748 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0905befb7507f79cf765fc45b1f53bb8.pdf e7ce571c91ec779b5022f73bcbcb025f PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cf554c1cdf9eeaf9aa7b74a2ed5ac76d.pdf ab8d0587ea672abdf6eb2650bfa4ebf9 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-10-08] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C. October 8, 1942 Hello Honey, Writing again to let you know that I’m still O.K. and hope you are the same. I have sent you another V-mail letter and did receive all of yours. How is everything with you these days, “Honey”? I can’t complain. I still think of you often and wish I were there to give you one of my famous hugs. How are your folks? Give them my regards. How’s my little chick-a-dee, Gloria, now days. [sic] [Page 2] I still can’t get over the surprise of her sending me that card. What’s going to happen next? I’ve written to most of the folks but as yet I haven’t had a word from home. How are the Walsh’s? When you get to see them again, give them my hello. We have a phonograph and a radio to pass some time away and it sure hits the spot. We have popular recording programs such as Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Red Skeleton and so forth. On the radio we get the news [Page 3] and swing music coming from the States. So, you seem to like school this year, Eh! Honey! Well I guess it’s O.K. at first but your opinion may change later on. Ha! Ha! Does my sister still write to you? Yes, she did send me your letter to her and the picture. Have you taken any other pictures of yourself lately? If you have, don’t forget to send me one of them. I haven’t seen Roy in a long time and that don’t make me mad a bit. Ollie is still as lazy as [Page 4] ever for I haven’t heard from him since I left the States. Tell Gloria not to hoard all of her money and drop me a letter once in a while. Ha! Ha! Well, “Honey” I shall close for I have nothing more to write. �Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Excuse the pencil for my pen is on the blink again. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE OCT 11 1942 A.P.O. Via Air Mail Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. PASSED BY US 11147 ARMY EXAMINER [?] U.S.A. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1942-10-08 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-10-08 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, October 8, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated October 8, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated October 11, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing how he passes the time with a phonograph and a radio playing popular recordings, the news, and swing music from the United States. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Music--1940-1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/665a410b759e0c75c74d3e3ec54d2ea3.pdf f97905eb81ec202a80cb4937302154ea PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7f4307c1d81033340ff31d8fd9a40ca1.pdf 98a972a3c9d44030b4e3542218b7aeb9 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-10-10] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] No. 898206 {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY U.S. 11147 ARMY EXAMINER [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. 12016893 Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster, N.Y.C. U.S. Army October 10, 1942 (Date) Hello Sweets, Here I am again although I have [already] written you. Using up a little of my spare time. Ha! Ha! Well, “Sweets” how are you today? Fine, I hope, and not in an ugly mood. How is the football team making out this year? Losing I’ll bet. I wish I was there to bet for the ice cream. Ha! Ha! I still think of you often so you need not worry. How is the sweater coming along? Is it half done? Give your folks my regards and a big hello. I’m about the same and hope you are too. I’m mad at Gloria for not writing more often and just wait till I get back that way. I haven’t seen Roy as yet, so I don’t know what to write about him. You are doing right for ignoring Carolyn. She may want to blame you again. Ha! Ha! Well, “Honey” I will close and in the meantime be thinking of you. Write soon. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} �P.S. How’s Beasie getting along with her paper route? {V-MAIL stationery footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. OCT 20 [?] PM 1942 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1942-10-10 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-10-10 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, October 10, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated October 10, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated October 20, 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes in his spare time while hoping to catch up on the latest news that fall, including how the football team is doing that year and how the sweater she is knitting is coming along. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/60933a3d5a48cd6cd9c67709ba59b1aa.pdf 6d3291e241032e0dec526545fd11a05f PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0ed860156605a354c52e2fa0902e56fe.pdf 3df8ef4bcf5ecd4b6c9e1ff53bffbcea PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-10-11] [Page 1] [V-Mail Letter] No. 936521 {CENSOR’S STAMP} PASSED BY U.S. 11147 ARMY EXAMINER [?] Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. 12016893 Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (Sender’s name) Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. – 1 (Sender’s address) c/o Postmaster, N.Y.C. U.S. Army October 11, 1942 (Date) Dear Agnes, Just rec’d one of your letters dated Sept. 21 and was glad to hear from you. I enjoy hearing from you very much and always look forward to hear from you. [sic] I still miss you “Honey” and think of you often. No, there is nothing I need or want at present but you could put yourself in a package and come here. Ha! Ha! Everything here is going along swell for me, so I shan’t kick. [sic] How is everyone over there? Don’t forget to give them all my best regards. I haven’t heard from Ollie but my sister said that he was going to answer my letter. I’m surprised to think of it. My folks have sent me cigarettes and things so when they get here, I’ll have a plenty. Well, Sweets, how are you getting along? Fine, I hope. I’m always good so you need not worry none. [sic] Haven’t much to write so I shall close and write real soon. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe �{V-MAIL stationery footer} [V-mail envelope] WAR & NAVY DEPARTMENTS V-MAIL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS {Postmark} NEW YORK, N.Y. OCT [?] 2:30 PM [?] 1942 PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1942-10-11 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-10-11 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, October 11, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten V-mail letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated October 11, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated October 1942. In the V-mail letter, Joe writes to Agnes sharing his enjoyment in receiving one of her letters and how he always looks forward to hearing from her, in addition to inquiring about everyone back home and sending his best to them. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a5061918309bec200da90b60954a4a71.pdf 90c3335bdf4458c784ef08ea37181742 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/afba784f2e42a2842b5560eb243a7f02.pdf 0d1eaaa096a1655a2ceebe7e8948a75e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-11-20] [Page 1 - front] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C. Nove. 20, 1942 Dear Agnes, Just a few lines to let you know that I am well and still in good health. It has been quite a long time since I heard from you last and hope to get some of your letters soon. Well, Honey how are you getting along? I can’t kick, for everything is going along fine. I am now in North Africa and have been in battle. I also have experienced a lot of things I shall always remember. I have been to Oran for a visit and it was surprising to me to find [Page 1 - back] it a modern city. The people that are here are French, Spanish, and Arabs. [sic] I get along pretty well with hand signals and a lot of hollering for things I want and etc. I have stopped smoking and it [has] been 3 weeks today that I [last] had a cigarette. Pretty good start isn’t it. How are your folks and the rest? Don’t forget to give them my best regards. How’s the kids getting along with their paper route? Fine, I hope, and it will supply them with some money. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I’ll imagine myself being up to your house for a [Page 2 - front] big dinner. How’s my chick-a-dee, Gloria? Well, if I should ever hear from her again, I’d faint and be out for a week. Well, “Honey,” I still think of you and miss you a lot. Ain’t I generous? It’s been a long time since I heard from anyone, so I haven’t much to write. Anyway, there’s nothing much I can write. Well sweet, I shall close and write real soon. As Ever, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] �Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE NOV 24 1942 A.P.O. Via Air Mail Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. PASSED BY US 11147 ARMY EXAMINER [?] � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1942-11-20 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-11-20 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, November 20, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated November 20, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated November 24, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes to let her know he is well and in good health during a period when he hasn't received her letters, in addition to letter her know is he now in North Africa and has been in battle. He also writes of his travels to Oran, Algeria, and how it has been three weeks since his last cigarette. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Oran (Algeria) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f4c3eee554693459c9c677c84cd36d45.pdf 88b8d797ab34d7c6c2304d4c0136b2c9 PDF Text Text ������� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e9e31ac75f2df97e587a81886b1611cf.pdf d2c2e84ac4d215033d1d3ff32d02a74e PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-23] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Inf. A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C. Dec. 23, 1942 North Africa Dear Agnes, Rec’d your two air mail letters dated Nove. 27 and Dec. 1 and was glad to hear from you. I have not any of your letters from Oct. 9 to your last two which I just got. [sic] Maybe they got sunk [?] or are still or are still on the way. I’m fine and safe as usual and hope you are the same. I suppose you were very surprised to get my other letter saying I was located in Africa. It gets cold here too believe it or not and I’m not kidding. [Page 2] Most of the people back home know more than I do about Africa for we get news here occasionally. I rec’d two Christmas cards from my folks at home and a long letter from Helen. Everything out this way is O.K. and about the same. How is everything with you? Fine I hope. How are your folks? Don’t forget to give them my regards. I shall try to write more often, but if there is a lapse in my mail don’t forget to be patient. Roy isn’t with us and I haven’t seen him in a coon’s age. [Page 3] A year ago today I was getting into Buffalo on furlough. Boy a year is a long time and the miles are many. Just two more days till Christmas and I haven’t even sent a card or went shopping. Oh! Well, I must be a slipping. I must have been a bad boy for he’s skipping me this year. Ha! Ha! Before I forget, I wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I’ve done well so far for I quit smoking. I haven’t had a cigarette in my mouth for 8 weeks. It sure makes me feel good to think. [Page 4] I will not crave for a smoke when I can’t get any. So, you won’t have to send me any. I should be congratulated. Ha! Ha! �I miss you as much as ever, even if I don’t write much about it and I still think of you often. My sister, Helen, sent me a diary and I don’t know whether I can keep one up but I’ll try. I got a package from my folks with a pipe tobacco and cigarettes in it. I don’t smoke, so some of the boys will enjoy smoking them. I miss them basketball games and shows at [Page 5] at Cushing this year. Well, don’t forget to have a good time while you are young. “But be good.” I’ve been in North Africa ever since the invasion. How is my Chick-a-dee, Gloria, these days? Is she dead? She must be for I ain’t heard from her in a poodle’s age. Give the Walsh’s my regards the next time you see them. No, I have not met the Harmon fellow as yet but may someday. My folks sent me a nice card, military at that, and I’ve put it away for duration. Does Ollie still write to you? I can imagine. Ha! Ha! [Page 6] I haven’t heard from him either. Well, Honey, I shall close and will be thinking of you, till I hear from you again. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. I might as well wish you a Happy Birthday, too, even though I am late. Anyway, I thought of you on that day. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} �U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE DEC 26 1942 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-23 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-12-23 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 23, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 23, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated December 26, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes after receiving two of her Air Mail letters while stationed in North Africa and sharing the news of his safety, while wishing their loved ones a "Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" back home in the United States. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Air mail service Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7ee949f4e8d69f3ac444fb5f2c717783.pdf a386f4e372c6ec8c1013ae7cc167ae57 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/178858a4430f6c86d1aa6dbcc66166c3.pdf d26e9d2396159c1db68b29aef4880a8f PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-24] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C. Dec. 24, 1942 North Africa Dear Agnes, Rec’d 5 of your letters today and even though they are marked Oct. I sure did enjoy reading them. I also got that note that Mrs. Harmon gave you and I have sent it on to him. We are not stationed with his Battalion. I also got Beasie’s letter and it sure surprised me to get one from her. I still miss you “Honey” and I’m always thinking of you. I suppose my letters are far apart and I shall try to write more often. Most of the time I have a good reason for the delay. [Page 2] I hope you are patient in hearing from me “Honey” for I am. There are some reasons I have that I can’t write about for the delay in my letters. I’m safe and well as usual and hope you are the same. I sure do enjoy reading of what you did and do. If you can, I’d like to have some more recent pictures of yourself providing you have some. I have not received your package as yet, but when I do, that sweater will come in handy. It gets quite cold here also and I don’t mean maybe. [Page 3] A fellow here rec’d word that in the paper it stated that the first shipment of the Christmas packages to England got sunk. I hope your package wasn’t on that ship for I know you must have worked a plenty to make that sweater. Tonite [sic], which is Christmas Eve, our platoon has to go on Guard. Well, all of us has to take the bad with the good. How is your Dad getting along with drilling the men at Cushing? How is your mother and [the] rest getting along? Hope they are all well. I think I’ll give Gloria the air and have [Page 4] Beasie as my girl. Ha! Ha! At least she writes. Tomorrow is Christmas and I haven’t even sent a card. I’ll think of you though and someday I may [be] back to see you on a Christmas. Well, “Sweets,” I shall close with all my love to you. Yours, Joe {Signature accent mark} �P.S. Don’t forget to write real soon. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE DEC 27 1942 A.P.O. U.S. POSTAGE 6¢ VIA AIR MAIL Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-24 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-12-24 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 24, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 24, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated December 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes upon receiving five of her letters that were written back in October and his enjoyment in reading them despite the delay. He also reassures her about the continued delay in their correspondence and how his platoon will be spending Christmas Eve on Guard Duty. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North United States. Army--Guard duty Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5785b46d59f1fbd8105bb2940d09dfba.pdf e9ec92f10afe3f6768a4f0570fa67234 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/247c5de93a18096bb617cd4823df8e5d.pdf e0c59ecf1e4b990ac5ea97fafd1210b3 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-25] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, N.Y.C. Dec. 25, 1942 French North Africa Dear Agnes, Thought I would write you another letter since I’m in the writing mood. Today is Christmas, but without any snow it does not seem so here, although it is a bit cold. I hope Santa brought all the things you wanted this year. I’m thankful to be alive and that makes it the best Christmas I ever had. I’ve spent the day being in charge of a Guard Detail and in between writing a few letters. I went to the church service we had here and the Chaplain sure did give a [Page 2] swell sermon. He even had a beautiful altar made up of palm branches, candles, some white cloth, a cross, and ration boxes to make the altar. It sure was pretty. For our Christmas dinner, we had beef, mashed potatoes, carrots & peas, dates, rice pudding, coffee, a little wine, and bread. Not bad. Eh! I forgot to mention tomatoes and they were really delicious. The boys are about the same so there’s nothing new. Claypool said to give Gloria all his love. Little “Margie” was wounded in battle. He is coming along fine from what I heard of [Page 3] him last. Is there much snow out your way? Wish I was there to go sliding [sic] or go to the show up at Cushing. Even to a basketball game to see the other team win. Ha! Ha! So you must be getting up in the world, working for the principal. Well, that makes me think you are a teacher’s pet. Ha! Ha! Gee! “Honey,” I’ve run out of brains again, so I shall close, write real soon. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. I still miss you and always think of you. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) �Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE DEC 27 1942 A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1942-12-25 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942-12-25 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, December 25, 1942 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated December 25, 1942. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated December 27, 1942. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes on Christmas Day while stationed overseas in North Africa and expresses the holiday's special meaning to him that year while experiencing profound gratitude for his life. He continues to write while focusing on positive news such as the swell sermon he attended and the delicious holiday dinner. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/57011fe7e60ad63d71d9665d219e7be0.pdf 1d172f79788b4f517f73be3a4ee9e01a PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b511386926a6d5f91a2dc5f473e0d7fa.pdf f17dfb064177e98db1aeeed1a88d43e6 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-01] [Page 1] Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. January 1, 1943 North Africa Dear Agnes, Writing to let you know that I am still well and safe. Last year at this time I was up at your house and my furlough ended the same nite. [sic] I have not received any of your latest mail as yet and hope to soon. I still didn’t get that package you sent but it may turn up sometime. Well, Honey, how have you been? I’m about the same as usual which is nothing new. This New Year’s Eve was a quiet one and it was just another nite [sic] to me. Did you go to a dance? [Page 2] How are your folks these fine days? Don’t forget to give them my regards? Do you go down to see the Walsh’s? When you do, tell them I’m getting along fine. I still think of you often, “Honey,” and miss you as much as ever. I have carried the pictures we took the 4th of July and they sure went through a lot. They keep a growling for reinforcements, so you’d better send me a few recent snapshots of yourself soon. How’s my Chick-a-dee Beatrice getting along these days? I gave Gloria the air for not writing and at least Beatrice does write once in a blue moon. Ha! Ha! Claypool says to give all of his love and regards to Gloria. [Page 3] He also is expecting the “Purple Heart” for cutting his finger while opening a can of beans in a fox hole under heavy artillery fire. Ha! Ha! The rest of the boys are about the same and as crazy as ever. Well, “Sweets,” I shall close and don’t forget to write all about yourself. Write real soon. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Don’t forget to send the pictures. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster, New York, N.Y. �U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE JAN 2 1943 A.P.O. Free {Signature accent mark} Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. PASSED BY US 09327 ARMY EXAMINER [?] Censored by Robert Ostwald [?] 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-01-01 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 1, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 1, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated January 2, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes reassuring her of his health and safety while stationed overseas in North Africa and reminiscing about being on furlough and visiting her house the previous year. He also writes about how he carries their 4th of July photographs with him everywhere and how he is in need of photograph reinforcements. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c2599d584d30ea9faf9b92e49065a5e1.pdf aea9fdc2c11ffba653d4915a043e10db PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5be1ddf56fc0fff356e29a910a455263.pdf 8594609237338181e655e0ee53275dcd PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-03] [Page 1] January 3, 1943 North Africa Dear Agnes, Rec’d your V-mail letter dated Nove. 16th and was glad to hear from you. I’m fine and well as usual and hope you are the same. I suppose by now that you know that I am in North Africa. My folks sure were surprised to get my letter stating that I am here. How is your Dad making out with drilling the boys at College? I sure chuckled some about him giving me instructions for a promotion. You can tell him, I may be one of his superiors someday and then give him a lot of orders. Ha! Ha! How is the rest of the family getting along? [Page 2] I received a couple of letters from home and one from Helen while she was visiting at home. Has Ollie written to you? Ha! Ha! I’ll bet not. I’ve been overseas 5 months now and to me, it really seems like it was yesterday. Well “Honey,” I shall close and in the meantime be thinking of you. Write real soon. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. I still miss you and think of you often. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE JAN 7 A.M. 1943 A.P.O. �Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. PASSED BY US 11102 ARMY EXAMINER Robert Ostwald 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-01-03 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 3, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 3, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated January 7, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa, noting his family's surprise in hearing that news, and his own feelings after five months of being stationed overseas. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/be759e876f1a73300e135c8717b7fed3.pdf a88d59538a6e1cc946cc97bc98d161de PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/38164755f60cdaa7a0da3c418de130c5.pdf ff1c03407a7e81e33b68089d3fa483ac PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-19] [Page 1] North Africa Jan. 19, 1943 In a “Fox Hole” Dear Agnes, I received your letter of Jan. 4 and was glad to hear from you. I also got a lot of your letters written in Oct. and Nove. Last but not the least, the telegram. I suppose and hope that you are getting what few letters I write from here. Don’t go a worrying for when I have the chance, I’ll write. I have not gotten your packages and I hope that they will catch up with me sometime. As a matter of fact, I haven’t gotten the packages my folks [Page 2] sent to me either. I’m well and safe as usual and hope that you are the same. Everything is coming along fine. How are your folks, the Walsh’s, and the rest of the family? Don’t forget to tell them I said, Hello. I also received a letter from my sister, Helen, and have answered it already. I also have written to my folks at home. Your Dad sure pulled a good one on me by getting a Master Sergeants rating. I think he did a lot of handshaking to get it. I’ll just have to plug along now as a buck sergeant [Page 3] for it’s a stiff climb to get up even with him. Just for meanness, I’ll work more. Ha! Ha! Roy isn’t with us and I haven’t seen him since we left England. Carolyn hasn’t written to me at all, so she just wanted to make some gossip. I still miss you, “Honey,” and think of you often. I’m not very affectionate in my letters now and hope you will understand. How is my girl “Beasie”? Don’t forget to tell her to write? What are you going to do with all that money you’re making? After a while you may turn into a penny-pincher. Ha! Ha! [Page 4] I don’t think that I’ll be able to answer all of your letters but will write when time permits. Don’t forget to send me some of your latest snapshots. I’ll be looking for them from now on. Well “sweets,” I shall close and write real soon. Yours, �With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Excuse the writing. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE JAN 24 1943 P.M. A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. Robert Ostwald 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-19 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-01-19 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 19, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 19, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated January 24, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes from inside a "fox hole" in North Africa and after receiving letters from her dating back to October. He also forewarns that he may not be able to answer each of her letters, but reassures that he will write to her whenever time permits. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3744cf1fb5f5769ed2a5a6c9c6890a2c.pdf 9be47fb5441755c7f76e6f4c319c8cdc PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f945ae8c24f82c671318b34dbbbc4e2.pdf ad514e7ff5b036dc1cde57e32de3c827 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-29] [Page 1 - front] North Africa Jan. 29, 1943 Dear Agnes, I was most certainly surprised to get your packages and their contents last nite. [sic] Everything got her in good shape, so you don’t have to worry anymore. My morale came up a 100% and if you were here, I’d give you a big bear hug. I still miss you as much as ever and someday I’ll be back again. I’m very tickled and grateful in getting the packages you sent to me. They are the only ones I got so far and I hope to get the ones from the folks soon. I also got your two V-mail letters dated Dec. 21 & 22. I’m fine and well as [Page 1 - back] usual and hope you are the same “sweets.” How are you folks and the Walsh’s, nowdays? [sic] Don’t forget to give them my regards and a hello. I finally did hear from Ollie and I nearly had a fit. It was the first time since I left the Gap. Maybe, by now, the Army may have him a drilling. Ha! Ha! Roy is not with us so I wouldn’t know where he is. The last I saw of him was in England. Hope you got my other letters and don’t forget to send me some pictures of yourself. It won’t be long now till I have in six months overseas. How time does fly. [Page 2 - front] I’d like to tell you where we are and what we are doing, but for military reasons I can’t. I’m not going around the U.S.O. Clubs, etc., either. I forgot to mention that I got a lot of gum from my brother at college. I want you to thank Mary G. for the gift she sent. I’ll sure have a lot of use for the other things that you sent me. Helen is back on the farm and the way she writes, it must be swell for her. How’s my little gal “Beasie.” Haven’t heard from her in a long while. She don’t even tell me about school or her work. I’m still mad at Gloria, yet. Ha! Ha! Is there much snow in Ash. this year? [Page 2 - back] I’ll bet there’s a lot of sliding [sic] and skiing going on there right now. Well, “Honey,” I haven’t anything more to write so I shall close and write real soon. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} �P.S. Thanks for the 2 packages and I shall remember it till I get back to the States. Remember to send me those pictures and I hope they are on the way already. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE FEB 11 1943 P.M. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. U.S.A. PASSED BY BASE 1107 US ARMY EXAMINER Robert Ostwald 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-01-29 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-01-29 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, January 29, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated January 29, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated February 11, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes upon receiving her packages the previous night, sharing his gratitude for the great boost in morale and the V-mails she wrote to him back in December. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North V-mail Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ea5be601e0e52319f324646a1afbd369.pdf 9e047e519d35a9e6ccc4f514b0d04066 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7745b6faa31da2fe83cb536e18987fdf.pdf d88b2bc5bc421be65702d98799be6ca3 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-02-04] [Page 1] North Africa Feb. 4, 1943 Dear Agnes, Rec’d four of your letters dated Jan. and tickled to hear from you. I’m the same as usual Sweet and hope you are the same. I still miss you as much as ever and it’s seven months today that I saw you last. I’m waiting patiently for them pictures and hope they get here real soon. I got another letter from Helen today and everything is fine with her. I suppose by now that she has written to you telling you about her having [Page 2] a little farm. How’s the weather out there? If it’s bad, I’ll send you a barrel of sunshine providing you have a barrel. I got Helen’s other package today. Most of them have caught up with me, so I guess most of you will stop wondering or worrying whether I got them or not. It’s too bad that your mother & Dad beat me to the punch in getting you a birthstone ring. Since you got it, I’ll rattle my brain and think of something else. I’m putting your Dad on a week's K.P. for that. I really liked the Valentine that you sent to me and some [Page 3] day I may show my appreciation with a few bear hugs. Give your folks my regard and hello. I’m still a plugging along doing my part. [sic] I’m sending you a French 20 franc note and 5 Franc note, it’s the best I could get for a souvenir so far. The 20 Franc note is worth 25¢ and the 5 Franc note about 7¢. Later if I can get them, I’ll send you some with a different value. How are the Walsh’s? Fine I hope and don’t forget to give them my hello. I haven’t forgotten the 2 short chats I had with them either. I haven’t heard from my brother Ollie or Johnny [Page 4] in a long while. Well, Sweets, I shall come to a close. Will be waiting to hear from you. Don’t forget the pictures. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. (A surprise) I’m writing with Ink. Ha! Ha! Tell Richard to be a good boy and not to wear curls. �[Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE FEB 15 1943 7 [?] P.M. Air-Mail Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY BASE 1107 US ARMY EXAMINER Robert Ostwald 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-02-04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-02-04 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, February 4, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 4, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated February 15, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa and after receiving four of her letters written back in January, while also sharing how much he misses her after seven months apart. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4fc99f5e8759a5975e64f5b5bdbaf34d.pdf 57bcc44236f2aafce3558d7ac1bd774a PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/87ce02bea4a1646349af30fc0788936e.pdf 0dd9f9a6b6ab4d93ffe7ebb092167a22 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-02-09] [Page 1] North Africa Feb. 9, 1943 Dear Agnes, Got your letter dated Jan. 13 and was pleased to hear from you. I’m the same, and hope all of you are in the best of health. I also got a letter from Helen. I have not as yet heard from my folks but hope to any day now. Well “Honey,” how are things in general with you? Fine, I hope. How are your folks and the Walsh’s? Don’t forget to give them my best regards. I nearly forgot about my little sweetie, Beasie, so tell her I’m still a kicking for her. [sic] I’m still mad at Gloria. Ha! Ha! [Page 2] I hope you receive my other letter with the French money in it. I’m sending you another bill which is worth a dollar in our money. I suppose it’s as old as can be back there, “Eh!” It’s been quite chilly here but later on I’m liable to roast. I have a few postcards that I bought as souvenirs to show the one’s I know, when I get back to the States. If I ever get to a place where I can get some good things or articles, I’ll buy it and then send it away. Until then, I’ll move along doing [Page 3] my part. I have a lot of faith and from past experiences, I sure thank the Lord that I am alive and well. How has your Dad made out drilling the boys at Cushing? I’d like to be there to hear his voice boom around the gym. Ha! Ha! I can picture myself leaning on the rail, looking down on the boys taking and executing his commands. I hear that no more packages are allowed to be sent overseas. Why they did this, is a question beyond me. I know that all of us will miss them. We’ve gone through a lot of hardships, so it won’t make any difference with [Page 4] something else. We barter or buy eggs, dates, Arab pastry, and so forth around here from the Arabs. The Germans sure did take and bleed the people of things they had and needed. Well “Honey,” I shall close and in the meantime, will be thinking of you. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. I still miss you as much as ever and think of you often. �Don’t forget to send me those pictures of yourself. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE FEB 13 1943 P.M. A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY US 11102 ARMY EXAMINER Robert Ostwald 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-02-09 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-02-09 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, February 9, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated February 9, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated February 13, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed in North Africa, hoping she will soon receive the French money he sent to her, and the recent news regarding the delivery of packages overseas. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/42ad43b08fe012acf559ca40505550e0.pdf 617b0c2a0ba62bbc77a93fbbe260304d PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cb851257c3cf0b7922da11b35a03cef2.pdf 35fb0caaa28f327b4c5ee80ee34f8de5 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-03-02] [Page 1] North Africa March 2, 1943 Dear Agnes, Rec’d four of your letters today and the latest one was Feb. 6. I was very surprised to get a letter from Gloria. I nearly fell over from the surprise. I also got the small miniature you sent but the painting or tinting job was a poor one. The picture itself is a very good one. I haven’t gotten the other pictures you sent but I guess they’ll catch up to me soon. I’m the same as usual, Honey, and hope you are the same. I still think of you often and miss you. Yes, I got your Valentine and Christmas card and they were swell. [Page 2] I also got a nice card from my mother and Dad. I heard from my buddies for the first time since I came to Africa. They’re still in the States, where I’d like to be. Did you get the French money I sent you? I hope you will. I saw Roy the other day for the first time since I left England. He’s a Staff Sergeant now, in other words he’s a mess [?] sergeant. Carolyn writes to him often. From his talk I get that the Wenneburgs [?] announced their engagement in the papers. What do you think of that or did you know that already. Roy is the same as ever [Page 3] although he didn’t stay long for a good pow-wow. He asked about you and your folks. Claypool got Gloria’s letter and Valentine. Boy, he was sure happy and surprised to hear from her. Well, “sweets,” I got my hair cut very short for the hot weather is just around the corner. Another reason is that if I go around like this, they might send me back to the states. Ha! Ha! I said (might). Sending you two postcards, one of an Arab man and the other an Arab woman. If I can, I’ll try to get a lot more to send. How are the Walsh’s these days? Don’t forget to give them my regards. [Page 4] Don’t forget to give my regards to your folks also. We are now back resting and for how long, is still a question. I don’t believe I’ll be able to catch up with your Dad in rank so I guess he’s got [text strikethrough] me up a tree. Ha! Ha! Well “Honey,” news is scarce so I shall close. Write real soon for I’ll be waiting to hear from you. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} �[Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE MAR 11 1943 A.P.O. Free {Signature accent mark} Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY US 11147 ARMY EXAMINER Robert Ostwald 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-03-02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-03-02 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, March 2, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated March 2, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated March 11, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed overseas in North Africa, sharing the news of his happiness in receiving her Valentine and Christmas card, and his recent haircut in anticipation of warmer weather. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e726fa1c85342c1d02728c67fa741a1e.pdf 24623d530a64312e39ecee7dd249b1e6 PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/632bd0536931d1711a7b6a87c6ab46cb.pdf 2f436597682c41877ef07882e3a51e30 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-03-11] [Page 1] North Africa March 11, 1943 {Stationary letterhead featuring a “V” with stars and stripes in red, white, and blue} Dear Agnes, Rec’d your letter with the two snapshots of yourself and I will say that they were good ones. I haven’t as yet gotten the others you mentioned in the letter. I had to stare a long time at the picture with Richard on it for, at first, I thought he was a neighbor boy. He sure did grow and the haircut made a great change in him. I got some old mail today from Helen and a friend of mine. Well “Sweets,” I’m still in good health and hope you are the same. I still miss you and think of you often. You haven’t changed much in your pictures, to my estimation. Claypool is all smiles nowdays [sic] since Gloria wrote to him. He says that he’s going to write her a long letter. I sure was surprised to get that letter from her also. What does she think of the picture I sent her? Ha! Ha! Boy, I’ll bet she put up a lot of steam around the place. I have not seen Roy in [Page 2] a couple of weeks. If I find the time I may go down to see him. He still writes to Carolyn. I got a lovely valentine card from my mother and Dad. As yet my brother Ollie has not written but my sister claims he did. Maybe I’ll hear from him sometime soon. How are your folks and the Walsh’s? Don’t forget to give them my regards and a hello. I got a picture from Helen with my little nephew and niece. They sure did grow since I saw them last. Well “Honey” I shall close for I haven’t much to write. Same excuse as usual. Ha! Ha! Write real soon. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. I’ll let you know when I receive your other pictures. [Envelope front] Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army �{Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE MAR 16 1943 A.P.O. Free {Signature accent mark} Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY US 11102 ARMY EXAMINER Robert Ostwald 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-03-11 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-03-11 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, March 11, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated March 11, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated March 16, 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed overseas in North Africa and after receiving the latest snapshots she mailed to him, noting how she hasn't changed much in her pictures, and hoping she remains in good health and spirits. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c1ee2cfba4c2ce2ea194dfc420ce1955.pdf 71f87d1f02af0d5ad0f2b57ee838623f PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/58cc5883f388aedf9a34eb087a6c1735.pdf 11afaac80a7510a64513ef6479e8c627 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-04-13] [Page 1] North Africa April 13, 1943 Dear Agnes, Rec’d three of your latest letters of March 11, 16, and 19. I’m the same as usual and getting along as fine as can be. You state that my letters are far in between. Well, I have written every time I had the chance. I hope by now that you got most of them. Did you receive the French money and pictures I sent to you? I hope you did and if not let me know as soon as you can. I’ll send you some more if you didn’t. [Page 2] I got a letter from Helen, my brother Johnny, and a newspaper. I sure was glad to hear from them. So, you were surprised when Helen sent you that clipping. It’s all in a day's work and just a hint that it isn’t a picnic over here the way some people around there think. I don’t want people to worry about me, so that is the reason I don’t mention things about myself in letters. When I get back, I may try to answer some of your questions. I have written to you over [Page 3] a week ago and hope you get that letter too. I haven’t answered Beasie’s letter as yet but will when I have the time. Now for a little sad news. I’ve been reduced back down to the grade of Corporal for some unknown reason. It’s temporarily and I’ll probably get my promotion back again. I haven’t done anything wrong or holding out on information. When I find out the reason, I’ll let you know. Claypool and Tuck, the Lover, I used to write about are now missing in action. I don’t know whether they are captured or dead. [Page 4] Anyway, I am hoping that they are still well and alive. They were in my squad at the time and I sure miss them. I used to go out with them in the States and over here. Well, it’s the results of war, so we all have to take the breaks on the chin. Give the folks my regards and Hello. I still miss you as much as ever Sweets and hope that we will see each other sometime in the near future. Will close and write when you can. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe �{Signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 ℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} - partially illegible U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE [?] A.P.O. Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY US 11147 ARMY EXAMINER Robert Ostwald 2nd Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-04-13 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-04-13 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 13, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 13, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated April 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed overseas in North Africa and after receiving three of her letters written back in March, sharing the downhearted news of his returning to being a "Corporal" and the squad members who are missing in action. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North United States. Army Promotions Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6fdfba4044dd7e7ef042b516c352fe49.pdf eee7b8f0c51711be6c8e3aec6953ad1d PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c220bfe2e2d03c3f99b4694f2c019b01.pdf 32b1811ab77da42dd7987a7a6e451fb4 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Olexa_1943-04-17] [Page 1] North Africa April 17, 1943 Dear Agnes, Writing a few lines since I have some spare time at the moment. I’m still the same and in good health. Hope that this letter finds you the same. I hope that after this campaign [I] will be able to go back to the states for a rest. It was a good rumor once but it’s torn to pieces now. How is everyone over there nowdays? [sic] Don’t forget to give them my best regards. Roy came up to see me the other day and we had a pretty good chat together. The next day I went down to visit him [Page 2] and ate supper down there with him. It was a good ways back to our company so he took me back in a “Jeep.” He also showed me Carolyn’s graduation picture. It was a good picture of her. We got paid the other day for the first time in two months. I sent the money to my sister for safe keeping, for I can’t spend it over here. I suppose by now that spring is in full swing over there. It is getting a lot hotter over here too. I would like to be over there for Easter but that’s out [Page 3] with the distance too great. Well “sweets,” I haven’t much to write which isn’t unusual so I shall close. Write when you can and in the meantime I shall be thinking of you. Yours, With Lots of Love Joe {Signature accent mark} P.S. Give the Walsh’s my regards when you see them. [Envelope front] Cpl. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. #1 �℅ Postmaster New York, N.Y. U.S. Army {Postmark} - partially illegible U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE APR 2 [?] 1943 A.P.O. Via Air Mail Miss Agnes Van Der Weide 11 Main Street Ashburnham, Mass. PASSED BY US 11147 ARMY EXAMINER Robert Ostwald 1st Lt. Inf. � 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 Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 RHC-93_Olexa_1943-04-17 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943-04-17 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, April 17, 1943 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, dated April 17, 1943. The envelope is sent from Co. L, 26th Infantry, A.P.O. #1, New York, New York, dated April 1943. In the letter, Joe writes to Agnes while stationed overseas in North Africa and in good health, sharing the news of their recent payday and how he wishes he could return home for Easter. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Africa, North Easter Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dee4331f721592104291915d391f8beb.mp4 d9b42f6799dca90af854fca675bfdaf5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2c9f160d7adb6775526e5827e3ccec7b.pdf 00841b6aeee8aece153ed9a2c982825c PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW CHARLES OLSEN Born: September 7, 1921 Muskegon, Michigan Resides: Interviewed by: James Smither PhD, GVSU Veterans History Project, Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, December 13, 2013 Interviewer: Now Mr. Olsen, can you start by giving us some background on yourself? Sure, I was born in Hackley Hospital on the 7th of September 1921. My mother name was Goldie Margaret Walker Olsen and my father‟s name was Charles Arthur Olsen. Charles Arthur Olsen was in the 126th Infantry in WWI and was severely wounded and he kind of brought me up in a military tradition. Interviewer: What kind of work was he doing while you were growing up? What kind of work? I did every kind of work that a father could get his son to do. Interviewer: What kind of work did he do? What did he do for a living? He was a machinist, he was a machinist at the Muskegon Motor Specialties company and he had a job all through the depression. 1:00 My mother died when I was eight and my dad raised me and he did a good job. Interviewer: You said he had you doing all kinds of work. Yeah, we built a house as an example, out in Jenison and we built that house in 1936, 37, 38 and 1939. We built it standard and beautiful and it‟s been kept up. Interviewer: Did you finish high school? I graduated—I was supposed to graduate with the class of 1939, but I flunked English in the last quarter and I ended up graduating in February of 1040. In the meantime I had 1 �already decided to go into the service, so dad took two of my high school buddies and me to get in the RCAF [Royal Canadian Air Force], because the British had already started fighting the Germans. 2:01 The Germans—this is the same week the Germans moved into Poland, so we went to get into the Royal Canadian flying corps. The other two guys from Muskegon got in and they were going to take me and one of the pilots, that was in the office, looked at me and he said, “Shorty, how long are your legs?” I said, “That‟s how long they are”, and he said, “You come with me”. So, he took me in a car and took me out to the airfield and dumped me in a primary trainer, with a back pack, and said, “Kick the right rudder bar”, so I kicked the right rudder bar and he said, “Now, kick the left rudder bar”, and I said, “Shit, I can‟t reach it”, and he said, “That‟s what I thought, your legs are too short to be a pilot”. So, right then I decided I wasn‟t going to be a pilot the air corps, and we didn‟t have an air force yet. So, then we came back and in the meantime I had decided to join the guards as soon as I was eighteen. 3:01 All the guys that were in the Guard, from his division, were all friends of my father from WWI, Colonel Caldwell and the company commanders and things. So, I joined the guard right away and because I had been to CMTC for two summers and I was way ahead of most of the guard unit in training. Interviewer: Tell us a little bit about the CMTC. What was that and what were you doing there? Citizens Military Training Corps was established about the same time they established the CCC. The Citizens Military Training Corps was designed not to give the families money like the CCC did, but to build bodies of young men, who were militarily minded, and teach them some things. The whole story was, you went to the nearest army base, to 2 �your home, for a month and you did military training in the morning and athletic training in the afternoon. 4:03 You got three square meals a day and a good army uniform and you got good army training. You got to shoot all the rifles and whatever other weapons you were going to be using. It turned out I went to Fort Custer and at Fort Custer we had all infantry type things. I enjoyed it and I was very active in the Boy Scouts here in Troop Seven in Muskegon and in the Sea Scouts after I got a little older. In fact, I was a Sea Scout First Mate when I went with the guard. It was the CMTC that kind of pre trained me for my duties in the guard, which I didn‟t know about. At that time the army was changing from the old nineteen year old rifle to the new M-1, which was named for Mr. Garand. 5:00 So, when I got into the guard, here in town, on the very first night, the first sergeant is standing up in front of the company and said, “Sergeant Hart is going to announce the arrival of a shipment of new rifles and he‟s going to tell yo all about it”. Sergeant Hart was an old guard guy and had been there for twenty years. He only wanted to be there, really, one of the guys that only get paid once a quarter, so he walked out with the M-1 in his hand and my face has never been able to disguise what I‟m thinking and I‟m standing right in the front row. He was a little bitty guy, a hundred and five pounds, and he said, “This is a Garand”, and I shook my head and the first sergeant said, “Olsen, why are you shaking your head?” I said, “Because Sergeant Hart don‟t know what the fuck he‟s talking about”. 6:02 He said, “What do you mean”, and I said, “That‟s not the Garand, a guy by the name of Garand made it”. I said, “That‟s the U.S. Army rifle, M-1 caliber 30, bla, bla, bla”, and he said, “How do you know this?” I said, “Because I just came from two summers of CMTC”, and he said, “Do you know any more?” So, I listed off everything about the M-1 and he turned to the deputy, or the exec, 3 �and he said, “Bring him to the 1st platoon as infantry trainer”, so that‟s where I ended up there. Interviewer: Now, when you were with the training corps, you were out at Fort Custer, was Fort Custer a lot smaller than it was going to be later? Was there building going on there? It was kind of a left over from WWI and it was a pretty good size. Interviewer: I know a lot of building went on during the war and it got to be a very big base. 7:00 I sure, but I‟ve never been back to Custer since. My wife went back there the first of June while I was in Japan in 1948 for an operation. Interviewer: But, you’ve not been back to see it? Okay, so we’re going to go back to your story here. You’re in the Guard, you’re now having to show them how to use the M-1. Then the next thing that happened was the government announced that we were going, we the National Guard per say, were going to be called to active duty on the 8th of October, 1940 for one year, just like they‟re doing now, so we all gathered up and the first thing we had to do was take a physical. About thirty percent of the guys that took the physical couldn‟t pass it to go on active duty, so we left them here. We assembled and went through some vaccinations and we ended up in Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, and subsequently transferred about thirty miles away to Camp Livingston. 8:09 Interviewer: Now, how did they get you down to Camp Beauregard? On a train Interviewer: Alright 4 �On a train, jammed on a train, get on it and go. Interviewer: How long did it take to get down there? I‟m going to say a day and a half. Interviewer: Did you get to see anything on the way down? Not much, not much Interviewer: What was Camp Beauregard like when you got there? It was a WWI camp, not very large; it was kind of—just like Fort Custer here in Michigan. We stayed there from October until February and in the meantime they were building this new camp, Camp Livingston, about twenty miles away. As soon as Camp Livingston got partially done, they started to move parts of the 126th and the rest of the 32nd Division into Camp Livingston. 9:02 Pretty soon the whole 32nd Division was there with two, or three, other outfits. Interviewer: Describe a little bit the kind of training you were getting on Louisiana. Starting like right back in CMTC many of the guys were—at the same time the Japs started, so they made a mistake, from my viewpoint. They drafted guys from Michigan and I‟m going to tell you this, because there‟s one guy that‟s very important. In drafting all these guys from Michigan they got the athletes and all that stuff, you know, everybody was only eighteen and could physically pass it, so you‟re now in the army. So they ended up by sending a bunch of Muskegon guys to us, to G Company, okay, with the 126th. In the meantime, because of my CMTC training, I had enough knowledge and training that my battalion commander said, “You‟re going to need to be thr new trainee training NCO, you and four other NCO‟s”. 10:12 And he said, “You got to run these guys through twelve weeks of basic training as fast as you can, because we don‟t know what‟s going to 5 �happen”. Well, we didn‟t, we knew that maneuvers were scheduled for 1941 and stuff like that. So, he took all the guys from Muskegon and one of the things that was really interesting to me was there was a number one football player who wouldn‟t give me the time of day while I was there in high school because I was so little. He was Ray Ahrens and he came down in that first batch. Here I am standing out to train all these guys and here‟s all our football players and that sort of thing, and as that turned out, Ray took to military training real well. 11:00 To make a long story short, he got his training in, went to OCS and became and officer, went to the South Pacific almost immediately and was killed almost immediately. He was one of the first draftees from Muskegon to get killed in combat. That was, I thought, interesting, and we trained then until the division got orders to move. The training was just field training, marched twenty miles a day with a full pack five, six, eight days in a row and rested a day, and sleep in little pup tents at night. It rained quite a bit in the winter in Louisiana and we had to try to stay dry and stay warm to stay alive. It was good for us and good for the country. Interviewer: How did the Michigan guys hold up when it got hot? Good, yeah, good, it was hot like it is here in the summertime, but the guys held up. 12:04 See, our battalion, the 2nd Battalion of the 126 was E, F and G companies and headquarters of the 2nd Battalion. F Company came from Grand Haven and E Company from Holland, I think. Interviewer: D was Holland E Company was Holland? Interviewer: I’m not sure what E was, but D was Holland 6 �The 2nd Battalion, and then we were G Company, a rifle company and we did all the typical training that was required. At that same time, because I‟d got into this thing with the RCAF when I was in high school, they said—see the other two guys were accepted by the RCAF, and they went on to do the training and one of them became a qualified fighter pilot, went to Europe, ended up in Europe and the last time I heard of him was in 1947 or 1948 and he was a Lieutenant Colonel in our air force by that time. 13:02 The other guy got almost completely through the training and he started to get sick, so they washed him out, and I don‟t even remember his name. But, I was interested in doing something other than walking around with a big, heavy pack on my back and two duffle bags in my hands and a rifle on my shoulder and a tin hat. So, I went to see my first sergeant and I had heard that over a Camp Beauregard, which was only about five miles away, that there was another thing called the Army Signal Corps Army Air Corps office, and they were looking for cadets. So, I asked the first sergeant if I could go over and see these people and he said, “We don‟t know what‟s going to happen to us, but you‟ve been with us for almost two years now and we want to keep you around”, and I said, “Thanks sergeant”, and that Saturday came and I scooted over there anyhow. 14:00 I walked into this air corps office and told the guy what I wanted and he looked at me, and I told him about my RCAF thing and he said, “Well, you obviously can‟t be a pilot”, and I said, “No, but I can be a damn good bombardier”, and he said, “Well, see if you can take this test, because you‟re very fortunate they dropped the two years of college requirement to be an aviation cadet two weeks ago. Now we‟ve got this test 2CX. If you can pass the 2CX, you‟re in the air corps”. So, I took the test and it wasn‟t that hard. A lot of it was about things about local events, which I had been able to find anyhow, because I was 7 �kind of a history major. He looked at my paper and he said, “We‟re going to transfer you to the United States Army Air Corps today”. I said, “Ho, ho, ho”, because I had been married about eighteen months before that. I said, “Are you going to transfer me as..." because they made me a private, and he said, “No, we‟re transferring you today and you‟re going to be a sergeant”. 15:04 Because you‟ve had all your training, we‟re going to send you down to an air force cadet training center and yo won‟t have to take all this basic training, so you‟ll be able to go into aviation training more rapidly. I said, “There‟s one thing I want to tell you, my testicles hurt”, and I had lifted up two big duffle bags to put them on a truck about a month before that and got a double hernia and didn‟t realize it. I had all kinds of pains down there, so he said, “Go to the hospital and see what they‟ve got to say”. In the meantime, he said, “We‟ll let your outfit know that you are now in the air corps, so go back and get your stuff”, so I went back to where the company was and went and saw the first sergeant. He shook his head and said, “God damn you, you‟re not going to the air corps, because I‟m going to bust your ass to private”. 16:02 I said, “Go ahead, because they‟re going to make me a sergeant just as soon as I get back over to Beauregard”, and he said, “Well get your stuff and get the hell out of here”, he was really unhappy I was leaving. A couple of other guys that were in my squad, from in town here, they thought about doing the same thing and whether they ever did, or not, I don‟t remember. Interviewer: Now, when was this that you made the switch? This would have been 19--Interviewer: Sometime in 1941 8 �Yeah, I‟m trying to think of the month. Springtime, no fall, fall of 1941, so I went to the hospital and got the operation, came back here and spent some time with my father and step mother in Glenside, where my father and I had built a house. It took three years to build it and we took pictures of it yesterday. It‟s still standing and in good shape, but of course, now there are houses everyplace. 17:01 In those days it was all woods from the Grand Trunk to our house, to Jenny Stimmer on the corner, it was all woods. Interviewer: So, you get to go home, you get a leave, and then where do you go from there? I went back to Kelly Field as a cadet. When I was at brought in there as an air corps sergeant, they took one look at me and said, “We can‟t put you on the line working on airplanes, because you don‟t know anything about them, but yo do have all your basic training, so what we‟re going to do is send you to bombardier school”. Wait a minute; I should back up a little. Just before this they said, “We‟ll send you to training”, and they hadn‟t decided yet that I was going to really be a bombardier. He said, “Well, find yourself a job here and we‟ll phone you in for work every day, so we know where you are, and yo don‟t have nothing to do”, so I went home and told my wife, “I got a job with nothing to do. All I‟ve got to do is report in every day and I can have Saturday and Sunday off”. 18:03 Well, we thought that was great, still getting sergeants pay, and we thought that was a pretty good deal. So, I did that for a while and then they shipped me to the aviation testing center in San Antonio, Texas. It‟s Lackland Air Force Base now and it used to be Kelly Field. At that time there were a thousand guys coming, just getting drafted, college guys and stuff that were going to be cadets. You went in there and three officers, air corps officer, asked you why you were there, you had to know what 9 �you wanted to do and all that sort of thing, how old you were and what you had done in the past. So, this one Captain said, “Well, what do you want to do?” I said to him, “Well, I‟m going to be the best God damn bombardier you ever saw”. 19:04 Nobody wanted to be a bombardier, they wanted to be a pilot, everybody wanted to fly an airplane. I didn‟t, I was outnumbered , so the other guy turned to the two Lieutenants and he said, “He wants to be a bombardier”, and the two Lieutenants said, “Let‟s let him”, so he said, “Okay, go out that door”, and he said, “We‟ll put your name on the transfer sheet today”. Normally you put your name on a transfer sheet and three days later it would appear and you had to come back and get in line to find out where you were going. When you walked out that door, names and the guy never knew where they were going, so when I came out of the door, the guy said, “Where are you going?” I said, “I‟m going to bombardier school someplace, I don‟t know”, and the Lieutenant said, “You‟re going to San Angelo, Texas”, so I went home where my wife was staying and talked to her and she said, “Okay, when do we start packing?” 20:01 She was pretty flexible, so we ended up going to bombardier school. In the meantime she found herself pregnant and I guess I had something to do with that. Then it appeared that she was going to have the baby about the same time as I was going to graduate and I was doing damn good in school. I was the number one bombardier in the class and there was another guy by the name of Olsen that was number two, so there were two of us and we had a fantastic circular air. I think he had a hundred and twenty five feet and I had a hundred and twenty four, and that‟s a hundred and twenty five feet from the aiming point whatever altitude yo bombed at up to eleven thousand feet, or down on the deck, so that was a good average. I said to my wife, “I think you better go home, because the baby is going to be due just 10 �about the time I graduate”, so she said, “Okay”, so we got ahold of my dad and he said, “Yeah, she can come and live with us until you come home”. 21:03 So, then I started training and finished up as a bombardier and a 2nd Lieutenant. Interviewer: Alright, now tell us a little bit about the training process itself. What kinds of planes were you flying in when you did this? We were flying the twin engine, I don‟t remember the name of it, a twin engine bomber, a training bomber and we only dropped about eight bombs at a time, which I don‟t remember---ET-6 was a single engine airplane, but I don‟t remember, I think it was—I just don‟t remember. Interviewer: But, it was a trainer, it wasn’t one of the regular combat aircraft you get later? No, it was a trainer with a pilot, co-pilot, two bombardiers and the loaded bombs, practice bombs. Interviewer: Now were you working—were you using a Norden bomb sight yet, or were you using other ones? No, we were working with the Norden from WWI and it was very interesting to see how it worked. 22:04 If yo did your things right, and put the data in right that came from charts and graphs and everything in the airplane is right, level, wings level, and everything like that, then the bombs hit where they were supposed to hit, otherwise god knows where they hit, but they hit the ground, fortunately. So, I stayed there then and went from—I graduated and then I went to Ellington Field in Texas to a B-26 organization, the B-26 twin engine bomber. We were supposed to go to the South Pacific, so we did maneuvers for a month and a half doing that in Texas and doing all air 11 �to ground machine gun firing, or torpedoes, or bombs. 23:00 then they called up one say and said, “Send you families home, because we‟re going someplace away from the base”, so I sent my wife back to my dad‟s place and gathered up stuff that I had, which wasn‟t very much, and the train came by and we got on the train and we thought we were going someplace to get a new airplane, and that‟s what everybody said the guys were doing. So, we rode on the train for about a day and a half. Well, we ended up in New Jersey. Interviewer: Along the way, did you have any idea where you were? No, we were on the train, a dark train and we never could get off. They might bring us some C rations and they might not, and the train was full of guys all going overseas and had to go to this station in New Jersey. We got in there and they said, “Okay, you B26ers are going to go to Nova Scotia and you‟re going to go to Europe, you‟re not going to go to the South Pacific. You‟re going to go to Europe, to England, or maybe Ireland before you start flying out of England”. 24:15 “You‟re going to start flying bombing missions out of England.” So, we got on a British transport, HMS City, a big British transport and it was a good old transport and the main thing I remember was that it was very crowded and secondly, we got creamed codfish balls on toast for breakfast. Interviewer: You got the British menu. Day after day, from the port and we also had a full American hospital, nurses and the works on that boat, and I probably don‟t want to put this in, a black engineer battalion. The engineer battalion was down as deep in the boat as they could put them and those poor guys couldn‟t go on deck, or anything, because of the nurses, that‟s the reasoning they gave us. 25:07 They put us in someplace to stay, there were sixteen of us in a 12 �stateroom and we had no more than got started out on the ocean and everyone got sick but me. Of course, I‟d done some, a lot of Sea Scout work, sailing and stuff and I didn‟t get sick. The guys were lying in their beds and puking in their helmets and stuff and I‟m dumping their God damn helmets and cleaning them out and bringing them back. Finally all those guys get to feeling good and then I got sick. Then I got my helmet and started to puke and they‟re taking care of me. The next thing you know, we ended up in northern England. Interviewer: Now, on the way over were you sailing in a convoy, or by yourself? Initially we were in a convoy and then for some reason we turned around and went back to Nova Scotia for a day and a half, and then we ended up in a four vessel convoy, four vessels and a destroyer. 26:03 We thought then that we were headed for England and that‟s where we ended up. Right away we went through an orientation, and then they said, “Your airfield for B-26‟s is not done yet, so we‟re going to send yo to Ireland to do some training there. They got some B-26‟s there where you can train. Interviewer: Alright, now when was this that you got there? Forty three, six—it was April—it might have been about November or December of 1943. So, we went to Ireland, we got there and they had two airplanes. There were thirty six B-26 crews already there and here comes nine or ten crews with me, so there‟s no way we can start flying very much. 27:00 This is kind of funny—as we started to come to the airfield I saw this sign and it said, OLD BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY, a huge sign and the first night we were there we all went to the officers club to get a drink. Brand new 2nd Lieutenant‟s overseas with a pocket full of money and they ain‟t got anything to sell us. They got no beer, they got no booze and they said, “Sorry we got 13 �nothing, we can‟t get nothing”, and I said, “Bull shit, there‟s got to be booze, there‟s a sign right down here that say‟s OLD BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY less than a mile. There was an officer sitting alongside of me, and I hadn‟t even noticed him, he was an air corps Bird Colonel, and he looked over at me and he said, “Lieutenant, you sound like you want to go and get some booze for us”, and I said, “I‟ll tell you what, I was a sergeant for a lot of years and I know that when I get some cigarettes”, and I had already found out there were no cigarettes in Ireland. 28:07 I said, “If I can get some cigarettes from the PX, I can take the cigarettes and trade them for booze”, and he shook his head and said, “I‟m not even going to ask about this, what do you want to do?” I said, “I want a Jeep, a trailer, a driver and as many big cartons of cigarettes of various kinds that you can give me.” So, he got a hold of somebody and here comes a young officer and he said, “What do you want?” I told him and he said, “What are you going to do with them?” I told him, “I‟m going to give them away”, and he said, “You can‟t give these cigarettes away”, and I said, “Yes I can, the Colonel said I could”. We loaded the trailer and went down to Old Bushmills. It was pretty neat when I think about it—went in and I talked to the boss man and told him what I wanted to do and the boss man said, “No way, we can‟t take your cigarettes and give you whiskey”. 29:02 I said, “Okay”, and we‟d seen another distillery down the road. We walked out of this place and here‟s three buildings shaped like big kegs, fifty feet high and eighty feet long, and this is where they were storing all the Old Bushmills. A little short guy came out of this one, he had black pants on, a black hat and an apron and he said, “Aye, what yah doing?” I said, “I came up to see if I could trade cigarettes for booze”, and he looked at me like this and said, “Did you say trade cigarettes for booze?” I said, “Yeah, but I saw the number one man in 14 �there and he said, “We can‟t do it”. He said, “Come with me”, and he took me through the door and we went inside. The first thing he did was reach up and get a barrel jar about that high, walked over to this big vat, huge vat, filled it with about this much Old Bushmills Irish whiskey in that class. 30:04 My sergeant‟s standing there with me, he filled his glass, and he said, “Here drink this”. I never drank Irish whiskey before in my life, and I drank very little of anything, but beer, because my dad wasn‟t a drinker. So, I drank a little bit of the stuff, and Jesus, it burned my mouth, burned my face and spilled it down my chest. He said, “I can trade you case for case, Irish whiskey for cigarettes. He said, “How many cases do you think you got?” I said, “I got thirty, there are thirty cases”, and he said, “What have yo got?” I said, “I got Lucky Strike, I got Pall Mall”, and he said, “We don‟t have to learn that, save more”, and he said something to another guy and he want and got another guy and pretty soon there‟s about ten guys there to get those cigarettes. By the time I could get out of there—in the meantime it started to rain and by the time I could get out to the Jeep it was pouring. 31:03 Fortunately I had a raincoat in the back of the Jeep and the Jeep had a canvas cover with no sides, so they loaded up the truck and all I know is they couldn‟t get any more in there and he said, “If you get anymore cigarettes, come back”. I didn‟t think I would ever be back over there, but I said, “Yes sir, I‟ll do that”, so I went back over to our airbase and went to the PX and got ahold of this young PX officer and I said, “I got some booze for you”, and he said, “How many bottles you got?” I said, “Were not talking about bottles, we‟re talking about cases”. I said, “The back of the trailer‟s full and the back of the Jeep is full”. He just shook his head and went to the telephone, and the next thing I know the Colonel‟s down there and the colonel said, “My God, how did yo do this?” I told him, “You trade 15 �cigarettes for booze”. 32:00 He said, “Now, we‟ll keep you around here for a while and we‟ll let you do that again next month”. I didn‟t want to sit there in Ireland doing nothing for another month, because there was nothing to do. There were no planes to train on, no training area, there were very few girls around and the guys that were already there had all the girls lined up. So we just kind of sat around for a couple days and in comes two C-54‟s, empty. A Colonel got out of one of them, an air corps Colonel, and they assembled all of the B-26 guys, and they said, “Did you guys come over here to fight in the war or fart around in Ireland?” We said, „We came to fight the war”, and they said, “We don‟t have B-26‟s for you, we don‟t have B-26 bases, but we got the hell shot out of us over in Germany the last three days and we lost something like thirty airplanes on both raids, and we need pilots, navigators, bombardiers, crewmen and anybody that can fly an airplane”. 33:06 he said, “We‟re going to take you over, if you want to go, transfer you to the 8th Air Force and put you in B-17‟s”. I looked at my pilot of the B26‟s and I like him anyhow, he was a kid just out of civilian life, no military training, he knew how to fly a B-26, but he was afraid of it, he was just afraid of it. The co-pilot, now, was an ex Texas crop duster, his name was Carroll Cooper, I think it was Carroll. Anyhow, he was the co-pilot and he could fly that airplane, and he wanted to go to the B17‟s, I wanted to go to the B-17‟s and when I said I was going to the B-17‟s, all the participants said, „We‟re coming too”, so we ended up in an assembly area, in England, where they could put crew together. 34:04 They formed us then into ten man groups that would be a full crew for a B-17 and started us to do some B-17 training. After about a week of that they shipped us out to various bomb groups and I ended up in 379. Interviewer: Where were they based? 16 �Kimballton, that‟s up close to Oxford, not too far away, a big base and they‟d been in operation, I‟d say, three months. They‟d taken some hits , so they took our whole—we had two crews of us, of B-26‟s and the group commander was a real smart West Point Officer, and he said, “I‟m not putting you guys in here together”. 35:01 He said, I‟m going to put you in other crews” and then he said, to the one officer, “Didn‟t you lose your bombardier yesterday?” And this guy said, “Yeah, I did Colonel”, and he said, “Here‟s your new bombardier”, and he grabbed me by the jacket and he said, “You‟re going to be his bombardier”, and I said, “Oh, good”, and he said, “Get your stuff”, and then this guy, his name was Arvin Dahl, and he had about twenty missions in already. In those days when you got twenty-five in you could get a Distinguished Service Flying Cross and you‟re allowed to go home. Of course, not many people got in twenty-five. They ended up either dead, or a POW, but this guy was a damn good pilot. I go assigned to him and flew a couple of practice missions, and as it turned out, the head bombardier of that squadron was a guy from Jackson, Michigan and when he found out I was from Muskegon we became buddies right away. 36:04 He was a Captain, a young Captain, and he said, “You stay with Dahl, because Dahl is a damn good pilot”, and he said, “ Get five or six missions in with him and we‟ll see if we can find a good job for you. He wasn‟t worth a damn with that bomb sight, but they didn‟t know anything about my abilities, so I rode with Dahl and we had three missions. I remember, we took off and went to regular formation, and the way we bombed was in a tight formation and when the lead ship dropped his bombs, everybody else kicked there‟s, so we got great pattern. So, it depended on the pilots to have everything level and the air speed exactly as planned and the same altitude and air speed and then the bombs all go together in a big pattern. 17 �So, I went with Dahl on two of these missions and we came back at the end of the second one and Dahl said, “How do you like this?” 37:00 I said, “Fine, but I‟m not doing anything that some sergeant couldn‟t do, kick a switch and kick these things out the door. Interviewer: Because you weren’t using your Norden bomb sight, only the lead plane did? It was there, and we were flying, at that period, we were flying deputy, off of the leader. I had nothing to do, I just sat there with the door open and when the lead opened his doors, I opened my doors. When his first bomb cracked the door, mine cracked, and all the rest of the guys cracked, so we‟re all doing the same thing. So, then on the third mission we were going to Kiel and we turned into a town called Flensburg, which was the initial point and we turned and got headed towards Kiel and the day before the group bombardier, who was a Major, had given me and the other bombardiers, a series of pictures and he said, “Here‟s some viable targets you‟re probably going to have to hit”, and one of them was Kiel and he had some circles on Kiel. 38:04 He told us what these probable target were, and as it turned out this target come to this Gestapo headquarters in the town of Kiel. We‟re turning off the I-V, with the leader, and the leader comes out of formation and went up about twenty feet and Dahl said we are now the lead group. He said, “The group leader can‟t control his airplane, so he‟s going to go to the back of the formation and we‟re now the group leader”. He said, “Olsen, you‟ve got to find the target town”, and I stuck my head down and fortunately I was a good navigator. I stuck my head down in the site and I see the town and they had smoke pots burning all around the town, so the smoke covered the whole town. 39:00 From thirty thousand—twentyfive thousand feet, actually, you couldn‟t see hardly at all. So, I stuck my head in the site 18 �and lo and behold, I had a crack in between the smoke and I looked in and I saw a park. I remembered from studying that target that the park was about a block from the Gestapo headquarters. In the center of the park there was a [?} lake and when I‟m looking at that thing, I‟m looking at the lake. I called Dahl and I said, “Level everything up”, and I did all the things that I had already prepared for, tightened it all down and shook my head, and I was thinking I was already on the lake. I said, “Tighten the formation up”. He didn‟t remember what he had to do to get these guys tight, closer, and I just rolled in a little bit of left turn and the site swung around like that and there‟s the cross, right on the Gestapo headquarters just as the bombs went away. 40:04 God was with me and I was just plain lucky, and we hit the target. We got home and there was this thing going on. We got back to the airfield from the raid and the leaders went to the Colonel's mess for being busy, just the leaders and what was good about that was that the colonel had a cow and he gave me a glass of milk. Nobody had milk the whole time they were on the base, but the Colonel, so if you were flying the lead ship you got a chance to get a glass of milk. We went in there and there were three groups like our group and no group in the 8th Air Force that day, as I remember it, hit the primary target, but us. A guy came in with a Corona and the Colonel said, “How did you do?” The guy shook his head and said, “Not very good Colonel, we only hit the target one out of three”. 41:04 And he said, “Okay, what target did Olsen do?” “He threw them in the dirt.” “What did Joe Brown do?” “He threw them in the dirt.” He said, “What did Dahl and Olsen do?” He said, “Olsen got lucky, he found it and fired”. The old man looked at me and said, “You‟re lucky and from now on, you‟re going to be a lead bombardier”. Dahl said, “Do you know what that means?” I said, “No”, and he said, “That means you‟re going to get 19 �promoted real rapidly”, and I had only been a Lieutenant about six months, a 2nd Lieutenant. Then I flew two more lead missions with Dahl and Dahl went down and he went home. Interviewer: Alright, about when were these missions going on? Early September of 1943 Interviewer: I’m trying to keep your timeline straight, because earlier we had you crossing the ocean after that. Is this before the landing in Europe and all that? 42:07 Yes Interviewer: Okay 6th of June, 1944, and incidentally, I was the last high two bombardiers who dropped that morning. Interviewer: I was just trying to make sure we have everything in order, so basically, September, or so, of 1943, you’ve flown eight missions with Dahl, you had one over Kiel, do you know where—were the other ones all over Germany? I was flying with all kinds of pilots and most of them were Lieutenant Colonels and Majors, good leading groups. I had a Captain navigator that had about eighteen missions, a guy by the name of Jack Firestone, he was a good navigator. We had a good navigator and a good pilot to get you to the vicinity of the target then it was up to you to do your thing with the Norden and whatever else had to be done. There are lots of things that had to be done, like taking the safety wires out of the bombs. Forget that, get hit with the safety wires in and they‟re not going to go off. 43:00 Somebody‟s got to do that and somebody‟s got to check and see that it‟s been done, but I enjoyed, really enjoyed what I 20 �was doing. I wasn‟t really scared. The flak would go off right in front of us and the airplane would go down and the fighters would come in and shoot at them and they would shoot at us, and as long as we weren‟t getting full of holes—I was real lucky, the guys in my airplane were not getting hurt and maybe it was because we were the lead duck and the rest of them were getting all the crap. Dahl finally finished and I started flying with these Majors and Colonels and finally the group executive officer, the Lieutenant Colonel, he said, “You‟re going to be my bombardier from now on”. I said, “How about Firestone, having Captain Firestone as navigator?” He said, “Firestone‟s got ten more, we just extended him for five”, and I said, “Can you do that?” He said, “We did it”. 44:00 It was good for me because it put me in a lead position, which was safer than most of the other airplanes. Did a good job, had good pilots, we did a tremendous record and I got a thing just the day before yesterday—what was that thing we got, was it last week, from the 379th? It was last week. I got a certificate about that big from the excommanding General of the 8th Air Force and it logs all the things I did while I was with the 379th. A beautiful certificate, and I was going to bring it along, but I forgot it, because I didn‟t know this was going to happen. Anyhow, it got down to D-Day and when we finally got to do it, they had put it off a couple of days; I got to be the last high altitude bombardier to drop before the guys hit the beach. 45:01 Nothing great shakes, and I wanted to make sure I didn‟t get the guys hitting the beach. When the cross hairs went like that the bombs are supposed to go away and I went like that and stopped them with my finger and said one, two, three, and I took my finger off so they could go, so I delayed the fall of the bombs, but they still hit France and still hit where some of the Germans might be down there. You never knew, because you couldn‟t see exactly. 21 �Interviewer: when you were flying that particular mission, had you done that kind of thing before? Trying to do that sort of high level ground support? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we had targets all over Germany and England, and things like that. I don‟t have my diary with me, so I couldn‟t tell you exactly. Interviewer: Over the months that were leading up to D-Day, the allies diverted a lot of their bomber forces to the transportation networks in northern Europe. And were you doing that, were you attacking railroad junctions and things like that, or bridges? We were attacking, basically, airfields and factories. 46:03 If we hit a town it was incidental. We didn‟t bomb any towns yet. Interviewer: Were you attacking things like rail lines and transportation systems? Yes Interviewer: Were you doing that in France and Belgium, or just doing it in Germany? No, France, Belgium, Holland, mostly Germany when we could get it. It depended a lot on the weather. The weather blew in kind of from England over Europe like that, so you start out on a clear day and it would be foggy by the time you got to your target and then you had to find the target. On one mission I couldn‟t find the target in time to turn to get home. Well, we had to take those bombs back and normally we don‟t want to do that, so I looked in the sight and it was a little bitty airfield in Germany, right on the edge of France. I looked at this airfield and I swear I saw three, FW-190‟s, fighter planes, on the rim. 47:02 So, I told the pilot what I had an he said, “Drop them”, so I synchronized on them and the rest of the guys didn‟t have—and this was the pilot in an eight year old 22 �aircraft, and didn‟t have time to tighten up and get a real tight pattern, so a bunch of them went in the woods beyond the airfield. You know what was in the woods? A hospital and we didn‟t know that until we got home and looked at the board. The guy came in and said, “Jesus Christ, you guys hit a German hospital”, and we said, “They‟re Germans, what else can you do about it. He said, “You didn‟t do it on purpose did you?” I said, “Hell no, we were just trying to get out of there”, and that was the end of that. Interviewer: Now, over the course of that time, what kind of losses, between late 1943 and the middle of 1944, what kind of losses was your bomb group taking? Were you losing a lot of planes then? Yes, very many and we were getting a lot of guys in that would be there less than thirty days. 48:02 Interviewer: So, they weren’t very experienced and in the experienced crews the experienced pilots would get hit? We had one guy, a friend of mine, and his name was Charlie Martin, he was a navigator and he flew a couple missions with me. Charlie would go up to these new crews that were coming in from the states, and they were big five pound notes, four dollars and five cents a pound at that time, and he‟s give these pound notes to these guys. As soon as they got on the base they wanted to meet the old guys, so they‟d go to the officers club, to the bar. Old Charlie Martin would go up to the bar and he‟d tell these guys he was short of money. Charlie had about eighteen or twenty missions on him at that time, and they‟d lend him some money. Hell, they‟re reaching in their pockets and they‟re taking out these five pound notes like they‟re toilet paper, they were big white things. Charlie would three or four of those from a new company crew and he‟d go out of there with 23 �five, or six, of them at the end of the night. 49:01 He‟s put them in his drawer, write they‟re name down and come payday, he knew damn well that he might not be there and they might not be there, so Charlie and I would go to town when we‟d get off and spend his money and come back. Come the end of the month if any of those guys were left Charlie would reach in there and with the money that was in the box, pay them back with their own money and then Charlie would borrow some more. Interviewer: Did you have fighter protection while you were flying these missions? Early on, the first ten, we had some and after that the 47‟s came in, the 38‟s came in, the 51‟s came in, and we had all kinds of fighters. Interviewer: Now, did that make the missions any safer? Yes, yeah, yeah, they kept the fighters away from us. Not a hundred percent because the Germans were flying in gaggles of about thirty fighters. 50:02 A big gaggle would form and they‟d swoop in as a group, but if they started as a group and fifteen of our fighters head towards them, then they fly in a group, one that wasn‟t tight, because if the group was tight they had a real heavy volume of defensive fire and if the group was loose they don‟t have that heavy volume. We lost a lot of guys, but I don‟t know anything about the numbers. Interviewer: Now, once you got—so basically you’re doing this for the better part of a year. Now, how long did you continue to fly bombing missions, because you made it as far as D-Day? Yeah, I flew thirty-two missions. Interviewer: So, how long did that go? Through the rest of the war, or did you get out? 24 �No, no, when I got my thirty-two in they sent me back to the states to train guys in B29‟s. Interviewer: When did they send you back to the states? 51:00 This would have been early 1944. The middle of 1944 Interviewer: The middle of 1944, because you made it to June. The 6th of June, 1944, no it was 1945, early 1945. Interviewer: Early 1945, all right I started training people at Drew Field in Florida and they joshed me about--the Germans gave up first and then the Japs gave up. Interviewer: How was flying In a B-29 different from flying in a B-17? It was bigger, slower, and I didn‟t really like it. I liked the B-17, because it was agile, and again, I didn‟t get a lot of practice in B-29‟s, I wasn‟t there that long. Interviewer: Right Again, I wanted to get into a different job, so I had done some things to do that before the Japs got done. Then they said, “The Japanese are done, we‟re done”, and they had a point system depending on how long you‟d been there. 