PART I - RENTED COTTAGES FROM ED McDONALD

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Searching way back in my memory, I can recall our first visit to McDonald Island in the Flats. It was in 1927 and I was eight years old. My folks were Flore & Jules Lievrouw.

My mother's oldest sister (Romanie Steelandt DeSmet) had rented a cottage on the island and we went to visit her We fell under the island's charm, and eventully took over her rental..

At that time, there were three cottages downstream from the two-story farmhouse that belonged to Ed McDonald, one of the founders of the island. First was a cottage (white with red trim) that was rented by a family called Williams. Second building downstream, (white with green trim), was rented by a family called Hanselman. The third building downstream, (white with red trim and next to the two-story farmhouse of Zeke McDonald) was the one rented by my aunt, Romanie.

These cottages were small single story buildings that Ed had built. .Each one had a screened porch in the front toward the water.

My memories of Romanie was that she was a rather stern stout woman, with white hair. I was always a little afraid of her, and don't remember ever being very close to her. Every one called her "Mother", which I never could understand.

These three cottages did not have a dock or breakwalls in front of them. I remember rushes growing along the edge of the shore .The only dock that was standing was a large one in front of Ed McDonald's house.

It was in these shallow waters of the channel that I learned to swim. I remember I was swimming with water-wings.These were rubber balloon-like affairs, hooked under my ams to keep me afloat. Suddenly I saw the water wings floating down the river with the curent and I realized that I could swim, all by myself!

Every one used Ed's dock and he did not seem to mind. He was very easy going, kind, and friendly. He made us all feel at home.

WE MEET THE HANSELMANS

While living in my aunt's former cottage, my folks got to know the next door neighbors, the Hanselman family. They had two children, Geraldine who was a little older than I, and Jack who was five or six years younger.

They soon got to be good friends - and when my mother and dad rented a cottage from Ed McDonald (one house upstream from his place), My dad, Jules Lievrouw, and John Hanselman started fishing together every day.

MR. HANSELMAN'S BIG WOODEN BOAT

John Hanselman had purchased a very strong deep wooden open boat at a police auction. This boat was part of those that the police had confiscated when arresting rum-runners. During Prohibition, there was quite a traffic in rum runnimg from Michigan to Canada, so there were may boats to pick from. Hanselman's sturdy boat was great for all kinds of activities and for transporting big items to the island.

Hanselman had an outboard motor on his boat - and, he was one of the few people on the island to own a motor. I remember that there was a short little wooden platform at the foot of the Williams cottage and that Hanselman used to keep his boat there.

WE RENT A COTTAGE UPSTREAM

About 1930, we rented a cottage from Ed McDonald ourselves .During the Depression years, times were tough for all of us. I can remember that we were paying Ed $50.00 for a year's rent: but when we could no longer afford that amount, he allowed us to stay there in return for maintaining the place.

FUN FOR ALL THE CHILDREN

Ed McDonald had quite a lot of land around his place. And. we children used the space to play baseball, tag. and other games. He even made us a little golf course by burying soup cans in the ground for golf cups.

There were huge willow trees all around; and we kids gathered old wood and made a tree house in one of them. Then, we hung a rope from that structure, and would play "Tarzan". We would swing on the rope out over the water, shouting the "Tarzan yell", and drop into the shallows of the Middle Channel.

Children were always hanging around his property and his dock and he never minded it. We were constantly swimming off his dock, or sunning on the platform at the end. He even built a screened area on that platform , so folks could sit there at night and not be eaten up by mosquitoes. Those of you who know the "Flats" know how hordes of those creatures would descend upon those unlucky enough to be outside in the early evening.

Our cottage and the first one upstream from us (owned by the Helm family) were very close to the water's edge. We had a nice sandy beach in front of our place, which was just perfect for nightly bonfires. It was depression time and there were not very many goodies for us to cook over the flames, but we always could scrounge up some potatoes or other items our families could contribute. We would sit there in the firelight's glow, and sing songs and just be children!.

