News and life in Gratiot County during June 1940 (from the top): The cartoon “Smoke” implies what many in Gratiot County began to realize – war was coming and the nation needed to prepare; James and Billie Vanderbeek of Pine River Township show off their proud “mama” and her quadruplets; unidentified Boy Scouts take in a “Camporee” at Ithaca’s Woodland Park; there was nothing like a Sunday county league baseball game in St. Louis – which one could see for only a quarter.

As Gratiot County slowly warmed up to another summer, events in Europe exploded as Nazi Germany invaded and conquered much of Western Europe.

Life in the United States began to slowly drift toward war as President Roosevelt developed plans that included large munitions plants as well as training young people for a potential national emergency.

Still, one could appreciate small-town life. How many believed that a world war in Europe could affect places like Ithaca, Alma, St. Louis, or Breckenridge?

It was June 1940 in Gratiot County.

The War in Europe in June 1940

Troubling news about the Nazi conquest of Western Europe appeared on the front pages of county newspapers. German troops crossed the Marne in France, and the nation’s collapse and surrender seemed imminent, with the outcome seemingly only a matter of days. In addition, Italy joined the war on the side of Nazi Germany and Mussolini announced Italy’s rights to Corsica, Malta, Tunisia and the Suez Canal.

In response to the events in Europe, President Roosevelt announced a draft plan to mobilize an estimated 7.5 million young men and women for noncombatant training. The President emphasized the need to train young people in “general disciplinary courses” in anticipation of a national emergency. Unlimited quotas for Army recruits were being accepted at Camp Ord, California, and Fort Lewis, Washington. Recruiters in Lansing were now available for any in Gratiot County who desired to volunteer. President Roosevelt also recommended a chain of government munitions plants across the country. The nation took another step toward preparing for war by examining thirty sites, which cost $376,000,000.

Locally, the war began to have a gradual impact on local people. Captain C.H. Reed, who operated a local fuel business in Alma, was called to active duty with the Army at Fort Brady, Sault Ste. Marie. Reed had previously supervised several CCC camps in the state. Approximately sixty members of the Troop B, 106^th Cavalry of Alma, prepared to go to Wisconsin in August for 21 days of training. Before this date, the group had never trained for more than 15 days in the summer. Second Lieutenant Frank W. Iseman, an Ithaca High School graduate and a graduate of West Point, continued his training in the Air Corps Flying School. Iseman would ultimately serve as the director of operations of the 502nd Bombardment Group in the Pacific. A former Gratiot County youth, John C. Seipp of Fulton Township, passed the entrance exam to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. After his family moved to Lansing, he attended Lansing Eastern High School. The Gratiot County Red Cross announced that the county reached the unit’s goal of raising $1,920 to help refugees during the war.

The Gratiot County Herald ran a very long editorial entitled “What Hitlerism Means.” The editor attempted to educate Gratiot County residents about how this war would be different from previous wars in history. It warned that Hitler would not settle for a few territories but was bent on European and, ultimately, world domination by Nazi Germany. What happened with the collapse and fall of France stood as a warning to the world that this would not be a short European war unless more countries capitulated to Adolf Hitler.

Many Social Program Activities in June 1940

June brought opportunities for New Deal programs that affected many in Gratiot County. At least three New Deal social programs collaborated to provide opportunities for children, young people, and adults to stay engaged and occupied during the late stages of the Great Depression.

Several WPA workers volunteered to help pour a concrete floor in the shelter house at Conservation League Park. After completing the 30×50-foot floor, all of these workers received a free yearly membership in the Conservation League. The shelter house encouraged more people from Gratiot to use the park for walking, picnicking, and other recreational activities.

With the warm summer weather, many young people traveled to Turck’s Beach in Alma to go swimming. The number of swimmers necessitated a program and its oversight. Both the NRA and WPA provided a total of 35 workers to watch swimmers and oversee the beach house. Over 200 swimmers turned out for the first swimming lessons at the beach. Thirty youngsters also expressed interest in participating in the new canoeing program. The main reason for the need for so many workers centered around the fact that the program, like others in the New Deal, only paid them for part-time work. Bill Moody was in charge of supervising the beach area, assisted by Bud Stearns, Don Martin, Jim Sebring, and Robert Parks. Two large towers went up on the beach so that lifeguards could watch all of the swimmers. Three wading pools were also constructed for young children on Michigan Avenue, in Wright Park, and near Hillcrest School. This type of pool also allowed families with young children to find a spot to cool off without having to go to the beach.

