The ghosts of Saint Louis Point

Strolling along Lakeview Avenue on a frozen evening I can hear the faint sounds of an old V8 engine on the lake. A revving engine, mixed with casual conversations and the tinkling of glasses. The distant years overlap in ghostly music. My hearing is not as crisp as the winter air.
Lakeview Avenue. This little lakeside street was once the site of the magnificent 19th century Keeywaydin Hotel, and streams of tourists waiting for day-excursions to the Big Island Amusement Park.
The street is residential and quiet now. The Keeywaydin’s water tower still stands in empty homage to the Hotel. To the west is St. Louis Point. Site of another grand Hotel, The St. Louis. Both hotels have long since gone, lost to fire.
On any cold, dark January evening one might still catch a glimpse of a 1953 pickup as it cruises and spins across the crackling winter ice. The ecclectic eras mix with black ice and unexpected undercurrents.


(to be continued)