Gratiot County During Depression and War – July 1941: “In the Good Ol’ Summertime – Before the War”

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

From above: Gratiot County’s first aluminum drive; Local boys enjoy ten days at the Alma Rotary club’s summer camp; The 64th anniversary of the St. Louis Leader led to a special newspaper; America confronts the Nazi invasion of the USSR and its intentions regarding which natural resources were affected.

The Winds of War Blow Toward Gratiot County

Many in the county hoped that the nation (and Gratiot County) could avoid another world conflict. However, events in what was the last July before the war began indicated the war was coming.

Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, who happened to be an Alma College graduate decades before, said publicly that he believed the United States should use its Navy to clear the Atlantic Ocean of all German threats. His statement came on the heels of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union earlier in June.  Knox believed now was the time to strike Germany. In response to the Nazi invasion of Russia, President Roosevelt ordered “all necessary steps” to be taken to protect shipping lanes between the United States and Iceland and to ensure the area’s security. Because Germany also claimed that Iceland was within its war zone, conflict with that nation seemed imminent. Although Iceland would be occupied by America, all troops would leave the country at the end of the war, per agreement.

When it came to the draft for the month of July, 44 men reported to Alma draft headquarters to prepare for the trip to Detroit. After a meal at George W. Myers Legion Post Hall, the men headed out on a chartered bus. Heading the list were Homer Kunkel and James Green, both of Alma. The first ten men in the group were volunteers, and many others were Alma College students.

Gratiot’s boys, many of them homesick for home, wrote and told of their new life in the military. Private Don McMullen wrote from Camp Davis, North Carolina, about how busy he was. Twice daily hikes, an hour of drills, and then classes on modern warfare were required of all. Located northeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, this 3,200-acre former area of swamp and scrub pine now holds 20,000 troops. McMullen’s group was the first from Fort Custer to reach this new camp, which currently held 15,000 men, most of whom were from Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. Despite their drilling and work in the extremely hot weather, the men had Saturday afternoon through Sunday night off, which allowed many to visit area beaches.

 In a strange twist of history, Gerald Eastman of Breckenridge wrote home from Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii, dated June 7. Eastman, like the rest of America, had no idea that his location would just five months later mark the start of the United States’ entry into World War II. After leaving San Francisco by ship – and 50,000 miles from home – Eastman said he was chipping the paint off the sides of boats, of which fifty now rested in the harbor. Eastman also gained twenty pounds in just two months – in small part from having eaten twelve fresh oranges, which he said were all very good. Second Class Seaman Eastman would soon draw an incredible monthly paycheck of $36, up from the $10 he currently received.

Three other Gratiot men received promotions to corporal: Donald McMullen, Russel Criswell, and Ward Lyon. The first two were stationed at Camp Davis, North Carolina, while the other carried out duties at an air base at Everett, Washington. Richard Terwillger, Jr., of St. Louis, was appointed as a reserve ensign by Secretary of the Navy Knox. Terwilliger would complete his studies at the University of Michigan, then probably be called to service as a chemical engineer. He had previously worked summers at the Michigan Chemical Corporation.

Alma battery men Major Howard Freeman, Lieutenant Ken Church, and Sergeant Phillip Collins all made it home on a short pass in order to spend the Fourth of July with their respective families. They arrived in Jackson, Michigan, at 7:20 a.m. on Friday morning, came home to visit, then returned to Jackson for their train to Fort Leonard Wood at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning. For their travels, the men had about 48 hours with their families.

The Gratiot County Red Cross continued to create shirts and dresses for refugees in war-torn countries. More sewers were needed, and production chairmen Mrs. C.O. Way and Mrs. Charles Bloss both asked for more volunteers. Interested helpers need only to phone Ithaca at 343 to get involved. Other war-related activity occurred when Redman Trailer in Alma announced it would expand by adding a 90×110-foot building for final trailer assembly. As it was, Redman’s could not meet the monthly quota of 200 trailers. Over at St. Louis, the Oak Grove Cemetery Board purchased $15,000 of Series G National Defense Bonds. The purchase was believed to be the largest purchase in the region at that time.

There was big news in Gratiot County about an oncoming conflict that would engulf the United States in the county’s first aluminum drive. While the government denied that there was an actual aluminum shortage at the moment, the Michigan Defense Council asked all American Legion posts to supervise the collection of aluminum in their areas.  Boy Scouts were also asked to show up and help the Legion collect used pots, kettles, and utensils. Set during the week of July 21, the country hoped to gather enough aluminum to help build 2,000 more fighter planes. Louis Dines oversaw operations in St. Louis, along with John Tuger and Murvel Peacock.

In other work, the county’s USO drive went on toward its goal. St. Louis had a large thermometer painted on the north side of the D & C store, showing that St. Louis had reached the halfway mark of its $500 goal by July 23.  Other towns and villages in the county also contributed to their government-assigned USO goals.

Selective Service Continues; More Gratiot Men Leave

On Tuesday, July 2, a total of 192 young men who turned 21 since the first draft registration in October 1940 did so at Alma City Hall. A total of three draft board members, office staff, and two volunteer assistants helped with the work. Changes to the Selective Service draft came down from Washington starting July 1, as Washington declared that the new draft age would be up to  27. By mid-July, the government used a new lottery to select those men aged 21 through 27 who became liable for a year of military service. It also meant that these men were more likely to receive an early call for the 750,000 men who registered on July 2. The number drawn from the Washington draft bowl to be integrated into the new draft order found its way to Gratiot as No. 98, which turned out to be Laurence Laverne Sherwood of Ithaca.

 Leaving for the draft again became reality as Gratiot County needed to supply 44 men to leave on July 16. This was Gratiot’s eighth conscription so far. Ten of the men in the group were volunteers; some selectees were Alma College students who had previously had deferments. Among the volunteers in this group were Homer Kunkel of Alma, Robert Keck of Perrinton, and Benny Zamarron of Ashley. Leslie Romaine served as the group’s leader. On July 29, the Gratiot  Draft Board called another 10 men for the August quota to leave on Monday, August 4.

 One problem that the Gratiot Draft Board had to deal with was Clifford M. Thrush of Alma, who was originally serving as a conscientious objector at Camp Onekema in Copemish. Thrush wrote, asking to be reclassified for military duty as 1AO, meaning he could be drafted to serve anywhere. Thrush was dissatisfied with not being paid for his service and with having to rely on other groups to pay his $35 for board and his own clothes.   He also did not like the drab routine, continual work in the woods, and nothing to do at night except go to bed. Thrush also asked the board to publish his letter to advise those considering becoming conscientious objectors on religious grounds.

Another issue the Draft Board examined was the status of men who entered into marriage to avoid the draft. The board had instructions to examine all cases of men who had married since the first registration draft on October 16, 1941.  Any man married after this date had to convince the board that it was “a manner consistent with the ordinary course of human affairs” and not a way to avoid the draft. Draft registrants had to prove in a written statement that they were not doing so, and then a man could receive a 3-A deferment.

New Deal Programs Endure Reductions

WPA and NYA news topped the list of New Deal program news in July. People in Gratiot County could visibly see a reduction in the number of WPA workers being cut by the government or leaving for other jobs.  This reduction in workers occurred despite the county having 205 youth in NYA programs at the end of June.  As a result of the July cuts, summer recreation activities were affected, including limited supervision at Alma’s pools and at Turck Beach.  After a city swimming meet in Alma on July 3, Darrell Milstead, WPA director for Turck Beach, planned a series of junior and senior lifesaving classes. To qualify, participants had to swim 440 yards and remain on the water’s surface for 10 minutes. A total of 91 boys and girls signed up for elementary swimming training to learn to swim. The American Red Cross oversaw the classes. During this struggle to maintain enrollment in WPA recreation programs, director Darrell Milstead resigned and sought work elsewhere.

 Other things in St. Louis, like the temporary closure of the grade school recreation center, activities on Wheeler Field, and open-air dances, also kept the WPA busy. Those WPA programs that planned to continue included work on Wright Park tennis and shuffleboard courts and fourteen blocks of paving in Alma. WPA workers involved in a project at M-57 were now transferred to work in Alma.

To address the labor shortage, NYA Youth Administrator Howard Jones certified 40 new members for work in St. Louis and Alma. Most worked either on summer projects in Alma and St. Louis or at the sewing and weaving project in Alma. Even with the new additions in Gratiot County and across the state, county relief roll numbers continued to plummet to their lowest levels since 1933.

Over at Alma, a group of 150 or more WPA workers and their families paused to have an Independence Day picnic. The Americanization Committee, chaired by Grace Rowell of Alma, organized the event, which included sports and recreation and a call for dedication to national service. A dance closed the day’s activities. To keep people interested in summer sports, the Saginaw News again sponsored a tennis tournament for novice players in St. Louis, Alma, Midland, Mt. Pleasant, and Saginaw. Some local names of participants included Jim Horgan, Bob McIntyre, Francis O’Melia, Wayne Davis, Don Wilkinson, Bob Ode, Wilton Slocum, and Jim Burlingame.

There was some good news for 68 employees of the Gratiot Highway Department. They received a ten percent pay increase starting July 2. However, the county road commission stated that it might be necessary to curtail wages if winter-weather work affected the annual budget. From April through November, employees worked a 50-hour workweek. Between November 1 and April 1, workers might work a 54-hour workweek, depending on the demands of winter service.

Farming in July

It was hot and dry for parts of July, as crops suffered until heavy showers hit the county at the end of the month. Some named the hard rain that ended the hot weather a “blitzkrieg” of relief, which helped beans. Beets and corn continued to keep growing. Oats, barley, and wheat were thought to have been severely damaged by the dry conditions in June and early July. Still, Gratiot agricultural agent C.P. Milham voiced concerns about the effects of corn borer damage. How extensive was the damage, and what would be its effect? Milham lamented that the county likely suffered more damage this year than last, despite efforts to educate farmers about this issue. Not a single farmer in the county could avoid participating in plowing under their cornstalks in order to get rid of the borer. However, too many farmers still refuse to properly dispose of their corn stalks.

 The third annual St Louis Beet Growers picnic took place on the Ithaca Fairgrounds on July 31. Bring a basket lunch – the company furnished ice cream and lemonade.

Earlier in the month, farmers were urged to get their apple orchards sprayed. Farmers also received good news: starting with the upcoming hunting season, a new law took effect requiring hunters to have written permission to hunt on farmland.  Hunters had to carry the documents with them, and the law went into effect before the start of pheasant season. Southeast of North Star, farmer John Foote went to find his young cattle in their pastures in the woods when he found them in the swamp next to a young buck with antlers “of considerable length.” It was big news in the North Star area.

A farm accident reminded people of the dangers on the farm. Arden Holton, 31, of Ashley, had his foot amputated after an accident he incurred while working on a combine, and ended up having the foot removed at Smith Memorial Hospital.  Holton was working to clean out the wet straw and oats lodged inside when he tried to stamp down on a cylinder with his foot in order to dislodge everything. A young hired hand heard Holton’s cry, shut off the machinery, and tied the area above the ankle with a handkerchief. Farmer Stine and the hired hand, Howard Massey, drove Arden Holton directly to Smith Hospital.

Summer Brings the Gratiot County Fair

There is nothing like a fair; this one ran from August 5-9 (Tuesday through Saturday) and featured “a week of thrills,” according to a late-July advertisement. Two weeks before the fair opened,  fair secretary Leslie Simmet had a group of workers cleaning the grounds and exhibit buildings. In addition to fair exhibits, three afternoons featured horse racing; fair attendees could watch a horse-pulling contest, the Hill-Wilbur Circus, and the WLS Barn Dance Show. All young men in military service got in free, as did children under the age of twelve. Wilbur’s Circus, which featured a fleet of miniature ponies, performed twice daily. Another feature involved the Gasca Brothers – Michael, Don, and Leo – who performed circus stunts twice daily. Miss Virginia Alverson planned to be part of a public wedding (her future husband was not mentioned). Lois Sanders, Willoann Rayburn, Nina Burt, and Mary Donahoe were all part of the wedding party. A big fireworks display took place at the end of the fair on Saturday night.

Public Health Issues and Stories

Strange, bizarre and tragic – three words that described what happened to some people during July. The Harold Nevills of Chicago nearly lost their grandchild to a drowning accident north of Sumner near the dam. While fishing, grandfather Harold did not notice that his little girl was playing in the water with a sailboat. The child followed the boat as it drifted farther down the river, then stepped into a hole and disappeared. Luckily, another woman who was fishing heard Harold Nevill’s cry for help, jumped in a car, headed to Sumner for help, and returned with two men, John Carter and Don Pimnan, both of Alma. Both men jumped into the river and found the child submerged, then grabbed her and pulled her to the bank and worked on her until she regained consciousness.  The grandfather then collapsed from the shock of the incident and had to be taken to Sumner, and a doctor was called. Both grandfather and grandchild survived the scary incident.

A tragic swimming accident took place over at the North Star gravel pit involving young Rudolph Zamarron, age 21. Zamarron was with a group of swimmers who sought to escape the heat. It was believed that the young man, who could not swim, crossed a pontoon bridge over the pit and fell into a deep hole. After the group discovered Zamarron was missing, the sheriff’s department was called, which dragged the pit for the missing man, who was found in 20 feet of water. This was a tragic loss.

In another strange incident, a bee caused an accident on US-27 north of Ithaca. John White of Ithaca was going north when he pulled off his cap to swat a flying bee. The car then swerved off the road and crashed into another driver traveling in the opposite direction. Luckily, both drivers were only shaken up, although White’s car suffered significant damage. In another instance, Melvin Thrush was hit by lightning on a Thursday morning when it came through the ceiling of an ice house. It left a hole twelve inches in diameter, landed five feet away from Thrush, and turned a nearby piece of iron black. Thrush fortunately suffered only temporary shock and ringing in his ears for fifteen minutes after the incident.

Ileen Kristal, three years old, of St. Louis, received second-degree burns when she backed up and sat down in a kettle of scalding water at home.  She was rushed to Smith Hospital. Marilyn Dubay, another three-year-old from Alma, fell off the porch with a milk bottle, suffering serious lacerations around her right forearm and wrist. Reverend W.H. Bell of Shepherd, and formerly of Alma, was rushed to Smith Memorial after he fell off a ladder while painting a schoolhouse south of Shepherd and fractured his shoulder. Arthur Zimmerman of Ashley broke his kneecap when two rolling logs from a truck hit him while he worked at the Garno Elevator. Fortunately, the logs hit the ground first before they hit Zimmerman, or the results would have been much worse. Zimmerman would be in a cast for several months.

A dental health clinic returned to Gratiot County for 12 weeks to treat children who could not afford dental care. By this time of the summer, the clinic had moved to Alma and was treating approximately 100 young people each day, courtesy of the Children’s Fund of Michigan. Fear of another, more serious wave of poliomyelitis began to be talked about in newspapers as the summer moved toward August. In 1940, a major wave hit the state and extended into September. The Upper Peninsula was hit especially hard at that time.

The Long Arm of the Law  Continues

During the previous month, June, Gratiot County courts recorded 59 convictions, 47 of which involved traffic violations. Simple larceny, drunk and disorderly, and statutory charges were among some of the crimes. Generally speaking, newspapers reported that the Fourth of July was quiet with respect to law infractions in the county.

 Charges against R.J. Pung of Alma were dropped in connection with an incident dating back to January. Pung reached a satisfactory settlement with the Saginaw Financing Corporation in two cases on two dates, and the cases were dismissed. Lois McKay, 25, of Alma, found herself in jail after stabbing a deputy sheriff at the Midway Tavern on the Gratiot-Saginaw County line. McKay was involved in an altercation while dancing, engaged in an argument, and was kicked out of the tavern. The deputy met her at the door when she tried to re-enter and then stabbed him in the arm. The tavern had previously existed near Wheeler, was closed due to licensing problems, and then moved just across the county line into Saginaw County.

Law enforcement was called to the scene of the Yost Bridge, 3 ½ miles west of St. Louis, on the morning of June 30, involving a traffic accident. Two young men from Muskegon were on their way to the home of Carroll Curtice when the driver went off the road and hit the bridge, killing both young men. Young Curtice, age 18, apparently fell asleep at the wheel.

Thieves, thieves everywhere. Someone broke into the Wheeler Elevator on a Thursday night and stole $34.50 in money, 90 packs of cigarettes, and 5 candy bars. This all happened after closing at 9:00 p.m., when a thief broke in through a window on the north side of the office. Four St. Louis youths did face justice for the damage they caused at the city park late on a Sunday night. The youths overturned benches, broke trash containers, destroyed shrubbery, and threw a table from Wheeler Field into the river. The group was found and required to make restitution for damages done.

To combat juvenile crime, the county moved toward leasing a new detention home for delinquent and unfortunate children by leasing the old Ralph Petit home at 412 North Pine Street in Ithaca. A new home was needed because the courthouse basement, formerly used to detain youth, was being repurposed. This new home featured three rooms, complete with bars, and in good sanitary condition. Mrs. George Sanders would be the new matron of the home.

