Michigan
Saugatuck (Mich)
Allegan County (Mich)
Black-and-white photography
Portrait photography
Black and white portrait photograph of Hubert Engel as taken by Appleyard Studio of South Haven, Michigan. He is dressed in a three-piece suit and tie while wearing a kind expression on his face.
Appleyard Studio
Digital file contributed by the Saugatuck Douglas History Center as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
Copyright Undetermined
Black and white photograph of a man in a white t-shirt leaning over and staring intently at what is in front of him. He has short cropped hair and a beard and appears to be working in a workshop. The handwriting on the back of the picture is barely legible but says "Weaving, Ralph [illegible] 321 Milwaukee." Based on this description, he appears to be working at a loom and potentially in a weaving course at Oxbow. Additionally, underneath the handwriting there is a stamp which reads: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom left-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Armstrong, Joe
Kalamazoo River (Mich.)
Fishing
Black and white photograph of an elderly man walking on the pier with a bucket in hand. He appears to carefully walking across the ledge along the channel where the Kalamazoo River meets Lake Michigan. The handwriting on the back of the picture reads "Fisherman on pier" although the writing is faint. Additionally, underneath the handwriting there is a stamp which reads: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom left-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Aerial View of Buildings on the Waterfront
An aerial shot of buildings and boats along the Kalamazoo River waterfront. The photograph is in black and white and framed by the neighboring trees. The back of the photograph has two stamped inscriptions which read: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom right-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
A black and white photograph of a fishtug boat cruising along the Kalamazoo River.. The back of the photograph has writing which reads, "Fishtug passing Mt. Baldhead Hotel" however, the second line of writing underneath it is illegible. The back of the photograph has two stamped inscriptions which read: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom right-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Parks
Stairs
Black and white photograph looking down the wooden staircase that leads to the summit of Mt. Baldhead. The handwriting is barely legible, but the top line says "Mt. Baldhead Stairs" and the line underneath is too faint to make out. The back of the photograph has two stamped inscriptions which read: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom right-hand side there is a stamp which reads "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Bllack and white photograph featuring a group of four women and a little girl all gathered in a living room. The generational differences are evident in the ways in which they are dressed as each woman seems to represent a different era. The back of the photograph has two lines of handwriting but the pencil is very faint and thus illegible. The back also features two stamped inscriptions which read: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom right-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Men Docking "The Island Queen" River Boat
Black and white photograph of a group of men leaning over the back of The Island Queen river boat while trying to tie it to the dock. There are four men on the boat all looking down while they approach the dock. The inscription is typed on a piece paper that is pasted onto the back of the photograph. The paper has dimmed with age and reads: "The Island Queen, an all-metal river boat fashioned after Mississippi [?] stern wheelers, docks after an excursion trip from Saugatuck to New Richmond on the picturesque Kalamazoo river. The boat was built and is skippered by Dick Hoffman. It has facilities for some fifty passengers. The Island Queen was launched in 1954." Underneath the typed description there is a "-O-" and in the bottom right-hand corner there is the stamp which reads, "Joe Armstrong. Allegan, Michigan."
