1
12
8
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0cce45217c5687ac6307272f84a406ed.jpg
6e39e31cb5362c64c4ad4c829a46559e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1910s-2010s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Various
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Sand dunes
Outdoor recreation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-07_SD-FosterR_0001
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Foster, Raymond
Title
A name given to the resource
Tuckers Boat
Description
An account of the resource
Black and white photograph of a couple sailing upon a small sailboat in Saugatuck. The writing at the bottom of the photograph reads "Tuckers Boat" and the dance hall known as the "Big Pavilion" can be seen in the background on the shores of the Kalamazoo River and Lake Kalamazoo.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich)
Allegan County (Mich)
Kalamazoo River (Mich.)
Outdoor recreation
Sailing
Lakes
Dance halls
Black-and-white photography
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Digital file contributed by Raymond Foster as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
A related resource
Stories of Summer (project)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a98f98df1598e74a6d24820ff573f938.jpg
bf3904312ff8126e1cdcdf3121cef038
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1910s-2010s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Various
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Sand dunes
Outdoor recreation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-07_SD-70s-coll_0043
Title
A name given to the resource
Sailboats at the Big Pavilion
Description
An account of the resource
Black and white photograph of a row of four sailboats lined by a deck at the Big Pavilion dance hall in Saugatuck, Michigan.Pairs of men can be seen standing in the docked sailboats.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich)
Allegan County (Mich)
Kalamazoo River (Mich.)
Boats
Docks
Dance halls
Black-and-white photography
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Digital file contributed by the Saugatuck Douglas History Center as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
A related resource
Stories of Summer (project)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/489dfb081add82bcb1d597d7444a7f93.jpg
969cf9fd0d4f97a70b535d8903a73459
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1910s-2010s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Various
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Sand dunes
Outdoor recreation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-07_SD-Aseries_0006
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Curt Teich & Co.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955
Title
A name given to the resource
Outdoor scenes of Saugatuck Postcard Series
Description
An account of the resource
Series of four postcards highlighting the natural beauty found in Saugatuck-Douglas, Michigan. The postcards feature the Big Pavilion on the riverfront, the Saugatuck Country Club, a yacht approaching the Saugatuck harbor, and Lake Shore Drive in Douglas, Michigan. All of the postcards are drawings with saturated and vibrant colors. The pictures are primarily of greenery and areas along the water. Circa 1955.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich)
Douglas (Mich)
Allegan County (Mich)
Dance halls
Kalamazoo River (Mich.)
Golf
Sailing
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Digital file contributed by the Saugatuck Douglas History Center as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
A related resource
Stories of Summer (project)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/39c31febee463f2a7e29e519bee46764.jpg
bebd579967bfd76e01b64c141256bd35
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1910s-2010s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Various
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Sand dunes
Outdoor recreation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-07_SD-Aseries_0004
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Curt Teich & Co.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955
Title
A name given to the resource
Scenes of Saugatuck Postcard Series
Description
An account of the resource
Series of four postcards highlighting some of the prominent recreation spaces in Saugatuck, Michigan. The postcard at the top features tennis courts next to a flower garden, while the two postcards found in the middle feature a dock overlooking the Kalamazoo River and the interior of the Big Pavilion dance hall. Saugatuck's main street is the subject of the postcard located at the bottom of series and it illustrates a quiet intersection in the center of town. Circa 1955.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich)
Allegan County (Mich)
Tennis courts
Kalamazoo River (Mich.)
Docks
Dance halls
Automobiles
Postcards
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Digital file contributed by the Saugatuck Douglas History Center as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
A related resource
Stories of Summer (project)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/77793adbbe8010f213e1b354ec78757a.jpg
89d7e9ab6fc163833ce7a93acecbb196
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1910s-2010s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Various
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Sand dunes
Outdoor recreation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-07_SD-Aseries_0002
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Curt Teich & Co.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955
Title
A name given to the resource
Big Pavilion and Yachts of Saugatuck Postcard
Description
An account of the resource
Postcard of Saugatuck, Michigan featuring the Big Pavilion dance hall along the waterfront and boats in the harbor. The postcard is brightly colored and appears to be an illustrated backside view, as it features a blank area for a stamp and address. The description at the bottom reads: "Big Pavilion and Yachts." Circa 1955.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich)
Allegan County (Mich)
Outdoor recreation
Boats
Dance halls
Postcards
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Digital file contributed by the Saugatuck Douglas History Center as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
A related resource
Stories of Summer (project)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/818177f0379d171570ca16593fed9529.jpg
5cec6446ce0a47f3aa6f9bf029a39924
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1910s-2010s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Various
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Sand dunes
Outdoor recreation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-07_SD-Aseries_0001
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Curt Teich & Co.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955
Title
A name given to the resource
Greetings from Saugatuck Postcard Series
Description
An account of the resource
Series of four postcards celebrating the scenic locations of Saugatuck, Michigan. The postcard at the top reads "Big Pavilion and Yachts, Saugatuck, Mich." featuring the dance hall overlooking the water. The two postcards found in the middle feature Mt. Baldhead with views of the stairs and a bird's eye view of the treetops overlooking the Kalamazoo River. The bottom postcard features a colorful artist's palette and reads "Greetings from Saugatuck Mich." Circa 1955.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich)
Allegan County (Mich)
Outdoor recreation
Boats
Dance halls
Sand dunes
Stairs
Aerial views
Postcards
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Digital file contributed by the Saugatuck Douglas History Center as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
A related resource
Stories of Summer (project)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/92ec703e17d2b1a349d4433c039df49d.mp3
d7d774ff0142f0a4f0c5ebe2b5ea865c
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cb25224530b35bf708a1e126e8daf40f.pdf
3612d378096c4775d22155671d4a5a2e
PDF Text
Text
Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
1
David Geen: My name is David Geen and I’m here today with Renee Zita at the old schoolhouse in
Douglas Michigan on Wednesday, June 6th 2018. This oral history is being collected as a part of the
Stories of Summer Project, which is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities Common Heritage Program. Thank you for taking time, for the time to talk with me today
I’m interested to learn more about your family history and your experiences of Summer in the Saugatuck
Douglas area. Can you please tell me your full name and spell it?
Renee Zita: Renee Irene Renaldi Zita. R E N E E I R E N E R E N A L D I Z I T A.
DG: Thank you. So, first off is, tell me where you grew up? We’re going to talk about your time here in
Saugatuck and Douglass but at first sort of how you got here and where you’re from, and how this all
sort of happened.