And So We Do Not Forget

The Alma Rotary Club sponsored a ten-day trip for fifteen girls to attend the club’s fresh air camp on the Pine River. Another camp for boys took place prior to this gathering in July…The Alma Record urged citizens to be considerate of their mailman by offering a cool ice water or lemonade during the hot July heat…Vigil Barton, 18, and Marcia Haas, 18, both of North Star, became the latest victims of Cupid’s arrow during the week of July 14 by purchasing their marriage license…P.C. Thomas and Company of Breckenridge reminded vacationers that their business had everything they needed for their upcoming camping trip. Don’t forget your picnic supplies…The Bannister school district still contemplated what to do now that its building was lost during last spring’s fire. Up to now, Bannister had a K-12 school, but discussion now leaned toward having students in grades 9-12 attend either Ashley or Elsie High School…The St. Louis softball association published its second-half schedule for the season, starting July 7 and ending August 28.  Lake Shore Sugar took on Christian Church in the first game on July 7…The Alma Chamber of Commerce announced that Mardi Gras would replace the old Harvest Jubilee, which had taken place each September since 1931. Alma’s Mardi Gras would take place September 10 to 12…V.K. Beshgetoor, Alma pastor and ardent prohibitionist, wrote a letter to the Alma Record letting it know that beer should not be made available at Army camps – a good way to corrupt young men with the beer-drinking habit.

John Probst of North Star gave his wife a shampoo with 258 fresh eggs when his car skidded off the blacktop near Furgason’s gas station. On the way to Ithaca to sell 30 dozen eggs, the Probst car went off the road, flipped twice, and landed on all four tires. Both people survived the incident; they were covered from head to foot. Two eggs survived…Buffalo Bill Cody’s second cousin, Harriet (Cody) King of Sumner, died at the age of 97. Harriet lived an active life, lived with her son George King, and was an active member of the Crystal Congregational Church…John Wayne, Betty Field, and Harry Carey starred in “The Shepherd of the Hills” at the Strand Theatre. Ten- and twenty-cent tickets got you inside…President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a radio message on July 4, the 165th anniversary of American independence. America had to remain “ a fertile oasis” for freedom and democracy in the midst of the world situation…Clare M. Troub was named the postmaster general in Middleton. Because of increased business in the past year, the Middleton office was now promoted to third class…Half-year plates went on sale at all county auto license bureaus. There appeared to be increased demand for plates now that fruit growers needed workers and as people prepared to leave their homes for summer vacation…Fred E. Himes was chosen as the new commander of the William Fields American Legion Post in Alma. He replaced Milton C. Townsend.

The village of Perrinton prepared for its annual homecoming, to be held August 25-26. Baseball, bands, foot races, nail driving contests, pop-drinking contests, and necktie races were planned. Dancing to take place each evening at the Community Hall…Big news in St. Louis – Harry Heilmann, Detroit Tigers announcer, planned to broadcast a game in St. Louis from a Cleveland-Detroit game on August 8. He also planned on conducting his popular program “Man on the Street” afterward. Detroit Tigers fans in St. Louis were excited…The Edgewood Church of God planned to dedicate its new sanctuary. Dr. E.A. Reardon, pastor of Park Place Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, planned to give the dedication sermon…The St. Louis Lutheran organization held a picnic at Alma’s Conservation Park, drawing an estimated 1,000 people. Many had to bring their own tables. The grounds were said to be used almost every night of the week for recreation and meetings…Breckenridge Schools considered purchasing buses to provide transportation for students who wanted to attend the school. As of July, Breckenridge was the only district without buses to do so.

Wow, there was a run on Gratiot County marriage licenses. A total of 172 had been issued as of June 30, up from 125 at the same time in 1940. Cupid was indeed busy…Alma State Savings Bank celebrated its 40th anniversary on July 1. The original meeting of bank stockholders took place on May 21, 1901…The fourth annual Michigan Chemical Corporation was planned at Lumberjack Park for August 2. At least 250 people were planning to attend… Dr. T. D. Gilson of St. Louis created and installed an air conditioning unit on the second floor of the Commercial Bank Building. Gilson stated that his offices now had temperatures reduced by at least 16 degrees. W.T. Bradley and Claude Smith helped with carpentry and metal work. This was considered the first air conditioning in St. Louis…William Kesl, proprietor of the Park Hotel in St. Louis, officially planned to open the “Travertine Coffee Shop” on August 1. The new coffee shop sat on the north side of the hotel, in an enlarged space that had been a private dining room. The café got its name from the travertine stone covering the lower walls. Opening seven days a week…The grand opening of the Ithaca Dairy and Locker Plant took place July 25-26 and provided a place for farm families to store their food. Also, special deals on the weekend for ice cream sundaes (2 for 15 cents)…O.E. Buanning’s Beehive Restaurant at 322 North State in Alma got a fresh coat of white paint. People noticed.

Four hundred people at the new St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Louis heard the dedicatory sermon on June 29. Mrs. Lanshaw played a newly installed electric organ…Frank Vanderook, pioneer editor and publisher of the St. Louis Leader, spoke at the St. Louis Rotary Club’s weekly luncheon.  Vandercook recently observed his 91st birthday…St. Louis Schools planned to operate country bus routes now that it had two new 48-passenger buses. There would be a $25 per-student transportation charge per year…The Andrew Sisters and Abbott and Costello appeared at the Ideal Theatre in “Buck Privates” July 20-22. Tickets cost ten and fifteen cents. Lots of Sunday matinees…The ten-day-long Gratiot County Holiness Association camp meeting at Ola closed after ten days. On Sundays, the tabernacle was full and over 200 souls sought God during the altar calls…The Ithaca Rotary Club hosted another Rotary member, Leonard Allen of Ketchikan, Alaska, for their weekly lunch. Allen, a teacher, gave a presentation featuring scenic, colored pictures of salmon fishing, totem poles, Native Americans, and Native boats. The presentation was said to be interesting…Softball games took place at least three nights a week at Rathbone Park in Lafayette Township. Rathbone had both a men’s and girls’ team…Local Perrinton barber Nicholas Surdenik developed a sanitary toothpick dispenser and got a patent for it. The dispenser only presented one toothpick at a time. No more mauling of toothpicks.

And that was Depression and War during July 1941.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

“A Desire to Learn and Serve”: Eliud Sanchez, Gratiot County’s First Mexican-American Soldier to Die in Service

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Remainders of a life of service: Eliud Sanchez’s induction photograph; a blurry photo of Sanchez atop his horse, probably at Fort Dix; two photos of Sanchez during his years at Alma College; Sanchez’s World War I registration card. He greatly desired to serve as an officer; marker for Eliud Sanchez in Alma’s Riverside Cemetery.

He only wanted to finish his studies at Alma College and become a civil engineer. When the country went to war, his biggest goal was to become an officer and fight in France. Today, his marker sits alone in an isolated spot in Section D in Alma’s Riverside Cemetery. His name was Eliud B. Sanchez, and he was the first Mexican-American soldier to die for Gratiot County.

Eliud B. Sanchez was born in Pajarito, New Mexico, in October 1893. Both parents died when he was young, and his brother, Patricio, helped raise him, along with other brothers. In 1907, Eliud was admitted to the Menaul School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a Presbyterian boarding school founded in 1896 for Spanish-speaking boys.

In 1914, Sanchez graduated, and a year later, he came to Gratiot County, Michigan, to attend Alma College. Who helped him to make that decision, and how he got here is a mystery. At the time of Sanchez’s trip, Gratiot County, like many rural areas in Michigan, began to experience a growing need for migrant farm workers after the United States entered World War I. Farmers welcomed migrant workers, but with the idea that they would return to the South at the end of the harvest season.

Someone at the Menaul School saw promise in Sanchez and knew of Alma College. Even though the young man arrived in Alma without a penny, a place to stay, or a job, Eliud was eventually hired as the custodian at the Alma Presbyterian Church. Over the next three years, Sanchez became interested in astronomy and public speaking and was one of 35 members of Phi Phi Alpha Literary Society. One of the speeches he gave in a contest at Alma College was entitled “The City with the Soul.” Yet in most of his other classes, Eliud Sanchez was average at best. He appeared as a student who wanted an education and worked very hard at it, even though he had low grades.

After the United States declared war on Germany, Sanchez volunteered and left Alma College with another student to join the Army on May 13, 1917. Sanchez’s new goal was to become an officer, go to France, and fight the Germans. The Army sent Eliud to Fort Custer, then to Camp Pike, Arkansas, and finally to Camp Dix, New Jersey. By the time of his last assignment in the summer of 1918, he was a non-commissioned corporal and still had not made it to France. Was this because he had not finished his education? Other Alma College students had entered combat and were fighting in France. Or, was it because he was Mexican-American?

Still, Corporal Sanchez awaited going to France as a member of Battery E, 334th Field Artillery. On a warm summer day, August 20, 1918, Eliud was at a lake near Fort Dix, New Jersey, when he drowned in a swimming accident. No explanation or details about his death exist. Learning of Corporal Sanchez’s death back in Michigan, Dr. William H. Mason of Saginaw paid for Sanchez’s burial. Why Mason paid for the burial is unclear. Was Mason an Alma College graduate, a friend of Sanchez, or just someone who came forward to give a fallen soldier a proper funeral?

Upon Sanchez’s death, a photograph of him atop his horse appeared in the college newspaper, the Weekly Almanian, along with a comment that Eliud was remembered at Alma College as being “earnest, smiling, simple-hearted” and was now one of the college’s Gold Star soldiers. In 2013, a letter surfaced in New Mexico, written by one of Eliud’s brothers shortly after Eliud’s death, along with a photograph, the first since World War I.

Starting in 2017, I wrote biographies of the 30 men from Gratiot County on the Ithaca All-Wars Memorial who died in World War I, in remembrance of the war’s centennial. When I later found Sanchez’s resting place in Riverside Cemetery, I was moved by the marker’s location, as no one is buried within 10 feet of Sanchez. His location reflects the solitary life of a young man who worked and studied hard, desired an education, and wanted to serve his Gratiot County as an officer during World War I. Over 500 biographies of Gratiot County’s men and women, written by Fulton students and one teacher, can be found on Facebook at “Understanding Service – Remembering Gratiot County’s Veterans.” Also, “Thirty Who Dared to Serve Gratiot County in the Great War” can be found here at https://goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical.blog and tells the stories of 30 men who died serving Gratiot County during World War I.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

Gratiot County During Depression & War in June 1941: “Trying to Catch a Break”

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Above from the top: “Michigan Days” promotion for the summer of 1941, courtesy of the Gratiot County Herald; The Stars and Stripes Forever flies even though parts of Europe fall to the Nazis; Michigan migrant school opens again for the second year at the Washington School in Alma; Three Gratiot boys head a group to the annual Boy Scout “Camporee” in Breckenridge.

After the talk about war preparation, the draft board suggested that there might actually be a pause in calling young men from Gratiot County to the military.

Still, Gratiot men moved from Fort Knox to Fort Leonard Wood. Letters from some of the men showed their travels from rural Gratiot County to faraway military camps in the country, a trip not taken since World War I.

Efforts to contribute to the county’s war preparation were led by the Red Cross, and the need for USO centers was recognized.

The number of Gratiot people involved in the NYA and WPA programs appeared to be leveling off as people found jobs in war plants.

People still needed medical care. Farms need workers.

It was June 1941, and Gratiot residents would not know a “peaceful” month of June for over the next four years.

Could Gratiot County just catch a break?

Gratiot County Continues War Preparations

War news did not stop. The government announced that it needed to recruit approximately 40,000 Michigan citizens to work in the growing war plants. A new bomber plant in Ypsilanti was planned to employ 60,000 workers alone. Fifty Alma workers pushed for an Alma unit of the USO (United Service Organizations for National Defense) and raised $1,200 as part of a national drive to raise over $10,000,000 for recreational centers for those in the military. The government also announced the closing of all German consulates in the country, as well as all German nationals associated with those consulates. Concerns over Nazi interference and potential sabotage floated across the country. At the end of the month, the government announced a 20% cut in rubber use for the next six months. On June 21, the Second World War took another turn as Germany launched a surprise and successful invasion of the Soviet Union, which appeared to be caught off guard. Hitler’s early successes with the invasion had people wondering how long the Soviets would last, but Russia was a very big country.

As the summer started, a new draft registration sounded on the horizon. An estimated 300 Gratiot youths were expected to register who were 21 after October 16, 1940, and before midnight on July 1, 1941. This time, registrations would only take place at Alma City Hall. Aliens between 21 and 36 who came to the United States since the first registration now had to officially register as well. Early in the month, a list of 10 volunteers and 35 conscripts appeared in the newspaper. The Navy also wrote a letter to Alma Schools superintendent F.R. Phillips, inviting young men in Alma to help with national defense. Superintendent Phillips encouraged young Alma men to consider joining the Navy now. Two of nine registered conscientious objectors, Clifford Thrush of Alma and Bruce Meads of Riverdale, were to be sent to the Onekama Camp in Manistee County. However, the camp was not ready to receive them when their order went out. Five more conscientious objectors were sent to Camp Bluffton, Indiana, for training. These included Nathan Benner (Middleton), Clifford Hibner (Ithaca), Judson Hill (Wheeler), George Smith (Ashley), and Emerson Yordy (formerly of Alma, now in Detroit).

The Gratiot County Red Cross sought to support war preparations by sending 229 articles to a Jersey City warehouse to aid war-stricken nations in Europe and Asia. Among them were 76 women’s woolen skirts and 30 women’s woolen dresses, as well as 25 bed shirts. When more yarn arrived in Alma to meet the Red Cross British quota, Mrs. William Ellis called for more volunteer knitters. The county chapter also planned to call 120 people who had passed the standard Red Cross exam to form a first-aid unit.

News from the boys already in training appeared with more regularity in the newspapers. Jay Alverson, who was inducted in Saginaw, Chauncey Bradley of Riverdale, and other Gratiot men, such as Harry Bassett and Russell Snook, gave glimpses of Army life. Changes and modifications to West Coast weather, how to roll a Bull Durham, how Army uniforms and shoes failed to fit properly, or off to see the sights when on leave – all were mentioned in the letters. News also told how Ned McKee of Alma fractured his knee at Camp Davis, North Carolina. Harry “Hap” Jones of Alma arrived at Fort Custer and entertained his fellow soldiers by performing juggling tricks, magic, and comedy. Jones had been a circus performer for 14 years. William Keyes of Elwell appeared in the motion picture “I Wanted Wings,” which was shown at the Strand Theatre in Alma. Keyes was a cadet who completed his training at Randolph Field, Texas, and would soon be on active duty at Kelly Field.

Those men from Alma who had been called to service at Fort Knox continued to send updates on their status. Although the wives and girlfriends of at least six Gratiot men stationed with the Anti-Tank Battery, 2nd Battalion, 177th Field Artillery, received a visit, the unit would soon be on its way to Fort Leonard Wood. Private M. E. Hartig sent letters to the Gratiot County Herald informing readers about what the unit was doing as it went to Fort Leonard Wood. Major Howard L. Freeman designated Hartig to be the official correspondent with the county newspapers since so many men were sending letters to the Herald offices. By the end of June, another 36 men, many from Michigan, joined this group, bringing the total to 92 men and 2 officers. Also, in early June, Alma Mayor Charles R. Murphy was promoted to Major Murphy to create a new group of Michigan State Troops based in Alma. This new group consisted of 46 men to replace the 177th Field Artillery Unit that left for Fort Knox. Major Murphy was now assigned to command the areas of Muskegon, Newaygo, Montcalm, Gratiot, and Saginaw counties.

The NYA, WPA Programs

New Deal programs like the National Youth Administration (NYA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) continued to offer employment to young and old alike. However, the numbers seemed to drop as people left for higher-paying jobs, now that war preparation meant work in defense plants and other workplaces.

Gratiot County now had 902 NYA youth, ages 16 to 24, employed on out-of-school projects. Shirts and garments, as well as photographs of boys’ handicrafts, appeared in the windows of the Perry Building in Alma on the corner of Superior and Woodworth. Those youth working at Turck Park learned the concessions business and raised $18.75, enough to purchase a defense bond. Approximately 75 NYA workers received free health x-rays as part of a statewide health program. All workers at the Washington School received x-rays, as well as some Alma College students.

In order to accentuate the value of WPA projects in Gratiot County over the past five years, a state WPA administrator cited several accomplishments. The building of 40 blocks of streets, 263 culverts and improvements, and 165 miles of road headed the list. Also, sizeable additions were made to Riverdale and Ashley Schools, as well as to the new Wheeler Field in St. Louis. An average of 300 Gratiot residents were employed by WPA projects. Current work in Alma included ongoing work on streets, curbs, and sidewalks, as well as new shuffleboard courts in Wright Park and wading pools for small children.

Health Problems Require Help

Assessing and treating victims of tuberculosis continued in Gratiot County. In early June, 66 people underwent X-ray examinations at Alma Junior High School with help from the Michigan Tuberculosis Association. Bette Spies, field worker, oversaw the operation. Prior to this, two patch testing clinics were held in Alma on the morning of May 21 and again in Ithaca in the afternoon. Readings of those tests a few days later showed 17 positive results in Alma and 16 in Ithaca. Another 33 people also took tests as recommended by physicians. The entire work was financed by the sale of tuberculosis Christmas Seals.

