Note
OCR transcription of fax:
4 April 1983
To the Editor, the C.R.
Because of other activities, I delayed reading my copy of “Saugatuck Through the Years 1830 – 1980” by James E. Sheridan until recently. While I realize any comments on the book at this time may seem a little outdated, I cannot in good conscience let such a masterful work pass by without a word of praise and appreciation for the countless hours of labor and research that must have gone into its preparation, I cannot help but marvel at how the author was able to uncover so much generally long-forgotten information about the early days of the community. Surely the publication of this history must go down as the greatest contribution of public service to the community in recent times,
While the book covers nearly all aspects of community life from church socials to barroom brawls and local Industry from trapping muskrats to plating automobile parts, as I went through the pages I thought of a few additional or related minor items, mostly pertaining to personal or family activities, that might be of interest.
My grandfather, Warren Prentice (1827 - 1916) while not among the very first, could certainly be considered an early settler in the area. He had sailed extensively— both on the Atlantic and the Pacific—on whaling vessels and then somehow became a sailor on the Great Lakes. He often verified Author Sheridan's statement (page 26) that in the early days "Chicago was every bit as much a dream as was Singapore." He in said he was offered one of the best lots in downtown Chicago for $300 but turned the offer down as he didn't think the town would amount to much. Instead he invested in farm land in Allegan County—first in Ganges township , then later (after the Civil War) in Saugatuck township south of Douglas.
The author mentions (p. 105) that Dr. E. E. Brunson practiced in Ganges for almost 50 years. I remember him well as he was my grandparents' family doctor. I recall that he had one habit that probably would not be acceptable under current sanitary codes but which served its purpose. Like all country doctors, he carried his medicines in his black bag. After examining the patient and deciding on treatment, he would ask for a couple of drinking glasses and some water. Then he would go to his bag, take out a bottle or two and, with the water, mix up a couple of glasses of medicine. Before taking anything from the bottles, however, he would shake them well, take out the cork of each one in turn, and lick it with his tongue to be sure he had the right bottle. He was never known to have dispensed the wrong medicine. During the period I remember him, he drove his Reo touring car in summer but still resorted to his horse and cutter in winter. I recall the story of his getting caught out at night in a blizzard. He could not see where he was going, became completely lost, and finally gave the horse a free rein. Thanks to the animal’s instincts, he eventually reached home. The story was published, I believe, in the Allegan Gazette. I hope someone will dig it out and republish it. His son, Dr. Eugene Brunson, was my doctor during my school years, and I would never have made it to maturity without his expert services during a severe illness. His widow, Mrs. Grace Brunson, aged 97, lives in Orlando, Florida.
The book (p. 133) refers to Douglas as an "overwhelming Republican community" in the 1860’s, and indeed it was. Whether true or not, the Democrats were considered Southern sympathizers. Feelings were strong against them. Warren Prentice, suffering from malaria and other ailments contracted during the Army's southern campaigns, was still bitter. He would comment that he shot Democrats for three years for $12 a month Army pay and he wasn't about to let them run the Government after the war. Still, armed with the latest “facts" from his Republican newspaper, "The Chicago/Inter-Ocean" I believe it was called, he was always ready to discuss politics with Mr. Thompson, his Democratic neighbor.
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The statement on page 135 that D. Milton Gerber married Minnie Spencer surprised me. If her name was in fact Minnie, it must have been found unsuitable for one of the area’s richest women. As I recall, she was known as Belle Gerber. Her sister Lenore also lived in the Gerber household and contributed to the family income by giving piano lessons. I recall being subjected to these lessons for a short period as a boy until it was determined that I had no musical ability. A third sister, Hattie, I believe, was an invalid confined to a wheel chair and lived with the mother in the old Spencer house (later Tara). The vacant lot between the Spencer house and the Douglas school was also owned by the Gerber-Spencer families. This lot had been graded to a lower level so that the view of the river from the Gerber house on the south side of Center Street was unobstructed. With the lot being adjacent to the school grounds and unfenced, it was inevitable that the children would at times extend their ball games or other sports beyond the school property line. Soon after such an incident, the teachers would get word to warn the students not to infringe on private property. The Gerbers themselves had no children, and their strict enforcement of the "No trespassing" regulation did not endear them to the students.
