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Douglas Centennial Special Edition Commercial Record 1970

Publication
32-page tabloid special edition of the Commercial Record. The outer wrapper of the publication is printed on a better grade of paper than newsprint and is less yellowed.
Front cover; The cover has two large photos of the Douglas side of the Kalamazoo Bridge (courtesy Mrs. Herman Bekken) and the fruit steamer Charles McVea by the basket factory (courtesy of Marv Higgins)
page 2; Rolling Riverside Becomes Twin Towns - a historical overview mentioning the Pottowatomi, Rix Robinson, American Fur Co., Peach Orchard Point, Mt. Baldhead, William G. Butler, R.A. McDonald, William Scovill, M.B. Spencer, Jonathan Wade, description of the first mills, William F. Dutcher and other Dutcher kin, Mill Point, the rivalry between the Dutcherville and Dudlyville clans, Douglas House, Daniel Gerber's tannery, H.F. March, Crawford McDonald, a vinegar factory. Douglas' First Baby Frank Wade, the first white child born in the village of Douglas, lived in the area from his birth Jan. 9, 1853 to his death in 1947 at the age of 94. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Wade and used to relate that his father felled the first tree on the site of the future village of Douglas. Nelson was a brother of Jonathon Wade. Frank Wade served as village president for five years and on the village board of trustees for 21 years. He was highway commissioner of the township for several years and served six terms as Worshipful Master of the Dutcher Lodge, F. and A.M. He was married in 1881 to Nettie Hutchinson. They had no children. page 4; Towns Merge, Tackle Cow Problem - about the establishment of the Village of Douglas and rules to limit the free roaming of cows Page 5 full page ad for W. Russell Button pag 6; How to name a Village page 7; From Star Route to Post Office - Dyer C. Putnam, his store, and subsequent post masters and locations page 8 detail; Douglas, Big Stop on the Greyhound Line - Safety Motor Line, Lake Shore Limited Coach bus services. Having failed, despite valiant efforts, to get a railroad, electric or steam, to enter the village limits, Douglas was particularly pleased when two bus lines made the village a stop on their daily runs early in the 1920's. The Safety Motor Line and the Lake Shore Limited Coach, both operating between Muskegon and Chicago, at one time ran a total of fifteen buses daily which passed through the village They stopped at the old station in Norton's store, first in the large brick store which had been built much earlier by L. W. McDonald and later in the new Norton's building, across the street, now Johnson's store. Still smarting from the railroad fiasco, Douglas managed to get one up on neighboring' Saugatuck in the bus business and in the late 1920's a local newspaper boasted: page 8; Promises, Promises, But Never a Railroad and Douglas, Big Stop on the Grayhound Line page 9; William G. Tisdale, Builder page 11; Douglas Masonic Lodge, Landlord to the Village, Dutcher lodge of free and accepted Masons, part 1 page 12; Baskets Carried Town's Fortune Up--Down, part I page 13; Baskets Carried Town's Fortune Up--Down, part 2 Douglas Centennial Special Edition Commercial Record 1970 picture number 13 page 13 details page 14; The Many Schools of Douglas part 1 - William A. May, grandson of Douglas page 14 detail; Douglas school students and teachers sometime in the early 1930s - Douglas school students and their teachers pose on the front steps of the school sometime in the early 1930's. They are (left to right: First row, Kenneth Monique, Douglas Derks, Andy Jager, Edwin Cobb, Delbert Audette, Carl Wicks, Ben Fisch, Buren Osterberg, Jack Campbell, Corneil Derks, Harold Beery; second row, Robert Wicks, Lucille Osterberg, Margaret Bekken, Claude Perry, Kathryn Jane Van Syckle, Ruth Jean Whipple, Jean Campbell, ?, Florence Monique, Alice Whipple, Gwendolyn Plummer, a Godfrey girl, Marjorie Atwater, Willard Beery; third row, Harold Gibson, Bessie Beery, Josephine Monique, Florence Ekdahl, Kathryn Bekken, Emma Atwater, Alice Baker, Cora May Baker, Marie Palmer, June Derks, Frances Ekdahl, , Ethel Ekdahl, Ethel May Atvater; row four, Gordon Durham, Jack Cobb, Max Campbell, Ev Bekken, Walter Baker, Edward Bekken, Pauline Leonard, Lawrence Welch (hidden), Bill Godfrey, Florence Perry, Gertrude Acton, Mildred Bekken, Glenn Palm, Florence Bekken, Donald Acton, Audrey Audette, Doris Atwater, and teacher Mrs. Helen Kitchen. In rear near the left side are teachers Mary Hans and Mrs. Flora Drought (Photo courtesy Mrs. G. Edward Wark) page 22; The Many Schools of Douglas part 2 teacher's room and an activity room which measured арргіmately 30 × 50 feet. It employed four teachers, one acting as principal. The bell from the old school house was later established on a platform in the kindergarten playground. By 1963 even the brand-new school was rapidly becoming too small for the Douglas grade-schoolers and faced with increasing pressure from the State trying to do away with small elementary school districts, 93 voters in the Douglas district signed a petition asking to annex to Saugatuck. The feeling at the time was that in addition to having the grade school pupils gain the additional advantages of a larger district, it would make the transition to high school classes in Saugatuck easier. There was also hope that by annexing to Saugatuck in 1963 before Saugatuck built a much needed elementary school, the six year old Douglas school building would be retained and possibly become the one elementary school for the combined districts. In May Douglas voters went to the polls and approved annexation 224-86, at the same time passing by substantial margins two proposals designed to raise school taxes to Saugatuck levels. The final class of eighth graders, Colleen Bekken, Jim Engel, Tom Fosdick, Arthur Gillis, Dick Harrington, Jim Lundgren, Joe Milauckas, Laura Miller, Norman Rininger, Melissa Simmons, Bob Wicks and Paula Wicks were handed their diplomas by principal Mrs. Gladys Hadaway May 29, 1963. In the fall of 1963 a bond issue was passed to enable the Saugatuck-Douglas district to add 12 new rooms to the Douglas school to accommodate the elementary school pupils from both towns. In the early 1940's parents of Catholic children in the St. Peter's parish of Douglas began to send their children by bus to St. Francis de Sales School in Holland. As growth in both Holland and Saugatuck area was rapid at this time, the Holland school soon felt they no longer had room for outside students and in 1949 the parish bought the Fabricated Slat Co. building at the corner of Spring and Center Streets and remodeled it into a school and convent. The school opened in September, 1951, with six grades in two rooms and about 90 pupils. It later expanded to eight grades in. 1954 but later reduced again to six when enrollment increased. In September, 1968, St. Peter's School moved to a new building built behind the church west of the highway with expanded facilities. This fall the school will again be operating eight grades. page 15; Douglas Athletic Club Team, Pride of the Village and Drive Produced Hospital page 15 detail; Drive Produced Hospital - history of Douglas Community Hospital Douglas in 1871 inventory of businesses page 15 detail; Studio photo of William Farnsworth pages 16-17; caption to Bird's Eye View of Douglas in 1907 page 16; Keeping in Touch with Soldiers - the Dope during World War II During World War II more than 60 men from Douglas who served in the armed forces were kept informed of things going on at home, and the activities of other servicemen from their hometown, by an amateur news paper entitled page 17; How Douglas Got its Beach - land purchases to secure a public beach Douglas Centennial Special Edition Commercial Record 1970 picture number 24 page 18; Churches Date Back to 1862 and Chicora's Spar page 19; Living Near the Lake Finally Catches On - part 1 page 20; Living Near the Lake Finally Catches On - part 2 page 21; Douglas Masonic Lodge, Landlord to the Village, part 2 page 23; Living Near the Lake Finally Catches On - part 3 page 24; River's Clam Yield Oyster Stew, Buttons page 25; Living Near the Lake Finally Catches On - part 4 page 26; Dairy Farm Makes a Nice Golf Course - West Shore Golf Course page 28; Miss Douglas 1952 Vera Bruce Bale, Mary Jane Campbell and Margaret Ann Van Syckel page 29; Brigade Fights Fires page 30; Port for Many Peaches and Douglas Red Ribbon Club page 31; History of the Force Family Centennial content that overflowed into regular CR edition on Aug. 20, 1970 Centennial content that overflowed into regular CR edition on Aug. 20, 1970 Centennial content that overflowed into regular CR edition on Aug. 20, 1970; Calendar of Centennial Events SUNDAY, Aug. 16 8 a.m. Pancake Breakfast Douglas Village Hall, sponsored by Dutcher Lodge 193, AF & AM MONDAY, Aug. 17 1 to 3 p.m. Bozo the Clown and his friends will appear in the parking lot between Taft's and the First Michigan Bank. 3:30 p.m. Children's watermelon contest, between Johnson's Store and the Post office. TUESDAY, Aug. 18 9:30 a.m. Pie Baking Con-test, Douglas Village Hall. 11 a.m. Judging of children's Art Contest, aboard the Kee-watin. 8:30 p.m. Red Barn Theatre Party, old time melodrama

