The Calhoun Lodge: WILLEBEJOBE

Seated, left to right: Jo Calhoun, Jeff, George and author, Dave Nadzam (age 11)
Seated on the ground: Billy Calhoun
(Click on this or any image in the blog to enlarge)
Photo by Betty Dean Calhoun -1964

We put the luggage in the JAHOMA. I got in with my parents, brother and Billy Calhoun. Betty Dean joined us in the back while Jo took the wheel. As usual he wore a suit and tie. After Jerome cast off the lines and waved good-bye, Jo turned the key. With a deep growl, the cabin cruiser came to life. Jo pulled away from the dock. I turned to watch the boathouse as we headed south across Blackstone Harbor to the channel connecting the harbor to Woods Bay. The boathouse became smaller and smaller as we got closer to the channel. With the drone of the engine in my ears, I closed my eyes to sear the memories of the rocks, the windswept pines, the harbor, and the cabin in my mind. The boathouse disappeared as we turned and entered the channel. People waved from the channel’s shores and passing boats and we waved back. The boat rocked by wakes of passing harbor-bound boats, I became afraid that I might not ever see this place again and I so much didn’t want to forget this place… 

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You may know it as the Calhoun Lodge at The Massasauga Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. I know it as WILLEBEJOBE a name given to the lodge by Jo Calhoun in honor of the people he loved and according to Janey Knight, Jo’s granddaughter it is a compilation of names:

      “WILLE was our dad, Bill and my brother; BEJO was a combination of our aunt, Betty Jo and our grandfather, Jo; BE was Elizabeth our grandmother.
     Betty Dean married my grandfather way after that name was put on the cabin, hence her name is not part of the WILLEBEJOBE cabin name.”

While I only spent but a few weeks of my entire life at the cabin, those weeks left an indelible mark on my life. WILLEBEJOBE was paradise with fishing, rocks to climb, trails to hike, swimming and canoeing. Your imagination was the only limitation. I recall my time there with such great fondness it inspired me to write this blog.

Perhaps you have visited or plan to visit the lodge and grounds. It is but a shell of what it once was but still holds the memories for those who visited, those who built it and for those who may have worked and/or lived there. Through this blog, you will meet some of those people who gave the lodge life, its soul.

I want to thank Janey Knight and Bill Calhoun, Jo Calhoun’s grandchildren for sharing their memories and providing their support throughout this process.

After publishing the blog, I heard from Jeff and William Taylor who told me their family story of the lodge after purchasing it in 1972. I’ve added their story, The Taylor Era, since they and the Serres also gave life and soul to the lodge.

I also want to extend my gratitude to Jack1962 for providing photographs of the Calhoun Lodge and its grounds. Jack has posted a couple sets of photographs from The Massasauga Provincial Park containing shots of the Calhoun Lodge:

Set One     Set Two

I hope you enjoy reading the WILLEBEJOBE blog.

Dave Nadzam
Mentor, Ohio
January 14, 2014

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Articles and Publications (attached)

Calhoun Lodge: Reflections of 1930s Cottage Life by Jack Tynan, pp 8-15, © Sideroads of Parry Sound and Surrounding Area, Fall 2012 Edition, Charlene Peck, Editor.

Calhoun Lodge and Baker Homestead, © Ontario Parks

Links

The Friends of The Massasauga on Facebook “A group of interested people has formed “The Friends of the Massasauga Park”. This non-profit charitable association comprised of cottagers, local residents, park users and other interested people will work with the Ontario Parks staff to support projects that enhance the Park experience.”

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This page updated January 14, 2014, November 11, 3 and October 30, 2013