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Thanks to:
Joyce Laabs & The Lakeland Times
for this excerpt from:
A Collection of Northwoods Nostalgia
From the Pages of the Lakeland Times Volume I

Check out:
A Collection of Northwoods Nostalgia From the Pages of the Lakeland Times Volume II
for more stories like these!

An excerpt from
A Collection of Northwoods Nostalgia
From the Lakeland Times
Volume 1
by: Joyce Laabs
copyright 1978

Gauthiers Lac Du Flambeau Dynasty

It all began with two brothers from Chippewa Falls, whom fate, destiny, or just plain circumstances guided to Lac du Flambeau.

It marked the beginning of a dynasty that has grown to a family of some 60 plus today...a dynasty whose members planned, built, worked and contributed to their home town of Lac du Flambeau; beginning before the turn of the century and continuing through the present day...a family that is legend in the community...the Gauthier family.

Charles and Ben Gauthier arrived in Lac du Flambeau from Chippewa Falls in the late 1800's to embark upon their respective careers--Ben to eventually build and run the Gauthier Hotel (now The Flame), and Charles to work on the reservation for the government.

Charles Gauthier was the official government interpreter for the Chippewa Tribe, for he spoke French, Chippewa and English fluently; probably as a result of his heritage, which was French and Indian. Charles was also the first reservation policeman.

He had met and married Amanda, a Swedish girl; thus a rich cultural mix was bestowed on their seven children---Ben, Mabel, Mayme, Frank, Margaret, Hazel and Dorothy. Four of their children still live in Lac du Flambeau--Ben, Mabel, Mayme and Dorothy.

We talked about the "old times" with both Ben and Mabel. Ben, the eldest of the clan (he was born in Lac du Flambeau in 1899), remembers well his childhood in the little town.

The Gauthier family home (no longer in existence) was located next to St. Anthony's Church. At that time no more than a half dozen buildings dotted the town area. The sawmill provided most of the work for the town residents, and Ben was just 11 years old when he started working at the mill. He carried water and was paid $1 a day.

When he was old enough, Ben turned to logging, and worked for Tom Patterson; then went into his own logging operation. He had 12 teams of horses that skidded the logs out of the woods all winter. They logged in both the Lac du Flambeau and the Powell area, and Ben remembers how they would then pile all the logs on the ice-covered Pike Lake to await the spring thaw, when they would then float to the Patterson Mill in Fifield. It was cold, hard work, but work Ben enjoyed.

In 1921, with his logging operation going strong, he started building what is today Dillman's Resort...and he was well on the way to prosperity. Then, several years later, came the crash, and quoting Ben, "I went to the cleaners."

Luckily the resort stayed in the family, for it was purchased by Marvin and Peg Dillman, Ben's cousins; for Ben's mother and Peg's father were brother and sister. The crash also halted Ben's private logging operation, and times were bleak---not only for Ben, but for thousands throughout the country.

However, fortune again smiled on Ben. He found work booming logs for the CCC, supervising the 100 to 125 men in the crews. Then the Federal Government opened the first Indian office in Ashland, which covered reservations in Wisconsin. They hired Ben as a construction superintendent, and for the next six years he was to oversee the building of roads, bridges, etc., on the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation.

Ben's wife died during this period, but a friendship they had developed with Helen Fix, a native of Chicago who vacationed at her aunt's home on Fence Lake each summer, now turned to love between Ben and Helen, and they were married in 1945.

They moved into a home Ben had built at his newest resort---The Tee Pee on Long Interlochen Lake---and then they built the Marine mart, which they ran for several years, before selling it to Ben's brother, Frank.

Frank was involved in most of the town politics, and Ben was involved in most of the town's promotion and business. Ben chartered the Lac du Flambeau Chamber of Commerce and served as its first president. He formed the Indian Bowl Association and along with George Brown, Sr., Frank Tower, Ray Simpson and Art Boelter, served as chairman of the Lac du Flambeau Housing Authority, and saw the first new housing in the town successfully completed.