2023.18.30

Printed in honor of the Douglas Village Centennial celebrations, Aug. 17-22, 1970

NewspapersDouglas, government1870 Fruit growing, farming, agricultureCommercial businessesTransportation: highway and road infrastructureTransporation: Rail - other than Interurban1875 Basket factoriesEducation and schoolsSports: baseballHospitals, medical care and doctorsMilitary, wars and veteransChurches and religion1880 Tourism steamship era -1930Sports: golfFires and fire departmentsClubs and social organizations1830 Settlement, pioneer era1900 Lakeshore community

Winthers, Sally

2023.18

Found in Collection

Newspaper

Lane, Art 1930-2020Lane, Kit 1939-2024

Aug 20, 1970

16-1/2 in

11-1/2 in

013 Centennial Celebrations

Gravel Pit/Indian Cut/Purdy's Landing/Mack's LandingDouglas Marina Park/Point Pleasant Yacht Club c1967Huntington/First Michigan Bank and Trust Co.Bridge, Swing and Causeway 1902/Drawbridge 1870 or 1868Charles McVea (ship) 1888-1928Wade, Frank W. 1853-1947Putnam, Dyer Conger Sr. 1843-1894Greyhound Bus Stop, DouglasTisdale, William Graham Sr. 1838-1907Dutcher Lodge #193, Free and Accepted MasonsFarnsworth, William "Bill" Eugene 1893-1937Basket Factories in Douglas circa 1851-1927Kirby House/Community Hospital before 1960133 Main/Design Shop/Whipple Sister's HouseForce, Russell H. 1902-1975Force, Jean (Disher) 1915-2001Bale, Vera J. 1933-2013Van Syckel, Margaret AnnShepherd's Hardware/Ekdahl, Clarence & DonaldGerber, Daniel Milton 1862-1929River Queen Boatworks/81. N Ferry/Harbor Club/Harding Hotel, 2ndHuntington/TFC/Chemical/Citizens Trust and Savings BankBob Bell Bozo 1922-1997

Douglas

Michigan

United States of America

North America

Douglas Centennial 1970

09/29/2023

09/01/2025