52:01 I‟d been in since 1940, so I‟ve got five years in and how many decorations you had, and all that stuff. If you had a certain number of points you go now and within a week I was in Chicago and in two more days I‟m back in Muskegon, and they didn‟t even know I was coming, but the war was over as far as we were concerned. Interviewer: Once you got back home then, what did you do? First of all I had to find a place to put my wife and one child and we were just about ready to have another one. I had to arrange with Hackley Hospital to have her and find a 25 �place to live. That‟s kind of funny, because I had an uncle who was in real estate in Fruitport, his name was Reynolds. I told him about my problem and he found me a beautiful house on seven acres, and he took me out there. 53:00 It was empty and it had a little fire on the outside of the kitchen, because the person who had lived there before got accused of killing his wife, so somebody came and set fire to his house, but they put that fire out. That was the only thing that was wrong with that house, and it was adequate for us, my two kids and me. I had worked for Brunswick prior to the war and they wanted me to come back and work for them at thirty-five cents an hour. They weren‟t going to pay me for what I learned to do as a Captain, they just wanted to pay me, because they were required to pay me and give me my job back. Fortunately the guy that was—my father and I built a house in Glenside before the war, and the man that lived next door, his name was Coffman, he was the chief engineer for Brunswick. So, he gave me a job at forty-five cents an hour. Forty-five cents an hour, and that was the kind of money we were getting and it went not very far. 54:01 Then it was the time that they decided to reform the guard and I got the word asking, “Would you like to reform the guard battalion here and drill two nights a week, and draw Captain's pay two days?” So, in a month that would give yo sixteen days, almost, and that was good money in those days, so that‟s what I decided to do. Interviewer: So, did you work at Brunswick while doing this? Yeah Interviewer: So, you did both things. How long did that go on? About three years, actually, until 1948 Interviewer: What was involved with organizing a new guard battalion? 26 �The difficulty was, you were starting from scratch. All you had was an empty armory down here, you had no officers, no enlisted men, and no recruitment, so you had to get in all your equipment, all your officers, all your men and train them. I was pretty proficient at that and I got two accommodations from the Governor for my work there. 55:06 About the same time my wife was getting fed up with me going to the armory all the time. On days I wasn‟t getting paid I still had work to do, so I would go down to the armory and get behind my desk and do my work. She said, “Why don‟t you either get in the army, go back in the army, or get out of the guard, one of the two”, and she was right. In the meantime we had—she was pregnant with another child, I don‟t know why that happened, but it did, so I decided to resign from the guard. I tried and put my resignation in, but they wouldn‟t accept it. So, I wanted to get my air corps reserve commission back and I went down town here to the recruiting office, and they said they couldn‟t do it and I had to go to Kalamazoo, so I went to Kalamazoo to the office. In the meantime the Army Air Corps is turning into the U.S. Air Force. 56:04 These guys said, “Well, the best we can do is bring you in as a sergeant in the air force, and we can‟t bring you back in as a Captain. Across the street was the army recruiting office, so just for the hell of it I walked across the street to the young Lieutenant in that office, told them who I was, and he said, “What do you want to do?” I said, “I would like to go back on active duty as an infantry Captain”, and he said, “When?” I said, “What do you mean, when?” He said, “I can send you back to active duty as fast as you want to go”, and I said, “As an infantry Captain?” He said, “Yeah, would you like to go in the airborne?” I said, “Yeah”, so he said, “Okay, we‟ll have you on the way. How soon do you want to go?” I said, “Seven, eight, or ten days?” He said, “You‟ll be gone tomorrow”, and he cut orders the next day 27 �and made me a Captain, infantry/airborne. 57:03 He sent me to Fort Benning for two weeks to jump school, I come back and go to Japan. Interviewer: What year was this? 1948, and in Detroit we had this little house, put it up for sale, God it was a beautiful house, we went and looked at it the day before yesterday and you have never seen such a wreck in your life. Nobody‟s done a thing to it in fifty years, I‟m sure and we were just sick when we saw it, I was at least. So, I went to Japan, got to Japan and met the regular commander and he said, “Okay, you‟re going to be in the 180 search and rescue and stationed in Camp Shimofani, but I think something is going to happen in the next couple of days that will cause us both to change our minds”. Two days later he called me in his office and he said. “As of today, you and I are in the 17th Infantry”, and I said, “Not in the airborne?” 58:05 He said, “Not in the airborne, straight infantry. We now got orders to leave for the 7th Division and we‟re going to form the 17th Infantry here at Camp Shimofani, and I‟m going to be the commander of the 180th until they go home and I‟ll be the regimental commander of the 17th”. So I went back in the business of reorganizing again like I did in Muskegon, only now I got draftees coming in, I‟ve got soldiers coming in from other divisions that guys wanted to get rid of, a lot of AWOL‟s, and a lot of them should have been in jail. So, we brought them in and spent the next two years training them and dumping a lot of them out of the army because they weren‟t qualified for anything and none of them had been in the army. Interviewer: Were a lot of those men draftees” Yeah Interviewer: Now, what part of Japan were you in? Where was your camp? 59:01 28 �At that time we were stationed at Camp Shimofani, just outside of Sendai in northern Japan. Interviewer: What was the area around there like? Was it mostly rural? Oh yeah, rice paddies and we were about five miles from the ocean and the ocean kind of went like this, so you‟d go twenty miles north and go to a place where there were oysters and good fish from the ocean. But, we had to start from scratch and we got some soldiers for the regiment that had been in the 17th before it was downgraded to zero and in Korea, and had been an occupation period and reorganizing in Shimofani. Interviewer: So were there some men in that unit who had been in Korea after WWII? Yeah Interviewer: So, they had some people familiar with it. Yeah, yeah—we got a lot of draftees and a lot of sergeants from the states and officers from the states. 00:03 Interviewer: Now, were you having to build a camp or was it there already? We had to build—people had to build the unit with people and stuff and equipment. Stuff was there, but it had been brought in during the war and it was all over and stuff. There were plenty of Jeeps and plenty of everything, but you had to find it and get it legally yours and this was quite a battle. Interviewer: We’re continuing our story here with Charles Olsen and we had gotten to the point where you are now stationed in Japan with the 17th Regiment, 7th Division and what was your official job there? 29 �At that time I was the headquarters commander. I had been the C company commander when it was formed and I put in for a regular army commission. 1:01 In order to get a regular army commission rather than my National Guard one, army of the United States commission, and I didn‟t have a reserve commission yet then either, I had to take a series of tests. I did and the result of that was, I had to be in three different jobs in one year, three different commanders, and be rated by all three of them and then they would decide whether or not I was going to be a regular army 2nd Lieutenant and then they would give it to me after that. So, that‟s what was kind of in the back of my mind. I tried to go to school—I knew I didn‟t have any college, so I tried to go to school at night. I did this whenever I could at various places and you‟ll see as we go along. I had a couple jobs where I was able to control what was being taught by the colleges, locally, and I could get the courses in that I needed, whether anybody else could use them or not and that worked good for me. 2:00 Interviewer: While you’re there in Japan, before the Korean War starts, what kind of condition was Japan in, in the area that you were? Very poor, farming, people didn‟t have much to do at all, no way to make a living. The British trained all of us who had wives and kids over there, on how to use servants, and then the government gave us—I think we had six in our house to take care of the house, take care of the kids, and they couldn‟t just give the Japanese money, something about their psyche, so they gave them a job. One guy did nothing but fill the coal bin at our house and two other houses. He was the coal guy and he was getting money to feed his family. They did this for a lot of Japanese. 3:02 We had three girls, yeah, three girls, 30 �the coal guy and then I had a young man that was—I called him Junior, and Junior was good except he stole the cigarettes all the time. Interviewer: Alright, now was there a school on the base where your kids could go when they were old enough? Yeah, a nice school, a nice school, about a block and a half from where we lived. Good teachers from the states and then all of a sudden this thing happened with the North Koreans coming into South Korea and the stuff hit the fan then. Of course, the 7th division was then ordered to come into South Korea and in the meantime the 24th Division, 25th Division, 1st Cav Division were committed down there real early, so we went in, the 7th Division went in right behind the Marines at Inchon. 4:00 Interviewer: You go in at Inchon in the fall of 1950 then when they make that landing. Yeah Interviewer: All right now, can you describe landing at Inchon? It was funny because we were combat loaded. Combat loaded, they get their weapons off the boat and the only ones we were going to use as soon as we hit the beach. The Marines got off first and that cleared all the Japs out of the port area, so when our boat came in the first guy in the one vehicle was the battalion commander. His vehicle was way down here and for combat loading he didn‟t need a vehicle yet, so we had to get all of our guys off and our vehicles off and then we started to North Korea. Interviewer: Now, you’re landing at Inchon, and are you moving—were you facing much opposition as you went forward, or were you following other units? 31 �Some, yeah, the regulars in some companies were getting in fights now and then and a couple of my friends got killed. 5:01 Interviewer: How far did your unit go into North Korea? My company then—well, then I was transferred from Charlie Company to Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion and the battalion commander usually, kind of, is his assistant operations officer and he would send me out to the companies to do some other things. One of the companies I was working with was the first company to get to the Yalu River and there‟s an interesting thing you can read in here. In that company there was a pioneer platoon and they did demolitions and stuff like that. We got an order from headquarters to blow a hole in the ice of the Yalu River by eight o‟clock tomorrow morning, because there were some Generals coming in and they wanted to pee in the Yalu. Interviewer: Okay So, we got the stuff and I told Sergeant Hailes there‟ll be a hole in the river. 6:01 He said, “Captain, what do you want to blow a hole in the river for?” I said, “There‟s some God damn delegate coming down here to piss in it tomorrow morning and I hope no Chinese shoot across the river”, because the Chinese were on the other side of the river. The Chinese started shooting at the same time, so we blew a hole in the river and I went down there and looked and kicked it with my foot and said, “Yeah, we got water”, and I took a pee in the river myself. I was the first one to pee and then Hailes took the whole platoon. These Generals came in and got all their pictures taken from the PIO and then they went down and took a leak in the river. It‟s never been established that was why they were all there, but there‟s some famous pictures of these Generals standing looking at the river. 32 �Interviewer: Alright, now how long was it after that the Chinese counterattacked? They were in the process right then by attacking the 3rd Marines. They had, as I understand it from reading history, that our intelligence people had been told by the Chinese, “If you do anything along the Yalu River to harm our electrical generation plants”, and there‟s three of them up there, “we‟re going to knock the shit out of you”. 7:12 They had millions of Chinese and they still have. Interviewer: They had three hundred thousand of them, actually, in North Korea by that time. Yeah, and so, one of our guys got eager and started doing some things against one of their hydro-electric plants and then here they come. Then we got the word to leave the Yalu and go down to, I wasn‟t to say Inchon, but we hooked around the base like so, and we held the beach so the Marines could get out. Interviewer: That was— Hungnam Interviewer: Yeah We held them until the Marines could get out and then the navies come in and let us out. 8:04 Interesting sight, we were short of Jeeps and the navy were—we were ready to pull out and one of my master sergeants came up to me and said, “Captain, I know where there‟s thirteen marine corps Jeeps with radios on them that they can use to talk to the Marine corps fighters”, and I said, “Where are they?” He said, “They‟re in a warehouse down there and they‟re going to blow the God damn things up, because they couldn‟t get them out”. I said, “Go down there and get them all, put our markings on the bumpers, and take our and push them off the LSD to shove them in the water”. He said, “We can‟t 33 �do that”, and I said, “Just do it, I‟m going to end up going down to Inchon with new Jeeps as far as I can”, so we did just that, and it was good, because it gave me the opportunity to use the radio and talk to the fighters. Interviewer: Right As the rest of the war proceeded, so I kind of ended up as a forward air controller, because the Air Force took our forward air controllers all the way out of the battalion level and sent them all the way back to regimental level. 9:11 Regimental level is too far back, they got to be up front where they can see. Interviewer: They didn’t have air controllers or observers up on the front lines? No, all they had was us. Interviewer: During that time when you’re up in North Korea and you’ve gone from one side of the peninsula, kind of across, to the ocean on the other side, was your unit doing much fighting in that time, or mostly just moving? There was a certain amount of fighting. Interviewer: Did they have to defend against Chinese attacks when they ran onto them now? Oh yeah, and we lost, in one two day march across the river we called “No Name”. It was frozen about half through and we crossed it and it was about twenty miles in to [?], and we got in a good fight with the Chinese. 10:05 We lost three good officers, they made the same mistake, all three of them at the same time. Instead of staying on the ridges like they‟d been trained to do, and like they had been doing for several days and weeks, they cut down off the ridges and down through a flat valley, to get back up on the 34 �ridges over there and the Chinese were on the ridge there and just shot the hell out of them. Interviewer: After that phase, you get evacuated out of Hungnam. Does the 7th Division then go back on the line somewhere else? Yeah, then they pulled us all out and sent us back south and gradually launched us into the fray to go back up north. Interviewer: Now, did you stay with your unit as they went forward? Yeah, for another six months or so, and then my time came up to come back to the states. 11:05 Interviewer: So, in the meantime, were you with—were you doing much attacking or mostly in kind of defensive positions? Both, defense and attack and I got promoted to Major as a regimental intelligence officer by this time. Interviewer: What kind of work then did you have to do in that job? As a regimental intelligence officer? Keep track of what the “Gooks” were doing and what they were about to do to us, and do what we could do to make sure they do it. Interviewer: How would you get your information? Line crossers, we had one group of twelve boys and we called them “Buffalo Bill Scouts”. We sent them, they were Korean kids, and we sent them across the lines. The scouts would go up and they‟d be gone for two or three days, come back and tell us what they saw, so we were usually at forward control and the General—we got a new regiment of command and a guy by the name of Bill Quinn and he became a four star sooner or 35 �later, a damn good General. 12:06 He was a damn good officer and he could get vermin [?] with both hands. I never saw a guy get vermin like he could. Interviewer: Now, over the course of this time, did you come under fire? Were you in danger in certain points in this, or were you pretty well safe, because you were farther back? Well, I was far enough back that I didn‟t get hurt too bad. In one case I decided, my intelligence execs, eight men, went across the river to a little town and there was a school and a big school yard and they came back and said, “Every house in that town is made ten meters bigger by piling ammunition. The Chinese had piled ammunition around every single house, so literally that town is an ammunition dump. 13:00 I called my division two and they said, “What do you think you can do?” I said, “Blow the son of a bitch up”, and he said, “Do you want to do that?” I said, “I sure as hell do and if I don‟t they‟ll be shooting back at us within the next two or three days”. We were in the process of going forward and back, so I got a thing called my I & R platoon and I got them over there and they went from house to house and told these people that they had to get out of the village because they were going to be destroyed. Before they could go, they had to take all of this ammunition and there was more than you could imagine, mortar shells, machine guns, pistol and rifle shells. We piled them up in the middle of the soccer field and we dug about an eight foot deep hole, got some guys with shovels right away, we filled this hole and took the fuses off a bunch of stuff and put them down in the bottom and the villagers came and brought a huge pile of ammunition. 14:00 I sent the villagers out of the village and out of the way so they wouldn‟t get hurt, because I knew I was going to have one hell of an explosion. Then I got my guys over on the river side, in 36 �the vehicle and sent them across the river. We kept firing ammo and we got over on the beach where we wouldn‟t get hit by anything, we thought, and we fired the stuff. I blew a hole about twenty yards across and twenty yards down, and it blew a lot of this ammunition a hundred and fifty yards. Tanks shells that long and that big around flying through the air like this, and whenever they hit the ground they went off. Somehow we were across through the edge of the river bank and the damn thing went over our heads and went into the water and went off, but we latterly destroyed that town and fully destroyed the ammunition too. Interviewer: Was the town within your lines, or was it in the middle between where you were and the Chinese were? 15:01 At that time it was kind of in between. Interviewer: But, the Chinese didn’t interfere with the operation, or your guys going forward? They weren‟t in a position to do it, they were trying, but right at that spot they weren‟t. We kind of had the forward pressure. Interviewer: Are there other things, or incidents in Korea that kind of stand out in your mind there? No, I did my S-2 job and I could see—because my regimental commander had been a G2 in WWII and he kind of brought me along and taught me things I didn‟t know. One of the things I started to do was, we had two helicopters for taking casualties out and I said, “Wait a minute, these helicopters are going up sometimes looking for casualties and they‟re coming back empty, you know then, and I said, “I‟m going to use them to find “Gooks””, so the old man said, “Go ahead”. 16:02 So, I took one of these helicopter‟s 37 �and we‟d go up looking for “Gooks” and we‟d find a company, or a battalion with our Red Cross helicopter, and radio back where the “Gooks” were and shoot the hell out of them, or get somebody from one of the battleships, or somebody who could reach them and bring fire in on them. The old man thought that was great and he said, “I don‟t know why you decided to play bombardier again, but we sure killed a lot of “Gooks””, and we had “Gooks‟”, and we had “Gooks” spread all over the sides of the mountains. Interviewer: Weren’t they doing aerial observation by then? The Air Force was trying to do what they could do, but it wasn‟t good. I hate to have this go in writing, but the Air Force operation, in that phase, of close air support, was not as concentrated as it should have been. It wasn‟t as good as the Marines had. The Marines had their own coordinators and they talked to their own guys and they got guys so close it scared you. 17:03 I got one Bronze Star for doing just that, getting in a forward position with my Marine radio and we were getting the hell shot out of us from the Chinese on the ridge. I got down where I was exposed and I got six Marine Corsairs, they came in and found these guys, shot the hell out of them, while I sat there and talked to them and directed their fire. That allowed our guys to pull off that hill and the next day when we tried to go back up on that hill the “Gooks” had left, so we went up on the hill. Interviewer: All right We lost several people, in fact, Raymond Harvey got the Congressional Medal of Honor, and that‟s where he was hit, in that battle. Interviewer: The infantry divisions, at least in WWII, had their own aerial observers. They had guys in Piper Cubs who would go up, and now did the 7th Division have its own aerial observers? 18:02 38 �Not really Interviewer: So, you were kind of filling a role there that wasn’t being done otherwise at that time. Just because I had the experience to do it with Now, you get through that time served there, in the field in Korea, and then when that gets done, where do you go next? My wife is in Japan with the kids, she went home to Muskegon, and at that time she got an apartment out by Black Creek and I was going to come as soon as I could. Well, than I rotated and got an assignment with the 5th division, 2nd Infantry Regiment, at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. So, I went home, gathered up my family and went to doing that. I run that battalion, 2nd Battalion of the 2nd, for about two years, again training, a basics trainer, and training draftees to go to Korea at that time. 19:01 Then I went to The Commanding General Staff College, and when I finished the Commanding General Staff College, they sent me to the University of Washington ROTC and from there I went to Vietnam, Nam had started and I had a tour as an advisor, mainly to the Vietnamese Army Commander. Interviewer: When was that? I don‟t know when that was. Interviewer: Was it in the early sixties, at that point? Yeah, it would have been 1962, or 1963, things kind of run together there. Then I came out of that and went to Leavenworth again and this time as an instructor in leadership for the Commanding General Staff College. 39 �Interviewer: Tell me a little bit about the experience as a trainer in Vietnam. What were you doing and what was that like? 20:01 I was operations and intelligence advisor to the Vietnamese army commander and my orders were, “Where he went I went”, and I was informing on what he was doing and what he should be doing, and then our General would try to get him to do it, which sometime he could and sometimes he couldn‟t. Interviewer: What sort of impression did you have of this fellow or of the Vietnamese army at that point? The Vietnamese army sucked, because the North Vietnamese were not into it yet and their enemies didn‟t want to kill the VC. I said to General Duong, Tranh Van Duong‟s the name [more commonly known as Duong Van Minh], was the son of the Ambassador to France, so he was educated militarily in France. Militarily well educated and spoke English like a trooper, and everybody in Vietnam was little. 21:00 When the little guys got together with all the American guys then the American guys all of a sudden said, “This is my little guy”, and if they had to go to meeting they would bring their little guy along. Well, because I‟m little and General Duong was big, he called me his “Little guy”. That was funny, and the first dinner we had together he took his chop sticks and he reached over and took a big hot pepper and he ate it and said, “We love hot peppers”. I liked them, but I didn‟t love them, and I took my chop sticks and put a couple in my mouth. I mean it was fire, but I ate them and from then on the General would introduce me to other Vietnamese officers and he would say, “This is my little guy, and he likes hot peppers”, and that was funny. 40 �Interviewer: Were you there at the point when President Diem was assonated? 22:00 The night before he was assassinated, I had been doing something that afternoon with General Duong‟s operations officer and he said to me, he said, “Do not come to work tomorrow morning, stay in the hotel downtown”, the hotel downtown where we stayed. This guy was a dope user and you never knew whether he was straight, or whether he was under the influence of opium, this Vietnamese Colonel. You had to kind of sort out what was going on in his head, and I said, “What‟s going to happen?” He said, “Don‟t come out here to the airbase, we‟ll let you know when it‟s safe”. I said, “Is there some shooting going on tomorrow?” He looked at me like this and said, “I think so”, the day they were going to have the coup. 23:01 I decided to go to work anyway and hell, I sit downtown with a war going on five miles from me, so I went to my office, my boss was a armor type and he liked to stay inside and not get out. He‟d had a tank division, so I got the word then from General Duong‟s assistant to come across the street where General Duong‟s office was to see General Duong. So, I went over and saw him and he said, “There‟s been a coup and the Vietnamese Special Forces types, airborne, have killed the president and Mr. Nhu and the bodies are now in a 133 [M113] armored personnel carrier, and they‟re going to be here shortly and I would like to have you identify the president and Mr. Nhu, so you can tell your General that yes, they‟re dead and you saw them”. 24:04 So, I waited until 133 came and opened the door and there‟s these two guys and this Vietnamese major had just taken grenades and thrown them between these two guys and jumped. It was an armored vehicle and these two grenades went off and blew these guys all to hell. So I called my boss and went home and told my boss across 41 �the street, my boss called, and this was kind of funny, my boss called his boss, who was a Brigadier General, and he said, “Get Olsen to come up and see me”, so I went up to see him and I told him the same story I‟m telling you. He said, “You better tell General Harkins”, and at that time Westmoreland hadn‟t been there yet. Harkins was his commander, so we went over and saw General Harkins and General—I don‟t remember his name. I and my boss and he went in to see him and he said, “Who‟s got the story?” My one star said, “Olsen‟s got it”, and I looked at my boss, and he said, “What do you know about it? Why didn‟t Olsen tell me?” 25:07 Harkins said, “You get out of here I can‟t use you at all”, so he left. So, then he asked me what happened and he said, “You truly saw these vehicles?” I said, “I can take you to where they are right now”, and of course, they‟d hidden them, but he said, “Okay, that‟s good enough, get your ass out of here”, so I got out of there. That was kind of neat and then besides some other jobs I had to do, then I came home. Interviewer: How much longer did you stay in Vietnam at that point? Three months, about three months Interviewer: In general, what impression did you have of the situation there? Did you figure that things were going to get worse? Yeah, I thought that they were really going to go to pot unless we could get in there and do some work ourselves. So, I went back then to being an instructor at Leavenworth again, which I enjoyed, and it was good work. 26:02 I could take college work and in the meantime I was working on my tests and my college degrees. I had gotten a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, Military Science and Management, and I was working on the fringes of my masters, so I just kind of did my job. So, I went 42 �back to the commanding general staff college and I was there two years and then they sent me to Alaska to command Fort Greeley in Alaska, and that was a nothing job. I mean, three hundred thousand acres, but really nothing to do. Interviewer: Where is that in Alaska? It is a hundred and five miles south of Fairbanks. Interviewer: So, that’s not really anywhere. On the Alcan Highway, right on the road and the base is being used now more extensively than it was then. Interviewer: So, did you go up there? What? Interviewer: Did you go to Fort Greeley? Oh yeah, I went to do the job and got there and found out there was a new Bird Colonel that had just arrived to command it and they found out the second day that he was an alcoholic and didn‟t hardly draw a sober breath. 27:07 He couldn‟t say his name when I asked him what his God damn name was and that was a scary thing for about three months. The regular General from Fairbanks came in at the end of about three months and called me down to his helicopter and he said, “Olsen, what‟s going on with Cooper?” I said, “Sir, I can‟t talk about Cooper, he‟s my boss”, and he said, “I want you to tell me what the hell is going on”. This guy was an airborne General, and I said, “He‟s an alkie and he drinks morning, noon and night. You wouldn‟t know it until you talk to him, but he can‟t remember anything, he can‟t get anything done, and if you want anything done around here either the secretary‟s got to do it, or I‟ve got to go in and leave my work”, I was the operations officer, “and get the things done”. 28:00 He said, “Well, hang on 43 �and we‟ll get another Colonel in here as quick as we can”, so, they did, and they waited about six months and they got another Colonel in and I ran the post. This guy came in from Vietnam, yeah, from Vietnam and an artillery officer. I thought he was going to be good at first, but he turned out to be another drunk, so we had two drunks in a row. General Lemmon was the CO of the United States Army in Alaska, and came up and he said, “Olsen, how are you doing?” I said, “Sir, I‟m about to get out of the Army”, and he said, “Why?” I said, “I will not work for drunks and this guy is the second one you foisted off on to me”, and he said, “You know, just three days ago we heard it from the medics that this guy is a drunk and we‟re in the process of getting rid of him right now”. He said, “I‟m going to move you down to my headquarters as my logistician”, and I said, “I‟m not no God damn logistician, I‟m in operations”, and he said, “When I‟ve seen you, you do whatever you‟re told, you get the job done”. 29:06 He said, “That‟s what I want in my G4. I want somebody to get me whatever I want”. I said to him, “What do you really want right now, General?” He said, “I want sixteen, eighteen foot fishing boats for Valdez “. I said, “Do you want me to go get them?” He said, “Yup, when are you going to go?” I said, “I‟m going to go down to where the God damn things are made and get them shipped up here, just give me the funds to do it with”, and I said, “I‟m not a good G4”, and he said, “That‟s alright, just stay in the job”. But, then I found out I wasn‟t going to get promoted to “bird”, because of some other things that had happened, so my wife and I just quit. I had thirty years and I wasn‟t going to make anymore. It was a great career and I enjoyed it. Interviewer: Now, what kind of work did you do after you got out of the army? First I started teaching in colleges. 44 �Interviewer: What were you teaching? 30:02 Leadership, management, history, whatever was needed teaching, I taught. Interviewer: Where were you teaching? City University Interviewer: City University--City University Seattle, and I got a masters from them in Business Administration and I got another master‟s in Public Administration, but I found out that the team that I was teaching, really didn‟t want to learn, they wanted that VA check and they wanted the check they were getting from the welfare, so I said, “I don‟t need this anymore”, so I decided to be retired, and that was 1972, I think. Interviewer: To look back on the whole thing now, what would you say, maybe, was the most valuable, or most important thing you took out of your time in the army? A damn good paycheck at the end of every month until the day I die. 31:05 Free medical care for my wife and me and my kids, but we don‟t have any kids that are small anymore. Interviewer: Alright, anything else you would like to add to the record here, before we close out the interview? No, I think I‟ve told you about everything I can tell you. Interviewer: You told me quite a bit, that’s for sure. I‟ve told you things that she, my wife, hasn‟t heard before. Interviewer: That’s part of what we’re here for. Alright, thank you then for coming in and doing this, it’s been a real privilege. Are you going to make copies of this? 45 �Interviewer: Yes sir 31:32 46 �47 � 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 Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> 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 OlsenC0619V Title A name given to the resource Olson, Charles (Interview transcript and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olson, Charles Description An account of the resource Charles Olson was born in Muskegon, Michigan in September of 1921. In 1940, he decided to join the National Guard, and shortly afterward, his unit was federalized and sent to Louisiana to train. He had wanted to fly, so while in Louisiana, he applied to join the Army Air Corps, and was accepted into bombardier school. He was sent to England at the end of 1943 and flew 32 missions in a B-26 over Europe before returning home to train B-29 crews in 1945. He left the Army briefly, but soon rejoined the Michigan National Guard, and went back on active duty in 1948. He was sent to Japan, and participated in the Inchon landing and the invasion and retreat from North Korea in 1950. He remained in the Army into the 1960s, and served as an adviser in Vietnam in 1963. While working at the MACV Headquarters in Saigon, he wound up having to identify the bodies of the assassinated Vietnamese President Diem and his brother. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Air Corps United States. National Guard Language A language of the resource eng 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 Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-06-12 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f24aec8960b328ffe84a7d2a7ecb3d54.mp4 3dda262550d8baea9722b30db14f4438 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d275f72e77a042db08aa66553216c164.pdf b7817589861323b867b0f827f9019dde PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Roy Olson (36:06) (00:10) Background Information • Roy was born in 1922 in Minneapolis • His father had been from Sweden and his mother from Norway; they met in Arizona • Roy’s father died when he was 7 years old and he left with his mother and brother to live in Michigan • His mother was able to make it through the Depression on his father’s pension checks from WWI • Roy graduated from high school in 1941 and began taking pre-dental classes at college • Roy had been taking classes for 2 years when he was drafted into the Army Medical Corps (03:50) Training • Roy was sent to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, MI for induction and then to Camp Grant in Illinois for training • Roy was in Illinois for 6 weeks and decided to volunteer to lay a snare drum in the bugle corps • He was then transferred to Company C and began working at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC • Roy became a corpsman and was in charge of the venereal disease clinic (06:20) Walter Reed Medical Center 1943-1944 • Roy described the medical center as “a monstrous place” with a campus, various departments, and a hospital • He stayed in a barracks with about 30 other men and they all got along well • They often played pool at the community center and were allowed to leave the base on their time off • Roy worked with mostly outpatient cases • Penicillin had just been invited and he was dealing with many cases of gonorrhea and syphilis • He also volunteered to help transfer some men to other hospitals and traveled to New York City and San Diego • Roy occasionally had duty in the psych ward (15:00) Transferred • Roy was told he was being sent to the Pacific and had to go through basic training again in Texas • In training they had some long marches, crawled under barbed wire fences while being shot at, climbed many walls, and went bib whacking �• • • • Roy took a troop train to Seattle and then boarded a liberty ship headed to Hawaii There were about 3,000 others on the ship and they hit rough storms on their trip; everyone got sick and the trip took much longer than expected Everyone was going to be leaving for Australia, but Roy was told he had to remain with 4 others of the original 3,000 men They were to stay in Hawaii and work at an emergency hospital for 1 year (20:20) Hawaii • Roy worked 2 jobs while at the hospital; one as a clerk and the other in orthopedics • After the bombs were dropped in Japan he was transferred to a different larger hospital in Hawaii • Roy continued to do clerical work in the other hospital (23:15) Discharged • Roy went back to Michigan and took the summer off before going back to college • After finishing pre-dental in one year he continued on to dental school and ran his private practice for 10 years • Roy then decided that he wanted to get back into dental surgery and went back to grad school • He then began teaching at the University of Chicago for 10 years • Roy again began running his private practice, but this time in Illinois for about 15 years • He retired in 1991 and moved back to Michigan (25:50) Hawaiian Hospitals • Roy had occasionally worked night duty assistant doctors • He also helped to run errands for patients • They were working near Waikiki Beach and he often spent time there swimming • Roy went to church on the weekends and traveled all along the islands • He remained working in the hospital for 4 months after the war had ended • Wingdings � 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 Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> 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 OlsonR Title A name given to the resource Olson, Roy (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olson, Roy Description An account of the resource Roy Olson was born in Minneapolis in 1922 and later moved to Michigan where he graduated from high school in 1941. He then began taking pre-dental classes at college and was a sophomore when he was drafted into the Army Medical Corps. Roy had basic training in Illinois for 6 weeks and was then transferred to work at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC. Roy worked in DC for a year and was then sent to work in two other hospitals in Hawaii for about another year. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McCauslin, Kelly (Interviewer) Spring Lake District Library (Spring Lake, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army. Medical Corps World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng 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 Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-11-21 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ca178fb931566331b28f89a05db3d655.pdf 8771be6ce4360bf82edf83fc8a54ac2e PDF Text Text Speaking Out Western Michigan’s Civil Rights Histories Grand Valley State University Special Collections IntervieweOMOH: Esiloza Omoh Interviewers: Briana Burke Supervising Faculty: Melanie Shell-Weiss Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections DatOMOH: 9/30/2011 Biography and Description Esiloza Omoh was born in Legos, Nigeria, raised in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Grand Valley State University. She graduated with a degree in Biomedical Science. She discusses her experiences with discrimination because of the color of her skin. Transcript BURKE: We are here today, Friday September 30th, with Esiloza Omoh at Allendale, Michigan and here to talk about your experiences with civil rights in western Michigan. To start off could you please give us some basic information about yourself; where you are from and your family and some background? OMOH: Well, my name is Esiloza but I usually go by Esi. I am twenty-three years old and I recently graduated from Grand Valley with a Biomedical Science major. I was originally born in Legos Nigeria, and my family immigrated to the United States about thirteen years ago. And we lived in Chicago for about eight or nine years before I moved to Grand Rapids to go to school. BURKE: OK. So what about your family? Tell us about your family, your parents, siblings... OMOH: I have two brothers and two sisters and my mom was in Nigeria and my father recently passed away in February, so he’s no longer with us but he was also living in Nigeria. I have two older sisters, one older brother and one little brother. I have family, they live, I have two siblings that live in Chicago, one in Memphis, Tennessee and another one in Dekaib, Illinois. And they’re pretty much done with school except for my little brother who’s in college in Northern Illinois. So I’m the only one in Grand Rapids Michigan. BURKE: OK. So what about your ancestors and your community involvement? OMOH: Would you like me to talk about the ancestors first? BURKE: Sure. Yeah. OMOH: Oh, well I don’t really know too much about my ancestors. I do know that I have a lot of aunts and uncles. My father’s, my paternal grandfather married four wives... Page 1 �BURKE: Wow. OMOH: And my maternal grandfather married five wives? So I have a lot of extended family... (laughs)... yea BURKE: (laughs) Wow. OMOH: And we’re all related through my grandfather so yea BURKE: OK. OMOH: I don’t think we would call his wives step-mothers because they really weren’t step mothers they were just other wives. BURKE: Right. OMOH: So, yea. My maternal grandparents died before I was born and my father’s father died when I was about two and my father’s mother passed away when I was about six or seven. So, I don’t really know a lot about my grandparents or extended family and then at a young age I moved to America so I was removed from them I have no family in this country except for my siblings. So, I’m further away from them. But it was a good chance to meet them like I said in February. My father passed away and I had to go back to Nigeria for the burial and I was meeting cousins and aunts and uncles that I have never meet in my entire live before and I believe I have about eighty or ninety uncles and aunts and I’m not even gonna’ talk about the cousins .. . (laughs)... I don’t even know and its crazy cuz’ we all look alike (laughs) and its weird because it’s like I’ve never seen you before in my life and I’ve never heard about you and this big large group of people are family... BURKE: Oh, wow! OMOH: So... gotten’ used to that I don’t remember half of their names but we still keep in touch with the Facebook ... (laughs) ... it’s a good social media type of tool to use. BURKE: Right, Yea. (laughs) OMOH: But, yeah, apart from like my immediate history like I knew where I grew up... my father was the first child to go to school period. BURKE: Wow. OMOH: In his family, so he grew up in the village and um his father and mother were slightly, not slightly, but mostly illiterate. So he said that he was also the first child of all of the wives. So he was kind of like a father when his father passed away. So he had to go to school, he had to move, he left the village to go to the city to go to school because you have a better education there. And he went on to go get his college degree, his masters, his doctorate everything, he has so many different degrees in law and finance and everything. And um, since he became the father because Nigeria back in the day and still kind of right now is mostly male dominated BURKE: OK.. Page 2 �OMOH: So... when his father passed away he became the “husband” to the wives, so if anything they had that needed to get done they had to ask his permission. So he became in charge of sending his brothers and sisters to schools and his immediate brothers and sisters sent his half brothers and sisters to schools and be sure that they didn’t get into trouble and try and support them in what they wanting. So it was kind of... kind of weird because he came, he had his own kids which me and my siblings but then had twenty or thirty other kids also. BURKE: Right OMOH: Actually, I met an aunt that’s younger than me (laugh) OMOH: (laugh) So I was like.., interesting! So he, he has been taking care of a lot of stuff. So. BURKE: Wow. OMOH: Don’t really know too much more about his side of the family, I know more about my mom’s side of the family because they were more active in my life. And I have a lot of cousins and aunts there on her side also that I met more of when I went to Nigeria in February. It’s kind of over welcoming because it’s not like the customary “Oh, I have five six cousins or maybe ten cousins...” Just on both sides it’s like there’s sixty cousins here and then one-hundred and fifty here. Cuz’ each, each wife like say has like five or six kids, BURKE: Right. OMOH: And my mom was telling me back in the day that they tried to have a lot of kids so that they have more kids working and helping you around the house or the farm or whatever. So each, imagine, each child having six kids and then one of those six going to make six more... BURKE: Mhm OMOH: It’s a lot. Actually we only have, my mom only has five kids and that’s kind of small compared to her other brothers and sisters (laugh) So BURKE: (Laugh) wow OMOH: Not to many Nigerians these days have big nuclear family. Most of them keep like two three, maybe four kids. But kind of like I was learning the history here, down south mostly like it wasn’t uncommon for someone to have twelve, thirteen kids. I was like wow that’s a lot because usually because of lack of health care back in the day it wasn’t uncommon for a child to day in child birth or maybe three, four years old it would die because of some sickness... BURKE: Right. OMOH: So, everyone’s just poppin’ out kids (laugh) helped them out. So, just trying to keep my answers straight here, what was the other question you asked? Page 3 �BURKE: About the community involvement OMOH: You mean like my volunteer experience? BURKE: Yeah, anything! OMOH: Well, I try to stay, whatever community I’m in, I try to stay very involved. Like for example, I currently tutor math to kids at the Gerald Ford Job Court. BURKE: OK. OMOH: I don’t know if you’re familiar with that... its a center for at risk youth between ages of sixteen to twenty-four, where they usually go there basically if they’ve dropped out of school or they’re trying to reorganize their lives. So we help them get their GED or get their H.S. credits. Usually these kids are, like I said dropped out, or been gang related activity or been bused for drugs or something and it is kind of like a fresh start for them to get to live on the facilities so they don’t have to worry about housing because some of them might have been homeless or been in some situations where they don’t want to go back. So which actually made them go in the streets in the first place, so they don’t have to worry about food or housing. They don’t have to worry about paying for GED, pre-testing, or ACT classes so they get their GED, high school credit and also help them apply for college and also get ajob. So we also have training modules, like training to get a CNA positions or different trades. We also have a trade’s school. So I volunteer there, and I also work at Cross Roads High School, which is an alternative high school where kids also similar to the kids at Gerald Ford Job Court. Except these kids haven’t been kicked out of high school they’ve just been kicked out of their community high school because they got into trouble, violations, got into fight or were at risk or injuring themselves or other students. So they are trying to get back the credits so they can graduate on time or just graduate period, because some of them they’re still attached to getting a GED versus a high school degree. So we’re helping them with that and the after school program is from 2:30 to 5:45, I’d say 5:45, so that after they get from school we provide them with another snack because some kids don’t have food at home. So we give them that, and then we have some kind of activity to make them involved and show them that you can still have fun without any violence or illegal activities. hat word am I looking for? Incorporate to their activities that they do. And then we give them free time from them to either play basketball or we bring out the wii system or something so that we can also reinforce so that the healthy living aspect to where you have to have some healthy physical activity so you have a healthy youth. Excuse me, so after that we also give them a school bus system to get back home so they don’t have to get on the city bus where they might meet somebody that they might get into a fight with. Again because these kids, we try to get them out of their atmosphere of violence and from that community of people they might know of people that might make them go back to their habits. And what else do I do... I used to do a lot more when I was at Grand Valley because I had a lot more time but now I try to be limiting my volunteer activities to a minimum so I can actually get a job. So apart from that, that’s basically what I do... Oh Yea! I have one more thing actually, I might become affiliated with west Michigan non-profit something.. .collation for a non-racist environment. Where we are basically going to be pushing different initiatives for students and community members to become familiar with the effects of racism, poverty, homelessness and all of that and seeing how we can come together as a community strengthening Page 4 �ourselves and help the less fortunate. So... there’s a lot of words in the title, I’m gonna get it right one day. But that’s what I’m looking into becoming involved with, actually I had an interview for that today so, I try to stay involved in my community. BURKE: Very cool, so now do you want to tell us about your actually move to the United States? Like what was that like for you and your family? OMOH: Oh, yea I could do that. I can’t even explain it, we went from being overwhelmed, and to culture shocked to a whole different sensations it smelt different here. I grew up around a lot of trees so we had fresh air and then coming into Chicago you could smell the congestion. We have European people in Nigeria so I didn’t really come across someone who wasn’t black. So either most people were black or brown or some variation of that skin tone. So coming here where I saw white, I saw Asian I saw Hispanic and a whole bunch I was like ‘oh my gosh people look so different!” I used to go like, I came here in the fifth grade, so I used to touch peoples hair a lot which in America I learned there is personal space (laugh) OMOH: You can’t just touch people hair! Cuz I’ve never touched anyone else’s hair that wasn’t like mine. I thought it was amazing when I first saw somebody with green eyes. It was kind of scary because I couldn’t believe somebody had colored eyes! (laugh) But I mean in Nigeria we have cable we weren’t like back woods people. I’ve seen on TV that people have blonde hair but I’ve never in real life seen the green and blue eyes except for like brown eyes. So that was amazing! And then I finally got to eat pizza! So when I was younger we had cartoon network in Nigeria and I used to wish I had this magic ring (giggle) where, cuz you have the Chucky Cheese commercials, I would just rub and pizza would appear! (laugh) So (lots of laughing!) OMOH: So my first experience with American food, when we got off the plane my Uncle picked us up, and we went to McDonalds. And my brother had chicken nuggets, which he thought, was like foods from the Gods (laugh) and then I had pizza! It took me awhile to get used to it, I wasn’t expecting it to be as wet, with the sauce! BURKE: Right! OMOH: Because on TV I saw like oh yea pizza cheesy but I didn’t expect the sauce! So I got used to that, but the food its, well for a lot of time I wouldn’t eat chicken here because I don’t know if you guys grew up on a farm or seen what an actual chicken looks like and a farm not like genetically enhanced, a chicken is very smaller than the chicken in Mejier! So I was just thinking this chicken is nasty like on drugs! Cuz it wasn’t like chicken in Nigeria! (laughter from both) And then eggs are like white! I grew up eating brown eggs! So I was like “oh my gosh!” The chicken and the eggs are different in America! So I didn’t wanna’ eat that. The water tasted so different, because in Nigeria we can’t just drink water out of the faucet. Ya know, like we have to get water from the tap, boil it and let it cool down then scoop the top because all the sediments sink to the bottom so you don’t get sick. So you take the scoop from top and put it in the refrigerator. So I had a ball drinking water from the tap! (laughter) Page 5 �It’s just the little things people take for granted. And then we came like around August, and then two months later it started snowing. I had never seen snow in my entire life! So (laughter) grown adults, me, my mom, my dad, brothers and sisters we just went outside and stood in the snow and had like our tongues out, the snows dripping and people are walking outside Chicago and was like what’s wrong with these people? Little did they know we had never seen snow before! So that’s one of the experiences I had in America, one of the few things that I do cherish. what else shocked me? Before coming to America I had never been on a plane before. BURKE: Really? OMOH: So we had one of the longest flights ever so I boarded and the plane’s flight was like sixteen hours. And so we finally came here and potato chips, never had potato chips before. when we talk about chips, at least in my family; we refer to potato’s that have been cut up, like homemade fries. But never had potato chips so experiencing the whole cookies and all those junk food because we weren’t really big on junk food. Especially not in my village at least, we had candy but the candy we had was like one hundred times less sugary (laughter) then the candy here. Like one jolly rancher is like three packs of candy in the ones I grew up with. So getting sugar, my first ever sugar rush was amazing! (laughter) What else did I go through? like I said the culture shock , in reference to culture shock they always talk about like for an example stereotypical white person teaching them to deal with the black person . So you might go to college, you might see more Native Americans or Hispanics but they never really talk about the reverse. like they always take for granted just because you’re a minority you’re “diversified.” And that’s not true at all! Because I went through a culture shock, the biggest culture shock of my life when I came to America! Seeing so many different languages, so many different cultures, so many people that look so different! Because I feel that and culture is not about race; it’s about who you are what you have to bring, it’s about music, it’s about culture, it’s about your perspective and I had a very ignorant perspective on life. I knew based on TV that there was American’s, there were Europeans that looked different but based on TV I had never been to America before. I always saw, I always thought that everybody in America was rich, everybody was white, mostly, and that everybody was happy. And then my reference to black American’s was that they were always fighting amongst each other, only wanted to do rap and didn’t want anything to do with good things. And I came from that by watching TV! because we got CNN in Nigeria and we get cable so I see all these movies and a typical movie black people are in usually for a while they had all those movies in the nineties that came out about that it was always, always the black high school student and here comes the white teacher in to save the horrible kids and so they can go to school and try to help them read, that’s all the movies that we had! And on TV we saw that black people was always wanting to shoot and blood related movies and then you turned on MTV and always saw black people rapping so that’s what our view was. And it was very ignorant. I never knew the first black person that I met, the first black American that I met I asked him. It was very ignorant and I offended a lot of people. But I mean, I tried to apologize like I’m sorry I just came to America I don’t know what’s going on. And then the reverse thing happened. I used to feel really bad for being ignorant but then I stopped because (laughter) America is ignorant too. I had people tell me, not ask, tell me that, (I think I’ve told you this before) that I was a savage and that all my people lived in caves and we walk around naked and we hunt our own food. And I said regardless, I don’t know what part of Africa does that, I’m sure there’s some people who hunt their own foods but in Nigeria we Page 6 �have supermarkets (laughter) and we have forks and knifes and we also live in houses. There some people who don’t live under a house or an attached roofs, they might be poor they might live in an area where they are using their resources. Like in the village our house was made from clay. the red sand and then you mold that into brick and everything and used that. Why would you spend thousands, our currency is not that, but why would you spend thousands or Nira to ship cement from the city or buy cement blocks when you could just use your resources. BURKE: Right. OMOH: But, from an outsider looking in, because it’s not cement or plaster or whatever we are poor. So I was told that and it was very, well really shocke me was my experience with black American and white American’s. And I hate to always say black and white, I know there’s Hispanics and Asian decent but my experience mostly is with black and white. And I was really shocked when my white friends, I had to keep saying white, um do you prefer Caucasian? BURKE: No you’re fine OMOH: (laughter) Sorry, I don’t wanna offend anybody! (laughter) My experience with white people is so much more better than my experience with black people. It was not until I attending college here that I saw black people were “not as friendly.” I started learning about America’s history, black history, the black on black crime, the hatred, and all the things going up to the typical black male the typical black woman. And I had a lot of black people tell me to go back to Africa. That, they hated me because they thought that I didn’t know their heritage so they hated me based on relationships with other Africans who previously had said they weren’t real “blacks” because they didn’t know their mother land or something like that. So, growing up in American I gravitated more towards the Hispanics, the Whites, people from Asian descent, and really stayed away from black people until I came to high school. I had no choice I grew up in an all-black neighborhood, and I was referred to as “African booty scratcher.” I don’t even know what that means! Like you have to be African to scratch you’re booty!? BURKE: (laughter) I don’t know! (laughter) OMOH: I don’t understand! (laughter) So, I was referred to as “African booty scratcher” and other derogatory words and they would hate me on site. BURKE: (sorrowful) wow. OMOH: Not just I don’t like you. This is hate, hatred. And they always say when you think about racism, what do you think of? Do you think of white racist against blacks? They don’t really talk about black racists against white or black racist against black. And its racism, it’s not a dislike when an African doesn’t like an African American or vice versa. So, I never dealt with racism my entire life growing up in Nigeria. And I’m sure, there’s there is rivalries between each clan or the most I ever dealt with in Nigeria was like how the Christians and Muslims and the religious wars but at far as race it can’t really be racism because we are all the same race! We just have different ethnicities. BURKE: Right, OK. Page 7 �OMOH: Coming to America, I’d never hear of anybody hating on site just based on your skin color. And I had more racism from the black American’s and til this day I’ve still had more racism on black Americans ever then on white Americans! And, I can’t understand that because reading in the textbooks or I have a lot of African American classes and a lot of African American professors they talked to be about their struggles and I learned that I’m very appreciative to learn about the history. But they never really touch on it and what I would like to know more about is why black people might see African’s as a threat? But yea that would be my experience with culture shock. I don’t know I kind of rambled on a little bit (laughter) BURKE: (polite) That’s OK. So do you… off of what you said do you ever remember family members or any other friends being like specifically being discriminated against, like in your education, or employment or socially? Something like that have an effect on you? OMOH: Yeah. I mean I grew up in an all-black neighborhood and I saw, I saw it all. Especially, like, I grew up on the south side of Chicago so I don’t think I sound like I’m from Chicago; I’ve adopted this generic accent, American accent. I learned early on and also my family members did that if you do not speak correct American English it can be seen as a weakness, as a form of you as a dark tally against your intelligence. So, our family incorporated this accent, so that we could blend it sort of like a chameleon so that we could blend in with the citizens so that we don’t stand out. And in an all-black neighborhood, if you wanna pick up an accent it’s kind of like survival. If you sound like you’re not from around here they are like whatch’ you doing over here? And then you get picked on and stuff like that and probably robbed or whatever, just not to fit into stereotypes. So I picked up this accent, being like a black person I was able to I don’t know the word, filterate, is it filterate? I don’t know it’s a word that sounds like that. I’m trying to use big words (laughter). Into the black society around my neighborhood and if we go in groups like for example the Gerinoso which is like a version of Meijer here kind of. If we go to a store or like clothing store nobody would ask us for help. And if they did ask us if we actually needed help it was very cut down like this is what it is and then leave us alone versus if a white person came in they’d be like “oh are you ok are you ok” and everything. And then I had a white friend who thought it was funny to play these jokes where she would walk in and she would get helped and I would walk in and I wouldn’t get helped. And we both applied for ajob and I was more qualified than her and she get it and I didn’t. And she’ll go into these interviews and not even dress up! Like don’t even have a suit on and I would be like suited up and everything! Smelling good and everything! (laughter) Wouldn’t get the job. And she thought it was funny and least to say we are not friends anymore (laughter). But I was, I’ve experienced it, but it was kind of like experiencing what my friends were experiencing but it was like an out of body experience because we somebody was being racist or having racial slurs thrown out, it was like I knew it was bad but it didn’t hurt me because I didn’t grow up here! Versus my black friends would get upset. So, like going to the supermarket and then the owners trail you around trying to make sure you’re not stealing anything. I’ve been through all of that but I didn’t know what the meaning of it was, as far as my friends getting mad and saying oh because I’m its because I’m black. I didn’t grow up feeling like I had to prove myself in a white community. So, I don’t know I don’t think I am the best one to answer that question because when I think about racism I only know racism in learning about it and experiencing it, but not growing up in it. Does that make sense? Page 8 �BURKE: Mhm. OMOH: Yea. I don’t have like family or my grandparents tell me what they went through in the civil rights movement I’m just for it and learning about it. So, sorry (laughter) Sorry I don’t know what else to say. BURKE: (laughter). It’s OK. So, how would you describe your own identity? OMOH: Hmm. As what? As an American as a women? As a Nigerian? BURKE: Anything. How you perceive yourself. OMOH: Hmm. I perceive myself as (sigh) I would like to say strong black women. And when I say black I don’t mean African, Jamaican, or black American, just black because that’s my race. I used to always say that I was, I went from identifring as Nigerian, to African, to Black and vice versa, like it depends on how I feel. I do wear, my personality on me so, I do, you’ll always see me with some African jewelry on or my family we always grow up with bright colors so I’ll always have bright colors on me. Or something with flowers! Something just like that’s how I express myself! But since I’ve been in American, I’ve felt like the more years I spend in America, the less I can identified as being from African descent. I don’t really have a lot of “African” friends, I didn’t; so I feel like I’m losing myself which is why I pressingly cut my hair so that I can get back to my roots, and even that I felt was kind of like was making me a laughing stock because why would I have to cut my hair off to feel Africa-, I should always feel African. So, being born in one country and then growing up in another, messes with your head. And then I have another friend I don’t think she’d prefer, I’m not even gonna’ say her name... BURKE: That’s OK. OMOH: But she was born in Ethiopia but she grew up here. And I’ve had multiple talks with her and I highly respect her and so far she’s the only one that can understand me when I say that I identify as being African feeling kind of loss. Because there is core values that you learn in your ancestry, who you are that, you learn at a certain age. And I moved from Nigeria where I could attain that. So the only thing that I know, the only thing that I can identify as African is my name, how I look cuz’ we do have a look (laughter). It’s stereotypical! Nigerians you can’t really tell if they’re African because we can blend in with the normal American blacks, but some Africans you can just look and they’re African! And I am so jealous about that, because I want to be able to walk down the street and somebody look at me and say look she’s African. I don’t, I look like a black American. So, growing up in another country, I just feel like I’ve lost my roots, So, I don’t know yet how to identify. I identify as an adjective as strong, motivated, and independent. But as far as my cultural definition, that is something I am striving to complete, within myself. So (laughter) You’re laughing at me! BURKE: (polite laughter) I am not laughing. OMOH: So yea I don’t identify with that yet. BURKE: OK. Was there a particular moment either growing up or in your adulthood where you felt you were treated differently because of your identity? Page 9 �OMOH: (long sigh) Yea... I don’t wanna talk about them (laugh) ... BURKE: If you don’t want to that’s OK. OMOH: I mean I could... it’s just... growing up in American has been rough. So rough. It’s like I don’t fit in with anywhere. I feel like I’m just this zombie... and to give you a heads up, it’s like to Americans, Americans see me as black. They don’t say that in Nigeria. Black Americans see me as being African they would never claim me as being a black American. But Nigerian, and most of my African friends don’t see me as African because I’ve been here for thirteen years and I can turn off my accent, turn on and off; but the strong edge of my accent has been lost because it’s been dulled down by the )American accent. So, I am neither American, black American or African, to them. I will always know what I am but speaking in my “accent” to like my Nigerian or African friends, they’ve said that multiple times they don’t even consider me Nigerian or African because once you come to America, apparently you lose that. And speaking in my accent I actually had a friend, a couple of friends tell me they couldn’t take me seriously because they thought that I was faking my accent. I had to prove with birth records, to a couple of other African friends that I was African. So just imagine that it’s like you aren’t American because you aren’t born here, other people see you as black American, the black American’s or African Americans, I don’t know which one to say because sometimes I’ve had friends who prefer to black and prefer to be African American so I say black American, kind of in the middle (laugh). So the black Americans don’t see me as being black and would never claim me as being black, and my African people don’t claim me as being African. So in a situation where you say based on my identity, there’s a lot. But to sum it up it has just been a learning experience and I feel that I would never want my child to go through what I’m going through. I mean I’m very grateful for what the sacrifices my parents made so that I can have a very good education and bright future. But sometimes I don’t know if it’s worth it, identifying as being African. I remember one day, high school they have say culture day and you get to wear your countries clothing or if you’re Irish you wear your Irish clothing or if your Hispanic, I know a lot of my Hispanic friends they always wore their favorite soccer team jersey or Africans or the Asians we always wear our culture guard. And I remember I was just so happy to finally wear that and be in a safe environment. Because when I first came to America, in Nigeria we have what you call English clothes which is what you wear like T-shirt and jeans and then you have your culture clothes wear BURKE: Mhm. OMOH: and I always like wearing my cultural clothes and when you wanna’ impress somebody you put on your culture clothes, what I’m saying. So I wanted to impress my classmates! And I walked in full on we call it Bubira above my head tied and I was like woo I’m about to do it looking good! And the silence that met when I first came to class was like deafening. It was heartbreaking because I was so excited to share my culture and it was like animosity. Somebody told me that I looked like I had stolen a tablecloth and wrapped it around myself. (sigh) it was just rough. And then at such a young age being so proud of who you are and then that kids in high school and elementary school they’re rough they’re mean but that’s all so you think that everybody else is like that at such a young age being met with such a negative response for showing who you are kind of just makes you not want to show the world who you are anymore. So, I don’t know still trying to working on who I am (laughter). But I feel like I’m getting better. I just wish that I didn’t have to go through that. I hope I answered your question (laughter). Page 10 �BURKE: Yeah, yep! Were there people in your life that encouraged you to think about the discrimination in society? OMOH: Oh yeah! Especially like my teachers, my professors, church members they always encourage me especially when they knew that I wasn’t from America. They always believe that knowledge is power and empowering yourself like even though I didn’t I don’t identify as being black in America I am going to be judged as being black American because of my skin tone. So I need to know quick, very quickly the history of black Americans. I remember I took a gen-ed course here, perspectives on African American gender males, and they were talking about all these famous black people and the struggles of the civil rights movement and I’m just like asking questions. And then they’re like yeah such and such and I’m like. Everybody like and the professors picking on people like yeah what did this person do and I’m like studied the book (laughter). And he got so upset with me! And oh, he made me cry. BURKE: Awh. OMOH: And he was like you should know you’re history, you’re in college and he was like, oh who’s that guy, George Washington or somebody with the black panthers? I don’t know who these people are! This is not my country this is not my history. And he was like you should know your history! Basically saying I was a failure to the black people and I was just like I got so upset. One of my friends in the class she had to stop me because I started crying because I was so upset! I was like this is not my culture! And he was like what do you mean, you are a black American? No! I am Nigerian! I might not look like the stereotypically African. But I took this class so that I could learn more about black Americans. And he was just like, he was stunned. And I was like you have a doctorate degree but you are very ignorant. You just assumed because I was black in this black American class I had to be an African American. So, that’s only one of the few negative responses. But after he knew that he came around and he was very patient with me and it was kind of, kind of embarrassing to only know that there was these people that helped free some slaves. They really don’t tell you a lot in high school about civil rights movements and all that slavery and expeditions and all that . So, he taught me and he was like , I’m sorry, well he never said I’m sorry I take that back. (laughter) Well, I felt like he was sorry for judging that and I think the way he apologized was to be patient with me and challenge me throughout the whole semester about like learning about black history. Knowing about what racism is and that there’s not just white on black there is black on white, there’s black on black there is Hispanic on white, Hispanic on black, racism is racism! You define it to the very minimum; I didn’t know there were so many different definitions for racism. Like racism it’s just not hating another race, it’s that feeling your race is superior to another one. I never knew all that. So I learned about that and I had a lot of church members sit around and say back in my day we couldn’t ride in the front of the bus and now ya’ll just don’t wanna’ sit in front of the bus . Stuff like that so, I had a lot of people influential in my life and know about such things. BURKE: Were there any articles or books films or speeches or anything that influenced your thinking about race or ethnic issues? OMOH: I wouldn’t say films or books would tribute to the way I look at race, more to my upbringing. I didn’t grow up in a house of hate. I know people always say I didn’t grow up in a house of hate, my people my parents are very tolerant. I just didn’t grow up like that, and I don’t even think people realize Page 11 �off the bat what they are saying is racist. But derogatory because their parents are saying it to them and that it’s OK. My parents brought me up to see people as individuals regardless of their skin color. BURKE: Mhrn. OMOH: So, I don’t know. I just feel like everybody is equal and I am going to dislike you if you give me a reason to dislike you. I’m a very fun-loving person; it takes a lot for me not to like you. So I don’t know, a lot of people, especially in America, which I don’t understand because I could understand were in a country everybody looked alike for you to be racist against other people, but in American where nobody looks alike and we have so many middle and in between races, why people hate you on site based on your skin tone. I mean I’ve read a lot of books that , especially working as a resident assistant having those conferences and seminars about equality and diversity and all that stuff, I’m sorry I don’t really. Some people do need diversity training and nobody is above that (sigh) I don’t know I feel like it is a problem where in a country you have to teach people to like each other. Why don’t we just like each other? Are you telling me that if you first saw me and I had the stereotypically blond hair and blue eyes you would like me versus brown hair, brown eyes? I don’t understand. So, I don’t know I don’t like reading about race because you never find anything good about race. Like you always saw oh the culture but if you Google racism or race you always see articles about whathappened in 60s 70s 80s or before that and its really bad and I don’t really read books about racism. I’m sorry, this is very depressing. So the way I feel about my communication with different races with how I grew up and how I was raised I respect every person despite whichever age ethnicity or race they are. BURKE: Has this changed since you moved to western Michigan specifically? OMOH: No. But what has changed is um my tolerance level (laughter) BURKE: OK. OMOH: goodness. I’ve gone up and down in my tolerance level in dealing with people who are not as open-minded. I still don’t understand why people refer to as like oh west Michigan. Apparently west Michigan is like not as open-minded as east Michigan? I don’t know the difference; I grew up in Chicago so I just do the Michigan thing that people usually do. I do know that something simple as even going to Meijer and walking across the street I get looked at! Especially since I cut back up my hair. It’s not just like oh there’s people walking across the street I’m bored so I’ll look. No I get stares of death! Especially, from the older generation. And I still can’t get used to it I’ve had professors, you can always tell how professors are going to react to you based on their age. And the ones that are mostly in their 40s or 50s are like oh yea equal opportunity and like yea all equal opportunity! And once you start getting into the57, 58 and 60s you start seeing, cuz if they’re like 60 or 70 they were probably around during the civil rights movement and all that and those kind of ideals don’t just leave. And I’ve actually had to report one professor! BURKE: Really? OMOH: Yea and he got investigated and found out that it wasn’t just me that he was being racist to. Because I had a lot of professor and teachers in high school that I know didn’t like me and treated me Page 12 �differently because of my race but that’s just character building. And I always felt like if I reported it. nobody would do anything about it. But this one like I just couldn’t let go. Its one thing if you humiliate me in private and down my intelligence but if you do it in front of a class of 70, 80 people, like biology and science classes are huge! And it’s like only three black people in there and you pick on them and make us look like fools and feel insignificant. I knew I had to say something when my friend she was also in that class, she was black and the black people always sat in the front cuz we try and give the professor no reason that we’re not smart by sitting in the back. We’d sit in the front and she came to me almost in tears because she couldn’t look her professor in the eye. It was the same professor that I had. Every time that he would look at her she would turn her face away because he made her that scared. All three of us were scared to say anything to anybody because we didn’t want our grades to suffer. BURKE: Mhm OMOH: So... Gosh I think I might cry... I’m going to relax; it’s okay, sorry. Alright BURKE: I finally worked up the nerve to go and report how we were being treated and nothing came of it. BURKE: Nothing? OMOH: Nothing. He was investigated, they found out and said that he has some social disability because he is always doing research and he hasn’t come in contact with minority students and that so he doesn’t know how to deal with that. So basically what you’re telling me is schools like Grand Valley promote racism as long as you’re over sixty years old. And what really got me so jaded and upset was the fact that the supervisor told me that she cannot guarantee my safety. BURKE: Wow OMOH: I don’t have words, almost she said she couldn’t guarantee if I could be safe if I made it public, cause they were investigating underneath the radar. And if I actually put my name on paper, she couldn’t guarantee my safety, and she couldn’t guarantee that my grades would not suffer. She told me that it would be in my best interest to wait until I graduate, wait until I left the class to make a formal complaint. BURKE: Wow OMOH: This is at Grand Valley in this day in age. So I went home crying and I was just so upset, and finally after the class, I went back and said okay I’m ready, I’d like to make a complaint. Ohhhhhhhhh we can’t make a complaint they gave me some silly run around about how he had some social disability and they investigated and blah blah blah and it was ok. Found out from other sources that because I had said something, other students started to say things, other black students. Still wouldn’t say anything. I had other students in my class that I didn’t know, white students, who would raise their hand and ask a question, and he will answer. And then I would ask a question and he would say, “I’m not answering that right now”. And I had another student, we weren’t really close but she knew me, I asked a question and he said he wouldn’t answer and would have nothing to do with this, and I tell you I’m not lying, said the same exact question flow verbatim and he answered it and she was so upset that he answered, that in Page 13 �front ofthe whole class called him out. And said, “When Esi asked you this question youwouldn’t answer it, why would you answer it for me right now? And what he said? “I don’t want to talk about that right now.” And turned around and went back to theboard. She was so upset; she went and reported to the same person that you report to, the advisor. And it wasn’t until she and some other students from like my lab class, I also had him for lab. BURKE: Mhrn OMOH: Revolted, and were like “we aren’t going to stand for this!” and it kind of warmed my heart because I didn’t know half of these people and made a formal complaint that they finally said they were going to do something about it, this was like a semester later and I was like no, no, I don’t want to do anything about it. This is the reason why, I don’t know if you heard anything about this, but a lot of black people don’t have any faith in the police, they feel like if something goes wrong and they report it, they are either not going to do anything about it or believe them, and nothing is going to come of it. Like if you call the police in a black neighborhood no one is going to come versus, an hour later, versus if they call in a rich neighborhood they will be there in like five minutes. So they just reinforced the whole idea that me and my other friends in the class that were black were like well you should of known better, they wouldn’t have done anything and it took people from another race to say something for you to come back and say okay now we will pursue it, and I was like no, out of your own words you could not guarantee my safety. So, my experiences in America as far as race, coming to west Michigan, have been different. There has always been racism everywhere, , but there’s never, I’ve never dealt with it as much as I came here. Living here. More ignorance than racism though, I’ll say that. But me being an R.A. actually put me in that position where I could serve as a resource to teach people. I know a lot of programs, a lot of students didn’t want to come because they’re like oh its race, all they are going to talk about is white and black racism, but I’m like no, I’m just trying to let how to recognize the signs of racism. Like if you see a peer being picked on by a professor from another race, that doesn’t mean you have to think “Oh racism”, but you have to be aware to see the signs, like if that person is constantly being put down by that professor of another race, you need to be able to see that and a lot of students I find out that they never saw it like that. In Michigan, especially west Michigan people, that live in Holland or Hudsonville, those are the people that I struggle more with because they’re just like I cannot know that, why can’t I just say that the professor doesn’t like the student? BURKE: Mhm OMOH: Just teaching them that and my tolerance is high for ignorance. BURKE: Were there any other times that you confronted any discrimination? OMOH: Yeah.... Ha-ha, yeah .... Ha-ha I’ve confronted a lot. The most stressful ones were when I was an R.A. between residents. The N-word, I’ve never liked it, I’ve never said it, and I don’t know why people say it to each other. But the N-word being tossed around a lot, the derogatory remarks based on race, not just race too, sexual preference and all of that. But the one that happened to me that really hurt the most was my junior year of college and it was back then when Obarna was running for president, and , it was like when the decision finally came out that he was going to win the election, it was a whole bunch Page 14 �of people at Kleiner, like , watching on big screens on the T.V. and you could just see right when they said it, the black people were like EEEEEEEEE and then I’m not going to say all the white people but they were like in race caps, like the blacks were over here and the whites were over there and I’m telling it was no joke, I don’t even know why you had to be black against white but it was like that here at Grand Valley, and you could just see their faces, it was just like “oh wow...” the racial slurs started to be thrown around, I think they closed Kleiner early that night, because people were just crazy and people were sitting there saying that they were going to move to Canada, which I don’t know why they were saying they were going to move to Canada, I don’t understand the significance of that, something about they don’t have a black president, I don’t what they were saying, but I walking and how far Pickard is from Kleiner, and I’m walking back and three girls from Kistler opened up their window and just started throwing racial slurs at me, as I was walking, and it was kind of dark, and how those lamps illuminate you. So they were like “her you black girl blah blah blah, n-word, f-you, blah blah blah, Obama should’ve never won, I’m gonna come get you, blah blah blah”. I was like, I was so upset because for like 5 seconds I forget I was an R.A. and my instinct was to go up to that room and beat the mess out of every last one of those females. But the voice of reason came in and I went to my other co-worker and this was before your time, she was a multicultural assistant to my resident assistant, she was like the race issue person, and talked to her about it. And then they called Dewyon, and he was upset and was like “I’m really sorry that you had to go through all that.” He knew that as an R.A. I couldn’t respond the way I should’ve responded so they had this big investigation and they tried to find the people, and they never could. how those windows are, and you could never place a room to a window, and it was dark, oh am I going too much? BURKE: Nope OMOH: Okay, so they never placed a room so they could never find the people but I just felt targeted and singled out, and just because Obama was president. I never have voted in my life, and one of the reasons that I have never voted is because, well there are two reasons. One is because I don’t really feel like I’m an American, I don’t feel like I should have a say in what goes on even though I am a citizen and applied for that citizenship, I wasn’t born here and I don’t feel like I’m invested here. I feel that I am invested in my community but I don’t feel like I should have a say in the American Government. And secondly, I don’t vote for people that I don’t know anything about. I feel like I should be able to do research, and if I like your views then I will vote. But I’m not just going to vote because you’re a democrat or you’re a republican, or you like schools or you want to give woman health care, I want to be able to do research and I don’t know how to do research and either way I’m always like I like what you’re saying, I like what you’re saying, I like what you’re saying, but I can’t just pick. I don’t like what you’re saying sometimes, or I don’t like what you’re saying sometimes, it just never makes a difference so I don’t vote. And me being targeted, I didn’t even vote for the man! I felt like I was targeted because apparently every black person voted for Obama, so the people were against Obama, or targeting, the whole week there were targets on peoples white boards, people getting into fights, I think there was like a gun incident too. BURKE: Wow Page 15 �OMOH: A lot of stuff happens at Grand Valley but they are very hush-hush. I think they surrounded a black guy and it was like three white people confronted the black guy and told him, something that had to do with the election and were calling him the n-word, and said they were going to letch him. BURKE: This was at Grand Valley? OMOH: Grand Valley girl. BURKE: Wow OMOH: So, haha I try to put it in the back of my mind so I don’t think about it but you’re questions are very deep haha. BURKE: haha I’m sorry! OMOH: It’s okay, it’s okay! I think we should go to the next question! BURKE: Will you describe any personal hero’s that have had an influence on your life? OMOH: Heros 9 hhh... I don’t think I have any hero’s. I think I have people that I greatly admire. BURKE: Okay OMOH: And um, I admire, can I say names? BURKE: Yeah! OMOH: Okay, Dewyon White? The purposes living center director of Grand Valley housing, I admire him a lot because I was I became an RA my junior year, my freshman and sophomore year I was very angry, not as angry as I was in high school, but I was a very angry woman about all the same things, especially about racial stuff happening, I was very angry about how things were turning out to be in this world, and he took me and groomed me basically he was one of the people that, also Tacara Lyn, she was his supervisor, they basically groomed me to the woman that I am today and being more tolerant and understanding of people. Yeah, pastor, couple of co-workers, family, they’ve all played an instrumental role but my hero, I don’t like that term just for the fact that hero can be sin ominous worship sometimes, I don’t really have a hero, because it’s like put this person on a pedestal and I don’t think it’s fair to put anyone on a pedestal because then when they can’t meet those standards their world comes crashing down and I always hear people who have hero’s and for example they say this man who has a wife, but then he cheats on her, now that affects you because you felt this man was on this pedestal and that backlashes and that’s just a way I protect myself. I have a lot of people I admire who play an instrumental role in my life but I don’t have any hero’s. Sorry! BURKE: No that’s fine! Were you involved in any civil rights organizations or anything like that while at Grand Valley? OMOH: No, the most ethnic thing I ever did was got involved in the ethnic council, quite honestly the last thing you could say but I really don’t like black history month for the simple fact that, well I wouldn’t Page 16 �mind celebrating black history every month it’s just to have that one month, February, like I told you I don’t really like learning about what the slaves went through, I’m just a very emotional person and when I hear about all of that, it’s just like wow! In this country, are you serious? And then the same thing is happening in my country and it’s not more of a slavery thing but it’s more of genocide, up north in Nigeria the Muslims are killing Christians because they see Christians as not worthy. I’m not saying all Muslims but the terrorist