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PO Box 177
Empire, MI 49630-0177
November 2002
2002/2003 V13, No. 3
Membership Audit ...
Organizations are usually able to keep up-to-
date membership records by recording dues payments.
Since SMMS membership is free, the task is more of a
challenge for us.
The South Manitou Memorial Society needs to
hear from you. At this point the Board needs to know
what the extent of the actively interested membership
is. Can you take a moment right now to reaffirm your
interest by returning the enclosed card, using the online
form, or calling the following toll-free number?
877-842-7658
... and A Call for Comments!
People once lived on South Manitou. For a 100-
years, loggers, immigrant farmers, light-keepers and
seamen called the place “home”. Children were born
there. Old folks died. There were moments of great
personal happiness and pride, and times of devastating
tragedy and shame.
But things change. By the early 1950’s, it was
mostly all over. Life on the Island had become extremely
hard and lonely. One by one, the farms shut down. The
Coast Guard left. The Post Office closed. There was
little reason to remain, and most didn’t. As the Island’s
human history ended, its natural history resurged as the
predominant development force.
Thirty-five
years passed. Then a
small group of Island
natives and former
summer residents made
a pact; they decided it
would be nice to get
together once a year at
mid-summer to renew acquaintances and reminisce
about the “good old days” on South Manitou. Some had
relatives buried on the Island and were abashed by the
neglect. Gravesites had fallen into shameful states of
disrepair. Indeed, many were lost in the weeds. The
group dedicated itself to recovering the Island’s
cemeteries and outlying burial places, and seeing to their
decent future maintenance. Each year thereafter they met
at Empire and on the Island. Those who were able lent a
hand, while others gave of their treasures, and in time
the burial places were restored as decent memorials and
final resting places for their honored dead.
Within a few years, the South Manitou
Memorial Society had
materially accomplished
its mission.
Today, many of
those who were most
invested in that mission
have themselves been lost
to the inexorable passage
of time. Mortality is a fact of human life. Moreover, we
mortals are apt to remember our ancestors only through
two generations, then our dead abide only as names on
tombstones, their graves unadorned by flowers and their
rest undisturbed by visitors.
As a consequence of these realities, our original
purposes have grown increasing irrelevant to a broader
segment of our membership, and we have experienced a
natural drift towards expanding our mission to include
the preservation and interpretation of the Island’s human
history and cultural heritage.
Perhaps because the change occurred gradually
and not really by design, this new agenda was never
actually articulated, debated, officially adopted or
otherwise recognized as a watershed in the life of the
organization. At some point we found ourselves
Dedicated to the preservation of our history in order that we may
Pass the light of our symbol to the future generation.
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struggling with questions about who we are and what we
are up to, and hard pressed to come up with any
definitive answers. Some therefore find themselves stuck
in the old paradigm with nothing to do, since it no longer
affords many opportunities to be meaningfully involved.
Others are interested in embracing the new agenda, but
are unable to enlist the full-fledged moral and financial
support of the membership, without which their ideas
and proposals are soon frustrated.
At this point, the Society probably serves the
interests of those who enjoy an opportunity to get
together once a
year for a brief
moment of
camaraderie and
remembrance.
Unfortunately,
the minimal
attendance at this
year’s events suggests this limited agenda will not be
sufficient to permit its continuation as a meaningful and
financially viable entity.
The possibility of our formal dissolution
therefore arises. In that case, our by-laws provide that all
of the assets of the Corporation be dedicated to the
purchase and erection of a memorial honoring the former
inhabitants of South Manitou Island, with any remainder
given to the Park Service or another relevant non-profit
organization. In other words, we would buy a $40,000
statue ... probably for the Island’s Main Cemetery ...
then forever close our doors. This would be a
fundamentally legitimate choice.
The alternative would seem to be to adopt and
pursue a new agenda focused on a more aggressive
advocacy for South Manitou Island as a part of the
Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, according to the
purposes originally envisaged for the park, and in
recognition of today’s rapidly expanding need for
retreats and recreational resources.