It is probably true, as pointed out in the book, that the Gerbers and Spencers
made generous contributions to the community. Certainly, they were pillars of the Douglas Congregational Church. But they did not throw their money around recklessly. As a boy I shoveled the snow from their walks many times for which, as I recall, I was never paid more than a dime. Too, there were often rumors that the Gerbers enjoyed certain privileges not available to others. During WWI when sugar was rationed or totally unavailable in the stores, whether true or not, it was reported that the Gerbers had a 100-pound sack in their pantry. After hearing of such derogatory deeds for many years, I could hardly believe the laudatory statements that went into D.M.’s obituary at the time of his death.
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Both Mrs. Gerber and Miss Spencer relied on D.M. to do the driving so his death undoubtedly inconvenienced them in more ways than one. By now Lenore was well up in years but by necessity she was forced to buy a car for transportation. She selected a new Rockne, a Studebaker product. The car had an automatic starter that engaged as soon as the ignition switch was turned on. Miss Spencer's mechanical ability did not match her musical aptitude. She could not distinguish whether the engine was running or only the starter. I recall seeing her put the car in gear and start off powered only by the electric starter. She never became a seasoned driver.
The picture taken on Center Street in Douglas in 1905 (p. 138) is especially interesting. The building in the right foreground is the Kerr Building, which was the newest and most modern structure in the business district. It had running water from a tank on the upper level, which was filled, I believe, by a windmill-driven pump. It had gas lights fueled by an acetylene generator in the basement. And it had central hot water (or steam) heating. Few other places in town had such conveniences. The next building was Dr. Stroud’s office. I don't recall whether he was a physician or dentist. I do remember my father saying that he, as well as other young men, was often called on to help hold a patient in the chair while a dentist pulled a tooth (without anesthetics, of course). The third building with its two entrances is H.A. McDonald’s Central Store, which was probably a general merchandise store at that time. Later the two parts were divided, the left (east) side becoming the post office and the right a grocery operated by son Roy (who was also the postmaster) and his wife Lottie (Charlotte). I'm not sure what the next little building was used for in 1905, but it was occupied by various merchants from time to time. The corner store at the end of the block was the meat market operated by George Walz and brother Lou. Beyond is the ball field and in the distance the Douglas House or hotel, probably operated at that time by the Kibbys and later by Fred Schultz. It will be noted that the street was unpaved, and hitching posts were spaced along the sidewalk at regular intervals.
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The team of horses is hitched to a typical farm wagon of the time. Most wagon boxes were three feet wide by nine feet long by one foot deep so that they could haul exactly one cubic yard of coal, gravel, grain, or other material. Beyond the wagon is an early automobile of unknown make or owner. Coming up the street is a bus, probably the one mentioned on page 320, which ran from the interurban station in Saugatuck to the Lake Shore. It is also partially visible in the photo on page 250. I recall seeing the bus a few years later when Elihu Eaton (p. 333) attempted for a time to revive the bus service to the Lake Shore. I have wondered since what company manufactured the bus, and I would like to see a better picture of it if anyone has one.
The mention on page 141 of “basket-factory time,” which was 30 minutes faster than Central Standard Time reminds me of the confusion this caused. Company officials and workers at the basket factory of course had to use the factory time during the summer, while most others remained on standard time. In making appointments it was always necessary to designate which time was to be used. Fruit farmers in particular disliked the fast time because in early morning the trees were still wet with dew, and the apple pickers were apt to just sit around and wait until the sun dried the leaves. If he were paying a picker a one dollar a day wage, the farmer expected a full 10 hours of work.
