Early Promoters

The original name was Lummi Island Scenic Estates and Yacht Club. Incorporated as Lummi Island Scenic Estates Community Club, Inc. in June 1962. There were three partners from Seattle- Mr. Smith and Mr. Angel were both attorneys and did several developmental projects in Washington. And Mr Mc Millan, the silent partner owned the property near the entrance.

The developers offered a free radio to potential buyers as an enticement. At that time there were only a few scattered homes and no water mains.

Our History

Dickinson family owned property around the lake (later named Dickinson Lake by Wally). The developers traded them that property for some lots in LISE. The last plat was on top of ridge and was never utilized because half of the lots drained into the reservoir. The county wouldn t approve the plat so Division 8 is classified as a water reserve. The Scenic Estates Sales office (and the first home) was the yellow house across from the chalk board. The first lots sold were from Division One.

Bids were requested to build the Clubhouse to a grand scale. The roof was to have arches between the beams for a very dramatic affect but it would have cost ~$35,000 and that was in 1962. The developers were trying to implement their Estates on a shoestring so they were more typically scrounging for labor and material.

The developers wanted to build a seawall from the rock projection, straight on down the channel. They gave up the idea because the breakwater was going to be too costly and they ultimately did not think that the Core of Engineers would have allowed it.

Lots were being sold prior to the roads being finished, there were only a network of trails through the woods. If you were lucky, you didn t meet someone on the road coming in the other direction. A logging contractor built the roads, Mr. Earl Granger built many of roads in Scenic Estates. A right of way was cleared and a road was built.

The swim lake was a muddy mess. The developers had breached the swim lake dam- a natural pond. They cut a trench in the rock 5-6 ft deep and 10 ft wide so they could push the debris from the lakes down the canyon. They created a ditch so they could push debris in using a cat with a brush blade 10 ft high & 10 ft wide. The material was pushed into a pile that was a10 ft high accumulation. The area was logged just before the turn of the century, the leftover woody debris and mud were moved into the swim lake huge pile and later shoved into the canyon of Aiston Creek. The developer left a mess for the residents in the way that they cleared and their disregard for the stream.

The membership voted a special assessment to have the lake dredged in 1973. The swim lake was drained and large mats with draglines were used from the float area southward. The caretaker (Mr. Weston) and others with gardens hauled the rich sediment away.

On the westerly wall beyond the cabana is a gravel pit from earlier days. It has been smoothed out and now there is a volleyball court and horseshoe pits

Marina and Clubhouse

The early promoters of Scenic Estates drew potential buyers in with the plans for a marina. Wally Croy and other members built the ramp and the first dock. It consisted of a float of cedar logs (2) ~ 40 ft long forming a T. The dock had to be towed to the beach on the other side of the island for protection during the winter because the storms came in from this direction. Charlie Baker pushed them up above the high tide line. Later, they were rebuilt with new pins, but without through bolting and they would come loose and would need to be re-secured periodically. The styrofoam floats were flimsy and only lasted about one-year. The floats were later used at the lake after they were salvaged from the marina floats. Wally Croy redesigned the float using tires filled with styrofoam with steel plates on the bottom and plywood on top with bolts that went all the way through.

Lots of time was spent in the design phase- so that each piece could be replaced without dismantling the entire unit. The hinges, bolts and pins were all made from stainless steel bolt and custom machined. It took a crew of LISE volunteers most of an afternoon to scrape the barnacles and prepare the docks every year. The units were damaged when they were moved and replaced by the caretaker in approximately 1993. The floats were rebuilt using steel, (high maintenance). zinc bars and glue lams that were held together so when laid flat they could flex with the motion of the water for a cost of about $12,000. The original set cost about $25,000 just for material and using donated labor.

Wally and other volunteers replaced the deck and rail at the Clubhouse. The stairs were originally made with cedar rounds and had to be treated. Henry Stryd designed the stairs leading to the picnic area and they were later replaced by Norman Duerksen. Some members resented paying the fees to do these enhancements.

Board Members

During the first four years of management under the developer, operations were tried to be run from Seattle. Dues were not enforced and there was only one board meeting per year, immediately before the annual meeting. New board members were expected to make a five year commitment with one new member elected each year. James McKeller was elected president and he recruited Wally & Luwilla Croy to help rewrite the bylaws. Mr. McKeller was still on the board when Howard Duff was added, then LuWilla Croy because of her financial background. Prior to that time the financial books had not been available for viewing, finally the books were turned over in the fifth year.