Home Comfort Resort

Home Comfort Resort as described in the brochure: Seven ultra-modern housekeeping cottages. All air-conditioned. Built separate for privacy. Electric refrigeration, gas ranges and wall heaters. Address: Pontiac, Missouri. Ph. Gainesville, Osborn 9-2179.

Home Comfort Resort sat on a piece of property that was originally patented by Jasper N. Turnbo on July 20, 1886. The original town of Pontiac was part of Turnbo's tract, which included Home Comfort Resort, Frontier Baptist Church and Pontiac Cemetery, on what is now County Road 609. Turnbo conveyed the property to J.U. Ford in 1925. It was transferred to Isaac Owen in 1927, then to Thomas Owen in 1935, then to John Hollingsworth in 1955. The Hollingsworth family built the resort. They owned several different tracts of land in Pontiac. There is an old house foundation on the south side of Hollingsworth Cove that belonged to the Hollingsworth family.

A postcard from the late 60's, early 70's. Bob Schultz won all those trophies in fishing tournaments.

Bob and Pat Schultz bought the resort in 1964, and their sons, John and Dan, moved here with them. Two more sons, David and Robbie, were born here. John was school age but just missed going to the Pontiac School across the road from the resort as it was consolidated with Gainesville in 1961. In late 1966 or early 1967, the Schultz home burned. I remember being there during the fire and hearing lots of ammunition going off. The cabins weren't damaged, and they rebuilt the house.

Home Comfort Resort as it looks today.

Bob Schultz was a very good fishing guide. He fished out of a 16-foot Richline with an 18 HP Evinrude. In 1967 he took guiding to a whole new level when he bought a Kenzie Craft with a 50 HP Mercury with thunderbolt ignition, power trim and tilt, and a tiller handle. Dan told me that few had heard of thunderbolt ignition at the time, including my dad who owned the dock at the time. Bob said the bigger motor gave him the ability to fish waters farther away while guiding and fishing tournaments. The Kenzies were typical V-bottom boats, only they were fiberglass, and they were all green. They also had swivel seats for the drivers, and a trolling motor on the transom instead of just a paddle. Bob really liked fishing with crawdads down around the Saddle. Dan told me when Bob would run down there, he would outrun all his friends. Bob's favorite bait then (and probably still is now) was a jig and eel. Bob currently lives in Bull Shoals, Arkansas.

From left: Bob Schultz, Mrs. Kelly and Vern Kelly. The fishing trip was her birthday present.
They caught the fish on crawfish.

Dan Schultz still lives on the property. The family quit renting cabins around 1984. When Dan moved back in 1991, he started renting the units on a monthly basis but discontinued that in 2001.

Moving Day + A New Breakwater Dock

Pontiac Cove will look a little different the next time you're here. Last week we moved the 500 dock to the south side of the cove (next to the 800 dock). It took a couple weeks of preparations (dropping new anchors and cables), but despite the heavy fog that morning the actual move only took a few hours.

The 500 dock under way.

 

The main reason for the move was to make room for a new breakwater dock. Sections of our tire breakwater are in need of immediate repairs. The original one was built about 30 years ago from all salvaged materials and was a lot of work. It has been rebuilt a couple times. Wrestling those old tires and cable is a very nasty, labor intensive job, so we decided to start replacing the existing breakwater with a breakwater dock system. The first section of the breakwater dock will only replace about one-fourth of the tires. Our goal is to replace all the tires over the next six to eight years.

The 500 dock in it's new location beside the 800 dock.

The walkway connecting the two docks and the electricity has been connected since the above photo was taken. We will also be revamping the access gate in the near future. Delivery of the breakwater dock parts is scheduled to begin today. We hope to have construction completed by Christmas.

Courtesy Ramp

The 4-by-6 posts and the attaching brackets on the front corners of our courtesy ramp were getting in pretty sad shape, so Matt and Josh did a little rehab on it recently. In addition, Bob Kirgan, a volunteer with the local fire department, wanted to install a "dry hydrant." A dry hydrant makes access to the water in ponds, lakes and streams quicker and safer than drafting. Bob came up with the materials, and the boys installed it. Here is a picture of the finished product. Note the "No Parking" sign. You can, of course, park there temporarily while launching or loading your boat.

