Looking Back

115 Years Ago

The St. Ignace News

Saturday, August 8, 1891

The steamer City of Mackinaw landed 300 passengers at the Island Thursday.

Mostly all Chicago tourists go to the Island via Manistique, and the popular steamer Hunter catches them.

The ferry boats between here and the Island are doing better business than ever before.

It is claimed, notwithstanding the vast number of people that can be accommodated at the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, scores are obliged to seek shelter elsewhere.

90 Years Ago

The St. Ignace Enterprise

Thursday, August 10, 1916

Charles P. Wonderly of St. Louis, Mo., was a guest at the Chippewa Hotel, Mackinac Island, and a St. Ignace visitor Tuesday, making the trip as the guest of Jos. Leggett. For over 30 years Mr. Wonderly has been engaged in the newspaper business in St. Louis and ever since he was a voter has cast his

ballot for the Republican nominee for president. But it's different now. Mr. Wonderly informed The Enterprise that he would vote for President Wilson for a second term, as would thousands of other Missouri Republicans.

The Chief Wawatam will leave Saturday in charge of Capt. Robertson and the regular crew for the Toledo dry dock, where repairs will be made to her hull.

Prosecuting Attorney Prentiss M. Brown has issued a warning to the liquor dealers of Mackinac Island that they must comply with the state law relative to closing during the prescribed hours. Officers who watched for violations of the law Sunday said that the lid was screwed down tight Saturday night and not taken off until Monday morning.

The Germans want peace because they think they have won the war, and the Allies refuse to accept it because they are sure they will win the war. Therefore, on with the carnival of blood.

The steamer Islander gave another excursion from Cheboygan to St. Ignace, Mackinac Island, and the Snows, last Sunday.

The bazaar given for the benefit of improvements at the Protestant cemetery will be given at the John Jacob Astor House casino Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Mrs. James R. Hayes of Detroit, president of the improvement association, will be in charge.

The oldest settler on the Island will tell you that he has never known of so prolonged a stretch of warm weather as the past two weeks at Mackinac.

50 Years Ago The Republican News and

St. Ignace Enterprise

Thursday, August 9, 1956

Morton Pero of Mackinac Island flew to Washington recently with two other workmen from the Moral ReArmament Assembly to speak at a special luncheon in the United States Senate. The three men represented the five hundred men from 81 Michigan communities who have worked on the Mackinac Island project since its inception last fall at a Senate luncheon in the Vandenberg Room of the Capitol, where the new film "Mackinac Island of Renaissance" was shown. The film describes the building of the new Center, which is now nearing completion.

Returning from a month's camp at Camp Baraga, Sugar Island, were Dorman Kompsi, Milton and Randy Bazinaw, Lesley Andress, and Charles Cadotte. Arrangements are made for the boys through our local health nurse, Stella King. This month at camp is a real joy to the boys and their thoughts are of returning another year if possible.

The Detroit News with a staff correspondent, recently told an interesting story about Charlie Hudson of St. Ignace:

For some years Charles T. Hudson has been running a foot race with age and progress and the two inevitables find him a frisky competitor. Charlie is well known to the hundreds of tourists who have to wait in line for their turn on the Straits of Mackinac ferry. He sells smoked fish, and, with each sale, hands out a generous dose of light talk to calm impatient nerves.

When the $100,000 Straits bridge is ready, his fish business will be gone. But the former oiler on a ferry boat isn't worried.

"By that time, I should be ready to call it quits," mused Charlie, as he peddled a parcel of smoked whitefish. However, he is counting on old friends in his home state to help him preserve a record when the bridge opens in November 1957:

"I was the first man to drive an automobile from St. Ignace to the Soo," said the 76-yearold sailor. "I'm hoping my friends will let me be the first man to drive a car across the bridge."

Charlie said he drove the first car to the Soo back in 1917.

"We had to cut trees out of the way," the Cheboygan-born veteran recalled. "But I'm going to be on that bridge when it opens, even if I can't find a car and have to push my fish cart."

35 Years Ago

The Republican-News &

St. Ignace Enterprise

Thursday, August 12, 1971

In keeping with St. Ignace's 300th birthday celebration, the annual presentation of the Pere Marquette Pageant, "The Black Gown Tree," over the Labor Day weekend will be bigger and better than ever. Dr. John McCabe, currently director of Communication Arts at Lake Superior State College, Sault Ste. Marie, will be the director. He has been connected with the theatre since childhood, and he founded the Department of Theatre at Mackinac College.

10 Years Ago

Mackinac Island Town Crier August 10 to August 16, 1996

Dick Czapek narrowly captured a Mackinac Island City Council seat in Tuesday's special election, edging his closest rival, Steve Moskwa, by seven votes.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mackinac Island Town Crier is seeking original prints or reprints of old photographs depicting areas in the Eastern Upper Peninsula to be scanned into its archives and for the Looking Back column. Photographs to be loaned or donated to the Michilimackinac Historical Society can also be dropped off at the Town Crier or The St. Ignace News.