“A Girl Who Swam Lake Geneva

IT IS HARD for people to believe that I never swam any before last summer, but this is explained by the fact that I always spent my summers with relatives who lived in an inland town. When our family went to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin two years ago for the summer I learned to swim in three days, and when the aquatic sports occurred I received some of the honors.

Last year my brother Willis and I declared our intention to swim across Lake Geneva. Mother was willing that I should do this because Willis and I had done good swimming in Lake Michigan when our family—father, mother and we four children—would swim together. Willis and I were the ones that outswam the others. We two would swim out to the diving place, take a dive and swim on out to the floats. The fact that I had more endurance than my brother gained for me his respect, and he always accompanied me—which made me very glad, because my skill as a swimmer often led me to places where I was the only girl among boys and men.

On the first pleasant day after going to Lake Geneva last year Willis, Herbert Bredin of Englewood and I started out to do some long distance swimming. Nelson Brabrook of Oak Park accompanied us in a boat. We really had no intention of swimming across the lake, but we kept on, knowing that we could get into the boat at any time. The boys were more rapid swimmers than I, but they did not want to get too far away from the boat, which stayed near me, so they climbed into the boat about half way across. I kept on because I had not begun to get tired. When my hands would get stiff I would turn on my back and rest them by closing and opening them. Most of the time I used the side stroke.

At the end of forty minutes I stood upon the shore of Cedar point, without once having touched the boat, ready to start on the return swim, but gave it up when we found we could barely get home in time for supper even with our best rowing.

I was surprised that everybody was so interested, but suppose it was because I am the only girl who has made this swim of about a mile. Mother’s only anxiety was that it might be a strain on my endurance. I felt as rested, however, when I finished as when I began.

Willis was proud of me, and he said to mother, ‘The best part of it is she doesn’t go around bragging about it.’ If this letter seems to contradict this statement it is because I want to get it into the Young America page.

Chicago. Marion Ware (age 15).”

Reference Data:

The Interior, Vol. 44, by Swazey, Van Santvoord, Dwight, Pattton, Trowbridge, Gray and Best, 1913, page 757