Tragedy or Comedy?

By Peter Sznewajs

Have you ever wondered why Crystal Lake’s west shore has long, sandy beaches compared to the rest of the lake or other inland lakes in Northwest Michigan? Or why when entering Beulah, there is a large hill to get downtown? Thank Archibald Jones for the odd commodities that Crystal Lake has to offer.

Dr. Stacy Leroy Daniels portrayed Archibald Jones at the CSA Arts & Crafts Fair July 26, 2023.Crystal Lake’s story is one of lore. Much of its history, especially predating World War II, is undocumented, creating a circus of rumors, skeptics, and conspiracy theories. However, chemical-environmental engineer and former University of Michigan professor Dr. Stacy Leroy Daniels devotes his life to sharing a particular facet of the region's history: the lowering of Crystal Lake.

Spending time around Frankfort and Crystal Lake, Daniel’s presence stands out in the town. He sports a long, white beard, attributed to Archibald Jones, holds booths at local art fairs, including our CSA Art Fair, and was this year’s Frankfort parade’s Grand Marshal. He is the author of The Comedy of Crystal Lake, a two-part novel covering the lake’s lowering and the biography of Archibald Jones.

On July 13, Daniels held a town-hall event at Benzie Historical Society, telling the story of Archibald Jones, the man responsible for lowering Crystal Lake in 1873. Daniels debates whether the lake’s lowering was a “tragedy” or a “comedy,” telling listeners at his lecture “it’s up for you to decide.” However, the consequences were unintentional. Jones planned to build a canal through a temporary dam, which is now the Crystal Lake outlet near Mollineaux Road. Its goal was to connect Crystal Lake to Lake Michigan in hopes of creating a pathway for imports to reach further into Benzie County, increase tourism, and build a more vibrant economy.

Ultimately, Jones’ plan failed. Whitecaps washed out the temporary dam, lowering the lake by 17 to 20 feet and creating the largest inundation from an inland lake in the country, until the Edenville Dam disaster in Midland, Michigan in 2020. Crystal Lake lost 56 billion gallons of water, approximately 2.5 percent of its area and volume.

Scholars debate whether the lowering was a “tragedy” or “comedy” for the lake. The “tragedy” argues that the destruction of the passageway hurt the region's economy, but this is unclear and dubious. The “comedy” is what did occur, and in part, helped the Assembly and local communities come to fruition.

The lowering of Crystal Lake allowed for 1,000 new cottages to be built around the east and west shore of the lake and another 21 miles of sandy front land. Today, the east shore of Crystal Lake includes Beulah, a small but vibrant community filled with summer houses and great local businesses. For the CSA and west shore, the lowering of Crystal Lake allowed for long beaches filled with beautiful cottages that define many of our summer experiences.

CSA MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

By Ginanne Brownell - August 10, 2023

For many CSA members—old and new—the CSA’s Membership Committee has always been something of a mystery. But according to Ann Murphy Burroughs, who co-chairs the committee with Megan Royle Carrella, it isn’t purposely that way.  They have made concerted efforts to explain exactly how CSA membership has worked in the past and how it works now in the annual Assembly News and on the CSA website. Ann, who has been on the committee for almost 30 years, says it’s believed the committee was formed when the CSA, “stopped offering anyone who came to the desk the opportunity to purchase a ticket, and the category of Associate Members was created.” For a number of decades, the committee met routinely once a week during the season, but with leadership change and the pandemic, they have adopted both virtual and in-person meeting formats and meet a few times during the season.

From its inception and continuing today, the committee established policies and procedures for membership and ticket purchase eligibility as approved by the Board of Trustees and lot owners. Over the years, as family stays reduced from 8-10 weeks to 1-2 weeks a summer, and families sometimes missed CSA seasons entirely due to various societal factors, membership definitions and ticket purchase eligibility policies evolved. 

At various times the CSA Board has discussed ways to generate more income, especially early in the season. Consequently, the Membership Committee has discussed how policies might accommodate ticket sales in the “shoulder” seasons – early June and late August – and what programming or services might be offered at those times. 

