BISHOPS MARINA AT COOLIN
You know all the rumor mills, I had heard that the marina was a "Historical Site" and would be restored....can't remember who told me that one! But the question is now what? The biggest problem I see is boat parking. Coolin is such a great little place to boat into the store or for lunch it would be so heartbreaking to lose that.
It's so much a part of Priest Lake, whether you are camping, own your own place or are staying at a resort, it's fun to have a place to stop. I just hope and pray that there will be boat parking. As I understand it, it is a public launch, but how much of the area is public? I have alway felt that the lake should be accessible to everyone.
Coolin in my eyes was the best place to be a kid, i used to sit out on the little red bench with Russ Bishop after mowing his lawn. He, like a few others introduced me to the great fishing that could be had just off of those docks. Its sad to see such a piece of history let go, and for what? Over the last few years i've watched the marina and coolin fall by the wayside, and i get such a sad lonely feeling every time i drive through. I spent so many nights down at that marina, fishing, swimming, meeting the summertime girls, sleeping in our boat, it will truley be missed. Friendships were made, fish were faught, and those memories will stand the test of time. All i can say is, come on John, do something productive with your money instead of destroying what was once a beautiful place to live.
OK...got one. I remember around 1980 sittin on that red bench in front of the Leonard Paul visiting with Russ Bishop...I think Trapper Creek was playing that weekend at the old Showboat...anyway...he told me about when he had the marina and how he had an "honor box" for people to put money in if they wanted gas after hours. So...people who were out "clubbin" by boat could come down and get gas no matter what time it was...this way, Russ said, "I sold more gas then I would have other wise." Hum...seems like there should be a song there somewhere....
Hey Pecky
Bishops Marina is not gone. Only the old building that has been doing nothing for the marina for years is gone. The marina with all new docks and cover frames is there and work is in progress to make it a marvelous place. They need to have some positive strokes to get their slips filled for the coming season. Let's fill the glass up to the brim. They are spending thousands of dollars on this renovation and when they are finished, it will be a show piece. Bless them!
Blue Diamond Marina's Delta dock, which was almost destroyed in the June 29 tornado-like micro burst, has been repaired and the dock has new decking and will soon have new cover frames and new blue covers. Work has been in progress all winter. We will be up and running for spring.
Carolyn Deshler
I have no childhood memories of Bishop's Marina so perhaps a non-nostalgic observation might be useful. The old edifice was a tender eyesore but irreparable. It rested on rotting pilings, the building was so far from meeting building codes that it would be impossible, financially, to make it into a restaurant, condo or real marina. Even the now deserted restaurant/bar is sinking into the ground and requires major investment if it would become an adequate destination for an operater to make any money. The "Stockton Operation" is pretty opaque and not likely to announce any kind of PLAN for the properties. Up until now it has been pretty much a slumlord situation..but at least the area is getting cleaned up. It could and might end up a fantastic development, but you need to remember we are not dealing with a caring neighborhood developer, but an investor and the dollars dictate direction. You must keep in mind, that the development is NOT being done to create income and value because the owner/developer does not need the money and will not work in the business. The people hired to operate the various elements will be the key to its success.
I don't think anyone needs to be worried about a large condo development being put up. From the looks of the pilings being replace/sunk it is just going to be a big marina. What the location really needs is a nice restaurant/bar with plenty of moorage for guests. You can look soon for a new operation in the old place but it will not be food and drinks, at least this summer.
a laker
As with many others the past reflections of the Marina carry special memories. Especially so for me - having grown up in the bay and later on as it was my employment for many fun-filled summers throughout my youth in the 80's. The structure carried such mystery, intrigue and deep history. The building and docks seemed to speak to me on every visit - even many years later. The grand wooden boats I once use to care for are all almost gone from the lake, including Russ' beloved 24' Chris Craft Sportsman "Mona Jane". Eventhough Russ had long since sold the Marina in that era he walked over most every day to check on things as my surrogote boss. Fortunately - the memories live on. Having been in Coolin Bay since the turn of the century my family shares many others sentiment that with the Marina's demise it is indeed the "end of an era".