groups, they always say Muslims but terrorist are only like 1%, and you never hear about the God loving Muslims, you only hear about the terrorist. Actually, in one of the villages that my mom grew up in, they actually went there and killed everyone in the village, it wasn’t just shootings, they took a machete and chopped people up. Babies, headless babies. So I don’t like black history month because when it’s on TV. They always want to show something about hangings and I understand that you need to recognize that but I try to stay away from civil rights because that whole inequality stuff is too emotional for me to deal with. I support it from the outskirts like the civil rights walk but as far as actively involved I stay away from it. BURKE: Okay, can you describe the involvement in your church and how that has had an influence on your life? OMOH: I grew up Roman Catholic but a couple of years ago I started going to this church named Grace of the Nation’s Church and it’s a Cogic church which means “Church of God in Christ,” I’ve worked there in an organization where they help international students and international members, because it’s an international church. We have people from Jamaica, people from Nigeria, , people from South America, Mexico and even Korea. So we have a ministry that deals with international people and also we have different ministries where we raise money and donations for a little ministry that we have in Benisala, in Haiti, and in Iraq and in South Africa. We actually have one of our South African pastors that we support coming up to grace, so me being directly involved in that kind of keeps me grounded in trying to get back into my roots of helping international students and everything, and I also do hospitality which I really like because I am in front of the house greater so I’m the first person they see before they enter to the church, which is kind of cool because you can always the newcomers they are kind of nervous and I’m like “Hi welcome to Grace!” and then they totally get into the grooves of things and get welcomed. So me having involvement in my church gives me another avenue to get involved within my community and also it will keep me grounded with people who are international and who might have went through the same things I did and try to let them know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that not all Americans have you haha. And I’m like , don’t listen to everybody. When I first came here I had a lot of black people say, “don’t trust white people!” “They’ve got it in for you” “They are all racist!” so I’m letting them know to make their own decisions about people. BURKE: Have you ever experienced any discrimination towards your religion? OMOH: Yeah, it’s kind of sad though because I understand why, I have a lot of friends that do a lot of things and the one that I clash the most with is my gay or lesbian friends nine times out often I’d say all of them totally dislike Christians, most of them have had really bad experiences with Christians and I feel like because of that there is going to be a part of intimacy within my friends that I can never reach because they have this preconceived notions about Christianity. And I don’t blame them, not at all because I’ve also had Christian friends who are very unchristian who don’t accept people for who they Page 17 �are, so I’ve had a lot of friends, for example, like I said I am very active in my church and I like to invite people to come to my church, and when your friends are not church goers, they don’t really want to go and always say some kind of religious slurs, like “that’s too Christianity for me”, and it hurts. They might feel that they have problems in their gay or lesbian relationship and feel like they can’t talk to me about it because of my Christianity. But as far as people who hate me because I’m a Christian, no I haven’t had that happen. But once they find out they are bias towards me. Yeah, I have a lot of Muslim friends too, my closest friend, she is Saudi Arabian; I have a lot of friends that are different. Some of them might think that their religion is superior to mine. I just let them keep thinking that, whatever floats your boat because I’m secure in my religion. But as far as discrimination as in I don’t want to talk to you or be around you because you’re a Christian, no I haven’t had to deal with that. BURKE: How was it different going to high school in Chicago versus your school in Nigeria? OMOH: First of all, a lot more of racial diversity in America than in Nigeria. School here is a lot easier, which is good for me. We start school at a very early age and its education, education, education, I don’t ever remember relaxing. But it wasn’t bad and I didn’t complain because it was what everyone did, they went to school at 7:30am and it was over at 4:30pm and had tutoring, which was basically another school from 5:00pm to 8:30pm and then do homework and chores and start it all over again. I don’t think I ever relaxed and I didn’t have weekends, it’s been a long time, but I didn’t have to go to school on Saturdays but I had home school on that day, and Sundays I went to church, eat and then study because I had homework from regular day school and from tutoring also. But everyone else did it, so it wasn’t like I was the only one so I never complained. It was a social norm. The difference here is that I learn about different cultures such as European history, American history, but in Nigeria our history was focused on Britain, because we were colonized by the British, so we learn more about that. Difference that I don’t like here that I liked there is the option of learning of learning my own language, I feel that I would be a lot more fluent in it, so that’s another thing that I need to work on. Not being able to practice your language doesn’t necessary mean you’re going to lose it but you start thinking in a language, such as English. For example my parents used to ask me questions in my own language, but I would respond in English. I was never really 100% fluent, but I was speaking the equivalent of Spanglish, half Spanish half English, but now I can’t even do that! I just respond back in English. I wish they had more variety, instead of options for European but African. I’m happy they have Japanese, which isn’t very common, Chinese is more common than Japanese, but just a variety of languages is something that I miss. BURKE: Based on the different schooling systems that you have been a part of, can you describe any differences in the structure of learning? Such as critical thinking skills? OMOH: In Nigeria we push math and science. BURKE: Why is that? OMOH: Both of my parents were educators, and their theory on this, which I believe, is that they pushed math and science because we are a developing country. So we push and start school early, you graduate high school when you are 16, and you go on to college where you learn math and science, stereotypical Page 18 �but most Africans are either doctors or engineers, something math or science related. You go and get these good degrees and then give back to the community. So the high school college generation is the future of the country, what they specialize in will be what our country will develop in. The reason why the United States developed is because they have all this technology and resources, well it took someone to go into a higher level in college for them to invent all of these things. So we hope that one day, when we give back to our community that most of these people who went to other countries to get their degree in other things will one day rule our country, but they never end up coming back. If they came back with all of their education, and with enough people doing that, we would eventually rise as a nation. But people never do, so the solution is to focus more on math and science so one day we will do something very successful. BURKE: So how is that compared to finishing school here? OMOH: here is total opposite. In American they focus more on English literature, how you speak, more of life skills then technical skills. You always know your hard math and science, but they always stress and say oh if this math and science is not for you, then that’s okay! You can be a professor in psychology or English or something like that. In Nigeria you don’t have an option. Especially from your parents, you have to do well and success is only measured on whether or not you do something in the math or science field. I’m sure there are very success English professors, but for Nigeria success is only if you become a doctor or engineer or business. You don’t really hear people who are happy that have other careers, even if they are giving back to the community, they only want people who are successful. So there’s a lot more stress on you getting good grades in Nigeria than there is here. If you’re not getting good grades, than you’re not making the best of what you’re given. If you are a C average student, you better be the best C average student that you are. In Nigeria, if you get a B or B+, that’s just as bad as an F. I’m so serious. I went to sleep so many times crying, I remember I had my first B that I got in college, cried for days. My mom and dad yelled at me, you could have sworn that I got an F on my report card or something. They said “are those other people better than you? Why can’t you get an A?” I was crying because it’s not bad getting a B on your transcript, but when your parents see that B, they are going to be very upset with you. So I like America better, it’s a lot more stress free. BURKE: So we know that you went to Grand Valley for school, but is there anything else you would like to talk about within your experience? Such as the environment, we talked about student organizations already, but are there any other networks that you did? OMOH: Give me an example BURKE: Was the student body interested in civil rights, or did you ever network or attend meetings with students who share your identity from other colleges? OMOH: From other colleges no I’ve never really met with other Universities, but the African student council; we do a lot of events and people from Michigan State University or Western University, people from other major universities. But as far as building relationships with people that identif with the way that I do from other universities, not so much. I could barely even do that here! Like I told you, African student council. It is a very good part of my life here at Grand Valley but I also felt that I was very limited Page 19 �there. It was nice to have a group of people; we had whites, Africans, Hispanics and even Korean! But identity is such a fragile thing and I thought I finally got over it, airight I’m me, I’m part of the African student council so that’s like got to be African, and then having to work through stereotypes within your own people is so rough. So I think that inhibited me from seeking deeper relationships. And then, I was really upset because I was going to get more familiar with the African refugee center, this year since I no longer have school and I could really dedicate working with individuals who first come under a refugee status and I found out a couple weeks ago that they had to close down because there wasn’t enough interest. As far as I know that was the only one in West Michigan. Hopefully one of these days I will have enough guts to start one in Grand Rapids, but I don’t plan on staying in Grand Rapids, I don’t know. BURKE: Where do you plan on going? OMOH: Somewhere down south, I like to travel. Obviously I came to America, and then I came to Michigan by myself, I want to go down south, I’ve never really experienced anywhere in down south before. I’ve been to the east coast; I haven’t been to the west coast. I think I’m more southern than I am western. I don’t think I have the personality to move to California, I want to find a nice little town down south with just the right amount of people. Not too big, not too small. Happy people. I heard there are a lot of happy people down south and I’m very big on hospitality. I know it’s kind of a silly reason to move but I like people that smile, ? I’m the kind of person that gets my energy from happy people, if you’re sad I’m sad and if you’re angry, I’m angry. I don’t become physically angry but I become tense. And I’m young and I want to work with refugees. I’m also going into the peace core. I was supposed to be going to Kenya for 27 months for the peace core in October, but they did the budget cuts and postponed it until March. And then I found out that they picked 7 people out of thousands and I was one of the people that they picked, but now they don’t have money for 7 people, only 3 or 4. So now I’m back to square one, trying to re-interview since I made the cut the first time. But I might not be doing it anymore because it takes a lot of emotional investment and they already took it away from me once, I was really depressed and don’t want to go through that again. My dream is to go back and open up a dentist for single mothers, less fortunate people that cannot afford health care. So within the peace core I was going to teach math and science in Kenya, and having that under my belt would give me essential life building skills to move on. But the government is jerking my chain so I think I will just go work in a refugee center, it’s the next best thing. BURKE: What made you decide to come to Michigan by yourself? OMOH: I think I’ve also told you this before, but it was the grass! BURKE: The grass? OMOH: ha-ha yes the grass! I played soccer in high school, and I mean I was good but I wasn’t that good so I was surprised when I got full scholarships to schools. I had a full ride soccer scholarship, and then two academic based scholarships. So I went to the schools and said okay I don’t have to pay for anything, but on the other hand I didn’t want to be stuck playing soccer for my whole college experience, and I was going into sciences and it would have been really hard to juggle all of them, and it was a private school. So then it was Grand Valley State University, University of Toledo, University of Page 20 �Illinois, I went to Champaign and it was too big for me, and Toledo was in the hood, it was good but it was surrounded by hood areas. And I grew up in the hood in Chicago and I’m trying to leave all of that. I want to go to an academic community! I had a vision and I came in the summertime, where it was so pretty with the grass. I guess the grass in Michigan is different from the grass in Illinois. Our grass doesn’t green like this, this is like good earth. My parents were just blown away by the grass, the trees and the flowers. I would rather come here with a class of only 30 people and I need to be able to have a teacher that knows my name, that when I go to their office hours, you recognize me and I’m not just another face. That was one of the reasons; the biggest one is still the grass though. BURKE: So what were your expectations for your education, did your parents have an influence? OMOH: My parents influenced me a lot on my decision, I always knew I wanted to do something in science, but my father wanted me to be a lawyer and my mother wanted me to be a medical doctor. It wasn’t until my sophomore year when I said I’m not being a doctor or a lawyer! I am going to be a dentist! That’s when I was getting my braces off and said I want to do something with the dentist now. Still to this day organic chemistry is my favorite chemistry in the whole wide world, you’re going to love it. I’ve always been interested in organic structures, but my senior year I realized that I get my energy from human interaction and even though I would be interacting with my patients, I want to be interacting with them on a personal level. So I still want to do something with my degree but I realized that dentist school isn’t for me. It’s not enough to just make people smile and happy, I’m not going to get enough interaction. iVy parents were very disappointed, my mom threatened to disown me. She is still upset with me for not going straight to dentist school; it was a big family argument. I’m not sure if it is like that in other African societies but I know that in Nigeria, from my experience, your parents set your role. They push you towards the math and sciences. I also lucked out that I liked it; if I didn’t like it then it would be a problem. BURKE: How did that vary within your siblings? Like with their college degrees? OMOH: No variation, but I will be the only science. My older sister has her masters in finance, my older brother is a computer engineer and my other sister is an industrial engineer and it’s me and my little brother who are going into business. I would be the variation within the social service job because obviously there’s no money in that, and if there’s no money than there’s no success. But I don’t see it like that. BURKE: Can you describe any historic events either in western Michigan or Nigeria that had an impact on you or your family, which you remember? OMOH: 9/11, I was in the 8 grade when it happened. It didn’t really impact me because I didn’t have any family there but it impacted me by the way the country as grieving, andhow to this day when 9/Il passes here and people are still recovering and crying. Like Isaid I don’t like stuff like that because I’m very motivated by my emotions, so seeing how the country all came together to get through that was very inspirational for me. Everyone was grieving, it didn’t matter what race, color or disability, everyone was grieving and it showed that even though we’re all different in some ways, it showed that as humans we Page 21 �support each other. I thought that was pretty cool. Actually one of my friends decided to be a firefighter because of that. BURKE: How has your perception of your identity changed as you grew older? OMOH: Like I said it’s changed, every couple of years I change how I identify myself. When I think of identity I think of race, I never think gender or sex, I always think race because that is such a big thing for me. My identity is always going to be from high school student, college student, grown adult, middle class to hopefully comfortable class. As far as status, single American. I never think that, I always think race. Right now I just consider myself black. If people ask me to tell them a little bit more, I say I actually have roots in Nigeria. But for now Ijust consider myself black. That might eventually change because I go through stages where I am like full on African! I wear all my African gear and tell the world. But right now I am just black. BURKE: So you think it will change? OMOH: Oh yeah most definitely. My identity changes with my maturity. When I first came to America I was like “I’m African, I need to separate and be an individual!” so I wore my Africanism quote on quote as a cloak for security to separate myself from people so I could be an individual. in high school, you don’t want to be the individual; you want to be the one with the coolest hair and a certain kind of style. So that was my token of individuality. In college I was Nigerian, not just African. Nigerian-American, I set myself as somebody who could be between African and African American. Now I just consider myself someone from an African descent, which is black. I can talk to Africans comfortably, I can talk to blackAmericans comfortably, I can talk to whites, and I can talk to anyone. I am just a woman from African descent. BURKE: Do you feel that members of your community have struggled from any civil rights in western Michigan? OMOH: Seeing as how I just moved to Grand Rapids, I don’t really know too many people in my community. Most of friends didn’t grow up in west Michigan; most of them grew up in Detroit or flint. So I don’t know, I can’t answer that question. BURKE: What issues do you feel still need civil rights advocacy? OMOH: Civil rights in reference to what? BURKE: Anything. OMOH: Gender discrimination, I am a little controversial in my definition of civil rights but I think everyone should be equal. Within race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference. I think that at the very basis of it that we are humans and the bible teaches us to love thy neighbor as thyself, so I feel that we need more work. I think there’s been a lot of work gone towards racial civil rights, and I know a lot of my friends think that it needs more work and I agree. But I think that sometimes civil rights only eclipses racial issues instead of conflicts with gender, sex, and sexual preference, to things like woman in Page 22 �different work fields. I’m always about equal opportunity. When I hear civil rights I think about race, I think that when people think of civil rights they shouldn’t only think of things that are racial related. BURKE: Is there anything else that you would like to add or comment on? OMOH: No not really, I think we summed it all up. I appreciate you interviewing me; it makes me feel that you value my opinion. BURKE: We do! Thank you very much. This concludes our interview. END OF INTERVIEW Page 23 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ca85e264db454a02aaa0faeb3a3be379.mp3 d4def79b0b0387a626b47f90ac928f50 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 Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Personal narratives Oral histories African Americans--Personal narratives Gays--Personal narratives Lesbians--Personal narratives Bisexual people--Personal narratives Transgender people--Personal narratives Veterans--Personal narratives Women--Personal narratives People with disabilities--Personal narratives Muslims--United States--Personal narratives Hispanic Americans--Personal narratives Homophobia Discrimination Islamophobia Stereotypes (Social psychology)--Upper Penninsula (Mich.) Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history recordings documenting the history of civil rights and social justice advocacy in Western Michigan. The collection was created by faculty and students as a project of the LIB 201 (formerly US 201): "Diversity in the U.S." course from 2011-2012. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project (GV248-01) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-05-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV248-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1930-2011 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 GV248-01_Omoh_Esiloza Title A name given to the resource Esiloza Omoh audio interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Omoh, Esiloza Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Burke, Briana Description An account of the resource Esiloza Omoh was born in Legos, Nigeria, raised in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Grand Valley State University. She graduated with a degree in Biomedical Science. She discusses her experiences with discrimination because of the color of her skin. Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Women--Personal narratives Discrimination Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">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 Relation A related resource Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-09-30 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7e3adf108605ebfcb184d4f396536129.mp4 5b08c8e813eb60224c1ff281a2efaaca https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2ea0610de2abee51b10763efb86a86d6.pdf f0f77d9c94b4f843b4dc64f3ea12775d PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW PETER ONDERSMA Born: Orlando, Florida Resides: Byron Center, Michigan Interviewed by: James Smither PhD, GVSU Veterans History Project, Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, November 4, 2013 Interviewer: Mr. Ondersma, can you start out my telling us a little bit about your own background, for instance, were you born in Byron Center? No, I was born in Orlando, Florida. My folks had a business there and then they—my grandma became ill and then they moved back to Grand Rapids. Interviewer: How old were you when you moved up here? Out to Byron Center? Interviewer: Yeah I was five years old, I believe—no, I was eight probably, in 1955 we moved to Byron Center. Interviewer: And what did your family do up here once they got here? What did your father do for a living? What did my father do for a living? He worked in a factory, Harrod Meat Company, and we lived on 72nd Street, the same place—I live in the same place I grew up in and I went to school in Byron Center and graduated from high school. 1:07 Byron Center was a small town in those days. It had a blacksmith shop, we had a pony and we use to ride the pony to Byron Center to get it shod. Interviewer: Now, what year did you finish high school? 1966 1 �Interviewer: What did you do after you graduated? I went to work for Harrod Meat Company, the same place my dad did and when I got my first notice for a physical for the draft they quickly, of course, laid me off , because they didn’t want to have to take me back. So, I went for my physical and then there was this waiting period, so I went to work for Oven Fresh part the Oven Fresh Bakery. 2:00 Interviewer: in this period here, after you’ve gotten your notice and you know you’re going to get called up, or whatever, what was your reaction to that, when you got the first notice, or whatever? Ahh, being in a small town you really didn’t know anything about this draft bill. I didn’t know, being that young and I was working two jobs and I didn’t really know anything about Vietnam except bits and pieces, and then I started watching the news, I thought I’d better see what’s going on, and I hear all these reports of how we’re whipping the Vietcong and it didn’t sound too bad. Interviewer: You had the impression, at that point that we were winning? It sounded like we were winning with terrific foreign enemy casualties and very few American casualties, so I thought, “If I gotta do it, I guess it won’t be so bad”. 3:00 So, I got drafted and I remember eight, 1966 when I was inducted into the service at Fort Wayne, Detroit. Interviewer: Where did they send you from there? Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training Interviewer: Now, what did that consist of? 2 �Basic training was riflery, and teaching you to follow orders. That was pretty simple for me, I didn’t have a—I didn’t find it bad. It was a lot of physical activity, but I was a tough kid, at the time, and I could handle that and it was no big deal. Interviewer: Now, the business of discipline and following orders, were you used to that from having real jobs and things? Pardon? Interviewer: The whole issue of discipline, some people have real troubles with that? We had a lot of –in our basic training unit we had a lot of fellows that were told by the judge that either they go in the military, or they go to jail. 4:09 Interviewer: For what kinds of things, or do you not know that? Pardon? Interviewer: What did they do, do you think? Stealing? I don’t know, misdemeanors I suppose, so most of them went in the service, of course, so it was—basic training wasn’t bad. It was a hundred and—when we left Grand Rapids on a Greyhound it was a hundred and sixty from Grand Rapids drafted the same day, and we all went to Fort Wayne and then they lined you up and then, I think, every third one went to the Marine Corps, because at that time they were even drafting for the Marine Corps, which was really unheard of. Every fifth one was going in the Navy, and I got drafted with a kid that I’ve been friends with ever since, from Grand Rapids. 5:05 He made sure we weren’t every third one, so we didn’t get in the Marine Corps. He was older, five years older than me, so he was a little more educated in the ways of the world, so he—I 3 �was just kind of dumb and standing around like a sheep and he made sure we were the right numbers. Interviewer: Right So, we went together to Fort Knox and that was quite a shock for some of these guys. I remember we got off the bus, after the train ride we got off the bus and we had to stand in footprints and they were cocky little eighteen year olds and I remember this one kid named—now I can’t remember his name, but he—it was in the middle of the night and we were standing in these lines and they were yelling and hollering around there and he was talking and he kept talking, and this drill sergeant came up and hit him right in the face and knocked him out. 6:06 That ended all the talking and that was the end of that. So, we were inducted into the service there and we went through getting all our clothing and our bedding and started out with getting up at five o’clock and cleaning the barracks and all the stuff that goes on with it. Interviewer: Were they giving you any kind of testing, or figuring out what specialization to put you in? Yeah, I don’t remember in basic, I suppose we had testing, but I’m not really sure of that part any more. I know we had testing, but that was in basic probably, I suppose it was. Interviewer: It might have been if you stayed in Fort Wayne long enough for any aptitude tests. No, it was just a—they just loaded us on a train, that’s all we did there, and signed some papers and raised our hand. 7:03 Interviewer: Now, how long was the basic training at Fort Knox? I think it was eight weeks, as I remember. 4 �Interviewer: Did you stay on there for advanced training, or did they move you someplace else? No, I was moved to Fort Leonard Wood for combat engineer training. Interviewer: Is that in Missouri? Yeah, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, yes Interviewer: Now, combat engineer training, what did that consist of? A lot of demolition work, laying mine fields, learning how to sweep roads for mines, disarm mines, and we built some floating bridges, they never used those and I never saw that again, use of weapons, more intense use of weapons, and that’s pretty much it. 8:06 It was just more intensive weapons training. Interviewer: While you were there at Fort Leonard Wood, did you get much of a chance to go off base? Did you get liberty or leave, or anything like that? For a few weeks we didn’t, but we got a Christmas leave in December, seventeen days, because they pretty much closed the fort down in those days. My cousin had an airplane at South Kent Airport, which was off 64th and Burlingame, a Cessna, and he picked me up from Fort Knox and flew me home in two hours. My buddy was supposed to go with me, but he got nervous, because they couldn’t leave town here because it was kind of foggy, so he was afraid that he wouldn’t get home. He had a girlfriend, so he got on a Greyhound. 9:05 I was home—they picked me up at eleven and I walked in the house at two-thirty and he got home at midnight. So, we had seventeen days and then It was back to Leonard Wood and it was a cold place and we never—it was a—it’s a bitter cold state in the winter. 5 �Interviewer: It can be in the winter, yup. So, you didn’t get to go into town much, or anything else like that? I never went into any of the towns on these bases. They always—well, they had trouble with—the townspeople didn’t like the military much and I thought I’d just as soon stay away from all the hassle and the sitting in the bars and drinking and ending up in jail, and a lot of my buddies ended up in jail in town. 10:06 Interviewer: Now, when you were in the engineer training, were there many people who were washing out, or did most people get through everything and keep going? A lot of people that had health problems, but they didn’t wash many people out, they just gave them a different job. The Marine Corps is mostly combat arms and there are no other jobs to give them, so if they can’t do that they’re out, and in fact, usually they’re out in a couple weeks, but the army was always able to find something else for them to do. Interviewer: How long did they have you at Fort Leonard Wood? I think about eight weeks. Interviewer: So, about what time of the year was it when you finished there? Was it in the spring sometime, or the summer? It was sometime in the spring, February maybe, but I can’t remember exactly. 11:00 I think I had a thirty day leave, or a two week leave, or something, and then I had to report to San Diego for out processing for Vietnam. Well, at Fort Leonard Wood, I got orders for Vietnam. Interviewer: Now, at that point had you been assigned to a unit yet, or were you just going to be a replacement? 6 �I was a replacement. Interviewer: So, you didn’t know what, exactly, you’d be doing or who you’d be assigned to? No, just that I was going to be a combat engineer somewhere, but some guys found they were going to be something else, but I ended up the same thing as a combat engineer. Interviewer: Now, were most of the guys you were training with sent to Vietnam, or was there a split? I would say that eighty percent went to Vietnam, and twenty percent went to Korea, or Germany, or somewhere. 12:00 Pretty much, when we looked at the roster, it was pretty much cut and dried where you were going. Interviewer: What was it like, did you go back home on that leave, that second leave? Yeah Interviewer: What was it like to kind of go back there with the idea that you were going to ship out to Vietnam after it? Well, Vietnam didn’t really dawn on me as being so bad. I never had it in my head that it was going to be that bad, so I really—sense I didn’t know anything about it, I thought it would be quite an experience, so we kind of considered that our class trip. Interviewer: How did they get you out to San Diego? Did you fly out there? I flew to San Francisco and then, I forget, I took a cab or a bus to San Diego, which was an army terminal, a big warehouse with rows of bunks. 13:06 When they had a planeload, or a couple of planeloads of, then they would fly us. commercially over to Vietnam. 7 They flew us �Interviewer: How did that work? Did you stop places on way to get out there? On the way to Vietnam we stopped in Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines for refueling. Interviewer: Did you get much of a chance to get off the plane, or was it just in the terminal and back on the plane again? In Hawaii we had plane trouble, so we had a day, so I wandered around Hawaii a little bit. They gave us so many hours, I forget, twelve or fifteen hours and then we had to be back, so I got to see a little of Hawaii. Interviewer: But, mostly, they were moving you straight through. Now, when you got to Vietnam, what was it like? 14:00 When you go in and you land there, describe that scene when you get there? Well, when they opened the door on the plane and we stepped out, it was just like walking into a steam bath. It was unbelievable, you couldn’t believe how oppressive the heat and humidity was. You just broke out in a sweat, just immediately, and they hustled us out of the sun and sent us to a holding barracks until we were assigned to a certain unit. Interviewer: What was that barracks or facility like? Those were wood barracks with a steel roof over them, corrugated, some kind of steel roof, and no air, it was just to get you acclimated to the heat more or less. 15:02 It was at Tan Son Nhut Air force Base and the funny thing—the big shocker when I got there was they took some of us and took us into a hangar and they had rows and rows of body bags of bodies they were loading back on a plane and this Air Force, I don’t know what rank he was, but he opened a body bag and he pulled out a head and he said, “This is how you guys are going home”, and that was quite a shock. I didn’t expect anything like that. 8 �There were—it was an air conditioned building and they were putting them all in some kind of shipping containers and it was horrendous and I was shocked. 16:02 Interviewer: I take it that was sort of an extracurricular activity? Yeah, that was wasn’t part of the program. That was just some sadistic individual trying to scare us to death, which he did. Interviewer: While you were there were there any security concerns? Mortar attacks, or was it quiet while you were there? Tan Son Nhut was pretty secure. They got rocketed, I guess, but not while we were there. Interviewer: Now, how long was it before they moved you out of Ton Son Nhut? I think two days and we were on our way to different units. Interviewer: What unit were you attached to? The 70th Combat Engineers Battalion Interviewer: And where were they stationed? They were stationed at first with the 1st Air Cav Division in An Khe, because we had line companies that did—laid runways for the—and An Khe had a big runway on the base and they were enlarging that for bigger planes. 17:10 So, we were there during—I don’t know, three or four months and that was quite a place. It was probably five or six miles square, it was huge place. I never heard any gunfire, even, there, because it was so far from the barbed wire. Interviewer: And you mostly were working on the runway, was that your main job? Nothing like that, I did nothing, actually for the four months. Interviewer: How did you spend your time? 9 �I cooked midnight chow for—I was in Headquarters Company at the time and they had nothing for me to do, so they asked me if I’d like something to do and I said, “Sure”, so I cooked midnight chow for the Navy Seabees that were working there. 18:04 The second shift, so they gave control of a mess hall and a couple KP’s to take care of the mess and I just cooked midnight chow for eight or ten Seabees. They were drilling wells around the area for the locals, the civilians. Interviewer: Now did you get off the base much at all, or did you just stay there? Very little, I got off a few times, but I didn’t—they didn’t recommend it, but it was a pretty secure area and the times I did go to the town it was tons of GI’s and every bar was full, everything was a bar. 19:00 Bars next door to each other. Interviewer: This is kind of the middle of 1967 at this point? Yeah, that was probably June and July of 1967. Interviewer: Now, on the base itself, were there a lot of Vietnamese military or civilian people there, or how did that work? They had people working there, sure. Interviewer: What kind of jobs? At that place they seemed to wash military trucks a lot, I don’t know they’d drive them into the river and wash them. That was strange and I don’t know why they washed all the trucks all the time. They had pretty good living, they had wood sided buildings with tin roofs and it wasn’t bad. We were there until the monsoon came and then the engineers move out and go to someplace where they can work again. 20:01 So, we moved to Pleiku, which was in the Central Highlands. The monsoon was over there and the mud was two feet deep and it was all red clay like in Georgia. It looked like the same kind of 10 �clay and when it dried out it was just clouds of dust. Then we had tents, just plain ten men army tents we lived in the rest of the time I was there. Interviewer: What kind of work did you do? I went out on patrol when we got calls. I went out with two other guys, we were a squad, and we went out to different bases and we checked their security, laid minefields, made maps of the minefields and updated their security. A lot of them were kind of hap hazard and they just laid mines here and there. 21:07 There was no way to service them, there were no maps, so we had to go and dig for all the old mines, dig them up and replace them and make a map. Interviewer: Now, was that very dangerous work? Would these mines go off? Oh, a mine can go off any time, but we’d go in there with a knife and we’d prod for them. We’d find them with a mine detector and then we’d prod for the mine and then slowly dig it up and disarm it. Interviewer: Now, did you find, at all, if any of the minefields had been interfered by anybody, the Vietcong, or anyone, or were they just where the guys had buried them? Well, when the first troops came to Vietnam, they just put mines around their compounds and there was really no rhyme or reason to it. 22:06 The military, all of a sudden, wanted maps of the stuff, so we went and that was one of the things we did, or if an infantry came across some tunnels, they’d chopper us in to blow the tunnels. Interviewer: How did that work? What would you do if you find a tunnel, what do you do? 11 �We’d take C-4 plastic explosives, maybe ten pounds of it, and string it around. If they could find another tunnel opening, we’d drop some down there too and then we’d run detonating cord up and blow the tunnels, but you could never really blow them, because they were on different levels and they went all over. 23:02 Interviewer: There were some pretty elaborate networks in places, so you were sealing off entrances at least, and making things a little bit harder for them for a while. Well, they’d just come back the next day and dig them all out. There was no way—I think we just blew up a few people that just happened to be in the wrong spot when it went off, but it was pretty elaborate systems we had. We’d talk to tunnel rats that had been down part of them and they’d give us an idea of how much explosive we needed and sometimes the tunnel rats would take the explosives down and run the wire back for us. Interviewer: You wouldn’t go very far into a tunnel; you might go into the entrance or opening area? I was too big, I couldn’t go in those. Interviewer: How wide were those tunnels? Physically, how large were they, the entrances? Maybe about this big 24:03 Interviewer: Maybe about two feet? You know what the Vietnamese look like. Even today they’re pretty small people and they could slip down those things. Our tunnel rats were a little bit bigger, but you couldn’t be a big person. I was too tall, I could never go down one of those things, 12 �besides I was a little bit claustrophobic when it came to—I just couldn’t picture myself down in there, but these little guys could do it, a flashlight in one hand and a forty-five in the other. I saw them do it, they were crazy. Interviewer: About how long were you stationed in Vietnam total? Was it about a year? One year Interviewer: Did the situation change while you were there? You get there in 1967, it seemed fairly quiet. The Tet Offensive of 1968 and it was the end of January, I believe, and the military knew that something was going on. 25:05 So, they pulled a lot of people out of the field, so we didn’t go out much, but we did a lot of reinforcing of our own compound and then one night it all—the Tet Offensive started, it started all over Vietnam at one time, so it just went crazy, the military, and— Interviewer: Now were you at Pleiku at this point? I was at Pleiku, I was at base camp, and we got overrun one night and we had the NVA and the Vietcong running all around the base, so people were shooting. Interviewer: So, they were actually on the base? They were on the base and killed some guards breeched the barbed wire and a lot of them had died in the claymore mines and anti-personnel mines we had and they just kept coming. 26:11 Interviewer: So, they were actually coming in and attacking, they weren’t just coming out from tunnels underneath or something like that? 13 �They didn’t come—some of the places they had tunnels in the bases, but they didn’t in ours, because Pleiku is pretty rocky and you couldn’t dig in that. They walked over their dead in the barbed wire and came through it. They streamed through in swarms. Interviewer: What were you doing while this was happening? Well, I wasn’t on duty or anything and I was just lying on my cot and when the rockets started coming in I started running out and they were shooting 122mm Russian rockets. 27:02 One came down about ten feet from me, but it was it was a metal shed on the other side, between us, and it was full of stuff, it was a good thing, because when that went off it knocked me to the ground, blew my eardrums out, gave me brain damage, and when I got up I thought I was dead, because the concussion was so horrendous that I couldn’t feel anything, couldn’t hear anything, blood was running out of my nose and out of my ears, but it was night and the flares were going off. When the next parachute flare came down I could see that I wasn’t bleeding all over, so I got up and I carried a Thompson 45 machine gun. 28:03 Just at that point a Vietcong stood up from behind a tent and I shot him in the chest and I’ll never forget the sound of that, because the Thompson shot 45 caliber ammunition, and it was soft core, just lead. It sounded just like I had hit him with a baseball bat. He went down and I couldn’t move much, because It seemed like every bone in my body was broken. I’m lying there and every flare that came down it looked like this Vietcong was moving, because those parachute flares, they swing in the air current and gives eerie shadows. I kept looking at that Vietcong thinking he was still moving. 29:01 I couldn’t believe it, but it took until the next afternoon for them to kill all the Vietcong that were on there, they were hiding everywhere. That was a big base and they were all over the place. 14 �Interviewer: How long do you stay down there on the ground watching the flares? Most of the night, there was no place to run and you didn’t know where to go. I was headed, originally, for the barrier to help secure it, but I didn’t dare go that way anymore, not after I saw the Vietcong. I thought this is—mostly what everybody did was stay in the position they were at and tried not to shoot their buddies. There was ammo flung back and forth across the compound, so you just lay on the ground. Interviewer: Right, now when you finally get up and move, is that because some other guys were coming by, or everything just got quiet? 30:01 It got to be morning and then they had a whole—they had a couple companies of infantry come through and they cleaned it up. We weren’t actually infantry, we just—we went with the infantry, but we never had to go on point or anything. Interviewer: You weren’t trained to fight as a unit or anything like that? No, there would only be two or three of us together going and they kept us in the middle, because they wanted us alive, but it was a long night and many nights after that were long, because they attacked every night. Interviewer: Were they able to break into the base again, or after that were you on guard? 31:00 After that they didn’t, no it was just a onetime thing. They, of course, they tripled the guards then and this particular place had big spotlights that came together at a point, but they came through, it was probably a breach of security, somebody sleeping originally, which happened, somebody sleeping and not paying attention, or not there and that’s how they got through. 