Reference on the same page to the great fire which destroyed the factory brings to mind this tragic event and the great loss to the community which resulted. I recall how quickly the flames enveloped the entire plant. I remember the arrival of additional firefighters from other towns. One such truck became mired in the soft ground near the river, and by the time they got into operation it was too late to be effective. I recall, too, the gloom that settled over the community during the next few days. For example, our neighbor, Mr. J.E. Durham, had worked in the company office for years and as a reward had been made a partner in the company—
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--or so he thought. But after the fire it was found, that the company’s supposed assets, consisting primarily of timber lands upstream, were held separately by D.M. Gerber and others. So Mr. Durham's equity consisted of only a portion of the ashes of the plant. And, like all the factory workers, he was without a job.
The reference to the stores in Douglas on page 143 mentions an A & P store. As I recall, this was in Saugatuck rather than Douglas. The D.C. Putnam store, however, was definitely in Douglas on the southwest corner of Spring and Center Streets. The legend of the cause of the 1902 fire which destroyed the structure is worth repeating. The village fire hall was a part of or attached to the general store. In winter it was necessary to keep a fire in the fire hall to prevent the water in the fire engine from freezing. This is the fire that is believed to have caused the conflagration. With the fire engine on fire, there was no equipment to fight the blaze. So everything burned—fire engine, fire hall, and general store.
After the fire the lot remained vacant until a Standard Oil gasoline station was erected. At the time, Center Street carried all the U.S. 31 traffic and business was good. For a number of years David "Skeet" Plummer operated the station. Perhaps even before construction of the new Blue Star Highway, business fell off, and the station was closed. My father, Joseph Prentice, then bought it, since we already owned and lived in the Putnam house immediately to the south. For a time he leased the station to his life-long friend Osa Welch (a bachelor) for living quarters. After the latter’s death, it was leased to others. I sold the property to the village about 1965 for erection of the new fire station and office.
Harold Van Syckel's store is mentioned on page 144. I believe the building was owned by his father Frank B. Van Syckel who operated a hardware store in the west half, while Harold operated the grocery in the east half. As I recall the elder man died as the result of a traffic accident while on a visit to New York City.
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Just west of this building was the barber shop operated around 1915 by William Schultz, then by Osa Welch, and later for many years by Francis (Ky) Walz, while his wife Helen operated a beauty shop in the rear.
Among the Douglas merchants mentioned (p. 144) is Isadore Schuham, a short, chubby little man who operated mainly as a door-to-door salesman of ladies’ garments. I believe he started with a horse and wagon, but I remember him best with his Model T Ford roadster pickup, the driving of which he never fully mastered, often going a considerable distance in low gear with the throttle nearly wide open. He was known by the women in practically every home from Saugatuck to Glenn or beyond, and I’m sure he knew the correct size garments for every housewife in the entire area. I think he also kept tab on social events so he could drop by with a new dress for madam just a week before a big dance at the Eastern Star or other social activity. In addition to boxes of dresses, he usually brought with him some juicy bit of gossip or a few jokes which he delivered in his best Jewish accent, and most of the ladies looked forward to his visits with pleasure,
The listing of Douglas postmasters (p. 145) does not mention Minnie Finley William (wife of Wallace Williams, a local carpenter) who operated the post office and, I assumed, was the official postmaster, prior to Roy McDonald’s term. During this period the post office was on the north side of Center Street in the building west of Wiegert’s grocery, where Everard Thomas later had his insurance office.
The next building to the West housed the Central Office of the Telephone A Company. For many years Mrs Henry (Bessie) Schultz was the chief operator. As I suppose was not unusual in small exchanges, she knew everyone’s number so it was not necessary to call by number. You simply gave her the name of the party you wanted to speak to, and she would place the call. At first nearly all lines were party lines, and all calls on a line were audible to everyone on that line. Naturally the curious would eavesdrop on neighbor’s calls, I believe our first call was two long rings and one short.
