Let us take you on a journey back to the late 1800’s, when people from the city began to camp and fish at Lake Bernard in the summers. Located on the shores of the Lake, near Motherwell Creek, the village of Joynt was the early destination of visitors. It was comprised of several farms established by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland in the mid 1800s and had a post office by 1879. Next to newspapers, the post office was king and literally put a place on the map. Have you ever wondered why “Joynt” appears on the Google map? The post office meant you could keep in touch with civilization, friends, and business contacts. The post office even offered banking, money order and mail order services back in the day.
Lake Bernard’s reputation for great fishing and a lovely place to escape city life was well established by the 1880’s. It is no wonder a lease was taken for the fishing rights and a club was formally established at Joynt in 1890. Joynt provided a jumping off point to excellent trout fishing and duck hunting and base where one could get milk, butter, eggs, cheese, fresh produce from the farms, and other necessities of life, like the mail.
These stories are very small examples of the large number of similar stories that are lying dormant around the lake. Help us bring those stories alive by sharing what you know either here or through the Lake Bernard History Group on Facebook.