Joan Phillips' Memories of Saugatuck

Memories of Saugatuck - Fifty Plus Years Ago. The Jackson Park Yacht Club on Chicago's South Side was home port for my Family and during the 1930s my Father owned the Sawanaka sloop, "Columbia." Every Fourth of July the Yacht Club sponsored a race from Chicago to Saugatuck and the Columbia took First place in 1937 and 1938. This race was always the beginning of our annual holiday in Saugatuck. Our family of four together with our good friends, who had a daughter my age, would rent either of the cottages whose addresses are now 816 Park and 820 Park. The cottage at 816 was named "Casa del Rio," and the one at 820 was called "Suits Me." Sparse to say the least, I remember that the stove was kerosene, the lighting minimal and the dressers reeked of that closed up moldy cottage odor. None of this deterred our pleasure at being in our favorite town once again. My father and his friend would buy a case of Strohs Beer (not sold outside of Michigan then and tasting like real beer) to celebrate the vacation. The only sounds you could hear on the river were an occasional out-board motor and the commercial fishing boats going in and out. Most people rowed at that time. We would take our boat downriver to the basin at the river mouth to do our swimming and bathing. The cottage had only a sitz bath and cold water. It was also my first exposure to the tiger lilies that covered the west bank of the river. Many trips a day up and down Mt. Baldy were part of an on-going contest between the children to see who could run up the stairs the fastest and run down the dune to meet at the bottom of the stairs. A diversion was the rope swing where you swung from the top of the dune and let go when it was at its farthest point to drop into the deep sand at the bottom. There was also sassafras roots in this area which I loved to chew. Picnic suppers were a must and included exploring the remains of Singapore. They concluded with sunset and my Father would make appropriate sizzling noises as the sun sunk into the lake. We always bought our new bathing suits at Flint Department Store which was located where Kilwins is now. A real treat was purchasing a frozen malt at the ice-cream shop-owned by Bill & Garth Wilson in the building where the Santa Fe is now doing business. They were a nickel and a dime and my greatest dream was that my Mother would allow me to have a ten-cent size. I also remember the Venetian Nights when the boats would decorate and cash prizes were given. My uncle usually won the swimming contest that started from the Pavilion. Speaking of the Pavilion I remember one night as a special treat the children were allowed to get all dressed up to see this wondrous place at night. My Dad's crew pushed my sister and me around the dance floor and the Japanese lanterns made the place seem like Fairyland. We were probably hustled home early so that the grown-ups could have a good time. Another treat was attending the lawn supper given by the George Quicks at their home located at Maple and State. He had been a member of the Yacht Club and entertained the boat owners and their families each year. I especially loved Mrs. Quick's baked beans. Was all this really that long ago? Joan Phillips