Boats
Black and white photograph of a man sitting in his boat, tied in between two posts, with his back to the camera. He appears to be fishing in Lake Kalamazoo and another boat can be seen in the distance. The description on the back of the photograph reads "Fishing for walleye" and the second line is illegible. The back also features two stamped inscriptions which read: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom left-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Sand dunes
Black and white photograph of a group of four young people driving across the sand in Saugatuck, Michigan. The automobile they are riding in appears to be a dune buggy and is identified as being from the 1940s. The handwriting on the back of the photograph, which is faint and partially illegible, reads: "Dune scooter, piloted by Ron [?], [?]." There is a stamp underneath which reads: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom left-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Black and white photograph featuring rolling sand dunes covered with patchy dunegrass and the forest line in the distance. The handwriting on the back of the photograph reads: "Dunes near Goshorn Lake." There is a stamp underneath which reads: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom left-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Michigan, Lake
Beaches
Outdoor recreation
Black and white photograph of a Lake Michigan beach scene in Saugatuck, Michigan. It appears to be a busy day at Oval Beach where people are sunbathing on the sand and swimming in the lake. On the back of the photograph there is a stamp which reads: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Michigan." In the bottom left-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Greenhouses
Churches
Black and white photograph of a gentleman, who appears to be a priest, standing next to a building which appears to be a greenhouse. The building has a large dome structure and there is a cross in the distance on the top of the steeple of a church located behind the greenhouse. There is writing on the back of the picture but it is too faint to be legible. Underneath the faint writing there is a stamp which reads: "Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Douglas." In the bottom left-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Plein air painting
Art centers
Black and white photograph of a group of men painting outside as part of the Oxbow Club. It appears to be a warm and sunny summer's day as they are all wearing hats and one of the men in the foreground has his shirt tied around his waist. There is writing on the back of the picture but it is too faint to be legible. Underneath the faint writing there is a stamp which reads: "Chamber of Commerce, Saugatuck, Douglas." In the bottom left-hand side there is a stamp which reads: "Joe Armstrong, Allegen, Michigan."
Summer theater
Photograph of a trio of young people bent over and appearing to assemble doors in front of the Red Barn Theatre entrance. The picture is in black and white and the trio consists of one woman and two men. The handwriting on the back of the photograph is incredibly faint and illegible. The stamp underneath the writing reads: "Saugatuck-Douglas Chamber of Commerce. Saugatuck, Michigan. The stamp in the left corner reads: "Joe Armstrong. Allegen, Michigan."
Jeanmarie Hays Arnold (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Allegan County (Mich.)
Sailing
Oral history
Audio recordings
Jean Arnold describes growing up Douglas with many memories of various jobs she held as a teenager. She also describes her encounters with the LGBT community in the 70's
Arnold, Jeanmarie Hays
Documenting the Histories of Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas, Kutsche Office of Local History
In Copyright
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Neil Atherton (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
Gay men
Sexual minorities
Neil Atherton grew up in Illinois near Milwaukee and came to Saugatuck in the early 1980s. He and his partner Jim Yarro operated the gift shop Hoopdee Scootee from 1982 to 2016. In this interview, Atherton reminisces about Hoopdee Scootee, creative advertising, the art community, and being openly gay in a small town.
Atherton, Neil D.
Stories of Summer project, Kutsche Office of Local History. Grand Valley State University
Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists' Residency
A black and white photo of the theater group, the Oxbows, from Wayne State University. There are ten individuals depicted, all in various costumes. One holds a baby.
Battles, Bob
Digital file collected by the Kutsche Office of Local History from the Saugatuck Douglas History Center for the Stories of Summer project.
The back side of "Oxbow Summer 1966." It lists all of the names from right to left of the individuals depicted in the phot and descriptions of them, all written in blue pen. In the bottom right, Oxbow 1966 Summer is written in red pen.
A brochure for the Saugatuck-Douglas Museum 2010 Exhibition, "A Place Called Ox-Bow." The brochure describes the exhibit and also gives the location, admission cost and dates of the exhibition.
A scan of a newspaper article written about the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Societey Tuesday Talk that was put on to provide "[a]n intimate look Ox-Bow during the mid-1960s and '70s."
Fishing on the Pier, Saugatuck, Mich. Postcard
Postcards
Front of the postcard of individuals fishing on the pier in Saugatuck, Michigan
Brigham, D.
Digital file contributed by D. Brigham as part of the Stories of Summer project.
Between Bridges, Saugatuck Mich. Postcard
Front of the Between Bridges postcard depicting a road with trees on either side, circa 1910
Carriages & coaches
Two children are sitting in a horse-drawn carriage infront of a house, circa 1910