Pretty View

Changing Looks

to the

Pretty View

Deer Lake Road

The Pretty View, as seen from the

turn off on CoRd 62, opposite County gravel pit (see map below).

From the left, foreground, is Christmas Point

From the right, middlescape is Deer Path Point

Out the furthest is Battleship Island.

Present state of the Pretty View, 2021

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The Pretty View from the Deer Lake Look-out on Co. Rd. 62 goes all the way across the length of Deer Lake, from north east to south west.

The postcards in the historical series (below this text), show the Prety View over the years. In the first two, dated 1935 and 1942 we clearly see Christmas Point. The Point is partially blocked in the 1950 photo by an insistent Norway pine/birch partnership. This obsacale was gone by the 80's.

Christmas Point is the first of the three alternating points that make this view famous. The second point, clearly seen in all the pictures is the narrow peninsula extending from the Deer Path area toward the straits of Bear Island. The third point in the distance is Battleship Island.

In the picture dated 1935 the triple point view can be seen if you look closely on the left of the photo. Christmas Point is quite obvious. The next picture is a postcard with a postmark of 1942, and was obviously taken just a few years before the one right after, which dates it to the early 50's. In the following one, from the 1980's, you can almost make out Christmas Point (more elevation might have shown it clearly) because the Norway is gone. The next photo shows the bench that was installed in the 1990's, with a birch sapling. Today (2000's picture) the Pretty View has become rather overgrown, but the County Park department has plans to improve the view.

The "Eagle Flies" photograph was taken at dawn in the Fall of 2006 by your webmaster who was standing on top of a 10-foot ladder placed on the roof of his pickup (perhaps a 20 foot elevation off the ground). If you look carefully you will see a bald eagle flying above the lake--a lucky shot if ever there was one! But even that high off the road, Christmas Point is completely obscured by leaf-on trees further down the hill; only the red pine tree-tops can be seen--so different from the leaf-off Winter and Spring photos!

Today the view from the bench is rather minimal: clearing needed!

Dated 1935

Photo courtesy of DeCoster Family

Postmarked 1942 (postcard from Robin Baker)

About 1950

1980's

1990's

Around 2000: from the bench.

Now: 2021

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The next series of photos show the view from Fall, 2006:

These photos were taken about 20 feet above the bench (on top of a ladder on top of a truck).

Even there the view is clogged by growing trees and brush.

The off-leaf seasons reveal more of the Pretty View, including most of Christmas Point.

Autumn, 2006: "Eagle Flies"

Spring 2015

Late Winter with Ice-In

April 1, 2016, Pretty View after snow.

The closest point is Christmas

Next is Deer Path;

then Battleship Island in the distance.

Nearing Ice-Out, April 16, 2017

Mid Summer 2017

Fall, 2006 sunset

Christmas Point is evident only by the tops of pine trees, visible in the last three photos above. These more recent "Pretty View" photos were taken from an elevated position 20' higher than previous historical photos.