Photo: Gwen Glatz
Photo: Bill & Jayne Payne
2005 Season In Review
This season marked our 35th year as an annual reunion of
former islanders, and or 17th year as a formally chartered
nonprofit organization.
The reunion is as old as the
Lakeshore itself. The whole idea in
the beginning was to bring former
islanders together once each year, to
renew acquaintances, nourish long-
time friendships and keep in touch
with shirttail relatives (almost
everyone was related in some way.)
Seventeen years went by, during
which the Lakeshore bought up most
of the property on the islands.
Although the main cemetery on
South Manitou was officially still
owned by Glen Arbor Township,
nobody had been caring for the
place, and the years had taken their toll. The fence was down,
and nature was encroaching, with junipers, sumacs and young
maples rapidly reclaiming the property. At that point, the
reunion group decided to take on the project of perpetually
caring for the cemetery where so many of their relatives lay
buried. This was our first cooperative venture with the
Lakeshore, which then took title to the property. In 1989 we
voted to organize more formally as a nonprofit “South Manitou
Cemetery Association”.
Born about the same time as the National Lakeshore, many of
our original members, if not all, were caught up in the trials and
tribulations that attended the creation of the Park, and the
acquisition of property that had been held in some families
since originally homesteaded by their immigrant ancestors. It is
no secret that our relations with the Park were initially
somewhat strained.
But time heals all wounds, and over the intervening years
attitudes adjusted, on both sides. We’ve grown in numbers, and
as our mission broadened we became the “South Manitou
Memorial Society”, then the “Manitou Islands Memorial
Society”. We’re now best described as a special “Friends of the
Park” group; one with a particular focus ... the Lakeshore’s
“Islands Unit”. Meanwhile, the National Park Service in
general, and the Lakeshore in particular, has developed a very
felicitous spirit towards working with partners. This season’s
success is a testament to what can be accomplished when
everyone’s hearts are in the right place.
In celebration of that spirit, here’s a summary of this year’s
activities and accomplishments ...
South Manitou Island Schoolhouse
Preservation Project
This was our most ambitious undertaking for the season. Built
in 1899, the homely little schoolhouse served island families
for over a half century, not only educating their children, but
also as a gathering place for meetings and social activities. It is
one of South Manitou’s most enduring landmarks. Like most
other structures on the island, it had seriously deteriorated from
abandonment. After taking over the island, the Lakeshore saved
the structure from further damage through stabilization
projects, and NPS volunteers did what they could from time to
time to improve its appearance.
In a cooperative effort, the Memorial Society teamed up with
the Lakeshore to finally restore to schoolhouse over the 2005
and 2006 seasons. The Memorial Society is funding the project
and providing volunteer teams, while the Lakeshore is
providing transportation, housing, technical direction and
logistical support. The plan is to bring the place back to the
condition is was in at the time of its closing, in the 1930’s.
Interpretive displays will be added, with the hope of opening
this place as a featured attraction on island motor tours.
Gwen Glatz, long-time MIMS member and former NPS “VIP”
(Volunteers in Parks), organized and headed up three separate
workshops in late June, July and August, involving some
twenty volunteers. These groups have succeeded in removing
all of the remaining plaster and lathe and replacing it with new
wallboard, repairing rotted sections in the hardwood floor,
repairing chimney stack fittings, and generally cleaning and
organizing the interior of the building. They’re well on their
way to accomplishing the goal of completing the project by the
close of the 2006 season!
Manitou Islands
Memorial Society
V16 No 3 Newsletter Fall/Winter2005
Photo: PHSB
Cemetery Maintenance Projects
Ever true to our original founders’ agenda, MIMS volunteers
completed several cemetery-related projects. Two new crosses
were erected on unmarked graves in North Manitou’s
cemetery. Routine maintenance was accomplished at the main
cemetery on South, and two new headstones were place on
legendary “Unknown” graves near its main entrance (see photo
on page 1).
