Village of Pleasant Lake 1919

     Pleasant Lake, an unincorporated place in Steuben Township, is situated in section 15, township 36, range 13.  It is about four miles south of Angola and is a station on the Lake Shore railroad,  It is beautifully situated on both Long Lake and Pleasant Lake, with numerous other lakelets nearby.  Here one finds several summer resorts.  There are many cottages, seen here and there, all along the shores is of these fine lakes.  Here one sees a handsome high school building - township school - erected in 1914 at an expense of about $30,000.  The village obtains its electric lights from Angola from the Utility Company. 
     This village was laid out in February, 1846, by Payne C. Parker, covering a part of what is now Pleasant Lake.  The records do not show that Parker or Luther Cleland to whom Parker sold, ever conveyed any lots and the plat seems to have been ignored and the lots sold by metes and bounds.

     At the present (1919) the business interests of Pleasant Lake include the following:  General Merchandise - Chadwick & Ransburg (department store); R. Imhoff; grocery - Lithwin Gates; hardware - John O. Matson; also carries farm implements; harness - Victor Orwing; drugs - George J. Weaver; auto-garages - H.C. Wald and Bert Enfield Son; meat - C.L. Moreland; bakery - Glen Wheeler; photographer - Fred Fay; restaurant - Sol Tuttle; pool hall - Fern Fuller; barbers - William Uncapher and Daniel Pixley; blacksmiths - Almond Shaffer, Austin and  Knight; Ice - Willis Adams; Also Moran Bros., of Fort Wayne put up large quantities for shipment.  The other business houses are  - lumber dealers:  Goodwin Lumber Company handles soft wood lumber and coal; grain elevators - T. I. Ferris; cement blocks and bricks - Albert Mitchell; news stand - Lida McDougal; livestock - James Harpham; cream station - The Martin Creamery Company and Lake View Hotel.  There is also a novelty manufacturing company located here and is owned and operated by George Baird, who is inventor of many useful articles which he makes here, including his farm gate, his metal lifting jack, for instantly raising an automobile etc.  His wooden pulleys find a ready sale over a large area of territory.  He is now seeking a larger place in which to operate.


History of northeast Indiana : LaGrange, Steuben, Noble and DeKalb Counties 
by Robert M Waddell