 In addition to Turck’s Beach, in Alma, 50 boys and 80 girls wanted to participate in a softball league. Another 40 boys, aged 15 to 17, wished to participate in a baseball league. That organization came under the direction of the NYA.

 More boys and girls in St. Louis also wanted their own recreation programs. Elliot Oldt started a program at Wheeler Field where boys and girls played a variety of sports on the field, including horseshoe pitching, badminton, softball, boxing, and croquet, among others. Ruth Walker supervised the activities for those under the age of eleven. One of the nicest draws in St. Louis now centered around new tennis courts. Tennis courts became so popular that Alma had six new courts constructed through the Wright Park improvement plan, which the WPA funded. The plan also called for new shuffleboard courts.

For young women not interested in athletics, the NYA planned a homemakers’ training school, which would accommodate up to twenty girls. They would be hired to learn food preparation, home management, laundry work, budgeting, and sewing. The NYA would pay the wages for these women. At least four other programs like this existed in the state of Michigan. Due to the numerous programs in the Alma area, the WPA recreation director, Darrell Milstead, was granted his own office in Alma City Hall.

Out on the streets of Alma, the WPA continued work on the 1939 paving project. The city believed it would soon be completed, as 20 new WPA workers would be coming to Alma, which meant potentially having as many as 70 WPA men working on Alma’s streets.

In other Depression-related news, Ithaca Townsend Club Number 1 met at the Masonic Hall and planned to show a movie in Woodland Park. Progressive Townsend Club Number 2 held its monthly meeting at the village hall. Because the Texaco gas station and Hanssen Grocery on East Center both had Townsend trade cards, members were encouraged to visit those businesses. The Townsend program was an alternate pension plan for the elderly, which commanded a very popular message to many in Gratiot County. Two Alma men, David Gerhard, Consumers Power Company manager, and H. S. Babcock, Alma Record publisher, went to the dedication of the new seven-million-dollar plant on Saginaw Bay. The featured speaker for the program was Wendell Willkie, who would soon be the Republican nominee for President in 1940. Boys between the ages of 17 and 24 could apply for enrollment in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Visit the Gratiot County Department of Social Welfare office located at 614 East Superior Street in Alma.

The Long Arm of the Law in Gratiot County

Some law officers thought Gratiot experienced fewer court appearances during June, and the jail count supported this notion. At one point, only three people were in the county jail, which had a capacity of up to twenty-two. Still, traffic violations generated the most revenue in terms of fines, totaling $466.84.

 James Vlasich was bound over to appear in the circuit court for intent to commit significant bodily harm to his mother. John Hagen of St. Louis was in trouble for driving his car on the sidewalk in St. Louis. Most of the others making appearances did so for drunk driving, like Stanley Furly, an oil pumper in the Porter oil field. He received sixty days of jail time and a $59.35 fine. And then there was the familiar face of Cornelius W. Eichorn of Emerson Township. Eichorn was picked up for reckless driving east of St. Louis this time and had no driver’s license. Eichorn was developing a habit of not driving safely. He was released on a $100 bond. In another strange case, Marvin Cooper of Arcada Township confessed to driving his tractor over three blocks of newly surfaced blacktop in Ithaca. The tractor’s lugs did much damage to the surface.

Claud Offill, formerly of Elm Hall, lost his appeal from a 1929 sentencing for assaulting Deputy Sheriff Ray Helman. Offill shot Helman twice and was on the run for twelve hours before being caught. He received a ten- to twenty-year sentence at Jackson State Prison and was now in the eleventh year of his sentence. Offill claimed his confession of assault and battery of his wife was coerced, but the high court rejected Offill’s argument. He stayed in prison.

In other news, Alma, James Campbell, Chief of Police, warned residents to stop disregarding parking tickets, which would now result in formal complaints in court. Those citizens who paid their dog taxes before the June 1 deadline brought in $2,045 in May. Howard Evitts of Pompeii, the county dog warden, would be out collecting delinquent dog taxes for those who had not paid. The Alma police department announced they were reducing their force to four officers upon the retirement of Patrolman Gus Herron. Herron, 72, served Alma for 21 years. Mildred Taft announced that she was running for probate judge. This position oversaw a team of 21 individuals who process naturalization applications in Gratiot County.