The little cemetery near South Manitou’s old dock was also
spruced up, and MIMS volunteers helped install new staves,
which were custom-made by the Lakeshore, in the antique
fences surrounding some of the burial sites.
Haas Shanty Restoration
The picturesque, but dilapidated, structure behind the Harrison
Haas house (Jenks/Hughes cottage), has been completely
restored. The original purpose of the little building, which
appeared to be two separate shanties that were merged at some
time or another, remains a mystery.
Material for this project was provided from one of the
Lakeshore’s CCC forests, specially milled by Dan Zezulka
of Karlin (near Interlochen), then transported to the island
aboard the Namaha, the Lakeshore’s 41-foot Munson landing
craft. The Memorial Society granted the funds to pay for the
milling and provided volunteers to help with the project.
Four-Way “Partnership” Restores the Conrad Hutzler
Chicken Coop and Clears Landscapes
The Michigan Historical Center, the Lakeshore, Preserve
Historic Sleeping Bear and MIMS joined forces to accomplish
some much-needed work on South Manitou Island. PHSB
received an $8,000 preservation-interpretation award from
MHC in April. The 50% match was provided, in part, by
$3,400 from the Memorial Society, making a total of $12,000
available to these island projects. The work was accomplished
by PHSB staff and
volunteers, with the
Lakeshore supervising,
providing logistical
support and furnishing
equipment.
The chicken coop on the
Conrad Hutzler farm had
pretty much “had it”.
There really wasn’t much
to work with. The
structure was unsound, many of the boards that had been part
of it lay on the ground, buried in the overgrowth; its prospects
were “discouraging”, at best. Undaunted, PHSB arrived with
blueprints in hand, cleared several years of encroaching
vegetation, and in a single weekend restored the building to its
former glory.
At the same time, others
were laboring to recover
old farm fields,
or“agricultural
landscapes”, in the farm
loop, and along the route
to the Theodore Beck
farmstead, better known
to some as “The Lodge”.
Perhaps Mother Nature sometimes doesn’t like to be messed
with. PHSB Project Coordinator Michael Matts reports that she
awarded liberal doses of poison ivy, all due protective
precautions notwithstanding.
Annual Reunion/Meeting & Island Excursion
The “high point” of our season happens each year on the last
weekend in July. Participation in this year’s reunion and annual
meeting was reminiscent of “the old days”, with some seventy-
nine people in attendance, the best turn-out in many years.
The reunion provides an opportunity for everyone to renew old
acquaintances, and make new friends. Members brought
collections of photographs and other memorabilia to share,
Manitou Islands Memorial Society Page 2
Photo: Bill & Jayne Payne
Photo: Bill & Jayne Payne
Photo: PHSB
Photo: MIMS
Photo: MIMS
Photo: MIMS
Photo: MIMS
Photo: Bill & Jayne Payne
and Barbara Seipker, Laura Quackenbush, and members of the
Leelanau Historical Society, were on hand to scan those items
and convert them to
digital form. Some
may be featured in
one of Barbara’s new
books. A large
collection was also
donated to LHS to be
come part of the
permanent collection.
(LHS is our official
“collection agent”.)
Shown here are the
most senior members
who came to this
year’s gathering.
Highlights of the annual meeting included two special
presentations ... to this year’s winner of the Gerald E Crowner
Memorial Scholarship,
Molly Maxbauer, and a
Special Achievement
award to Christopher Ek
for hias hand-made model
of the South Manitou
Island Lighthouse.
Molly’s essay, which
appeared in the
“Summer” issue, told
about the importance of
the Manitou Passage in
Great Lakes maritime
history. Chris’s model of
the lighthouse, originally
begun as a school project,
was brought to our
attention by his
Grandmother, Suzanne
Hughes. It is now on
display in the Island’s
Visitor Center.
Notable at this year’s
events was the presence
of all ages, sometimes
representing three and
four generations in the
same family! Every sixth person at the Empire events was a
child or teenager, and the number of youthful participants on
the island the following day was even greater. Most took home
a special souvenir ... a specially monogrammed wooden
whistle, handmade especially for this occasion and donated by
Leon Kelderhouse, a genuine “son of Port Oneida”.