A little FYI: The courtesy ramp was built by the Twin Lakes Sportsman's Club and financed by Charles Luna when he owned Viper Boats. The courtesy ramp is free for anyone to use to assist in launching and loading your boat. It is maintained by Pontiac Cove Marina.

Heres the dry hydrant in action.

 

 

 

The pump truck connects to the dry hydrant and then fills the tanker trucks.

 

 

 

 

Guy Johnson's Store

Guy Johnson's Store as described in the brochure: "Stop and See...Old Time Country Store. Groceries, General Merchandise. On Beautiful Bull Shoals Lake, Pontiac, Missouri. Your business Appreciated. On Hwy. W-15 miles S.W. of Gainesville, Mo. Ph. Gainesville, Osborn 9-2181."

The property on which Guy Johnson's Store stood was originally patented by William Mahan on November 28, 1896. It was then conveyed to M. H. Mahan and A. J. Johnson in 1901. M. H. Mahan conveyed his interest to A. J. Johnson in 1903. I'm not sure when the store was built, but I always thought it was around the early 1900's. I didn't know A. J. Johnson, as he died in 1949, but I do remember his wife and Guy's mother, Jane. She used to sit on the porch of the store in a rocking chair and smoke a corn cob pipe. You can see a picture of her on the bar top at Just Jackie's restaurant in Pontiac.

Guy Johnson's Store as it looked when I was a kid and for many years after that.

Guy Johnson called everyone "Honey Boy," - at least that's what he called the male customers. (I'm not sure what he called the females...) His store was truly an "old time" country store with groceries and general merchandise. He had everything.  He had a pail of water with a dipper in it in the back corner of the store beside the telephone (the only phone in the area at the time) that we all drank out of when we were thirsty. My mom bought shoes for my brother and me there. He also had assorted hardware. I can remember going to the store and picking up 50-pound boxes of 20 penny nails and bolts when we were building docks.

An interior picture of the store. You can see the cases of bottled soda and the cooler on the right. There was a pot-bellied stove in the back. And notice the sign on the left: "Perfect Service by Registered Mail".

Guy had a pickup truck with a cattle rack on the back, and he would drive it to West Plains every Monday morning to pick up supplies. He parked it in a small garage on the south side of his property. You rarely ever saw his pickup out except on Monday mornings. Guy had bologna and would carve off a piece to make you a sandwich. The old cooler in the store used cold water to chill the soda. The bottles were held by a rack. You slid the bottle over and out the slot. The sodas were 8 cents each, and there was a 2-cent deposit on the bottles. (With that kind of thinking today, perhaps everyone would recycle, and we wouldn't see so much trash along the roads.) Hershey bars were a nickel. The school bus driver (it was actually a station wagon, not a bus) would stop after school and let us get something if we were good.

Guy Johnson as I always remember him.

Guy would tear apart cigarette cartons and use the larger sides for scratch paper. He would add up his customers' purchases on these. He would run charge accounts. I always heard that is how he acquired much of his property - when folks couldn't pay their tabs, they'd sign over their property. Guy was also the postmaster. He gave it up after an illness late in life. His assistant, Mary Davis, took over as postmaster. She was also running Shady Oak Resort ("The Oaks") at the time.

This is what the store looked like after it closed. (Picture courtesy Kerry Lewis.)

Guy also sold gasoline. I can remember buying gas for less than 20 cents per gallon there. Back in those days there were gas wars. I assume it was a time when the stations in town would compete for low prices. Guy would participate. He would put a sign out by the pumps that said: "Gas War". Some of you may remember Al Horn. He lived here in the '70s and early '80s. He told me about his first encounter with Guy. He bought gas and realized all he had was a hundred dollar bill. He thought, "How will this old timer ever be able to make change." Well, if you knew Guy, you know he could have cashed many hundred dollar bills. His cash register was his overalls. He would put singles in one pocket and 5's and 10's in another and keep the big stuff in his billfold. He also carried loose change in his pockets.