The reality is that the National Park Service and
other groups would doubtless meet such an agenda with
staunch and powerful opposition. That has traditionally
been the case. The significance of achievement and
accomplishments would be a function of the Society’s
ability to apply the persuasive power of money and
influence. This is also a reality of dealing with large-
scale public entities. To succeed in this vein, we would
therefore need to recruit a much larger membership,
achieve the involvement of influential and distinguished
individuals, and develop highly successful fund-raising
strategies. A challenging undertaking, to be sure!
So where do you stand? Is it time to fold up our
tent, or roll up our sleeves? Are you willing to
participate aggressively in a new agenda ... or support it
financially? Is there a middle ground? Do you have
opinions to share? Do you care one way or another?
Your feedback is important. While no action can
be taken on such matters without a vote of the general
membership, comments delivered in this mode are
certain to have an impact upon the ultimate decision-
making process.
As you reaffirm your interest in SMMS
membership, use the opportunity to also make your
thinking about the future of the organization known.
Authors – Copyright Holders
If you have ever published a book, have an
unpublished work, or are the custodian of a copyright for
a book about South Manitou, may we convert your work
to an eBook?
eBooks are downloadable versions of paper
books. They look just like conventional books, but exist
in digital form on the Internet and in computer
memories. Free book-reader software permits users to
read or print the book, and even have it read aloud to
them by the computer! eBooks can
also be read on certain personal
digital devices, such as the popular
PalmPilot.
The conversion will be done
by an SMMS volunteer editors at no
charge to you or the organization.
Your book will be offered for sale as
a fund-raising item, and delivered
immediately by electronic transfer from the SMMS Web
site.
For more information and to see what eBooks
are all about, visit www.southmanitou.org/ebooks/.
SMMS Newsletter Archive
Previous issues of the SMMS Newsletter are now
available on the Web site. The newsletters have been
converted to HTML for quick downloading, and can
therefore be viewed using any Web browser. If you’re
new to the Society, you can learn all about our history and
past activities by browsing through this collection. Old
timers will appreciate the opportunity to review and
reminisce. This searchable archive contains unique essays
about the Island’s natural and human history and cultural
traditions, and is therefore a great resource for writers and
genealogical researchers!
The archive contains all but the original two
issues (prior to 1990) of the newsletter, which have
apparently been forever lost? (Got ‘em? Call 877-842-
7658.) See www.southmanitou.org/newsletters/
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Synopsis of Minutes ...
July 2002 Meeting
Our annual meeting was held at the Township
Hall in Empire, Michigan on July 27, 2002. President
Don Morris called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m.
Approximately thirty-two members attended.
Secretary Joni Carlson provided the official
minutes of the 2001 meeting. A motion to accept the
minutes as presented was offered, seconded and passed
by the members present.
Treasurer Joe Orbeck provided a report on the
Society’s financial situation as of June 30, 2002.
Acceptance of his report was moved, seconded and
passed.
Don Morris presented an update on the SLBE
General Management Plan Alternatives, focusing on
where the process was at, and the formulation of a
response from SMMS. A discussion of issues affecting
South Manitou Island ensued, including concerns about
the wilderness designation, roads and trails, preservation
of farms and island dwellings, the cemetery and access
to the western dunes.
Kathy Bietau offered an update on the outlying
gravesite project. Visiting to the sites in June, volunteers
found that poison ivy and encroaching vegetation
prevented their being located and marked. An
environmental assessment might be necessary to clear
paths to these sites. That document would need to be
written by the National Park before our group could
volunteer to clear and mark these paths.
The new SMMS brochure and Web site were
introduced. The Web address is www.southmanitou.org.
Locations where the brochure is, and could be
distributed were discussed.
The membership was alerted to presently vacant
volunteer positions and opportunities. The vacant
positions are Newsletter Editor and Picnic Organizer. An
upcoming volunteer opportunity involves painting the
interior of the South Manitou Island Schoolhouse.
The meeting ended with an announcement
regarding the Island Outing planned for the next day,
being officially adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
Synopsis by Kathy Bietau
Complementary Copies
Know someone who might find the SMMS Newsletter
interesting? Send their name and address to PO Box 177 or
editor@southmanitou.org and we’ll mail a copy of the latest
issue with your complements (or anonymously, if you wish.)