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The next building to the left had a dual front. Within my memory the left (west) half was first occupied by the People’s Store, a general store run by L.W. McDonald, no kin of H.A., but possibly descended from the Crawford McDonald of 1868 (p. 135) since L.W.’s son was also named Crawford. Later the building was bought by the Rutgers family, who operated one of the principal clothing stores in Holland, in partnership with Garret Henevelt who had operated a store in Graafschap. The elder Rutgers sent his two sons, Ben and Russ, to operate the Douglas store together with Henevelt. At first the store did a good grocery business especially in the summer when daily deliveries were made to many of the cottages on the Lake Shore. But in winter, with two or three other local stores competing, there was little taken in, apparently not enough to support the three families. Then, too, like most stores at the time, much of the merchandise was sold on credit. Many grocery bills went several months without being paid. Also there were those who left town without paying, or farmers who had a bad year and just couldn’t settle up. So there was considerable loss. As a result, after a few years the store closed its doors.
The right half of the building was occupied by Norton’s Drug Store, owned by John T. Norton and wife Daisy. J.T. was a graduate of Ferris Institute, and both had come originally from Rockford by way of a short stay in Fennville. Later the (Nortons built a new store (the present Douglas Party-Shoppe) across Spring Street, and the old building was used for other purposes as mentioned on page 181. Nortons operated a soda fountain in connection with the drug store but never went in for the wide variety of merchandise found in most present-day drug stores.
In addition to the farm spray rigs mentioned (p. 169), the Bean Company made a machine popular with many farmers. Most early machines were powered by a one-cylinder, low speed stationary engine which operated the pump and also the agitator in the tank to keep the fungicides and insecticides in suspension. Unlike the earlier hand sprayers, these pumps operated under high pressure—at least 300 pounds—
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and many a hose of the type then available burst under this pressure giving the operator a good dousing in arsenic and lead, lime-sulphur, or other spray material. If this were to happen today, OSHA, or some other government agency, would be out to investigate the hazard.
In discussing the schools of the area, the author (p. 181) describes the rise and fall of St. Peter’s Catholic School, but failed to mention another parochial school that thrived for a short time in the 1920's and then disappeared, This was the Douglas Adventist School which held classes in the Adventist Church. I believe there was only one teacher, a woman whose name I don’t recall. It is mentioned on page 189 that many Methodists were converted to the Adventist’s religion. Among these was George Kurz, one of the area's best known carpenters and building contractors. After his conversion he strictly adhered to the Adventist’s beliefs. He saw to it that he and all his employees stopped work well before sundown on Friday, and out of deference to others they did not resume operations until Monday.
The date the "Great Western" was built was probably 1839 rather; than 1939 (p. 198).
Whether Saugatuck’s famous protege Daniel Keith Ludwig (pp. 214, 347) is indeed the world's richest man may be in doubt. Due to the widely fluctuating price of crude oil, the worth of various Saudi Arabian and other Near Eastern sheiks might be hard to evaluate for comparison. It seems certain, however, that in spite of tremendous losses in recent years, Ludwig is still the richest man in the U.S.A. In its September 13, 1982 issue, Forbes magazine carried a feature article on "The Richest People in America," and Ludwig was at the top of the list, well ahead of the Gettys, Hunts, or Rockefellers. Ludwig's age was given as 85, and his address as New York City. In spite of his advanced years, he is still active in the world of high finance. As reported in the New York Times, in October 1981 he was one of a group of four investors that tried to buy seven million shares of Kaiser Steel and gain control of the company, and effort that failed.