After Guy and Vada passed away, their heirs did not sell any property for quite some time. I don't think I ever met any of them, but Phil Petars, the old mechanic at the dock, who I mentioned in the Robbin's Roost post, contacted them about tearing down the old store. He advised them that it was dangerous and they allowed him to tear it down. Why none of us in the community, including myself, didn't step in and try to preserve the old store, I don't know. We lost the main focal point and financial center of our community when it went down. I have always hoped someone would rebuild a replica of the old store. Maybe Jeff and Annette (the current owners of the property) will? :)

This is where the old store stood at the corner of Highway W and County Road 609.

All that remains is the old cistern, where Guy would fill his water pail.

These are my recollections of Guy Johnson and his store. There are so many wonderful stories about him, I cannot begin to write them all down. You're welcome to share your comments and stories about your encounters with Pontiac's true icon.

Robbins Roost

Robbins Roost as described in the brochure: Brand new modern, air-conditioned, housekeeping cabins with T.V. Secluded, peaceful location. Near store, cafes and commercial boat dock. Family and weekly rates. Gerty and San Robbins, Pontiac, Mo. Ph. Gainesville, Osborn 9-2177.

Any guesses where it is? Here is a hint, the property was patented by Jesse E. Herd on December 30, 1899. Doesn't help much, huh. How about this? It is currently owned by Phil Petars, who worked as a mechanic at Pontiac Cove Marina for many years. I don't have any pictures from when it was open for business, but this is what it looks like now (Phil is a bit of a "collector"):

The original owner, Herd, sold the property to M.M. Sanders, who sold it to the Robbins in 1958. (The Robbins also owned the marina at that time.) There was a house on the property when the Robbins bought it. The Robbins lived in the house and built the two rental cabins. The Robbins sold the property to Malcolm Wallace in 1961, who sold it to Sam Powell in 1962, who sold it to Les Poynter in 1966. I don't know much about Wallace and Poynter, but Sam Powell was a banker from Mountain Home. Sometime during those three owners the house burned leaving only the two cabins. Poynter only kept the property for a few months before selling it to the Romines. In 1970 Phil Petars, the new mechanic at the dock, moved a travel trailer on the property and lived in it until it burned in the mid 1980s. (I'm not sure I would want a residence there unless it was fireproof.) Phil moved into the cabins, and  in the mid 1990s he purchased the property. He lived there until this past June when he moved to the nursing home in Gainesville.

The impact of Robbins Roost on the resort business in Pontiac was short-lived. It did, however, provide much-needed additional rooms during the early growing period of the Pontiac area.

Next up: Guy Johnson's Store. Now everyone has a Guy Johnson story...

Indian Point Lodge

This is the third post in a series on the history of Pontiac, by Tim Morgan (owner, Pontiac Cove Marina).

I was planning to write about each resort in the order they appear on the brochure, but in memory of my brother, Dan, who passed away on August 30, I decided to skip over to our beginnings in the resort business in Pontiac.

Standing left to right: Joe Morgan, Alice Morgan (my parents) and Gloria Davis (cousin).

Sitting left to right: Ray Davis (cousin), Dan and me.

Indian Point Lodge as described in the brochure: modern, individual housekeeping cottages, overlooking Bull Shoals Lake. Meals optional. Spacious grounds, ideal for family vacations. Freezing service, weekly and family rates. Joe and Alice Morgan, Pontiac, Mo.

When checking the patents for Price Place, Ark. - the area south of the Missouri line in Pontiac - I found some familiar names. They include Burgess, Degast, Johnson, Lantz, Mahan, Mefford, Owen, Price, Terry and Wilbanks. The name Price Place must have come from Matilda Price. I always thought Price Place was just the name of the church and cemetery, but it must have been for the entire community. Our property was originally patented by John Terry on February 1, 1901. Our neighbors to the south were Terrys as well. No doubt John was their ancestor. The Terrys sold the property to Frank and Martha Stafford on August 8, 1934 for $150 (40 acres). The Staffords sold it to my parents on April 22, 1952 for $2,300 (20 acres). Obviously the big "Lake Boom" must have increased the land values.

Frank Stafford was a hillbilly (and I do not mean that in a derogatory way). He was very helpful to my parents. He could not read, write or count. When my parents were going to fence in a portion of our property, he walked the perimeter and broke off a small piece of twig for each post needed. When he got back to the house he handed the pile to my dad and said, "This is how many posts you need." He also sold bait. It was on the honor system: the customer would count out his own bait. It would make my dad mad when people would take advantage of Frank. Frank always wore bib overalls. If he were coming to our house for dinner, he had a new pair he would slip on over the everyday pair. You could see the dirty edges of the old pair hanging out underneath the newer pair. He had an old jeep to get around in, but he could not drive.

