Custom Search     Susterka Lake     My Dad George P Barr bought the house in 1985 from Don Bastedo. Then my Husband Andrew Nedeau and I bought it from my Dad 1997. We still live there. It’s nice to hear the Susterka Lake Spillway everyday. Says Saundra  Barr ( Nedeau ) My dad Donald was a lifeguard there and dove off the tower as well. I took him there in 2012 when he was goin through Dementia and brought him back to those days. I wish someone would post pictures from the 1950s. Dad loved     the place. Says Tom Randolph I remember pumping my bicycle for what seemed a long way to the Lake from Belleville. Memorable fun until I graduated high school in 1952 and moved away. I wonder if I remember correctly, but I recall a roof over some sort of building where we would all run to the edge and jump in. But your descriptions make me feel uncertain about this. Nor do I remember the turtles and logs. What was the basket room? What food service? Was the 32 tower there then? I remember a shorter board and climbing up anther, too scared to dive but jumped off. Says Myra I used to go to Susterka Lake when I was a kid in the 60s. I was just barely tall enough to use the       rope swing. Loved it! In later years, I used to play golf at the golf course just down the street. I'm looking for any information I can get about the golf course. I'd love to see some pictures of the course. Even an old scorecard   would be nice. Even though it was only a par 3 golf course, it was fun and challenging. They took excellent care of it, too. If you have any info, or pics of the golf course, would you please send them to me? Here is my email address.  J-EBERTS@HOTMAIL.COM,   Thank You Says Jeff Eberts OMG! Was just happen chance trying to find pictures of the old swimming hole. I was there in the late 50's early 60's. Remember when they had just the logs at the one end of the pond. Early in the morning the turtles could be found on them sun bathing until somebody hit the water. It was all over then :) Used to work my way in picking up trash, life guarding, working the basket room. So many great memories... Never been another place like Susterka lake. Oh, yeah remember Brad and Barry.. They were little guys then... swam like little fishes lol. Says Bob Winkelmann I loved going to this water hole :) in the 60s. My dad took us. The rope swung into the water and letting go! To the high diving board into the water which seemed like bottomless water. We have no pictures from here. Does anyone have pictures that they can post? Says Gigi I loved this place !! My fun family memories are there The rope swing, the high dive .....I wish someone would bring it back!!!!! We need it , the kids need it bad !!! Please bring it back Says Gigi Boy this blog has brought back memories of my life guard time the Summer of 1951. Don Duff and I lived in Dearborn, but spent the entire Summer at the lake and slept in the barn up by the house. When Fall came we went back home. Both went in the Military and never came back out to look things over. I wanted to keep great memories, at 80 they are precious. Says Richard Havener Oh yeah! I remember many summers spent at Susterka Lake. From Elementary school ...through my High School years... every summer that was the place. The Casino, the tower, the old 3 meter board, the basket room and the logs. My father would buy a season pass for me and I would ride my bike there every morning and wait for it to open. In the years to follow I would work my way in. Don was really good about that. Pick up on the beach, in the Casino and later it would be basket room duty or life guard. Didn't see much of Bill but on occasion he would venture down to the casino area. The logs... remember the logs. Early in the morning when I would first get there the turtles would sometime be sunning themselves on the logs. Until you got too close and then in the water they went. Later ,of course, the big stone and cement wall was put in just past where the logs were. I remember losing my class ring there... jumping off the 32 ( as it was called ) and watching as it slowly drifted from my finger. They would drain the lake every year and luckily it was found. Not enough room for my memories here... I loved Susterka Lake.... Says Bob Winkelmann I have fond and happy memories of Susterka from the 50's and 60's. My two older brothers taught me to swim there when I was pretty young and surprised my mother with a demonstration. Her not knowing that my brothers had taught me to swim, they threw me into the deep water and my mother almost had a heart attack and was pretty panicky. It wasn't funny to my mother at the time but my brothers thought it was hilarious. I really learned to love the water and looked forward to going there for an afternoon of fun and sun well into the 60's. Says L. G. Van Assche I worked as a lifeguard for Don until I went into the usmc in sept62 Says Tom Visited the Lake several times back in the 50's. Didn't have the nerve to jump off that tower tho. had a classmate who did and ruptured a ear drum. Quite a place and very popular. Says Brent I moved from the downriver area to Ypsi Twp. My Grandfather (Praise God is still living and at the age of 89) used to ride on the running boards of Model T's from Wyandotte to Susterka Lake to ''pick up chicks'' as he says. I knew nothing of Susterka Lake until he came to visit and took the scenic route from downriver to Ypsi along Huron River Dr. My Grandfather has told me many stories about Susterka Lake and once the weather improves I plan to ask the current residents if I may bring him to the lake to reminisce. A few years ago I was privileged to see the home and grounds on a garden tour and it was breath taking. Says Cindy Rudzik Hello, I was a wrangler at the stable next door to the lake. I lived with Bill in the barn. I had some of the best times of my life. Gary and Larry hung out with me sometimes. I was there when Mickey King dove of of the 32 ft. platform. I will always have that place in my mind, but moved back to TN. And if it were not for the cold weather, I would probably make a life there. Hello to all that remembers me. Tookie Says Tookie In the mid 1960''s, I was a memember of Dick Kimball's Univesity of Michigan diving team. We used to work out at Susterka Lake where Kimball had constructed a ten meter diving tower from painter's scaffolding. Other members of that team included Micki King who went on to win the Olympics in 1972. My wife and I now live in Iowa City, Iowa Says Bruce Brown I was a LifeGuard at Susterka in 1957. Don taught me more about Guarding then the classes at the high school. A lot of first's in my life were at Susterka. Family moved away later that year and never say the place again. What a great summer. Pizza party every night and diving off the tall tower at midnite, on my back. Says Stuart My Great Grandfather, Anton Susterka, was the creator of ''Susterka Lake''. He started this swimming place in the early 1900's. My father met my mother in the mid 40's there and that's where I learned to swim. I will never forget the good times my family had there. Anton sold the property to Lissa Bastedo's father, Don, in the early 50's. Today the property is owned by Mike Suliman. All the buildings were taken down, but the small pond is still there. Says Brad Susterka Hi Lissa, Yes, I remember Susterka Lake well. I had on my very first two piece bathing suit when I swung out over the lake on those fantastic rope swings. As I hit the water, the top of my suit came off. I almost drowned trying to find and get my top back on. LOL. I am not sure how long ago you have been back to the Belleville area, but Susterka lake has all but disappeared. It is very overgrown and very little evidence of a lake remains. Suzanne Says Suzanne Todd Susterka Lake was owned by my family until the 1980's. It used to be the hot spot in the Belleville area. All my friends came to Susterka Lake for their summer fun. I now live on Maui in Hawaii. I guess I have traded one great spot for sun and fun for another. I want to say Hi! to everyone in Belleville. I may get back there some day. Have a great life. Aloha,Lissa Bastedo Daughter of Don Bastedo of Beleville, Michigan. He was the bomb. Says Lissa Bastedo          Map Detailed Map Marinas Marinas on or near Susterka Lake Weather Local weather forecast