GMP Sinks in Protest Storm
Summer of 2002 turned out to be unexpectedly
stormy for SLBE officials, and their preliminary 20-year
general management “plan” finally foundered and sunk
in early October.
The plan in question was prepared under the
stewardship of then Superintendent Ivan Miller. It was
first published and distributed in the fall of 1999, as a set
of preliminary working proposals designed to engender
public debate and comment, as required by law and park
policy. The published document was rather highly
polished and very nicely packaged; perhaps that was its
Achilles heel … it didn’t look very “preliminary”.
Most recipients focused on the word “plan”
rather than “preliminary” and “alternatives”. Few liked
anything they saw, and storms of protest quickly began
to gather. Before it was all over, county governments,
state agencies and executives, congressmen, newspapers,
a broad array of non-profit organizations, and hundreds
of individuals were writing letters, voting resolutions,
publishing articles and making phone calls.
Finally, Congressmen Dave Camp (R-Midland),
Peter Hoekstra (R-Holland) and Lt. Governor Dick
Posthumus ganged up on Dan Smith at the NPS and
Craig Manson at the Department of Interior. The
response of the Federal officials was, “It has been
determined that the best course of action at this time is to
withdraw the plan and cease (GMP) development
processes for an undetermined amount of time.”
This came as a surprise to local park officials,
who apparently had no warning that their bosses in
Washington were about to trash their work. At that
moment, new Superintendant Dusty Shultz had no
comment other than, "We'll just wait until we get some
direction from the Department of Interior."
In a subsequent note, Ms Shultz wrote about the
nature of the NPS planning process, and assured, “Three
things specifically stay in the forefront of our minds:
You care deeply for the rich heritage and resources of
this area …
You are fiercely dedicated to ensuring that these
precious resources are available for the enjoyment of
all people, regardless of age or disability …
You project the strongest sense of community in the
preservation and protection of the resources so that
you, your grandchildren and your great grandchildren
can all share in the memorable experiences of this
special place.
We also share your love of this national
treasure.” (For the full text of the note, please see
Meanwhile, the “plan” has disappeared from the
“NPS Planning Website”.
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Treasurer’s Report ...
TREASURY REPORT
South Manitou Memorial Society
September 30, 2002
ASSETS
9-30-02
Glenn Furst Memorial Fund
$ 10,000.00
Jack Phillips Memorial Fund C.D.
1,783.72
Huntington C.D.
15,035.65
Huntington Money Market Account
8,155.10
Empire National Bank Checking Account
1,697.78
TOTAL ASSETS
$ 36,672.35
Submitted by Joe Orbeck - Memorial Society Treasurer
Newly-formed Organization ...
Citizens for Access to the Lakeshore
There’s a new kid on the block! As a response to
the Lakeshore’s General Management Plan Alternatives,
and recognizing a need to bring the various existing
advocacy organizations together in at least a loose
coalition, Citizens for Access to the Lakeshore (“CAL”
for short) was officially formed July 31st.
Headquartered in Beulah, the new group played
an important role in convincing the Department of
Interior that it was time for NPS to begin “Reviewing the
Situation”. While personally visiting elected state and
federal officials, the group aggressively challenged the
legality of the wilderness emphasis that, in its view, has
wrongly influenced NPS decision-making over the
years.
Want to know more? A copy of the current CAL
Newsletter is available for your inspection on our Web
site (with permission); find it at ...
At the moment you can add your name to the list
of CAL members by sending $15.00 (annual dues for a
family membership) to P.O. Box 96 Beulah, MI 49617.
Dee & Harvey Rocheleau,
SMMS Volunteers, roll up their
sleeves on the Island!
Dee and Harvey Rocheleau, SMMS Members,
volunteered their time on South Manitou Island for four
days following our Annual Island Outing this year.
After painting the porch
on the Marie and Mike Smith
house in the village, they built a
10-foot extension to complete the
cemetery
front-
facing
fence at the Main Cemetery,
then cleared weeds from around
the cemetery perimeter fence
and around the trees inside.
Meanwhile, the camera also found NPS
maintenance personnel beginning demolition work at the
historic SMI schoolhouse, in preparation of a complete
interior restoration. But wait ...!