Another attempt to address health matters in Gratiot County involved providing free dental care to over 1,300 children, from preschool through age 16. Ithaca started the clinic and hosted the program for five weeks, then at Alma High School for four weeks, and ended in St. Louis for three weeks. Those living in the countryside could attend the center closest to their home. Another health clinic later took place in St. Louis involving the immunization of children for smallpox and diphtheria. Dr. A.D. Hobbs and two nurses oversaw these free clinics, which operated for an hour on June 16 & 30.

There was some happier health news. Smith Memorial Hospital installed a new 200-watt fluorescent light in the operating room, equivalent to the one at nearby Wilcox Hospital. This greatly helped with operations at Smith. The Smith Memorial superintendent announced that the staff would honor Miss Georgiana Freuhauf, a nurse at Smith, in honor of her upcoming marriage, and she received a miscellaneous shower, complete with pink ice cream. Also, Miss Ellen Rush offered her home to host a steak fry for the Gratiot County Nurses Association and invited all county nurses to attend.

The Long Arm of the Law Continues in Gratiot

When it came to law enforcement, the resulting news was sometimes hard to read. Still, it revealed some of the social problems that Gratiot County had in 1941. During May, Gratiot County courts recorded 51 convictions, 39 of which were for traffic violations. Fines brought in $687.30, and costs amounted to $241.95. While checking forgeries, assault and battery, and drunk and disorderly routinely appeared in the news, it was a collection of several “sordid” cases that readers found disturbing. Alice Sanders of Ithaca was arrested and sentenced to one to four years in the Detroit House of Corrections for administering drugs for unlawful purposes to a child to procure an abortion. Sanders had 16 children and was arrested as a result of another troubling investigation. This one dealt with a statutory crime against a 15-year-old Alma girl by a Mexican field beet worker, Raymond M. Ortiz, 23, who lived on Euclid Street in Alma. The beet worker got five to ten years in Jackson Prison. As this case continued to be investigated, more young men in the Ithaca area were believed to be involved. Another name involved was Ygnacio Reyes, 21, of Ithaca.

In other cases, Dwight Morris of Ithaca got a $10 fine for using indecent language in front of women and children. Four Breckenridge boys, ages 13 and 14, were arrested for breaking and entering the Pere Marquette Depot in Breckenridge. After entering the building with a skeleton key, they stole a quantity of firecrackers. They each got parole in charge of the Breckenridge village marshal. A Vestaburg truck driver, Earl J. Evans, also made the news as a result of charges and conviction of indecent exposure and received $275 fines and costs, or face jail time. Lyle E. Bearup, 19, of Ashley, was arrested at the county jail for stealing chickens from his father. He had to pay a $30 fine and serve 60 days in jail. If he could not make payment, Bearup would serve 90 days.

Life and Challenges on Gratiot Farms in the Summertime

The summer was hot and dry until rain fell intermittently starting June 12. The rain broke a drought in the county, reviving suffering crops. Sugar beets, which had recently been blocked, were now expected to take off and prosper. The county agricultural agent again warned farmers who had not done enough to combat the corn borer problems of 1940. While many Gratiot farmers pledged to work their previous year’s corn fields more thoroughly, too many still failed to take the corn borer problem seriously. Damages in 1940 due to corn borer resulted in a loss of $400,000 in Gratiot County. Other anticipated farm problems included a perceived shortage of farm labor due to the Selective Service and a shortage of migrant workers.

Those who believed farm life in Gratiot County was easy had another thing coming. During the month of June, several farm accidents occurred, with at least one ending in death. Ervin Hoffer, age 8 of Washington Township, tragically died as a result of lassoing a cow on the family farm west of Banister. After milking the cow that evening, Hoffer took a noose of a rope, looped it around his waist, and then threw the other end over the cow’s head. The 1150-pound cow then panicked and dragged the child 60 rods to the back of the farm to a woodlot. When Ervin failed to show up for dinner, the family searched for him and found his lifeless body attached to the cow. The boy suffered a severely torn scalp, and his waist, surrounded by the rope, was only about four inches in diameter, which caused fatal internal injuries. After summoning the coroner, he decided no inquest was needed. Ervin Hoffer left his parents and four siblings.

Another accident in the county involved Cardwell Hoard, 14, of Pompeii. Hoard received serious injuries when his team became unattached to a drag and ran away, after being spooked by the farm owner’s car, where he worked. When found after being dragged 60 rods, Hoard was unconscious, suffered a fractured skull, and was taken to Smith Memorial Hospital, where he remained in grave condition. Young Howard Comstock of St. Louis was thrown by a horse on his father’s farm and received a serious concussion. Carl Cole of Breckenridge injured his arm when he slipped on a load of hay and fell to the barn floor. He was admitted to Smith Memorial for X-rays. In some other very sad news, Odel Snook, 58, a retired farmer near St. Louis, took his own life in the Oak Grove Cemetery as a result of despondency over his own physical health. He ended his life in the cemetery and was found at his parents’ gravesites.

The anticipated Mexican school in Alma was delayed as improvements continued at the Washington School building. This was the second year for the school, and it was one of only two in the entire state in 1940. When the school did open, it welcomed 48 children on the first day, only to have 60 the following day. Within a week, 75 children attended the school. Miss Merle Farni, Miss Gertude Herman, Miss Nell Zydyk, and Miss Virginia Coldren all made up the staff. All of the women were from outside of Gratiot County, and a few were from out of state. The Gratiot County Council of Churches and Sunday Schools sponsored the school. Mexican families were invited to attend services at the Alma Methodist Church Fellowship Hall on Sunday evenings. Reverend Albert Mareno of Shepherd led the programs. On Monday, June 30, the Washington Center opened for an open house. The school operated from 10:00 am to 3:15 pm daily.

There was also a selection of tidbits of farm news in June 1941. Rademacher Motor Sales of Alma urged farmers to consider buying a Ford Tractor with the Ferguson System for only $695. The “Our Gang” 4H Club at Banister was organized at the Ensign home. Alma Production Credit Association moved its offices to the southeast corner of State and Center Streets in Alma, opposite the post office. The downstairs offered four good-sized rooms and a hall for offices. Sheep dipping in the county ended in early June with the C.V. Tracy farm of Newark was one of the last locations for the season.

And So We Do Not Forget

The Alma Chamber of Commerce held its first discussions about another possible late-summer celebration. Continuing the “Harvest Jubilee” in Alma had been a tradition in recent years in August…Billiroy’s Comedians made another stop in Alma and set up camp across from Leonard Refineries. The vaudeville show on its 18th tour of the Midwest featured eighty people, “most of them girls,” the handbills proclaimed. Tickets inside the tent theatre cost 25 cents for adults, 15 cents for children, and ladies free with a paid adult ticket…The Thrasher Dairy Bar inside the remodeled Goodenough Store Building in Breckenridge featured new frosted malted milk shakes. Generous servings and dancing privileges allowed…The Meteor Café in St. Louis, owned by Rocky and Charlie Piccolo, now plans to serve “Chick-En-Hand,” cooked in its own grease and served in wicker baskets. Customers received half a chicken without silverware…Police announced that the newly paved Michigan Avenue between Alma and St. Louis would be closely monitored following a tragic accident near the CSA Hall. Speed restrictions and zones are now ordered at 20, 30, and 35 miles per hour in different areas.

The St. Louis Lions Club had one of the biggest memberships in central Michigan. Adolph Schnepp served as president of the 41 Lions in St. Louis…The McLean filling station on M-46 in Breckenridge lost two high-test gasoline pumps when two cars crashed into them on a Friday afternoon. An estimated $500 to $600 in damages occurred…The Gratiot County Herald published a special insert on June 9, 1941, entitled “Michigan Days for Michigan Prosperity.” Several pages featured advertisements of county businesses and businessmen…Little Rock Lumber and Coal Company of Alma sold 8x8x16 cement blocks for eleven cents each…A new state bill required Alma to raise its pay for city policemen. Those on the beat for more than a year had to be paid $17,000 annually, up from the previous $15,000…The St. Louis Hatchery sold “Michigolden Ducks” and chicks. See W.V. Hess at the hatchery…Free softball games were held on a Wednesday night, when the Ithaca All Stars defeated Michigan Salt, 14-6. Games were played four nights a week in Ithaca (Wednesdays excluded for church night)…Alma Chief of Police Earl Willert again warned residents to stop chasing fire trucks that took off to fight fires. A state law banned such activity. A recent fire on Valley Avenue caused such disruption that fire trucks had difficulty getting close enough to the building.

Three Ithaca boys were among a larger group from Ithaca that took part in the spring camporee in Breckenridge. Edward Nestle, Jr., Lloyd Young, and Max Plankenhorn appeared in the Gratiot County Herald…Daily Vacation Bible School opened under the leadership of Pastor Kelsie Martin from East Superior Christian Church. The three-week event was sponsored by the Alma Federation of Churches at the Lincoln and Republic Schools… The twenty-third annual Ola Camp Meeting opened courtesy of the Gratiot County Holiness Association, beginning June 29. A new two-story building was built to house the kitchen and dorm rooms to support the growing work at Ola…Eleven Gratiot graduates of Central State Teacher College in Mt. Pleasant joined the ranks of new teachers. Margaret Todd of Middleton (limited certificate) was one of the graduates…St. Louis Police Chief Edward Barnes completed his fifth year of protecting St. Louis young people at the corner of Washington and Mill streets from being hit by reckless drivers. Barnes first came on staff in St. Louis in 1931 and had been a veteran of World War…Melvyn Douglas, Joan Crawford, and Conrad Veidt starred in “A Woman’s Face” at the Strand Theatre in Alma. Admission was ten and twenty cents…Get the new Gibson Freez’R Shelf refrigerator at Clapp Hardware in St. Louis for only $94.95….Art Farnsworth just moved his Chrysler and Plymouth Dealership to 219 West Superior Street in Alma, featuring a new showroom, sales, and service.

The Ithaca High School track team won the Valley C Conference title. Coach Keglovitz led and coached the team…The Michigan Department of Health planned to conduct its second ragweed pollen count in the summer. Hay fever sufferers hoped for relief as the department planned to determine where the lowest counts occurred in the state…Conservation League Park in Alma planned a Paul Bunyan pancake supper complete with syrup tapped from the park’s own trees…The George W. Myers American Legion Post Number 164 presented “Golgotha,” a full-length movie about “The Passion Play,” which was shown at the Alma High School Auditorium on June 17. Four showings were planned and cost 35 cents. This movie was the first to be based entirely on the four Gospels’ account of the last week of Christ’s life. Many firms and businesses in Alma supported bringing the movie to town…George E. Marr continued to improve the St. Louis GEM Theatre by bringing in up-to-date pictures and attracting many out-of-town patrons. A remodeled front was another hope for the GEM…Barkoot Brothers Shows would be in Alma from June 23 to July 2 on the Pere Marequette Lot south of Center Street, between Lincoln and Prospect streets. The American Legion sponsored the rides and shows. A daredevil, death-defying high wire act took place every night…Ladies, want a new type of dress? Rayon clothing, planned to debut in the summer of 1941, was washable, comfortable, and stylish.

L.W. Hartig, the owner of Alma Tire Service, moved into his new location at 614 East Superior Street, which was formerly the Sadie Soul property. The brick building was built by Henry Soule and once served as the Green Fern Hotel. Prior occupants of the building before Alma Tire moved in were the Gratiot County Social Welfare Commission and the Gratiot Social Service Bureau. Both of those occupants moved their work to the Gratiot County Courthouse…Bannister School voters approved a $13,000 bond to build a new school building, which burned down in the spring. However, a measure to raise the tax limitation of 15 mills for the purpose failed by two votes. What would be the district’s next move?… “Ellery Queen’s Penthouse Mystery” played at the air-conditioned Alma Theatre. Viewers got to see the recent serial of “Adventures of Captain Marvel.” All for only ten or fifteen cents…In a surprise, St. Louis residents were told that Detroit Tigers announcer Harry Heilmann may come to town for a rebroadcast of a Tigers game. Somewhere on Mill Street, Heilmann planned to conduct his popular program “Fan on the Street” early in the evening. This was big news for Tigers fans in town…Business at the St. Louis Park Hotel was shut down for a few weeks as owner William Kesl remodeled the north side of the main floor into a new coffee shop. The kitchen also would be moved from the rear of the building to another spot in the hallway between the main dining area and the lobby…

Breckenridge High School graduated 37 seniors in the class of 1941. Over at St. Louis, 61 graduates made the grade and graduated…A couple of ladders and improved lighting at Turck’s Beach in Alma allowed safer swimming conditions. A false alarm at the beach caused the Alma Fire Department to arrive after a call from the beach was over the leader for ladders and light bulbs…Some Alma teachers took off on their summer vacation outside Gratiot County. Hildegarde Empkie took off for her home in Kalamazoo, and Margaret Laage headed back to Grayling. Some teachers planned to remain at home in Gratiot; others, like Melva Giles, were on trips, traveling to Quebec. Finally, six St. Louis fast-pitch softball teams elected new officers for the 1941 season. Wayne Green served as treasurer; Frank Curtiss, president; Wayne Davis, secretary.

And that was Depression and War in June 1941 in Gratiot County.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

Gratiot County During Depression and War: May 1941, “More War Preparations”

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

People, events and issues during May 1941 in Gratiot County (from the top): Recruiting Services brought in a mobile recruiting station in Alma for one three day weekend; The first citizens in St. Louis buy defense bonds from postmaster Adeline Phillips; Former St. Louis resident and Alma College student Fred Hill poses in what was one of the first photographs of servicemen to appear in county newspapers in the World War II era; Fay Church and Lem Rowley take care of a car at Rowley and Church in St. Louis. They combined to a new name change starting in 1935; Memorial Day was coming, and newspapers reminded locals of how they owed their freedom to those who had served as far back as 1775; The Alma WPA recreation department offered a marble tournament early in May 1941. Just fill out the form and turn it into any of the area recreation centers or the Alma Western Auto Associate Store.

As the nation continued to prepare for war, more Gratiot men were drafted through the Selective Service. Many still volunteered to go, but the draft numbers kept being called.

There were those citizens who believed that the Depression was slowly ending, that more people could find work, and that the county was trying to rid itself of people on public relief rolls. The idea was that if people really wanted to work, they could find jobs in the county – even if it meant signing up for the CCC, PWA, or NYA projects.

Farmers went to their fields after a long winter. People still faced public health issues.

It was May 1941, and Gratiot County continued along the path toward war.

War News in Gratiot

As spring arrived in Gratiot County, citizens heard President Roosevelt’s proclamation of an unlimited national emergency during a Tuesday night fireside chat. Roosevelt emphasized America’s continued commitment to keep Hitler out of the Western Hemisphere, regardless of the cost. Part of this commitment was measured by America’s continued support for England through the shipping of goods, supplies, and armaments to the beleaguered British Isles. One headline that ran in Gratiot newspapers on May 1, 1941, warned readers by asking the question, “IF HITLER WINS THE WAR OVERSEAS, THEN WHAT?” Dr. George Gallup urged Americans to write their congressmen and senators with their opinions on America’s leaning toward direct involvement in the European war. The responses would be used to gauge citizens’ views on war-related issues facing Congress.

America’s continued move toward war was evident in news articles claiming that American aircraft were being prepared to build 500 heavy bombers each month. However, there were other warning signs, such as extended comments by Joseph P. Kennedy, former ambassador to England, who openly said that America could not stop Hitler’s tide of victories over Europe. Another well-known American, Charles Lindbergh, had also previously stated that he did not think America could hope to stop the German Luftwaffe. Both men’s images would be tarnished regarding their Hitler commentary after Pearl Harbor. However, Gerhart Segar, a former member of the German Reichstag prior to Hitler’s assumption of power, spoke to the Ithaca Rotary Club about his experiences in a concentration camp. He urged America to stand with England against Hitler. Fifty people heard Segar’s speech.

The Redman Trailer Plant continued to produce trailers for government contracts and asked the city of Alma for building permits to expand its factory. Requests for the building permits stated that nearly $10,000 would be spent on the additions. Redman’s had a workforce of 170 laborers working day and night to keep up with demand for trailers. Once national defense bonds and stamps went on sale, Captain Charles Reed was the first to appear at the Alma Post Office to oversee sales. Marie Downer of 911 Republic Avenue purchased the first bonds that went on sale. Over in St. Louis, Frank Curtiss bought the first defense bond from postmaster Adeline Phillips. In the first week at St. Louis, Phillips sold over $2,000 in bonds.

