By Bill Pumford, Image from Russ Keller Collection

TITLE: WHITELY MOTEL IN CRESTLINE: This week’s image is a postcard from the 1960s which depicts the Whitley Motel once located on Forest Shade in Crestline. Ernest and Manette Whitely built the small resort in the early 1950s which was located across the street from the present-day Roadhouse Pizza. At a recent American Legion dinner, I sat next to Dick Martin who said he had purchased the property from the Whitelys in 1971. Ernie had related to Dick that he had hand-dug the swimming pool that can be seen in the photo. There were only a few pools in Crestline during the 1950s and the Whitely pool predated the pool at the Sleepy Hollow facility right next door on Lake Drive. When the Martin family owned the property, the family lived in the structure on the right in the photo which also included the office. The building on the left had several rooms that could be rented for $19 per night. There were also seven cabins on the property that could be rented by the week. The swimming pool was managed by the Martin’s son, Kevin, and the pool was used often by the YMCA for swimming lessons. Dick Martin was a Highway Patrol officer who divided his time between his official duties and maintenance of the motel while his wife Regina managed the visitors. The motel was always fully booked by February for the summer season. As if this was not enough activity for the Martin family, Regina obtained one of the buildings on Lake Drive in Crestline and started Gina’s subs, which did a fairly good business. Dick and Regina sold Whitely’s Motel in 1980 and the new owners continued the motel for several years before selling the property for commercial use as the type of office buildings you see there now.