RZ: Sure. Um, I’m initially from the Southside of Chicago, Palace Heights. Grew up there, and um, my
mother’s family had a summer cottage on Park Street in Saugatuck. Um, she had one sister, and two
brothers and they divided the cottage up through the months of uh, July and August. Therefore, our
family usually had two weeks of spending time at the cottage with my grandmother, uh, Grandma Rene,
Irene….
DG: …Oh.
RZ: …hence my middle name.
DG: Uh, what year was it that you first came, or what year was it that?
RZ: I probably came the year I was born, I was born in March, 1959 and that summer, I’m sure my
mother brought me up there and up here and we spent uh, our couple weeks on the beach.
DG: Great! Mhm, how was the beach then, was it the same then as it is now?
RZ: [Laughs] Um, no. The beach, as I recall, there was a white, um, box structure that was the Beach
House that um, had the best hamburgers that….
DG: …Oh!
RZ: …She fried at the beach house and you could rent these big black inner tubes for 25 cents an hour,
so that was a treat when we were able to get an inner tube to rent, we would, and it was a treat when
we were able to go and get hamburgers at the Beach House, and the nicest lady, Menzie I think her
name was, Lois Menzie maybe, um would be the lady and that’s how I met um, Rondy Riteman who
would work at the beach house and um, they had the, I can recall the bathrooms were kind of grody but,
they had these screen doors that would bang after you’d go out….
DG: Oh, yeah?
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
2
RZ: …of the restroom and uh, often one summer I got to spend, about four or five weeks up here
because my mom had her two weeks and she became ill and um, my aunt had to take care of us, um, my
sister and me for an extra two or three weeks and that summer um, I would practically walk, I’d climb up
our since our cottage was on Park street, I’d walk to the beach because they didn’t get to the beach until
late and we liked getting there around noon and so, we’d walk up Mount Baldy and climb down the hill
to the beach, or go to the path um, back by Oxbow or the old harbor, or we’d walk up the beach road.
DG: Yeah? Everyday?
RZ: Practically every day.
DG: That’s great.
RZ: Got my steps in!
DG: Got your steps in then, yeah.
RZ: Okay.
DG: Oh my gosh. Um, [pause] what was your favorite place to, to come to eat in the summer time?
RZ: Um, probably the Beach House, because I love their hamburgers! Um, it was always fun uh, I can
recall um, going to the um, the Root Beer Barrel um, and get foot long hotdogs.
DG: Okay.
RZ: That was always, uh, exciting, or….
DG: …and where was that sitting?
RZ: That was on Center Street, probably between Blue Star and Ferry Street.
DG: Oh, right there, okay.
RZ: Yes….
DG: …Yeah….
RZ: …it’s original….
DG: The original location.
RZ: …there’s aerial photos of where it was, so I remember that, and um, our other favorite thing would
be to go get ice cream at the drugstore.
DG: Okay, the counter in the back?
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
3
RZ: At the counter, and actually I can still recall the counter being in front.
DG: Oh.
RZ: Before it was put back there. I’m pretty sure it was [phone rings] I’m sorry, I’m pretty sure it was out
front, um and then we, my cousins and us would often go there and have water fights and, um, back in
the um, back in the um, the room, uh, and just getting ice cream, chocolate, my favorite was the
Hudsonville chocolate ice cream with chocolate fudge.
DG: Oh my god, that sounds great.
RZ: And that was a treat.
DG: Yeah?
RZ: So..
DG: Did you ever come over to Douglas at all or no?
RZ: Um, yes. There was a donut shop in Douglas that I loved going to.
DG: Oh! I never heard about this.
RZ: It was where Wild Dog is now.
DG: Okay.
RZ: …and, it, they had the best glazed donuts, so we’d go over there sometimes to get a, donuts in the
morning and it would frustrate me when, if you didn’t get there by 9 o’clock he was sold out and I would
be like ‘Well why don’t you make more donuts!’ If you know you’re going to be, uh, on the weekends.
You know? But anyway, they were, they were very good. So, um, and now my favorite place in the
morning is to go to Pumpernickel’s.
DG: Oh.
RZ: Uh, my mom would always order uh, uh, a box full of uh, different sweet, sweets and Larry would be
so funny he’d put um, ants on them sometimes as a, as a tease and uh, a surprise or bugs, or flies,
whatever, so.
DG: That’s fun.
RZ: Yeah, that was always fun. He was, for some of his um, patron customers he would often play little
jokes, he had a sense of hu-humor like that, so.
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
4
DG: Oh my gosh, and so, how was the, how did you go from, like coming the for two weeks in the
summer until, [pause] longer? [Inaudible]
RZ: So, my mother loved it here so much that um, she wanted to, um spend the summer here.
DG: Okay.
RZ: So she branched off and bought her own place….
DG: …Okay….
RZ: …in 1983 probably as well as one of my other uncles, uh, Connie and Richard Vacco went off and
bought their own place down on uh, Lakeshore Drive in Fennville.
DG: Okay.
RZ: …In the early 80’s um, so then my mom had her place and….
DG: …On Park Street….
RZ: …On Park Street and Perryman….
DG: ..Yep….
RZ: …and she, we spent more time there, but now I was starting a family myself, and um, my then
husband John and I loved it so much and we were blessed enough to be able to afford a little home so
we branched off and bought our own home….
DG: Oh.
RZ: …On Campbell Street, which was Inez Campbell’s home. We bought it from her in 198 [pause] 6, ’87.
DG: Okay.
RZ: …and had that home for eight years, and came up here and summered all the time….
DG: Oh great….
RZ: …Ourselves, and then uh, from there we, we built a bigger home down on the Kalamazoo River.
DG: Yeah.
RZ: …and now, my current home, uh is on 98th by Park Street.
DG: Back on Park Street.
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
5
RZ: …Back on Park Street, where….
DG: …Where you belong….
RZ: …Where I belong. Where I belong, where my mother’s, unfortunately she passed a couple years ago,
and her ashes are now spread, um, at her cottage and at our family cottage.
DG: Oh.
RZ: …and maybe a little bit at my house around a tree, so….
DG: How nice.
RZ: Yes.
DG: Yeah. Um, let’s see. Do you have any other special memories of this area that you’d like to talk
about for the, for this, uh, interview?
RZ: Well, my special memories are spending lots of times with our family and cousins and also my
children, um, summering here with me and, um, they’re working. They worked at the beach as
lifeguards….
DG: …Oh did they?..
