Scope and ContentThree accounts of outings to Mt. Baldhead by Jeanne Hallgren. The first is the author's mother's school picnic in the 1920s, then Jeanne's childhood visits in the 1940s, then her children's experiences in the 1960s. --- SCHOOL PICNICS ON BALDHEAD BY JEANNE MILEHAM HALLGREN From the beginning Mt. Baldhead has held those special qualities that add up to a good time. The Indians are said to have held their pow-wows there; the earliest visitors climbed to the top and long ago it became the favorite spot to hold school picnics -- the special end-of-the-year celebrations held by the rural schools. At least four generations of my family have come to know Baldhead. My 87-year-old mother, Ruth Galbreath [Ruth M. (Galbreath) Mileham 1912-2008] always went to Baldhead on her school picnic when she attended Peachbelt School (on M-89 and 63rd Avenue). This is the way Ruth Galbreath Doane remembers it: Probably early in April we had a meeting before school started. Possible sites for the annual school picnic were suggested and then we voted by ballot. The result was always the same, Baldhead by a unanimous vote. Then we began to make plans. Usually the picnic was held on the third Friday in May. School got out earlier then. I'm sure the kids volunteered what their mothers would bring for the bounteous lunch. Our mother always brought potato salad decorated with egg slices on the top, deviled eggs and lemonade. And she probably brought fried children too, it seems as though Mother didn't go to any dinner without taking her famous fried chicken. I can remember helping to make the lemonade on the site. We rolled the lemons to loosen the juice, sliced them, added sugar and water and it was ready. Mr. Koning was always on hand with his team of horses and hay wagon, lined with sweet-smelling hay. He met us at the school and we all climbed aboard and rode the seven miles to our destination. There was much laughter and singing on the way. As we left the main road at Douglas the road became very sandy and most of the bigger kids got off and walked. the older boys would even push on the wagon to help the horses pull their heavy load. When we got there everyone climbed off and headed in all directions. Some of the bigger boys climbed Baldhead a couple of times before lunch. I guess the parents went ahead because dinner was usually almost ready for us when we got there, a huge, huge lunch. At that time there were no steps to the top of the hill. We went straight up where the steps are now, but coming down we took a more diagonal route, less likely to end up with broken bones. There were a lot of grapevines which made great swings. Many of the boys would claim to climb the hill ten, twelve, even thirteen times. The girls were more prone to wander around the paths. On the other side of the hill, which I believe is the highest dune along the lake, was Lake Michigan, the lighthouse and several small cottages. To the left of the hill was a section that was called the "Forward Movement." It was composed of winding roads amid small cottages. There were little hills and valleys, very pretty and lots of spring flowers. It was a nice place to wander. I suppose it was too early in the season for the owners to be around, we never encountered anyone in our wanderings. To the right of the hill and farther back from Lake Michigan was the Ox-Bow Artists' Colony. We never went in there. There was a small building on the Baldhead side of the Kalamazoo River that was the powerhouse for the water supply for Saugatuck. I don't think it is in use today. [The little building now houses the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Museum.] Across the river was Saugatuck and a ferry boat ride would get us there for a dime (probably round trip). We would enjoy going into Saugatuck. For several years [1919 to 1924] the luxury liners North American and South American were berthed in Saugatuck. I think maybe they were there for the winter. We could also climb aboard them and go on an inspection tour. After climbing and meandering we made our way back to the picnic spot, climbed aboard the hay wagon, tired but happy, for the ride home. --- Each generation sees changes and yet some things don't change very much at all. In my generation we went by car. I think everyone had a Ford of some kind. We would all gather at base of Baldhead and before the cars had rolled to a stop the children were pouring out and headed for the stairs that led to the top. The race was on, and what we did we do upon reaching the top of the stairs? Why, run right back down along one of the many sand trails. Of course the contest for the day was to see just how many times one could climb to the top and run back down again. Our boundary seemed to be up to the top and down. I don't remember anyone being adventurous enough to run down the backside toward the Oval Beach, or wandering around the cottages, like my mother did. While all of this adventurous climbing was going on, the mothers were busily laying out the picnic dinner they had brought along. It didn't take too many trips to the top and down again before everyone was red faced and panting for breath and ready to sit down and enjoy the lunch. Pitchers of lemonade quenched our thirst, I can remember a lot of baked beans being there, that must have been the easiest to fix and take along and JELL-0 that always had bananas in it in those days; it was quite a treat but the bananas always turned brown before we got ready to eat it. There were always lots of pies and cakes for dessert. Very few fathers ever went along on these picnics because the end of May was the time when they were busy getting the crops in, and they just didn't have time to spend a whole day at a picnic. After an afternoon of running through the sand and climbing the steps a few more times, there were ice cream cones. I can't recall the way it arrived, surely someone brought it some time in the afternoon. Cones were dipped from a heavy brown insulated canvas pack. The pack must have been frozen, too, as I remember it was always very cold. Ice cream cones were never more delicious than on those picnic days. My particular school was the McDowell School in Casco Township, but I know that all of the rural schools in the surrounding townships celebrated the end to their school year by going to Mt. Baldhead for a picnic during those last weeks in May. I can't recall there ever being another school group there on the same day that we went, but there probably was. (Maybe the teachers worked out a schedule for use of the park.) It was always a wonderful day of good food and good fun with all of our good friends. --- In the early 1960s my husband and I moved to Saugatuck and our children grew up there. Their association with Mt. Baldhead differed somewhat from our own, it was not a once-a-year outing, a trip over on a weekend afternoon to climb the stairs was a frequent thing. My daughter, Jill, when just a little tyke, was always frightened at each landing. She was certain that she would fall through the spaces between the boards before she could get to the next step and would crawl on her hands and knees to reach the safety of that next stair step. As the kids grew older they would take the chain ferry over and climb to the top. In the winter they would take their sleds and toboggans and slide down the backside, always half frozen by the time they came home, but full of ideas for the next time. At the end of each school year there would be field trips, usually with sack lunches, but nothing to compare with the good old school picnics of my day. We lived on the north end of Butler Street and each year about a month before Christmas the star would be lighted on top of Baldhead and shine throughout the holiday season. We always looked forward to that with great anticipating, everyone wanting to be the first one to see it. Now there is a great-granddaughter in our lives and we are certain that one of these days in the not too distant future she will be the next generation of our family to be introduced to Baldhead. I hope she enjoys it as much as all of us have. - Jeanne Mileham