Left to right: Frank Stafford, Dan and me.

After purchasing the property in Pontiac my parents met the original owner of the boat dock, Mr. Funchis, and thought they had made a terrible mistake. They went home to St. Louis, where my dad was a city policeman, and considered selling the property in Pontiac. The next year Frank Stafford wrote my parents and said Sanford and Jimmy Robbins had purchased the dock, and they were really nice people. I guess that was all they needed to hear, because we then moved to the lake in 1953 and built Indian Point Lodge. What is now called Buzzard's Bluff was then and sometimes still called Indian Point. We had three individual cottages and a couple sleeping rooms in the house, which were actually my brother's and my bedrooms. We served meals family style in our dining room. Dad was also a fishing guide. My brother and I mowed the grass, helped with the dishes and helped clean cabins. Not being able to survive in the resort business alone, Dad went on the road selling paperback books and Encyclopedias.

In 1963, Mom and Dad took over the operation of the Green Trees Cafe (now Just Jackie's) in addition to running the resort. The restaurant was open daily and had a full menu. My brother and I waited tables and washed dishes. We all saved our tips, and after the first year we had enough money to buy our first boat: a 16-foot Lone Star. The next year we were able to buy an 18 HP Johnson. It always seemed to me that when the sink was piled high with dishes we would look around and my brother would be gone. He would go to the dock, hang out and help them clean boats. He loved being around the dock.

We also sold Budweiser products. In 1964 you Cardinal fans will remember the great comeback the Cards made at the end of the season to get in the World Series against the Yankees. We got two tickets to the seventh game. Of course no one thought it would go that long, but the rest is history. (That may be the reason I still drink Budweiser products.) Later in 1964 the current owner of the boat dock, George Labuta, came to my Dad and said, "Joe, you need that boat dock. With those two teenage boys you have it would be a perfect fit for you". Dad made a deal with him to trade in the resort on the dock, and on November 15, 1964 we began our journey in the boat dock business.

Mr. Labuta never ran Indian Point Lodge as a resort. He moved a couple of the cabins farther apart and set them up to sell off individually. The property now has three separate owners. The main house belongs to Jonas Smith, and the bulk of the property and two cabins were sold to Bob Kirgan, who built a house near the Corps property that is visible from the lake from the south half of Twin Coves (or "Catfish Cove").

The resort was located about a mile down the gravel road, where Highway W ends at the Arkansas line. This is how the original house looks today:

My brother, Dan (right), and me in the Florida Keys in 2005. More soon... CTM

What a cutie!

Finley Keller representing PCM in his "Quaint Little Village" onesie:

Nice catch!

5 1/2-pound walleye caught by Bob Gunkel this morning.

Rod & Gun Resort

This is the second post in a series on the history of Pontiac, by Tim Morgan (owner, Pontiac Cove Marina). Stay tuned for more!

Rod & Gun Court

As described in the brochure: Modern Housekeeping Units, Refrigerated, Air Conditioned, Free Freezing Service. On Blacktop Hwy. W, close to Boat Dock, Store & Cafe. Reasonable Rates. Jack & Billie O'Neil, Ph. Gainesville, Osborn 9-2170.

Rod & Gun is located on Highway W and County Road 607. I'm sure many of you have noticed the sign is still standing. There appears to be someone living there, but it has not been a resort since the early '90s. The property was originally patented by Moses Caulder on October 7, 1893. Caulder transferred the property to the Vanmeter family, who then sold it to J.C. and Gracie Drew on August 11, 1955. The Drews built the resort. The Drews only kept it for a year and then sold it to Dale and Pearl Bunn. The Bunns also only kept it for a year and sold it to Marvin and Dorsey Looney on May 31, 1957. Marv still lives in the Pontiac area. He walks almost every morning, and I stopped him one morning and got a little info from him. He told me that the Drews built the five cabins, and the other building was a "cafe and beer joint." I never knew that. (I guess that's one beer joint in Pontiac I missed.) Marv said when he owned it he added an office and bedroom and closed the beer joint and cafe. In 1958 they realized the cabins were over the north property line, so the Looneys purchased some additional property from the Art Mahan family. Then later in 1958 they sold the resort to Jack and Billie O'Neil. The O'Neils' son also ran the resort for awhile until they sold it to the Heston family in 1979. I remember the O'Neils as being very active in the community, but I do not remember the Hestons unless that was the name the other O'Neils held the title in. The Hestons sold it to the Perrys in 1985, and the Perrys sold it to the current owner, Butch Winslow in 1993. The Perrys kept it open as a resort, but I do not remember the Winslows ever operating it as a resort, so it must have ceased to be open as a resort around 1993.