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A Ludwig project that in recent years created most public attention (National Geographic magazine, May 1980 pp, 693-711 and Jan. 1983 p. 39) was his plan to clear and develops a large part of the Amazon jungle or rain forest. The Amazon plan was devised largely for pulp production. The pulp mill to be used on the project and the associated power plant were built in Japan. Too large to pass through the Panama Canal, they were placed on barge-like hulls and towed by tugs across the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope, and across the Atlantic to Brazil at a total cost of $269,000,000. The plan was also intended to help develop Brazil's agriculture and cattle industry. The idea of clearing the jungle, however, drew sharp criticism from environmental groups, and the plan encountered many problems. After several years effort and investing one billion dollars in the development, Ludwig in February 1982, according to New York Times, abandoned the project and turned it over to a Brazilian group. In spite of this tremendous loss, Forbes investigation still placed his present worth above $2 billion. Much of Ludwig's wealth was acquired as a result of his WWII activities when he built tankers for the Government, which, it was reported, he got back free after the war. Later he built the first supertankers in Japanese shipyards. More recently he is reported to have made big investments in savings and loans companies and real estate.
Personally Daniel Ludwig is said to be a shy man who deliberately avoids public notice. He is not included in Who's Who or most similar lists of prominent people, no doubt because he refuses to submit the required biographical data. He has been twice married and divorced and has no children. He is said to have suffered greatly from an old back injury. In the recent Forbes article, however, he is shown as a remarkably rugged and erect individual for 85 (possibly though an old photo) wearing cap and gown indicating perhaps that he has been granted an honorary degree at some institution. As far as I know, he never earned a college degree. The book "The Rich and the Super Rich” by Lundberg gives Ludwig's education as "Public school," presumably Saugatuck High.
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Grace Bandle Simpkins, whose names somehow got transposed on page 322 but are
given correctly on page 337 was the wife of Dr. Simpkins, a very capable veterinarian, Somehow though, the doctor ran afoul of the licensing authorities in Lansing, and his license was revoked. My father, however, still called on him for medical advice when any of his horses or cattle became ill. The good doctor usually obliged but never would accept any compensation as the penalty for practicing without a license was severe even in those days.
Allie Daggett’s taxi (p. 334) in 1916 was a new Model T Ford touring car.
In 1919 my father became the third owner of this car, and, after it had a ring job and a few other minor repairs, continued to drive it for several more years.
Claude Ellis mentioned (p. 371) as first officer of the "North American" was a close friend of my father. He had previously served on various lake freighters either as captain or mate. During the winter months he would often visit my father and tell of some of his experiences on the lakes. One story I recall took place in the St. Mary’s River near the Soo locks. Ellis was first mate on the ship, and the captain was a man poorly qualified for the job. In maneuvering into the locks, the captain somehow lost control, and the mighty ship started drifting downstream broadside in the swift current heading for destruction or major damage. The captain was at a loss to know what to do. Ellis, without hesitation or instructions from the captain, gave orders to drop both anchors. Fortunately, the anchors held, and the ship swung into normal position. If they hadn’t held, for usurping command he would probably have ended his career as an officer. As it was, the event was hushed up, and the captain got credit for another successful voyage.
The two things I remember about Dr. House (p. 382) are his goatee and his Model T Ford, which unlike other Fords of that time was not started with a crank. Instead, it had a rope starter like some present-day lawn mowers so the doctor could sit in the driver’s seat and start the motor by pulling the starter cord.
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I'm not sure who started the Douglas garage (p. 391), but it may have been E.R. (Bert) Nevins, who was the husband of Nurse Faith Nevins (p. 383). The garage was located first on Center Street across from the hotel and later on Main Street north of Center in what had previously been a livery stable. I worked in the garage as a helper off and on from about 1921 to 1926, and I know Nevins had been in business several years before that and continued after I left. During part of this time his chief mechanic was his son-in-law Willard Fiske, who had been trained in a technical school and was well qualified. To be successful in a small town garage, one had to learn to improvise. There was no auto-supply store for many miles, and parts for some of the lesser known makes were hard to obtain. I recall our putting Chevrolet ignition parts on Mr Christenson's Briscoe, and he never learned the difference. Likewise a Ford wheel was put on an Oldsmobile that had gone in the ditch during an ice storm. In this instance the substitution was evident, but at least the motorist was able to continue on his journey.