It was a full, active and happy life for Ben and Helen and their three adopted children. In 1959, Helen went into business. She opened a dress shop (appropriately named Helen's) across from the Indian Bowl, and still runs the shop today. Meanwhile, Ben had turned his attention to real estate, first in partnership with John McKenna and then operating alone from an office in his home. He spent 20 years selling, subdividing and developing. At one time he owned over 40,000 feet of frontage on the Reservation lakes of Long-Interlochen, Crawling Stone and White Sand Lake. During these years, front footage was selling for a maximum of $10 a foot, and all land sales had to be approved by the government.

Ben's younger sister Mabel was certainly not be outdone by her brother. She too went into business and also became involved in town business and also became involved in town activities...but we're getting ahead of our story.

It was probably their names that drew them together originally. Mabel met a young man, Louis Gauthier...no relation...who had come to Lac du Flambeau from Marquette, Mich., to work at the Government Indian School as an engineer. Love blossomed, and they married and went to make their home at one of the residence cottages at the school. Here they remained for the next 28 years, while Louis continued his work as an engineer, and Mabel filled in as a dining room matron.

Then the school was one of the finest in the country, and Indian students came from throughout the state to attend. The buildings were beautiful and housed everything that was needed to make the school self-contained from the dorms to a blacksmith shop. They even had their own beautiful gardens to grow the produce.

Life not only at the school, but within the community of Lac du Flambeau was exciting and fun. Favorite entertainment for everyone was the dances held at the Woodmen's Hall and at the big pavilion Ben Gauthier had built across the street from his hotel.

The whole Gauthier family loved to dance, according to Mabel. "They'd bring in the big orchestras, and we'd dance the night away. I still love to dance more than anything. Why, I couldn't live without dancing."

In 1934, when the Indian School went from a boarding school to a day school, Mabel and Louis moved their home to town and Mabel went into business. She opened a gift shop in downtown Lac du Flambeau.

During the first few years, Mabel only carried Indian crafted items from the Chippewas living on the Reservation--beautiful beadwork, grass mats, leather work; plus birch and deerskin crafted items.

Adjacent to her gift shop, Mabel ran a little tea room, serving sandwiches, coffee and tea. Her shop was an instant success. She ran it, as did all other merchants, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and then the shutters went up and Mabel returned to her duties at the Indian School.

Gradually she expanded her stock at the gifts shop, first bringing in Indian work from the southwest, and gradually adding gifts from throughout the world. Indian rugs were a particular specialty, and many a home in the area has rugs from Mabel's shop adorning the floors, as well as other Indian items.

A hectic pace was maintained in Lac du Flambeau during those days. "It really swung." said Mabel. "There was always something going on. Hundreds of tourists and residents would come to Lac du Flambeau to see our Indian baseball team play, and we filled the days with activities---all kinds of races and good fun; and we would top it all off with a street dance. It was a beautiful sight to see, with all the women in squaw dresses. The town just bustled."

Mabel and Ben's sister Mayme also opened and ran a gift shop, "The Geebic", which she sold to a member of the family.

Both Mabel and Ben agreed that their years have been filled with joy. They had their ups and downs, as did everyone; but both acknowledge they can't think of any place in the world they'd rather be than Lac du Flambeau. "It's just wonderful here," Mabel agreed. "We all know and help one another...and care about each other."

Both Ben and Mabel and their families used to leave the area for the winter months, but now even that pattern has changed.

Ben suffered a stroke in 1963 and, although he continued to travel to Florida for the next several winters, he and Helen find that they are more content to remain in their home on Long-Interlochen Lake during the winter and visit with friends.

Mabel's husband died in 1957, but she continued operating her store, making her buying trips each winter and then vacationing in the warmer climates. However, last year she spent most of the winter in Lac du Flambeau, and found she loved it.

This year, Mabel will make her buying trip to Minneapolis and Chicago, and perhaps even get into the southwest for some buying, but most of their time will be spent in Lac du Flambeau.

Both Ben and Mabel have seen the many, many changes in the area, but both appreciate the circumstances that brought their parents to the Reservation...and consider themselves privileged to have been a part of the dynasty that helped build a community and create a way of life.