RZ: …and um, they, it would be a lot of fun when we’d sit at the beach, and they would be, um, on
rotation, and every, every twenty five or forty minutes they’d get a break and then they’d come sit with
us and we’d bring them their hot dogs for lunch….
DG: …Were they, all three life guards?..
RZ: …Jason, Justin, and Jonathon at one time, yes, were all, so that’s how they all got to become good
friends with Katie Frisk, or Katie Herber at the time, she was the beach….
DG: …She was a lifeguard….
RZ: … Well, she, she did the gatehouse.
DG: Oh.
RZ: So she would report to them when, ah, Denny, would, would, was showing up. Say get, get the….
DG: When the boss was coming.
RZ: Alert! Alert! The boss is here.
DG: Oh my gosh.
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
6
RZ: They’d have their codes, but they’ve all become very good friends.
DG: When did the Lifeguards stop on the beach? I remember first coming here and they were still there,
but I didn’t know any of them… [Over RZ] were your sons.
RZ: ..Probably the, [pause] in the 90’s, late 90’s.
DG: I guess.
RZ: Yeah.
DG: Yeah.
RZ: No! They did it all through High School, no, so, they finished high school in, the, maybe the early
2000’s.
DG: The lifeguards stopped.
RZ: Yes, probably because….
DG: Well, even your youngest was a lifeguard….
RZ: No, Jeffery was not, no, so, he didn’t graduate 8th grade until 2010 or so.
DG: [Speaking over RZ] Too young.
RZ: Right, so, um, yeah.
DG: Well that’s fun.
RZ: One of my memories is, getting all dolled up to go dancing at the Old Crow.
DG: The Old Crow had dancing.
RZ: The Old Crow, oh yeah. There was a line to get into the Old Crow back in….
DG: After the pavilion, of course.
RZ: Oh, yeah! Way after. My mother would go to the pavilion, I would go to the Old Crow, and that was
probably in the late 70’s that we were old enough to get in there, and some of us weren’t old enough..
DG: [Laughs]
RZ: …would get in there too. There were multiple Renee Renaldi’s in there because I was one of the first
ones to turn 18, and that was a paper driver’s license. So just brown hair, brown eyes and most of us
Italian girls were brown hair, brown eyes.
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
7
DG: So you would get dressed up to the Old Crow.
RZ: Oh yeah, not so much to drink but to dance and meet boys.
DG: Oh, fun.
RZ: Yeah.
DG: Yeah. Do you remember any specifically, uh, that you could tell us any of the boys that you, uh….
RZ: No, not from me, but my cousin Irene was madly in love with um, Mariano or some…uh, I forgot his
first name.
DG: Okay.
RZ: She would be um, a good person to interview.
DG: Oh, yeah, well that sounds like a story.
RZ: Yes! Yes, so we’d always have to wait and um, there was always a bouncer party after the Old Crow
would close.
DG: Oh.
RZ: …And Irene would be asking her dad permission to stay out, and that wouldn’t be until 1 or 2 in the
morning.
DG: Oh, late.
RZ: …and my uncle was not too keen on that. ‘Please, dad can we go to the bouncer party!’.
DG: The after hour’s party.
RZ: [Laughs] Yeah, so….
DG: Oh my gosh.
RZ: Yeah, so.
DG: That’s in the Coral Gables, like on the, was it….
RZ: That was on the other building where, where um, what’s the long building?
DG: The annex?
RZ: The annex, yes.
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
8
DG: It was in there?
RZ: The bouncer party, I think it would just be outside the Annex or something.
DG: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, like the after party.
RZ: Yes.
DG: Oh, fun.
RZ: Yeah, so that was uh, my my, uh the, the guy I had a crush on was Johnny Fox.
DG: Johnny Fox?
RZ: …and he would, I met him at the beach.
DG: Okay.
RZ: …and his father was the um, do you know who he is?
DG: No.
RZ: Oh. He’s pretty reputable in the area, he’s an artist and….
DG: Okay….
RZ: ..he would come down to the beach, he had long blond hair and….
DG: Oh.
RZ: …um, he ah, would surf at the beach and I don’t know we met him down there, and um, one day he,
we, I don’t know, but I don’t know but I think maybe he might have had a crush on me but we went on
the paddle boat together.
DG: Oh! Okay.
RZ: He kissed me on my cheek, so….
[Both laugh]
RZ: That was big, that was probably one of my first kisses.
DG: I, I wonder if he’s still around?
RZ: He is! He lives up on, up on the hill.
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
9
DG: Oh, okay.
RZ: Him and his wife.
DG: John Fox.
RZ: Yeah. He did the Indian head at, at the school? He’s an artist here in town, and um, yeah! So that’s a
memory.
DG: That’s great.
RZ: Aunt Marie, going to the Dutch Village and you know, going on the rides there and um….
DG: Fun.
RZ: Going on the paddle boats, and the and back then it was not the Queen of Saugatuck but it was the
Island Queen. .
DG: Oh, yeah.
RZ: …ran by Mr. Hoffman I believe, Dick Hoffman was his name I think, who ran that. Peewee golf, so
those are all special treats when got to go peewee golfing and you know it wasn’t just….
DG: …Where was it, was there a little miniature golf here?
RZ: Yeah! It was where um, the park is, um [pause] um [pause] Wicks Park, right there was a peewee
golf….
DG: Oh.
RZ: …area, yeah.
DG: Okay, wow.
RZ: So, and that’s where the Island Queen sat, right there, next to the ship and shore.
DG: Oh, over there.
RZ: On the opposite side.
DG: Huh.
RZ: Yeah, so.
DG: Great.
�Renee Zita - Interviewed by David Geen
July 23 2018
10
RZ: Picture, I have pictures of that as well.
DG: Well that’s neat.
[Inaudible]
DG: Um [pause] what else can we add, anything? [Pause] In what ways has the area changed over time
since you’ve been coming here?
RZ: Well, um, I think it’s become much more um, uh, well I guess been, always been a summer resort for
people. Lots have changed, the structures, more restaurants, more shopping, I think there’s more
people that have retired here. In fact, in our family, there’s my cousin Paula just retired here, my cousin
um, [pause] Carla and her husband are now looking….
DG: …Okay….
RZ: with Bill at the homes, to retire here so, um I think it’s become more of a retirement….
DG: …more of a retirement place.
RZ: Yes, and it’s just a wonderful resort area, with lots of wonderful people….
DG: …Mhm….
RZ: …and lots of nice shopping, and food.
