Sylvan Lake Resort

In 1893 Merrill B. Mills, Mansfield Shelley, George Barbour, and J. Blair Simpson decided to establish a resort at Sylvan Lake. The center of the resort, a hotel, was erected on the present site of the community Center for $25,000. The resort included a golf course, riding stable, bathing beach, bowling alley, and billiards. The grounds were lighted by electricity in connection with the interurban railway. In addition to the hotel, owners planned a community containing 1300 building lots, six public parks, a schoolhouse, a depot and church sites. A booklet entitled HEADLIGHT FLASHED ALONG THE GRAND TRUNK RAILROAD SYSTEM indicates that 1897 was a banner year for the resort. However, an article in the October 27, 1903, JOURNAL reveals that it never was a financial success. In 1903 the Sylvan Lake Inn burned down.