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
It’s not too late. It’s never too late. Think about
helping out with the newsletter! Contributors are always
needed, or as the “Editor” you can take charge of its
composition and coordinate the production and mailing
activities. If publishing isn’t your cup-of-tea, how about
“fun”! Become part of the planning and coordination for
the SMMS annual picnic, meeting and Island outing.
Write Box 177, or use the form on southmanitou.org.
... what’s that THING in
the corner ... an indoor
PRIVY?? (That’s not
“native”.)
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From the Park Service ...
Windows Restored and Flammable
Storage Building Returned to the
Lighthouse Complex
The South Manitou Island Lighthouse, Dwelling,
and Fog Whistle Building have a new look. Gone are the
plywood shutters that have covered the windows for years,
thanks to funds awarded to the park for window repair and
reinstallation.
The first step was to remove all windows from
these structures and have the broken windows and missing
panes replaced. The windows were removed from the
island before the 2001 winter. A local contractor spent the
winter re-glazing the windows, and the park began
reinstallation in May 2002. The tower windows were the
first to be installed so that summer tours would not be
impacted. The remaining windows were reinstalled in
August and September before the island closed for the
2002 winter months.
The plan is to keep shutters off the windows
above the ground level to provide light into the structure
and provide some natural ventilation, as long as they
remain in place and unimpaired.
Those of you who have not ventured to South
Manitou and since September will be surprised to see a
welcome addition to the Lighthouse Complex ... and
something missing from behind the U.S. Life-Saving
Service Dwelling. Thanks to volunteer efforts by Link
Construction of Twin Lake, Michigan, the round and
metal Flammable Storage Building is again on its original
site between the Lighthouse and the Fog Whistle Building.
The park and visitors have both been anticipating
when the metal Flammable
Storage Building would be
returned to its original
location. Last year the park
maintenance and cultural
resource office set out to
see if anything remained of
the original foundation.
Upon looking at historic
photographs and surveying
the site, it was discovered
that a large shrub and a
mound of sand were
covering the original
foundation. After removing
the shrub and sand, we
discovered a brick lined
concrete pad outlining where the building once stood.
Park mason Bill Love, with assistance from Shon
Davis and Michigan Works students from Benzie County,
repaired the pad so it could again support the structure.
The site was made ready for Link Construction to relocate
the structure the weekend after Labor Day. Moving the
shelves and building to the site was the easy part ...
especially after discovering the correct center of gravity
and balancing the right amount of weights on the island
tractors being used. The hard part was positioning the
structure on top of the original foundation with precisely
the exact placement. It needed to be properly aligned with
the sidewalk, with the door opening and rings on the pad
properly positioned with respect to the interior shelves.
All of this was compounded by the fact that our equipment
was operating on a very sandy and sloping site. Although
we had originally estimated the work would take only a
few hours, we found that it took a full day to perfect and
complete each step!
How to get the seven-foot tall, five-foot diameter
shelf back inside the interior of the round building was a
discussion that consumed most of the weekend. Could the
structure be raised over the top and down around? No, the
tractors were not suitable for this type of maneuver. Could
the structure be tilted and the shelves inserted from the
bottom. No, again the tractors and equipment on the island
were not suitable. The solution was to dismantle the
shelves by removing their rusting rivets, then reassemble
them inside the structure, as had been done so long ago,
but this time using threaded fasteners instead of rivets.
After three days of long hours and hard work, it
was finally time to leave the island. The sight of the
complex from the boat upon leaving the island was
incredible. We wondered all weekend if the results would
ultimately justify all the extra effort that we had expended.
The answer is definitely "Yes!" The lighthouse scene now
seems much more complete. It was not apparent that
something was missing until it was returned to the site.
The structure fills a void in the landscape that was hardly
noticeable until the building was returned. Then the hole
had been there was readily apparent.
As I now look at all the postcards and
photographs of the lighthouse, I see the obvious hole on
the landscape in scenes missing a crucial part of the
lighthouse’s history. I then realize that all these are now
obsolete, and wonder how soon someone will capture
the image that will next become the standard snapshot in
people's minds.
I was present to see this change, as someone else
was present as the structure was originally constructed ...
and then again when it was rolled to the village and set
behind the Coast Guard Station.