DG: Good! Um, well I think that’s everything that I have right now. Okay? Thank you.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1910s-2010s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Various
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Sand dunes
Outdoor recreation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
Identifier
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Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Format
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image/jpeg
application/pdf
Type
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Image
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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DC-07_SD-ZitaR-20180606
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Zita, Renee
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-06-06
Title
A name given to the resource
Renee Zita (Audio interview and transcript) 2018
Description
An account of the resource
Renee Zita was born and raised in Chicago. In this interview, she recounts spending several weeks of every summer in the family cottage on Park Street in Saugatuck. As her own family grew, Renee remembers bringing her own children to the family home and ultimately deciding to become a full-time resident of Saugatuck.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Geen, David (Interviewer)
Van Orsdol, Mollie (Transcriber)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Outdoor recreation
Dance halls
Oral history
Audio recordings
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Stories of Summer project, Kutsche Office of Local History. Grand Valley State University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
A related resource
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
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Sound
Text
Format
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audio/mp3
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d1ee7f44c17926747e1aac301ff87af7.mp3
8fc5e30273a8c1c62b390ef00d42c5f9
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/02ad986e53107d656bf905f9f8531635.pdf
0db7e702e4aefb3a87c500813a9cb7a0
PDF Text
Text
Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
1
Paola Onesto: Yeah, hi Renee. Uh, I, uh, you said you’d call back in about half hour.
Renee Zita: Oh! I’m sorry, okay well I have, is it good right now?
Paola Onesto: Yeah, I can talk with you at this time.
RZ: Okay, this, I have um, David Geen on the line as well, he’s the gentleman who’s going to ask you
some questions…
PO: Okay.
RZ: …About Saugatuck.
PO: What is his name?
RZ: David.
David Geen: David, David Geen.
PO: Gene? How do I spell it?
DG: Geen. G E E N.
PO: G E E N, okay. David Geen.
DG: That’s right and I’m here, I’m here with you, Paola Onesto?
PO: That is correct.
DG: Okay, and you’re on the phone here from the, from the old schoolhouse in Douglas and today is
June 6th 2018, and this oral, this oral, I have to read this for us, this oral history is being collected as part
of the Stories of Summer project which is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for
Humanities Common Heritage Program. So, I’m so glad to talk with you today, Renee told me that we,
we had to have you as part of our program. So, so, I’m just interested to learn more about your family
history and your experiences of summer here in the Saugatuck and Douglas area. So, but first I want you
to tell me, how do you spell your last name?
PO: My last name is spelled O N E S T O.
DG: Okay.
PO: First name is, my first name I spell P A O L A but I pronounce it Paula.
DG: Okay. Like the Italian way, Paola?
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
2
PO: That’s right.
DG: That’s right.
PO: Well you know the era in which I as born, um, I have to assume that ethnicity was not something
that wanted to be encouraged, uh, everybody had to become Americanized.
DG: Hm, interesting.
PO: And uh, so my mother gave me the Italian spelling, but she gave me the English pronunciation.
DG: Okay, so your mother, your mother was? [Pause] Who was your mother?
PO: Oh! [Laughs] Alright, my mother and father uh, my mother’s name is uh, Vacco V a c c o.
DG: Mhm.
PO: First name is Irene, I R E N E.
DG: [Speaking over PO] Oh yeah. Okay.
PO: and my father’s first name was James.
DG: Okay.
PO: We called him, he was called Jim.
DG: So, did you grow up in Chicago?
PO: Oh yeah, on the west side of Chicago in the Austen area.
DG: Okay, and you’d come to Saugatuck in the summer?
PO: Yes we did. Mhm, ever summer.
DG: When did you start coming? Do you remember what year sort of that was?
PO: Well, I’ll give you some of the history that I am aware of, uh, I know that my parents had come up
here probably in the late 1920’s early 1930’s.
DG: Wow.
PO: and uh, they, my mother and father and my mother’s sister Anna, and her husband John decided
they wanted to buy a piece, they wanted to uh, buy a piece of property and come up there for the
summers and uh, so she, my mother had told me, now this is oral history.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
3
DG: Yep.
PO: Obviously. Uh, and my mother had told me that uh, they bought a home on the, uh, [inaudible] side
of the, of Saugatuck. On the western shore.
DG: Yes.
PO: And, and, um, she said that she, they had a small it was a small cottage um, and she said it was filthy
and she and her sister worked a good part of the summer trying to get the place just habitable. In any
event, while they working on it a lady approached them, a woman came down and she said her name
was Hannah Mueller.
DG: Okay.
PO: She’s important because she owned a lot of property here at Saugatuck, and she said “Instead of
trying to fix that place up”, she said “Why don’t you buy your own property and then build a place that
you would like?”
DG: Okay.
PO: And that’s exactly what they did do. They bought the location where our cottage is now situated
and uh, they had the cottage built. Now I do know that the cottage was built in 1931.
DG: 1931, was the cottage.
PO: Yes.
RZ: [Whispering] What’s the address?
DG: What’s the, do you remember the address of that cottage?
PO: At that time?
DG: Yeah.
PO: Uh, I don’t even think they had addresses.
DG: But it was on Park Street.
RZ: What is the address?
[00:05:00]
PO: It was, it was, it had several different names. One time it was Ferry Street, one time it was Park
Street, so uh, what we, since we never got mail delivered there we always went to the Post Office to get
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
4
our mail, and my mother I remember we had a Post Office Box, and we would get the mail, you’d have
to pay for it for the season of course, and we would get, go there to pick up our mail and eventually uh,
we didn’t even bother doing that because we’re no longer getting a lot of mail, and we would go directly
to the window and we’d ask for, if there was any named, if there was any mail for the Vacco’s, that was,
and I was one of the kids that had to do that.
RZ: Well what’s the address now, Aunt Paola?
PO: Uh, 856.
RZ: 856, Okay.
PO: Park.
DG: Okay, so in the ‘20s and 30s would your parents drive around from Chicago? They drove up here?
PO: They were driven up here. My, neither of my parent drove, they didn’t, they never knew how to
drive a car. They were always driven up here.
DG: [Speaking over PO] So they had a driver.
PO: I’m sorry?
DG: They had a driver.
PO: Right. We’d always have someone drive us up, and it usually was a relative.
DG: Okay. How did, do you know how they found to come to Saugatuck?
PO: That I can’t be sure of, I, I do know a couple of names uh, but I’m not, I’m not really sure how they
were introduced to the area.
RZ: I thought it was through Uncle Aldo’s um, symphony friend?
