Lakes, defined as large bodies of - usually fresh - water surrounded by land, were often drawn by Carl Barks in his duck stories. Normally he would use them as simple graphic backgrounds, at other times the characters lived or worked near them, or they simply passed them on their way to other destinations. But in several stories the lakes became vital scenes and parts of the plot line, and a collection of these stories are presented here.
The selected stories are placed in chronological order.

 

 

 

  WDCS062 'First Time Water-skier' - 1945

Synopsis:
Donald wants to win a water-skiing contest although he has never tried that sport before. But never mind, if one can only be friendly with the judge...

Comments:
Donald soon becomes a menace to both animals, judges, and spectators, when he turns himself loose under/on/above Beavertail Lake! In fact, he ends his day in a prison cell...

 

  WDCS132 'Millpond Tryouts' - 1951

Synopsis:
The nephews are going to try out for different JW merit badges at the millpond but then Donald decides to help them...

Comments:
Donald's wish to help is often triggered by his wish to show the nephews that he masters all sorts of different skills. But it always becomes strikingly apparent that he is no match to his nephews, who really possess the required skills such as creating properly made boy scout items. Instead they have to save him from drowning in the pond.

 

  FC0386 Only a Poor Old Man - 1952

Synopsis:
Scrooge tries to hide his money in a faraway lake so the Beagle Boys cannot find it. But it is not that easy...

Comments:
How about this for a coincidence: Scrooge hides his money in the very same lake, where the Beagle Boys have been fishing and bathing for generations!!! In no time they have seized all the money by buying the adjacent lot and breaking down the dam that holds the lake water.

 

  WDCS142 'Houseboat Vacation' - 1952

Synopsis:
Donald wants a quiet vacation along with his nephews so he rents a houseboat on Lake Erie for the purpose.

Comments:
Several of Barks' stories, especially from the 1950s, may be taken as his eye-openers to the readers on how we treated the environment back then. In this story Donald and the nephews are having a quiet vacation on a houseboat on Lake Erie. At one point the nephews decide to have a swim but they are immediately deterred, when they find themselves covered in mud.
No doubt, Barks chose the spot for his story carefully; Lake Erie had severe problems with chemical waste from industries, raw sewage, and garbage, and just a few years later it was living under a death sentence as both scientists and the public believed that the pollution had sealed its fate.
20 years later the problems had still not been solved, which then caused Barks to yet another story about the lake; in HDL17 Be Leery of Lake Eerie he came with a much harsher and more direct attack on the location.

 

  WDCS153 'Lakeside Fishing' - 1953

Synopsis:
Gyro is breeding worms that drag fish out of the water. Donald is an avid angler. Now for some serious fishing...

Comments:
The scene is set for one of numerous lakes in the Duckburg area - Mudhen Lake. Most of them look exactly like this one: tranquil waters, sandy beaches, and fishing possibilities.

 

  WDCS174 'Iceboat Mailman' - 1955

Synopsis:
Donald has built an iceboat to haul mail across the frozen lake to Beaver Island. But the job is somewhat different from what he expects...

Comments:
This (unnamed) lake is a little different, insofar it has a small island in the middle. But despite the fact that it is small it has a post office!!!

 

  WDCS179 'Canoeing Contest' - 1955

Synopsis:
Donald and Gladstone have entered the same canoe contest but only one of them can win. Maybe the nephews can lend Donald a hand?

Comments:
Barks does not convey either the name or the location of this lake. He only describes it as 'A northern lake', which presumably means north of Duckburg. It is surrounded by thick coniferous forests and wide mountain ranges, which also suggests that it lies to the far north.

 

  U$29 Oodles of Oomph - 1960

Synopsis:
Gyro enters a boat race and he invents his own boat which should be both better and faster than the other contestants' boats.

Comments:
One of Barks' recurring location names is Tulebug taken after his brother Clyde's residence city for most of his life. In the stories Barks named several locations by that name (Tulebug Creek, Tulebug Dam, Tulebug River), and Gyro is racing on Tulebug Lake.

 

  WDCS237 Mystery of the Loch - 1960

Synopsis:
The nephews win an underwater camera and Donald immediately sees its potential. He heads for Loch Less to photograph its sea monster!

Comments:
Barks based his initial plot on the famous but highly elusive being in the very deep Scottish lake by the name Loch Ness.

 

  WDCS294 Duck Out of Luck - 1965

Synopsis:
Once again, Donald participates in the skaters' fishing race which has been won by Gladstone every year. But this time he stands a good chance...

Comments:
Donald is sometimes seen bathing in nearby lakes during the summertime, but in this wintertime story he crashes through the ice of Lake Pickerel and is forced to fight for his life. This also happened in WDCS066 'The Elusive Fish', in which he nearly drowned in the freezing water.

 

 


http://www.cbarks.dk/THELAKESTORIES.htm   Date 2008-02-17