The little Flammable Storage Building has now
come full circle, and so has its story.
Kimberly Mann
SLBE Park Historic Architect
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A Little Boy’s Remembrance
I was conceived on South Manitou Island on a snowy
Sunday, New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1939. I guessed this
late in life ... my surmise arising from the fact of my birth date:
September 23, 1940.
I suppose there wasn’t much more for a young couple
to do on the Island on a Sunday, so perhaps I was just a product
of boredom. However, I like to think that I happened as the
culmination of a somewhat obstreperous New Year’s Eve party.
My dad would have thought that an ideal way to get a New Year
off to a good start.
This could, of course, be just a crass conjecture. Yet,
Dad’s side of the family, at least those on the Island, always
seemed to be up for a good time when a holiday came around.
They weren’t the kind of people who’d be interested in spending
a quiet New Year’s Eve at home reading a book or listening to
the radio. His great-uncle Bill (Haas) is reputed to have been
one of the Island’s foremost bootleggers, always having a ready
supply of hard apple cider (and a secreted stash of “white
lightning”.) I imagine the party would have been held at Dad’s
grandfather’s farm, since bachelor-farmer Uncle Bill also had a
reputation for crudity and his place was apparently somewhat
“rustic”. Conversely, I remember Great-Grandma and Grandpa
(Henry and Maggie) Haas as congenial people, who always
seemed happy to see visitors approaching, and whose premises
were always found neat and orderly. Even the privy was nicely
painted in white and shades of gray ... a “three-holer”, with
accommodations specially sized for men, women and children.
Under those circumstances, at the time of my
conception my dad would most likely have been “tight”. During
the time that I knew him, “the hard stuff” always made him ill,
rapidly rendering him unconscious. Thus, he usually avoided it.
He compensated for that character flaw by consuming beer
voraciously. Whenever anyone came to visit, he would
immediately fetch a couple of beers, never bothering his guest
with a choice. Growing up on the Island had apparently taught
him that such a question was superfluous, possibly even
inhospitable. Moreover, whenever he went visiting, it was
always with a “six-pack” or two under his arm. He was always
true to his Island heritage in this respect.
My mother, on the other hand, did not drink ... at least
that was her official position. She would often claim, “I don’t
have to drink to have fun!” (But she had more fun when she
did.) On occasions such as New Years Eve, she might agree to a
“highball” (or two.) She originally came to the Island as a
schoolteacher, so on that night some might have expected that
sort of propriety, although she was no longer employed in that
capacity. In fact, she had inherited a somewhat puritanical
attitude from her mother, a strict German Evangelical Lutheran.
By her straight-laced behavior, she was naturally suited to her
role as schoolteacher, and some fifteen years later she would
return to college, earn a degree, and eventually retire after some
twenty years in that profession.
In the years that followed, even after I was married
with children of my own, my mother seemed to particularly
enjoy sitting with me as the clock stuck midnight on the last day
of each year. I had the sense that was important to both of us for
reasons neither of us understood. It became a ritual. I suspect
that might have been a “sentimental journey” for her ... back to
better, simpler times ... when she was still in love and living on
the beautiful South Manitou in the midst of so many interesting
and congenial kinfolk and neighbors.
Unfortunately, our tenure as a next-generation Island
family abruptly ended only a few months after my birth.
German belligerence towards U.S. shipping grew
rapidly following the passage of the provocative Lend-Lease
Act in March of 1941, and our involvement in World War II
escalated accordingly. That same month, 10 of our best Coast
Guard cutters were transferred on Lend-Lease to Great Britain
for duty in the North Sea. Late in May, President Roosevelt
declared an unlimited state of national emergency. A few days
after that, four large ships were re-commissioned as transport
vessels to be used in ferrying British and Canadian troops from
Canada to Africa, India and China. In June, the President signed
an executive order ordering some 2,100 Coast Guard officers
and men to crew these four transports and to serve in supporting
ships. Most of those assigned to the latter were surfmen from
Great Lakes lifeboat stations They were called to serve in the
landing craft carried by the larger vessels and to instruct others
in their use. Unfortunately, the “Winds of War” had reached the
Manitou Passage, and I became a “war orphan”.