PO: Yeah, his name was Robert Mcdolum, McDonald, Robert McDonald was a concert pianist, my uncle
was a concert violinist and uh, through them, my uncle, uh, was the one that came up and he probably
had my parents come as well as his other sister, Anna and uh, um, but see that is a history I really really
do not know anything about. But I do, I have some pictures, oh god where are they, uh, I have some
pictures of them sitting on the um, embankment that was in front of our cottage.
DG: Hm.
RZ: [Whispering] that’d be interesting.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
5
PO: Now the people who, our next store neighbors was a man by the name of Kasparik, I can’t
remember for sure if [inaudible] I know he’s in the historical book because I’ve seen his picture in that.
DG: What’s his last name?
RZ: Kasparik.
PO: Kasparik. K A S P A R I K, I believe. And he was a bachelor and he lived there with his sister, uh, uh,
uh, her last name was Romaine but she was married and a widow. Uh, and I think it was R O M A I N E,
romaine, this is romaine and they had that gazeebo, which is still in existence, if you take a walk down
that way. They, they would spend the summer nights sitting there and uh, enjoying the fresh air and I
would go down, go down because there are 42 steps to our cottage, if you’ve seen it.
DG: Okay.
PO: And uh, as a child I would go down and I would visit them, we would sit there and talk.
DG: So when you were coming up in the, in the, the I guess 30s and 40s and all that?
PO: Oh yes.
DG: What was the, what did you, what was your day like, uh when you came up during the summer for
that?
PO: Well, this is, these are my brief memories okay because can’t think, have a continuity with it. I know
it was born, it was built in 1931 because that was year I was born.
DG: Okay.
PO: And, um, the, I also know that my uncle John, because he was the only one who could drive. When
they decided to by the property, he came and put down a, what do they call it, earnest money?
DG: Yes.
PO: He came and he spoke with Hannah Mueller and put down earnest money and the amount of
earnest money he put down, can you think of how much it would cost to buy that piece of property?
DG: I don’t know.
PO: Any idea? [Laughs] He put down $1.
DG: $1!
PO: [Laughing] $1!
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
6
DG: Oh my gosh, as earnest money.
PO: $1 secured the property.
RZ: Didn’t Hannah Mueller own all the lots, that the um….
PO: She owned most of that property, yes.
RZ: All along there. Okay.
DG: All along Park Street.
RZ: So she owned where the Browns cottage was, and the Diffenderfers, and….
PO: Correct, what they, well, no, in their case, they originally came down and they would pitch a tent, in
the area of Mount Baldhead.
[00:10:04]
DG: Oh.
PO: and they, they did that for several years. Now not my parents, but uh, our neighbors and eventually
they bought the property and had the cottage built, the Diffenderfer cottage and the Pilkington’s
cottage.
DG: So what do you remember doing when you came here in the summers when you were younger? As
a kid?
PO: Oh well, when, well when I was a kid, uh, I, I marvel at this because uh, my mother would rent a row
boat, I can’t, for the season.
DG: A rowboat?
PO: And my brother and I would go out in the rowboat and we’d row across the river and we’d go into
town.
DG: Mhm.
PO: And, well that when we were older, of course.
DG: Yeah.
PO: And uh, we would rent bicycles and we’d go bike riding around the area.
DG: Oh! Okay.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
7
PO: That was one of the things we did.
DG: Mhm.
PO: Uh, the other things was that uh, we had a potbellied stove to keep, for, for heat!
DG: Okay.
PO: And, uh, we had to supply the wood. By we, I mean my brother [inaudible] and I, and we would go
out into woods and we’d look for a deadfall. We’d find a tree that we could carry back to the cottage.
DG: Oh god.
PO: Then we’d have to put it on the horses, wooden horses and we’d have to saw it into the right size
plank, lengths so that it would fit into this potbellied stove. After you did all of this, you would make,
make sure you had to have it stacked and piled up in a, in a certain place.
DG: Okay.
PO: So that they had easy access to it. So, we did that.
DG: Did you go to the beach?
PO: Yeah, we did, um, but not every day at that time, not early on, let’s put it that way. Uh, and it was a,
I can remember uh, I can remember walking on a dirt road where it’s just now, where they have the
Oval, the road to the Oval Beach.
DG: Oh yes.
PO: And I can remember walking down the road and I remember resenting, my sister, who was, who
was able to get a ride in a, in a, in a little cart that was called a, what the heck was the name, [inaudible]
but it was a little, a sulky. It was called a sulky and it wasn’t pushed it was pulled.
DG: By a person? Or by a horse?
PO: By a person.
DG: Oh!
RZ: Up to the beach.
PO: It was just, it was just big enough for a child and Anna, my sister, got a chance to ride it, but because
of the distance was so long and it was not convenient because it was a dirt road, and it was not easy to
travel, uh, we did not go every day. That I do remember.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
8
RZ: Didn’t you do the, um, the Red Barn Playhouse, Aunt Paola?
PO: I’m sorry?
RZ: Didn’t you participate in the Red Barn Playhouse?
PO: Oh yeah, but that was much later I was in my teens, I was was in maybe 17, 18 years old when they,
when the Red Barn was erected, or was bought I don’t know, I, or rented, I don’t know whether it, how
it started and, uh, became a theater, and uh, I tried out for a part and I got it and then, uh, for several
years during the summer I would come up to Michigan and I would participate in the plays.
DG: Oh! That sounds fun.
PO: It was, it was, it was a great, thing for me because it, I had, I got to meet the people in the theatre
and find out what type of people they were and uh, and also it gave me a big opportunity to be involved
in something I enjoy doing.
DG: Mhm, did you go out to eat in Saugatuck?
PO: Very rarely.
DG: Rarely.
PO: My mother did all the cooking and the washing, initially we did have hot water.
DG: Oh.
PO: At the cottage. There was no hot water and I have memories of my mother putting big pots of water
on top of the cook stove, kitchen stove, and um getting it boiling and then throw it into the bathtub.
DG: Oh.
PO: Well of course by the time the water got into a cold bathtub it was none too warm by this time but
we bathed in a very small amount of water and uh, that’s what that was done until much later um, but I
can’t, I cannot tell you an exact date when we got a hot water heater, um.
DG: How long did you come up for? Did you come up for two weeks, or a month, or the whole summer?
PO: The whole summer.
[00:15:00]
DG: Well where did you get food? Was the grocery store here?
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
9
PO: Oh yeah, there were two grocery stores in town, and we rode, as I said my brother and I would row
across the river. We would dock at some point wherever we could find a place to tie up the boat and
then we would walk into town and uh, we were given chores to do uh, at, if weren’t, ah, one of the
things I told you I think I mentioned that we would rent bicycles but afterwards we were given chores to
do and one of them was to go grocery shopping and then we would walk back to where the boat was
and put all the grocery’s in the boat and row back up.
