Big Cedar Property Owners,
Annual Meeting
The Big Cedar Lake Property Owners Association annual meeting was held on June 22nd at the Big Cedar Yacht Club. We thank the yacht club for allowing us to meet in their fabulous newly remodeled clubhouse.
The meeting was well attended with an audience of about 120 (see picture below). We received many compliments about the meeting. Attendees appreciated hearing from and the interchange with the panel of local officials;
- Troy Zagel – Town Chairman for the Town of West Bend
- Butch Schulties – Town Chairman for the Town of Polk
- Josh Schoemann – County Executive for Washington County
The public officials took questions and provided thoughtful responses. The full meeting minutes are provided on our website at POA Meetings and Minutes.
The bylaws were amended to switch membership to a calendar year vs. the association fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). Memberships are now based on the calendar year.
2024 POA Service Award
The POA recognizes individuals who have given outstanding service to the lake community and the POA by awarding them a SERVICE AWARD. The award has been given out 28 of 63 years since the award started in 1961. This year the service award was presented to Dave Baldus, Mike Nast, and Steve Simon for their many years of work with the Cedar Communities to establish a mutually beneficial conservation easement. Their names have been added to the silver tray that continues to build a list of people who have left a very positive mark on the history of Big Cedar Lake.
Pictured below from left to right are the 2024 recipients; Mike Nast, Dave Baldus, Steve Simon, and the POA President Rick Gale.
2024 POA Membership
Please, renew your annual POA membership. At this time of year, our POA directors canvas their neighborhoods and ask for POA membership dues. It also gives our directors an opportunity to hear about residents’ views and concerns on any lake issues.
You can also pay membership dues ($20) online using the website’s online payment page POAonlinepayment. We encourage you to use this simple, easy, and secure process.
Alternatively, membership can be paid by mailing a check to our PO box;
Big Cedar Lake Property Owners
P.O. Box 42
West Bend, WI 53095
Island Cottages
There are two islands in Big Cedar Lake that have just one home/cottage on the island. The two are Pukwana Island which is just North and slightly West of the channel, and Lone Island which is Northeast of the Gonring public boat launch.
Pukwana Island
Pukwana Island is approximately one-half acre, just South of Penny Island. It is sometimes identified on maps as Nickel Island. However, the official name is Pukwana Island, the Indian name meaning “smoke from the peace pipe”.
The first owners were Clarence Powers and I.N. Stewart, who purchased the property in 1902 for 1 cent. I.N. Stewart graduated in the first class of the University of Wisconsin. He was a friend and classmate at UW of John Muir, the noted environmentalist.
Fill was brought in by horse carriage over the ice to expand the island to make it livable. The original building was erected in the summer of 1902. In 1919 the island was purchased by Dr. Dexter H. Witte and Dr. GH Larson. Dr. GH Larson was a graduate of the Medical Department of Marquette University, class of 1916. He was the chief medical officer aboard the USS Utah in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After escaping the USS Utah through a porthole, he proceeded to Ford Island where he served valiantly providing aid to wounded servicemen.
The property ownership passed in 1945 from Mrs. GH Larson to the father of the four Larson siblings who continue ownership to this day through Pukwana Island LLC.
The cottage is heated by a centrally located fireplace. They have a generator for some electrical service; however, the lights are all powered by the solar panels on the roof.
In the 1960s the cottage was used for roughly one month a year, usually July, and vacant for the other 11 months. For many years now the cottage is used from May through September.
Lone Island
In our next newsletter we plan to give provide information on Lone Island.