The cabin story started on George Lake near Spicer; today the tradition continues near Ely.
In the mid-1950s, my parents and two aunts and uncles bought three lots on the shores of George Lake near Spicer, Minn. — raw land for $10 a foot of shoreline. The lots were heavily treed, with a fence of rusted barbed wire about 15 feet out from shore so cattle could drink and cool off in the water.
I'm sure when those fateful lots were purchased, my family had no idea of the generations of memories and commitment to nature it would plant in its offspring.
The first structure on this family plot was a large screened house, donated by our grandmother, Martha Nichols. This single structure changed our relationship to the land and the lake. We now had a shelter from the weather and the bugs, a place for eating and rainy day card games. Over time, the lots were cleared and cottages were built by each family. Eventually my family's cottage was built so we could spend every summer at the lake. We did!
The years passed. My siblings, cousins and I swam and played in the inviting lake water. Eventually the weeds disappeared and a sandy bottom was revealed. In 1970, my parents converted the cottage into their year-round home. Fifteen years later, they made the difficult decision to sell and move back to town, but not before four generations had enjoyed "Summers by George."
Now it is my turn to carry on the love-of-lake tradition. My wife and I retired to our cabin in the Ely area on the edge of Fall Lake and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Here we hope to share with our new grandchildren the same outdoor experience and memories I had growing up by George Lake in the '60s. My mother was able to visit Nichols Mountain (as it was coined by friends) two times before she passed in February 2014. Our grandchildren will be the fifth generation to enjoy the solitude, wildlife, music and fun times that a Minnesota cabin and lake have to offer.
Dave Nichols, Ely
