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The fact is, being in a lake community, even a small one like Winona, increases your property value, and so does having a group around like the LWCA. Why? Well, when you look around at the Lake Shawnee and Lake Forest club areas, those sure look like nice places to gather and let the kids play (etc), and you know what…they are! Kids of all ages will remember good times at the lake, and carry those pleasant memories with them throughout their days. It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when Lake Winona was as charming and full of life as our neighboring lake communities, and there's no reason we can't bring it back. Those other clubs are real assets to their communities, and the folks around them can see the difference in their appraisals.
So, what's special about Lake Forest and Lake Shawnee? Why are their club areas so much nicer than ours? Well, it's pretty simple really…the Arthur D Crane Company built Winona first. Back in '49 when Lakeland Investment Co sold the first lots, they didn't even think about having a beach or clubhouse, or any kind of community center. They did try to provide a small amount of money in the deeds to maintain the lake ($15 a year), but that was it. By the time they were moving on to build out Shawnee (and eventually Lake Forest), the residents of Winona were forming their own little beach and Crane realized they should have done things a little differently. Good for Shawnee and Lake Forest, but too late for Winona. We are one of only 20 lake associations in New Jersey that are funded on a voluntary basis by the landowners, all of the other ones contain deed provisions that make it mandatory.
Back in the mid 1950's, there was no beach or clubhouse at Lake Winona. It was just a little picnic area, and there were only a handful of year-round residents in the Reservation. They didn't even have house numbers, but in the summer the place came alive and those first families took it upon themselves to make it a better place for all. In the summer of '56 they held a small meeting at Johnny's Tavern "to discuss the formation of some kind of an organization to better our own interests, and facilitate the potential strength that was within our grasp by joining together". They ended up forming a committee and electing officers. That winter they sent a newsletter out to all the residents called "The Squawker", and in the spring they asked the Crane Co for some sand, and were officially recognized as "The Lake Winona Club".
In the following years they accomplished much. They got the roads paved and they fixed the water supply. They were the first community in Jefferson to finish their house numbering, and they petitioned the Post Office to begin mail delivery. They bought the "Snack Bar" property and turned it into a clubhouse. Then, in January of 1962, they fought the state to re-design the "new" Route 15, which was planned to come right through the reservation, destroying 23 homes and stranding many more on "the other side" of the new highway, away from the lake.
Where we're going… There's a lot of history, and there's been a lot of elbow grease applied along the way. They held many dances, parties, games, competitions, bazaars, and beauty contests. You may say there's a clique running the club, but like they said in June of 1957, that's only true "if you call a clique a group of willing hard workers. The group is not big enough, so come and join us. There is room for everyone."
Click here to see a 1964 newsletter "The Squaw-ker"
Click here to read an AIM news article, September 2001
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