My dad (“Lon” in Crowner’s book) had joined the
Coast Guard on the Island on his 17th birthday, in October of
1927. He served on South Manitou, and at the Lifeboat Station
at Sleeping Bear. Up to that point, he had probably never been
more than a few miles away from home. In the spring of 1941,
he and most other local surfmen were called as part of the
special 2,100-man Coast Guard contingent, leaving the local
stations with only a skeleton crew. He was later transferred to
convoy escort duty in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, aboard a
Coast Guard-operated destroyer escort, “USS Savidge (DE-
386). Although he did come back on furlough once or twice, I
don’t remember ever laying eyes on my father until he returned
after the end of the war, in the summer of 1946. I was going on
six-years old.
When he was called for sea duty, Dad insisted on
moving his family from South Manitou Island to Grand Haven.
I’m not sure why. Maybe it was because his sister Lenore lived
there, and would be able to keep an eye on us. His Uncle
Harrison (Haas), another island boy, had also been the Chief at
the Coast Guard’s Grand Haven Lifeboat Station, so it was an
area he was familiar with. On the other hand, it might have been
to keep us away from my mother’s side of the family, the
Kelderhouses, who lived on the mainland at Port Oneida and
Glen Arbor.
But our hearts were not in Grand Haven. After a short
sojourn, my mother, against my father’s wishes and much to his
ire, moved us back “up north” ... to a little house at 623 West 8th
Street in Traverse City.
Back when my mother was hired to teach in the
Island’s little one-room schoolhouse, she boarded in the home
of the School Board’s President, August Warner. She developed
a very close relationship with August and Rosie Warner even
before it became obvious that they would become her future in-
laws. During the time we lived in Traverse, she took us over to
the Island as often as she could find a reason for going. Late in
1944, she found herself carrying a third child, who would be
born early in the next summer. As soon as school was out in
June, she took us over to the Island for what would prove to be
our last visit. My sister and I lived with our grandparents on the
Island for the rest of that summer.
“I remember ...?” Much to my dismay, I am not able to
remember much of anything about the Island. When does a little
boy’s memory begin?
7
I do remember being carsick and seasick. When we would go to
the Island, my Aunt Florence (Egler) would drive
Welcome New Members!
Since our last Newsletter, we’ve had the privilege
of welcoming these new members ..
Amy & Daniel Engler
with children Alexandria & Daniel
Muskegon, MI
Dawn Frees
Wayland, MI
Sarah & Timothy Pham
with daughter Emilia
Mountain View, CA
Here’s another “Welcome!” from the newsletter
staff ... and a reminder to set aside the last weekend in
July 2003 for a trip to Empire and the Island. Your fellow
members are eager to become your friends.
For everyone else, remember to encourage your
friends and family members to join. SMMS welcomes
anyone with a special interest or other connection to the
Island. A one-time $10 donation secures a lifetime
personal or family membership, and sign-up is now easier
than ever using our online forms!
Contributions & Gifts
Your contributions and other gifts fund SMMS
projects and activities. Contributions can be made any
time, in any amount, and as often as you like. Pay online
using your check or credit card, or you may mail your
check or money order to PO Box 177 in Empire.
Membership Contributions provide a way for
you to support the work of the society voluntarily, since
SMMS does not assess annual dues.
Memorial Gifts are a thoughtful way of
expressing sympathy on the loss of a loved on, friend or
colleague who, during their lifetime, was somehow
connected with South Manitou Island, or the Society.
Your gift will be promptly acknowledged with cards
mailed to you and a third party you may designate ...
usually the deceased’s most immediate survivor. The
amount of the gift is never indicated in the
acknowledgment.
Testamentary Gifts (leaving money or assets to
SMMS in your will) help to assure that future generations
will benefit from your support of the Society. Your
financial advisor can help you to determine the best plan
for you.
The South Manitou Memorial Society Newsletter © 2002. Vol.12. No.3.
The deadline for the next issue is Feb 15, 2003. Please send your material to
Editor, SMMS Newsletter, PO Box 177, Empire, MI 49630-0177. Membership in
the Society is open to all. Please visit ...
South Manitou Memorial Society
PO Box 177
Empire MI 49630-0177
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