From left: Marvin Looney, Jimmy Robbins and Leonard Ebrite.

More soon... CTM

The History of Pontiac (Part 1)

This is the first post in a new series by Tim Morgan (owner, Pontiac Cove Marina). Stay tuned for more!

While building Lake Harbour Resort earlier this year, I couldn’t help but think about all the resorts that have come and gone in Pontiac. I also looked around and realized I had been in the recreation business longer than anyone else in the area, so I thought I would try to document what I could remember about the resort business here.

I referred to some old brochures I have as a source. It looks as though almost everyone who lived around here must have had a small resort. There were 19 members in the Pontiac Area Resort Association when this brochure was printed back in the early 1950s. Many of these have been sold off as small lake cabins. Others have just gone away. Very few are still here, and we now have a couple new ones.

By the way, the people swimming in the picture above were enjoying the "local swimming hole" back in those days, which was located just below the crossing at Gulley Creek along the bluffs on the west side. The gravel has shifted and since filled it up. (I learned to swim there myself.)

I thought the best way to find out who the old resort owners were would be to research the property deeds. I started by looking at the original land patents for the Pontiac area from County Road 617 to the state line. (The Price Place, Arkansas deeds will be a little harder to research as the courthouse for Marion County is in Yellville.)

Here is a list of land owners I found that had original land patents (you might recognize a few of them): Barner, Brown, Brundage, Cardwell, Caulder, Clasby, Easley, Ellison, Ford, Goolley, Hall, Hess, Herd, Holt, Johnson, Mahan, Martin, Porter, Price, Reeves, Shaw, Sisney, Smith, Speer, Turley, Turnbo and Willbanks. The earliest patent I found was for John Turley on July 1, 1852, but it's now covered by water. In fact, all of the earliest patents are now covered by water. I guess the bottom land was the most desirable. The first I found on dry land was for John Sisney on June 4, 1877, and it's now part of the property owned by the Nash family. The last land patent I found was for Isaac Mahan in 1912 and is also currently part of the Nash property.

There were a couple of interesting things I noticed. 1. Charles and Hannah Goolley patented 160 acres in 1879 near the headwaters of what is now called Gulley Creek (pronounced "Gooley" Creek). I always thought "Gooley" was the locals' pronunciation for Gulley, but I guess they knew all along. And 2. One of the oldest standing buildings that I know of in Pontiac is the original part of the Frontier Baptist Church, which sits on a tract that was patented by Jasper Turnbo in 1886 and was part of the original plat of the town of Pontiac, which included a church and a cemetery.

I plan on researching each of the resorts starting with Rod and Gun Resort, so keep checking the blog. And please feel free to add your own comments!

Capt. Tim Morgan (aka CTM)

Nice catch!

Kirk Mitchell and Kimberly Kellis (St. Louis residents and Pontiac part-timers) caught these walleye in early June. The biggest one weighed 7 1/2 pounds.

Pontiac Fireworks - July 4th!

The Pontiac Fireworks will be on Wednesday, July 4th. We're hosting a picnic in the park from 6 to 8 p.m. that evening with live music and BBQ: pulled pork, beans, potato salad and cole slaw. We'll also be selling t-shirts, glow necklaces, hats, beads, etc. - all to raise money for the fireworks. Please join us! Fireworks will begin a little after 9 p.m. Call 417-679-3676 for more info. Cheers!

Your summer theme song?

