almost forgotten what he told me at the
theater, but upon returning home one day there was a big envelope stuck inside
our screen door. It contained 19 pages of real interest to me. It
was the memoirs of Harrison Miles, who was a cousin of Arthur (Artie) and
Valerie (Val) Polk (Dr. Smith's first wife). He said he, Valerie and Artie were buddies when they
were growing up.
I remember Art and Valerie at DHS back in 1946-47. The
kids' father, old Arthur Polk, had a resort and some cottages in the days the
kids were growing up.
Harrison tells of the nine or more outhouses that
had to be moved every few years. New holes dug, old holes covered - not a
pleasant job. Harrison wrote of a joke about corn cobs. You needed three
of them. One red for the first wipe. Second, a white one to see if you needed a
third red one.
The cottages had no running water and lighting was done
with kerosene or gasoline lamps. Cooking was on kerosene or wood
stoves. He said the water table was just a few feet down. Artie could get
a well down in an hour. Back then, you could drink the water from these
non-polluted shallow wells.
They used to have a fleet of 16 or more
wooden rowboats to rent and for the cottages. One of the boats was 60
years old. One of the chores was tarring and painting them. They used mule hide
tar to seal the seams and painted them bright orange with lead paint. An
old hired hand helped them and the old geezer cussed like crazy. He said they
picked this up and it didn't impress his mother.
There was a boat house
where they could float the old 1917 launch right into the building. The
second floor was large and dances were held there. Up above was an attic with
lots of old radios and other antiques. The boat house was built around
1915-1920.
One time he and Artie were to take grandmother on a tour of the lake,
or so they thought. As they helped her into the launch, it moved away
from the pier. Grandma had one leg on the pier and one on the
launch. Grandma started doing the splits and ended up in the
drink.
Another time Harrison decided to take Jan, his future wife, for a ride in the launch. He had her bailing with a tomato can as he tried to get it started. Oil poured into the bilge as she bailed and she got covered with the dirty bilge, so she never got the experience of "puttering" around the lake. He said he did marry Jan, even after the launch ordeal (love conquers all).
He said one time he and Artie had to tar the roof over the porches. Artie did the swabbing and he carried the pails up the ladder. The third rung broke and he went to the ground without spilling the pail of tar. They used to clean themselves up with several dousings of kerosene, then jumped in the lake to get rid of the kerosene.
He said the three kids were kept busy doing lots of chores, but most were fun, thanks to Artie. One time he and Artie got stranded out in the lake when Artie's 16-foot sailboat tipped over in a windstorm.
He also told of how Uncle Fred (Fud) used to get up on the surf board that was pulled by a hyrdoplane. He put a lawnchair on it and sat with his legs crossed until he fell.
Harrison Miles also talked about Melody Gardens, which used to have slot machines. One time his mom hit the jackpot on a penny slot and the pennies came pouring out. She caught them in her skirt. They found something to put them in and went home.
I don't know the date these 19 pages were written, but I sure had a ball reading them and thought I'd share a few, thanks to Dr. Smith."
Another time Harrison decided to take Jan, his future wife, for a ride in the launch. He had her bailing with a tomato can as he tried to get it started. Oil poured into the bilge as she bailed and she got covered with the dirty bilge, so she never got the experience of "puttering" around the lake. He said he did marry Jan, even after the launch ordeal (love conquers all).
He said one time he and Artie had to tar the roof over the porches. Artie did the swabbing and he carried the pails up the ladder. The third rung broke and he went to the ground without spilling the pail of tar. They used to clean themselves up with several dousings of kerosene, then jumped in the lake to get rid of the kerosene.
He said the three kids were kept busy doing lots of chores, but most were fun, thanks to Artie. One time he and Artie got stranded out in the lake when Artie's 16-foot sailboat tipped over in a windstorm.
He also told of how Uncle Fred (Fud) used to get up on the surf board that was pulled by a hyrdoplane. He put a lawnchair on it and sat with his legs crossed until he fell.
Harrison Miles also talked about Melody Gardens, which used to have slot machines. One time his mom hit the jackpot on a penny slot and the pennies came pouring out. She caught them in her skirt. They found something to put them in and went home.
I don't know the date these 19 pages were written, but I sure had a ball reading them and thought I'd share a few, thanks to Dr. Smith."
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