County newspapers also printed requests from military leaders asking residents to write to their sons who had left due to the selective service. Major Howard Freeman asked that people write to members of the Alma antitank battery that was at Fort Knox, Kentucky. To boost morale, a group of six Alma women soon traveled to Fort Knox to see their husbands and relatives. Marian Morris, Betty Allen, Alice Nelson, Dorothy Hitchcock, Emma Mix, and Maxine Norse were a few of them. Pictures of these men also began to appear, marking the start of publishing photographs and letters from men in the military, a process that would continue in Gratiot County for the next five years. Fred Hill, St. Louis boy and Alma College graduate, graduated from the U.S. Naval Reserve Aviation Base at Grosse Ilse. His photograph appeared in the Alma Record. Men like Private Elmer Russell of Wheeler wrote home that he was doing well at Camp Lee, Petersburg, Virginia. So did Maurice Bacon, who was stationed at Camp Haan in Riverside, California. News came that Private J.F. Swigart of Alma attended radio training at Cahanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois. One of the first St. Louis letters published by a serviceman was from Private Edward Barnes, who was at Fort Winfield Scott. The Barnes letter launched the mission of publishing letters from World War II servicemen and appeared on May 15, 1941.

Army recruiters visited Alma College to encourage young men to enlist. At that time, 69 men were eligible for the draft; 39 of them were seniors. Some of the students who were enlisted and prepared to leave included Danny Gallagher, Al McCuaig, Bud Howe, Tinker Kirby, Dick Krall, Warren Hartt, Bud McLean, Joe Chester, and several others. Their departures depleted the college’s sports teams, as these men were all good athletes. Naval Reserve recruiting also soon followed to Alma College. Michigan State College in Lansing added another defense education course to help high school graduates who had prepared for the Army Air Corps examinations. Soon, the army sent a recruiting service on wheels to Alma, which parked downtown near the post office on one Saturday through Monday and attracted much attention. Fort Custer also wanted mothers to know that those young men who trained there received adequate spiritual care. The base had eight new churches scattered around its base. Since August 1940, 895 new buildings have gone up on the base, but the churches are easy to find, as their steeples rise to over 50 feet.

To have a Defense, Gratiot had to have the Draft.

One of the recurring issues in supplying an increasing number of young men for the selective service was reducing the number of men rejected on grounds of physical fitness. It seemed that each time Gratiot County sent in its required number of men, several were rejected by doctors at their induction in Detroit. One way the Selective Service corrected this problem was by telling men to engage in “prehabilitation” or to make themselves fit for service. This involved learning the minimum physical requirements, consulting the family doctor or dentist if one believed they fell short, and then following the physician’s advice to maintain good condition. To assist with the growing need for physical examinations in Alma, seven doctors served on the Gratiot draft medical staff. They included: Dr. Don Howell, Dr. Robert Davies, Dr. Charles DuBois, Dr. Bernard Graham, Dr. John Rottschafer, Dr. Spencer Miller, and Dr. Thomas Carney.

A group of 44 men (12 volunteers and 32 conscripts) made up Gratiot’s sixth draft quota and reported on May 5 for Detroit aboard the Ann Arbor train. Howard Salisbury (Bannister), David Church (Alma), and Donald Forest Faye McMullen (Ithaca) headed the volunteer list. Other conscripts included: John Weller (Ithaca), Robert Grossett (Alma), and Alfred Stearns (Riverdale). A week after the group arrived in Detroit, five men were rejected for failing their physicals. Still, the Gratiot board was not worried about having to send five more men, as they had more than enough volunteers waiting to take their places. The ninth conscientious objector in Gratiot County also came forward in early May. This man made out his questionnaire and could be sent to a special camp, such as the one in Manistee, Michigan.

Later in the month, the board announced that 44 more men would be called for the June selectees. July 1 also would be registration day nationwide for those young men who came of age for the selective service since October 16, 1940. These men were now eligible for possible military service.

Continued Effects of the Depression

With the coming of summer and the need for farm workers, the Gratiot County Social Welfare Commission planned a sharp cut in the county’s relief rolls. Employable single persons on direct relief and heads of families with only two members now had to find private employment as of May 1, as the county attempted to close all welfare cases. However, anyone who remained in need of relief had to prove their need to be reinstated. The social welfare commission still believed that up to 200 cases would be reinstated. The director, C.J. Chambers, stated that there had been a significant decrease in the number of relief cases in the last year. By May, 245 cases existed, averaging 1,221 people in the county on relief. The Gratiot board of supervisors also favored cutting relief, supposedly forcing those on relief to seek WPA work.

Work employment also picked up at the Michigan State Employment Service in Alma. William N. Irish, local manager, stated that there had been 45 new placements during National Employment Week, 87 renewals, and 29 registrations for new employment. Something was definitely happening in the county’s economy. Some of the new openings now included farmhands, maids, cooks, waitresses, and machinists.

The defense class in carpentry at St. Louis High School created a 10-week shop class attended by 16 boys. At the end of the class, several of the boys received employment at places like Lobdell- Emory and Alma Trailer.

More practical help and relief for many at this time could be found at the Open Mattress Center in Riverdale. Applicants who wanted a mattress were required to come for a demonstration on how to make and receive a free mattress. These programs, which resembled an old-fashioned quilting bee, were held in other townships, such as Washington Center and the Newark Grange Hall. Women at the Washington center site worked to create 41 mattresses under the direction of Mrs. J. Van Beck. When finished, the new mattresses were said to be as soft as a feather bed.

New Deal Projects Continue in the County

The WPA, NYA, and even the CCC were visible in the county in May. WPA (Works Progress Administration) projects dominated the headlines during the month. Glen Ellsworth of Alma qualified to be hired as a full-time WPA attendant at Conservation League Park after passing a state conservation department exam. He was in charge of picnic grounds cleanup, reservations, and campfire fuel, and in June, he attended the state conservation department nature guide school at Higgins Lake. A luncheon at the Wright Hotel kept the WPA’s work in the forefront and supported its leaders and sponsors. A total of 57 workers and sponsors attended the affair that highlighted the importance of WPA projects in Gratiot County.  

Dr. Thomas Carney announced that he would provide free monthly health physicals for children ages 3 to 6 at the WPA preschool program at Old Republic School. The center also anticipated establishing a milk fund to provide at least one important meal a day. WPA authorities also moved to immediately complete six tennis courts and six concrete shuffleboard courts in Wright Park. A crew of 40 men would be needed right away, with more likely to be hired. Sewer and water construction, along with widening Pine Avenue and Downie Street in Alma, also needed to be done. This involved a work crew of 80 men on the project. A new WPA-supported project was proposed to set up a practical nursing and home aid program for a selected group of 12 or more people on relief. Other WPA-related work involved an essay contest for Alma youngsters entitled “Why I Am Glad to Be an American.”Karl Miller, a sixth-grade student, won the contest and received free tickets to see “Land of Liberty” at the Strand Theatre. Harry Scholtz of the recreation department headed a marble tournament from May 3 to 10. Harlan Sabin, 15, a ninth-grader at Stilwell Junior High, won the championship. Margaret Dean won the girls’ division. Each received a large ribbon reading “CITY MARBLE CHAMP.” The recreation department also worked with 18 Alma youths to construct soapbox derby cars for a contest during the Alma Harvest Festival. Finally, need to cool off? WPA workers prepared for the opening of Turck Beach in Alma, complete with lifeguards and first aiders. The beach was open from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. until school ended for the year.

The National Youth Administration (NYA) had 85 youths aged 16 to 24 working on out-of-school projects. Many of these were participating in activities at the new work center in the former Washington school building in Alma. A sewing workshop for girls and a woodworking workshop for boys both operated there. Finally, the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) wished to enroll up to eight young men ages 17 to 23 from Gratiot County in its program. It paid $30 a month, with half going home to his dependent(s), $8 for spending money, and $7 put into a type of savings to be paid when enlistment was completed. As part of a change in CCC policy, members could choose to re-enlist for up to 2 years.

Health News in May 1941

One of the largest health concerns in the county continued to be the battle against tuberculosis. The Michigan Tuberculosis Association brought a free X-ray clinic to Alma, with Miss Elizabeth Speiss acting as the association’s representative and field worker. Speiss spent the month of May holding TB clinics, contacting families with TB, and inviting them to attend testing. Some locations for free testing in Gratiot County included the American Legion Hall in Alma and the Ithaca Village Hall. Speiss told the public that testing involved the Vollmer “patch test,” which was painless and felt like adhesive tape on the arm. Speiss also reminded the public that those who contracted the disease did so through contact with an infected person. The test easily showed whether a person was positive or negative, and the results in Alma showed that of 86 people tested, 17 tested positive. In Ithaca, 68 people were tested, and 16 tested positive.

Two Alma hospitals, R.B. Smith Memorial Hospital and Carney-Wilcox-Miller Hospital, held an open house to allow the public to see how they treated the sick and injured. The open houses took place on National Hospital Day, and Mayor Thomas Carney issued a mayor’s proclamation to honor that day. At Smith Memorial, refreshments were served, and the public viewed the new baby incubator that it recently acquired. At Carney-Wilcox, an X-ray demonstration was given. An estimated 400 people, including several high school groups, toured the hospitals and enjoyed refreshments.

Several Gratiot residents battled or encountered health issues. Laurel Hastings of St. Louis sought treatment at Smith Memorial after being accidentally struck by a baseball bat while playing at home. Clayton Bunce of Alma was also sent to Smith after he accidentally amputated part of a toe on his left foot. Bunce was treated and released. Will Robson of Elwell had things much tougher, as he lost his right eye when a cow hooked him. Better news appeared when Emily Humphrey, 91, of Elm Hall, left Smith Memorial after making a fine recovery from an appendectomy. Dr. C.F. Dubois performed the first surgery of its kind using local anesthesia on a person who was advanced in age. Doctor, staff, and family all marveled at how well Humphrey was doing after surgery and considered it a success.

Good news came to the county when county school commissioner Donald Baker announced that this year’s Easter seal sale exceeded that of 1940 by over 1,473 sales. The Kellogg School in Newark No. 5 placed first in the largest sale, as each student sold at least 25 seals. Mrs. Ruth Heilman was the teacher.

Gratiot Farming in May

An estimated 1800 Gratiot County farmers united in a plan to dispose of corn stalks and stubble by May 15 in an effort to combat the corn borer. Farm officials hoped for a warm April so that the borer would lay its eggs early and thus be destroyed during early farm plowing and tilling of the soil. County farmers signed cards confirming their decision to attack the problem. At North Star, 96 farmers signed the agreement, while 72 farmers did so in Fulton Township.

The government also urged farmers to expand their bean acreage for 1941. Claud Wickard, Secretary of Agriculture, asked farmers to consider increasing their acreage by 35 percent to meet anticipated needs in the United States, for Lend-Lease sales, and for the American Red Cross. Gratiot farmers also went to the polls on the last Saturday in May to vote on whether to be subject to federal wheat marketing quotas.

The Gratiot County Council of Churches and Women’s Council of North America for Home Missions planned for a larger migrant school for the summer of 1941. Last year, the summer educational plan had 100 Mexican children enrolled for the eight weeks the school was open. It cost $800 to operate, and contributions and additional funds were welcome. Miss Gertrude Herman of Grand Rapids planned to supervise the school.

A hodge-podge of farm news dotted county newspapers. Bill Harper’s Hardware and Implement Service Store, located five miles west and one mile north of Ithaca, advertised the John Deere No. 999 corn planter. A total of 990 sheep were dipped on opening day at the Delbert Pullman farm in Bethany Township. Barn fires at the Homer Bupp farm in East Sumner and Lester Thompson’s place at Fulton Center took down the buildings and resulted in the loss of stock. Bupp’s fire came from embers driven by the wind from bean pods in his barnyard. Finally, state conservation leaders warned farmers that hunters should work more closely with landowners about hunting and the potential harm caused by inconsiderate hunters, rather than institute “blue laws” that banned Sunday hunting in Gratiot County.

The Long Arm of the Law

Court reports from April provided insight into the status of violations of the law and crimes. In April 1941, 37 convictions and 2 dismissals were recorded. Most of these included 22 traffic law violations. But, there were 17 other penalties, including two cases of arson, two people arrested for illegal cohabitation, and another for illegal hunting of a pheasant. Fines and costs for the month amounted to $605.45. At the start of the month, the Gratiot County jail held only 7 inmates, well below the winter average of 20.

Many of the crimes told sad stories of victims and offenders. John Duflo of Middleton called the sheriff after a trio of gypsy women showed up at his door and managed to steal his pocketbook containing $360. The gypsies did it by coming to his door to buy a chicken, then offering to give Duflo a free fortune telling. In the process, one of the women lifted his wallet. Juan Alcoser, 28, Mexican beet worker from Elwell, was arrested for wife beating. He got 40 days in jail and a $37 fine.

In Ithaca, the sheriff’s department, state police, and village police started enforcing double parking on state highways. This meant that more Ithaca visitors needed to use the new large parking lot on North Main Street to alleviate accidents, pedestrian crossings, and the difficulty drivers had pulling out of parking spots into heavy traffic. Drivers who lived outside of Gratiot County were increasingly picked up for drunken driving, such as Gail Hutchinson, 24, of Saginaw, and Paul Bohnhoff, 33, of Freeland. After side-swiping a car belonging to Kenneth Bebow, Hutchinson got a fine of $70.45 or 65 days in the county jail. Bohnhoff only had to pay $15.45 or spend 15 days in jail.

The situation with Roman Pung, 43, of Pung Motor Sales in Alma appeared to be coming to a conclusion. Pung had been in the county jail for several months over the issuing of a dishonored check for $2,550 to Sgainaw Finance Corporation for false pretenses in a car deal with the Sun Motor Company in Detroit. A settlement sounded imminent between Pung and his creditors. Two Seville residents, Gilford McQueen, 52, and Mary Simpkins, 33, were brought for trial for illegal cohabitation without a jury and were found guilty. Queen was sentenced to three months in the county jail while Simpkins received two years’ probation.

The guardian case for Miss Henrietta Kirby of Arcada Township was resolved, with a guardian appointed to her estate. Kirby, age 92 and in failing mental health, was in a controversy over her $20,000 estate, until Probate Judge Roy Matthews of Shiawassee County ruled that her nephew should be in charge. Family members were concerned that Kirby was involved with others who obtained a deed for the farm while living with Kirby in 1938.

A daylight thief snuck in and stole $12 from Jennie Schiff’s apartment on State Street in Alma. Within a two-hour span on a Monday afternoon, the thief crept into her house, found a key to an unlocked drawer, and lifted the money. While Chief Willert was optimistic that he would soon find the villain, Alma residents were urged to lock their doors when they were not home. Kenneth Gross, 19, of Ithaca, was bound over for trial in circuit court as the driver of a car that instantly killed a four-year-old boy, Clarence Quibell, Jr., of Ithaca, on May 17. Gross was let out on a $1,000 bond. Abuse of relief checks also made court news. Marion Offill, a deaf mute, 24, of both Gratiot and Isabella counties, was arrested for forgery of a federal relief check for $20.72, which belonged to her father-in-law. Another check was also stolen, and both a federal agent and local postal authorities identified the culprit. Other sordid court news involved Earl Evans, 33, of Riverdale, who was arrested in downtown Alma with indecent exposure. A truck driver, Evans, was held on a $1,000 bond and jailed after he failed to appear in court. A 14-year-old Forest Hill girl said she was a victim of statutory rape by John Ward, 41, of Houghton Lake. Ward also posted a $ 1,000 bond, defaulted, and was held in the county jail.

And So We Do Not Forget

The St. Louis Kroger Store held its second anniversary sale. Mr. Boyd, the manager, started his job in St. Louis on June 10, 1937, and would soon join the “Old Timer’s Club” after 10 years of employment with Krogers…The Rathbone Indians began a new softball season and played on their new field east of Rathbone. The Indians turned on the lights to play that evening on what was considered one of the best fields in the area…Buy a pair of Boys Smart Wing Tip Oxfords for $1.98 at Penney’s in Alma…Fresh sliced pork liver, 2 pounds for 25 cents at Barrone’s Market in Ithaca…Clarence Muscott was featured in “Gratiot Men at Work” on the front page of the Gratiot County Herald. Muscott and his two sons, Edward and Dean, operated the Ithaca Dairy, which he began in 1926…The village of Ashley received $328.13 in weight and gas tax money from the county. Perrinton was next with $272.30…Ithaca rural mail recipients were urged to improve their mailboxes during Rural Mailbox Improvement Week. Protect your mail, put your name on your box, and have it visible to carriers.

Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Brown of Emerson Township were surprised by guests to celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary. A potluck supper with two cakes was provided, along with Chinese checkers and a late-night mock wedding. The Browns received numerous gifts, including a scatter rug from their son and wife, Elton and Marguerite Brown…Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart all starred in “Philadelphia Story,” playing at the Ideal Theatre in Ithaca. Admission was 15 and 10 cents per customer…The Kennett School received a splendid set of encyclopedias for winning a county-wide contest. Kennett School was located in District No.7, Hamilton Township. Mrs. Mae Horn was the teacher…A fire lasting four hours caused $10,000 in damage on one Sunday morning at the Alma Trailer Company. The fire took out the boiler room, destroyed the roof and smoke stack, and ruined parts of the brick building. The building was formerly used by the Republic Truck Company…Fred E. Guild, Jr., who attended the Lewis School in Newark Township, had perfect attendance beginning in kindergarten through the eighth grade. County School Commissioner Donald L. Baker believed that Guild was the only 8th-grade student in the county with perfect attendance this school year. Miss Elvera Teachman was his teacher at the Lewis School…The Ithaca Chamber of Commerce, Ithaca Public Schools, and the Village of Ithaca all joined together to purchase new outdoor bleacher seats to hold 550 spectators for baseball and track meets.

Buy a new Kalamazoo furnace from W. J. Moote in Alma. Only $64.80 cash with three years to pay (and nothing down)…A new flagpole made of Cyprus timber with a 10-inch butt and a 3-inch top graced the yard of Glenn R. Miner at 603 State Street in Alma. The pole was cut near the town of Vanderbilt and brought to Alma by truck…The Ithaca Baptist Church planned an “America Back to God Crusade” in Ithaca to run for one week in May. The America Back to God Quartet planned to sing each night…The Chisholm Funeral Home Chapel opened in Breckenridge, seating 200 people with overflow for another 100 if needed. Mr. Ralph Chisholm was the owner…A total of 36 people completed the American Red Cross Standard First Aid course sponsored by the St. Louis Community Council. Darrel Mildstead, area WPA project supervisor, acted as instructor…Fulton School graduated a class of 60 seniors at the Perrinton Community Hall on May 21…Brauher and Purdy sold Pontiac “Torpedo” Sixes and Eights at their dealership located on East Center Street in Ithaca…A Decoration Day service was planned for Payne Cemetery south of Middleton on May 30. The program included music from the Carson City High School band, prayer, reading, an address, and a concert…Eat good food at the Meteor Café in St. Louis, including strawberry shortcake…Phyllis Amspoker was announced as valedictorian and Fern Sharp as Salutatorian at Ashley High School…The cost of tuition at Breckenridge schools for the 1940-1941 school year was $11.72 per student…Bert Hicks and Son in Alma reminded those going on a picnic on Memorial Day that they could get one pound of Monarch Coffee for 25 cents; club steaks at 29 cents a pound; and fresh California lemons, 6 for 15 cents…Carpentry students at St. Louis High School completed a 16×20 garage on the Glen Worden farm after working only on Saturdays. Arthur Stinson, high school shop instructor, directed the project as part of the national defense training course.

Knapp’s Bakery in St. Louis had pies and cakes for Mother’s Day…Maurine Stovall of Alma was honored by being admitted to the Michigan Photographers Society at the Anderson Studio in Saginaw. The group only admitted based on distinctive service in the field, then by vote of membership…Philip Morton, a student at Alma’s Republic School, was honored as school patrol captain by the Automobile Club of Michigan. He received a free trip to Washington…Efforts to begin an Alma Softball Association kicked off with a membership drive to form teams, sign membership cards, and display window placards in Alma stores. Harry Flansburg was trying hard to get men to sign up. Flansburg was the newly elected president of the Alma Softball Association… Over in St.Louis, softball season began under the lights with Frank Curtiss as president. Younger players would be scarce as a result of the draft…Recently appointed chief of police, Earl Willert, sold his Mirror Barber Shop at 212 East Superior Street in Alma to Donald Ellsworth. The two worked together cutting hair for the previous eight years…The Michigan State Homeopathic Society honored Dr. F.C. Thornburgh in Grand Rapids. Thornburg was a member of the association for 28 years.

St. Louis schools mirrored the efforts of Alma and Ithaca schools in attracting students from rural areas by providing transportation. At the moment, St. Louis had only two buses to carry out the work…Clifford Dickens, manager of the St. Louis D&C Store, planned to leave for Lansing to manage a new $85,000 store located in the northern part of the city. The promotion meant that he and his family planned to leave the city in early June…Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Bob Hope starred in “The Road to Zanzibar” at the Strand Theatre. News, cartoon, and movie for 10 and 20 cents…Charles Barrone, who had been in the meat business for 40 years, told Gratiot County Herald readers that “If a man doesn’t like the business he is in, he better quit, for he will never make a success of himself.” Barrone was one of the month’s features on “Gratiot Men at Their Work”… Eleven high school bands and 600 musicians appeared in Ithaca for an open-air concert in late May for the tenth annual band festival…The Middleton Methodist Church held a Mother and Daughter banquet sponsored by the Women’s Society of Christian Service. Approximately 70 people attended. Earl Lucas presided over the kitchen duties…A total of 37 seniors graduated from Breckenridge High School in the Class of 1941.

Champion Ithaca Bowlers made the news in Ithaca. Florence Arnold captained the women’s team and Bernard Cummings led the men…School boards across the county are preparing for the annual school census to be held on May 12…Virginia Rose and Barbara Marolf (valedictorian and salutatorian) led the Riverdale senior class at graduation…The North Star Bearcats prepared to defend their 1940 title as Gratiot County baseball champions. They started off their season with a 6-3 win over St. John’s…Jean Cooper, a 1941 Fulton High School graduate, received a scholarship to attend Central State Teachers College in Mt. Pleasant. Cooper served as class president and participated in basketball and dramatics. Applicants only had a 20 percent chance of being awarded the scholarship, so the Cooper family was excited…Visit Willie’s Hamburg Shop in Ithaca, located on North Pine Street. The business just moved to larger quarters to accommodate its growing clientele…The Gratiot County Road Commission received a fleet of five new trucks with low bids from Greening Oil Company in Breckenridge, Kernen’s Garage and McCormick-Deering in Ithaca…Leslie Reeves of Ithaca was the proprietor of Oldsmobile and Case Farm Machinery Sales and Service in Ithaca. Reeves started working with an anvil and forge when he was 16 years old…The Fulton School eighth grade graduated 43 students. The program took place in the Middleton gymnasium…Beebe Furniture and Undertaking Company offered 18th-century dining suites starting at $44.50. Free delivery to customers…Caris (Dick) Brown received a life membership in the Knights of Pythias in Ithaca. Brown received recognition for 50 years of continuous service.

The freshly painted white building with the large “Roc” bird drew in the cars to this St. Louis business. Started as the Rowley gas station in 1929, the name changed to Rowley and Church in 1935…Laurel Hastings, 12, of St. Louis, received a skull fracture after being hit with a thrown baseball bat. He was taken to Smith Memorial Hospital in a dazed state and in fair condition…Maps, ferry schedules, and other tourist information awaited drivers at the new information booth in St. Louis. The green shingled, white-painted building featured three signs to draw the attention of drivers passing through the town, with the largest reading, “St. Louis Welcomes You – Information and Police.” At least 14 drivers stopped in the first few days to gather information or ask questions, according to Police Chief Ed Barnes…Other “Gratiot Men at Work” featured on the front pages of the Gratiot County Herald included P.C.Wilson, retail businessman for 19 years in Ithaca, along with C.G. Larry, proprietor of Larry Hardware, also of the same village.

And finally, for the first time in Gratiot County’s history, Memorial Day took place without a single remaining member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Jasper Norton, Gratiot’s last link to the Civil War, passed during the winter in Elm Hall. There were now no living veterans of that time to thank or think about.

And that was Depression and War in Gratiot County during May 1941.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

We Remember Gratiot County Critters, Great and Small

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Some of Gratiot County’s critters from the top: Rat catching and extermination plagued both city dwellers and farmers in the early twentieth century. Miss Helen Caldwell came to Alma and pledged to show the city how to reduce its “rat problem,” which cost an average of $2 per citizen per year in food eaten by rat; Over hunting of whitetail deer in the late 1800s left the population scarce by the start of World War I. Just seeing a deer in the county could be big news. Here, Jack Farrough of Alma found one the hard way when he hit one of three deer just south of North Star. Farrough reported the incident in early June 1951; Many residents thought that the biggest nuisance animal during World War II was the red fox. This hunt in South Gratiot in 1945 brought out 50 hunters and yielded 5 foxes; Gratiot County also had its share of somewhat strange birds and animals. Here, naturalist Parks Allen shows the first sandhill crane ever banded and released in the state of ichigan in June 1938; finally, a bison on the loose west of Ithaca in December 1981. This young heifer got loose from the Stub Biddinger farm and was roped and led home by Ken Fisher of Ithaca.

The story of twentieth-century Gratiot County and its wildlife began after farming and overhunting had reduced the county’s forests. Gratiot’s largest native animals – deer, bear, and wolves – had been largely eliminated from the area well before World War I.

After the devastation of the large animal populations, sightings became notable events. In July 1930, A.S. Wheeler of Lafayette Township reported seeing a deer on his property for the first time in fifty years. That same week, Lloyd Davis of New Haven Township reported seeing a bear on the Ed Siefert farm, sparking much interest. Deer sightings near the Maple River flats made the news in December 1930, and in 1938, a group of deer near Riverdale also garnered attention. Jumping ahead to November 1950, Austin Phillips of Bridgeville shot a large bear in response to its killing chickens and causing disturbances; the animal, weighing 65 pounds, ended up at the Ithaca locker plant. About a decade later, a bear and a cub sighting along the construction route of the new US-27 highway, north of Ithaca, also drew notice.

Meanwhile, other large mammals appeared in Gratiot’s landscape, though often in captivity. For example, an elderly bison was kept at Lumberjack Park but did not live long. In the early 1980s, Stub Biddinger brought home a young bison heifer to raise west of Ithaca, but she soon escaped and crossed Washington Road, leading to her eventual capture by the Gratiot County Sheriff Department. Similarly, in the fall of 1930, Jay Swarthout, owner of the Gratiot County Oil Station in Alma, brought in two bear cubs, Amos and Andy. The cubs drew much attention from Alma’s children, who fed them anything from lettuce to honey. After about two years and several parade appearances, Swarthout sent the bears to the Saginaw Zoo. Alma’s Wright Park once housed a pair of wolves until 1919. By 1928, the park’s remaining animals, some deer, were relocated to Flint.

Comparing captive animals to hunted ones, the red fox was probably the most vilified and hunted animal in Gratiot County’s history. Its perceived threat to chickens and pheasants made fox bounties and hunting popular, with bounties reaching $5 a pelt in the 1940s. To claim the reward, hunters had to produce the pelt and have it tagged by the sheriff, since some tried to turn in the same pelt in both Clinton and Gratiot counties. For instance, in 1947, the Ithaca Gun Club turned in 64 fox pelts from weekly hunts.

Coyotes also became targets of organized hunts, especially during the Depression. For example, in March 1932, a party in Hamilton and Elba Townships shot four coyotes, highlighting their continued presence. Earlier, in 1908, a baby coyote unexpectedly appeared in a cage at the Alma train station, though its origins remained a mystery, and it was displayed publicly in Ellicott and Hubbard’s Saloon.

Turning to animal farming, Gratiot County also saw ventures that aimed for profit from wildlife. The Gratiot County Silver Fox Company opened north of St. Louis in November 1924 with 25 pairs of Silver Black Foxes. In 1957, Joseph Patrick of Pompeii attempted to start a mink farm but faced a major setback when 1,076 of his baby mink were killed by a company’s insecticide. The case went to court, and the court awarded Patrick $50,000 in damages.

Beyond mammals, deadly, rare, and unusual reptiles also appeared in Gratiot’s history. Rattlesnakes in particular made headlines. In 1928, Mr. Schaulmeyer killed one on the Graham farm west of Ithaca; the coiled snake struck his cultivator several times, measured 2 ½ feet long, and had four rattles. Just a few years earlier, in 1921, another rattlesnake—with five rattles and a button—was killed in downtown Breckenridge, the first seen there in thirty years. Also, in the 1920s, farmers near the Gratiot-Saginaw line reported blue racers in Hamilton Township and around Edgewood. Leo Beebe killed two racers east of Edgewood, averaging five feet in length. Many residents mistakenly believed racers were venomous and aggressive, though they had not been seen in decades.

Occasionally, even more exotic animals made appearances in Gratiot’s history. For example, Gratiot naturalist Parks Allen once banded a captured sandhill crane from Emerson Township, marking the first such event in Michigan. Twice, news reports described an alligator in Alma—first as a pet, and later as a 4 ½ foot specimen found dead in 1923 below the dam. The owner’s identity remained unknown. In 1956, a black monkey with needle-like teeth repeatedly escaped captivity at the Grant Store in Alma, requiring capture with gloves and a French fryer strainer. Alma businessman Joseph Rademacher brought a pair of nutria to town, hoping to start a nutria farm; in 1959, he sponsored a “Field Day” at the Alma Fairgrounds to promote this venture.

By the late 1960s, the Alma and St. Louis Chamber of Commerce, along with the Alma Jaycees, sought to create a farm zoo and a campsite for 50 sites north of the St. Louis US-27 exit on the Ernie Best farm. The plan depended on area farmers lending actual farm animals, such as cows, sheep, and goats, each spring and summer for visitors, while the zoo provided food and care. Intended to lure travelers off US-27, the zoo was short-lived. Nevertheless, Best Sales and Service attracted attention with several large fiberglass animals—decorative figures rather than live animals—displayed at parades, festivals, and sidewalk sales. Today, one of the last fiberglass figures—an elephant missing a tusk—remains on what is now the North State Sales property.  

Copyright 2026 James M Goodspeed

Gratiot County During Depression and War: April 1941, “Off the Gratiot Men Go to Service”

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

From the top: The fifth group of young men to leave Gratiot County as a result of the Selective Service. Unfortunately, no names go with this photograph; members of the Gratiot County Draft Board wanted the public to know that they served without pay; a cartoon from the April 17, 1941 issue of the Gratiot County Herald asks the question, how long can Gratiot County stay out of the war?; a group of boys from Alma Boy Scout Troop 101 formed a first aid team to complete in state contests. From left: William Fishbeck, Tom Stein, Scoutmaster David Gainey, Vance Fulton, Paul Kaufmann, and Dale McClure.

The numbers started growing: 48, 67, 56, 44, representing the number of men who volunteered or joined the Selective Service. All the while, more families confronted the possibility that these young men might soon see war.

Defense industry jobs kept cropping up in advertisements. However, many of them appeared out of state at this point. Who would leave Gratiot County to go that far to find work?

There was significant activity in Gratiot County as a result of the WPA and NYA New Deal programs. All of the programs kept people busy and paid a small wage. Most of all, the programs gave people something to do.

Health needs and problems made the news, as did those who broke the law in the county.

It was April 1941 in Gratiot County, and spring was coming.

The War in April 1941

The sights and sounds of young men going off to the military, many as a result of the Selective Service, increased in Gratiot County. A group of 48 men left the county on April 1 and appeared in a group photograph taken on a street in Alma. Two of them were volunteers, who included Darwin Hagerman of Ithaca and Henry Russell of Wheeler. Two men in the group failed their exam, and two failed admission because they were too young or had no draft numbers. Carlton Van Horn of Alma and Floyd Ludwick of Breckenridge, both volunteers, took the place of those rejected from the April 1 contingent.

They were not gone long before a community testimonial dinner was held at Alma College to mark the Alma National Guard unit’s departure. The George W. Meyers American Legion Post sponsored a dinner for 65 men who composed the 177th Field Artillery and were scheduled to go to Fort Knox. A crowd estimated at 400 attended the dinner. When it was time to depart from Alma, several hundred people gathered on Friday, April 18, to see the young men off to Detroit. A week later, news emerged that the May quota required 44 men for its next part in the draft. Oral B. Smith of St. Louis was sent with the group of 48 men early in the month. Still, he was a member of the National Guard and failed to include that he had already enlisted through the Guard. His Selective Service questionnaire did not contain that information. The Gratiot Draft Board hoped to get him back so he could join the group headed to Fort Knox, meaning another would have to take his place.

The Gratiot County draft board added eight more members to make it easier for registrants to seek guidance without having to travel far. Some of those added to the board included: George Cordray of Ashley, Fred Passenger and Dr. Howard Burchard of Ithaca, and Alfred Wolansky of North Star. None of the board members held paid positions; they were only doing their patriotic duty.

During World War II, newspapers began publishing stories about the status of individuals who left Gratiot County to serve their country. Former Alma attorney William R. Kelley is prepared to leave his practice in Ann Arbor for Fort Benning, Georgia. Kelley had been a captain in the Army Reserve. Private Ray Ward of St. Louis was part of a group of 290men sent to Camp Lee, Virginia. Edsel Marvin Alma made the news for replacing Vincent Battle of Riverdale for the March selections because Battle played professional baseball. Marvin took his place as a volunteer, and Battle’s appeal was yet to be heard by the appeal board. Privates Carl Brown, Clarence Malone, and Joseph Mazey of Alma were all sent to Camp Livingston, Louisiana. Another group, consisting of Steven Monarik and Joe Jisa of Bannister, Paul Harp of Ashley, and Darwin Hagerman of Ithaca, was part of a group of 258 men sent to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.

The saddest story involving future service members dealt with Bruce Harper, 20, of Alma, who was in the Alma National Guard. Harper was one of several men who helped to deliver a caravan of house trailers from the Alma Trailer plant to Wilmington, North Carolina, as part of a defense contract for shipyard workers. Fifty of the gray and silver trailers, measuring 15 feet long, left Alma on March 29 on the first consignment, and the caravan made headlines in Washington, D.C., and Wilmington. Tragedy struck when he began his return home in a car belonging to Willard Blakely of 110 State Street, who only drove as far as Washington, D.C., because Blakely’s driver’s license had expired. Bruce Harper was killed in a traffic accident near Frostburg, Maryland, which involved several cars and the death of another local driver. Just a week after being inducted into the Army, Harper was dead. A funeral with military rites took place in his honor in Alma, before being laid to rest in Clinton County, where he was born. Harper left behind his mother and two sisters. His father died three years earlier and was known for operating an Alma gas station.

A variety of news bits dealt with Gratiot County and the war. Defense Bonds and Postal Savings Stamps were to go on sale starting May 1 at local post offices. The local Red Cross schools offered first-aid courses to the public. These courses lasted 12 weeks, and Alma Boy Scout Troop 101 was pictured in the Alma Record and Alma Journal demonstrating what they learned. The Alma team participated in several Michigan contests and took first place in Saginaw. The Greek Relief fund, led by James Stamas, noted that the drive in Alma had raised $909.69, with Banner Liner Service and Harlan Niles each donating $5. Eleven other people participated as recent donors. More defense jobs opened in a list of out-of-state positions in the St. Louis Leader. Designers, Marine pipe fitters, clerks, clerk typists, and more were on the list. Apply at the Alma office of the Michigan State Employment Service in the city hall. Finally, there was still talk in Alma about building a new armory, even though the cost appeared to be $180,000. Mayor W.E. Reynold discussed the possibility with a United States Army official from Lansing.

The Depression and the New Deal in April 1941

To continue combating unemployment, the Gratiot County Board of Social Welfare budgeted $78,400 for welfare recipients and purposes. Direct relief accounted for most of the budget, totaling $32,000. Another $10,000 went toward repairing the county farm buildings, the infirmary, and a new dairy barn. The committee had a long discussion about issuing welfare stamps instead of cash, and Chairman C.J. Chambers proposed that a state or federal representative come to the board to discuss the idea. Cotton mattress-making programs opened in seven centers across the county to begin planning the production of cotton mattresses for those who needed them. At the first meetings, a tick-making demonstration was held at Newark Grange Hall, and each group selected a supervisor and an assistant for that location. Originally, the Gratiot County Fairgrounds stored the cotton for the mattresses. 

The WPA remained active in Gratiot County through various activities. A group of 24 boys and girls at the Republic School and the Salvation Army worked under WPA direction to create their own archery equipment. The WPA also sponsored kite tournaments in Ashley, Riverdale, Breckenridge, Perrinton, and Ithaca, a week after a successful tournament took place in Alma. Over at Riverdale, Virgil Jessup was in charge, with Robert Nunn and Mr. Wood serving as judges. Eighteen students participated, and 25 people attended the event. Lyle Raby had two first-place awards. The second annual marble tournament was planned for May 3 to 10 in Alma. An entry blank appeared on the front page of the April 24 issue of the Alma Record-Alma Journal.

To keep up with WPA art and craft training, three Alma leaders (James Carter, Sadie Colburn, and Andrew Brenner) attended a conference at Turner Hall in Flint. The Lincoln School P.T.A. Donated roller skates to the WPA to be used as part of the toy library, lent to boys and girls. Now, a section of pavement needed to be blocked off so that boys and girls could skate. “Bird House Building” in St. Louis was also a WPA program, which ran until May 15 under the direction of Reverend Wayne Davis. The rules stated that each contestant must do their own work, be of school age, and may create any birdhouse that they want. Prizes totaled five dollars, and the houses would be returned to each contestant. Adults also benefited from WPA programs and wanted to use the WPA centers at Wright Park, the Salvation Army, and the Republic Center on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. Attendants had to be over the age of sixteen. The WPA also turned the Washington School playground into a softball field. Clifford Sain and Francis Van Horn oversaw the use of the diamond from 3:30 until dark, including on weekends. The diamond and backstop were repaired, and the WPA Department furnished catching equipment, balls, and bats.

The NYA also sponsored outdoor activities by planning a new Michigan National Youth Administration junior baseball program that would take place in Alma, St. Louis, Ithaca, Breckenridge, Riverdale, and Ashley. The woodcraft department began construction of a replica model farm to be purchased soon by the Alma Rotary Club as a youth fresh-air camp. The Rotary Club used the model for display purposes related to the new fresh air camp.

The Long Arm of the Law in April 1941

The Gratiot County Prosecutor, Robert H. Baker, reported that the county had 66 convictions in March. Of these, 48 were traffic law violations, and the rest were miscellaneous offenses. Some of the latter included creating a disturbance at an ice rink, malicious destruction of a steam engine, and checks issued without funds. Four men who became involved in an oil truckers’ strike all faced the judge and pleaded guilty. They were all from outside Gratiot County and attempted to stop, pull over, or halt local workers involved in their deliveries. Two chose to pay fines, but two others received up to 90 days in jail.

Area youth also found themselves in trouble with the law over the theft of magazines, which had been occurring for some time. In fact, one justice of the peace discovered that a “lending library” of stolen magazines occurred in Breckenridge, where the items circulated among young readers. One youth got 15 days in jail while another went directly to the county juvenile court. Two more St. Louis youths found guilty of theft received only a good lecture because of the small amount of stolen items.

The Mazel Ellsworth arson case seemed to finally head to its conclusion when Ellsworth planned to appear in court and plead guilty. Ellsworth had been held in jail since early January for setting her furniture on fire to collect insurance. Ellsworth was sent to the Detroit House of Corrections for a term of 8 months to 20 years. After pondering evidence for 3 ½ hours, a jury acquitted Nicholas Buckler, 50, of Gaylord, on a statutory charge against a Riverdale girl, and he received his freedom. The Gratiot Board of Supervisors approved a plan to obtain a new detention home for delinquent, unfortunate children in Ithaca. The previous plan to find an adequate home failed, and now a committee has been authorized to buy a dwelling with rent not exceeding $25 a month and to pay no more than $500 for remodeling the structure.

Health and Gratiot County

Some people in the county continued to promote the idea of a county health department by holding a panel discussion at the Gratiot County Courthouse. Those on the panel included a local dentist, school superintendent, county school commissioner, and a mother. In another event, the county commissioners appropriated $200 toward the county’s share of funding a free dental clinic for underprivileged children for 12 weeks during the summer. Dr. Thomas Carney received recognition in the Detroit Free Press, which would soon name him Alma’s mayor on May 1. Carney received recognition and praise for his work in Alma, which started in 1915, not only as a local doctor but as the city’s health inspector.

Local newspapers carried a variety of health-related issues as they affected people and their families. Mr. and Mrs. Ford Antes of Ithaca welcomed their 19th child to the family, 13 of whom were still living. Mrs. Antes gave birth to her son at 46. Other stories were not as kind. Sandra Simmons, 2, of St. Louis, suffered severe lacerations to her face as a result of being thrown through the back window of a car during an accident. She remained in fair condition in Smith Memorial Hospital. Other patients could be found at Smith Memorial. Steve Soliak of Ithaca fractured his left femur when a sheep he was attempting to shear knocked him down. Ivan Monroe of St. Louis suffered a gunshot wound in his left knee while trying to clean a revolver that discharged. Near Middleton, young Gene Dowling experienced an attack of the measles. Since Christmas, Gene had endured scarlet fever, influenza, chicken pox, and the mumps.

Those who died from sickness reminded people to take their health seriously. Mrs. Francis Weaver, 26 of Lafayette Township, died from an attack of ptomaine poisoning related to canned meat. Her death came after giving birth to a son on March 29. Weaver could not survive the attack, and other family members also suffered from the poisoning but lived. The deaths of infants also happened. Jane Anne Kent of Ashley, 2 months old, died from strangulation due to phlegm. She was found dead in her crib. The suicide of Joseph W. Plott of New Haven reminded residents of the issue of mental health. Plott was despondent over his physical health, went to Alma and purchased a .22 rifle, and stopped 1 ½ miles from home, where he took his own life.

Farming News

What did a farmer do during the last month of winter? Why, go smelt dipping, of course. Approximately 150 commercial fishermen on Little Bay de Noc in the Upper Peninsula were busy supplying fresh smelt for the Lenten season in places like Ithaca. A single pound net could yield 1,000 pounds of fish if fishermen were in the right place at the right time. Smelt dipping was fast becoming one of Michigan’s fastest-growing sports as area residents moved to different places in the state to dip smelt. Farmers could also go to see Leslie D. Reeves in Ithaca for a Friday night showing of free moving pictures in Reeves’s showroom. The movies featured the new Case pickup hay baler and the new V-C and S-C tractors. A total of

More activities took place. Don Sharkey Farm Machinery of St. Louis had at least eleven pieces of used farm machinery for sale, as well as four good horses. A total of 99 new members joined the Gratiot County Farm Bureau, bringing the membership to 240. A victory meeting was held at Bethany Community Hall, with a potluck dinner. Sugar beet farmers received good news from Michigan Sugar Company in Alma and from the Lake Shore Sugar Company in St. Louis. They received checks for fifty cents per ton for their 1940 crop. This money raised their total payment from the factories to $5.50 a ton for the last season. The Gratiot County Ministerial Association held its meeting at the Alma Church of God and heard Reverend Floyd Drake of Breckenridge talk about “Migrant Work in Gratiot County.”

Getting out and doing things impacted many in the county, including farmers. Spring break-up, winter frost, and water created some of the worst conditions in recent history. Cars and trucks became bogged down in holes on roads as boils and mud holes gave drivers fits. In an attempt to help prepare Gratiot’s roads, the county highway department’s drivers worked 60 hours a week on them.

Life on Gratiot County farms could also be dangerous, with its share of injuries and even death. Raymond Schneider, 17 of Ithaca, had his arm mangled and broken when it got caught in a lime spreader while working southwest of town. He was admitted to Smith Memorial Hospital with fractures in many places.

And So We Do Not Forget

Lanshaw Hardware reminded area fishermen that the trout fishing season starts April 26. Get your fly rod, flies, reels, and kreels at Lanshaw’s…Fleming Shoe Company in St. Louis offered the largest array of saddle shoes in white buck with brown or black calf saddle, and with sueded soles. Shoes started at $1.98 a pair…A terrible fire destroyed the Bannister public school, resulting in a total loss of $14,000. Custodian Lewis Cox arrived at school and unlocked it before 8 o’clock, only to discover that the south wing and the top of the building were aflame. Most items inside the school were quickly lost…The Gratiot County Herald installed a new automatic press nicknamed the “Little Giant.” Walter O. Brown of Ithaca appeared in an installment of “Gratiot Men at Work” in the Gratiot County Herald. Brown, a World War veteran, operated his shop over Goodwin’s Drug Store in Ithaca…Fresh smelt at Winget’s Market in Ithaca cost only three cents a pound. Buy all you want – no limit…A Donkey basketball game in the Riverdale gymnasium drew one of the largest crowds ever on a Thursday night. Area farmers challenged Riverdale business men. In overtime, the farmers won 22-20…Fulton school athletes were honored at a sports banquet in Middleton. Participants from football and basketball (boys and girls) received their letters, and Mrs. Holliday and her freshman girls gave a nice dinner.

Doud’s Drug Store in Alma put up a new sign advertising Swift’s ice cream…An addition to Hicks’ Brothers Grocery went up at 630 East Superior in Alma. The addition measured 20×50 feet and was one story high… Mr. Erickson took his St. Louis High School students to a debate contest in Ann Arbor. The group planned to spend the day on campus, then watch a championship debate in Hill Auditorium…Philip Morton, 12, of Alma represented Alma Schools’ patrols by going on a trip to Washington, D.C., courtesy of the Automobile Club of Michigan. Morton, who attended Republic School, was the first Alma Republic student to be so honored…Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, and Bob Watson starred in “Men of Boys Town” at the Strand Theatre. Tickets were ten and twenty cents, which included the news…The Gratiot Conservation League planned to transplant 350 white pine and jack pine trees that were formerly seedlings on the 53-acre park outside of Alma. Boy Scouts originally helped to set the seedlings in two large 4×50-foot frames…The Alma High School Senior and Junior bands planned to perform a double concert on April 23. The performance included 95 instruments and R.A. Yoder directed…The George W. Meyers American Legion Post in Alma wanted to purchase a resuscitator for the county. There were no plans for fundraising as yet, only a desire to inform residents of the plan.

The sun came out, and the thermometer shot up on April 13 when the temperature hit 83 degrees by six o’clock that Sunday evening. Two days later, the temp hit 78 degrees, but little rain covered the area in that span…The St. Louis City Council designated May 5-9 as “Spring Clean-Up Week” in town. Residents were urged to clean up their property and place non-burnable rubbish in containers for pickup…Dr. B.N. Robinson opened his new clinic in St. Louis on East Saginaw Street, located in a remodeled section of his brick residence…Reverend R.J. Tuttle and Reverend W.T. Roberts spoke at Good Friday services at the Alma Methodist Church, courtesy of the Alma Church Federation. Each spoke on the topic “Seven Last Words”…Alma Schools were prepared to take a five-day Easter vacation and allowed teachers to go home for the holiday…Lobdell Emery of Alma planned to add a $10,000 addition to their plant. The area provided space for bicycle rims…The Alma Rotary Club proposed purchasing a 30-acre farm in Montcalm County to serve as a fresh-air camp for underprivileged children in the area. The farm was located 17 miles northwest of Alma, and the total cost for purchase and improvements would total $2500…A new mayor and council members took office at St. Louis City Hall. Photographs appeared on the front page of the St. Louis Leader…Carson Clapp spoke to the St. Louis Rotary Club about his journey as part of a long line of hardware merchants in his family. Born in North Star, Clapp’s father set up a store in Alma. Clapp graduated from Alma Schools and Culver Military Academy.

The St. Louis Hatchery hatched 30,000 chicks weekly and had 39 years of experience in the hatching business. See W.V. Hess for your order of chicks…Alma city employees constructed a dip net and placed it at the State Street Bridge to help game fish swim over the dam. Last year, people started using small hand-dip nets, but bigger nets were better because they helped the fish reach their spawning areas…Carl Bush, Consumers Power county lineman, suffered bad burns on both hands when he contacted a live wire on a pole north of Alma on Bridge Street. He was taken to Carney-Wilcox Hospital for treatment. Bush’s safety equipment saved him from other serious injuries.

And that was Depression and War in Gratiot County during April 1941.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

“Murder on the St. Louis High Banks”: The Percy Kiter Murder Case, 1922

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Above from the top: Percy Kiter in an undated photograph that appeared in the June 8, 1922 issue of the Gratiot County Herald; a very young Adolph “George” Wallaghen in a photograph taken years before his murder; looking northwest along the Pine River in toward the possible area of the St. Louis “high banks,”; opposite of the former location of Velsicol plant; family burial plot of the Wallaghen family in Oak Grove Cemetery in St. Louis; the only marker on the family plot belongs to the Wallaghen parents.

“Murder on the St. Louis High Banks”: The Percy Kiter Murder Case, 1922

Gratiot County newspapers called it a bloody and shocking juvenile crime which was unequaled in the history of mid-Michigan. And it happened because of a missing pipe and nine cents.

It happened in 1922, in St. Louis, and this tragic murder left a deep mark on the city’s history for the next thirty-five years. For many people living in St. Louis, the death of a young boy was the most terrible event since the town’s earliest settlement.

An Early Summer School Day in St. Louis

This murder took place on an early summer’s day as the school year came to a close at the Oak Grove School northwest of St. Louis. The compact, square box-shaped school, with its three narrow windows on each side and a small set of steps leading to the front door, was located near the Oak Grove cemetery. Because of the school’s location, students frequently walked a short distance to the nearby Pine River or to town by crossing the millpond bridge.

As summer approached and the school year ended, young boys went swimming in the Pine River. One of these spots, known to many as the local swimming hole, was on the north side of the Pine River and sat near a spring. Farmlands abutted the river, and the northern area on that side contained what locals called the “high banks” shores. These river banks sometimes dropped by 20 feet or more in some spots to the edge of the Pine.

Before the 1920s, it was not unusual in Alma or St. Louis for youth to engage in activities in town that concerned the merchants. Theft, vandalism, and horseplay all caused business owners to be on the lookout for unaccompanied children. Youthful offenses ranged from stealing money from an unattended cash register to taking fruit without paying. Knocking over stands and even breaking windows put businesses on alert. Incidents became so frequent in Alma that the police chief stepped up efforts to crack down on misbehavior by arresting youngsters.

On May 31, 1922, young Percy Kiter made a trip into town and back after finishing his examinations. Two other boys, Alex Wallaghen and Donald Smith, also left the school with Kiter and also wanted to have a good time, so they pooled their money, and Kiter went into town to purchase a pipe and tobacco. However, this morning, their time together changed their lives.

Three Boys, Tobacco, and Nine Cents

Percy Kiter, 12, was the second of eight children. The Kiters moved to St. Louis from Grand Rapids, and his father, Perry Kiter, worked on a tile ditching machine, also known as a “ditcher.”

