Ole Dybdall

Ole Dybdall Jr. was born about 1902 and raise in the Chapman Lake area. His parents, Ole Dybdall Sr. and wife had operated the grist mill at the lake, young Ole also operated the mill until 1955. Dybdall attended the Rock Lake school in his youth.

Dybdall was an institution in the Chapman Lake area, running the resort from his home which doubled as a small convenience store that sat above the lake. He was affectionately known as “the Mayor of Chapman Lake.”

While the area is sparsely populated with only a few year-round residents, people from all over the western United States came to spend summers at Chapman Lake because of its quiet and remote nature (1990).

Phil Odom, a lake resident, recalled Ole Dybdall as a kind and gentle man, who would bend over backwards to help you.