Gene Ritter stands with Carter Hartstock at the boat ramp of Battle Ground Lake. Hartstock’s family was visiting from Brookfield, Illinois.
Carter Hartstock got the hang of canoeing around the lake after a short lesson from Gene Ritter.
During the winter of 2014, I decided to remove a Red Cedar tree that was shading my garden along Whipple Creek. There seemed to be a section in the lower part of the tree that would lend itself to carving something. Why not a dugout canoe?
Once the project got started, it was apparent there were far more knots than expected. You can work around them, but it takes a lot more time. It was a long way from finished after the first winter and didn’t get finished the next year either. In the spring of 2016, it was finished and hung on display in the barn.
As age catches up with us there is a time when we have to start taking inventory and get rid of the things we don’t need. The dugout had never been lake tested and July 22, 2019, seemed like a perfect day. I drove to Battle Ground Lake and backed down the boat ramp.
At the ramp, there was a family getting ready to go out in their boat. I asked their teenage son if he would like to be a pioneer. At first, he was a little bashful but with some encouragement from his mother, he decided to give it a try. He was warned about all of the things that can happen while canoeing and seemed to pay attention. After about 10 minutes on the lake he got the hang of it and did well. So did my nine-foot canoe. It supported the 100-pound youngster nicely and didn’t roll over. A bystander asked if the canoe was for sale. My reply was that it could be bought for the $3 per hour for all of the time it took to carve it. There were no offers.
The family helped load the canoe into the truck and we exchanged names and addresses. The teenage lad, Carter Hartsock, is from Brookfield, Illinois.
About the author
Gene Ritter, whose family arrived in Clark County in 1905, spent more than 40 years in the real estate and appraisal business. Gene’s Clark County historical writings have been published in volumes of the Clark County History book, as well as The Reflector, on multiple occasions. His wife, Janet Durgan Ritter, has family roots in Clark County dating back to 1853. The Ritters make their home on Whipple Creek.