Following Kiter around on that morning was Adolph “George” Wallaghen, age 13, one of two sons born to Alouis and Sidonie Van Wallaghen. The family moved to St. Louis from Detroit sometime before 1920. Both parents were immigrants from Belgium, but appear to have arrived in Gratiot County during a time of Belgian immigration early in the World War I era. An immigrant train arrived in Alma in February 1915, bringing 30 families courtesy of the Burt, Sharrar, and Moore Company. Although the Wallaghens were not on that train, they were one of several Belgian families in the county. The Walleghen family spoke Flemish at home, and later changed their last name to just “Wallaghen.” Alouis Wallaghen worked as a laborer in the St. Louis area.

The third party in this story was young Donald Smith, who was 10 years old. Little is known about Smith’s background, and his name does not appear in any records tied to the Oak Grove School. His father’s name was Ira, and Ira Smith had a farm not far from the river. Donald Smith appears as the young follower who went along with the older students just to belong and for fun. Due to his youth, Smith was intimidated by his peers. One interesting aspect of this story of these boys is that newspapers described them as being a bit older than they really were. For instance, Van Wallegen was about 4 months away from turning 14. Likewise, Percy Kiter was only 3 months shy of being 13, yet newspapers “rounded off” their ages. Consequently, the reports portrayed a story involving childhood and early teenage years.

During a break from morning examinations on Wednesday, May 31, the three decided to go for a swim and a smoke about three-quarters of a mile above the St. Louis dam. Although the boys obtained the tobacco and pipe, they had no matches. That job went to Donald Smith, who made the trip into town but returned empty-handed. Percy Kiter then decided to make another trip and came back; this time, he had just three matches. As the boys gathered close to the bank upon Kiter’s approach, George Wallaghen teasingly accused Kiter, saying he would tell Kiter’s parents about Kiter stealing things in town and about his smoking. A war of words immediately broke out between the two boys over Kiter’s thefts and smoking.

As Wallaghen bent down to take off his shoes to go swimming, Percy Kiter hit him hard in the head, knocking him down. When Wallaghen attempted to get back up, Kiter hit him a second time, then kicked him, sending Walleghen backward down a steep bank that extended fifteen to twenty feet deep toward the water. On the way down, Alex Wallaghen hit a branch of a tree that jutted out of the water, which had come to rest there after winter storms. As Kiter jumped down the bank after Wallaghen, he approached Wallaghen and continued choking him and hitting him. It was then that Kiter saw blood come from Wallaghen’s ears and nose. As Kiter examined Walleghen, Kiter realized that a sharp tree branch had lodged in the back of Wallaghen’s head. Kiter then checked for a heartbeat, but Wallaghen was dead.

The Cover-Up

Upon realizing that George Wallaghen was dead, Percy Kiter instantly ordered Donald Smith to come down to help him and dispose of the body. Young Donald Smith also came down the bank, frightened and intimidated by Kiter. Kiter and Smith then stripped the body, folded the clothes, and took a moment to try to wash the blood off the back of Wallaghen’s shirt. The two then pushed the body out into the Pine River with a large forked stick in an attempt to make the incident look like a drowning. The stick left gouge marks on Wallaghen’s neck. Just before they climbed and left the high banks, Percy Kiter went back to Alex Wallaghen’s clothes. Kiter took nine cents out of the pocket (another report said a dime), and the remaining tobacco, pipe, and matches they were going to use that day. The two boys then made their way toward school, where Kiter attended another session of school examinations after lunch. Just as the two boys left the high banks, Percy Kiter threatened Donald Smith again, telling him never to say anything about what happened. One boy was dead, another intimidated, and a third just went about his business at school.

By late evening, George Wallaghen’s parents began searching for their son, who had not come home for dinner. The search continued into the next day, when a farmer, while dragging his ground near the high banks, went to the nearby spring for a drink and found Wallaghen’s clothing. Soon afterward, some men returned to the location, and Wallaghen’s body was discovered and removed from the river. Soon, a woman recalled seeing the three boys walking toward the high banks, prompting the police to question Percy Kiter and Donald Smith. Smith seemed very nervous, under pressure, and unwilling to talk. Once the police separated the two boys and questioned them separately, the story gradually came out, especially from Donald Smith. The two boys’ stories seemed to agree – Kiter did the kicking, pushing, and choking of Alex Wallaghen. Smith helped move the body due to pressure and threats from Kiter. It took until Friday afternoon to learn the full story of Alex Wallaghen’s death. But once in jail, Percy Kiter finally confessed fully to his role in the murder of his school “chum.”

The inquiry and police work covered six days from the murder until the official announcement that appeared in local and state newspapers. The delay in releasing the investigation was due to the police and the prosecuting attorney wanting to make sure they had the facts, the story, and the guilty party all in line. One of the hidden aspects of the murder investigation involved the fact that the coroner’s jury judged that Wallaghen had no water in his lungs. This fact ended any speculation of the event being an accidental drowning. Instead, it was declared a murder, and a violent one at that.

Prosecution, Judgment, Consequences

Although Percy Kiter confessed to the death of his schoolmate, Wallaghen, there were limitations on what charges Gratiot County prosecuting attorney Romaine Clark could bring before Judge James G. Kress due to Kiter’s age. When Kiter appeared before the judge ten days after the murder, as a minor, Percy Kiter could only be sent to the Industrial School in Lansing until his eighteenth birthday. That length of sentence would be true if Kriter proved he could be a “model inmate.” If not, he would remain there until age twenty-one.

Life was hard for the Wallaghens after the death of their son, who was buried in the family plot in the North Section of Oak Grove Cemetery under what today are several trees. Alouis, the father, died in 1929 and was buried next to his son. He left his wife, Sedonia, who worked as a housemaid for others until she died in 1948 in St. Louis. Strangely, George Wallaghen never had a marker placed on his grave, but his parents’ names appear on theirs. Their other son, Emil, moved out of the St. Louis area and became a social worker.

Donald Smith disappeared back into history, old enough to have witnessed a murder, seemingly granted grace as a child who was intimidated under threats and pressure into helping to cover up a crime. Nothing appears on Smith in any school records. However, Donald Smith’s name appeared in the news again in the 1930s when he suffered a serious injury in a traffic accident.

There was more to the story of Percy Kiter, who served his time and was released back into life in St. Louis by 1930. It is not clear whether he left the Lansing Industrial School at age eighteen or twenty-one. Still, in the 1930 census, he is listed as a common laborer and the eldest of the remaining Kiter children still at home in St. Louis. Married by 1940, Kiter, his wife, and two children moved to Carson City, where Kiter worked as a truck driver for Guy Gossett. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Kiter family held reunions outside St. Louis. By 1950, Percy Kiter moved to California, where he worked as a mechanic and did auto repair at a garage. He eventually died on November 23, 1974, in Riverside, California.

A Wallet, $22, and a Small Boy

However, in retracing Percy Kiter’s later years, a strange story was found. One day during the Christmas season in 1933, Kiter worked on a CWA project in St. Louis. The Depression was on, and money was hard to come by. On his way across town to a gas station one day, Kiter lost his pocketbook that contained $22 and papers. After advertising for its recovery in the newspaper, Kiter gave up and forgot about his loss. About a month later, a ten-year-old boy appeared at the CWA worksite and asked if someone had lost his wallet. It turned out the boy had found the wallet, but his mother insisted they keep the money, as times were hard and Christmas was coming. A month later, the mother regained the money and sent her son to find Kiter to return the wallet, cash, and papers. Upon finding the owner, the boy handed over the items to an astonished Percy Kiter, who wanted to give him a reward, which he refused. Kiter was so excited at the return of his money that, as he showed his fellow workers, he had failed to get the boy’s name.

Did Kiter pause at any time to remember that this boy was the same age as Donald Smith, whom he had coerced into helping to cover up a murder almost twelve years earlier? How often did Kiter think about the other boy he murdered, George Wallaghen, by knocking him down a steep bank on the high banks and choking him as he died?

These questions were all part of the lives of children and teens in St. Louis’s past. And so the story of a murder on the St. Louis high banks moved into history, where a kid killed a kid for a smoke and nine cents.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Gratiot County During Depression and War, March 1941: “Where is Spring?”

From the top: A March 4, 1941, cartoon from the St. Louis Leader illustrated how the European war affected Gratiot County’s problems with unemployment. War meant jobs; this contingent of men left Alma for Saginaw to be inducted into the Army. The photo was presumably taken at 210 East Superior Street. Another group of 49 men would leave before April 1; Lloyd Peters delivers the county’s first load of lime to the John Wertz farm in Emerson Township. Wertz ordered 16 tons for his farm with the idea that it would help production; Dr. Bernard Graham of Alma joined the Draft Board to help with physicals for men in Alma. The increased requests for more men each month meant another doctor (or two) was badly needed. Graham volunteered.

In like a lion, out like a lamb. March was supposed to be the gateway to spring in Gratiot County. Farmers held and attended various meetings in anticipation of the upcoming farming season, even though the forecasts for many crop prices seemed bleak for 1941.

However, for another forty young men from the county, they went off to the Army as part of the Selective Service – and the numbers kept growing.

New Deal programs offered help and hope for young adults in the county.

Late winter had its share of the sick.

The arm of the law kept up with lawbreakers, ensuring they were found and apprehended.

It was March 1941 in Gratiot County.

War Appears on the Horizon; Draft Continues

President Roosevelt received Senate approval of the Lend-Lease bill, which meant that America could now openly help England in its fight against the Nazis. Lend-Lease remained a matter of debate among many Americans who wanted the country to stay out of the European war. Roosevelt also warned the country needed to weather the oncoming storm, but to use the time as a means of sacrifice and service to the country. One of the greatest missions for Americans was to get involved in factory work and help to get goods to “the frontlines of Democracy.” The United States Attorney General stated the nation had 6,249 aliens who needed to be deported. The A.G. also stated that anyone belonging to the Communist Party or the German-American Bund should also be deported as illegal aliens. A bill at work in the House of Representatives said that these “illegals” had 90 days to leave the country or face imprisonment.

The draft continued to call more and more men into service. A total of 40 men left Alma, bringing the total number to date to 77 (50 were volunteers). A photograph of the early March contingent, presumably taken at 210 East Superior Street in front of Edith’s Beauty Shop, appeared on the front page of local newspapers. Among the group of 40 were 13 volunteers, including Elwin Gillis of Breckenridge, Michael Hospodar of Perrinton, and George Martin of St. Louis.  In one of the photos, a dog could be seen running in front of the group of men just as the picture was taken. Five of the men were eventually sent back home because they did not pass their physical.

Not very long after this group left Alma, the draft board announced that April’s call for men would rise to 49 and that the group would leave for Detroit on March 31.  In order to help with the growing number of draftees in Alma, Dr. Bernard Graham was added to the draft medical examining board, along with Dr. John Rottschafer.

Because the Army wanted to double the size of its armored force, those drafted or in the National Guard could be kept in service for over a year. Members of the reorganized Troop B, 106th Cavalry, National Guard, prepared for actual induction to the Army on April 1. Captain Howard Freedman stated that 70 enlisted men and three officers made up this group. They would head to Fort Knox, Kentucky. A Navy representative visited the Alma Post Office on March 14 to interview men aged 17 to 31 as possible candidates. Ronald Charles Wood enlisted in the Marine Corps and ended up at San Diego, California. A St. Louis graduate, he attended Central State Teachers College for one year and now wanted to be involved with aerial photography after completing his training.

Gratiot County newspaper readers did not know it yet, but a pattern started regarding news from young men who would be involved in war. Robert Nesen, a former employee at the St. Louis Post Office, took a course in aeronautical engineering at the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute in Los Angeles, California. The school was one of seven in the country that trained mechanics for the Army. Francis Henry Miller of Ithaca, who left in the January contingent of men, wrote from Fort Baker in San Francisco, California. He took up cooking, trained on 12-inch guns, and found the colors of green trees and flowers in bloom to be strange to see. He was one of two boys who left Alma in that group. Then there was Lieutenant Reynolds B. Smith, originally from Alma, who spoke to the Alma Rotary Club about his experiences as a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He now oversaw a shipbuilding assignment at Bay City. Smith would be the first Alma man killed in World War II. Mrs. George Tangalakis of St. Louis announced that she received word that two members of her family had been wounded while fighting in the Balkans. This was the first word Tangalakis received about her family in several months.

Sad news arrived in St. Louis that Leslie E. McGill, a World War veteran, unexpectedly died in the Veterans Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. Although he had been there for eight weeks for treatment as a “shell victim” (probably shell-shock), it was believed that he was recovering and received encouraging reports about his condition. McGill entered the war at age 18 and, after returning to civilian life, became a purchaser of airplane engines for General Motors. McGill also passed on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Mrs. Harvey Atwell, of St. Louis, a well-known citizen.

More of the Depression and New Deal Programs

If a person in Gratiot County wanted to see a New Deal program at work, they would have observed the New Deal Youth Administration (NYA) or the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Washington School in Alma continued to undergo work to repair the building for a boys’ workshop. The upper floor of the school would also be used for a girls’ sewing, weaving, and hot lunch project.  LeRoy Layman and Mrs. John S. Morgan, both of Alma, oversaw the programs.

The WPA merged Gratiot and Midland counties to create a new area headed by Darrell Milstead, who came to Alma last August. Lester Fillhard, Milstead’s assistant, took over much of the oversight of the Gratiot County program. WPA recreation projects now existed in Alma, St. Louis, Riverdale, Midland, and Coleman. The toy library project in Alma remained very popular in the community, with 80 boys and girls checking out toys. The WPA also held a “Kite Karnival” contest on March 22 at Cavalry Field, offering eight categories for entrants. Another contest took place on March 29, courtesy of the Gratiot County Herald, and took place simultaneously in Riverdale, Breckenridge, Perrinton, Ithaca, and Ashley. The Herald planned on awarding 40 silver medals to first-place winners in eight events. Some of the Alma winners included: Darrell Milstead, Jr., youngest flyer; Marion McCormick, best homemade kite; and Bennie Sammons, longest string out.

Another New Deal program, Social Security, held a presentation at the St. Louis Rotary Club meeting. Mr. Ramsey, from the Social Security Office in Saginaw, used sound slides to illustrate how phases of the Social Security program worked and how it applied to different types of workers. Townsend Club Number 2 met at the Ithaca village hall for their regular meeting. The Townsend Plan was believed to be an alternative to Social Security and had many interested followers in Gratiot County.

Job opportunities seemed to accompany the rumblings of war. At least ten types of openings appeared at the State Employment District Office in Alma’s city hall. Jobs such as sewing machine operators and automatic screw machine operators were needed. W.N. Irish, manager of the Alma office, said that a statewide drive to find workers for national defense jobs was now in effect, and workers were needed.

Farmers and Farming Issues in March 1941

One of the main events in Gratiot County in March 1941 was a series of meetings with farmers. A group of 82 people met for a rural-urban meeting at Elm Hall. In the group were 38 Rotarians who wanted to promote good relations between farmers and club members. All enjoyed a chicken dinner prepared by the Ladies Aid of Elm Hall church.

The Alma Beet Growers Association held its annual meeting at the Strand Theater in Alma. A series of lectures and programs ran throughout the day, with a lunch break at area restaurants. A group of over 1,100 farmers and their wives attended the meeting. Over in Saginaw, another 250 Gratiot farmers attended a meeting with farmers from the Central Michigan area. One of the main issues in these meetings concerned marketing the large grain surpluses anticipated in the fall and shrinking overseas markets due to the war. Another concern that farmers faced centered around the drop in sugar sales. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reduced its acreage allotment by 18 percent for 1941.

A variety of other items made the news on the farm. Brauher and Purdy of Ithaca advertised the 1940 Massey-Harris Clipper threshing model. The business also held a Massey-Harris Farm Equipment meeting on March 12 and offered free moving pictures to those interested in learning about new products. The State Highway Conference distributed new county-wide maps that showed the county, mile by mile, with highways, roads, and streets. The Gratiot County Road Commission received the map for use in improvements and maintenance operations.  Farmers continued to watch the issue of banning Sunday hunting in the county. A state law appeared to be on the way, then stalled in the legislature. Some farmers liked the idea of no hunting in order to keep out-of-county hunters away from their property. Another group in the county believed that Sundays were the only time they got to hunt. The debate went on. Area hunting groups continued to meet and discuss maintenance of their own hunting areas in the county. Topics such as trespass, sportsmanship, game law violations, and property destruction were discussed.

The first lime spreading in the county took place on the John Wertz farm in Emerson Township. Wertz received lime by calling the Agricultural  Conservation office in Ithaca. The AAA farm program promoted the use of lime in order to improve farming across the nation.  Lloyd Peters delivered the lime. The Gratiot County Herald featured a front-page article about John Swartzmiller, age 91, of Ithaca. Swartzmiller recalled seeing Abraham Lincoln as a boy in Tiffin, Ohio. Swartzmiller first came to North Star Township in 1878, cleared land, and put up a house in 1886. Now, he was still active at his home on East Center Street. Finally, Howard Evitts, Gratiot County dog warden, swore out eight warrants for those who had not paid their 1940 dog tax. Although 750 owners were delinquent at one time, only a dozen were left unpaid by March. The warden estimated a total of 6,000 dogs in Gratiot County. Jack Aldrich, 19, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 10 days in jail, a fine, and costs totaling $9.25 for failing to pay his dog tax.

Health and Health Issues

With the arrival of the Easter Season, news about Easter Seals came. This March campaign was the eighth annual in Gratiot County and benefited handicapped children. A group of twenty-four people made up the chairmen’s committee and worked with all area schools to ask children to sell Easter Seals. All four Rotary Clubs in the county supported the drive, as $298.51 had been raised in the campaign in 1940. Some of those helped by the 1940 campaign received corrective shoes and medicines from the University Hospital in Ann Arbor. The debate and call for a county health unit continued as chairman John D. Kelly of St. Louis informed the public about the need for the organization. Chief among the positions was that of sanitary engineer, whose duties included safe water supplies, clean and safe milk, stream pollution, and sanitation at restaurants, campsites, and picnic grounds. The projected cost of a functioning health unit in Gratiot County was estimated at $14,000 to 16,000 annually, with a doctor serving as the health officer earning $4,000 annually.

Some health news in March proved sad and alarming. Young Thomas Wilbur Hubbard, nearly four years old, died from an attack of influenza, followed by measles and pneumonia, in Lansing Hospital. He had two siblings and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Howard of Ithaca. Mrs. George Garrett, 48, from Porter Township, died from second and third-degree burns over much of her body after an explosion in her home. Garrett attempted to take off grease from work clothes using gasoline. The fire also destroyed the Garrett home. Her husband was an oil field worker, and she left behind six children at home and a daughter in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The biggest health-related story in March 1941 in Gratiot County involved migrant labor and a young girl’s operation at Carson City Hospital. Frank Vargez, 45, a beet worker on the Dennis O’Connell farm in North Shade Township, was arrested on charges of statutory rape involving a 12-year-old Mexican girl. Vargez lived with the girl’s family and supported them financially. After the girl was taken to Carson City, she safely delivered a healthy seven-pound boy via c-section. It turned out that a group of 50 osteopaths visiting the hospital for the dedication of a new wing observed the birth. The news of the patient and the baby traveled far in Michigan and made the front page of several newspapers. As soon as word reached the sheriff’s office in Ithaca, Vargez was arrested and taken to jail on $1,000 bond. The girl’s father was incapacitated and unable to work, and the family recognized that Vargas was the father of the child and provider for the family, with no apparent outward concern. Vargez awaited trial as March ended, and Gratiot County received considerable publicity regarding the arrest.

The Long Arm of the Law in March 1941

Prosecuting Attorney Robert H. Baker reported 51 convictions and 4 dismissals for February.  Among these were two convictions for failure to pay dog taxes, driving away with someone’s vehicle, and removal of improperly vaccinated hogs. The courts received $151.30 in fines and $186.55 in total costs.

An interesting series of offenders and their stories found their way into county newspapers. William Farrell of Alma was charged with indecent conduct by two CCC boys he picked up on the highway. That trial was yet to come. Herman Ginsberg and George Foster, who said they represented Consumers Supply Company of Saginaw, were arrested for selling silverware without a license. Both men argued that they sold on time-payment plans and accepted sales tax as a down payment. Future time payments were then to be made by the purchaser. They also claimed they were exploring the possibilities of setting up an Alma store. Both challenged the city ordinances on permits to peddle, and both lost in court. Their fines exceeded the cost of buying a permit in the first place.

A third Saginaw man, Walter Granger, was arrested and convicted in a strike disorder case. Granger was one of a series of men who interfered with an oil truck delivery during a strike in Alma. He got a $60 fine or 60 days in jail. He took the fine. Granger was also represented by a Saginaw attorney. In a lighter story, “aged derelict” Mary Buckler, 67 of Gaylord, asked for a night’s stay in the county jail after being stranded in Ithaca. Upon arrival in her “accommodations” for the night,  the snow-white-haired Buckler popped out a package of cigarettes, lit one up, and declared that it was her only bad habit – and that it was not an addiction.

Local law officials were also involved in a pair of serious accidents in the county. A crash involving four cars and a cattle truck at the garage corners at Wheeler and M-46 occurred when Foster McAllister tried to duck between the cars and an oncoming truck, smashing up cars and gas pumps at a nearby gas station. Damages were estimated at $1,000, and one 14-year-old was sent to Smith Memorial Hospital for treatment for cuts and bruises. Stanley Furley suffered a skull fracture and was unconscious. McAllister did not judge the distances of oncoming vehicles and did not see oncoming traffic. Another couple and their family were seriously injured northwest of Alma at the Bartley Crossing when the car of Earl Clifton Ray hit an oncoming locomotive of a southbound passenger train. Ray died, and his wife lost part of her right leg. Two children were less seriously injured and treated. Mrs. Ray also suffered a broken right arm.

Sheriff William Nestle was involved in an operation at Smith Memorial and was sent home to recover. Things appeared to be going well for the sheriff in terms of recovery.

And So We Do Not Forget

Former St. Louis graduates Maurice Pernert, Marshall Greene, Hilmer Leyrer, and Elliott Oldt (who moved to St. Louis early in life) were all successful basketball coaches at various locations across the state. Coach Oldt led St. Louis to its second championship (one in football, the other in basketball)…Both city workers and NYA youths helped to clean St. Louis sidewalks and streets after a heavy storm in early March. Snowball-throwing by kids was strictly monitored and enforced…Mrs. Park Strouse of Wheeler wrote a long column about her trip to Texas and Mexico. She noted that the Rio Grande Valley was full of American tourists…Kernen’s Style Shoppe sold new spring sweaters in pastel shades for a dollar…Lieutenant Reynolds B. Smith, United States naval officer, spoke to the Alma Rotary Club. Smith was stationed in the Bay City shipyards and oversaw the construction of a naval vessel…The early March snowstorm and cold snap held up the tapping of trees in Alma’s Conservation Park. Tapping of Maple trees was set to begin when the weather changed…Sawkins Music House in Alma announced its newly remodeled basement, which sells refrigerators, stoves, and washing machines.  The floor received new linoleum and lighting.

A cast of sixty men performed “Womanless Wedding” at the Ideal Theatre in Ithaca. Made by locals, the play was a big hit, drawing a large crowd…Gladys Peters of Ithaca’s Reliable Tire Shop was featured as general business manager on the front page of the Gratiot County Herald’s “People at Work.” A week later, J.L. Barden of Ithaca appeared. Henry McCormack was also featured in a series about people in their workplaces…Ray’s Groceries and Meats opened in St. Louis and was operated by Mr. and Mrs. Ray Boivin at 501 South Maple Street. Phone 157 for an order. Roland Mann previously owned the business…The Bethany Dunkards Club held a meeting at Mr. and Mrs. Ray Barnes’ home. They played Chinese checkers until midnight and enjoyed friedcakes, cheese, and coffee. The host and hostess received a new electric clock as a token of appreciation for the evening…Music meetings for Gratiot County rural school teachers at four places, including the Ashley gymnasium…The Fulton High School basketball team lost to Perry High School, 31-21, in a battle between western and eastern division leaders…The Gideons placed over 150 Bibles in local schools. Between 75 and 100 of them went to Alma College students…Alma City Manager W.E. Reynolds purchased a used 140-horsepower diesel engine as a backup for the city in case power went out while pumping city water. The cost was $3,000.

The St. Louis Lions Club sponsored a birdhouse contest until May 15.  First prize was $1.50, and all birdhouses would be returned to their owners…The St. Louis Junior Class planned to perform ”Man Bites Dog,” a three-act play, in early April. Miss Alma Weston and Wilton Slocum, teachers, directed the play… Circuit Judge Kelly S. Searl planned to run for re-election in the 29th Judicial Circuit.  He had practiced law for over 25 years…Orville L. The Church of Alma declared himself a candidate for Alma city commissioner…Once the sap started running in late March, 50 to 60 sap buckets appeared in Alma’s Conservation Park. On Sunday, March 30, a “boiling bee” was scheduled, and hopes were high that the group would exceed the 1940s results of 20 gallons of syrup…The Masonic Lodge in Middleton held a banquet at the Methodist Church, with 84 people in attendance. Green-colored decorations appeared in a St. Patrick’s Day theme…Knapp’s Bakery in St. Louis completed its second year in business. Lloyd Knapp reminded locals that he had his own delivery truck for service for his baked goods…One hospital in Alma incorporated under the new name of Carney-Wilcox-Miller Hospital, Incorporated…Alma Trailer Company on Michigan Avenue had to hire more men, possibly for a night shift, to keep up with orders for new trailers. New workers were being hired daily.

A group of pastors visited the county from March 17-21 for Lenten messages in Alma. A different church was chosen each night for speakers from Flint, Saginaw, and Midland…St. Louis High School students participated in the annual speech contest. Winona Gerhardt was in charge of the contest… Mr. and Mrs. C.F. Otto of Perrinton observed their fiftieth wedding anniversary on March 14. They lived in Perrinton for 39 years…A talk for parents in Ithaca on “Problems of the Adolescent and Sex Education” was held at the Ithaca High School gymnasium. It was hoped that husbands would be in attendance with their wives in the meeting…W.C. Fields appeared at Ithaca’s Ideal Theatre in “The Bank Dick.” Serial, Terrytoon, Stranger Than Fiction, all for only ten cents…Judge J. Lee Potts of Ithaca, age 87, planned to run again and work as a judge in Ithaca. In fact, he planned to work for several more years…The St. Louis City Council voted on a resolution to pursue plans for a new sewage disposal plant. St. Louis, like other cities along the Pine River, had been advised by the State to plan and build a new plant…”Alma Days” took place on March 21-22 to bring customers to town for a bunch of deals. See advertisements in the Alma Record-Alma Journal.

James Hamp of St. Louis received a gold medal as champion trailer coach driver. Hamp represented Alma Trailer Company at the International Sportsmen’s and Trailer Show in Chicago. Hamp drove for Alma Trailer for the last five years…Gaylord Hanley of St. Louis celebrated his fifteenth birthday. His mother and family hosted a Sunday dinner, and guests attended. Hanley later served in the Navy during World War II, saw action in New Guinea, and was tragically killed in a fall from a ship on January 26, 1944.

And that was Gratiot County during the Depression and war in March 1941.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

“We Remember Albert E. Fuller: Gratiot County’s Honest Abe”

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

 

Above: Albert E. Fuller in the only known photograph of him as President Lincoln; Fuller’s simple headstone in North Star Cemetery.

Albert Ellis Fuller was born in 1874 in North Star Township, but he was well known as the county’s image of President Abraham Lincoln.

Albert Fuller held various offices in the Ashley community, and his brother, Jesse E. Fuller, was a state representative.

However, Albert Fuller was most well known for his striking resemblance to the late President Lincoln, even wearing a beard similar to Lincoln’s. People in Gratiot County who knew and met Fuller were moved by how much he looked like Lincoln.

Albert Fuller passed in late June 1928 due to complications from kidney and heart trouble. With his passing, he left his wife and one daughter. A simple headstone is all that marks this well-liked Ashley and North Star resident.

However, he also left behind the memory of one of America’s most popular and beloved Presidents.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

The History of Gratiot Community Hospital, Part IV: “Behold, A New Hospital in 1955!”

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Gratiot Community Hospital events in 1955 from the top: A photograph of the hospital as it appeared in late February 1955. The new entrance was in the light colored area in the center; the dedication ceremony took place on August 28, 1955, with 500 people in attendance. An open house took place afterward; the first patient admitted to Gratiot Community Hospital was William Raycraft of Alma. Dr. Kenneth Wolfe, who admitted the first patient to Smith Memorial 22 years earlier, was honored for bringing the first patient to GCH; Mrs. Charles Hinton of Vestaburg (center) had the first baby in GCH, a girl. The family received several gifts from Alma merchants; the Hospital Lobby Shop was one of the early projects handled by the Gratiot Community Hospital Auxiliary. Mrs. Donald Nelson and Mrs. David Van Slyters wait for Mrs. Ray Bentley from St. Louis early in the shop’s opening.

The start of 1955 marked a pivotal chapter in the effort to build Gratiot Community Hospital, as the community rallied around a common goal and took meaningful steps toward making a new county hospital in Gratiot County.

The year began with the first baby born in Gratiot County at nearby Smith Memorial Hospital. Charles Fay Thompson arrived at 7:48 p.m. on New Year’s Day, weighing 7 pounds and 5 ounces, and his parents were Mr. and Mrs. Harold Thompson of 112 Winsor Street in Alma. This birth was unique: the Thompson child would be the last “first baby of the year” at Smith Memorial, which closed later that summer.

Throughout the winter, to ensure progress continued, builders completely enclosed the hospital and installed temporary heating so interior work could advance despite the cold. During this stage, Hospital Administrator Art Allaben kept his offices in the Alma City Hall, maintained a full-time secretary, and offered hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Some people either came to the office or mailed letters of interest to seek positions at the new hospital, but hiring did not begin until late spring. In early March, public interest grew when a new photograph of the hospital, taken from the west, appeared in the Alma Record under the headline, “New Hospital Has Fine Appearance.” Donor recognition efforts continued during this period, including an announcement that James E. Ryan, president of Alma Trailer Company, fulfilled his pledge by donating $25,000 to the project, and he commented that the donation was an example of what the entire trailer industry could do to be involved and active in the community.

As spring turned to summer and construction continued, a change in the timeline became necessary. In June, the Board of Trustees realized that the hospital would not be ready by the original July 1 date. They set a new target of September 1, attributing the delay to the need to procure the necessary equipment to begin construction of the hospital. Around this time, Administrator Allaben announced that Alice LaPaugh had been hired as director of nurses, having previously held a similar position at Smith Memorial Hospital. Miss Constance Lucia of Ann Arbor was hired as LaPaugh’s assistant. The hospital also introduced a program to recruit and train a group of Grey Ladies under the direction of the Gratiot American Red Cross. These volunteers needed to be over 21, have a doctor’s note confirming their good health, and be “willing to help their fellowman.” The gray poplin uniform each Grey Lady wore cost them $7, and the Gratiot Red Cross furnished the insignia. Additionally, the new hospital launched a call for teachers for “Home Care for the Sick,” introducing a five-day training program to help people care for their own sick and others during a disaster.

Near the end of summer, the Board of Trustees announced the dedication ceremony for the new hospital would be held on August 28. Planning entered its final stages as the hospital anticipated large crowds, and it asked Consumers Power Company for permission to use its parking lot for potential overflow parking. An open house was planned so everyone in Gratiot County could tour the new facility, which now featured 86 beds and 20 bassinets. The first patients were expected to arrive by early September, especially from Smith Memorial Hospital.

On August 28, 1955, Gratiot Community Hospital opened. Despite overcast weather, a large platform hosted officials and speakers. Reverend Bernard Didier was the toastmaster, and Dr. Edward T. Thompson delivered the dedicatory address. The $1,000,000 project was celebrated as a joint effort of industrialists, civic groups, and citizens. After the ceremony, the crowd toured the new hospital.

After this dedication, the first patient, William Raycraft, arrived by ambulance from Dewey Funeral Home on September 19. Dr. Kenneth Wolfe oversaw his admission, who admitted the first patient at Smith Memorial Hospital 22 years earlier. Also starting that day, patients and equipment were moved from Smith Memorial to the new hospital, temporarily cluttering the facility as staff organized it.

Early in the hospital’s opening, Mrs. Charles Hinton delivered the first baby, a girl, on September 21, with Dr. Silvert and Mrs. Delores Jones assisting. Alma merchants honored the family. On October 7, Mrs. Leon Woodbury had the first twin girls, delivered by Dr. Loren Burt and RN Doris Jessup. Jessup was also the mother of Alma’s triplets, born in town some years earlier. Admissions reached 57 patients by this milestone.

By October, a new lobby shop opened for short daily hours, chaired and staffed by Mrs. David VanSluyter. The Women’s Hospital Auxiliary held its annual meeting, with 90 attendees, and recruited volunteers and requested sewing machine donations. The auxiliary focused on public relations, fundraising, and volunteer services, and later introduced a room-service cart for patients through the lobby shop.

As 1955 came to a close, more activities took place at the new hospital. Earle Brenneman, chairman of the hospital’s fundraising efforts for two years, was recognized at a dinner held at Van Dusen Commons at Alma College. Brenneman served dutifully and led the campaign to raise funds for the new hospital. The hospital also needed nurse aides and offered training classes beginning in early December. Applicants were preferred to be at least high school graduates. An enlarged Board of Directors held its first meeting and, among its first tasks, started a search for a new hospital administrator after Arthur Allaben, who had held the position for a year, resigned. The board set hospital rates for multiple rooms at $12 each, semi-private rooms at $15 each, and private rooms at $20 each. Most of the hospital’s rooms were semi-private.

Just before Christmas, Gratiot Hospital received a $20,700 grant from the Ford Foundation to enhance facilities, train staff, and conduct research. The hospital also named Dr. Bernard J. Graham as chief of staff for 1956, with Dr. R.L. Waggoner as vice chief.

Gratiot County now had its community hospital up and running after years of planning, fundraising, and building.

Copyright 2026 James M Goodspeed