DG: What was name of the store, do you remember?
PO: No I’m sorry, I do not.
DG: But it was in Saugatuck, the grocery store.
PO: It was in Saugatuck and where, where they have um, oh god what is it, my, you’ll have to excuse my
memory.
DG: That’s okay.
PO: Where we, where we get the sandwiches on the corner of main street there?
DG: Oh.
PO: Ask Renee, Renee would help me with this, where we get the cinnamon rolls and the….
DG and RZ: Pumpernickels!
RZ: Pumpernickels?
PO: I’m sorry?
RZ: Pumpernickels? It use be like a candy store before that?
PO: That was a grocery store.
DG: Oh! Okay.
PO: It was one the grocery stores. We also had, in Saugatuck um, right across the road on the river side
there was a small store that also was a place for these, the family [inaudible] lived. It was a large family,
by that, by that I mean they had many children.
DG: Yeah.
PO: and they had basic groceries there and uh, again that was within walking distance and this was
directly opposite where your mother’s cottage was Renee.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
10
RZ: Oh the Ferry Store.
PO: The Ferry Store.
DG: You never took the chain ferry across? You always rowed your own boat?
PO: Uh, at that time, yeah, we always used our own boat.
DG: Okay, did you ever do anything at Oxbow? What was going on there since you were at Park Street, it
was kind of close? Wasn’t it?
PO: Yes, no, I never got involved down there.
DG: Never did anything there.
PO: NO, because we were, you have to understand that with a cottage vacation you have a lot of
visitors, I mean, everyone would come up and uh, the, and they would bring children! And we had all of
our cousins would be there, we’d be climbing Mount Baldhead and we, we’d be hiking through the
woods, and it was all outside activities.
DG: There were steps going up to Mount Baldhead at the time?
PO: For me, yeah.
DG: Always steps.
PO: Yeah, mhm.
DG. Yeah.
RZ: Do you remember when the radar tower was built?
PO: I don’t recall, I’m thinking it had to be in the war years.
DG: In the 50s.
PO: 40s.
DG: 40s.
PO: I’m guessing, now this is a sheer guess. Only because of the necessity to have some, uh, something
there to protect us I guess. If there as a, if there was an attack of some kind I, I mean, I was a kid.
DG: Yeah, you’re not, yeah.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
11
PO: So I, I, I really didn’t pay any attention to it but I think it was built in that era. I can’t be sure, so I, I’m
just, my memories of seeing it, that is all l can give you.
DG: So when you got a little older and you had your own children, what did you do with them?
PO: Same thing, pretty much. We, well now of course we’re driving so were going to other towns and
visiting and uh, uh, we, and basically when the children were little, they loved going to the beach so
that’s what we did, we went to the beach. We carried all the paraphernalia of toys and this and that and
the other thing down there and uh, uh, um, we hiked, we walked constantly to the old harbor, uh, we
we often would go to the old harbor because uh, we knew the way there and it was sort of um, an
escape from the crowd of people that would be at the Oval Beach. It was not always called the Oval
Beach, I don’t think that came until, um, maybe the 50s. I’m not sure when they called it that, it was
always a dirt road and then eventually obviously it was paved.
DG: Where’s the old harbor?
PO: You don’t know where the old harbor is?
DG: No.
RZ: You don’t? It’s the old harbor that the boats used to come in on.
DG: Oh!
RZ: Where Oxbow is.
DG: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s where you’d go, that was the river though right?
RZ: Yeah, well.
PO: Well, what it was is it originally it had been a um, lumbering town.
DG: That’s right.
PO: And then the sands shifted, the water shifted, and it became closed off, it was, you could not travel
the, I guess the….
[00:20:09]
DG: Oh.
PO: …boats would come in and go up the river via that channel but it when the water got so shallow,
obviously.
DG: Yes.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
12
PO: That was no longer, they were no longer able to use it, and however the water was warm.
DG: Okay.
PO: It was always fresh. So, I mean Lake Michigan you could always rely on and uh, um we would love to
go there to swim….
DG: Okay.
PO: …because the water was nice and warm….
DG: Warmer.
PO: …and again we had a, again it as very private and not too many people were aware of it….
DG: Oh, okay.
PO: …and let’s see.
DG: That’s the oxbow lagoon, sort of now.
PO: That’s probably what they call it now, yes.
DG: Oh! Did you go out, did you, when, did you go to the Old Crow? No.
PO: Oh yeah, um, for, for dinners or going, if you wanted to go out for an evening when we were older,
yes. Um, but our children made good use of the Old Crow, you can ask Renee about that.
RZ: Yeah.
PO: They would, they would uh, they got to know all the bouncers there.
DG: That’s right. .
RZ: Especially your daughter, Irene. [Laughs] Kevin! Kevin Mariani that was his name.
PO: I’m sorry, Renee?
RZ: The boy that Irene liked, Kevin Mariani or something, right?
PO: I don’t know, I can’t, I can’t remember their names. All you kids had a slew of boys following you
around and my husband was on guard duty all the time, he made sure that they behaved themselves.
DG: That’s right.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
13
PO: Because, uh, he, one night he threw them out of the house [Laughs] and uh, because they came up
around 11 o’clock at night.
DG: Oh.
PO: Do you remember this, Renee?
RZ: No.
PO: No, well. They came up to the cottage about 11 o’clock at night and uh, one of them, I can’t, there
was about four of them and one of them came in with no shirt on, but what people now call a dago tee I
think.
DG: Yeah.
PO: And and a can of beer, an open can of beer.
DG: Oh.
PO: And uh, my father, my father. My husband took one look at them and he knew them!
DG: Oh!
PO: Because they’d been around before and he said, “You, you, you get the hell out of here!” he said “If
you come calling, you come at a reasonable hour and you don’t come dressed like that!”
DG: Oh my gosh.
PO: and he, so now we have tears. All the girls are crying.
DG: Oh, they’re all crying.
PO: [imitating the crying] “Oh, but, we won’t show ourselves on the beach anymore”.
RZ: [Laughs]
PO: [More crying noises] …. Harold says “forget out it”.
DG: Oh my gosh.