ED McDONALD'S BOAT & EXCURSIONS

Ed McDonald had a larger boat, with an in-board motor.and a seat that went all around the rounded back. This was called the Jackie-Mac, after his son. He would often take a group of us with him when he made trips to Sans Souci on the South Channel.. That was a real excursion for us! One time he even let us accompany him and hiswife, Edith, to Algonac to buy provisions.

At that time, Algonac had old wooden stores along the shore. These stores had docks in the back and doors that opened into the stores from the docks. Henry's was a little gas-station affair which later started it's food business as a hamburger place. In later years, it long enjoyed a reputation for miles around for its pikerel (walleye) dinners.

Algonac, on the St. Clair River - and, Sans Souci on the South Channel - were much more populated and commercial than we were on our little island. So, we children, always considered it a big event to visit those places. Algonac's waterfront has changed a lot since those days. However, when I made a visit to Sans Souci on Harsen's Island in 2000, I was quite surprised to find that the downtown area of Sans Souci had not changed all that much.

SWIMMING - ALWAYS SWIMMING

We spent most of the long summer days in the water, or sunning ourselves on the dock. No one had ever heard of the sun doing any damage to our skin. In fact, the deeper the tan, the healthier you were presumed to be.

I have a snapshot of Jackie Hanselman, at a young age, standing on the dock afraid to jump in the water. And, I can't say I blamed him. It was on Memorial Day and the water was icy cold! .It was our habit to jump in the water (and quickly jump out) each Memorial Day. We older children had all jumped in - and we started teasing the younger Jackie about being afraid to jump in the water.

At that time, bathing suits, for males and females alike, were one-piece woolen affairs strung from our shoulders by straps. His had a kitten embroidered on the chest of his suit. His explanation to his tormentors was: "I'm not afraid - I just don't want to get my kitty wet". I rmeember that to this day!

I don't know how we endured the cold water at the end of May, because it was always still cold by the 4th of July!

We built a raft out of scrap wood, which the older youngsters would float on in the channel. Our favorite activity was tag. I can remember one time when I dove off to escape being "it" and almost broke my neck. I did not realize the raft had floated into shallow water. I dove straight down and hit my head on the hard, sandy bottom. I remember, also, that I was reeling around in a dizzy state; but never told my mother. Then, as now, young ones keep the news of such escapades from their folks.

WALKING ACROSS THE MARSH TO THE BAY

At that time, the water was low, the marsh behind us was dry and we had a well-worn path acrosss the back of the island to Long Pointe Bay.(This path was just behind Ed McDonald's place). We young people made many excursions across the island to escape to this secluded area.

The "marsh" was so dry, that one time it burst into a huge fire. It came close to the back of our cottages; and I can remember we were all out there beating at the flames with brooms, old carpets and blankets. We had no running water.. We were fortunate to extingguish the flames and save our cottages.

JOHN HANSELMAN, SR.

I remember John Hanselman as a rather large man. He and my father were buddies and did a lot of luaghing and joking, but he always seemed serious to me. He never said much to me. I can remember I always called him Mr.and his wife, Mrs. (In those days, children never addressed their elders by their frist names).

MRS. HANSELMAN

She was a pretty, slight, peaceful, quiet woman. She and my mother were buddies and they talked about a lot of things. I can remember that she had short brown hair which hung around her face in deep waves It was coifed in the popular style of the "bob".

She and my mother both loved to sing; mostly light opera. When we were at our house in Detroit, I would play the piano and they both would sing. I remember, in particular, their singing: "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life At Last I've Found You." Most of the rest of the words escape me, except

"'Ah, at last I know the meaning of it all. All the longing, wondering, burning, yearning. The grief and bitter tears that fall. Ah, this love and love alone the world is seeking. And, it's love and love alone that will remain. Tis the end and all the meaning of living. For it is love and love alone that rules for aye":

They both would passionately sing their hearts out!