And among the last of the news was the name of a new drug that appeared in Gratiot County – “marihuana weed.” The Michigan State Police issued warnings about this new drug in mid-Michigan, and it was now a federal offense for growing, possessing, selling, purchasing, or transporting Marihuana. Police also said continuous smoking of it would lead to insanity. In the wild, the drug grew to a maximum height of 3 to 6 feet. The police also warned Sunday drivers, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, hikers, and farmers to be on the lookout for the illegal weed.

Health Issues and Events

To start a new dental parlor in Alma, R.B. Davies planned to open his office in his mother’s home on 226 North State Street. Davies, an Alma High School, Alma College, and the University of Michigan Department of Dentistry, returned home with good references and an eagerness to serve his patients. A twelve-week free dental clinic came to Gratiot County, sponsored by the James Couzin’s Fund of Michigan (also called The Children’s Fund of Michigan). Parents of children under sixteen who are in need received letters inviting them to receive free treatment. The clinic would be in Ithaca for five weeks, then move to Alma for four weeks, and end in St. Louis after a three-week stay. The first free dental clinic in the county was established in 1937.

William Kinney, age 57, of Arcada Township, took his own life with a shotgun. He had faced poor health and despondency due to his inability to work in his trade as a paper hanger and painter. Before he passed, he claimed to be shooting a crow, but coroner G.V. Wright disagreed. Kinney left behind his widow and two children.

Chase Farrar of Route 3, Alma, went to Smith Memorial Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound in his left forearm. Farrar was wounded while driving a tractor and had been hit from a long distance. Robert Hinderline of Alma reported that his son had been admitted to Smith for treatment for severe burns. The young Hinderline was thought to have played with firecrackers, but the culprit was a dynamite cap from a friend’s car. The boy received heavy burns around his lips and left hand when the cap exploded. Karl Wigglesworth of Breckenridge survived electrocution from a 4800-volt line on a telephone pole near Sickles. He and another Consumers Power Employee, Leland Helfer of Ithaca, were working on the line when Wigglesworth accidentally touched a hot stick and took the jolt with his left hand and right hip, which rested on a service wire. Thankfully, the cool work of fellow worker Helfer helped free him. Wigglesworth was in Smith Memorial Hospital with a burned left hand and right hip, but survived the ordeal.

St. Louis city residents received another notice, reminding them that they had until July 1 to have their noxious weeds cut. Those who failed to cut their weeds would have the city highway crew do it, and the cost would be charged to their city taxes. Heavy June rains left many properties and vacant lots full of weeds.

Dr. Georgia V. Mills delivered a health lecture at St. Louis High School titled “Preventing Communicable Diseases.” Topics included the spread of contagious diseases, quarantines, vaccination, and the danger of tuberculosis. The St. Louis Child Study Club and the Michigan Department of Health sponsored Mills.

Farming & Outdoors in June 1940

Weeds, bugs, and fungi all grew well during June as the onslaught of cool, wet weather brought an abundance of all three to Gratiot County. Gratiot County agricultural agent C.P. Milham noted that some of the growth in the fields resulted from some farmers who used nitrogen fertilizer. Heavier soils in the county needed straight phosphate, while those planting grains needed a potash combination fertilizer.

Sheep dipping continued across parts of Gratiot County. A new portable dipping rig allowed participating farmers to treat 7,000 sheep and lambs thus far. One of the sites to be included in the upcoming weeks is Milton Snyder’s farm in Pompeii and C.K. Tuttle’s farm in Fulton Township. More farmers offered to host a sheep dipping session. Garl Vanderbeek of Pine River Township still had his quadruplet lambs, which were now almost two months old. While deliveries of quadruplet lambs were not extremely rare, having all four survive this far was. E.E. Stahl’s farm, six miles north of St. Louis, continued to welcome a strange visitor among his herd of cows. A small fawn regularly appeared among the cows, following the herd to pasture. The Stahl family could usually reach within a few feet of the small animal.

Bill Harper’s Hardware in Houserville had John Deere hay loaders for sale. The McCormick-Deering Store in Ithaca offered a smoker (demonstration) for its new harvester-thresher on June 18.

The Bailey family west of Pleasant Valley experienced a tragedy when young Dale Edward Bailey, age 15, died as a result of being pinned under a tractor. Young Bailey was plowing a field and did not return home for dinner that evening. His young sister went out to find Bailey and came upon the accident, which had the boy pinned face down between the fender and wheel of the overturned tractor. Death probably came from suffocation.