The annual South Manitou Island Excursion drew a record-
breaking crowd this year, with fifty-eight people coming along
for the ride. This year’s crossing was the roughest ever! There
were lots of ashen faces, and the Mishe Mokwa’s crew was kept
busy passing out baggies. (The transparent bags were a big hit
with some of the kids!)
Once back on solid ground, stomachs soon settled as everyone
enjoyed a catered picnic lunch on the lawns around the old
Coast Guard Lifesaving Station. The entourage then repaired to
the island’s main cemetery for the annual “All Saints”
memorial service. This year the bell rang for ...
Mark Cross
Warren McFerran
Edward Riker
Esther Riker
Robert J Roy
Adm. Willard D Smith
Harriet Smith
Participating in this years observance were Rev Kirby D Smith,
of Lansing’s Westminster Presbyterian Church, Gwen Glatz of
Muskegon, who played traditional hymns, bell-ringers Matt
and Philip Champion of Kalamazoo, and Patty Kelly of Holt,
who read an excerpt from John Donnes centuries old
meditation Devotions upon Emergent Occasions (“And
therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls
for thee.").
Free motor tours were provided again this
year, taking visitors around the farm loop,
and to the schoolhouse where everyone
was invited to inspect the progress
our”Blue Shirts” had made during the
June and July workshops. Even with much
work left to be done at that point, the
place hadn’t looked as good for many
years ... clean and neatly organized, and
clearly on the way to “bigger and better
things”!
As a special treat, the Lakeshore opened
the freshly re-pointed and repainted
lighthouse for the first time this season.
Narrated tours to the top of the tower’s
117 steps were provided by MIMS members and professional
NPS VIP’s Patty Kelly and Lynette Holloway.
Manitou Islands Memorial Society Page 3
Photo: Paul Rocheleau
Photo: MIMS
Photo: Paul Rocheleau
Stabilization of the Theodore Beck Farmhouse
(also known as “The Lodge”)
Of all the remaining structures on South Manitou, “The Lodge”
(see also the article on the last page) is one of the most
sentimental favorites. Some say this particular venue offers the
finest scenic vista on the Manitou Passage. The farmhouse,
built in the
1870’s, was
originally the
home of
Theodore and
Alvina Beck,
who operated a
very productive
farm at the site.
He died in 1910;
she continued to
operate the farm
on her own until
her death over
thirty years later. In 1947 place was purchased by J Lee Barrett
of Detroit, with the intention of turning it into a resort. He
converted the old farmhouse into a residence for his guests.
Hence the name “the Lodge”.
As our final project for the season, Paul and Mike Rocheleau
assembled a team of skilled tradesmen, rounded up an
assortment of mostly donated materials, and spent a weekend
intensively working to again stabilize this structure.
Port Oneida Fair
In our second
season, the theme of
our exhibit, “Old
Time Pastimes”,
proved to be a hit for
both young and old.
The simple barnyard
game Ash Can Ball
seemed especially
intriguing to “boys”
of college age and
up, who evidently
expect challenges to come in much more “hi-tech” packages.
Lynn Roe offered doll-making/repairing demonstrations,
featuring the classic Raggedy Ann and Andy, which proved
an interesting draw for boys and girls alike. An assortment of
other games, “brain teasers” and activities were also featured.
The annual Port Oneida Fair, billed as “A Celebration of Rural
Culture and Arts” and now going into its fifth year, has proven
to be one of the Lakeshore’s great success stories. It’s free and
great family entertainment for a warm August afternoon in the
country.
The Memorial Society has been invited to participate as one of
the official “partners” for the 2006 edition, which involves
assisting with the tasks of organizing and promoting the event,
an overture the Board has proudly accepted
“Thank You” Manitou Island Transit
The generosity and willing support of Manitou Island Transit ...
