Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
One of the distinguishing factors in the landscape of Winona Lake is the canal, which was dredged in 1902. The original idea of dredging a canal came from John Thorpe of Chicago, a landscape artist of note.
Jutting out from the picnic grounds, and extending far into Eagle Lake, was a 55-acre piece of land that was described as “level as a ballroom floor and perfectly free from shrubs or brush of any kind, and covered with a strong, thick sod, that makes it the best driving track to be found anywhere in the state.” It was called a spring track because its soft turf was resilient and easy on the horses. It followed the approximate course of today’s Auditorium and Administration boulevards, and included a grandstand. In 1902 this peninsula would be separated from the mainland by a canal, and would become known as McDonald’s Island.
In a speech given in August 1919, Solomon Dickey gave credit to Alexander McDonald, elder of the Third Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati and president of the Standard Oil Co. of Kentucky, as one of the founders of Winona. Dickey described Alexander as, “with Mr. Studebaker ... one of the most generous friends Winona ever had.” McDonald gave the money to purchase and build the dredge that created the canal. He bought the iron bridges which spanned the canal, and McDonald Island was named in his honor.
In the Assembly’s summer program for 1900, Dickey’s report as secretary and general manager described “Winona’s Best Scheme.”
“Uncle John Thorpe, of Chicago, the landscape artist, who laid out the World’s Fair Grounds, has presented to the directors a unique plan by which more than thirty acres of beautiful lots can be platted within a short distance of the Auditorium. His plan is to cut a canal 80 feet wide from the west end of the present bath house to the lake just in the rear of the Inn, about 400 yards north of the Indiana University Biological Station buildings thus making an island of the ground including and adjacent to the present half-mile race track.
“He provides for two bridges, two boulevards 80 feet wide, an esplanade forty feet wide running around the entire shore, several promenades and about 300 fine building lots. The lake will be lowered one foot and kept at a certain level by means of a dam at the outlet. The surface of the island will be raised about two feet by means of dredging, taking dirt from canal and shore of present land. The lots will thus be more than 4 feet higher than the lake. A perfect sewerage system is found feasible and will be guaranteed.”
The dredging and creation of the canal were actually accomplished two years later, in 1902, due largely to the largesse of McDonald.
The next year’s report said that the need for funding was presented to McDonald, who “quickly grasped the situation and generously provided the necessary means.” It was found that a dredge with a dipper of more than a cubic yard capacity could be operated at an expense, including coal, of only $10 a day, and so McDonald provided the needed dredge. As of Feb. 20, 1901, it was reported that “a canal 25 feet wide and about 5 feet deep has been constructed across the peninsula, transforming it into an island.” The plans called for a next cutting, which would widen the canal to 50 feet, with an intention of eventually making it 70 or possibly 80 feet in width.
Who Was Alexander McDonald?
Alexander McDonald (1836-1910) was 14 years old when he emigrated with his brother James from Scotland to America in 1851 settling in Cincinnati. A successful businessman, he and his brother formed the petroleum-based Consolidated Tank Line Company. In 1890 they exchanged their company’s stock for stock in John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust, merging the two companies.
McDonald eventually became president of the Standard Oil Company of Kentucky. He further served on the boards of directors of the Big Four Railroad, the Third National Bank (which later merged with Fifth National Bank to become Fifth Third Bank), and the Carnegie Trust Company. He amassed a large fortune which allowed him to build one of the great mansion estates of Cincinnati in 1870. McDonald hired renowned architect Samuel Hannaford to design it and named it “Dalvay” after his ancestral Scottish homeland.
McDonald became known for his philanthropic and charitable works. He died in 1910 in Long Beach, Calif., at the age of 74. His estate was valued at $15 million which is the equivalent to over $400 million today. Alexander McDonald died March 18, 1910, in Long Beach, Calif.
Venetian Nights
Early in the 1900s, festivals called Venetian Nights were held annually along the canal banks. These unique parades of beautiful floats attracted vast crowds to huge bleachers that had been moved into position along the canal.
Boats donated by the Assembly were decorated by themes, and prizes were awarded. There was the election of a festival queen and her court. The last pageant was held in 1917, when a near-tragedy occurred. A float depicting the homes of a drunkard and a temperance man capsized when the drunkard fell overboard and the other passengers all rushed to his aid.
Many years later, Winona Dairy had a small booth along the canal behind the Eskimo Inn where milk and juices could be purchased during the summer Conference season.
When the canal was dredged in 1902, dirt was scattered over the island where trees were planted and homes were built. Al Cuffel helped with the construction of Sol Dickey’s castle, the first building on the island, and Cuffel used to say it was the custom of Dr. Dickey to keep a telescope in his study high in the tower. Since all visitors had to cross one of two bridges to the island, Dickey would know who was approaching before the caller reached the castle. If the party was someone he wished to see, Dickey buzzed a signal to his wife downstairs.
In 1987, the town of Winona Lake used the majority of an approximately $58,000 federal revenue sharing grant to renovate the town hall, to dredge the canal, and for the reforestation and cleanup of trees in the town.
Today, the canal is a prime spot for the rental of docks and piers by boat owners. It still needs occasional dredging because of the buildup of sediment and trash. But the iconic canal, with its two bridges and adjoining shops and cottages, continues the romance and beauty created so long ago by Alexander McDonald and his dredging machine.
