Launches
The first launch on Lake Buel was the Wm. B. Gibson, which made its public debut on July 4, 1876. The first steamboat in Berkshire County, it had a 6’ diameter wheel, a 14-hp engine, a 7’-high boiler, and could carry 200 people on its two decks.
The Wm. B. Gibson picked up passengers at Gibson’s Grove and at Turner’s Lake View Hall. It made the 1.25-mile (2.01 km) trip in 17 minutes. Fares were 20 cents for adults and 10 for children. After being sold by Gibson to Turner, the steamer’s name was changed to the Lake Buell. The craft went through major renovations in 1879 and 1882. Before being launched for the 1885 season, it was destroyed by arson. Around 1891 Turner launched a new steamer, the Lake Buel. It was 20 feet (6.1 m) long and 8 feet (2.4 m) wide, propelled by a screw, and ran on oil. Turner continued to run this launch until 1934.
Another launch, a motorboat, was active in 1911 and run by Levi Huntley out of a cottage owned by J.M. Bigford.
Gibson’s started a new launch in 1918. It was constructed in Norwalk, Connecticut by Fay & Bowen and called the Minnehaha. A bigger and improved Minnehaha replaced it in the mid-1950s.
In the 1940s, Gibson’s also ran a Chris-Craft.
The lake’s first gasoline boat was privately owned by W.E. Hill. It was 24 feet (7.3 m) long. He did not offer public rides.
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