Mike Grosvenor, Michael and Sarah Grosvenor, and Jimmy
and Megan Muñoz ... figured into almost every one of the
above projects and events.
For the better part of the season, the Lakeshore’s “landing
craft” vessel was out of commission with an obstinate and
difficult fuel injection problem, so the necessity of transporting
materials and supplies to the island on schedule was always a
perplexing uncertainty. MIT went way beyond the call in
accepting deliveries of materials, allowing shipments to be
staged at their dock, and transporting them without charge
aboard the Mishe Mokwa along with our volunteers. Moreover,
our volunteers were permitted the use of MIT’s trucks to
transport materials and supplies on the island, MIT being
reluctant to accept even a “thank you”, let alone reimbursement
for the fuel used.
These friends were also very generous in helping make the
annual island excursion a big success, by assisting with parking
in Leland and permitting the use of their “dune buggy” fleet on
the island at very reasonable rates. The Grosvenors are long-
time Memorial Society members, and we are indeed fortunate
to have their continuing support. 
“Thank You” from Molly Maxbauer
Manitou Islands Memorial Society Page 4
Dear Members,
I would like to thank you all for
the wonderful scholarship you have
generously made possible for me.
As I embark on my college journey
in Minnesota, I will always have a special
place in my heart for Northern Michigan,
more so now because of the wonderful
history you all have shared with me.
Thank you again for your
generosity.
Sincerely
Molly Maxbauer
Name the Newsletter
The newsletter has never had a name other than “Newsletter”.
The first issue was published over 16-years ago, on July 1,
1989. It took the form of personal letters, one written by Glenn
Furst followed by another from Johanna DeKok. Glenn, who
was our first President, talked about having spent the previous
fifteen years doing what he could to preserve island burial sites,
then finally tackling the island’s main cemetery:
The cemetery had to be cleaned up. Trees 6" in diameter, juniper
bushes, and Sumac 6' - 8' in height were growing everywhere. With
a bulldozer, and a chainsaw, a 7 person work party, consisting of
the Taylor family, Leslie Furst, N.P.S. Ranger, Pete LaValley,
George Hutzler and myself, worked for a period of three days.
Later, Fred Burdick organized a Youth Conservation Corps
(Y.C.C.) group, sponsored by the N.P.S., to fill in sunken graves and
make other improvements. The one acre plot once again looked like
a cemetery.
Johanna, who was the Secretary/Treasurer, wrote about the
progress being made in organizing the newly formed
corporation, and its promise for the future:
The people who are buried on the Island have a story to tell, a story
which must be preserved and retold. Some have toiled the Island's
soil; other Islander's have lost their lives in the line of duty; some
have otherwise contributed to the history of South Manitou Island.
All deserve to be remembered, and they deserve to have their graves
cared for.
The second issue, which appeared three and a half months later,
featured an official masthead, specially designed by Glenn’s
son-in-law Anthony Schillizzi ... the one shown above. This
designed served for over fourteen years, until March 2004,
when the South Manitou Memorial Society became the Manitou
Islands Memorial Society.
Tony simply called the publication the “Newsletter”. That’s
what it has been called since. Is it time for more imagination?
Here are some examples from other area nonprofits:
“LeeMuse” from the Leelanau Historical Society & Museum,
“The Clapboard” from Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear,
“Drifting Sands” from the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, and
“View from the Dunes” from the Lakeshore itself.
Use the enclosed envelope to submit your ideas. The list of
suggestions will be published in the Spring 2006 newsletter,
and simultaneously on the manitouislands.org web site. The
winner will be chosen by online vote, and announced in the
Summer 2006 newsletter, which will be published under that
new banner.
If you’re the winner, you’ll be awarded a handsome plaque at
the next annual meeting. You and your family will also be
invited to come along to South Manitou Island the following
day, complements of the Memorial Society.
Secretary’s Notes ...