PO: So the next day, they, we were on the beach, I wasn’t but Harold was and he said uh, one of the
young men came up to him and he said, “Mr. Onesto I want to apologize for last night” he said, “These
people don’t understand about Italian families.” [Laughs]
DG: Oh.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
14
RZ: [Laughs]
PO: He says, [inaudible] He didn’t add that but he said, “I want to apologize, we should not have done
that.” And uh he says, “You’re welcome at any time but come at a decent hour, and dress right.”
DG: Oh my gosh, yeah.
RZ: But now where did, when you were younger, you went dancing at the big pavilion, correct?
PO: Yes. Yes. The pavilion was at that time, oh! That was the other thing, at night my sister and I would,
my mother would give us a quarter and we would have to take the ferry to get into town because she
wouldn’t allow us to row the boat at night and uh, we would, because every night they changed the
movie. So there was a new movie every night and of course, when you were in the movies they would
show a preview of the coming features, so we wanted to go there, so we pretty much ended up going to
town every night and uh, Anna and I, and to, to watch a movie. Came out and it was still light.
DG: Oh.
PO: Wasn’t really, wasn’t dark. But you go to a 6 o’clock movie, but in the movie you got to see the
feature, you got to see the news, you got to see a cartoon and uh, of course the previews of the coming
features.
RZ: Did you ever go dancing there?
PO: Yeah, when, when I got older that was not when we were little, when we were in our probably our
elementary school years.
DG: Oh, so when you were little the movie started at 6:00.
PO: Yeah.
DG: And got done at like, 8:00 or something….
PO: Like 8:00.
DG: And then the dancing was after that.
PO: Uh, the dancing was always there. This, this pavilion was a huge facility.
DG: Okay.
PO: Uh, they had, just the area for the movies.
DG: Oh.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
15
PO: …and then there was this huge hall, at least it looked very huge to me, and it was in an oval shape.
Well it, it was rectangular actually but they had it fixed so that you, that couples would dance around.
Now I can tell you this, my mother said that originally, they’re dancing in formals, gowns.
[00:25:15]
DG: Oh.
PO: Then during the war years, it changed, and they were skirts.
DG: Okay.
PO: and then later on, I guess it got even more casual because they tried to go with slacks, and then
shorts and they, they had a full orchestra at the beginning, I can remember that, and you had to pay 10
cents to dance.
DG: Oh.
PO: There’s that, there was a song called 10 cents a dance but that’s, that was for something else. Uh,
but you, so if you paid 10 cents you could dance with your partner, and you would be, that would give
you probably enough time to go around twice.
DG: Oh.
PO: You do the perimeter, say you were going around the perimeter, you would have an opportunity to
get at least two dances in before you had to pay another 10 cents.
DG: How fun.
PO: Yeah, it was!
RZ: Was there ever anyone that you were ever sweet on? That lived here?
PO: No.
RZ: No?
PO: No. Not till I was older of course.
RZ: But mom, my mom was sweet on, um, who was that? Norm Deen?
PO: Norm Deen was one, he was a nice kid. He’s, I don’t know, is he still living in the area?
RZ: Yeah, yeah. He is. Yes.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
16
PO: And I know I haven’t seen him in a couple of years, but then I haven’t been up there myself. But he
would always ask about the family, about your mother and the uh, oh let’s see, boyfriends? I, I had a
crush on a boy that was also a summer visitor and uh, he lives, he didn’t live in Saugatuck, he lived in this
sort of a, off of Campbell, you know? The area, on the, where, the lakeshore, lakeshore. He lived along
the lakeshore.
RZ: Okay.
PO: And uh, he was from West Point.
DG: West Point!
PO: Yeah, uh huh. We went to the military school.
DG: Oh!
PO: and uh, so I saw him, maybe four times. [Laughs]
DG: Oh yeah?
PO: And I, I, I, I, I had a crush on him. I don’t know why, how this, these things happen, but they did. He
was very nice to me and we had a good time, uh, again, he could drive, and we go to Holland to see a
movie. Holland was very very strict at that time. They uh, would not allow movies to be shown on
Sundays.
DG: Oh.
PO: And uh, dancing was forbidden, so naturally, the kids got into trouble.
RZ: So they all came down to Saugatuck, right?
PO: Mhm, they found a way. There’s always, where there’s a will there’s a way.
DG: Oh gosh, yeah. They couldn’t dance in Holland so they came to Saugatuck.
RZ: They could Dutch dance. [Laughs] Okay, well that’s great.
DG: Wow. Did boats, boats used to come into Saugatuck and bring people over right?
PO: I’m sorry, would you repeat that?
DG: Steam boats used to come into Saugatuck?
PO: Oh yeah, yeah. We would, uh, the um, the Keewatin I can remember it going up the river when it
came in it was a big to-do.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
17
DG: It’s big.
PO: Everybody was standing on the embankment of their, if they had one, or going over to Mount
Baldhead where you could get down close to the river front and uh, because that was public property
and uh, we were, we would stand, well we were fortunate we could stand on our porch and just watch
this thing steam up the river. So we watch it go up, and we watched it sail down. It was an event.
DG: That’s fun.
PO: That was about 40 years, I’d say. It was there a long time.
DG: Yeah. Well I think that’s about everything.
PO: Ah, I’m glad I was able to help you David.
DG: Oh no, you’re wonderful.
PO: So then, as I said, some of the things I know happened that I can’t put pin point a date.
RZ: So I was going to share um, one of the pictures of you and mom on the beach, they’re going to put it
in a book, is that okay with you Aunt Paola?
PO: Oh sure. Oh sure.
RZ: Okay, alright.
PO: I have a, did, did, did you see the picture of my mother, your mother and our two, my two brothers
and myself on the beach?
[00:30:01]
RZ: Oh yeah, I know, I know that one.
PO: You know that one? That’s a great shot.
RZ: Unless you have a better copy, and um you can scan it and send it to me that would be a wonderful
shot.
PO: Okay, I, I will try to do that, yeah. Unfortunately, the picture I have your mother is cut in half and I
don’t know why that happened but that’s the way the picture was dissolved and uh, and she was, she
was sitting on the back of Aunt Tina.
RZ: There’s another one I have of you guys all at the beach, I have to look through the, the photos, but.
PO: Okay, I’ll see if Harold can….
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
18
RZ: You know they’ll also take what they’re doing here complimentary is like all of Uncle Harold’s slides
of Saugatuck, they would put them in a digitable, digital format.
PO: Oh! Okay.
RZ: So if, when you come back up here if you bring all those slides, they will, they will take them, right?
DG: I think so, yeah.
RZ: I think that’s what they’re doing. They’ll take the slides and put them in a, a, on a disc for you.
