Gratiot County During Depression and War, August 1941: “A Long, Hot Summer”

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Above from the top: There was nothing like going to a State Park beach in 1941; Then, if you could not travel you hit Gratiot’s most familiar place to swim – Turck’s Park (or Turck’s Beach) in Alma above the dam; The St. Louis Board of Education members prepared to welcome students back to the 1941-1942 school year; Japan’s expansion across Asia warned of problems yet to come.

The middle of the summer of 1941 had been very hot and very dry. How could a person not think that war was inevitable?

More people left WPA work for better-paying jobs in other places in mid-Michigan, or Lansing, or even Detroit. Still, unemployment rolls in the county continued to climb, and New Deal jobs went unfilled.

Gratiot County always had need for the law, and both the young and the old could be offenders.

Every community needed a good hospital, and Gratiot County had at least two which treated some tragic and unusual injuries.

It was August 1941 in Gratiot County.

Gratiot Prepares for War

As Gratiot County entered August, there was plenty of news suggesting that a war was coming. Gratiot boys then in the military continued to make the front pages of county newspapers, and would do so in increasing numbers throughout the rest of 1941.

William Kyes of Elwell got his wings and became a second lieutenant in the Army at Kelly Field, Texas. He was headed to Pearl Harbor and then onto the Philippines. Before he left, he married Wilma Wieland, a fellow teacher at Freeport, Michigan. Lieutenant Kenneth Church of Alma served as an officer in charge of battery firing at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was one of five overseeing the targets that day. Major Howard Freeman, also at Fort Leonard Wood, came home on furlough and said that the Alma antibattery unit in Missouri carried on dutifully despite the oppressive summer heat. Sergeant Clyde Washburn, also at Fort Leonard Wood, soon would probably be given a discharge due to his condition with ulcers, according to Freeman. Private William T. Nurnberger, son of the St. Louis Schools Superintendent, enlisted in the Army in 1939 and had been in the Hawaiian Islands. While home on leave, he told the St. Louis Rotary Club about what life was like there through colored motion pictures. Nurnberger stated that he believed defense of the islands was very good in case of attack and that he believed a Japanese invasion to be only a slight risk. Nurnberger had recently been assigned to Selfridge Field.

The status of more Gratiot men could be read in the papers. Corporal Norman Keon of St. Louis became the champion rifle shot of Battery A at Camp Davis, North Carolina. He outshot 230 other men who tried for the high score. He was attached to the 94th Coast Artillery at Camp Davis. Locally, Major Charles Murphy said that 36 men were enrolled in the Alma unit of the Michigan State Troops. In fact, he believed enough prospects were available to have the company at a full strength of 57 men. Elmer Diller of Ithaca became the seventh and last registered conscientious objector to leave Gratiot County. Diller was assigned to Camp Dennison, Iowa, and left August 27. Want to help homesick sons in the military? Visit them at Camp Davis, North Carolina, as the Criswell and Zoss families did. The families also got to visit the ocean beaches and go swimming while they were there. In another case, a group of five boys from Camp Forrest, Tennessee wanted to come home so badly that they hired a local teen who drove the homesick service members back to Michigan for short visits – all for a very tidy fee. At least two in this group made a short visit home to Gratiot County.

A ninth contingent of Gratiot men left for the service as a result of the draft, this time made up of only ten men. When one was forced to drop out due to being rejected on his health examination, a replacement came from Muskegon and took his place. This was Gratiot’s smallest contingent since November 1940. Big news came August 14 when Congress voted to retain draftees for an 18-month extension beyond their initial term. These men also received a $10 increase in pay each month, up from $30. However, Michigan draftees over the age of 28 may soon be released back to private life.

Then there were the consequences of war talk and continued war preparations. The St. Louis Aluminum Drive in July raised 340 pounds and was now taken off to Lansing. Boy Scout Master Murvil Peacock was in charge of the Scouts as they made the aluminum drive a success by going house to house and accepting drop-off contributions. In all, the county turned in 1,627 pounds of aluminum. Want to hear of patriotism? Robert Stone, age 14 of East Alma, was the second person and youngest boy to purchase a $25 defense bond. After saving enough to fill one book of stamps, he had another $2.80 in stamps to start another album. Even the Alma postmaster was impressed by the young boy’s thrift and drive. Stone lived with Mr. and Mrs. H. Dafoe of East Superior Street. Doctor T. J. Carney was named chairman of the Gratiot County Defense Council by Governor Murray Waggoner. Five other members made up the group, which included Ray McCall, Roy Hamilton, Daniel McCuaig, and Harry Patterson. The Red Cross received materials for children’s snowsuits, toddlers’ outfits, nightgowns, baby shirts, and terry cloth diapers. Now, the Red Cross in the county needed more volunteers. Just call Mrs. William Ellis at telephone 489.

As all of these things in the nation took place in August, newspapers lamented that Americans would “soon be taxed down to their underwear” to pay for war preparations. The largest tax bill in the country’s history passed the House and was headed to the Senate. The Federal Reserve Board announced that it was seeking to curb installment buying and to require bigger down payments for purchases. Over at Alma, the Redman Trailer Plant had to shut down half of its workforce on a Wednesday due to lack of materials amidst high demand for trailers. The plant employed 150 men and had trouble keeping up with orders.

Another county newspaper carried the headline “America We Once Knew Declared Gone Forever.” In other words, war is coming whether America wants it or not. Americans learned that President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Prime Minister Winston Churchill at sea aboard the British Prince of Wales in the North Atlantic. After their meeting, the two announced an eight-point plan entitled “Design for the World of Tomorrow.”

The Depression Continues? Get People to Work

While more people in the county could find work, there continued to be problems and discussions about the unemployed. One of the county’s concerns involved caseloads at the Gratiot County Department of Social Welfare, where people received more aid than at any other time in the office’s history. In May 1941, 1,324 people or cases received $ 25,392. And yet, money was running out by July. What was happening? The Gratiot Old Age Assistance roll also was growing, with 47 new applicants asking for help.

People in the county could continue to apply for new cotton mattresses if they lived outside of Alma or St. Louis and had a net income less than $500. Starting in September, new mattresses would be made in town halls in Washington Center, New Haven Center, Newark Grange Hall, Bethany Gleaner Hall, and Riverdale. Those who remained behind on their Moratorium Taxes had until August 31 to make their payments. Payments for installments went as far back as 1932, according to William G. Federspiel, Gratiot County Treasurer. For those who wanted an old-age pension, Townsend Clubs continued to hold regular meetings across the county. Ithaca Townsend Club No. 1 held one at the Alma Tourist Park. Other Townsend followers attended meetings at Clifford Lake as well as a Progressive Townsend Club meeting at the Ithaca Village Hall. Later in the month, three clubs united to hold a picnic dinner. In each of these meetings, well-known Townsend speakers came to the county.

While some people remained unemployed in the county, many others continued to find employment through New Deal programs like WPA projects. In fact, many of these workers were leaving the WPA for jobs that paid more money. A shortage of WPA workers in St. Louis meant that some projects, like curbing and paving sidewalks, as well as sewer work, would be delayed until winter. Most WPA men were now working on an M-57 state highway project or in Alma paving streets. Alma workers concentrated their efforts on laying concrete on Prospect Avenue south of Superior Street. Prospect Street still had much more work to do. Other WPA work in Alma dealt with the recreation centers at Republic Center, the Salvation Army Craft Shop, Turck Park Beach, and Alma City Hall. The WPA also was involved in selling hot lunch meals for ten and fifteen cents at Alma High School. The NYA, another New Deal program, continued to remind Gratiot residents that it helped 93 students over the past 10 months with part-time jobs. This summer had also witnessed an NYA junior baseball schedule with eight games. Breckenridge emerged as the league winner (8-0) and entered state playoff contests against Ingham County. The NYA also looked after the health of its youth. During the first half of 1941, 71 workers were given health examinations by Gratiot County. Some needed dental care, had eye and throat ailments, and were referred to their family doctors for treatment.

The Long Arm of the Law in Gratiot County

During July 1941, 67 people were convicted in court, with 53 paying fines for traffic violations—some of the other crimes involved fishing unlawfully and another for unlawful disposal of chattel mortgaged property.

Lawbreakers were prevalent, and the month started with a very disturbing case that occurred at the Ithaca fairgrounds. Charles Hull, 59, of Ithaca was arrested and convicted of unnatural conduct with three calves. Hull was sentenced to 2 ½ to5 years in Southern Michigan prison. Steve Doroff, 26, of Cicero, Illinois, was arrested for impersonating a federal officer when he visited Alma police headquarters and asked about police officers and certain industries in the city. Doroff was also intoxicated and was held pending an FBI investigation. Later, the impersonator got a fine of $13.35 and ten days in jail. His mother paid Doroff’s fine.

Late in the month, two gangs of youth, totaling around fifty, descended upon the Ithaca fairgrounds from St. Louis and Ithaca on a Sunday at midnight. Other participants came from Perrinton and outlying areas from both ends of the county. Most of the gang members appeared to be in their late teens and damaged four cars by throwing rocks, battering fenders, and breaking car windows. Some of the gang members’ cars blocked entrances to the grounds and were rammed by those wishing to escape. The conflict started at the St. Louis roller rink and spilled over to the next night. When the group took their fight to the St. Louis athletic field, city authorities forced them out of town, and then they moved to Ithaca. After police arrived at the fight in Ithaca, they managed to get the names of the drivers of those cars involved in the rammings in Ithaca. Law enforcement also stated that they had started the process of tracking down the names of the other participants in the “gang war.”

A piece of positive law news dealt with the largest group of people petitioning for citizenship in several years. First there were fifteen petitions for citizenship, then the number grew to twenty-five, and finally twenty-nine candidates. Ten different nationalities were represented by those who filed petitions with the county clerk. Some of those who applied included: Joseph Minarek, Banister (Czechoslovakia); Harry Teveil, Alma (Norway); Angelo Renos, Alma (Greece); Anton Zsoter, Breckenridge (Hungary); and Victorine DeVuyst, Ithaca (Belgium). Gratiot County DAR chapters planned classes where applicants could study and prepare for the final examination.

Gratiot’s Health Matters & Concerns

A host of accidents in Gratiot County brought several people to Smith Memorial Hospital in Alma for treatment. Gerald Freeman, age 6 of Vestaburg, was brought in after injuring his left hand while trying to unload a shotgun shell. It went off and tore off the ends of two fingers to the first knuckle. The boy found the shell when they moved into their new home. Betty Brecht, age five, of Sumner, fractured her thigh when she fell off a horse. Gerald Terwilliger, a 2-year-old boy of Alma, had a dog bite him on the face over on Hillcrest Street. He received treatment and was released. Jess Martinez, 35, of Farwell, lost two fingers when they became caught in shears while working at Alma Iron and Metal. He was brought in for surgery and treatment. In another instance, Leonard Rench of 715 Pine in Alma was rushed to the home of Dr. Rex Wilcox on West End Street when Rench fell off scaffolding while painting Wilcox’s house. He broke both heel bones and was rushed to Carney-Wilcox-Miller Hospital.

In another sad story, two Breckenridge High School boys drowned in Madison Lake north of Elwell. The two were playing around inside the boat when it turned over. Arthur Hardy, Jr., 15, and James Tyron, 16, both were unable to swim and drowned in 20 feet of water. Witnesses saw the boys stand up in the boat and try to splash each other with water. As men from two boats made their way to the spot where the boat capsized, they could find neither of the boys. Nearby fishermen used a casting rod and hook to find the boys about 30 minutes after the incident happened, took the boys to shore, but resuscitation failed.

In other health news, Florence Thompson resigned as superintendent of Smith Memorial Hospital as of September 1. A farewell party brought many people in from the city, and she received several gifts. Miss Cecil Wolf, a registered nurse, planned to arrive in Alma by September 3 to work as a community/school nurse for Alma Schools. Wolf came from Sanilac, and in addition to her school work, she planned to attend meetings and address needs related to community health problems. Health officials still had concerns about tuberculosis in the county. After an X-ray survey of 76 Gratiot residents, one proved to be active, 8 were suspect, and 9 had recovered from TB. Ten cases of primary infection also appeared – people who had never been X-rayed for the first time. Regarding concerns about another disease, the State Health Commission stated that all students entering school for the first time needed to be vaccinated for smallpox.

As summer approached its end, local doctors made the news. Dr. Thomas Carney welcomed a group of Alma Rotarians and Rotary Anns to his cottage in Montcalm County. An estimated eighty people came for horseshoes, softball, other sports, and ended the day with a large campfire. Those in attendance contributed to a needed Rotary children’s camp in 1942. Out on the road, Dr. F.C. Thornburgh and his wife sought to get away to the East. However, as the Thornburghs returned home, they became involved in an accident forty miles north of Pittsburgh. They were seriously shaken up and bruised, had $250 worth of damage to their car, and needed to return home to Alma by bus. Another Pennsylvania doctor caused the accident and took responsibility for seeing the Thornburghs get home.

Life on the Farm & Farm Matters

Summertime meant fairs, picnics, and watching the crops. The St. Louis Lake Shore Sugar Company sponsored its third annual picnic for 700 people at the fairgrounds in Ithaca. A large array of grand champions at the Gratiot County Fair made the news. Balmoral Farms’s Ayrshire cow won an award for Robert Overmyer. Carl Vanderbeek’s Belgian mare won as well. The first consequential rain since July 23 fell on the county, encouraging many farmers who became increasingly concerned about drought conditions and saw bean blossoms dropping off and no beans in the pods. There was some good news that the county’s corn crop seemed to be better at combating the corn borer, which had been affected during the drought.

Farm prices appeared to be helping local farmers to the extent that some asked, “Should I pay down my debt, or buy more Gratiot farmland?” The county extension agent advised farmers to work on paying off their debts, especially with the war going on in Europe and its need for more food, which meant more demand and better prices. Don Sharkey of John Deere Farm Machinery east of St. Louis had used farm machinery for sale. Corn binders, corn huskers, cultivators, potato diggers, grain separators, tractor plows – all for sale. Finally, hunting season was on the horizon. The state urged Gratiot communities to follow the Williamston area plan, join together, and ask for signs and tickets to issue to hunters who were allowed to hunt on their farmlands and attempted to regulate who hunted on their property and at what times.

And So We Do Not Forget

Those in St. Louis saw the disappearance of an old landmark when the outside stairway on the north side of the Wheeler McIntyre Building on the corner of Saginaw and North Mill was torn down. The stairway was in operation for more than fifty years as people sought the offices upstairs. The bottom remained the main floor of the St. Louis D & C Store…Over 80 people attended the Gratiot County officials picnic at Conservation League Park in Alma. Mayor Thomas Carney gave the main speech…Grant Hess of St. Louis planned to reestablish the water bath business at the Park Hotel and Sanitarium in an arrangement with the Michigan Mineral Water Sales. Before this, C.S. Huntley of New York City and some local citizens sought to distribute the water through various sales…Alma planned for its Mardi Gras celebration from September 10-12 with a parade, costume contest/parade, speedboat races, a soapbox derby, rides, and concessions…The 10th annual St. Louis-Belle Isle Association picnic took place at Woodside Triangle in Detroit. Mayor T.J. Hoxie was one of several special guests…Emerson Church held its picnic at Conservation Park. Emery Anderson served as song leader.

Dr. F.R. McNabb’s race horse, Dalehurst, won two firsts and one second at the Ionia Free Fair. The total purse was worth $1000…Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy and Ian Hunter starred in “Billy the Kid” at the Strand Theatre. Cost was ten and twenty cents for tickets – and it was in technicolor!…M.J. Haley of Ithaca resigned as village clerk to become general manager of the Gratiot County Abstract Company. He and F.H. McKibben now were sole owners of the company…The Lake Shore Sugar Company held its annual community dinner and program of sports and music at the Ithaca fairgrounds. Different contests involved balloons, pie eating, tug of war, hog calling, and egg throwing, which kept people entertained…Leonard Refineries planned to put up four big storage tanks, each capable of holding 25,000 barrels of oil. Residents soon were unhappy with some of the details, and the deal became a bit of a debate as the summer continued….A lumberjack and rivermen reunion occurred at Lumberjack Park north of Riverdale on Labor Day…Parents in Sumner planned to send their ninth- and tenth-grade students to Alma. Alma Schools planned to pick up the students as parents paid a yearly fee for transportation.

The Pompeii Methodist church held a homecoming for the church’s fiftieth anniversary on Sunday, August 10…Alma Recreation Bowling Alleys opened for the upcoming season starting Friday, August 15. Phone 646 for information…O.L. Church of Alma had its Superior Street sign repainted and relettered. Ebright Sign Company did the work…The Gratiot County Fair kicked off its five-day event starting on a Tuesday…Alma Chamber of Commerce debated establishing a new trailer park in the city to entertain those from out of town…St. Louis Schools Superintendent T.S. Nurnberger was feted for the work he had done since arriving in July 1932. A terrible fire in February 1933 destroyed the main school building, which was rebuilt and opened only nine months later. Board members continued to be impressed with Nurnberger’s work…Pure Oil Company’s entire operations in Michigan were shut down when the first major strike was called by 350 workers, which affected 650 oil wells…The Ithaca Elevator Company offered “The Wayne ‘Magic’ Circus” to viewers at the Ithaca High School Gymnasium for one free show on August 12.

Fulton Center School held its 29th reunion on August 6. Despite hot 90-degree weather, 90 people showed up for the turnout… V.K. Beshgetoor and his wife celebrated their 49th anniversary with their family. Beshgetoor was an ardent prohibitionist and often supported the history of Armenia…Irene Dunn and Cary Grant starred in “Penny Serenade” at the Ideal Theatre in Ithaca. It only cost ten and fifteen cents to get in, and movies ran continuously on Sundays starting at 3:00 p.m…The Church of God Camp Meeting was held August 21-31, two miles east of St. Louis on M-46…After much bickering, Flint Yellow Dogs agreed to come to Rathbone Park to play the Alma Merchants on August 18. The Yellow Dogs, players of color who were rated as one of the best teams in the state, agreed to come. However, admission would be increased to ten cents for children and twenty cents for adults due to the cost of getting the Yellow Dogs to come to Rathbone…Mary Miller, age 11, and Phyllis Beebe, 13, won the park’s Allen Nature Study contest sponsored by the Gratiot County Herald. Miller from the Davis School and Beebe, from Pleasant View School, kept scrapbooks, followed the Herald’s Nature Study Column, and combined them with outside reading and nature observations in parts of the county.

Ithaca Schools said school would start Tuesday, September 2. Better get ready!… Norton E Gibbs, Ithaca businessman, was noted in “Gratiot Men at Their Work” on the front of the August 21, 1941 issue of the Gratiot County Herald. Gibbs’ father helped found the Ithaca Lumber and Coal Company. Norton had been manager of the company for 25 years….Vernice Tuttle Allen supplied a list of teachers at the Fulton Center School starting in 1861 and ending in 1902…Over the past four years, Jean Simmet of Ithaca corresponded with fourteen different pen pals in ten different countries from a project she started in a foreign language class at Ithaca High School. A few of the letters appeared in the newspaper, including one from Scotland…When Leonard Refineries held its summer picnic at Lake Lansing, it drew 275 people. President J. W. Leonard was in attendance… Finally, another bond issue at Banister failed in a vote – the fourth attempt to have a new school after fire destroyed the former one. The last bond issue was for $7500 and lifted a 15 mill tax limitation.

And that was Depression and War in August 1941.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

Wayback Wednesdays: Gratiot County Farm Fatalities III – We Remember Freak & Bizarre Farm Accidents

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Above: It is work time in 1911 on the Duflo Farm near Middleton.

The following is part three of a three-part series on farming and its dangers in Gratiot County’s past.

When one looks at the dangers involved with farming and farm life, one encounters the bizarre, the strange, and the unexpected. These elements frequently appeared in the lives of ordinary people on Gratiot County farms. Even while farm families tended to their daily routines, danger and death could strike without warning, often in unbelievable ways. To many of us, these events seem unimaginable, yet these tragedies happened here in the county’s history.

Some instances, like tripping or falling on things on the farm, had the capacity to maim both young and old, such as barbed wire or farm equipment. In late August 1912, Howard Pettitt worked to fill in an excavation site on his farm 2 ½ miles northwest of Alma. Pettitt’s seven-year-old son, who was watching his father work, was eager to ride on the tractor back to the house. As the boy ran toward his father’s tractor, he ran directly into a barbed-wire fence which had been set up for a pole trace. The collision resulted in a deep wound across the boy’s face and lip, which required seven stitches to close. Luckily, in the end the Pettitt boy lived with only a minor scar. In another case, A year later, Dewey Parks of Alma fell on a spike tooth drag after hurrying off to keep his horses out of another part of his field. Parks tripped on a lever attached to the drag and landed with such force that he had to be rushed to the doctor. He lived, but because of his injury, he ended up missing much of his remaining fall work.

Children on the farm encountered injury and potential death right around them. Hattie Brzycki, age seven, lived on the old Bentley farm northwest of Perrinton in March 1922. Hattie’s older brother found some dynamite caps on another farm, and his mother told him to throw them away. Hattie later found the discarded caps, picked one up, and took it to the kitchen. With a fire in the kitchen stove, Hattie opened the door and threw the cap inside. In an instant, a large explosion resulted, which took off the girl’s three fingers and the thumb of her right hand, and a piece of the cap landed in her right eye. Although the doctor said she would recover, there was a strong possibility that she would lose the eye. In another case, Little Andy Yencher of Ashley accidentally swallowed sulphuric acid on a Saturday morning while out at the milk station. Yencher, a very smart young boy, believed he was swallowing water and downed the liquid. After being discovered, he was rushed to Dr. Pankhurst’s office in North Star, where he was in serious condition for two days.

Just carrying out the most basic routines of daily life could lead to death in Gratiot County. P.H. Hevel, a well-known farmer who lived 7 ½ miles northeast of St. Louis, was killed during a cave-in at a gravel pit in August 1925. Hevel was working and filling his wagon at the Van Rankin gravel pit, west of the Burlingame School, when a side of gravel collapsed on him while he loaded the wagon.  The cave-in pinned him against his wagon with such pressure that it squashed him and caused internal injuries. Watchers tried to dig Hevel out and then rushed him to a Shepherd doctor, where Hevel, age 65, soon died.  In another case, Archie Dunn and his wife and baby from near Ithaca nearly died from gas fumes while they slept in February 1927. When Dunn failed to show up for chores the next morning, the owner of the farm he lived on went looking for Archie. The owner was shocked when he found Mrs. Dunn collapsed near the door. It also turned out that Archie Dunn had stumbled around the house while trying to light a morning fire. After the owner pulled Mrs. Dunn outside, he then located the husband and child. He quickly opened a window and let in fresh air, which revived all three Dunns. After checking the Dunns’ coal burner, it was discovered that gas was escaping through another opening, and Dunn failed to open his windows that night due to high winds. Luckily, the three Dunns were spared a certain death, thanks to a neighbor who showed up at the right time.

Then there were dangers from unintentional carelessness. In February 1928, the four-year-old boy of Howard Howd, who lived four miles northwest of Breckenridge, was playing with shears and fell on them, landing them in his throat and cutting his jugular vein. The boy bled to death in a matter of minutes. In late June 1929, Paul Hatzke, who lived northeast of Wheeler, died from working with another object when something went wrong. He was attending to an emery wheel and sharpening blades that were driven at high speed by his nearby tractor. As Hatzke smoothed up the wheel, the stone broke, throwing a large piece of it back in his face and crushing his skull, killing him instantly. Two other neighbors witnessed the incident, but it happened so quickly that they could do nothing to save Hatzke.

Sometimes farming ended in the most bizarre tragedies. In October 1931, Elwell farmer Ray Miller, age 40, shot and killed himself by accident when the shotgun he carried on a horse-drawn rake fell to the ground and discharged. Miller was dead instantly. The rake he operated at the time was piling bean pods when the accident occurred. Miller’s body, when found, had been badly mangled as it was caught in the machine as his horses ran wildly around the field because they were scared by the gunshot. On top of all this, Miller’s wife witnessed this entire incident from a distance as it unfolded on the Wickman farm. Another farmer in December 1938 near Bannister, Carl Kellsey, age 59, broke his neck when he went up to the hay mow to bring down feed for his cattle. Somehow, the farmer lost his balance and fell to the barn floor, damaging his head and shoulders. Kellsey lay there paralyzed for over an hour until his wife came looking for him. He lingered for less than a week before he died from complications from a broken neck.

One would not think so, but people could even drown on the farm.  In May 1939, John Linden Hiebert, a 22-month-old boy from Newark Township, died tragically when he fell into a milk cooling tank and drowned. The little boy had been missing for only 15 minutes when an older brother found him that Sunday evening during milking time. John Linden had been sent back to the house by his brothers as milking began, but the little Hiebert turned around and quietly came back to the milk room. Within minutes, the boy slipped into the tank unnoticed while playing in the water. This was the second loss for the Hiebert family as they lost another little boy a few years earlier.  The Hiebert father had also died before the birth of his youngest son. In another instance, a Gratiot child drowned in April 1942 when he fell into his grandparents’ cistern northeast of St. Louis. Wayne Schultheiss, age 2, curiously looked beneath the boards covering the basement cistern when he suddenly fell in and drowned.  After a while, his mother went looking for the missing boy, found him in the cistern, and frantically pulled Wayne out of the water. After getting him out, several people worked on Wayne to try to resuscitate him. Sadly, after two hours of work, their efforts proved ineffective.

Even playing with an innocent rope could result in loss of life. In November 1930, Richard Stoddard, age eleven, was playing with other children in reenacting a Wild West show on his grandparents’ farm north of St. Louis. Stoddard and the other children were playing in the barn, and as the oldest in the group, Richard demonstrated how people were hanged with a rope tied in a slipknot. After getting up on a box and having it give way beneath him, he reached up to grasp the rope for a while but could not untie the knot. As Richard became unconscious, one of the smallest children ran inside to tell what had happened. While the rest of the family initially laughed at the child’s story, the child convinced the adults to come to the barn, where they found a lifeless Richard Stoddard hanging by a rope. After taking Stoddard down, the family called for the doctor and used artificial respiration until he arrived. Fortunately, the boy suffered no broken bones and, in a few days, seemed like his old self.

Who said farming and farm life in Gratiot County was not dangerous?

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

Wayback Wednesdays: We Remember Gratiot County Farm Dangers II

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Above: The Myron Wood family goes to work in the fields in Newark Township in 1903,

Author’s note: Welcome to “Wayback Machine Wednesdays” which will seek to run on (or near) Wednesdays for the remainder of the summer. “Wayback” shares stories that I have wanted to see in print without working off a deadline or assignment. In short, thesse are Gratiot County stories that need to be told.

This is part two of a three-part series on farm accidents and tragedies in Gratiot County.

Farm machinery always had the potential to maim or kill – and it claimed many Gratiot County victims over the years. One of these early tragedies took place in a terrible death in Seville Township in November 1915 when Fred Chapman was hulling beans for a neighbor. Chapman misstepped, and his right foot went into the rear cylinder, nearly tearing off his foot. Rushed to McLaughlin’s sanitarium in Elwell, the doctor quickly decided that the foot had to be amputated. During the operation, the doctor was surprised that Chapman suffered little shock, lost little blood, and appeared to be rallying. However, later in the evening, Chapman suddenly died from an apparent embolism that struck either his heart or pulmonary artery. He left behind a wife and two small children. The doctor and others in the community were dismayed by Chapman’s death since he did so well upon arrival at the sanitarium.

 Clement Bazusky, age 12, of Perrinton, got lucky in August 1921 when his leg and then his arm got entangled in a wagon drawing road gravel. Bazusky looked behind while walking and somehow stumbled. The wagon then knocked the boy down, and one wheel traveled over his foot, then his arm. Although badly mangled, Bazusky suffered no broken bones. It appeared that young Bazusky had gotten lucky and would keep his injured arm, even after suffering such a painful injury.

In January 1927, Virgil Reynolds also paid a high price on his father’s farm in Middleton when he attempted to clear out a jammed corn shredder. He reached down, and his glove quickly became entangled; the machine then took off, smashed, and broke his arm above the elbow. After an amputation at the hospital, Reynolds was left with another arm that had been paralyzed since early childhood because of a bone disease. He was in real straits now, as on top of this, he had been married for only a week.

Mrs. Gerald Koon met death in April 1927 when her tractor turned over on her farm east of St. Louis. Koon took over work for her husband, who had gone into town to get more seed. While dragging near a ditch, the drag became entangled in a hidden fencepost, throwing her from the tractor, which then backed up over her because it had no safety device. During all of this, her five-year-old son watched the tractor crush her. He then ran for help. Once a group of people got there, it took considerable time for them to dig her lifeless body out from under the tractor. Mrs. Koon left five children under the age of ten.

Harzey Fisher of Crystal was working on the Henry Thompson farm northeast of Sumner in November 1940 when the left leg of his coveralls got caught in a corn picker. As the machine slowly seemed to eat away at his clothing, Fisher managed to hold onto a shaft lever until it stopped. However, the machine’s force stripped him of his new coveralls. After collapsing from the ordeal, his family rushed him to a doctor to attend to his badly lacerated leg. In time, Fisher was fortunate and recovered at Edmore Hospital.

Then there were strange farm accidents that just happened when someone got careless. Frank Sabota considered himself fortunate when his runaway tractor took off from him and his trailer. Sabota was hit from behind by a downstate driver on US-27 near Ola Corners in October 1952. After being thrown off the tractor, the machine took off across an unattended field and stopped only when it hit a pair of trees.

Frank Kostal of Newark Township paid a high price when he lost his eye in June 1952 when a piece of steel flew off a bean drill he was repairing. Kostal was rushed to Saginaw’s St. Luke’s Hospital, where they tried to save the eye, but it became infected and had to be removed. As news of this accident reached his neighborhood, ten farmers and tractors from his neighborhood turned out the next day to show support by fitting and drilling 32 acres of navy beans on  Kostal’s farm. In this case, Gratiot farmers again looked out for another injured farmer in Gratiot County.

There were always dangers and consequences of working and living on a Gratiot County farm.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

“A Dangerous Place to Live” – We Remember Danger & Death on Gratiot’s Farms, Part I

/ goodspeedgratiotcountyhistorical / Leave a comment

Above: Purdy’s Bull Pen as it looked near Alma on June 26, 1930. More than one Gratiot County farmer found himself on the wrong side of a bull.

Farming can be the most dangerous job in the world, and it turns out that Gratiot County’s history proves that to be true. One of the most common farm accidents in our history involved runaway horses. Beginning in Gratiot’s logging era, runaways could be both exciting and deadly for bystanders. However, the dangers posed by runaways on the farm were also a real problem.

In February 1911, O.H. Becker lost his life northeast of Beebe when his frightened team, hitched to a dray, headed to the field, then made a sharp turn around a corn crib, throwing the 70-year-old Becker to the barn wall, breaking his neck. Becker, a Civil War veteran, left a wife and two daughters. Two years later, Daniel Boyer was nearly killed west of Ithaca when his two-year-old colt, startled by a creamery wagon, threw Boyer from his buggy into his yard. Boyer somehow held on to the colt despite being dragged around, suffering severe injuries to his knee and wrist. Yet, he lived to tell the tale.

Remember a farmer’s adage: never get kicked by a horse. A horse tied up in the barn of Martin Heath of Perrinton in May 1923 almost ended his life when the horse knocked Heath down after attacking him. Luckily, his sister found the unconscious Heath and called for help. Heath suffered a broken collarbone and severe bruises. Cephus Allen of Newark was both kicked and trampled by his horse in February 1930, leaving him unconscious for several days. Three-year-old Willard Workman of Pleasant Valley was not as lucky that fall, after the boy followed his father to the barn for chores. Somehow, a horse “spooked” and kicked the youngster, who died from a fractured skull. Another young child, Lucy Byers, 9, of St. Louis, was seriously injured in July 1932, suffering a basal fracture when kicked by an unshod horse as she and her siblings tried to round up horses from an oatfield.

Watch out for that bull and keep your eyes on him – all the time. In 1913, Ithaca-area farmer George Boyer went out to drive his cows from a distant field and failed to return. His son later went looking for him, only to find his father lying in a pool of blood. As soon as the young Boyer approached his father, the family bull charged at him. Somehow, young Boyer eluded the bull and managed to get his father to the house, but George Boyer soon died. In 1920, Arthur Gibbs, an Ithaca farmer, narrowly escaped a bull he thought he had under control while holding a chain through its nose. However, the dehorned bull quickly turned on Boyer, pushing him on the ground for four rods as Boyer pulled the chain, even as Boyer tried to jab the bull with a pitchfork with his other hand. Between the chain, ramming the pitchfork into the bull’s head, and a yapping farm dog, Boyer somehow got up and jumped over the fence. He had no broken bones, just bruises and a terrible limp.

Frank Peterson of St. Louis was not so lucky in July 1952 when his bull attacked and trampled him. While moving cows from the pasture, his bull charged him, knocked him down on a stone pile, and crushed fourteen of his ribs. The Johnsons, a farm couple who worked for Peterson, risked their own lives trying to free Boyer. Mrs. Johnson went after the bull, clubbing it on the head to free Boyer. After getting him to the Alma hospital, Boyer only lasted twelve hours before he died. Desidero Mojica, 58, of Elwell, also lost his life to a bull attack in July 1952. During milking time, Mrs. Mojica thought she heard her husband calling in their herd of cows. Instead, she found the couple’s bull standing over him. The Holstein bull apparently knocked Mojica down when his back was turned and then trampled him. While the Mojicas always warned others to stay away from the bull, they regularly worked around the cows in the yard without any problems. Desidero Mojica suffered broken ribs, a broken arm, and serious internal injuries, leading to his death at Smith Memorial Hospital. These were just a few of the dangers of working and living on a Gratiot County farm; there were many others.

Copyright 2026 James M. Goodspeed

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