In terms of what the committee does beyond policies and procedures, part of their work is reviewing incoming Associate Member applications, keeping track of lot owners and Associate Members, and determining who is eligible to purchase a ticket and vote at annual meetings. An applicant for membership or associate membership needs to provide evidence of a lengthy past association. “We also work to make membership policies broadly communicated and understood [and] consider larger issues such as making new members feel welcome, how membership policies impact crowding and car traffic at the CSA, and how membership policies might be adjusted in the future,” Ann says.

She points out that like all CSA committees, the committee’s job is to stay on top of all current issues at the CSA as well as to think about how things might evolve going forward, and draft recommendations to the Board as needed. “At times we have consulted with Waterfront regarding capacities for boats and people on the Crystal Lake beach, with CSA Staff regarding which programs and activities can welcome the general public, with new office staff on the intricacies of membership policies related to ticket purchase, with the Women’s Association on welcoming new members, and with Bylaws related to membership,” Ann adds.

The Committee has also taken on new roles when needed, for example when it was decided that all Associate Members would be invoiced in the spring for the equivalent of a two-week ticket. At that time the Membership Committee took on the work of preparing those invoices and mailing them out for over a decade. Nowadays, this is done by paid CSA staff. Also, in the past, when membership policies had outlived their relevancy and were failing to address “certain situations based on general demographic and constituent lifestyle shifts” Ann says the membership committee has reviewed these policies and suggested amendments to the Board.

In terms of challenges, Ann says one of the biggest ones they face is that “our membership policies have grown to be incredibly detailed and complex, and it is very hard for the general CSA member to get a handle on how membership operates.” However, she says that this is nothing new: similar situations have occurred in the late 1990s/early 2000s.  That led to a lengthy study by the Membership Committee that included open forum discussions, a board recommendation, a CSA lot-owner vote, and new policies adopted in 2007. She added that since that’s now been almost two decades, “we again welcome ideas and discussion on membership policies from CSA participants, especially regarding potential ways to simplify membership policies.”  Open forums and community discussions have always played a critical role for many perspectives to be heard as the Membership Committee considers future options.

While at present the Membership Committee is fully staffed, they welcome anyone interested in attending their meetings.  Ann says what is so enjoyable about the Membership Committee is the chance to work, “with a dedicated, multi-generational group to consider how past and present CSA community constituents were/are defined, and how our community would like to welcome constituents in the future.”  She encourages anyone to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.her with your thoughts and/or questions.

By Loren Weiss - June 30, 2022

Safety is one of our primary concerns at the CSA - M22 runs right through our grounds, and most roads are only wide enough for one car to drive along at a time. Those visiting the Assembly have always been encouraged to be cautious whether they’re driving or walking; but as the 2022 season rolls in, our Maintenance Department headed by Tom Mauer has worked tirelessly to make things a little safer for all of us through their renovation and reconstruction of Assembly walking paths.

The first step in their community-wide project was to make the walking path in the woods running along Alden Edwards Avenue more accessible and usable. The path starts directly next to the Meeting House and stretches all the way to the intersection between Alden Edwards Ave. and Winslow Way, creating a perfect path for runners, dog-walkers, and anyone else who previously would have stuck to the roads. Trees are marked with visible yellow markers to keep hikers from straying, and all plants and hazards (including poison ivy) have been cleared away. The trail is surrounded by recently planted native trees and luscious wonders of nature, making it a much more attractive walk alongside its practicality.

Mauer’s plan is to renovate all of the unpaved paths crisscrossing the Assembly, so walkers feel more comfortable off of the road - and away from vehicular traffic. Among the paths slated for renovation are the Carver Crescent to South Shore trail and the stairway down the hill to Lake Michigan. His hopes are that by making these trails safer and more accessible for those on foot, we can keep Assembly patrons out of harm’s way while also giving them scenic, enjoyable trails to walk along. 

Road safety is especially important by M22 - and since construction started on June 27th, the CSA wants to encourage its members to be vigilant when crossing and otherwise navigating roads. These paths are a great way to do so, and we encourage all those who are curious or just feel like going for a walk to check out the beautiful trail by the Meeting House - and hopefully, as the project continues, even more trails that crop up across our scenic grounds.