15 �Interviewer: Now, before the Tet Offensive started, do you have any sense of, sort of, how the war was going, or were people still thinking like they were winning, or did it just seem like an endless thing that was just going on and on? Well, we had heard that there was a lot of troop movement by the Vietcong, but nobody really thought they could take on the U.S. military and such a big amount of troops. 32:08 We didn’t realize they had that many troops available. Interviewer: After you fight off the attacks, it becomes clear that ultimately the offensive is not going to succeed in taking over the country, or chasing you out, what was the morale like on the base? Were people optimistic about what was going to happen, or were they just worried about things? Nobody got any sleep from then on and it went on for a week, or two weeks, I don’t remember how long it was, but you’d just lay there. The night they breached our security there were so many of them that they called in “Puff the Magic Dragon”. Those little two prop airplanes that had miniguns. 33:01 They came in and went around and around and it was just like a fireworks display that whole night. That plane was dropping parachute flares and the artillery on the base was shooting up our flares, and that’s all they were shooting, they couldn’t shoot anything else, because they didn’t know where to shoot. They couldn’t shoot low enough to do any good anywhere else, and we had gunships coming through. It was really quite a fireworks display from the tracers from so many guns, just like a straight red streak and then all the green streaks of the enemy going back at the plane. It was just a terrific fireworks display. 34:00 Then the next day, when they finally secured the compound, we went out and picked all the bodies out of the barbed wire. There were probably a hundred and fifty, just pieces, and with so 16 �many guns they hit every square inch with bullets. There are all these bodies in just all pieces. You couldn’t pick it all up in a couple days and it was all rotting and just a horrific smell in the place. You couldn’t find enough to—it was stuck in the barbed wire and it was in the ground and anybody on guard duty around there was sick. We went through here with trash bags and picked up as much of the big pieces as we could. Interviewer: Do you have any idea how many casualties your own units took? I really don’t know, my hearing was gone, both of my eardrums were blown out and I couldn’t hear a thing. 35:07 I didn’t have any idea what was going on. Interviewer: So, what did they have you do at that point? There wasn’t much I could do. Interviewer: Were you getting medical treatment at all? Were they doing anything for you? Yeah, well there’s not much you can do for blown eardrums. The head injury, at that time, they didn’t know about that, but it was quite a while before—after that I always had ear infections too from the dirt. I got dirt in them from shell casings and all the dust from the equipment. We had some tanks and APC’s running through the compound and I got infection right away and always had trouble after that. Interviewer: How long was it before you could hear at all? 36:00 A few weeks, at least and then I lost eighty percent of my hearing in my left ear and I never got that back, that much of it I never got back. The other, I lost about forty percent in that one so, it wasn’t all that nice. Interviewer: How long did you stay in Vietnam after that attack? 17 �That ended in February—until November, no, that’s not right either. I had five months to go when I got—when my ear was—then I had a thirty day leave home and then I reported to Fort Bragg and they had no jobs for us. 37:07 I was with the 82nd Airborne there and the only thing we did was run five miles every morning. I could walk forever, but starting to run with those guys, that was a killer. It took weeks for me to be able to run the five miles, and I only weighed, when I got out of Vietnam, I weighed a hundred and fifty-three pounds, but those guys—we’d run in our underwear around the base at Fort Bragg, every morning, five miles and then after that I’d run with the regular unit. I wasn’t assigned to a regular unit, so they stuck me in a warehouse with all new trucks and they asked me to preform preventive maintenance. 38:01 So, I’d just walk around these trucks in this big warehouse all day and look at them. They were all brand new, so they didn’t need anything and that’s what I did every morning and all day long, just wander around this warehouse with a tool man and if I wasn’t visiting with him I’d just be sitting on a fender of a truck reading a book. Interviewer: To go back to Vietnam again, after you’re injured in the attack and so forth, and starting to hear and so forth, did you simply stay at Pleiku the rest of the time until you left, or did they ship you someplace else? No, I stayed in Pleiku. Interviewer: Did you help repair the mine fields, or were you not able to do that? Yeah, I went back out and I went to a lot of—I got all over the country, not all over the country, but in the general area I did a lot of towns, a lot of old bases. 39:00 Interviewer: When you’re traveling around the countryside, what did it look like, or what impressions did you have? 18 �It’s beautiful country when you’re in the air, sitting in a Huey with your legs hanging out the door and it’s gorgeous, lush and beautiful and it looked like it had a million lakes, but they were all bomb craters filled with water. Interviewer: What was it like on the ground? On the ground it was a lot different. It was rough; the countryside was rough, a lot of dirt roads and a lot of little towns. I walked through some towns; little villages and they’d have dogs hanging there for sale and if we came back that way the next day, there would still be the dog hanging there in a hundred and ten degrees. They may have cut some of the dog off for somebody, but the dog would still be hanging there. 40:07 It was really weird and something you never expected. Interviewer: Now, patrolling around the countryside, was that dangerous? Were you getting shot at, or were there booby traps and those kinds of things? I can’t say that in my travels in a helicopter that we ever got shot at, but we flew pretty high, because we didn’t get dropped--I never got dropped in any hot LZ’s or anything, but I got dropped off at a point and would be picked up by an infantry unit headed somewhere that needed something done. What we carried mostly was a rifle and a pack full of explosives, a detonating cord and C4’s and rolls of wire. 41:05 Interviewer: So, what were you using it for? Was it still blowing up tunnel entrances, or what other kind of work would you do for an infantry unit when you went out with it? What kind of work did we do? We just walked with them until they came to a place where they needed something done. Sometimes they wanted trails blocked, or trails opened. We were on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and they wanted some of that blown up and 19 �sometimes the B-52’s didn’t hit it and then they’d want something closed, maybe little paths that they’d come through on bicycles at night, so we’d blow the place. It didn’t matter because they were ingenious people and they’d be out there clearing it all out. 42:07 Interviewer: While you were there, particularly in those last months, what kind of understanding did you have of why you were there or what you were supposed to be accomplishing on a larger scale? We were in the dark, we didn’t really know, we—I saw one copy of the Stars and Stripes once and it had said how many Vietcong were killed and how few GI’s, but boy, when I saw the bodies come in on the choppers, I thought, “Boy that just doesn’t seem like these number match right”, but you really don’t see the whole picture because you’re not in all these areas. Some of the choppers that came in, I know that when I was there, they’d hose them out with a hose every time, because they were full of blood. 43:01 They would have the bodies stacked in there and it seemed surreal, it was something that you couldn’t-Interviewer: Did you have any sense of what the war, it self, was supposed to be accomplishing, or why we were there in the first place? I had no idea, really, and we did understand that it was supposed to be a communist thing, but they kept us in the dark, it was a need to know thing. The low echelon GI didn’t have to know anything, he just had to do his job. Interviewer: While you were there, were you with a lot of the same guys the whole time, or was it you were just kind of on your own and people rotating in and out? 20 �They were rotating, and I was trained by one guy and he was only two months and then he was gone and then it was different people all the time, and some were good and some bad. 44:02 The most interesting thing I saw there was one night we heard Hanoi Hannah on the radio and that was pretty interesting. She was saying something about, “The 1st Cav, you’re going to some place tomorrow and you’re going to die there”, and she knew more about it than the guys in the 1st Cav did, and she spoke perfect English and that was eerie. She was talking about different units and how they were waiting for them. “You GI’s want to die for nothing?” All that kind of psychological stuff, it was really pretty eerie to hear the enemy talk in English so well and knowing so much. You don’t really expect her to know that. Interviewer: Now, were you in a place where they brought in USO shows and that sort of stuff? Right, I saw Bob Hope once. 45:02 I don’t remember where it was, but I was at a place where Bob Hope was and I did see that. There were different shows that came through, but I don’t remember many of them, but I do remember bob Hope being there, yeah. Interviewer: Once you’re out all that and you’re back at Fort Bragg and you finish up your time, what did you do then, once you were discharged? I was discharged on November 7th, one day less than two years, that’s how it worked and I did my one year less than two years. I got out on the 7th of November and I had met a family near fort Bragg and he worked at a dealer near Fayetteville, North Carolina. The father worked at the Chrysler dealer and I met them at a lake there and my buddy and I, we went to their house every weekend. 46:06 They took us in as foster kids, and he took us fishing and he took us hunting. 21 �Interviewer: So the atmosphere in the area around fort Bragg was better than it was around Fort Leonard Wood then, or was it just an unusual family? It was just an unusual deal. GI’s aren’t liked much in a military town and they capitalize on GI’s pretty much. We didn’t go into town, we had gone to a lake that was a little way away from Fayetteville and that’s where I met the family. We got talking and they invited us over and for the next five months he and I spent the weekends at their house and it was pretty nice. We went dove hunting, fishing and he worked on my car for me and it was pretty nice. 47:00 When I got out of the service I stayed with them for two months until my mother started saying, “When are you coming home?” So, then I went home. I was pretty screwed up and I couldn’t work. It just seemed like I wanted to hide and for a month I didn’t go to work. I got—while I was in Fort Bragg they also had a program called Operation Transition to fix you up with a career and I didn’t know what to take, so I took the postal service. I didn’t know what to do, so I went through a course and they took us to the Fayetteville Post Office and I took the Civil Service exam there. I was home two days after I left Fayetteville and I got called to the post office. 48:03 So evidently they know—it was probably some WWII guy said—I said, “I don’t know if I can work right now”, and he said, “You just come in whenever you want”, so it was a month later, it was, I think it was December 23, or something, before I even went to work, or maybe after Christmas. But, I never even went to work and my mother was hounding me to go to work saying, “You better go to work”, and she had no idea I was so screwed up. Interviewer: Do you think it was a psychological thing or was it the effects of the concussion and the rest of that, or was it hard to tell? 22 �I don’t know what the problem was; I couldn’t deal with people at the time. I didn’t want to go home, actually. 49:02 While I was in Vietnam, to get by, I put my parents out of my mind. I never ever called them and I didn’t write them until my commanding officer gave me a direct order to write once a week and I had to go and show him the letter. My mom had called the Red Cross and the Red Cross called him and then we got the pressure on. I found that if I didn’t think about home I was a whole lot better off, and we had R&R’s to go to Bangkok or someplace, but I never took one because I thought, “If I ever leave this place, I’ll never come back”. Interviewer: There were plenty of guys who just did that. Did run—they didn’t give single guys R&R to Hawaii, because they would, and then you’d be in the states and yo could get a commercial flight. 50:02 So, they didn’t give you that option, but I thought, “Even if I go to Bangkok, I’ll never come back”. I didn’t think I could do it, so I never took an R&R even, not even and in country R&R. I just blocked everything out except what I was doing and I had it in my head there was nobody else to worry about except me and my buddies and it made it a lot easier for me. Interviewer: But, then you had to switch back out of that in civilian life. I couldn’t deal with my parents. It was hard, and I didn’t deal with anybody very good, but it was a long haul for years, and then, finally, in the eighties I ended up going to therapy, group therapy with other Vietnam vets. I was in therapy for five or six years, probably. 51:00 I went to a stress recovery program in North Chicago at the Great Lakes Naval Base and that was a thirty –five day program. That was tough to do too, because at first you can’t—you’re basically locked up and at first you can walk around base, but you can’t get off base, you couldn’t go home for the first week and the second 23 �weekend you could go home. It was—for me it was—you could walk out of it if you wanted to and tell them, “I can’t do it”. I was close, but I met a guy from Muskegon and he kept me in the program. He had there a week longer than me and he said, “Oh, you can do it, you can do it”, because I was ready to go home, that was too much of the military for me and it was just driving me crazy. Interviewer: So, what would they do that would actually help relieve stress? 52:00 We had a trauma group with about seven people in each trauma group. You’d tell them your trauma and they’d talk about it and it was really a wonderful program, but it was just tough for me, initially, to be in that kind of a structured thing, but I—there were guys that were worse than me. Interviewer: But, when you were initially getting out, or you were at Fort Bragg, or that kind of thing, was the army making much available, or was there stuff out there that you could have turned to earlier that you didn’t really think about? I have no idea, and they never mentioned anything, the military never mentioned anything about anything like that. Interviewer: Now, a lot of the guys, when they come out of Vietnam, they found that they, generally, didn’t even want anybody to know that they had been there. No one talked about it, no. 53:01 Interviewer: Why didn’t you talk about it? That’s a good question, why didn’t they talk about it? I drank beer with guys I worked with that were in Vietnam and they were hurt too and they—it’s a funny thing, we never, ever mentioned it, nobody ever mentioned it. I didn’t know any of them were even veterans, and I never thought of it to ask, it didn’t come to my head. It was really strange 24 �until one day I was walking with—a guy and I were carpooling and we were walking down the ramp, downtown in Grand Rapids, down the side ramp along the river and right below us was a Vietnamese in a row boat, fishing. 54:00 This guy I rode with, we took turns driving, he said to me, he said, “What I wouldn’t give for a frag right now”, and I looked down and it was a Vietnamese and I said, “Man, I never thought I’d see a Vietnamese again”. And that was another thing when the Vietnamese started coming over, that was really tough to take, I just couldn’t—I had a hard time with that. I never expected to see another one, but of course, the young generation now, they know nothing about the war, so I’ve kind of come to grips with that, but it’s—I never quite get over them. Interviewer: To look back on the whole thing now, do you see any positive effects from the time that you spent in the military? Oh, the military itself, I think, is fine. I think a lot of kids should have it and I think my own son should be in it. 55:02 With these wars that they now, like Vietnam was all a fake thing, the Gulf of Tonkin was all a fiasco, that was just a big lie just to get us in there, and all the dead bodies from Vietnam, fifty eight thousand plus, it’s pretty sad. Now I see, now I’m the chairman of the Kent County Soldiers and Sailors Relief Commission, and now I see a lot of these younger Gulf War vets that have problems and it’s the same thing, the same problems they have. A lot of them can’t work. Interviewer: Are they getting better support, at least, than you were getting coming out of Vietnam? Are there more places they can go and more people who can help them? 25 �They don’t think so, it’s more in the forefront now, there’s more opportunity to get help, but the military and the VA doesn’t look for these guys, they’d rather not see them. 56:09 But, if they do end up there, they will help them. They should have helped them earlier, or given them an option for help, but the only thing they did for me when I—I was going to reenlist, they kept thinking I was going to, so they were pretty happy with me. I was going to go up in rank right away and then I got to thinking about it and thought, “Boy, this is only 1968 and I could go back to Vietnam again”, and I thought, “I made it out once and I’m not sure I could make it out twice”, so up until the last day, they thought I was going to reenlist and then I said, “No, out the door”. 57:00 I did get a physical and I did get a service number for compensation and that was good, because years later when my hearing got a lot worse, I needed it then. It was hard getting it, because the old card they gave me, in Battle Creek they said, “We never saw a card like this”, and then I put in a claim for compensation and I did—I saw a doctor and I never heard anything for a year, not a word, so I—Paul Henry was a Representative and my cousin, Walt DeLange, was a Representative, so I wrote my cousin, Walt DeLange, a letter saying, “It’s a funny thing, it didn’t take them long to draft me, but when I got a claim I don’t hear a thing”. 58:06 He sent it right to Paul Henry and three days later the VA in Detroit called me, isn’t that a miracle? Then things started to roll, but for one solid year I never heard one word, one letter, nothing. I had no idea if they ever got my paperwork, or anything, but once you get ahold of a representative thing change. Interviewer: To conclude here, I’d like you to tell me a little bit about the work you’re doing now and the kinds of things you’re doing to support veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan and all that. 26 �We help wartime veterans, which would be Iraq or—there’s different dates and, of course, Iraq is still going on, so we help them if they get behind on utilities or if they have a major catastrophe. 59:08 If they need something, we help with fuel bills, if they need a car fixed to go to work, that s what the Kent County Soldiers Relief Commission does and it’s funded by Kent County. We have one fulltime man in the office that deals with this and if there’s a question about something he calls one of us, usually me, because I’m chairman, but if I’m not available one of the other members, and I deal with the Kent County Commission, Paul Mayhue, I had a meeting with him lately and Judge Murkowski, who’s in charge of the—kind of oversees, but he really has nothing to say, he’s just kind of a figurehead. 00:04 If he has a question about—Oh, we get complaints from people that think they should have help, but they either don’t qualify, because of the money they make, or they’ve been helped recently, so then, usually the commissioners get a—Kent county commissioners get a letter and then if it gets real serious Judge Murkowski calls me and I meet with him and we go through it, but it’s a good thing, it’s really a good program and a lot of counties don’t have much of that, Kent County is about the best one. Interviewer: About how many people do you think you, maybe, help, or work with in a year? Oh, a couple hundred, we have plenty of phone calls. 1:01 And if we can’t help them our man will tell them to contact DSS, or sometimes the Salvation Army has a program that will help them. There’s different—a lot of them are veterans, but they don’t qualify in the timeframe and then we ship them to some other organization the, possibly, can help them. 27 �Interviewer: You’re talking timeframes, within a certain time since they were discharged? Vietnam was, I think, 1962 to 1975; if you were in the service during that time we can help. Interviewer: Then would you cover the Gulf, the 1991 Gulf War? Right, up to when the first Gulf War ended and then now, of course with Iraq it’s continuing. 2:08 We don’t see a lot of the new ones yet, but we deal with—we tell them how to get—a lot of times they deserve compensation and we steer them to a service officer that we know that will take care of it and that helps, because the military and the VA, doesn’t just come out and tell you what you can do. You’ve got to find this out for yourself, and it’s kind of a hide and seek thing. If yo don’t know it they’re going to put you off. They’re not going to give you anything unless you know where to go, and that’s what we try to do, we try to help the ones that need it. 3:00 of course, some you have— often you have people who come back that are just chronic users of the system and they cause the most trouble, but other than that, we help a lot of people. It’s just Kent County and the trouble is, you get calls from Ottawa County or Allegan County and they just live across the border, but it’s a shame, but you can’t help them. Ottawa County doesn’t have much of anything and most counties don’t. Interviewer: Given where state budgets are and things like that, there are not a whole lot of resources for some of these things. Right and I sign the burials for all the veterans, a lot of WWII now, and I sign, if they’re under certain, have a certain limited amount of money, we give them money for a burial. 28 �4:03 We see to it they get a military bronze plaque, so I see a lot of burials now for WWII. Interviewer: We’re doing our best to catch up with them while we still can. It’s about eighteen hundred a day, now, I guess. Interviewer: Well, it sound like it’s good work that you’re doing and thank you for coming in and talking to us today. Thank you very much. 4:28 29 �30 � 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 Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> 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 OndersmaP Title A name given to the resource Ondersma, Peter (Interview transcript and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ondersma, Peter Description An account of the resource Peter Ondersma was born in Orlando, Florida and moved to Michigan in 1955 when he was 8 years old. Peter went to school in Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated in 1966 and was drafted into the Army shortly after graduation. He began basic training in Fort Knox, Kentucky and then moved on to combat engineer training in Missouri. While in Vietnam Peter worked on maintaining the security of bases, sweeping and laying mines, and destroying underground tunnels. He was injured by mortar fire during the Tet Offensive and kept on limited duty for the rest of his service. Peter is now the chairman of the Kent County Soldiers Relief Commission where he works to help veterans with financial problems. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Byron Area Historic Museum (Byron Center, Mich.) BCTV Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng 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 Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-06-24 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/719db2e01b45c7992cc20c76bd527690.pdf 32a7fe4140e667aa0321a4a148f79662 PDF Text Text 7 t . • l l i ·: ' ' L, ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Onekama Township Planning Commission Amended/Approved October 18, 1990 I Il ~ I • '-- L �" ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN October 18, 1990 INTRODUCTION t l I-• I I f I·,_ , ' ' ' ' ') This report is intended to be the basic, master, or comprehensive plan for the Township of Onekama. It is the adopted plan, adopted as authorized under Michigan Public Act 168 of 1959 (being the Township Planning Act, MCL 125.321 et. seq.). It is also to serve as the plan referred to in Section 3 of P.A. 184 of 1943 (being Township Rural Zoning Act MCL 125.273). This plan is the main guiding document and statement of township policy for · growth and development in Onekama Township. Decisions as to priority and future extensions of roads, water mains, parks, etc. should be in conformity with this plan. All future amendments to the Onekama Township Zoning Ordinance should be in conformity with this plan. Onekama Township chose to contract with the Manistee County Planning Commission to provide professional staff to work with the Township's Planning Commission. The County Planning Department staff wrote this plan under the guidance and direction of the Onekama Township Planning Commission. Decisions, recommendations and policies in this plan represent the Township Planning Commission's desires. In doing work on this plan, certain people provided assistance, information and time. They are: Steve Harold of the Manistee County Historical Museum; Helen Mathieu, . Onekama Township Oerk; Marcia Korwin, former Onekama Township Oerk; Gregory Miller, David Smeltzer and Darwin Meister, township farmers; Charles Wolverton, Cadillac office of Land and Water Management Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The editor typist and proofreading for this document was done by Kurt H. Schindler, County Planning Director and Sue Wagner, Pla~g Department Secretary. �Also, this report relied heavily on other plans and documents which, by their nature of use, become adopted by reference in this plan, where applicable. They are: The Portage Lake Management Plan November 1987; The Manistee County Land Use and Development Policv, as amended; United States census data for 1980 and earlier years; Manistee County Third Level Soil Association Report and Tables, Mar.ch 1982; . and Manistee County 1987 Economic Adjustment Strategy. I l. r-·· i Members of the Onekama Township Planning Commission: Members of the Onekama Township Board of Trustees: Don Holman, Chairman Don Miller, Vice Chairman J. H. Kline, P.E., Secretary Ray Kieffer, former secretary/Supervisor Helen Mathiew David Meister Leal Swindlehurst Ken Wagoner V. Joseph Skiera, Supervisor Helen Mathieu, Oerk, Carol Ann Hilliard, Treasurer Blanche Miller, Trustee Harry Feldhak, Trustee l . I •• !. i' I • l • .. r • ii I J �,~ ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP BASE MAP L~ !"""' I·; ,, "C • GI 0 c,:; ,. ......, efl,~ Mile Road ' ,...,... ,-. ·l \ 2 I ~ ._, ';s."CII' ,., ':,"' ~ Potter Road . "C ..,t=l OS 0 c,:; ,~ -- Ill OS ::, :i:: .c ....00 I ::::: 0.. a >, r ' L. 11 12 Mile Road i ,... = ,... - L lC" -,_\ ...C. C> 11 -=... 1s C> l! s.."' C. Maidens I" i • L 0 ::,, 0 Ill 0.. I _, I g 24 I Beechward Ri dge Ave. 14th CII 12th 9th Park Place ......,.. ... Ill g. 0 OQ J5 :5"~ .., 3 "' -o < ., Q,... iii Ill - MANISTEE COUNTY PLANNING. coM,qrss,o~ �TABLE OF CONTENTS Base Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii iI • .. I I I ' I I 1 .... GEOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SLOPE OF TI-IE LAND . . . . . . . Quaternary Geology Map . . Topographic Map . . . . . . . Topographic Map, north half Topographic Map, south half Steep Slopes Map . . . . . . . .... . .. ... .. ... ..... detail detail .... . ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Historic Population Data Historic Boundaries Map Historic Sites Map . . . . . Colloquial Names Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 8 . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 10 16 17 18 NATURAL RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SURFACE WATER ......................... ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SOII.S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FORESTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AG RICULTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SPECIAL AND UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS AND NATURAL FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Watersheds Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Surface Water System Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Septic Problem Areas Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Significant Wetlands Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wetland definitions from the Michigan Wetland Protection Act and its administrative rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1ood Plain Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Third Level Soils Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prime Forestlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Agricultural Lands Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Designated Special and Unique Environment and Natural Features Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POPULATION ANALYSIS . . . . . . .. . . . . Existing and Historic Population . . . . Onekama Township Population Population Estimate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. :. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . . .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 4 5 25 28 29 34 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 46 46 48 �, Population Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Model Population Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . Population Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Addresses Issued in Onekama Township . . . . . . Onekama Construction Permit Activity . . . . . . . Seasonally Adjusted Average Population . . . . . . Seasonal Population Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . Population Growth Needs Summary . . . . . . . . . Existing Population Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Population by Age Table . . Housing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Location of New Addresses Map . . . . . . . . . . . Population Projection Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Density Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Population Density Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lake Area Land Use Concept Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . .. . . .. ECONOMICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Residents' Industry of Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EMPLOYERS AND JOBS LOCATED IN ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP . TOP EIGHT TOWNSHIP EMPLOYERS IN 1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Hinterland Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Percentage of Township Jobs by SIC Manual Oassification . . . . . . . . . Proportion of Number of County and Township Businesses by SIC Manual Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . f • I. i. : . . . . . . 49 50 50 50 51 52 52 53 54 55 56 58 59 60 61 62 63 63 64 68 70 71 . 72 COMMUNITY FACILITIES (INFRASTRUCTURE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TOWNSHIP WASTE STREAM ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UTILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WATER, SEWER AND DRAINAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PUBLIC BUILDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PARKS, RECREATION FACILITIES AND VACANT PUBLIC LAND ..... United States Post Office (Zip Code) Service Areas Map . . . . . . . . . . . Map of Township Sidewalks, Portage Point Detail_ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Map of Township Sidewalks, Other Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Parks Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Public Lands Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Public Lands Map, Portage Point Detail . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Road Ends Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 74 75 75 76 77 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 TRANSPORTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 BUS TRANSIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 HARBOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 V �• Manistee County Road Commission Road Certification Map . . . . . . . . Road Commission Certification Portage Point Detail Map . . . . . . . . . . Road Commission Certification Red Park and Wick-A-Te-Wah Detail 101 102 Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Road Surface Map ..... ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Road Surface Portage Point Detail Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Road Surface Red Park and Wick-A-Te-Wah Detail Map . . . . . . . Manistee County Road Commission and Michigan Department Transportation Average Daily Traffic County Map . . . . . . . Addresses per Segment of Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , .. --1 l - f. I ! . r· i I. • • I; I l ~ ... ... ... of ... ... 104 105 106 107 108 LAND USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LAND OWNERSHIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LAND FRACTIONALIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LAND USE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COMMUNITY CHARACTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Parcel Ownership Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Recorded Subdivisions Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Land Fractionalization Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Land Use/ Cover Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Key to Thematic Land Use Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thematic Land Use Maps for Wetland, Forest, Agricultural, Rangeland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thematic Land Use Maps for Open/Parks, Commercial, Residential, Barren Lands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Neighborhoods Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1983 Onekama Township Zoning Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manistee County Land Use Plan 1984, Onekama Township Detail . . . 109 109 109 112 113 118 119 · 120 121 122 125 126 127 128 GOALS, OBJECTIVES, ACTION PLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Planned Service Areas Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LAND USE DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Onekama Township Land Use Plan Map - 1989 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRANSPORTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RECREATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INFRASTRUCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NATURAL ENVIRONMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HISTORIC AND CULTURAL, POPULATION, OTHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 131 132 136 137 137 139 141 141 143 APPENDIXES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NATURAL ENVIRONMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : . . . . . . . . .. . . . 145 152 124 �ARTICLE VIII.B - LOWLAND RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT.......... . ...... 153 SB.01 - Perm.itted Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Section SB.02.1 - Special Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 [ ! ' I i I • I vii �GEOGRAPHY ~ • I I I t ' Onekama Township, as with all of Manistee County, is underlain by several major bedrock units, all lying well below the surface of the ground, covered by a thick mantle of glacial overburden. It is the thick surface layer of glacial till that gives the greatest significance to the present environment and planning activities for Onekama. The township's surface geography is a product of glaciation, which last occurred about 10,000 years ago. A great deal can be learned about the natural features of the township through review of the glacial formations. Onekama Township's geology is relatively complex, consisting of three major glacial features: end moraine, ground moraine and glacial outwash plain; and two dominant post-glacial features, sand dunes and ground moraine which is not exposed former Portage Lake bottom. Areas where these features are found in Onekama Township are shown on the Quaternary Geology Map on page 4. Generally, the network from Manistee City and extending north along Lake Michigan is the Manistee Moraine. In Onekama Township the moraines take on two forms: end and ground. The boundary between the two forms, north of Portage Lake, is not clear and thus not shown on the map in a precise manner. A moraine is a deposit of glacial till created by water running off the edge of a stationary glacier. One might view a moraine as the ridge of earth pushed up in front of an advancing glacier, as well as earth deposited from runoff from a stationary glacier. In this case, the glacial lobe extended down what is now Lake Michigan, leaving the Manistee Moraine along its eastern edge. In Onekama Township the end moraine extends the length of the township from the north to the south. It is narrow at the north end, by Pierport, and extends the full width of the township at the south end. The moraine is interrupted by Portage Lake and its associated ground moraine, exposed Portage Lake bottom and sand dunes. The Manistee Moraine -- generally west of U.S. 31 - has locations of better farm soils than found elsewhere in the county. The good soils combined with the hilly terrain provide for a means for frost drainage (as frost seeks low areas) providing slopes suitable for certain fruit crops. In addition, the area's proximity to Lake Michigan provides a lake effect moderate climate which contnbutes further to the ability to grow frost and seasonsens1t1ve crops. This results in large areas of Onekama which are considered to have unique farming conditions. Those conditions favor fruit growing, broccoli and cauliflower crops. Areas in the United States where these three attributes are found in one area is rare. Such areas in Onekama Township, as well as northwest Michigan, are considered nationally significant. The large flat area in the northeast corner of Onekama Township is an outwash plain. It is associated with Bear Lake, as a finger off-shoot going toward the large flat 1 �I • I I i- valley area found in the center of the county (a lacustrine plain) extending from the north county line through Copemish, Kaleva, Brethren and Wellston. An outwash plain is where water moving away from a glacier deposits sand and silt, creating flat areas and fluvial fans, etc. In Manistee's case, the outwash plain has relatively infertile soils and some wetlands. Toe land is very poor for farming. Around Portage Lake (Portage Lake embayment) is an area which is similar to a lacustrine plain. A major characteristic of lacustrine plains in Manistee County is the presence of a lot of wetlands and poorly drained soils. Though the Portage Lake area is not a lacustrine plain, it has many of the same characteristics. Specifically, the area referred to here is that area which is a ground moraine, surrounded on all sides except the west by the Manistee End Moraine, but after the retreat of the last ice age was submerged by Portage Lake waters. Subsequently, Portage Lake's water level was artificially lowered, exposing former lake bottom. (Portage was a bay of glacial Lake Nipissing (predecessor to Lake Michigan about 3,000 to 4,000 years ago with an elevation of about 604 feet above today's sea level) and sand dune development is thought to have closed it off from the big lake.) Characteristics in such an area include being laced with many spring fed streams, a lot of wetlands, soils associated with wetlands (marl, organics,_clay, etc.) and a relatively shallow water table. These characteristics are found around the perimeter of Portage Lake. Soils in these areas are also relatively infertile, and poor for agricultural purposes. A high water table (and predominant horizontal movement of the water table close to the surface) necessitates the need for caution as to the type of industry locating in the area An industry with a large volume of waste should not locate in the area or should have a program to dispose of the wastes by reuse or transporting them elsewhere. A high density of septic tanks might also present the need for special attention. Dune sand areas are found predominantly along the existing Lake Michigan shoreline, from the township's southern boundary to about the middle of Section 16. Toe dunes run along the present shoreline of Lake Michigan, separating Portage Lake from the Great Lake. Onekama Township has three common dune types. Foredune ridges are the first dunes found along (closest to) Lake Michigan. They are usually low and, in Onekama Township, have beach grass vegetative cover, if any vegetation. Toe best example is found at the Portage Point turnaround just north of Second Street. Toe turnaround parking area is cut into a foredune. There may be more than one ridge of foredunes, in successive lines as one works inland. Foredunes are considered newer (closest to the lake) than other dunes discussed here. Parabolic dunes are the most common. Toe name is descriptive of their shape. Toe windward side (concave) faces the lake. These dunes are extensions of a blow-out in dune ridges and develop in height and length. In Onekama, an example can be found along Lakeside Road north of Lakeisle. Often the older (farther inland) sand dunes are higher and perched on top of glacial moraines. 2 �.. , t. I ' - ' . I I I r• ' ) The third dune type is the wooded dune, where shifting dunes have developed a forest floor cover. Examples of this dune type are found along Dune Drive (Nature Conservancy Preserve) and along Lakeshore Drive south of Crescent Beach Road. Sand dunes are almost always in a constant state of change, affected by wind erosion, wave erosion, lake level and groundwater levels. Soil particles in Michigan sand dunes are nearly 90 percent mineral quartz. Sand dunes are a relatively rare environment. Though seemingly common in this part of Michigan, they exist only in association with the Great Lakes and coastal areas and thus, are not common in the United States. It is suspected the existence of sand dunes, their topography and soil composition have a significant impact on the micro-climatic characteristics known as the lake effect which provides the nationally unique farming areas. Exactly what effect, and to what extent, is not known. As a result, changes to sand dunes (leveling, development, paving, etc.) have unknown environmental impacts. Sand dunes have certain mineral value (quartzite for glass making and molding sands), as well as economic-recreational value. Economic-recreational value is found in the tourist use of the dune. Sand dune environment is also valuable for geologic and botanic research. Often a dune environment supports unique plant communities and is considered fragile. In addition to the above geologic features, kettle lakes or pot holes are common in Onekama Township, particularly in the area of the End Moraine. Kettle holes or lakes are formed by a block of glacial ice buried with sediment in a moraine or plain. The ice block then melts leaving a lake or wet spot. Generally, a kettle lake does not seem to be connected to surface water drainage pattern in the county. A kettle lake is likely to be found at various altitudes with a small drainage basin and not connected to any of the county's rivers. Gordon Lake is a classic example. Other kettle features might include wetland pockets found near Gordon Lake, in Sections 3, 10 and 11. (Portage Lake and associated water systems are thought to be post glacial.) SLOPE OF THE LAND The areas shown on the Steep Slopes Map on page · 8 have limitations for high density residential development. The hillsides, being steep, can cause erosion problems during the act of construction and afterwards with paved drives and lawns. Septic tank absorption fields are difficult to install and r_equire special measures and design. Side hill seepage can occur. Although the above cautions are given in Soil Conservation Service Land Resource Inventory Maps, few of the hillsides in Manistee County are so severe that development without proper measures is not possible. Obviously, though, cautions in erosion control and septic field installation must be required. The map shows the general area of moderate to extreme slopes. The slope was estimated by use of contour maps and transferred to the map in this report. A contour map of Onekama Township follows this section, starting on page 5. · / I 3 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP QUATERNARY GEOLOGY MAP __ _________ ... ...._ .... ~ .,... , ._ __,..,...,.._.., ____ ~hec'i~~;., . ~ . '., . End Moraine former stillstands of ice sheet margins Ground Moraine (nonsorted debris) Ground Moraine, but now exposed former Portage Lake bottom ..... Glacial outwash and post glacial alluvium drainageways ~t, . ! :i:-~;.>:; .· :..; • I \J~J I ,. •• ,.:. ~-~•J I""..:. .~;~~)~·:•::·; ; ! :· o; l • • • _; , ~!• 4 • ~e Sand !'T•••• I ~~tt:t 4 -~~f~1MANISTEE COUNTY PLANNING coM,qrSSlb~ �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP TOPOGRAPHIC MAP From U.S. Geolog ical Survey 7.5 Minute Quadrangle: Onekama Quadrangle Bear Lake Quadrangle Parkdale Quadrangle ,' I, I !