Brian Runberg
I can remember when my parents started going up to priest lake when I was about 5. We would often go to the marina before we would go up to our cabin on the east side. When my parents got their first boat we used to launch it down there before we built our boat house. The lake is losing a piece of history with the marina being gone but I hope that whatever takes it's place will be as nice as it once was. Also I like to say hi to the Hanson's and the Pear-son's and rember the fun times that we had at Bishop's. David Dupper
Will this be another high end housing development? I think so. Free public access to lake fronts is disappearing. This will ultimately happen here.
I'm relatively new to the lake (1994), but from where our cabin stands on Bartoo, Bishop's Marina was "the" landmark at the foot of the lake. From our cabin window to the tree swing, to the beach chairs, to the swim dock, Bishop's loomed five miles away, the big white edifice - Priest Lake's own Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building. It will be missed, but I as well many of the older Priest Lake residents have observed, many changes have come to the lake. While the "good old days" always seem better than the present, remember that these days will be the "good old days" for others. But the essential fact remains that Priest Lake will always produce memories for us all.
why did they tear down the marina?
It's been like watching a favorite relative's health fail for years until the ultimate demise. Like Mr. Hanson, I thought Cap Elliott (Mona Bishop's dad) first owned the marina. I assumed that's how Russ got in the marina business in the first place. According to Kris Runberg Smith's fine book "Pioneer Voices of Priest Lake," Art Moore started the marina in Coolin after World War I. It was the second marina in Coolin after Joseph Slee's. Mr. Moore, Leonard Paul's brother-in-law, eventually bought Slee's marina and in the mid-forties built what became Bishop's. Russ and Mona came to the lake in 1946 but I don't know if that is when they bought it. In my mind's eye, I can still see Russ in his khaki colored cap easing the Mona Jane out of her slip and guiding her out onto the lake. I can see Mona sitting near the car gas pump with her straw hat and yelling, "No running on the dock!" I can remember walking the docks just to look at the beautiful wooden inboards (before they were classics), or fishing from the dock and seeing the biggest bass I've ever seen to this day. I can picture Tom Moore's "parts department," which looked to be the most disorganized place on earth to my childhood eyes. And the highlight may have been the boat lift! I'll miss the marina but at least its not in any more pain - like a failing relative.
I know life goes on but....I was very heart broken to see the pics. alot of great times there!
My family has been coming to the Lake since our cabin was built in 1911, and I have been coming up since 1945. In the late 40's and early 50's the road up the east side of the Lake ended somewhere just north of Cavanaugh, so those who had cabins further up the lake needed to go in by Boat. In my early days, the family was ferried to the cabin by a fellow named Art Moore, who I believe owned what later became Bishop's Marina. I think the Bishop's ferried us up the lake in about 1953 or there abouts, and that Art Moore had either passed away by that time or shortly after that
When we built our place in the 60s, back when Leonard Pauls had hardware, we used to take the boat down to Bishops to get nuts and bolts. Well rich people use contractors and conractors use Homedepot, so no more hardware dept. The Motel/Inn is just about out of business, marina is gone, show boat has closed or so I hear, the Lodge burned down long ago - come on John, what's up with Coolin's future. It could be someplace really special, right now its starting to look like a dump.
The highest and best use of the land might be condos, reducing the public's access. That would probably doom the store. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Such a sad sight on the webcam.
Terry
I cracked my rib playing on one of those docks when i was a kid growing up in coolin.
I would go down there with the Mayer kids cuz that's where they kept their boat. Man I love Priest Lake. Its so beautiful.!
Please keep us posted on whats coming next.
I think the main building was built in about 1946 or so. I think Russ and Mona owned and operated it from about 1950 to 1969. Russ told me that in the spring of 1969 he drilled holes in the floor of the office to let the water drain out because it was so high that year. I still have a 1969 14' Fiberform my Dad bought new from him.
Before the Bishops owned the marina, I believe it was owned by Mona's parents (Elliot?). I don't know if they built the marina, or if someone had it before them.
I remember that after we bought our place at 8 Mile Bay in 1956, we would make a weekly boat trip to Bishop's for gas (filling several "jerry cans" to take back), and for groceries at Leonard Paul's. Leonard's daughter Marjorie and her husband Jim Roberts pretty much ran the store then, and I have very fond memories of Jim loading our groceries into his military CJ Jeep to take back to the marina. It was a short trip, but he always made it "fun" for my brother and I. From there we would load our stuff onto the wooden, steel wheeled pushcart that Bishop's had and would wheel everything down to the boat. We always tried to plan our trip to coincide with good weather, as our 14' Crestliner would be low in the water on the return trip! Great memories!
I've many memories there ~ sad to see it go.
Russ and Mona were neighbors in Coolin. I kept many boats there through the last few decades... Our 1961 Owens Flagship cabin cruiser, our old Bayliner Nisqually cabin cruiser, our Newport 27 sailboat, our Hunter 2350 sailboat, and numerous runabouts and smaller boats...
I adopted "Kittybear" ("the best kitty in the world") there, he'd been abandoned and was living on my boat :-)... He lived to be 20 years old! Guess I'm getting old too...
Some day WE'LL be gone too. Life is short. Don't wait for your ship to come in.... swim out to meet it!
It needed to go, but it's still sad to see a Priest Lake icon disappear. I have a place in Sherwood Bay, so I drive by it every time I go to the lake. My grandpa rented a slip there when I was a little boy. He'd let me dock the boat even when I was only 5 years old, then we'd go up to Leonard Paul to get the paper. I have such fond memories of going to Bishops. Too bad it couldn't be restored - Coolin won't be the same without it.
Will there be better boat parking for the public visiting Coolin?
It is kind of sad that such a longtime landmark is coming down, but it had fallen into such a state of disrepair that the end was inevitable. Does anyone know how old the marina was? I have been coming to Priest Lake since I was a small boy in the early 1950's, and the marina seemed "old" to me then. My family was close friends of the Bishop's, and I spent lots of time fishing off the docks, and checking out the boats in the slips and in storage upstairs. Coolin will never be quite the same when it's gone.
This needed to be done along time ago.
Even though we all have memories of this landmark. It was big, ugly, and falling into the lake. It had no real purpose and waisted space. Docking a boat during the Memorial Weekend Parade was frustrating. Thank you John Stockton. This helps and improves Coolin.
Kind of sad, I remember hanging out at the marina when Russ and Mona owned it back in the 60s. Over the years other owners didn't put any money into improvements. I can only guess how much it would have cost to rebuild and repair the place. Not even John Stockton has that much money. I will miss the place at least I'll have memories and old pictures.
Does anybody have any idea what is going to go up in its place?
Dave Salesky
Many memories of both Mr.Bishop working on the Buckaneer (?sp) outboard after he sent my brother and me to the store for ice cream or Mrs. Bishop and an extra sandwich.Or having the boat brought down from above in the early summer or away in the Fall. Great, honest people and an icon of a building on the lake. Too bad it could not have been 'restored' into a useful structure.
lgszred tkzcrgwo mjgcqhpno poefnbykz gbiumoper ipmxtol gaownckpr
Posted by:gqlnihu wimher | 07/10/2008 at 09:44 PM
I will create a link today at your request Reed
Posted by:Pecky Cox | 04/08/2008 at 09:41 AM
The link for the web cam at the leonard paul store is actually on their site.
www.theleonardpaulstore.com
Posted by:Coolin Resident | 03/19/2008 at 10:41 PM
I love seeing the web cam from the Leonard Paul store, but sometimes can't find the link on this web site. Advice?? Thanks.
Posted by:Reed Robertson | 03/18/2008 at 08:00 AM