The following data is current to November 15, 2005. Our fiscal
year is August 1 through July 31. “Interested Third Parties” are
government officials, NPS staff, other organizations, vendors,
etc. “Receipts” include only funds received by mail and
electronically through our online payment processor. Donated
expenses or contributions that might have been tendered in
some other way might not be included below.
Fiscal Year to date:
New Members:
...........................11
Other Contributions:
....................22
Cash Receipts:
.................
$1,130.50
Database Statistics
Total Members
.........................
418
Member Households..................
282
Removed by Request.....................0
Recently Deceased
.......................0
Interested Third Parties
................52
New Members:
Rick Lahmann
Linda Ann Wolf
Erwin Stammers
Phillip C Schoen
1st Lt Claude & Alissa Lambert
Alma R Dunham
Charles A Hannert
William & Charlotte Boales Jr
Tammy Scott
2005 Volunteer Honor Roll
Successful projects and activities involve a lot of planning and
coordination between all concerned, but the outcome ultimately
depends upon volunteers ... hardy individuals who are willing
to give of their time and treasure to spend a few hours or a long
weekend doing “the heavy lifting”. The accomplishments of
this season’s crews will benefit island visitors for years to
come. They included ...
Manitou Islands Memorial Society Page 5
Damien Allen
Tamera Anderson
Anna DeCoster
Deb Dekker
Camille Garber
Gwen Glatz
John Hardy
Janet Helmer
Jim Hicks
Josie Hicks
Steve Hicks
Lynette Holloway
Steve Hope
Katy Jenks
Peter Jenks
Patty Kelly
Emily Korpi
Lucy Korpi
Carl Luther
Jeff March
Bill Payne
Jayne Payne
Mike Rocheleau
Paul Rocheleau
Sue Rocheleau
Doug Shoemaker
Warren Tuardek
Isaac Wendt
Sarah Wendt
Shawn Williamson
Dan Zezulka
Photo: MIMS
Board Members Visit “the Crib”
The Manitou Islands Memorial Society is studying the
feasibility of signing a historic preservation lease with the
Coast Guard and GSA, as
stewards of the North
Manitou Shoals Light
Station, better known to
most old timers as "the
Crib". On Wednesday,
July 27th, MIMS board
members and guests
accompanied Coast
Guard ATON personnel
to the crib to inspect the
structure. Onboard in addition to MIMS board members were
Joann Papenfuss, representing Sen Debbie Stabenow’s
Traverse City office, Bob Zieman and his crewman from Mihm
Enterprises, a contractor experienced in the restoration or
offshore lighthouses, Rick
Lahman, representing
Leland’s business group,
and definitive lighthouse
expert Terry Pepper. Two
fast boats, one provided
by MIMS member
Richard Riker and the
other by Mihm
Enterprises, made the trip
a rough, but short ride.
To nobody’s surprise, the
crib was found to be
structurally sound, but
otherwise is sad shape. A
colony of cormorants have
made their home here for
several years, and it
shows. However Bob
Zieman judged the
structure to be in better
shape than the DeTour
Reef Light, a project recently completed by Mihms. A “crib
door” on this light will also facilitate boarding materials and
workers, as well as future visitors.
An extensive set of photos, taken during the visit by expert
photographer Terry Pepper can be viewed at
How much will the
restoration project cost?
Probably between one and
two million. Board
members will be attending
a state-sponsored grants
workshop in Traverse on
the 11th of November.
Seeing the South Manitou Light Again?
The South Manitou Island lighthouse was decommissioned in
1958, and has been dark ever since. The Lakeshore has been
entertaining the idea of extensively restoring the historic light
station, and as a “finishing touch”, the Memorial Society is
considering the possibility of restoring the
beacon. That would involve the purchase of
the necessary hardware and registering the
light with the Coast Guard as a private aid
to navigation. The system would be
essentially the same as the fully automated
one on the Crib, except South Manitou’s
would be a stationary steady white signal.