My job at the garage included a variety of duties. I sold gasoline (from the one pump with the big glass bowl) and motor oil. The garages in Douglas, Saugatuck, and elsewhere were selling fuel long before service stations became popular. The Standard Red Crown station in Douglas and the Shell station on the site of the discontinued interurban depot in Saugatuck, for example, came later. The garages sold only one grade of gasoline. High test gas was not yet generally available or needed by the low compression motors of that period. I patched (vulcanized) inner tubes for the numerous flat tires that were brought in by motorists, and I towed in disabled cars. I was too young to obtain a driver's license, but, with the sheriff nearly 20 miles away, such requirements were seldom enforced in the local area. Except for a brief lecture, which I deserved, from Frank Wicks for my making a left turn without signaling, no one ever complained about my driving. And at times I helped the mechanic in the shop.
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The book (p. 392) gives a concise history of the Saugatuck Cooperative Fruit Exchange (later the name was shortened to Saugatuck Fruit Exchange). In addition to the reason given, there were other reasons for the farmers to join together and have their fruit marketed as a unit. With the larger volume and the uniform quality resulting from more modern grading equipment, the fruit commanded higher prices than a farmer could hope to obtain individually. In fact, the largest wholesale fruit merchants in Chicago were soon competing for contracts to buy large shipments or even the entire output of the Exchange.
When first organized (about 1917) the Exchange operated in a building on Water Street—probably the Goodrich Transit Company Building mentioned on page 177. From here fruit could be shipped either by lake boat or interurban. After the new building was constructed on Culver Street (around 1922) nearly all shipments were by standard freight cars on the interurban tracks until this line went out of business and motor trucks took over.
The Exchange had been in operation only a few years when my father Joseph W. Prentice (1877-1961) was hired as manager (about 1921), and he held this position until he retired in 1953.
During this time there were many changes in the fruit industry including increased competition from western fruit as a result of improved transportation facilities. Another change was the increased vigilance of health authorities who began checking the spray residue on the fruit, necessitating the installation of fruit-washing equipment in the Exchange.
The principal fruits handled by the Exchange were apples, pears, and peaches. Berries and other small fruit were not accepted. The fruit was all graded for size on mechanical graders, and wormy or otherwise defective fruit was picked out by hand as it passed down the conveyor belt. Each farmer was credited not by how many crates of fruit he brought in but by how many bushels or barrels of each grade were obtained from his load.
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Thus the farmer who raised the biggest and best fruit received the highest return.
Some farmers consistently raised good fruit. Among these was Henry Jager (father of Andy Jager) who, in partnership with Miss Grace Taylor, successfully operated both a dairy and fruit farm and always got good returns on his fruit.
Not all Exchange members were satisfied with their returns, however. One of these was Thor Schreiber, whose farm was on 130th Avenue between Plummer’s Corner and the lake. Mr Schreiber was a well-educated man—but not in agriculture. I recall one time his chiding me because I did not know the Latin origin of some English expression. As a farmer he was not very knowledgeable or successful. When his returns from the Fruit Exchange failed to yield him a profit, he became suspicious of the organization and my father in particular. He devised a scheme to catch someone who might be cheating him. He hired a long-time Exchange employee, Loomis DeVries, who worked on the packing floor, to keep a separate check on his fruit, that is, to keep a secret count of just how many bushels of grade A, were obtained from each load he sent in. At the end of the season he produced his clandestine figures. The results were but little different from the official count, perhaps one percent. So nothing really came of it except to create a measure of distrust among members and employees of the organization.
During the fruit harvest, the Exchange had perhaps 50 employees working on the packing floor. Wages—at least during the depression years of the 1930's when I worked there for a short while—were 15 cents an hour for men, 10 cents for women.
During the off season, the only business carried on was the sale of fertilizer and spray materials, and only a skeleton crew was maintained. My father did the buying of this material, and for a number of years Charles Welch handled the sales and deliveries of the supplies. One office worker was also usually on the job. Among the bookkeepers employed at various times were Minnie Williams, Edith Walz, and Clark Tilllnghast.
