Author Terry White, Winona Lake, informed the Kosciusko Leadership Academy cadets recently about the history of Winona Lake. “Winona 100, Third Wave Rising” is a recently published collaboration between White and Dr. Steve Grill. White shared the first residents and owners varied until Beyer Brothers purchased the area from Julius Boss in 1881. In 1890, the Beyer Brothers began the Chautauqua programs. These educational gatherings grew in size and scope. Notable speakers and performers included aviator Glenn Curtiss, Polar explorer Admiral Richard Byrd, William Jennings Bryant and Helen Keller. Mrs. George Pickett, Booker T. Washington, Will Rogers, Sgt. Alvin York (World War II hero), John Phillip Sousa, Thomas R. Marshall and James Whitcomb Riley also appeared in Winona Lake, among many others. Other interesting facts were shared including Winona Lake was originally called Eagle Lake. The town of Winona Lake was gated and required the purchase of a ticket to enter until 1930, even for those that lived here. The oldest building in Winona Lake is the Eagle Lake Hotel. There was also a racetrack around Winona Lake. KLA is a not-for-profit organization devoted to serving Kosciusko County by encouraging leaders and future leaders to dream and create a better community through white paper projects, according to a KLA press release.
