The earliest name of this resort was “Lake Lucerne and Pipe Lake” but in time each lake would boast its own private park. The two were connected by a 40-foot wide canal that is about 150-feet long, with Pipe Lake to the west and Lake Lucerne to the east. In 1927, “Beautiful Lake Lucerne” as it became known was featured in a Seattle Times article when Mort Carraher was resort manager. This August 1934 photo shows two women riding a bicycle boat on Lake Lucerne. They were likely from Lincoln High School of Seattle according to Carol Davis, who provided the photo and is assembling a book about Lake Lucerne. The sign reads; “Ride 10¢ Per Person.” The boat is constructed of milled timber upon which two bicycles are mounted with a water wheel powered by pedaling.
However financially, all was not well for this business. Four months after this picture was snapped, Lake Lucerne, Inc.’s picnic resort was seized to be sold at a U.S. Marshall’s auction to satisfy a $22,763 court judgment. The December 1934 offering included 98 acres of land and 16 acres of lake. Only one bid was received, as John Besson and W.G. Clark purchased the property for $25,500 in February 1935 to satisfy unpaid loans and promissory notes they’d made to the resort. Newspaper clippings about the sale were provided by JoAnne Matsumura, an Issaquah historical researcher. Next week, more about Pipe Lake and the nearby Cherokee Bay Resort.