Four new 4-H clubs were organized in late June, bringing the county’s total to 20 and enrolling 212 members. The new clubs included the Good Luck Canners (in Ithaca), Pompeii Willing Workers, Happy Farmers Livestock and Crops Club (Ephert School), and Our Gang (Bannister).

In June, stricter enforcement of quarantine for dogs across the state led to a decrease in rabies cases. It also led to a reduction in dog attacks on livestock. In 1939, the state reported farmers suffered a loss of $125,000 in livestock. Most of the dogs in both questions were believed to be strays from towns and villages rather than those from farms.

Gratiot County prepared to open its first school for children of Mexican beet workers. Reverend Floyd Drake of Breckenridge, president of the Gratiot County Council of Churches and Schools, devised the idea and organized support for the school. The school planned to open in the abandoned Washington School in Alma. It would be under the direction of Gertrude Herman of Grand Rapids. She had three staff members who planned to host children aged four to fourteen, and a host of NYA (National Youth Administration) workers cleaned and prepared the building. The school planned to host up to one hundred students, and forty showed up on the first day. At the end of June, visitors from different out-of-state churches visited Alma to see the school; at least two were from New York. An open house invited Gratiot residents to view the program and facilities. 

Finally, in an attempt to get outdoors and enjoy a day fishing for trout on the Pine River, Don Lemon of Alma had a startling experience. While casting for fish, Lemon stepped on a large rattlesnake while walking on the bank. Lemon claimed the rattlesnake was as large around as his wrist, and he quickly changed locations to continue fishing.

And So We Do Not Forget

In Michigan Mid-State League Baseball, St. Louis Pure Oil played Alma Merchants on Sunday, June 9, at the St. Louis softball field. The admission cost was twenty-five cents…The St. Louis Trade Association sponsored its first Saturday night entertainment event, featuring a band concert by the St. Louis High School band. Herbert Saylor conducted the concert on a vacant lot on Mill Street…The Ithaca High School class of 1915 reunited on the school grounds in Ithaca on Saturday, June 22. Silas Partee invited all past members to attend along with their families, as this was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the reunion…The Ola Camp Meeting opened with Dr. Nathan Cohen Beskin, an evangelist and a Jewish convert to Christianity. Beskin was known nationally as an outstanding evangelist…Miss Mae Nelson offered piano and clarinet lessons in Ithaca for 75 cents a lesson. Contact Mrs. Mike Haley for more information…The Bannister area was shocked and saddened by the sudden death of young Esther Lillian Thomas. Thomas was only 14 years old and died just before her eighth-grade graduation. Esther had strong ties to her community, school, and church.

According to the recent census results, Gratiot County gained 2,429 people since 1930. A total of 35,938 people were recorded in the census, with Alma and St. Louis accounting for the majority of the increase. Elba Township lost fifty-five people, but Emerson Township only three…The Ithaca Masonic Lode prepared for the arrival of Dick Lewis, a 1913 Ithaca High School graduate who experienced success in the manufacturing field. Lewis planned to bring thirty-five entertainers for an evening program in Ithaca…Michigan Chemical Corporation planned to build a new brine well in the northwest corner of the Jake Wolford Farm just north of Oak Grove Cemetery…Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr starred in “I Take This Woman” at the Ideal Theatre in Ithaca. All seats were only ten cents…The village of Ashley has lost a beloved citizen, Mrs. Emma Jane Duncan, who passed away at the age of 81. Her husband, a Civil War veteran, moved to Ashley in 1900. Many knew her for her willingness to help those who were sick and in distress. She also worked at the Ashley post office for six years…Alfred J. Fortino received his LLD degree from the University of Michigan. A 1933 Alma High School graduate, he attended and graduated from Alma College before pursuing his law degree…The Alma Chamber of Commerce has announced the committees for the upcoming Alma Harvest Jubilee, scheduled for August 22-23. Finance, entertainment, parade, and publicity committees all planned to go to work after the Fourth of July…A group of 150 Boy Scouts attended the annual Boy Scout Camporee at Ithaca’s Woodland Park. The camp operated for two days, and every four or more Scout patrols were required to provide their unit’s camping equipment. Some events included signaling, water boiling, and a flapjack contest.