PO: Okay. Oh that would be lovely.
RZ: The ones he hasn’t done, because I know he’s done.
PO: I’m not sure if he hasn’t got to that himself but uh, yeah, this, this would be uh, quite a, oh you
know where we also went? Goshorn Lake!
RZ: Goshorn Lake?
DG: Oh, yeah. You went up there.
RZ: When the flies weren’t biting.
PO: We spent a lot time at Goshorn Lake, we didn’t always go to Lake Michigan, again the water was
warmer….
DG: Yeah.
PO: …uh, and uh, but it was more dangerous. It was extremely dangerous and uh, because it goes down
at a 45 degree angle.
DG: It’s deep, yeah.
PO: and uh, and I, and the thing is we had all of these children, there was 5 of the Rinaldi’s, there was 4
of us, uh and uh, well and Richard went, my older brother was 10 years older than I so he didn’t hang
around with us at all.
DG: Mhm.
PO: Um, but uh, I remember Vicky this, this scared the heck out of me. Am I, am I giving you, wasting too
much of your time?
DG: No, it’s good.
PO: Um, we were sitting at a, a, you couldn’t lie flat because it was at this steep….
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
19
DG: Steep.
PO: …decent into the water. But it was alright, and I, I was always on guard duty and I didn’t look for
people, I counted head. I was always counting heads, counting heads, and I looked and here’s Vicky,
must have been a toddler or I would say 4 or 5 years old and she’s in the water and she’s struggling
because the water is over her nose.
DG: Oh.
PO: Now she’s standing but she’s probably, she’s probably standing on her toes, trying to get a, a, trying
to get, grip the sand so that she can get out of the water and I have to tell you David, it was, so surreal
for me because I’m thinking, I’m thinking that I’m moving in slow motion. I couldn’t get there fast
enough and I’m thinking to myself, ”She can’t breathe, the water is over her nose, I’ve got to get to her”
and as in a movie, or a scene on television I wasn’t able to move, I was going so slowly to get her, and I
got her of course, I pulled her out of the water but she could’ve drowned in that water and we were all
there! We were all there! And it was, it was, an adult could stand there but a child couldn’t. So that was,
that scared the heck out of me, and so for sure I never, I never, when we went I never, uh, I never laid
out. I patrolled the beach constantly, I wanted to make sure all the kids were okay.
DG: Okay, yeah.
PO: So, but I, she, she scared me and, and, and it was the most eerie feeling. Still feel it today telling you
the story, how I wanted to get to her but I couldn’t get any traction with my feet and I couldn’t get
there, and it, it was terribly terribly terribly frightening for me.
DG: Hm, well you saved her.
PO: I saved her. Thank god.
DG: Good. Good.
PO: But she’s still running around.
DG: She’s still running around.
PO: She’s got a beautiful I understand, on the lake.
DG: Yes she does. Yep.
PO: So.
RZ: Okay, well thank you for your time Aunt Paola.
DG: Yes! Thank you.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
20
PO: Oh honey I don’t mind, I enjoy talking to, I, probably other ideas will pop up in my head. Like I just
thought of Goshorn Lake, we spent a lot of time there.
DG: Yeah, no this is great.
RZ: And remember to mention if those slides you want, they, they’ll take them and put them in the
digital format, so, if you want to bring them up next time you come.
PO: Okay, I’ll tell Harold, now that’s his domain.
RZ: Alright.
[00:35:01]
DG: Okay.
RZ: Tell him Renee asked him to. Okay.
PO: Okay, I shall.
RZ: He doesn’t have to do them, he just needs to bring them here.
PO: Okay, and do you want some strawberry pop?
RZ: And strawberry pop, that’s right. [Laughs] Okay. That’s an inside joke.
PO: Renee she liked strawberry pop and Harold always brought her a bottle of strawberry pop.
DG: That’s fun.
RZ: That’s right.
DG: Oh gosh.
RZ: Alright Aunt Paola.
DG: Well thank you.
PO: Oh, you know one other thing what we did in the cottage?
RZ: What’s that?
PO: You want me to keep you on the line longer?
RZ: Just, another minute, go on, tell us the story.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
21
PO: Okay, on, in Saugatuck remember we have no ceilings, over our bedrooms.
RZ: Yeah, we had no ceilings in our cottage.
DG: Okay.
PO: The way the cottage is built.
RZ: A loft.
PO: The roof is our ceiling. But the roof only has walls, they don’t have any ceilings.
DG: Oh.
PO: So as kids we would get into pillow fights.
DG: Oh.
PO: We would throw the pillows back and forth over the walls.
RZ: The rafters.
DG: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s fun.
PO: So, we, until my mother couldn’t stand it anymore and that was the end of that but really that uh,
that was one of the fun things that we would do, crazy things like that.
DG: Yeah!
PO: And uh, but uh, for me they’re great memories.
DG: That’s great.
PO: Glad I got to share them with the kids. Anyhow David, I hope this gives you information….
DG: No, you’ve, wonderful things, I’m sure it will be great to have.
RZ: Alright Aunt Paola, thank you!
DG: Thank you.
PO: You’re welcome sweetheart, and uh, I hope to see you up, when we get back.
RZ: Yeah! Okay.
PO: I can’t tell when, because we see a lot of doctors you know.
�Paola Onesto – Interviewed by David Geen and Renee Zita
June 6 2018
RZ: Okay.
PO: Okay honey.
DG: Okay, thank you!
RZ: Alright, love you! Buh-bye.
DG: Uh huh, bye.
PO: And nice talking to you David.
DG: Same here.
PO: You’re welcome.
22
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1910s-2010s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Various
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Michigan, Lake
Allegan County (Mich.)
Beaches
Sand dunes
Outdoor recreation
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Saugatuck-Douglas History Center
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
application/pdf
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Text
Language
A language of the resource
English
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-07_SD-OnestoP-20180606
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Onesto, Paola
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-06-06
Title
A name given to the resource
Paola Onesto (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
Description
An account of the resource
Paola Onesto was raised in Chicago. Her family was among the first to buy land and build lakeshore summer cottages in Saugatuck. Her family home was completed in 1921, and Paola recounts generations of family members spending their summers on the lakeshore.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Geen, David (Interviewer)
Zita, Renee (Interviewer)
Van Orsdol, Mollie (Transcriber)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Allegan County (Mich.)
Outdoor recreation
Beaches
Italian Americans
Dance halls
Oral history
Audio recordings
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Stories of Summer project, Kutsche Office of Local History. Grand Valley State University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Relation
A related resource
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng