This document pays tribute to the Belvedere Club Casino, detailing its history, significance, and tragic loss due to arson.
Special Thanks and CREDITS to: David L. Miles – the Curator at the Museum at Harsha House for the Charlevoix Historical Society. He is also a historian and has written about Charlevoix.
Historical Background
The Belvedere Club Casino, built in 1923, served as a social center for the Charlevoix community and resort members.
Originally a four-story hotel named “The Tourist Home,” it was constructed in 1885 but struggled to attract guests due to its remote location.
After various unsuccessful uses, the building was salvaged in 1922 by James Saunders, who repurposed its materials to create the casino.
Cultural Significance
The casino hosted numerous events, including weddings, receptions, and conventions, becoming a vital gathering place for locals and visitors alike.
Notable figures, such as President Truman’s Secretary of State Dean Acheson and actor Bing Crosby, frequented the venue, enhancing its reputation.
Tragic Loss
On October 23, 2025, the casino was destroyed by arson, marking the end of an era for Charlevoix and its community.
The building had stood for over a century, symbolizing the town’s rich history and social life, now sadly lost.
His favorite course up there was Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix, beautiful (Willie) Watson course up there. And we’re up there, this is 1999. The last round of golf we played in that trip was Belvedere. We got to the first tee and I said, ‘All right, dad, here’s the deal: No pick ups today.’ The reason I said that was he hadn’t broken 90 since the stroke. He got off to a great start. He was 3-over-par after 8. He’s got this wired. Nine, he makes a double bogey, damn, but still, he’s out in 41.”
On Wednesday, the 75-year-old eight-time major champion attended the PGA Show in Orlando and was honored by the National Golf Course Owners Association with its Merit Award, the association’s highest honor. He participated in an hour-long fire side chat with NGCOA CEO Jay Karen and touched on some of the highs and lows of his career, sprinkling in a few swing tips with advice on the business of the game that attendees could bring home to their clubs. But it was during the tail end of the session when Karen opened the questioning to members of the audience that one attendee asked what seemed like an innocuous question that struck a chord with Watson.
“What’s your favorite memory you have about the game of golf whether it’s playing or anything else that you can share with this room?”
Watson went silent for 10 seconds. “Excuse me,” he finally said. Another 10 seconds of silence in the room as Watson tried to control his emotions.
“It was the last time I played with my dad,” he began. “I’ll tell you the story.”
Raymond Watson was a retired insurance salesman and former club champion at Kansas City (Mo.) Country Club, who stuck a cut-down, hickory-shafted 5-iron in his son’s hands in 1955 at age six and immediately taught him the correct grip and stance. A scratch handicap player, Raymond died of a heart attack in 2000 at age 80 while in Hawaii to watch his son compete in a PGA Tour Champions event.
“My dad had a stroke when he was 78 years old but he loved to play. He’d go out in those 38-degree days with a stocking cap on, gloves and his long handles and corduroy pants and he’d go out with six clubs in a little bag and he’d walk around the golf courses and play nine holes,” Watson said. “I’d always ask, ‘What did you shoot, dad?’ He’d say, ‘Ah, I shot a newspaper 50.’
“Newspaper means to guess what you’d shot when you picked up. I gave myself a 7. I kept asking, ‘What did you shoot?’ He’d say, ‘A newspaper 94.’ Before he had a stroke he shot in the upper 70s, shooting his age at 78 years old. We’d go up to Michigan by Long Lake. We would spend 2-3 weeks up there every summer. His favorite course up there was Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix, beautiful (Willie) Watson course up there. And we’re up there, this is 1999. The last round of golf we played in that trip was Belvedere. We got to the first tee and I said, ‘All right, dad, here’s the deal: No pick ups today.’ The reason I said that was he hadn’t broken 90 since the stroke. He got off to a great start. He was 3-over-par after 8. He’s got this wired. Nine, he makes a double bogey, damn, but still, he’s out in 41.”
Watson figured his dad could make 48 on the back side, no problem, but then he started making some double bogeys on the way to the house.
“We get to the last hole and he needs to make a bogey to shoot 89,” Watson continued. “He hits a perfect drive, just smokes it out there. But the second shot, the stroke got him. He had a right-hand problem and he lost the club and the ball hit off the toe of this hybrid and went straight right and underneath a tree in fescue rough and bare dirt. Oh, shoot!
“I didn’t have the heart to go over there. He took some club out and I’ll never forget his last swing, whoosh, he couldn’t take a full swing because of a tree limb that stopped his follow through but there’s dust and the ball comes rocketing out and lands about 20 yards short of the green and rolls up like this (hands held close together). He’s got it! I’m walking up there and I contemplated giving him the putt but knowing my father I knew he wouldn’t accept it. I made him putt it and he missed it.”
But Raymond Watson still finished with a bogey for 89 and broke 90 for the first time since suffering a stroke.
“Walking off the green, he probably reacted just how I would’ve reacted,” Tom said. “Dad, you know what you shot? Yeah, son, I know what I shot. He was pissed that he missed that short putt. That was the last round of golf I ever played with my dad.”
Watson’s favorite memory involving golf had nothing to do with any of his greatest accomplishments but rather a round with his dad, the man who introduced him to the game. And everyone in that room at the Orange County Convention Center that hung on Watson’s every word at the NGCOA conference closing luncheon will never forget the Hall of Famer’s emotional response to a softball, open-ended question.
This “coffee table” book includes a wealth of information about our beloved “BGC” and its storied history and several other areas related to the Charlevoix area.
An actual labor of love, the book will be on sale at the Pro Shop immediately, with 100% of the net proceeds going to the Belvedere Golf Club “Watson Fund.”
Your Community Relations Committee would greatly appreciate your consideration of financial support for this community project. Your donation would be tax deductible.
Please note “Belvedere Club” in the margin of your check, or let John Keyser at johnpkeyser@gmail.com know if you donate via the link below and he will make sure that the Club gets credit for your donation. You can also contact John with any questions
Here is a link to the donation site for online donations: We would greatly appreciate your financial support of this community project.
Donation Levels Up to $99 Chipmunk $100-$249 Squirrel $250-$499 Raccoon $500-$999 Beaver $1,000-$2,999 Porcupine $3,000-$4,999 Fox $5,000-$7,499 Deer $7,000-$9,999 Bear $10,000 and more Eagle
Checks should be made payable to: Rotary Club of Charlevoix Charities, and sent to: Rotary Club of Charlevoix P.O. Box 532 Charlevoix, MI, 49720 Please write Belvedere Club in the memo line. Contributions are tax-deductible.
CHARLEVOIX — The Charlevoix Rotary Club is continuing to raise funds for a new playground at Mt. McSauba.
To date, $99,165 has been collected. The total estimated cost is $238,000.
Rotarian John Keyser said the playground “will be available to the hundreds of children who use this wonderful facility year-round from skiing, snowboarding and riding sleds in the winter to the sand dunes and beach in the warmer months.”
“It is a favorite destination for these children and their moms and dads for outdoor recreation and good times,” Keyser said.
The playground equipment will be specifically selected to be accessible for the vast majority of children, including those with physical challenges.
Kent Knorr, Charlevoix’s recreation director, has named the playground as one of the city’s top park projects, according to Keyser.
The Rotary Club continues to make plans to approach families, businesses, clubs, churches and others for whatever financial support they can provide.
“With this great start, there is an excellent chance the playground will be open to our children by next summer,” said Keyser.
Members of the playground committee are Mark Andresky, Abbie Hart, Kent Knorr, Jody McLoed, Bryan Lindfors, Kirby Dipert, Jeff Anderson and John Keyser.
We are in the process of reviewing and editing all memoirs submitted for the next Belvedere Club Book and compiling the manuscript for printing. We hope to have books available by next summer! Several people have asked if it is too late to submit a memoir.
We will continue to accept submissions until December, but it would be helpful to know what additional submissions to expect. If you have not yet submitted your memoire, and plan to do so, please let Chris Payne know at chrispayne634@gmail.com, and give him a date by which he should expect it. Please make an effort to share memorable moments from your years at Charlevoix that others would enjoy.
Also, Chip Leakas continues to work on improving the Archives section on the Club website. We have accumulated a large number of historical photos and have the ability to create a rich photo archive that will be searchable by names, dates, or whatever keyword you like. For example, we have some wonderful pictures of the incredible Rustic Bridge and the old hotel(s).
While the number of photos that we can include in the book is limited, we are not limited on the website, so we encourage all of you to send in any digital photos you related to the Club and our members. They should be sent to Chris at the email above, and Chip at cleakas@gmail.com.
Please include any dates and names of the people in the pictures, and any negatives and slides scanned as well to add to the gallery. If you are not comfortable scanning your photos yourself, there are several services that are available for this, such as www.legacybox.com and www.scancafe.com to name two.
Take a look at the photos we already have on the website and let us know if you can add any names, dates, locations, or other descriptive info.
This is a great way to preserve memories for future generations. Thanks!
July 31, 2023 | This year, the Charlevoix County Community Foundation received and reviewed over 270 applications during our scholarship cycle. I’m pleased to share with you the following Belvedere Scholarship recipients from the Class of 2023:
Samuel Pletcher graduated from Charlevoix High School and plans to attend Western Michigan University to study Aviation Flight Science. When accepting this award, Sam shared the following:
“With my chosen major being Aviation Flight Science, I will have to pay very costly flight fees while at Western. Receiving the Belvedere Scholarship will be incredibly beneficial towards paying for those additional fees. 1 1m so grateful that I was selected because the scholarship helped take away some of the stress of paying off such a large amount.”
Claire Scholten
Claire Scholten, also a graduate of Charlevoix High School, plans to attend the University of Michigan to study Biology Health, and Society. In addition to her thank you note provided, Claire also shared her gratitude for the generosity of the Club and what an honor it is to be awarded this scholarship to fund her educational career.
Alexander Rodgers
Alexander Rodgers graduated from East Jordan High School and plans to attend Northwestern Michigan College. Alexander also plans to study Aviation Flight Science. When accepting this award, Alexander shared:
“I would like to thank the Belvedere Club for this scholarship. I am grateful for their support in my education goals. My dream is to become an airline pilot, and these dreams will be much easier to obtain with the strong support of the Belvedere Club.”
Alexa Guindon
Alexa Guindon plans to attend Northern Michigan University in Marquette to study Clinical Laboratory Studies. When accepting this award, Alexa shared:
“Receiving this scholarship support offers an opportunity for me to pursue my passion for science and delve into the fascinating world of microbiology. This scholarship alleviates the financial burden associated with higher education and allows me to focus on my studies. This added support also allows me to work in a lab and build a relevant resume rather than focus on a higher paying job. Eventually, this added support will propel me to a career where I can contribute to the ever-expanding body of knowledge we call science.”
The Belvedere Scholarship supported approximately twenty additional students with renewable support.
We wanted to share updates and progress of some recipients and what they are most looking forward to next year or what this support has meant to them.
A few excerpts are included:
Jake Conway (2020) — University of Michigan, Public Health
“This scholarship support has been crucial in allowing me to continue to pursue my education while maintaining the ability to focus primarily on my studies. This scholarship support means the world to me and my family, it continues to bring my closer to achieving my dreams.”
Grant Forbrig (2020) — University of New Mexico, Biology
“It means the world to me as it gives me the opportunity to study in a different state and experience a whole different culture than 1 1 m used to. By giving me scholarship support I can graduate early and start to pursue my career in wildlife biology.”
Abigail Hilligan (2020) – Grand Valley State University, Teaching
“Receiving scholarship support is very important to me. It is very nice to have some weight of school cost lifted off my shoulders. Also, it is very important to me that this Belvedere Scholarship is funded by people who I spent many summers working for and know very well, and it is great to know that they are willing to contribute to my future and invest in my college career and my future as a teacher.”
Megan Bush (2021) — Indiana University, History
“Currently I am in the thick of study abroad preparation, so I am really excited to take my education outside of the United States. I am looking forward to seeing how this chapter of my life will prepare me for my future endeavors with my chosen career path.”
Alison Sape (2021) — Saginaw Valley State University, Business Management and Finance
“I would like to express my appreciation because this funding has allowed me to double major. Eventually, I would like to earn a master’s degree and take courses that will be most valuable towards my long-term goal of opening a wedding venue.”
John Sauer (2022) — University of Michigan, Computer Science
“I am most excited about pursuing a career in something that I am very passionate about. Before entering college, and even during my first semester, I didn’t really feel like I had a solid direction. I took an intro-level coding class, and it was the perfect fit, which brings me to where I am now. I am extremely excited to have a concrete path forward with a meaningful and enjoyable degree. My future now seems much less ambiguous.”
Camryn Turkleson (2022) — Michigan State University, Business
“I’m most excited to go back into the MSU community with my friends and continue my growth as a student. I can’t wait to learn even more about who I am as a person and my career.”
Thank you so much for your ongoing support of our community students. By focusing on renewable scholarship awards, you ensure a bright future for future generations to come. Pursuing education is an exciting opportunity for our young people and we thank Belvedere Club members for making this award possible.
Learn More Here:
2023 Belvedere Scholarships – $58,800 Alexa Guindon Samuel Pletcher Alexander Rodgers Claire Scholten
Belvedere Club bayou, probably on a Sunday morning when resorters rowed across Round Lake to get to church.
The weather is getting warmer and soon we’ll all be out sitting on our porches enjoying the day with a nice cold beverage like these ladies and gents.
Belvedere Club “The Morgue,” first called “The Midget,” the first building constructed on the Belvedere resort.
The Belvedere resort is seen from the roof of the Chicago Club clubhouse in winter, circa 1890s.
Belvedere Club brochures from 1907 (bottom), 1908 (left), and 1909 (right). Interior images from 1907. These brochures have a wealth of information such as cottage owners, members, and descriptions of the grounds and Charlevoix. They also contain great advertisements from local businesses.
View of Belvedere resort, before 1886. Taken from the Chicago Club looking south across Old River (below) and Old Island. Part of the upper channel is visible, lined with pilings.
Here is another clip from our small set of 16mm film from 1938. The 192-foot Sylvia enters the channel and docks in Round Lake (You’ll see the old swing bridge at the very end!) The yacht was one of five identical vessels built by the Bath Iron Works Corporation of Bath, Maine in the late 1920s. It was owned by Logan Thompson, head of an Ohio paper company and member of the Belvedere Club. Some of its crewmen included; James Bellinger, Jerry Simpson, Joe Arvilla, Ted Shupeck, Johnny Clausen, and Harold Behnedsen. It is known that Katherine Hepburn and Howard Hughes chartered the Sylvia for various trips, however, we don’t know if they ever came to Charlevoix.
The Charlevoix Middle/High School (“CMHS”) sponsors special trips for students on a regular basis.
CMHS has worked out a program with Oleson’s where the school can collect receipts from Oleson’s and then turn them back into Oleson’s for a cash rebate of some amount.
The school then uses the proceeds to fund scholarships for these trips and other school-related needs of the students.
We ask the Belvedere family to collect all of their receipts from Oleson’s and turn them into the Club office from time to time, or before you leave for home.
At the end of the season, the Club will give the receipts to CMHS to add to their collection.
Unfortunately, Family Fare does not offer such a program. We may be able to help some of the needier kids at the school attend some of these trips. Great idea, Amy! Thanks
