I do know that my mother said her parents and grandparent's could just as well have done without the lake. They used to refer to it as the pond and they really didn't have an awful lot of use for it. However, my mother did learn to swim in the lake. So they must have done some enjoyable things with the lake.
We had some old letters in my parent's house (not the same where my mother grew up) that a Dr friend from Boston had written back and forth discussing whether they should build a camp -if there would be a market to rent it. I think the Doctor's letters were dated early 1900s. So I would guess before 1900 the lake was not really used much recreationally if they had to have a discussion if it would be successful or not.
The house where we grew up had once been a boarding house I guess you would call it. The people often came from Boston to Alton Bay by train and took a boat to Wolfeboro. So the lake was used for transportation. And of course houses were moved all over the lake on the ice.
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