Looking Back

Compiled by Ryan Schlehuber

Witmer’s Steam Laundry served the Island in the late 1800s where Shepler’s dock is today. It was later moved to the Mission area, across the street from Mission Church, behind what is now Tim and Margaret Horn’s home. The laundry business lasted until about the 1930s. The people in the photograph are unidentified. (Photograph courtesy of Tom Pfeiffelmann)

115 Years Ago

Saturday, October 8 to Saturday, December 6, 1890

Wm. P. Preston, of Mackinac, threatens to commence suit in the superior court against G.A. Wolf and A. Amberg of Grand Rapids, for $5,000 damages for false imprisonment.

Michigan is no longer doubtful, for on Tuesday last she went Democratic by a large plurality, probably 10,000. The entire Democratic state ticket was elected from top to bottom.

Admiral Harmony has established a 10-inch fog whistle at Old Mackinac Point in the Straits of Mackinac. The whistle will be sounded for five seconds, with alternate intervals of 17 and 33 seconds. The fog signal house is of corrugated sheet iron, painted brown, with gable facing the straits.

G. Willis Morse, late cashier at the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, is now chief clerk of the Arlington Hotel, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

90 Years Ago

Thursday, October 14 to Thursday, December 8, 1915

The freight movement at this point is showing a big improvement. The month of September as compared with the same month a year ago shows an increase of 241 loaded cars. At the present time, 40 empties a day are being delivered to the Soo Line to be loaded with grain and flour for foreign shipment. An improvement is also noted in bark shipments.

The sheriff of Cheboygan County, acting upon the advice of Governor Ferris that saloons were being operated contrary to law at Mackinaw City, visited that town Sunday when he found two saloons wide open. The result was arrests, heavy fines, and a lot of good advice to hereafter comply with the law.

Thomas Edison is quoted as saying that horses in the future will only be used as ornaments as they will be displaced by a large storage battery which he has invented for delivery wagons. Mr. Edison usually knows whereof he speaks so this statement must be given due credit, but the idea that the horse can ever be displaced is hard to be believed.

The coming of the automobile has taken from the horse much of the misuse which brought into existence the human societies. Before the general use of delivery cars for groceries and meat some delivery horses were much abused animals. They were driven at their greatest speed and were kept at work long hours through the hot summer sun and through the worst storms. The delivery horse probably got worse treatment than the draft horse because a horse is a good deal “human” in that it can worry itself to death.

Horses are more valuable now than they were before the automobile came into use and the war has caused such a scarcity that good horses can hardly be found for sale at any price. Relieving the horse from any of its former hard tasks seems to have the same effect as the invention of labor saving machinery has with men. They relieve the horse from the hard tasks but there is still plenty for the horse to do. –– Milwaukee News

George Lasley of Mackinac Island, with his launch, the “Two Bills,” was in port Monday after a load of supplies, which he took on at Chambers dock.

The Island was well represented at the Allenville fair last week, among the Islanders taking in the show being Judge Benoni Lachance, County School Commissioner Lachance, Robert Benjamin, Ransome Hawley, Mr. and Mrs. F. Clair Breuckman, Mres. Maude Cable Franks, Miss Mary Donnelly and Miss Helen M. Donnelly.

The marriage of Miss Lucy Gillespie and Mr. John Chapman was solemnized by Rev. Father Sommers at Ste. Anne’s Church last Thursday, October 21.

Tuesday was the second anniversary of the great storm of November 1912, when 13 lake vessels with their crews went to the bottom of Lakes Huron, Superior, Erie, and Michigan, while many other boats were wrecked and scores damaged.

The summer of 1915 on Mackinac Island will be remembered for two things, the scarcity of tourists and the out-break of typhoid fever. The former may happen again but we have reason to feel that there will be no re-occurrence of the latter.

The Couchois Bros. lost a valuable horse Monday morning. Frank Couchois drove on the dock after a load of cement and after getting his load backed the wagon over the side of the dock. The horse was drowned before it could be rescued.

Although the weather for the past week has been delightful we were greeted Sunday morning with snow flurries, which continued until about noon. Tuesday at the un-earthly hour of 6 a.m. the quite slumbering village presented a most picturesque sight with all the windows in the store building most artistically decorated by the hand of Jack Frost.

The USS Mackinac of the coast guard service came into port Tuesday having in tow the life boat for the Island station.

50 Years Ago

Thursday, October 13 to December 8, 1955

Frank J. Dufina of Mackinac Island was in the city last Friday and says he has closed down the Wawashkamo golf course for the season. Frank entertained his daughter and family, Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Allen and Sarah, at the Island last week and enjoyed their visit.

W.S. Woodfill left Wednesday for Chicago for a brief stay before continuing on to his winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Arthur T. Chambers Jr., Marvin May, Clarence Metivier Jr., and Armand Miles Horn have spent the past week at Bois Blanc Island. The boys all had bow and arrow deer licenses. No luck as yet.

Mr. and Mrs. Francis Doud and son, Stephen, left Thursday for Detroit where they spent the week end with their daughter, Anna Mary, who attends St. Mary’s at Monroe. The Douds also attended the Michigan-Iowa game at Ann Arbor Saturday.

Funeral services were held at Mackinaw City Tuesday, October 24 for George Ranville, who was born on the Island October 9, 1876. He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Alex Ranville. He was the last survivor of a family of six.

Lines of deer hunters’ cars, which at one time reached a length of 19 miles on the Mackinaw City side of the Straits, resulted last week end as Michigan State Ferries handled 18,544 northbound vehicles over the four-day period of November 10 to November 13, inclusive.

Island hunters taking to the woods are John Cowell, Robert Bailey, Herbert Benjamin, Ike Bunker, D’Arcy Bunker, Henry Andress, John Gallagher, Thomas Pfeiffelman, John Welcher, Francis Lapine, Roger and Jerry Horn, and James Gillespie. The majority from here hunt at Bois Blanc Island.

Early winter has come to Mackinac Island. We have about six inches of snow. Temperature about 30 with plenty of wind. The Christmas spirit is coming to Mackinac, Alford’s Drugs store being one of the first to have his store all decorated.

35 Years Ago

Thursday, October 15 to December 10, 1970

About 1,000 tourists visited the Island Sunday for a color tour. Mackinac Island Carriage Tours Inc. were kept very busy, visitors enjoying bicycling and horse back riding. The day was a beautiful fall day and our color was at its peak.

Garrett Chapman arrived Saturday from California, and will open Club Mackinac above the Astor Street Cafe.

Mrs. Raymond McIntyre retired November 1, 1970 after years of service as clerk in the Mackinac Island Post Office.

10 Years Ago

Thursday, October 7 to Thursday, December 15, 1995

Emotions erupted at an October 3 public hearing over the proposed downzoning of much of Mackinac Island’s Harrisonville neighborhood. In the coming weeks, an ad-hoc committee comprised of business owners, Harrisonville residents, and members of the Mackinac Island City Council and Planning Commission will meet to discuss the possibility of tightening density restrictions of the neighborhood from multiple-family (R-3) to two-family (R-2).

For Harrisonville residents, the tighter the better. Many business owners, who house their employees in the village, however, don’t like the idea. A compromise is hoped to be reached.

Mackinac Island is full of historical treasures, and two of its greatest just may be George Hallock and Dave Holty. At 90 and 86, respectively, they are the oldest professional carriage drivers north of Gaylord.

A new state-wide study of tourism and recreation trends indicates the Eastern Upper Peninsula will see increased development and population in the next 25 years. The growth could lead to an excess of job opportunities in the region.