- Contour interval is 3 meters (to convert meter X 3.2808 a feet feet X .3048 • meter) ---See North and South Deta't!...Maps ... - ' . i__ l - L ! ' 5 1982 Provisional Edition 1983 Provisional Edition 1983 Provisional Edition �5" ONEKAMA TOWWSHIP TOPOGRAPHIC MAP ) North Half Detail ' 6 �.) , ~'"""x t ·I' ;:; .. . l: I . . \·tr,·- ·: : •;f,;'.: . ~ I- ·.· f'rr~ . ~j .-.:.:;;_;' &;;...,., . ~ .s .-.•··· i ~l•:::_°' \ ::..)\,.<'..... - ~ - ....: I ' ~ l ~ - ~ ·~ ~ ?: <.:) 0 f,.. j ~: o1 a. :k,.. : -.·-·v iK"t -- .:. . t" ~\,; -': - I I j i I •I • 0 ~ TOPOGRAP. IC MAR South Half Deta i l . : 7 . -..:: - -·---. ..~--=- ~; z -; ;~~~- ..! . ·:. ,_: :ii c:. • ... . ::s::: UJ \'"-°"' ~ -~ . ,n I i,,I ) �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP STEEP SLOPES • Shaded areas indicate generalized locations wh:..ch have severe slopes (20%+) 2 which may hinder development, cause septic probla~s, I . I. -----t etc. tt r -, I! ' I ·- I- • __1 I - ..... ,, I • I L: --rO , .. 8 ... MANISTEE COUNTY PLAl...:NING coM,qrssro~ �HISTORY As the waters of the Great Lakes receded after the glaciers melted, Indians moved : i. , 1 onto the land of present Onekama Township. Although no specific sites have been identified, numerous artifacts have been found along the shore of the higher lake level (about 30 feet above the present mean level) of approximately 5,000 years ago. The potential exists for small seasonal occupation sites anywhere on this contour line within the township. Indians probably lived in the township in intervening years near Lake Michigan and Portage Lake. During the Historic Period (the past 250 years), Ottawas and Chippewas had a village site in the Pierport area. There was a sizeable cemetery which was carefully maintained by Indians until a cottage claimed the site. At the south edge of Section 4 there was an extensive agricultural site used by these Indians which was locally known as the "Planting Ground." Artifact finds have also been reported in Section 11. The exact locations can be verified by contacting the State Archaeologist, Michigan History Division, Michigan Secretary of State. _ In 1845 or perhaps even the previous year, Joseph Stronach, a brother of John Stronach, the pioneer settler of Manistee County, built a water powered mill on the outlet of Portage Lake. Traces of the original outlet of Portage Lake can still be seen along Lake Isle Avenue and Norwood in Sections 21 and 28. The mill foundation can still be seen just north of the "Boat House" at 2304 Lakeisle Avenue. This mill, through its various evolutions and owners, was the major industrial enterprise in northern Manistee County for the next 30 years, providing supplies, building material, and employment to pioneer settlers. The dam washed out several times, the mill burned at least once, and eventually a large steam powered mill overshadowed the water powered one. The enterprise was owned successively by Joseph Stronach; James Stronach (1848); Joseph Harper (1851); J. L. James, Frances Hannah, and Joseph Rockwell (1854); Samuel Lockwood and William Coffin(1860); Porter and Bates (1866); Silas Lee Porter and Henry H. Porter (1867); and finally A.W. Farr in the mid 1870's. A szµall community grew up around the mill, numbering perhaps a dozen buildings, including a company store and school. In 1850 the mill employed 12 men and had an output of $7,500 worth of lumber. A decade later the mill employed 22 people and produced $25,000 worth of lumber annually. John Wright is credited with being the first bona fide settler in Onekama Township. He was a fisherman who is believed to have built a cabin on Portage Lake in 1856 (it was another ten years before he troubled himself with purchasing the property). Wright was followed by the families of Nathan P. Pierce, John Dailey, and Peter McCabe. For the most part, these early families lived off the land; as fishermen, by manufacturing shingles or barrels, and by planting gardens. They were able to raise a small amount of cash by working in the mill on the outlet or by selling the same mill timber from their property. I I I ~ l 9 �In 1863, the federal Homestead Act came into effect and provided free land, up to 160 acres, to bona fide settlers. This resulted in the immediate arrival of settlers interested in farming, and when the Civil War ended two years later, the settlement of the entire area by hearty pioneers. Toe influx of the homesteaders brought the township population up to the level necessary for a more local government. Toe petitions to separate Onekama from Manistee Township were filed in the fall of 1866 and confirmed by the County Board the following spring. Toe township government commenced on the first Monday in April of 1867, with an election and the annual meeting. Officers elected were: E. P. Bates, Supervisor; Joel Guernsey, Clerk; and Nathan Pierce, Treasurer. A map showing the evolution of Manistee Township, including Onekama Township is on page 16. Historic Population Data U.S. Census Years onekana Twp. , v. Onekama Village 1870 255 1880 684 1890 1,082 1900 920 274 1910 784 324 1920 688 252 Years 1930 Onekama Twp. & V. 687 onekana Village 325 1940 708 340 1950 833 435 1960 894 469 1970 1,128 638 1980 1,444 582 As more and more settlers moved into the Township, they began to recognize certain '. I limits placed on their prosperity by the mill at the outlet of Portage Lake. The water powered mill caused the level of Portage Lake to fluctuate by several feet which caused flooding to adjoining property owners making it difficult for them to utilize all their land for agriculture. Of a greater concern was the fact that the mill owners totally controlled the commerce on Portage Lake by controlling the access to the water transportation facilities of Lake Michigan. Every homesteader and settler owned vast amounts of timber and in the winter it was possible for those within a mile or two of water to move the timber on sleighs to Lake Michigan or Portage Lake. Those people who carried their forest products to Lake Michigan found a competitive market with dozens of interested buyers maintaining a fair market price. However, those who carried their products to Portage Lake (perhaps as many as half the township residents) found only one buyer --the owner of the property at the outlet-- and no competition in the market. In the spring of 1871 the resentment concerning the outlet of Portage Lake reached a crisis and the settlers around Portage Lake literally took the matter into their own hands. At the narrowest point between the two lakes, about a mile south of the outlet, they proceeded to dig a new channel. Naturally, their efforts were a great concern to the mill operators at the outlet and the latter used every legal means available to halt the digging of the new outlet. By that time, however, the determination of the settlers had reached unstoppable proportions and the new channel was opened with a trickle of water on May 10 �14, 187!1. Within a matter of minutes the trickle became a· stream, then a river, and finally a channel hundreds of feet wide. The result of this lowered the Portage Lake water level 13 to 16 feet. Several days later the tug C. WILLIAMS brought the new barge D. L. FILER from Manistee and became the first large commercial vessel to enter Portage Lake. To commemorate the event, Andrew Shanks, who owned the property on the south side of the new outlet, subdivided his land for a community which he named Williamsport. Around 1860, outside investors made extensive purchases at the north edge of the township among prime hardwood lands. Development of this property commenced in 1866 when the firm of Turner and Eckels built a dock and several buildings at Lake Michigan in the center of Section 4. They started cutting their own timber for firewood, purchasing firewood from the newly arrived homesteaders, and selling wood on their pier to passing steamers. The place carried the name of Turnersport and included a post office of that name. Development was greatly enhanced when the Turnersport properties were purchased by C. W. Perry in 1870. He developed an extensive community, with the name changed to Pierport, and expanded the business of his predecessors 2 • Growth was further enhanced in 1875 when the Bear Lake Tram Railway was built between that village in the ad joining township and Pierport. This probably tripled the shipping activity at Pierport and made forest products sales possible at the railway for all the pioneers in the northern part of the township. By 1880 the population of Pierport numbered several hundred and the community included several dozen buildings. In 1882 the Tram Railway was replaced by the Bear Lake & Eastern Railroad, providing even more services. From 1870 until after the turn of the century, the docks at Pierport were scheduled stops for steamers providing coastal service along Lake Michigan. A Methodist Church served the religious needs of the community. Pierport thrived as long as the B. L. & E. Railroad operated. However, it was discontinued in 1903 and the town steadily declined in importance. The original name for Portage Lake was "0-nek-a-ma-engk" which is believed to have translated from the Indian language as "portage". In 1880, Augustine W. Farr decided his commercial enterprise, including a sawmill, store, and post office at old Portage, was poorly located and he decided to move his operations to a new village located directly on Portage Lake. Along the northeastern edge of the lake subdivisions were platted, new buildings constructed, a sawmill built, and docks constructed and the new village, Onekama, named after the Indian name of the lake, came into existence. The village grew very quickly with several additional subdivisions, including Brookfield to the east. Stores were built and people quickly settled in the village. Industries included several sawmills, shipbuilding, and later, fruit processing. The township was originally served by four schools, including one in the village. Over the decades, the smaller schools were all consolidated into one large facility in the village. Churches in the village include the l [ I L 1 Further Reading: The Storv of Portage by Neskett Chaney; privately published. 2 Further reading: The Way it Was by Bertha Gilson; privately published. 11 �I [_ L.. Congregational, St. Joseph Catholic, Trinity Lutheran, Episcopal~ and the Church of the Brethren. It is almost impossible for people of today to imagine the plight of the homesteaders who came in the 1860's. Although they received 160 acres of free land, this land was virtually all timbered. certainly not conducive to fanning. They commenced by cutting the trees with axes, burning them where they fell, working the land between the stumps with hand tools, and planting their first crops. After several acres were cleared in this fashion, they could grow enough hay to feed cows and oxen or horses. Then things went faster and the farms began to improve quickly. By the 1880's, Onekama Township would have begun to take on the appearance of the farming communities of the more settled areas of the country although innumerable stumps would still have been present. By the time of the 1904 Michigan Agricultural Census, the majority of farms in the township would have been near the peak of their development. This census shows 125 farms in the township with an average value of $2,144 (72% of the county average of $2,971). Each farm had an average of 12 cattle, 2 horses, 4 pigs, and 23 chickens and produced 95 bushels of corn, 13 bushels of wheat, 70 bushels of oats, 270 bushels of potatoes, and 7 tons of hay. Fruit was important, with the average farm producing 60 bushels of apples and 40 bushels of peaches. As the natural fertility of the soil was depleted, it required greater efforts to maintain the productivity of township farms. In recent years general farming has disappeared, although fruit farms have increased in economic importance. The opening of the new channel between Portage Lake and Lake Michigan made the lake one of the finest harbors on the big lake. Immediately, at least five piers were built on Portage Lake for the shipment of forest products. Unfortunately, the action of the predominant westerly winds soon filled the channel and it required constant dredging to maintain a sufficient depth of water for commercial vessels. In the late 1870's the federal government commenced work on the channel to provide a "Harbor of Refuge". Funding for this program was only voted occasionally so the harbor was rarely a good "Harbor of Refuge" but was maintained sufficiently for regular commercial use. Commercial freighters used Portage Lake to pick up or deliver freight until the 1930's. Coastal ferries made regular stops at Onekama and resort piers as long as they operated in the area (about 1875 to 1915). After an extensive resort business developed, the large Lake Michigan passenger steamers stopped at Portage Lake dock, operating from about 1905 until 1931. The earliest settlers all depended on the water for tr;msportation of any sizable cargoes. When necessary they walked along the beach to Manistee. Around 1870 a State Road was built from Manistee north through the township, providing at least a right-of-way for the pioneers to follow (the State Road construction contracts frequently called for only clearing a route with no gravel or other paving). Over the years this route was gradually improved until it was paved around 1930 and is today the familiar M-22. Excellent overland transportation really became available in 1888 when the Manistee & Northeastern Railroad constructed a spur line into Onekama. This line served the township needs until the road system was improved with the arrival of motorized transportation after the turn-of-the- century. 12 I • �• By 1880 residents of Manistee were beginning to look to Portage Lake for a pleasant escape from the heat of the industrial city in the summer months. Before the decade was over, frequent boat service (a virtual commuter service) was provided between Portage Lake and Manistee in July and August and cottages quickly appeared around the lake. In 1886, A.W. Farr built the Glen House and advertised the virtues of Onekama mineral water far and wide. Although the hotel was short-lived, it clid increase awareness of Portage Lake as an ideal resort throughout the Midwest. In the 1890's the resort subdivisions of Red Park and Wickitewa were developed. Finally, in 1902, development started of the extensive Portage Point property. A large hotel was built, lots were sold, cottages built, and direct steamer service from Chicago was provided. Although motorized transportation and good roads drove away the steamers, Portage Lake's reputation as a fine resort community had been established and tourism has been a major force in the economy for three quarters of a century. In recent years, the small farms have disappeared and more township residents have sought employment in the industrial and commercial activities of nearby Manistee. The oil and gas industry has been a major factor in the economy in the 1970's and 1980's, but tourism and fruit farming remain the strongest economic force. List of historic sites in Onekama Township: (see map on page 17) On the National Historic Register: Portage Point Inn Historic District Register of Archeological Sites•: Pierport Inclian Occupation site Archeological sites in Sections 21, 22, 27, and 28 ii State Register of Historic Places: Memorial Fountain 4775 Main Street (Village Park) State Centennial Farms: August Brown/Kladj Farm Charley & T Mallison Farm William L. Kline Farm Walnut Grove Farm 8579 4735 5901 5968 Brandt Road Thirteen Mile Road Eight Mile Road Eight Mile Road County Historic List, recommended for state listing: 3 Further reading: Wellspring and Wellspring II. Onekama High School history project under direction of Gail VerPlan.k. · ' Further Reading: Clerestory. "Management of Archaeological Sites", Michigan DepL of Secretary of State, Bureau of History. 13 �Red Park Historic District I I '. County Historic Site/Building List: (Criteria: Sites of countywide significance which are: the "first of' in the county, if significant; (1) an event which is significant in altering the way of life in the county; is a substantiated documented event; (2) took place at a specific site, such as (but not limited to) birthplaces, graves, residents or historic personalities; (3) a site of religious, ethnic, racial community; and (4) buildings which meet 5 or more of the following points: (a) at least 50 years old; (b) original construction of good design/architecture; (c) does not have artificial (plastic, aluminum, chipboard) siding; (d) does not have artificial window frames; (e) alterations and additions, if any, must respect the original construction, architectural theme; (f) maintained in reasonable condition.) MUSIC shipwreck diving site in Portage Lake Tugboat shipwreck diving site near Portage Lake channel Indian Fields near Pierport Old Portage, abandoned town site Glen House site, significant tourist development location. Former Portage Point Summer Resort Corporation, Portage Point (county's only resort corporation) and contemporary cottage neighborhood. Congregational Church bldg. 4920 Spring Street Pierport house 12470 Burtker Road Williamsport Cottage/house 1963 Crescent Beach Road Williamsport Cottage/house 2046 Crescent Beach Road Williamsport Cottage/house 2056? Crescent Beach Road Williamsport Cottage/house 2110 Crescent Beach Road Williamsport Cottage/house 23 70 Crescent Beach Road Hans Hansen house 4177 Crescent Beach Road William Kline House 5968 Eight Mile Road Sen. Glen Cottage/house 12614 Lakeview Road Cottage/house 4240 Main Street Perry House 3015 Thirteen Mile Road Burtker House 3172? Thirteen Mile Road Pierport House 3187 Thirteen Mile Road Pierport House 3204? Thirteen Mile Road Onekama House 8386 Mill Street House 8322 Third Street Onekama Township Historic List: 2304 Lakeisle Boat House 14 �Lakeisle By Bertelson Cemetery In Pierport 4985 Crescent Beach Road 9026 Erdman Road Old Portage Channel Bertelson School Pierport School School School 15 �--, ···.·•· - l ,,I· I ,:q; . j. 1 .; -· :ONEKAMA TOWNSIIIP POLITICAL BOUNDARY EVOLUTION ' I ·· . 1· , , 1~. 1869-1891 1866-1869 -4 Arcadia 1-ik,• ....I>, I I ~ § p., H I ~ Ari·,ul l.1 l..1k1• TOWNSlll 1' f, , 1· :· i 1· ,' I 1891-rrurnt.' rL • I I ;f!·, i ARCAllI.~ ~ Art.· ,1cl l _. l.1k 1· TOWN SIii r i:' :11 ;l..', . ,, !. ,_:, :, ., ! .: '' :i· ' I ,' . i.', . I· .". . :11 I ! ~ : I • : ii !i: ,'I' : I TOWNSlllP t; 'i',' t. ·: I {:! I f t, !, ., , . '· • 1855-1866 II'. • 1' ONf.KAHA I 1 :c VI ~ i ... :1,, f,. 0 ·H I ror~ ..... r·' ' 1': °' MANISTEE r :!5 :f 1fj ·'1i ~: ' .;, t • .. TOWNSIIIP TOWNSHIP ---,.,..;ii -,~:i·I . i\l 1:f; ·I ~I L'. l · : !: !.•·; .) . 'i ··j ., , i:·!: !I1·•·. ' t .. 'I" . l J , , ,I t/ • I••: , . : I I ;: ,. :, .. ' �--, Archaeological Site in the Respective Section National Historic R~g i ster of Places Distri..:: · · * .. • County <;J 4 a i-- i ■ A 2 State Historic Site ,-,--1 Centennial Fann Abandoned Town County Recommended· District to State Historic Register Shipwreck I 11 Fonner Building Site of Tourist Development· Significance u Historic Church Buildin~ Historic (Architecture) House . · • . ... l5 lC 1 0 Portage Point Summer Resort Corp. and Neighborhood 17 MANISTEE COUNTY PlANl-llNG COM~ISSI0!-1 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP COLLOQUIAL NAMES Warles (Werlies Corners Pierport l 2 M.:lllisons Corners -----\ + u 11 I 1 11 Olde Baldy~---Sand Hill 0 24 ecatholic e, Onekama Cemetery Old Greenwood Glenwood North Point Andy's Point Spri'.iger f illag 25ceme d Williamspor 34 PLN-HIST.ONE] 18 MANISTEE COUNTY PLANI-IING --- ------ -::.--=----=-- - CdM'~ISSIO~ �NATURAL RESOURCES SURFACE WATER I • I ' Onekama Township is in three surface drainage areas -- watersheds: Portage Lake, Big Bear Creek ( and Bear Lake), and the Lake Michigan shoreline. Portage Lake watershed is the major drainage pattern in Onekama Township. The watershed extends into Bear Lake, Brown and Manistee Townships. The watershed of Portage Lake resembles the general nature of many large inland lakes. For the most part, those lands directly abutting Portage Lake are relatively flat in character with near level or mildly sloping areas ascending from the lake edge to the more distant areas away from the lake. Not surprisingly, many pockets of wetlands and areas prone to periodic flooding are evident. These flat regions extend from the lake's edge to a minimum of 300 feet outward and reach, in some areas, as far as 5,000 feet. At the periphery of these flat areas, significant increases in grade and elevations are evident. Except for the far east region of the lake area where overall grades tend to be less than 3%, most all other lands adjacent to the lake valley floor rise at grades ranging from 6% to more than 20%. These highly sloped areas provide elevation differences ranging from 80 feet to more than 200 feet, at which point there is considerable variation in overall grades beyond. Bear Lake's watershed encompasses most of the northern part of Onekama Township. It includes the relatively flat glacial plain surface area which surrounds Bear Lake. The lake, in turn, drains into Little Bear Creek, then to Big Bear Creek. Next, Big Bear Creek drains into the Big Manistee River, in the south part of Manistee County, and then into Manistee Lake and Lake Michigan. (A small portion of the township (near Gordon Lake) is part of a watershed which drains into Little Beaver Creek and then into Big Bear Creek.) Much of the Lake Michigan shoreline is part of a watershed area which goes directly to Lake Michigan. All of Onekama Township is within the Great Lakes Water Basin. A watersheds map of the township is on page 36, showing the estimated divides between watersheds. Watersheds are the areas around a creek, river or lake which drain into that creek, river or lake. Thus, any water which does not evaporate or soak into the ground flows downhill to a particular body of water. In Michigan's glacial geography, groundwater moves in roughly the same direction. Thus, one can make an educated guess as to the direction sedimentation, septic nutrients and industrial pollutions will migrate. 19 �t .. . I I I.! I ' I l. L This type of consideration is important in locating new subdivisions, municipal water wells or major disposal sites. For example, one should take care in locating polluting industrial uses (or other uses) in part of a watershed which is "upstream" from a residential area with private water wells. Examination of watersheds, their boundaries, and probable water flow is also important in locating intense land uses and evaluating the probable impact on ground water/surface water and the geographic extent of that impact. A complete list of surface water lakes and streams is listed here: Lakes: Portage Lake Gordon·s Lake (section 24) unnamed pond north of Dyke Street (section 25) unnamed pond east of Fairgrounds (section 36) unnamed pond by Milarch Road (section 36) unnamed pond by Milarch Road (section 24) unnamed pond by M-22 and Eleven Mile Road (section 10) unnamed pond by M-22 and Eleven Mile Road (section 11) unnamed pond by M-22 and Potter Road (section 10) unnamed pond by M-22 and Potter Road (section 11) Kuenzer Lake (section 3) unnamed pond north of Kuenzer Lake (section 3) Rivers, Streams: (Section the river's mouth is found) unnamed intermittent creek [Lakeshore and Crescent Beach Roads] (section 33) unnamed creek [Red Park] (section 33-34) unnamed creek [between Red Park and Wic-A-Te-Wah] (section 34) unnamed creek [underground at Wic-A-Te-Wah] (section 34) Hanson Creek (section 35) unnamed creek [between Hanson Creek and Easy Street] (section 35) unnamed creek [Easy Street] (section 35) unnamed creek [between Easy St. and Farr Road] (section 35) unnamed creek [between Easy St. and Farr Road] (section 35) unnamed creek [between Easy St. and Farr Road] (section 35) Dunham Creek (section 36) unnamed creek (section 36) unnamed creek [goes underground through fairgrounds] (section 36) Schimke Creek [and feeder creeks] (section 36) unnamed creek [goes underground through Brookfield] (section 25) unnamed creek [village, Brook Street] (section 25) Glen Creek [village, First-Spring Streets] (section 26) unnamed creek [village, Mineral Springs] (section 26) unnamed creek [M-22/Portage Point Dr.] (section 26) unnamed creek [Indian Creek, Eden Camp] (section 22) 20 �McGowans Creek [Mulls Creek] (section 22) Portage Lake Channel (section 32) 0 Id F aceful [Pierport] (section 4) A surface water map is on page 37. Surface water (lake, river) in Onekama Township is an important natural feature. It has a direct contribution to property values and to the quality of life. Several studies in other communities have documented a direct correlation between property value, desire to vacation in an area and water quality. A study of this nature was conducted for Crystal Lake in Benzie County by the Northwest Michigan Regional Planning and Development Commission (now Northwest Michigan Council of Governments) in Traverse City. One can conclude it becomes important for a community to take measures to protect surface water quality in lakes and streams. Portage Lake has been the subject of several studies in the past: preliminary studies for the need of sanitary sewers, Cladophora Algae analysis to attempt to identify nutrient loading in Portage Lake, and most recently the Portage Lake Management Plan. The Lake Management Plan also recommends continued water quality monitoring: ! . I. r ' I ! ·I I • * As part of the responsibility of a local public office or private testing laboratory, a comprehensive water quality monitoring program is essential. Comprehensive, as used here, implies a well-planned program providing consistently reliable and accurate data. Such a monitoring program is needed if pollutants are to be identified, pollution sources located, water quality trends recognized and if the success of quality controls is to be measured. Specific elements within the monitoring programs should, at a minimum, include the following: Establishment of benchmarks as references to identify future trends in water 1. quality. 2. Samplings of water throughout all areas of lake and shoreline as well as specific existing and anticipated problem areas; also, samplings along all tributaries entering Portage Lake. 3. Consistency in sample locations. 4. Samplings after calm and stormy weather. 5. Samplings at consistent and appropriate depths. * A repeated conclusion in the above reports is that nutrient loading of Portage Lake is taking place. Several man-made causes of the pollution can be reduced by preventative measures which cost little and do little to change one's lifestyle or a community's economic livelihood; particularly nutrients from septic tanks and lawn fertilization. One of the Portage Lake Management Plan's recommendations is the establishment of a septic tank maintenance district. Adoption, compliance, and enforcement of an On-Site Sewage Disposal Ordinance is the most immediate and cost effective action available in confronting this issue. This ordinance should be established based upon the expertise of Manistee County's and the 21 �t -~ r~i L_ .~; L: [ 1-, [ It .,' I., L [ ) State's health departments, the Onekama Township and Manistee County Planning Commissions. and the Department of Natural Resources, Water Resource Commission. Such an ordinance should, at a minimum, address the following issues: 1. Development of strict and enforceable maintenance schedule for all on-site sewage disposal systems within the Portage Lake watershed, including specialized maintenance and clean-out schedules for all systems within the critical peripheral shoreline zone as determined by the local or state health departments. 2. Establishment of a special assessment district to assist in evaluation of the issues. policy development, maintenance programs and financial support. 3. Requirement of on-site sewage disposal systems for all agricultural properties housing livestock. 4. Establishment of minimum drain field elevations based upon flood or high water data and the requirement of replacement or improvement of all faulty drain fields at time of transfer of property rights. 5. Specific punitive measures for non-compliance including possible public notice to Jake users identifying areas and properties expelling substandard waste effluent. 6. Establishment of revised minimum operating standards for all on-site systems, taking into account the lake's ability or inability for flushing. * A second preventative measure is the requirement of a greenbelt along the edges of surface water. Lawn fertilization and septic nutrients travel relatively close to the surface toward a water body. Woody plant material (trees, bushes, and other plants with a wood trunk or leader) is most effective at growing roots into the nutrient's zone of travel and using those nutrients by removing them from the soil before they reach the water. The University of Michigan has published bulletins listing which plants are most effective at this task. 5 * As activities occurring within the immediate shoreline area of Portage Lake can have direct and immediate effects upon all aspects of the lake, a Shoreline Development Ordinance should be adopted by the Township. Issues to be covered within this ordinance should include the following: 1. Specific provisions for shoreline protection and maintenance. 2. Regulations on allowable lawn fertilization techniques and scheduling. 3. Controls of runoff laden with pollutants including oil, grease, gasoline, etc. 4. Protection of natural environmental features. 5. Establishment of a greenbelt around the lake which shall remain unmodified and protected from alteration. 6. Prohibition of keyhole development. * A third preventative measure is to stop the over-use of lawn fertilizer in the first place. Through a homeowner's use of soil testing (through Michigan State University 5 Lakeland Report Number 12 on Greenbelts; A Circle of Protection for Inland Lakes prepared by University of Michigan Biological Station, Douglas Lake, February 1979. 22 �'·- ) ' . ! . I I Cooperative Extension Service), one can identify the exact amount of fertilizer needed. To place more fertilizer on a lawn simply means the nutrients are not used by turf, and start to travel to the water where it becomes nutrient pollution in the water. The Portage Lake Management Plan recommends an education campaign so residents are aware of these issues and can learn how to not overfertilize their lawns. While it is evident that many people in the area are aware of negative forces affecting lake water quality, the value of a public awareness program to educate the public on the dynamics of lake water quality is unmeasurable in modifying the public's practices. Specific information to be included should cover, at a minimum, the following topics: 1. How an efficient septic system operates and the results of a non-operational system. 2. Dynamics of weed and algae growth in relationship to nutrient loading. 3. Relationship between lake water quality and real estate values. 4. Escalating nature of poor water quality once initial pollutants are introduced. 5. The value of water conservation in relation to septic tank operations. 6. The effect of lawn fertilization and other chemicals upon lake water quality. * While the need for an immediate public sewerage system will not necessarily be known until a water quality monitoring program is implemented, the development of the Portage Lake area can only increase over time, resulting in greater densities and exacerbating the water quality condition. The long time between developing and financing such a sewer system and its actual implementation can have a debilitating effect upon the lake. Should the township envision a future land use plan incorporating higher intensity development near the periphery of the lake, then this service becomes that much more critical. Accordingly, initial action should be taken before the need is severe and water quality sacrificed. Attention should be directed to the following critical areas: 1. Analysis of alternative treatment techniques and locations. 2. Analysis of financial options and sources for implementation of a sewerage system. A septic restrictions map on page 38 illustrates locations where it is not likely homeowner sewage disposal systems --septic tank with a drain field or dry well-- would be permitted. These areas were drawn with the assistance of Mr. James Lerg, Sanitarian, Manistee-Mason District Health Department. Using files in his office showing each parcel of land where a septic tank permit had been denied was shown on township (8 1/2 by 11 and 8 1/2 by 14) contour maps. Areas shown as wetlands by ·the U.S. Geological Survey, and areas where the health code required 100 foot setback from water or wetlands, were also marked on the maps as areas where septic systems would not be allowed. Mr. Lerg also shaded other areas where he suspected an application for a septic tank would be denied due to the area's failure to perc when tested. Such areas may be acceptable for low density development where there is room for special designs or larger drain fields (10 acres per living unit). The information from Mr. Lerg's maps was transferred to the Septic Building Restrictions Map on page 38. 23 �Wetlands in Onekama Township are mainly former pothole lakes and associated with lowlands of some lakes: * Wetland west of Red Park between Crescent Beach Road and Portage Lake. (swamp) Wetland on both sides of Leonard Avenue. (swamp) * Wetland just east of Ellen Road, in association with Hanson Creek. (swamp, * bog) ·wetlands at the tip of Sandy Point (northeast end of Easy Street). (wetland field, swamp) Wetland at north end of Farr Road. Wetlands along the east edge of Portage Lake. (marsh) * Wetlands associated with the mouth of McGowan's Creek. (swamp, marsh, bog) ·wetland upstream from mouth of McGowan's Creek. * Wetlands on east side of Andy's [North] Point. (marsh) Wetlands on west side of Andy's [North] Point. (marsh) * Wetland near Lakeview Road. (marsh) Wetlands associated with the Troy-Tower Nature Conservancy sand dune preserve. ·wetland associated with Gordon's Lake. (section 24) Wetland associated with Cooper Lake. (section 24) Wetland on south side of Maidens Road. (section 24) Wetland on north side of Eleven Mile Road. (section 11) Wetland near corner of Northwood Highway and Potter Road (section 11). Wetland associated with Kuenzer Lake. (section 3) Wetland near the center of section 3. The major wetland areas in the township are marked with an asterisk (*). They are considered major because of several factors: size, association with large or important surface water bodies, value for wildlife habitat, surface water cleaning and protection. It is important to note, none of the wetlands in Onekama Township are considered --on a countywide or statewide basis-- to be a high priority for protection. That is not to say they should not be protected or receive special regulatory attention (they should, particularly the asterisked ones). But it does point out that there are major wetlands elsewhere in Manistee County which merit more protection and attention than those in Onekama Township. · It is Onekama Township's desire to not allow development in the asterisked wetlands, and to take special protective measures. They are shown on a detail map of the Portage Lake area 39. Such protection will be in addition to -not instead of-- state wetland regulatory protection measures. On page 40 is the definition (statutory and administrative rules) of what constitutes a wetland which is protected by the Goemaere Anderson Wetland Protection Act. Wetlands are highly complex natural systems in the ecological balance of nature. Wetlands provide the most productive areas for breeding, nesting and rearing of birds, I I I. r.,.. L L I ' I I i • ) i . ; 24 - -- -=--- - -~ . �. ! -=--- I·• !' I • I mammals, fish and reptiles. From that cycle of nature comes the wildlife for enjoyment. hunting, fishing and trapping, which in turn provides an important contribution to the tourist industry in Michigan. A traditional use of wetlands -- bogs -- is for the production of cash crops such as cranberries, blueberries and timber. (Though not currently found in Onekama.) Wetlands play an important role in sediment control and wastewater treatment. Particularly with the wetlands at the east end of Portage Lake, the wetlands act as a major sediment filter. Also, the wetlands play an important role in maintaining - improving -- the water quality of a lake. The wetlands provide an "oxygen factory" which replaces oxygen in the lake used in the process of material decaying on the lake bottom. The wetland also provides a natural system which uses -- thus removes -nutrients from the lake water. This function of wetlands is particularly critical when on a lake with a large amount of homes depending on septic tanks near the lake and lawns (with no greenbelt) adjacent to the lake. Protection of the wetlands is an important aspect of the Portage Lake Management Plan of 1987, adopted as part of this plan by this reference. All wetlands, regardless of location in Onekama Township, provide the above positive attributes. Also, wetlands provide a storage, or buffer, for floodwater and other water runoff. A wetland area is able to absorb large quantities of water, in effect storing the water, and letting it drain slowly rather than having water draining all at once. resulting in floods or erosion from runoff. The flood areas map is on page 41. SOILS Soils information used for this plan (page 42) is based on the Manistee Countv Third Level Soil Association Report and Tables of March 1982. The soils information is a major source of data on the township's land resources. Soil data is a major factor in determining prime forestlands and timber productivity rates, in identifying nationally unique agricultural areas and locally essential farmlands, and soil characteristics play a role in determining septic tank feasibility, housing development suitability, industrial disposal limitations, and so on. The Third Level Soil Association Report is not a modern progressive soil survey. Such detailed information has not been done for Manistee County. A third level soil association report is a compilation of soil conservation service soil maps of individual farms. The farms were mapped when they became participants in the SCS/Soil Conservation District programs. Such mapping has been done from the 1930s to present. After compiling individual farm soil maps, a soil scientist uses air photos and a windshield survey to interpolate soil information in the unmapped areas of the county. The soils information is "third level" in that it uses old soil survey information, involves interpolation, and involves combining similar soils into broad categories (associations). Such a report is useful for broad planning purposes and for making zoning ordinance policy decisions. However, site inspection is necessary for planning specifics, such as for buildings, roads. farm operation, taxation and so on. 25 �r ' I ' [ . . : I I I - l. I , I • On the map (page 42), soils were divided into soil associations and labeled bv a letter-number code. Discussion here. for summary purposes. will include the generalized categories shown on the attached map with parentheses enclosing soil association codes. The following discussion will give a generalization as to where soil types are found in the township. Sandy soils -- Graycalm (A2), Deer Park and Eastport soils with lake effect (A2-lk) and Rubicons (Bl) - are mainly found north of Portage Lake along the west edge of the township. These soils are common in "poorer" soil glacial moraine areas such as the southern extent of the Marilla Hills and the Udell Hills in Stronach Township. The soils are characterized as infertile and not well suited for agricultural purposes. The sandy texture contributes to the draughty, well-drained nature of the area. \Yater seldom forms in puddles. but soaks into the soil rapidly. Irrigation efforts must be extensive. The soils tend to be stable in that they do not heave or shift upon freezing. This characteristic allows for excellent building sites. road beds, etc. which may not require as large a foundation or base as would be· required in other soil types. The rapid permeability of the soil also allows pollution -- mainly septic nutrients -- to move relatively rapidly through the soil. While a septic tank will ''work" in that it does not plug up. concern comes with the rapid movement of effluents and poor filtration ability of the soil. This can be countered by requiring larger drain fields, relatively large parcels and discouraging use of drywells (use a drain field instead). Loamy sand soils -- Kalkaska soils (C8) and Kalkaska-like soils (C7) but with a weaker profile development similar to Rubicon (Bl) -- are mainly found in the centralnortheast portions of Onekama Township and along the south edge of the township. This grouping of soils is _the most dominant soil type in Onekama Township. The soils are characterized as more fertile than the sandy soils, but still not· considered excellent agricultural production soil. Historic poor soil management practices have degraded much of this category of soils. Most of the Kalkaska-like soil (C7) is considered by soil scientists to be a depleted soil which was originally a soil with a stronger profile, Kalkaska (C8). In the northwest portion of the township the mapping of the Kalkaska-like (C7) soils can be seen to follow a pattern similar to property lines created by the Northwest Ordinance section and quarter-quarter property description system. This provides strong evidence that certain farms, and farm practices, lead to the weaker soil profile. Again, the soil is draughty, with a rapid water intake. Drainage is generally not needed with the rapid percolation. Crop or timber productivity will be higher than sandy soils, but will vary within the general group. The soils tend to be stable, in that they do not heave or shift with freezing or when becoming wet or dry. As above, this lends itself toward better building sites. With rapid permeability of the soil, the same concerns exist relative to septic tank and pollution discharge as expressed for sandy soils. Both sandy soils and loamy-sand soils are subject to wind erosion and blowouts. They are also subject to sidehill seepage. This is a problem which occurs when septic tank dry wells and drain fields are placed near hillsides. The effluent leaving the on-site sewage disposal system tends to seep back to the surface on the hillside. Requirements 26 I ! ' �r I L, 'l. • • [ [ [ ,- . I [_ , for setback from the crest of a hill --already provided for in the Manistee County Health Code-- usually avoids this occurrence. Clay soils, such as Nester and Manistee series, in complex with loamy soils such as Emmet, Menorninc:=e and Newaygo (C5), are not common in Manistee County and found in only two small locations in Onekama Township. These types of soils represent the best agricultural and timber productivity soils in Manistee County. They are found just north of the Village in Section 25 (west of Milarch Road) and in Section 36 south of Jones Road. Timber growth site indexes on these soils result in tree stands in these areas being rated as nationally significant. The Northwest Michigan Prime Forestlands Inventory,. classifies these areas as Nationally Prime Timberland. These soils do not drain as well as the other soils discussed above. Thus one can expect a higher amount of surface runoff. resulting in rills, gullies, and other water erosion. These soils also tend not to be as stable. resulting in shrinking and swelling as they dry or become wet. They also heave, with frost action. These characteristics result in the requirement of larger and deeper building foundations, road surface thicknesses, and overall more expensive construction. Attempts to use septic tanks in these areas should be suspect for failure. Permeability of these soils is often not adequate for use of septic systems. In these soils very large parcels may be required so a drain field can be constructed over a large enough area to compensate for the slow percolation. if it percolates at all ( 10 acres per dwelling). Loamy soils --Iosco, Kawkawlin [wetland] (El), Loamy/Sand complex [sometimes wetland] (E5)-- are found at the Wic-A-Te-Wah and Eagle Point areas with a few isolated spots in the northern part of the township. There is not a large quantity of this soil type in Onekama, but it is significant due to its location and wetland characteristics. Where it occurs in a drier state (Herkelrath Road, section 10), the loam content of the soil makes this some of the better farm soils found in Manistee County. Drainage is generally •not needed, though occasional tile is required. Pere for drain fields is moderate, with the wetter soils presenting severe septic system problems. Foundation stability is only fair with soil volume change and heaving, shrinking expected. Sandy wetland soils -- Iosco and Kawkawlin loamy sand (El), AuGres and Finch Sandy Wetland (E4), sandy wetland complex (E6), sandy wetland association or compkx (E7) -- are found near Portage Lake. These soils are either in a wet state, or are near wetlands or surface water but in a drier state. These soils, under certain conditions (generally not found in Onekama Township), have characteristics which result in high agricultural productivity and prime timberland rating. When wet, or in wetlands, little or no stability exists for foundations, road beds, etc. Septic systems should not be used in these areas. The soil is regularly wet. When in a dry surface state, (Village, Wic-A-TeWah, County Fairgrounds) characteristics · are similar to sandy soils discussed above, but plagued with a high water table, requiring septic system mounds, no or shallow basement construction, and providing drainage problems. Shrinking, swelling and frost heaving will , ' Northwest Michigan Prime Forest Lands Inventory: produced cooperatively by the Northwest Michigan Resource Conservation and Development Council, Northwest Michigan Regional Planning and Development Commission (now Council of Governments), DNR. and Soil Conservation Districts, 1982. 