Last year, Mauretta Mattison generously donated the Mattison photo archives to the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club. Well, technically to me, because somehow I’ve become the person people send these things to. I’m glad to have them gathered in one place.
Given that Bill and Mauretta owned Star Photo and spent years in the photo developing business, the archive is extensive. Bill and Mauretta photographed everything, and we’re fortunate they did. There are boxes upon boxes of prints, negatives, and snapshots of iceboating life. It’s time to start digging through them and sharing some of the more interesting finds.
The first photo that caught my eye features another kind of classic American engineering: heavy Detroit iron. Back when cars like this early 1950s Ford hardtop, likely equipped with Ford’s Flathead V8, ruled the roads and hauled iceboats to the lake without complaint.
I believe this photo was taken at John “Pop” Bluell’s house near Yahara Place, though Jerry Simon will probably correct me if I’m wrong.
Fortunately, either Bill or Mauretta labeled the photograph. From left to right: John Bluell Jr. “Johnny,” John Bluell Sr. “Pop,” Herb Krogman “Herbie,” Dave Rosten (my father), and Bill Mattison.
You can almost reconstruct the scene, one still played out today, though the trailer may now be enclosed. The gang gathers at Pop Bluell’s house on a cold morning, loading hulls, spars, and runners onto the trailer and roof rack before heading off either to a regatta or simply out onto Mendota.
This photo is another reminder of how ordinary iceboating once was, and still is, around Madison.