Complicating the initiative: (1) while fully
automated, year-around operation is
preferred by everyone, that presents a big
challenge with respect to the necessary solar panels, and
preserving the light’s scenic integrity, and (2) the government’s
priorities keep shifting the Lakeshore’s $2.1-million project
farther and farther into the future ... to 2013 at the moment.
Thoughts anyone?
Manitou Islands Memorial Society Page 6
Hi Folks,
How nice to know someone is interested in
reviving the "Crib". I lived on her the season of 1966,
the year of the great November storm that broke
down the sea door. I'll never forget that place, nor my
good friend, now deceased, George "Red" Gauthier of
Cedar who was the Chief at the time. I was the
assistant station engineer, Petty Officer Engineman
Third. At the time the USCG was under the Treasury
Department and I was also a Federal Boarding
Officer. 1966 was the year we converted from DC
power to AC, and the good old air fog horn to the
electronic fog horn. So, if you can call it lucky, I saw
and lived in both worlds.
That place was something else I'll tell you, but it
is a big part of my life and memories. They took our
picture the day we departed that spring of 1966 as we
were going out with George Grovsner on his boat "The
Manitou Isle" to open the crib for the season. One of
the last times I was over that way, I talked to several
business owners in the area and most of them had
never even heard of the Crib. I was absolutely
stunned! They didn't even know it was there. I wanted
so much to go out there once more, to be back "home"
for just a while. Maybe I'll have the opportunity yet.
Your organization was recently brought to my
attention when a friend came to visit for the weekend
and brought an article from the August 4 edition of
the Leelanau Enterprise. Thank you all for what you
are doing for the Crib. If there is anything I can do to
help bring your efforts to fruition please let me know.
Sincerely, and May God Bless!
My name is Charlie Hannert
USCG Serial No. 350-812
Photo: MIMS
Photo: MIMS
Photo: MIMS
Dear Friends:
My good friend and brother-in-law, Tom Persing has sent to
me a copy of your newsletter for the summer of 2005 and I’m
gratified in knowing there are people, like yourselves, who put
a value on preserving the past and are willing to make it
happen. I trust the enclosed check and family scrapbook will be
of help. Perhaps the following brief history of my personal
experiences on the Manitou Islands in the 1940’s and later will
be of help in tracing development of the islands during this
period.
After working as the office boy for the Detroit Convention and
Tourist Bureau for two years, 1943 - 1944, I asked J. Lee
Barrett, the executive and center of influence, if I couldn’t find
some summer work activity on a farm or resort, and away from
the city so I could make a meaningful change for the summer.
This was during war time and jobs were easy to get. As it
turned out, his friend, Bill Angel, who owned North Manitou
Island, the Detroit Leland Hotel and other important properties
was open to hiring summer help for the cherry harvest on the
island during that period. I was a city boy turned farmer
overnight!
There were several farm families living on the island but no
other kids. The Jamaican cherry pickers were some of the
others on the site and stayed in lodges with bedding of ticking
during the harvest. One of my jobs was loading and unloading
lugs of cherries aboard Tracey’s boat for shipment over to the
Morgan cannery in Traverse City.
After the harvest, my father and J. Lee Barrett arrived to take
me off the island, following the harvest, leaving the delivery of
ice, clean up of the cattle barn and making hay to someone else.
The mail boat stopped at South Manitou Island and while there
they decided to investigate some property for sale owned by the
Beck family. Augie Warner gave us one of his famous rides
over the ruts of the island and we did our sightseeing and
touring that most others would turn down. In any case we
missed our return to Leland, opting for a bunk in a fisherman’s
shed near the dock. Late that afternoon, Paul Humphry’s
daughter (Paul was the mechanic on the big island) rode in on
her horse to advise the Coast Guard on the death of one of the
older island inhabitants. As it turned out, we were able to ride
back to Frankfort courtesy of the C.O.