GERALDINE & JACK HANSELMAN

Geraldine Hanselman seemed to be in the cottage with her mother most of the time, so it was the younger brother, Jack, that I got to know the best. He always hung around with the gang of children that congregatesd around Ed's property and dock. Ed's son, Jack, was his age and those two were the greatest of friends and always seen together. .Although, his father had a curfew that he had to be in the house by dark, when he was younger and could not be part of our fireside fun, he was around most of the day.

WEEKLY DRIVE TO THE COTTAGE

Before Harsen's island had a road (of sorts) on the Middle Channel, we would leave our cars at the foot of Mr.Taft's grocery store in Algonac,, and go by speedboat to McDonald's Island. The Champion boys were young men and they had speedboats which they used to ferry people from Taft's to Dickindon's Island and McDonald's Island. They even drove people to Harsen's and to Muskamoot Bay area.

John Hanselman had a big old black 7-passenger Packard. Our two families would drive together to the island every weekend. Mr. Hanselman and my father in the front seats. Mrs. Hanselman and my mother and Geraldine in the backseat, Jack and I on the little pull out jump seats, and our white Spitz dog,, Nellie, on the floor between us.

Every time the dog would stand up, my mother would tell her to sit down in Flemish (Belgian)
which sounded like ZET YOU NAYRAH. I can
remember one time Jackie telling the dog:"Nellie, sit on your tomatoe".

We made many stops on the way to our debarking spot - At a farmer's for produce, at Stahl's in New Baltimore for read, at another farmer's for eggs -
and, on and on. In my articles about the Flats on the Lorraine's pages (St.Cliar Flats) website, I tell about how we children used to press out noses to Mr. Taft's candy glass-topped cabinets to buy our penny candy.

Another thing I remember is that when we children got bored on the long car trips (there were no expressways) the folks would tell us to "count the cows". And, we did - there were many cows to count on that trip!

HOLIDAYS WITH THE HANSELMANS

We always had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners together at our homes in Detroit. We lived at 5035 Somerst near E. Warren and they lived o Saratoga (14821 comes to mind) near Chalmers & Gratiot.

We were like family. My folks even took a couple vacations with them, going up north to Chebygan to fish for the big perch! In retrospect, I now believe that it was a good opportunity to get away from us young ones.

FISHING - MY FOLKS AND THE HANSELMANS

Every evening, the four of them would get into Mr. Hanselman's boat and go surface trolling, or still fishing, across the channel on the Harsen's Island channel bank. They were after Walleye, in particular, because that is where they were usually running.

When the fishing was particuarly good, they did not want to come back to the house if they felt the call of nature. One time, Mr. Hanselman had a particularly strong urge. They were in a quandry as to what to do. My father told him, "John, why don't you sit on the minnow pail and go there?" He did and was in that process when a boatload of their freinds came by. One of the friends hollered over: "How are you doing , John?" John answered: "Not much." And my father, ever the helpful one said: "What do you mean, not much. You've almost filled the pail". I heard this story amidst great hilarity when they got back to shore.

One time there was a deep hole on our island side of the channel, almost in front of our cottage. Hanselman and my father anchored there one day and ran into a big school of bass. They were catching one after another, while every one on the island knew what luck they were having.

They knew that if they ever gave up the spot, someone else would claim it immediately. So, they called to us to row a little boat out to them with food, etc., and just stayed there! When they had to heed the call of nature, they would leave one person there, while the other came into the outhouse on shore.

Ah yes, those were the days. And I have snapshots of them holding huge stringers of big fish when they arrived back on the island.

THE HURRICANE OF 1933

I have documented this thoroughly in my writings on Peter Meek's website: under St. Clair Flats, or Lorraine's Pages.

Anyway, my folks and the Hanselman's came rushing up to the island. I had been at our cottage with two of my high school girlfriends, and they were worried sick about us when they heard the news of the storm.. In assessing the damage, we went (upstream) across the swampy area where we had put wooden planks as little docks. This area was between the Helm cottage and the 2-story farm house which the Hanselman family eventually bought.

Trees and tree limbs were down, all around that place, but our cottage and the Helm place took a lot more of the damage.


Lorraine Lievrouw Miller