Spearfishing Tourney June 16

The annual Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament will be Saturday, June 16. Take-off is at 8 a.m. from the marina. Weigh-in is from 1 to 3 p.m. at Hollingsworth Cove. Absolutely NO late exceptions will be made at weigh-in. If you're not in by 3 p.m., you'll be disqualified. (Don't make me do that to anyone.) Be five minutes early, and you will make me very happy. :)

Entry fee is $25 per diver - 100% payback. Categories are as follows: first, second and third place catfish; first, second and third place rough fish; biggest walleye. Cash prizes and door prizes will be handed out on the deck at Just Jackie's starting around 4:30 p.m.

Questions? Call 417-679-3676. Fins up!

A sneak peek at the LHR guest books!

A few snippets from the guest books at Lake Harbour Resort...

"We had a beautiful weekend on the lake... The accommodations here are perfect. We felt like we were in a cottage at the seashore. We'll be back!"


"Beautiful weekend. Wonderful accommodations!"


"We had a blast while we were here. We will definitely be back!"


"We loved our vacation at Pontiac Cove!! Lake Harbour Resort is very NICE! It was wonderful that everything is provided and we didn't have to 'pack the kitchen sink.'"


"We really enjoyed our stay here! It really works out great being so close to the marina. We will be coming back again!"


This one was actually much longer, but I didn't retype the whole thing. It's one of my favorites...


"Good morning! It is our last day here at Lake Harbour Resort, and it has been a near perfect mini vacation. My husband and I live in Kansas City, and when my parents told us they had booked the top three rooms of this resort for Memorial Day weekend I was ecstatic. I grew up coming to this lake every summer, but around 8th grade all the cousins, aunts and uncles took up new hobbies and sports that didn't allow for our schedules to match up... Here we are 11 years later... Before I fill this journal... I will leave you with our morning plan: The kids and my sister and her husband left early this morning. My parents are out kayaking, and I am here writing while grandma cleans her room. My husband is packing up the cars. We will eat a nice breakfast at Just Jackie's and then hit the road, back to real life. Hopefully it won't be another 11 years."

Upcoming Events!

Saturday, June 9

Just Jackie's annual customer appreciation party is this Saturday, June 9. Iron Mike Norton will play from 5:30 to 9:30. There will be prizes and bottomless cups of beer. It's always a fun time - don't miss it!

Saturday, June 16

The annual Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament is Saturday, June 16. Registration begins at 7 a.m. at Pontiac Cove Marina. Take-off is at 8 a.m. Weigh-in is from 1 to 3 p.m. in Hollingsworth Cove. Categories include catfish (no flatheads), rough fish and walleye. Cost to enter is $25 per diver. Winners get 100% payback. Prizes will be handed out on the deck at Just Jackie's starting around 4:30 p.m.

LHR - the finished product!

Update

Just a little update to let you all know (if you don't already) that the campground is open for business! We are (and have been) taking reservations now. Call 417-679-3676. Walk-ins are welcome.

Lake Harbour Resort is also open for business! (Pics coming soon...) Be our FIRST guest! Call us today! Memorial weekend is almost full!

Cheers!

Fishing Report

Brandon Williams (Cape Girardeau, MO) caught this 45 pound, 12 ounce striper in Bull Shoals Lake on April 20.

Fishing Report

Bob Gunkel caught this 7 pound largemouth last week:

Bill Allen caught this 6 pound, 5 ounce largemouth this afternoon:

He also had a couple other large keepers!

Blessing of the Fleet and LHR open house THIS SATURDAY!

The Seventh Annual Blessing of the Fleet is this Saturday - are you planning to be there?! We have a full day of activities planned, starting with an open house at Lake Harbour Resort from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by and check out the new units! The blessing ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on the water in front of Pontiac Cove Marina. Father Paul Wightman will be there again this year to bless your vessels for the season. Enjoy live music in the park from 4 to 10 p.m. Yes, we have that much music! Four bands are playing, as well as a few individual local musicians. We'll have a fish fry at 5:30: $8 for adults, $5 for kids under 12. We'll also be selling souvenir t-shirts, cups and koozies to raise money for the Pontiac Fireworks. Oh, and the campground will be officially open this weekend, too! Call 417-679-3676 to make reservations for LHR, the campground, rental boats and slips. See you Saturday!

LHR - a sneak peek inside!

Bathroom

Kitchen

Living room