The war ended and I returned to two more years of high school,
then college (MSU ‘51) and the Air Force tour in Texas and
England. During this time Dad and Lee Barrett talked up the
idea for owning the Beck farm with other members of Rotary
in Detroit. They incorporated, and hosted various parties. In the
meantime, Dad bought the Huzler farm, hired Ed and Esther
Riker and spent several happy summers roughing it on South
Manitou. (The poker game was over when the fuel ran out for
the generator.)
Good luck with your activities on the Manitou Island projects.
William G. Boales, Jr.
Manitou Islands Memorial Society Page 7
William G Boales – the last “Mayor” of South Manitou
August 26, 1948 – LELAND This is a tale of nostalgia. It is a story
about J. Lee Barrett, Detroit’s suave No. 1 ambassador and promoter
of civic superlatives – manager of the Detroit Convention and Tourist
Bureau, and his vacation retreat on South Island on Lake Michigan.
We viewed the distant outline of the Manitous, North and South, from
a window of Detzer’s print shop here at Leland. In the foreground are
fishermen’s weatherworn docks and shacks. A baldheaded man,
bronze with tan, had set up his easel to paint. A family was having a
picnic in the village park where a charcoal iron smelter once stood.
Children were playing on the sandy shore, for the waters of Lake
Michigan are numbing cold. Hundreds of gulls swarmed noisily about
wood piling that line the narrow harbor entrance. Between this
tranquil scene and the faint silhouette of South Manitou are 18 miles
of blue water.
Tracy Grosvenor, mail boat skipper, knows the Manitous. His
conversation about life on the islands was a pleasant relief from
lingering troubled memories of teenage boys undergoing military
training at Grayling
“Back in 1908, my father was a logger on North Manitou” said Tracy,
at the wheel. “Before then, the island had a popular summer lodge for
Chicago tourists. Many times the dining room served 100 people.
When the lumbermen came in 1908 for a
second timber harvest, the tourists left. Years
later the island was acquired by William R.
Angel former President of the Continental
Motor Company of Detroit and Muskegon, and
Roger Sherman a Chicago attorney. They
operate it now as a sportsmen’s club and
cherry farm.”
We stopped at North Manitou to deliver parcels of food and to
pick up two lugs of cherries for the Coast Guard. Thence we
journeyed on to South Manitou, whose natural harbor, curved like a
new moon, is praised by sailors as being the best on Lake Michigan.
The boat trip from Leland was slow, two hours and a half. August
Warner, Deputy Sheriff, met us at the South Manitou dock. We
climbed aboard his 1928 Model A Ford. The chugging ride up a
neglected two mile trail was reminiscent of grandfather’s time.
We paused at a rustic gate and then drove past an ancient barn to a
small farmhouse. The Detroit publicist, usually immaculately attired,
resembled a beachcomber. He introduced us to two of his associates in
the Lee Island Company, Inc., which was financing the venture.
William W. Slocum was reclining in a hammock. William G. Boales
was busy preparing lunch in the farmhouse kitchen.
Yes, the Detroit promoter explained, everyone had been busy fixing
up things. Union plumbers were forgetful you know, and the island
was miles off the mainland. So the Detroit businessmen had been
wielding a paint brush, hammering nails, sawing wood and installing
plumbing. Gradually the farmhouse was being transformed into a snug
lodge. The barn was to become a clubhouse.
A stones throw from the farmhouse was a beach of Lake Michigan
strewn with driftwood. The lake breeze was invigorating. Wild
raspberries grew nearby in profusion.
We beheld the farm scene with its happy city colony and we marveled
at the zeal of these Detroiters who were reveling in the isolated
pastoral simplicity of a half–century ago. No telephones, no
automobile traffic, no factory or railroad whistles, no gadgets, no
evening papers with black headlines. Yes, this could be an impelling
attraction – man’s protest against modern complex living.
Barrett smiled in contentment. South Manitou, Robinson Crusoe
haven of nostalgia, had waited years for him. The Island was his
answer, in complete reverse, to a promoter’s prayer
1948 Michigan Mirror Clip Submitted by William G Boales jr
Manitou Islands Memorial Society
PO Box 177
Empire MI 49630-0177