Scope and ContentText printed in the SDHS newsletter insert, pages 294-295 --- "The Old Days" Excerpts from the Recorded Memories of William Cremens 1915-1923 Lake Michigan Sidewheeler Boat Trips These were usually overnight trips from Chicago to Holland, Michigan. Many times the lake was rough, making it difficult to sleep, even in a cabin. The boat would groan and creak and people would get seasick. (I was never seasick but very uneasy.) The Interurban electric car or cars ran from the harbor at Macatawa Park south past the East Saugatuck Road crossing and continued on to the turn-around at Saugatuck itself. 1916-1925 Model T Trips to Saugatuck, Michigan The family would usually get up early and leave Chicago's South Side about 4 or 5 a.m. Dad had spare tubes and tires, spare parts, too, on the running board or in a huge trunk attached on the driver's side. Blowouts and flat tires required much time and trouble. First, jacking up the wheel, removing the tire, taking out the inner tube, patching it, then putting it all together again and finally, pumping up the tire with the hand pump. Besides all this, sometimes the car had to be helped out of sandy places by everyone pushing. There was a close call once or twice from fast moving trains at the many high crossings over the railroad tracks. There were no warning gates to be lowered and visibility was bad. In the 160 mile trip, we usually arrived late in the day, about 10 hours on the road. Brother Ed and I would begin the trip sleeping on the back seat, or on the floor between the seats. I remember the meals in country school yards. We would drive off the road, find a shady spat and enjoy our picnic. There was always good water and there were outhouses there too. 1919 Childhood Memories My Uncle Joe Woodall had a very important job in Saugatuck. He actually drove a big rawboned team of mules that pulled a big round water tank wagon, used for sprinkling the dry, dusty dirt streets of the village. Everyone knew Joe. 1915-1920 Summers in Michigan - Again Summers usually meant an eventful trip to buy a new pair of KEDS, the popular gym shoe, plus black sateen shirts (for some reason I can't remember), also new overalls with suspenders! All these for a vacation on Grandma Jackson's 40 acre farm in Manlius Township) where Mother [Mary Belle (Jackson) Cremens) was born. There was a barn, a horse named Topsy, apple trees, pear trees, that blackberry patch, woods and fields. I remember flying kites for hours, especially box kites. When we were called in to lunch we would tie the kite to a post and find it lower, but still up, about a half hour later. 1922 Almost Drowning at the River Beach in Saugatuck This was the beach at the bottom of a steep sand dune, next to the pier at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. It could only be reached without much difficulty by a boat or an enjoyable ride on a motor launch that made trips from a dock near the Ferry. We had been wading and swimming, just having fun. The water became very deep in just two or three steps from the sand hill. Cousin Bill Woodall was there but he couldn't swim. When he stepped out too far, he slipped on the loose sand underfoot and began struggling. Since I was a year or two older and nearby I hurried over to reach out to help him. With my long arm stretched out, he grabbed my arm and then, before I realized it, my neck too. We were both in deep trouble. I didn't panic too much but didn't know what to do except stretch for sand under my feet. Finally, after kicking hard and trying to swim back to shore, I touched enough sand to stand up and finish the job. All of this probably took only a minute or two but to two gasping, choking kids, it seemed like a long, long time. 1922 My Mother at the Wheel of the Model T The family was in Michigan about to have a nice picnic on the bank of a river. However, the car was stuck in the deep sand. Dad, with a little help from me, was pushing and shouting directions. Mother was bravely at the steering wheel. I believe my brother Ed was still in the car. When the car struggled forward, it gradually picked up speed. Dad yelled, "Hit the brake!" The car was moving faster but headed straight for the deep river, very close to a steep bank. At the last moment, I believe that Mother either turned the wheels or found out which pedal was the brake to safely stop the car just in time. 1921-1930 Living in Paradise - The D. E. Felt Farm My brother and I, with our mother would live on the Felt Farm just a few miles north of Saugatuck. The farm was a 1,200 acre estate and our Uncle Joe Woodall was the manager of the hired men. (As many as 12 or more.) There was some livestock to care for, roads made with cinders, sand or gravel to replace the dirt trails, plus fields and crops to harvest. These hired men had a separate bunk house to live in called the "Annex." For meals they came to the farm house, just a very short walk away. Aunt Letitia or Lefty did all the cooking, baking, housecleaning for all those hired men plus her own big family and Freeloaders like me and my brother. She did get some help in the laundry work, dishwashing, etc. from her girls at home and Mother. Mr. Felt was the inventor of the Felt & Tarrant Comptometer in Chicago and only visited the farm a few weeks at a time. Roads were made through the thick woods for about a mile to Lake Michigan. His property ran almost a mile along the beautiful sandy beach just below a huge row of dunes, topped by the wooded hills. On this farm there was - you name it - cherry orchards, apple orchards and the Boyce Farm peach orchard was missing a little of their crop too. I remember the pond where we would catch the small green frogs to sell to fishermen. then there were a lot of other interesting places to enjoy. The ice house, where blocks of ice were covered with sawdust for insulation from the heat. The private zoo, with a bear cage and den, also eagles in a big cage nearby. all around the big Felt house, one could see, if not hear their unearthly cries, peacocks and guinea hens. I don't recall being inside the big house. Mr. Felt usually had friends or family visiting there in the summer. There was also a large concrete reservoir for water, but growing in it was water lilies and plants of all kinds. since it was up on a hill behind the house, maybe it was there for fire protection and water supply. No, that may be wrong. There was a large tank high on a higher hill that had water pumped up to it from a separate pump house.