Four St. Louis men purchased the Gratiot County bank building from owner H.J. Stroupe. St. Louis voters earlier turned down the idea of turning the building into the city hall. The new owners included W.V. Hess, Vere Nunn, Fred Tryon, and Ralph Goggin…Van’s Wallpaper, the Byerly store, and Almy’s Food Market in Alma all had new signs on their stores…Prepare for the opening of bass season by purchasing Shakespeare Famous Tackle at C.G. Larry Hardware in Ithaca – the Fisherman’s Headquarters…Tom Brown and Constance Moore starred in “Ma! He’s Making Eyes at Me” at the Alma Theatre. News, oddity, and comedy for only ten or fifteen cents on July 2-3…The Saginaw Black Socks came to Ithaca to play the Ithaca Independents at the Ithaca fairground on June 30 at 2:30 p.m…Skippy LaMore’s Comedians would be St. Louis for one week beginning July 1. The group planned to present seven plays in a beautiful tent theater for only ten cents…The Czechoslovak Society of America opened a new two-story building with a two-day dedication ceremony. Construction of the new hall began two years ago and measured sixty feet wide by eighty feet long…F.M. Vandercook celebrated his 90^th birthday in St. Louis. Vandercook was a pioneer newspaperman who owned and operated different papers in St. Louis and Ithaca. He published the first daily paper in St. Louis in 1893…A Fourth of July celebration was scheduled for Lumberjack Park. This “old time celebration” featured patriotic addresses, the Breckenridge Community Band, hog calling, husband calling, and a free movie. One could even buy a chicken dinner from the camp cook, Mrs. C.A. Field.

Several Alma people traveled to Detroit to watch the Tigers defeat the Yankees. A group of eight led by James Kline, a meat cutter at Bert Hicks and Sons store, watched the close game. Others from Alma, like G.A. Giles, saw the Tigers take a doubleheader from the Athletics…Alma High School graduate Carl Shultz was assigned to play for the Union City, Tennessee, team in the Kitty League. The St. Louis Cardinals system signed Schultz…Earl Willert’s barbershop at 212 East Superior got an entirely new fluorescent lighting system courtesy of Everett Giles, electrician and Strand Theatre operator…Persistent rain forced the postponement of the Alma City Band’s opening concert. The group had twenty-five members…Miss Lois  Brainard, age 15 and a student at Alma High School, was selected in  “Alma’s Glamour Girl Contest.” Brainard reigned as queen over festivities for the Alma Lions Club production of the local movie, “We’re in the Movies Now.”  Margaret Atkinson finished second…Thompson’s in St. Louis advised customers to join their Blanket Club. Plan for winter – lay away a 72 by 90-inch virgin wool, moth-proofed blanket. A deposit of fifty cents and payments of only twenty-five cents a week got you the extra-large winter blanket…Gratiot’s leading naturalist, Parks Allen, wrote an article that described the different types of water birds he saw during a trip to East Tawas. Allen remarked that only three types of gulls could be found: the herring, long-billed, and Bonaparte’s gull… The Balmoral Indians defeated Shell Oil by a score of 7-4 in the season’s opening game in Ithaca.

Turck Beach in Alma is prepared to open to the public. Dressing rooms had been refurbished, repainted, and cleaned up. William Moody, Jr., will act as supervisor…Reverend R.J. Tuttle accepted the call to become the new pastor of the Alma Church of God. Tuttle completed a two-week church revival, and the congregation invited him to remain as pastor…Ten-year-old Charles Federspiel, son of Gratiot County Treasurer William G. Federspiel, was taken to Smith Memorial Hospital after suffering a double fracture of his left arm below the elbow. Young Charles obtained the injury by trying to jump off a brush pile. Unfortunately, he caught his foot on one of the branches…Recreation bowling alleys at 215 West Superior in Alma closed for the summer. Manager V.G.Case believed they would reopen after August 30…Joseph L. Winslow’s name went to the Senate for confirmation for his second term as Alma Postmaster. Winslow recently completed his civil service exam in Saginaw. H.R. Leuth of Medler Electric Company received the electrical work contract for the new St. Louis Co-Operative Creamery, which was under construction. The contract was worth more than $3,000…The Gratiot County Conservation League hosted a successful pancake supper, attracting 250 people and raising nearly $100 to enhance the park. Some prizes awarded to attendees included over forty pints of maple syrup… Gittleman’s Style Shop installed a new air conditioning system on West Superior Street in Alma. Weighing ten tons, the new system would constantly maintain a temperature of fifty percent relative humidity.

And that was the Depression and War in Gratiot County in June 1940.

Copyright 2025 by James M. Goodspeed