27 �'I ' ! I ' LJ L r L.i [ occur in direct proportion to the depth of the water table and moisture content of the: soil. Clay mineral and organic wetland soils -- Bergland clay swamps (F2), a complex of Roscommon sand. Tawas Lupton organics and clay-loam Bergland Brevort Ensley (F4) -are found in some of the Onekama Township wetlands. These soils can be relatively good timber growth sites. However, timber harvesting needs to be done with protective measures for the watershed environment. Septic systems should not be used in these areas. Little or no stability exists for foundations, road beds, etc. The soil is regularly wet. Organic soils -- Tawas, Lupton organic wetland (Gl), (G2) -- are mainly found in the visually obvious wetland areas, marshes. bogs, etc. such as the east end of Ponage Lake, those found on Andy's [North] Point. by Little Eden Camp and associated with Kuenzer Lake. These organic soils (muck. bogs, swamps, mineral soils and open water) do not have any rating for agricultural or timber production. Septic systems should not be used in these areas. No stability exists for foundations, road beds, etc. The soil is regularly wet, if not saturated. Shifting dunes and Beaches (Hl) are discussed in more detail in the section on the township's geography. The soil's characteristics for septic systems are similar to sandy soils (Al) discussed above. While frost movement and shrink/swell is not a problem, severe active wind erosion is likely to undermine or cover roads, foundations, etc. These soils are not rated for agriculture or timber. They are generally found in fragile Lake Michigan dune areas where low density development and dune protection measures should dominate decision making. Made Land (H5) are areas where artificial fill has taken place, most often found behind seawalls etc., in Onekama Village and both sides of Easy Street. FORESTRY ! • l . I [._, I '---- Using information from the soils report and data put together by the Prime Forestlands Identification Project in northwest Michigan, the Forest Production Potential map on page 43 illustrates the areas in Onekama Township which are classified as nationally prime timberlands, timberlands of regional importance, local importance and areas not classified. Forestry for Onekama Township is an important industry, especially due to its proximity to Packaging Corporation of America, a corrugated medium paper and pulp mill and various loggers and handlers. Packaging Corporation of America is located in Manistee County, about 20 miles from most points in the township. Despite the relatively large number in Manistee County already receiving income from an aspect of the timber industry, literature indicates expansion of the timber industry is one of the best routes for Michigan economic development. The Northwest Michigan Prime Forestlands Identification Project reiterates this conclusion. 28 �t ' L. I , L r . Prime forestlands are those lands which are capable of producing sustained high yields of wood products. Capability is determined by the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. Four classes, or levels, of prime forestlands are recognized as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: 1. "Prime timberlands" - Lands which are capable of producing 85 cubic feet (about one standard cord) per acre per year in fully stocked natural stands. These lands are nationally significant, near the Village and in the southeast corner of the township. 2. "Unique timberlands" - Lands which are not capable of producing 85 cubic feet per acre per year but are growing substantial quantities of specific high value species or species capable of producing specialized wood projects. Some examples of unique timberlands in other states are those which support black walnut plantations, pecan. and Atlantic white cedar. There are no unique timberlands designated in Onekama Township. 3. ''Timberlands of statewide or regional importance" - Lands in addition to prime and unique timberlands, that are of statewide or regional importance for the growing of wood. Criteria for delineating these lands is to be determined by a state forestry committee. The Prime Forestlands Identification Project Technical Committee has developed a regional guideline to use as a substitute until these criteria are determined. These lands consist of soils designated as important forestland by the local resource groups and which produce medium-high to high volumes of wood products. Most of Onekama Township's land area falls in this category. 4. ''Timberlands of local importance" - Lands which are not identified as having national or regional significance but are important to our local communities. These lands were also identified by the local resource groups. AGRICULTURE I • The agricultural lands map, page 44, draws its conclusions from two sources. First. the nationally unique fruit sites are delineated in the Red Tart Cherry Site Inventory 1 for Benzie and Manistee Counties, Michigan. Second, locally essential farmland are those areas in which clay, loamy-clay, and loamy soils are found. The map is not intended to indicate where fanning takes place; it is attempting to present a general idea what areas of the township are best suited for a particular type of agricultural activity. Manistee County does not have any prime farmland. Soils and climate simply do not provide the combination of factors which create the conditions for top of the line farm areas. Onekama Township, however, does have a large amount of Nationally Unique Farmland. Geoclimatic conditions for favorable fruit growing sites exist in the township, largely as a result of the hilly terrain, proximity to the climate moderating effect 7 Red Tart Cherry Site Inventory for Benzie and Manistee Counties, Michigan, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service 1975. 29 �of Lake Michigan and sandy soils allowing nutrients to travel (soak into the ground) more effectively to reach root zones of woody plant material (trees). Unique farmland is officially defined in the United States Soil Conservation Service Technical Guide as follows: [ [ L I. I .. I I r I I . r • I_ L ! . "Unique farmland" - land other than prime farmland that is used for the production of specific high value food and fiber crops. It has the special combination of soil quality, location, growing season, and moisture supply needed to economically produce suswined high quality and/or high yields of a specific crop when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods. Examples of such crops are citrus, tree nuts. olives, cranberries. fruits and vegetables. By way of further explanation, the factors weighed and used in identifying uruque farmland in Manistee County follow: Soils which are most desirable, well-drained. sandy loam which is well aerated with medium to high fertility; moderate available water capacity; moderately rapid permeability; at least 48 inches of depth for unrestricted root penetration. Physiographic characteristics which create microclimatic variations (through soil, soil cover, elevation and exposure) which affects local climate in the most favorable manner. Slope gradient should be 2 to 12 percent but still provide adequate air (frost ) drainage; water and air flowageways should be well defined with no construction or obstruction to such tlowageways; location such that cold (frost) air does not drain through the site; more desirable for cold air drainage to areas over water bodies than over land; site to take full advantage of sunshine while not exposed to damaging winds. Climatic factors include cool springs to retard bud development until danger of frost is past; during pollination temperatures should exceed 50 degrees F in the day (for bee activity) and not drop below 28-30 degrees F for any period of time; site should be as free from fog as possible; warm sunny days; lowest winter temperatures should not be below -20 degrees F without an insulating cover of snow. For purposes of this plan, the following definition is used for locally exceptional farmlands: "Locally exceptional farmlands" - Areas which are not nationally prime farmland or unique farmland, but which have Nester, Kent, clayey soils; Emmet, McBride, Menominee, Newaygo or Ubly loamy soils; above clayey or loamy soils in complex with Blue Lake, East Lake, Kalkaska, Karlin, Leelanau, Mancelona or Montcalm sandy soils, or in complex with Emmet, Menominee and Newaygo loamy soils as shown and coded in the Manistee County Third Level Soil Association Report as Cl, CZ, C3 and C5. Further, such areas are relatively flat, few rocks, free from urban development, not excessively eroded, not saturated with water, available irrigation water, all in such a manner to accommodate common farming practices in Manistee County. The existence of nationally unique farmland in Manistee County and Onekama Township should be placed in perspective. Half the nations' unique farmlands for tree fruit growing is found in Michigan. Sixty to seventy percent of that (or about 30 to 35 30 �rI I I. percent nationally) is found in northwest Michigan. Manistee County contains 1/6th of that, or five percent of the nation's tree fruit nationally unique agricultural lands. Contrast that with Manistee County containing 0.0002 percent of the land area of the Cnited States. Because these areas are not common in the United States, effort should be made to protect them from types of development which eliminate the possibility of agricultural uses. Preservation of farmland is a widely endorsed concept, being endorsed by The Regional Science Research Institute (working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture) 8 • wlichigan Farm Bureau', MSU Cooperative Extension Service 10, MSU Center for Rural Manpower and Public Affairs 1 1, Division of Land Resource Programs of the Ylichigan Department of Natural Resources1 \ Rockefeller Brothers Fund13 , Manistee County Planning Commission:'. American Planning Association! 5 , Michigan Society of Planning r • Coughlin. Robert E. et.al.: :--lational Agricultur.il Lands Studv. The Protection of Farmlands: A Reference Guidebook for State and Local Government. Regional Sdence Researcll Institute. US Government Printing om~. p. 13+. ' Use of Zoning to Retain Essential Agriculturnl Lands, Michigan Farm Bureau. MSU Cooperative Extension. MSU Center for Rural Manpower and Public Affairs, Division of Land Resource Programs Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 1976; and various position papers and v-Mious lobbying statements presented to the Michig-m Legislature. 10 I l • Use of Zoning to Retain Essential Agricultural Lands, Michigan Farm Bureau. MSU Cooperative Extension. MSU Center for Rural Manpower and Public Affairs, Division of Land Resource Progrc:1ms Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 1976; and various Extension Service bulletins. 11 ,I Use of Zoning to Retain Essential Agricultural Lands. Michigan Farm Bureau. MSU Cooperative Extension, MSU Center for Rurc:11 Manpower and Public Affairs. Division of Land Resource Programs Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 1976. i t ._ u Use of Zoning to Retain Essential Agricultural Lands, Michigan Farm Bureau, MSU Cooperative Extension. MSU Center for Rurcil Manpower and Public Affairs, Division of Land Resource Programs Michig-m Department of Natural Resources. 1976. 13 Crowell. Thomas Y. The Use of Land: A Citizens Policy Guide to Urban Growtll: Task Force Report. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund. 1973. 14 Manistee County Planning Commission. Manistee County Land Use Plan. 1984. 15 Toner. William; "Zoning Alone won't Save our Farmland", Planning. January 1979, p 13+. and Arc:1das. Steve et.al.; "Farmland Protection: Knowing What to Protect" PAS Memo. June 1982, 82-6. and several other pamphlets and position papers. 31 �..... lr .. i ' I I 1 . ... r I, i i , I . I' . r . OfficiaI.s 1 •, formal Gnited States Government policy1 ', Michigan Soil Conservation Service 19 • formal State of Michigan policy1', and American Farmland Trustz 0 • While current literature and political thinking is that agricultural related business is a potential for Michigan economic expansion and diversification, this move is not likely to increase the need for additional farmland. Farmland exists, is in use or laying fallow. The issue in Manistee tends to be retention of unique and locally exceptional farmlands for agricultural purposes, as once reverted out of that use (developed), they can virtually never be returned to agricultural purposes. Even though having farmland preservation zoning is a widely held concept. there is concern in Onekama Township if farmers want or need such provisions. To resolve this issue, the Onekama Township Planning Commission created an Agriculture Committee. The committee consisted of two members of the Commission and three Onekama Township farmers. The results of discussions in this committee is the best thing to accomplish agricultural land preservation is a strong and healthy agricultural economy. The second thing centers on land management, and seemingly is contradictory: 1. Do not limit the farmer in terms of what he can do with his land. This is both in terms of not limiting the type of farm operation, farm practices or types of crops (i.e. a broad definition of what is a farm), and for what uses the land may be sold for. 2. Protect the farmer, so incompatible land uses do not start up next to him and so land development in the agricultural area does not drive up the value of land. In short, the farmer wants the cake, and wants to eat it too. In an attempt to reconcile the inherent conflict --freedom to use/sell farm land for whatever is wanted and to protect farms from non-farm high property values and incompatible land uses-- the following is proposed. Onekama Township should use as broad a definition of "farm'' or "agriculture" as possible. The idea is to allow the fullest scope of activities possible while still being a farm or agricultural operation. The definition, or qualification, of a farm under the administrative rules promulgated under the Michigan Farmland and Open Space t ' I • • 16 "MSPO Adopts Farmland Policy", Michigan Planner; Summer,1986; Vol. 6 No. 3 Pg. 10. 17 Title 7 - Agriculture Chapter 73, Section 4201 et..seq. (United States Code). 18 "Farmland Preservation" position paper, July 11, 1983, East Laru:;ing 45748. 19 "Governor Blanchard Signs Farmland Protection Policy", Planning and Zoning News. October 1986, p. 6. zo American Farmland Trust; Plannincr & Zonincr for Farmland Protection: A Communitv Based Approach 1987. 32 �- I. Preservation Act.21. is an c:xample. A second example is the definition used in the Standard Industrial Classification Code (SIC Manual). 22 The district should permit only farms/agricultural and forestry uses in an Agriculture District. Things such as the farmer's home, farm labor's housing, barns, tool and repair shops, storage, should be considered accessory uses to the principle farm use. There are certain uses which are okay, in terms of compatible and not resulting in being detrimental to the agricultural economy (land values). Those uses should be allowed only under certain conditions. Thus. uses like a single family home on a parcel, a small neighborhood retail enterprise, sawmill. and some manufacturing enterprises should be acceptable. Such uses would be subject to certain conditions or standards. Those standards include: 1. From a single parcel of farm land. a maximum of four new parcels can be created. This is to coincide with the state Subdivision Control Act 23 requirement that only four parcels, which are 10 acres or smaller in size, may be created without making a subdivision. (The idea is not to allow residential subdivisions in agricultural areas.) 2. That a special use permit is only issued with the proviso the applicant sign a statement they understand agricultural uses and practices will continue in the area even though they may be inconvenient or a nuisance. That the proposed use utilizes land which is the poorer (in terms of agricultural suitability) areas of a farm, such as a sand blowout, ditches, gullies, dips, etc., or existing buildings. 4. That the proposed use is found to be compatible as a neighbor to agricultural uses. Concerns the above principles are trying to ·deal with include mainly compatibility. The idea is to avoid uses which are going to experience problems being located next to a farm, or which will be a problem for the farm that may be next door. Examples include: (1) an industry (warehousing, retailer) which handles hazardous, toxic or other liquid wastes which may result in groundwater contamination, air pollution which reduces or eliminates crop growth. Such a situation is not compatible to a farm dependent on groundwater. (2) A housing development (i.e. more than a single family home that is only allowed with the above proviso) will not be compatible with farm operations running large equipment at night, manure smell, crop spray blowing onto or into a house, etc. and drives neighboring farm land values up. (3) A large or major retail or service enterprise (i.e. more than a small neighborhood retailer who is only allowed with the above proviso) will 21 P.A 116 of 1974, as amended, being MCL 554.701 et. seq. 22 Standard Industrial Classification Manual 1987; Executive Office of the President, Offic.e of Management and Budget; U. S. Government Printing Office, National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161: Order number PB 87-100012. 23 P.A. ~88 of 1967, as amended, being MCL 560.101 et. seq. �.. not be compatible with farm operations where spray coats merchandise, customers cars. there is high volume traffic on a road also used by large slow farm equipment, and drives neighboring farm land values up. Finally, a concern expressed is farm preservation should not be a zoning district which encompasses any more area than justified. Such a district should include only those areas which are both recognized as nationally unique or locally exceptional farmlands (see map on page 44) and areas which currently and historically have an agriculture land use (see map on page 150). The areas which do not qualify under the conditions given here should be zoned residential or agricultural-residential. SPECIAL AND CNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS AND NATURAL FEATURES Special and unique environments were identified on a county-wide basis bv conducting a survey of known natural, unique and significant features and areas that might warrant special attention in the ·county. Much of that survey material is not reiterated here, nor a matter of public record. Sites, such as those for endangered species, or archaeological sites. are intentionally omitted from specific listing in order to protect the areas from the curious. vandals, and so on. The survey included features listed below: a. Archaeological Sites. b. Historical Sites. c. Historical Structures. d. Scenic Overlooks. e. Scenic Roads. f. Scenic Areas. g. Rare Geological Features. h. Glacial or Geological Formations. i. Areas of Endangered, Threatened or Rare Species. j. Unique Forestlands. k. Unique Nonforested Lands. I. Unique Water Features. m. Unique Wetlands. n. Other Unique Areas. After conducting an inventory of the above, the location( s) of each was plotted on a map. The locations of the plots provided evidence that most locations tended to congregate along some land feature. Thus, areas in Onekama Township, each with attributes listed above, can be defined with a boundary. Obviously, all items inventoried are not included within areas of special and unique environments. It is not the intent to list each feature. Rather, the intent is to designate special and unique environments. This is taken to imply "areas" where several attributes are found, rather than "points" representing a feature. A map on page 45 shows location of special and unique environments in Onekama Township. 34 �l I • r. I I I . l. Lake .Michigan Shore - Coastal Zone Management - High Risk Erosion Areas - Historical Structures and Sites (Portage Point Inn Historic District. Lakeshore Road Historic District, early transportation route ) - Sand dunes and bluffs geological feature - Scenic roads and overlooks - Archaeological sites - Historic, prehistoric and early explorer travel routes 2. Lakeview Road (Pierport) - Scenic Road - Designated ~atural Beauty Road 3. M-22 (a.k.a. Orchard Highway, Crescent Beach Road. Northwood Highway ) - State-promoted scenic highway (scenic road and through scenic areas) - Part of Lake Michigan Circle Tour - Approximates Indian trail north of Onekama (historic site) 4. Portage Point Road - Scenic road - Summer resort neighborhood -- historic buildings, scenic area 5. Portage Point Road Historic District (near M-22) - Historic group of summer homes 6. Red Park Historic District - Historic group of buildings, summer camp, summer homes, commons 7. Lakes ho re Road - Scenic road · - Follows Lake Michigan shore and sand dunes [PLN-NATR.ONE] 35 �• I, ,..... .,·.·.. ,:_,_;;.~·- .:....: ~- _;_.: ·..:-:..~::.. ,:,~.~-~ _--····-· ' . - · -- - - - ·- ., -~~ -~-:-Z:..-: ~ - ·= l 1•-, i ' .; . :=~ - . .:;.:.=: ?-.::-::. . >: . -·..__ - .-=..c Great Lakes Basin Lake Michigan 571 Shoreline, Arcadia to Portage Lake 576 Shoreline, Portage Lake to Bar Lake 572 Portage Lake Outlet 575 Hansen Creek 574 Dunham Creek 573 Schimke Creek Big Manistee River Big Bear Creek 352 Little Beaver Creek Little Bear Creek 354 Bear Lake • • ONEKAMA..- .TOWNSHIP.. -·. . ·-· - ... --· wA .TERS·H.to?::"":_:~~~ =.~ ....:.·.. • I 10 ~..i. - ·-··. - - - - - --- - _,..... .. . ;.:·- ·- -- - · - · - -~ I + -t- I I I [ r· i I .. r1 .• ~ ~ -- ::· ~-- \":·::... •·. :::'--:::.~ ·-.... . ;_ ____ -·- _,_ L + G L I e T 4 [ + ..... L... I ........ I �-- -i ' _j_ -"") i I I i + I I ii E; I Ii \ I I \ ..... \ i ! ... I :-- i I i..:_ J_ ~ I ' • ~ T _,_ + I - N ·N I ~ I + I -r ' e T Gordon. Lake ~ fJ lI ·---- - · - · •-► ·- · -. I I - I T -/ ----- .... Portage _- Lake ~ .....!.I �■ ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP SEPTIC PROBLEM AREAS Areas where septic use is likely to be denie under health code 2 Areas where septic use is suspected to present problems + Based on assessment by James Lerg, ManisteeMason District Health Department, 1980. In addition to areas shown here, areas denie also include: SO feet around a well 10 feet from property line 10 feet from basement wall 10 feet from water lines 15 feet from a ban or steep slope 100 feet from any surface water. I ----- l / - 11 15 11 1 (1982 Health Code.) r I L l 38 MANISTEE COUNTY PLANNING coM,qrssro~ �- , I ' ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP SIGN IF I CA1, , r-7 J '•· ~ L7 r----;] l· ... - _.. , ; i,_ WETLANDS MAP Significant Wetlands as ahown by this Plan: 1. Wetland west of □ Major wet- • lands as mapped by Charles Wolverton of the DNR Dec. -'--;,,-~,:,'(t . ·'~ V/liG ~~'Qlk. Red Park. 2. Wetland on both sides of Leonard Ave. 3. Wetland east of Ellen Road • 4. l~etland along east edge of Pot·tage Lake. 5. Wetlands associated with the mouth of McGowan's Creek 6. Wetlands on west side of Andy's Point. _ _ 1986 /· ' ~ -'-. --t_• ...}.. I ~ . , ,.; ' \ . , ; · "" • . ,·,. r • . , !'R'J.M .... :.;:,_ Ii r---· .. ~ . ft /J,' ,.,~ ·· -·::;::::.·:-•,,·,,r,i:;: ·.. • ";;A:-.4... • ~. . ~ ·. ,, ,· ' ;i _.... " " '. _._ ."',; ·- -.... ..... . . ,. - ,.. . ,. ' •. \ \ ,. • -.-- ' . ,.'-.. \ ·• f" .. \. lf! ·.. . · I ' ~ -~- t.._· . - .o . "/( /f ··. A I •• . I . . . . _:·1: .. (;. I: .... I. .... f - Ii .f:: . ... ◄ • ; i . - . .. .. .'.\•' .• . ·:A .- 1/~t))~1 ,~.:-.. :" : " . I j · ··. . · il -- I',' .. '° • ·•, ·- . ' - l.,.J . / ', •- c _:-J -~-1 .. . .I . - .• . .,~ , . . - ~,-,,-,.-,r ~~M~ , . , . , , . ~~~, ~ ~~~~ · ' . ,. · =, :✓ ~~2~~¥~~~~~\)) - 0 . , ~; ,J ))' . 1/,'.f?$i:,?f?111_ B /))" J~ · ,,,e,.;;,y_, ·>··?· ·(.·/1', >-">,2:~ jJ,·, / I - .-1 l · ~ 1;.-~y;':r 0 ·· ' ,r ,..,,._F--'· - .. -~-. E· ,".:; f 'J' V::--:;;-7 ~ .;,-'_ : . - ~ . ' ;_;,-- - -~ ·;!: . : .. .. . ~. ·::;:: .... , ··. .. . . . .. , -.-:K . I . . . '::J.,._..,, '""= ' -a-.. . ·-- ....~ . . ; ~~ -~ ''' ~ -.:::,, c=-. - •. ;.if,1:3:s~'. "•~~cc-,~· ~~~~~~'.2: : = : '""': · \' ~Cc'• ,-~lfiJ . • " Iii, '"'""' .:L,,. . , ,I -- ,- ;•-._c:S\· , __:;.,._• ij3,\ f ' ·-.· ' ' ' ' · "-~ ~- •",'' - 1 -"'"/~. " -;c '"'=~ . ;; ~2:~:.-:- ' .""' < , :}f ; -~ ·. I . · ...,, - ... ,1, h _,, • ... -- : '"'-';.->-'::~',.-'\,,Q ,7,1 . i!f///'/f1}f#',,j,' . ~jl>"G;,a ,f '7 • · , . . !:.- ,~~:'."'::- : ..: .•. • • _ \J ,, '. : • : ; »~ ·: ~~':;..,,'l\\ ., / <:'~/ .~,, /I / - ~\~ · ~--. -\,,_ ~ - :-:, .•. __ -____ ..... '.1. .SS:::--., 1\\I · •t /"~\!;~ · ;( ,,, �Il ., ~' 'Wetland definitions from the Michigan Wetland Protection Act and its administrative ruk:s. ".. .land characterized by the presence of water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances does support, wetland vegetation or aquatic life and is commonly referred to as a bog, swamp or marsh ... " P.A. 203 of 1979. Goemaere-Anderson Wetland Protection Act." [ I I. I I I • '- 40 �__ ] 1p ·~LdOD "PL~IN M~P UNt:KAMA fO Flood Area Extends full length of coastline : 41) 7 From National Flood Insurance Program Flood Insurance Rate Map 260276 0001 B. May 1. 1978 --~ ~v, ~~ '~ ..... ! . i. I 1r51·~ .... •. .· ·1• · 1 1 1 ~ • ... l . : ; ·1 ' ,· ''. I .. . . . . . ·. : ; ; : : : : : '. Zone B (100-500 year flood plain) .. .... . .. .. -,.. ~ ~ ~ .. -. • Zone A3 (100 year flood plain) Elev a tion 584 ft. above sea level Ot6 e r areas experience minimal flooding. One kama Village ls not In flood insurance program. Flooding in the village should be expect ed, even though not shown he re. - .J ·f f I • ;,:~ :··· ·.- -~.-- ~·-. -~ . ~, . . . .. . . . . . . . ,... _ . . •J:·._ ..,.. • I .,. I • I • • • - ,..._ • -• • .' . .. . . . . . . . "'!·":::~: •• . . ·..... . . \. ~ ·.- .. • I' .o. "L ..!I • .•;~ ~ I f f t , ~ ' =.JJ . = · • .. - L .....a.. .. . .. - . . .. . . . . K I• ,.Ji," I.. . . . '. . :...... --__:,: .. ,. . ·•t ....-_,....- ,;ii~"\\,- . .. ' . I . • . ~~ ~~ F ~ ~ ~',i:I -n~ _,,,..~ _·-e::~_; I ~ ~~~~~~~;/ '~~~~ .. ~~~• ,· ,~,,, . ..'' ---- li9!,f r,;;_£, - ,,. . : ·... . .. . .,d/jj, . •I .. . ~ -i . .. . ,m.w:~r; . . .• ! .. •ll.,.. ..·r ·•i: \ •(:_. - \ ;J • I . . ' ~ - , ~ 1,~ 1 , 1 ~ · ~ ~~ , ~ . ~ . .. ~ - . . =-------. . \\ 1·~.i,\, 1~-----.........._ '=- v.;--~,:,. i'(c::;· ~ ~ .. '~--"" '>• " .,. "'-"--..._ . ,, .. ·,-.....,....·--.'~.--.," ~ , ,,-., .. •._,·. I~•-, , rlif· . , ,..')f, .... . --..-~=-. --~r' .I'l',. I.l1 llll«l , - ~~--, ---•Al ', ..,,, \ . ' • 'L:, , . ""'.. \·-" .,g (l -~ -////111!!( 1 / ~! '. •· ·->?/ I // '' . , . ~~ :·-:--,,· \r : < ~-- :=::;, I •• •. ·.- - .• : " ·:?'· .,),, ·I ....--J)J) A,i•.. ~'\ p;f l/ ,, 11, ,.,1//tl/ / ,,f • • " .. ,,, - ~ )J))~-- : ::{ ,t'6Jijy~ •,-. I ., ') , .,, I• I • -; .."~ ~'' J �THIRD LEVEL SOIL ASSOCIATION MAP ,--_ • ---:__ A- ZLK - Bl ! . _. -- · - - -Onekama .Townsh.iP Depleted K.:llkas ka Sand ( 15 ) E7 L F2 Gl G2 ' Hl H3 HS -. .. . .... : _·--~~-- -:..~.--:..:-: -=-~ ·:..:_::_~-:--=.::::-.-~-:=:- __-::.~- .·: I I Deer P3rk & Eascport Sand with Lake ~iic h i :.;;.rn e f f,?c:: ( 1 2) C7 r I • .,,, __ -.,. -- cs • E4 L. ,a;_- Rubicon Sand l l3) Clay (:-o2scer )- Loam Complex OS)·· [ __,; ES E6 r . : .- .:':-;::._ ._ ;:;- . ·.--:' ...~.-~-::-=-==~-".: : ~;-:;._~::: .~~- ~~ --_:.:__:_:_ ~·-:-:.:-·_:;-;~-._;-; : :-:./ = ·:·. .:. ~ 2 Kalkaska Sand ( 16 ) Croswell Sand ( 17) Iosco, Kawkawl i n Loamy '.,ecland ( 23) AuGres and Finch Sandy ·.,etland ( 24) Loamy /Sand Complex (2 5 ) Sandy Wetland Complex ( 19 ) Sandy \,et land Association or Complex ( 19) Bergland Clay Swamps (42) ___ ..., cs C7 \ c:; C7 Tawas, Lupton Organic/Clay Wetland Swamp (44) Loxley Organic Wetland Soil Bog/Swamp (45) Shifting Sand Dune (61) Sand, Stony Beach/Bluff (63) cs ca Made Land ( 65) C7 l l. '' -' 1 ca cs 42 MANISTEE COUNTY PLN./1-111'- G c oM,q1ss·10J;; �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PRIME FORESTLANDS Nationally Prime Timberlands 'L, [D • • .' . - • at ._ ♦ • • • • ,. • •. ~ - • . .... '"_, • I • • . . . ; I"""..:..'.;:.. . . . .•. . .. , . . . : . ; . ~ ; ... ~.:: .. .' .. . ~ ·. ~: ~;: . ... . • Timberlands of Regional Importance ... .,. • • I .. t • "'• • • - . . . • -~ =·; :: l: :·. :D~. ..: =. ; ..... ' . . . . ::. .. :. ;... ' ..:~ ;-~ ;iro· . .~ : : . .. . . . . =. :: • • • • .. Not designated r ' . .. .. • ' .... ., ' ·-. . • • ~ ...... - .. . . ' ► .. ... • I ••• .. . -. • •• • • .. ◄ - I .. . • i •• • • L ~-C.~: f .. ~ : : : ,.:: : ~ ~; • ..... . • • • 4, I f O I • I ' • I' l •., • • • ... • • .. • • • ~ : : .. ....-. .,,. ...-.. ~ . • .. o I • • f • . .......- ... : --11 ::. ·. ;.:! ·:. ::- ·_::·;~:-~:-· ::: : :! ~: ;.:~ ::- :.: :: ~ : :·.... . .. . - . ...' . .,. .. . - : .. I• - • "' • ' . [ • : • • .. . : : ... : • • • • .... "" · : :· • • ~• ,. • .. • f ~ ,.., • • • .,. • '" • . . . . . .-i , . . . . , ...... t .:· _-~-i?/ /·:>: ~:~~=~~/.. !IL. • , • • • • • • • ., • • • I ,. • • • • • • • • . . ... . " • • • • • • - I,'. C ~ T • ♦ • t • " • • • t ,- • • • • • • .. • "' • • • ,_ t • • ~ : . . . : ,; : • t • ~; : . ·-· ····-· -· ... ... . ...... ' ..... ' ..... ..... . . . . ....... . . ,-... •. ........ ... ... . . .,,-...... ... I .. ...· . . ,: I I .,•• ' ., • • • - • • • •• I'.. • , , • ., • • ..... •· .. , ~ • • • • . . . . . . .. , • • .. t ~ ' ~ . .. t . . . .. - .. .. . . . . . ' l- • ' ._ • • . • ~ " ,. ..... .. " " • ' • • ' • ' ... , .. ' . ' . • I • • ••••"'I :: :.:....:~;_ ;:: ::m·. -~;~;.::~; . : . :: : • - • ; .. .. • , • • ~ • ... ~ ' . . . . ~ • j .. ' ... , . . • • • : ' r • • • • .. • • • I, , ·I :_ • • ◄ ·• : . • - . . ,t,' ' • ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . • ..t • • • • .. - • - . - ... .. ,. • . . . . . . . ""'. • J .. ....... ~ "I 1.. . ,. .. . . . · :: : ·; -:: - ·. ::: ~.!: : . ' .. ..... .. ' · - ~ .. . .... - . ... ~ ... . . ,. . _,. ..... . .... . ~ - ..... #> , ~ 'J -· ...... . . ..... . •~• ._., .. . ~- ... • I'" ♦ "' • ~ ' •. • .... .. I .. . • .. >~· . ..... , ... ··· . -·: =-=·. . :~ .:.r ·: ' : : ; : }!. ; -; ; - ..' .-:: 24; ~: ::: ;_ ;~~!..... ................ .. . . ...... ,..':"-,.. . . ...... .. I'•• . . .. . . . • ,,. • • -:-· .... ,::.·:-:' :,. ..... ..... ... . . . -·- .......... .... -... . • • • • I' . . . ... - •• 'It. • ._.,. .... _, • -- I._•• •• ,, • .. J, . . . . . . . . . - . - . , .... ; ... ' . ... . ~'l--4~- : : ~·~ ~ : -~:-: ~!:: ; ~ ~ 43 MANISTEE COUNTY Pl.A.l✓NING coM,qrssrofil �., ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP AGRICULTURAL LANDS Nationally Prime Farmlands (none) Nationally Unique Farmlands l8J • r-· r ! Slight Limitations (none) Moderate Limitations Better than elsewhere but with significant limitations Locally Exceptional Farmland Loam and Loam-Clay soils • Other D I.. Not designated Sources: Northwest Michigan Tart Cherry Site Inventory, Soil Conservation Service and Manistee County Third Level Soils Report 1982. MANISTEE COUNTY PLJ\l✓NING COM'~ISSIO~ �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP SPtCIAL AND UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS 3 l. Lake Michigan Shore 2. Lakeview Road r= I I~ r": ~ L 3. M-22 (Orchard Hwy & Northwood Hwy) 4. Portage Point Road 5. Portage Point Road Historic ·{ a; District (near M-22) 6. Red Park Historic District J . 1 7. Lakeshore Road :f:~? ·:U ... . . 2 -----1 ·. ::;A . ,-i; iiil , ..!, 1:;,;; l ;!'l:,J'; -(Ti ii-1 11 u t ~- 1C~ .... C~ .. r -- 1 0 'iI 24 • L , 3 MANISTEE COUNTY PLANNING coM,qrssrofiJ �POPULATION ANALYSIS This section is to discuss Onekama Township's historic and existing population and housing. It will also attempt to project future population and housing needs and the resultant demands placed on the township for roads, developable land, etc. !J Existing and Historic Population Below is a table presenting past United States Census figures for the township. The data from 1940 to present was used for computer model population projections and other statistical manipulation presented in this section. I , Onekama Township Population !_, year: r' I '~ I I~ I., I L I ~ I i,_ I ' r Onekama &Onekana Village Onekana Village 1940 1950 708 833 340 435 1980 894 1,128 1,444 469 638 582 Onekama Township has followed relatively steady population increase, unlike the up and down population decline and growth pattern which has been found in most of Manistee County, and found in most of rural 1\llichigan. Decline of rural population (with a national trend for migration to metropolitan areas) from 1940 through the 1960s follows an expected pattern. This has not been the case with Onekama Township. Starting about 1970, (with a national trend toward "back to nature" and "rural living") the population in rural areas has grown. This is reflected in Onekama Township with an even greater rate of growth. People moved to Onekama in 1970 - 1980 for three reasons: 1. Retirement, 2. Persons moving here for employment opportunities, or 3. Seeking to get away from the large city. While those are thought to be the main reasons, they are certainly not the entire picture. Other reasons include moves as a result of marriage, marital dissolution, seeking larger housing or less expensive housing, leaving school or the armed forces and desire for a change of climate. However, most of these reasons are secondary. Detailed discussion on employment and economy is in a separate section, but suffice it to say here that Manistee County shares in the national trend toward increased numbers of jobs available in retail, services, finance, real estate, insurance, transportation, 46 ,_ ' 1970 1960 �r • I f I , ,~ I l .: i. i I ' I • . , i I ' - r • : L.~ utilities, communications and health fields. From 1970 to 1980 Manistee employers have provided about 17 percent more jobs overall (though some of this gain has been lost in the first part of the 1980s ). Lack of new job availability in the manufacturing and industrial sectors of the economy has been the factor which has held the rate of growth in the county in check in the 1980s. In contrast, new industry opening in the Traverse City area has been accompanied by a much faster population growth rate in those areas, illustrating the impact of job availability to population growth. A portion of the population growth in Onekama Township can be attributed to job availability, though that number of immigrants could increase considerably as the economy becomes stronger. Onekama Township's major cause for growth is from residents moving into the area for reasons of retirement. This is particularly true in areas of the township around Portage Lake (except within Onekama Village). To the degree that retirees bring additional population to the area, those people contribute to the area's tax base, economy such as service industries and government services. Retirees buy cars, maintain houses, go shopping, and so on -- all of which contributes to the volume of business in service and retail businesses, which in turn leads to additional, or retained. employment opportunities. Onekama Township has become both a retirement community and a "bedroom community" to Manistee Lake area. (The area is changing more toward a retirement community -- rather than a bedroom community to Manistee). This trend is expected to continue during the next five years. This is a result of the decline of manufacturing jobs in Manistee and the housing sales going mostly toward mid-age or older couples looking for resort and retirement homes.) The area is particularly attractive for retirees because of three major reasons: 1. .The demand for lake frontage (or near a lake) with Lake Michigan and Portage Lake. 2. The cost of living (housing) and land is lower than costs north and southern portions of the Lake Michigan coast line, and reasonably near larger centers of retail, medical and cultural areas such as Traverse City and to a lesser extent Manistee. (One should note, land values in Onekama Township tend to be high in contrast to much of Manistee County, reflecting the premium for proximity to water.) This situation - lower land values here than elsewhere along the Lake Michigan coast - is a majar reason one can expect continued and faster growth pressure here. As people shop the coast, good buys are found here, resulting in increased growth pressure from people seeking low-cost lake frontage. 3. Individuals returning to the area after growing up here, and working elsewhere or having vacationed in the area and deciding to reside in Onekama. (A "normal" evolution of a resort community is for summer homes to become year-round homes as families retire and sell, or retire and assume residency. This has become particularly true with the introduction of a statewide Construction Code and Energy Code in the 1970s requiring all 47 �homes --regardkss if for summer use or not-- to be designed for year-mum.I use and heating.) The final reason for moving to northern Michigan is the desire to escape from the city. This migration also brings people who shop and thus contribute to the economy. An important distinction to make in discussing this type of individual is that the desire is to get away from the city; not a desire for rural or country living. Thus, the expectation is for an urban level of services even though they are in a more rural area. Of concern in the northern parts of Onekama Township is the potential for such individuals to locate next to a farm operation or forest management area. In such an instance, it is not uncommon to hear complaints about the smell and dust from a farm. noise from machinery in operation on a farm or in timber harvesting, and so on. The farmer also may complain about his new neighbor's dogs, lights, and the neighbor's complaining. Also, such new residents are not accustomed to having a septic system, its proper care, or the fact that a permit is needed; they want a policeman, ambulance or fire truck at their door within five minutes of the call for help. There are also people who desire to live in rural areas. Then, after a few years living there, they start to complain about the lack of urban services in their rural area. To avoid such conflicts in land use and to make it more practical and financially feasible to provide urban levels of government services, new residential development should be concentrated in the township. Condensed development allows for more efficient provision of government services, allows for less infrastructure construction and maintenance to service a greater number of homes and businesses, and avoids traffic problems associated with lineal strip development a.long main arteries. However, population estimates for Onekama Township show a decline from 1980 to 1986: Population Estimate 1980: 1986: 1,444 1,429 u (a 1.1% decline) The above estimates are a guess, at best, based on the same methods used to project future populations, but using more known data, such as actual birth, death rates, etc. The estimate of declining population is felt to be an accurate picture of what has happened in Manistee County from 1980 through 1985. The county has undergone severe economic setbacks in terms of number of available jobs, numbers unemployed or underemployed and volume of purchasing in the county. Given this background, it is reasonable to expect Onekama Township also lost population in this time period. i__ l• Data Research Center, Inc., Northwest Michig-,m Council of Governments, August 1986 48 �The U.S. Census has been estimating a general decline in the population of Manistee County since 1980. The decline is due to the loss of jobs in the county because of the statewide hard economic times in the first three years of the 1980s. Population Proiections The Michigan Department of Management and Budge½ Michigan Information Center, has projected future population for Manistee County as increasing by about 1,000 persons per decade. (From that 1,000 person increase one would subtract the early 1980s· loss of population.) Accurate statistical projection at the township level is not practical and is not done by state or regional agencies. Thus, population projections have been prepared by the Manistee County Planning Department. In doing so, it is assumed events occurring anywhere in the county which impact the area's growth will have a correspondingly proportional impact on Onekama Township's growth. It is also assumed, in making these projections, that the following events will not occur: nuclear war: extensive conventional warfare involving the U.S.; social unrest leading to the breakdown of civil government in Michigan or the U.S.; severe manipulation or collapse of world commodity markets or the domestic economy; and severe natural disasters such as fire, tornado, flooding, and so on. The assumption also made is a period of steady, slow economic growth in northwest Michigan involving Manistee County. Using U.S. Census data from 1940 to 1980 several computer models were used in an attempt to project Onekama Township's future population 25 • A thirty year projection was run (to the year 2010). Projecting is, at best, also guess work. To present the most realistic picture, several different population projection models were used, and the range of the results is presented here. The 1940 to 1980 data was used to project a continuing growth trend which started in the 1960's. 15 Computer progr.im used, is prepared and published by the American Planning Association, Chicago Ill. as a technical publication for professional planners. 49 I I__ �I. - t . I 1 Model Population Projections (using 1940-1980 base data) r L I , 2000 2010 Linear Model (Direct) Projections 1,628 1,812 1,996 Linear Model (Regression) Proj. 1,532 1,708 1,885 Exponential Model (Direct) ~roj. 1,730 2,072 2,482 Exponential Model (Regression) Proj. 1,629 1,937 2,302 Modified Exponential Model Proj. 1,571 1,683 1,782 Average of above 1,618 1,842 2,089 Mean of above (Linear Model) 1,628 1,812 1,996 From the above results of various population projection models, one can see the Linear Model (Direct) Projection comes closest to the average and mean. Its totals were then factored downward to build in the reduction of population from 1980 to 1985. From this one can reasonably come to the conclusion the following represents as accurate ~ picture as possible for Onekama Township's future population. Onekama Township Population Projection Year I , I I l. 1990: 1,600 2000: 1,762 With a range of With a range of 1,519 - 1,718 1,666 - 2,050 A graph illustrating the future population of the township can be found on page 59. To further understand what is happening with Onekama's population, a review of data on construction activity in the township is in order. · Issued to: ' ' Projection and range Addresses Issued in Onekama Township l 985l 1986 1987 Hom~i cottage, cabins Mobi e homes commercial, industrial Oth~r (met~red p9st, irrigation. sign. etc. TOTA\., . 6 5 0 2 11 1 5 2 2 o ~ rt 0 t l6 Addresses were issued for only six months in l985. The numbers below are annual estimates based on the August - December 1985 addresses actuaUy issued. 50 �l .: r Addresses reflect only new construction. One does not obtain a new address when work is only an addition. Thus one can assume the addresses reflect new home construction. A map on page 58 shows the location of the issued addresses, by section. From this one sees a concentration of new construction around the Portage Lake area and Pierport area. Onekama Construction Permit Activity Year 1975l 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 [ 7 llet. Conm. & Ue'i Hobile Homes lfe•11 Homes 9 10 15 12 8 7 3 5 7 5 8 14 5 ....1nL 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 n/a 4 5 3 2 3 2 0 1 0 0 n/a nJa n/a n/a 1 1 1 2 Twp. Pernit Total 29 26 32 32 17 33 19 26 28 26 34 53 40 Vill. Pernit Total 7 11 13 13 16 8 11 13 11 16 15 23 21 As can be seen by the address data, home construction has continued during 1975II • L 87. Also, new home construction has continued from 1980 through 1987, though at a slightly lower pace than found in the 1975-1979 years. During the same period, there is a decline in population yet an increase in the number of housing units in the township. There are a couple reasons this can take place. First, as people leave an area to seek work elsewhere, they do not sell their home. The home is retained in the hope they can return or because it has been "in the family", or it is held for use as a seasonal or summer home. Second, continued new home construction is a result of people building seasonal/summer homes and/or retirement homes. Inasmuch as Onekama Township is a resort comm.unity, this tends to support the second reason. Seasonal population estimates are possible to figure for Onekama Township. They were first presented in the 1985 Manistee County Solid Waste Management Plan. That plan used seasonal population as part of its calculation for solid waste generation -recognizing on a countywide basis that seasonal and retirement home development continued to increase in the early 1980s, despite the county's economic doldrums. I . i 7 Building Permits were issued for only part of this year, starting in 1975. Data shown here is the:: actual number of permits issued. l 51 �r- St!asonally Adjusted Average Population Estimated Pop. ll anent and Seasonal Pop. l9 Pernanent Potential Peale Tourist and Transient Pop. 30 22,633 34,281 12,996 1,429 2,570 i71 Potential Peak Pert11986 r I L MAlITSTEE COOllTY Onekalla Twp. &7. f" L :' n,211 3,328 :\djusted Annual .Average Pop. per DaVll 31,268 2,100 The disadvantage of the above table is the calculations are based on a 1980 census seasonal housing unit count. If seasonal homes have increased. the higher number used to represent seasonal homes is an estimate. If anything, the data reflected in the above table estimates the seasonal population low. One might use a factor of 1.6 to estimate seasonally adjusted annual average population per day, and a factor of 2.5 to estimate permanent and tourist/transient and seasonal population. For purposes of future projections of the township's population, those factors might be applied to estimate the population_plus seasonal population. Seasonal Population Projection . Year 1990: r II Seasonal and l'ourist Transient and Seasonal Pop. 2000: :\djusted Pop. Proj. Peale Seasonal Proj. A11erage 1,600 1,762 4,000 4,405 2,560 2,819 .lrQL • I - 1· I I I. r . L. Again, population projections are not an exact science. However, for purposes of planning for the township's future, it is a valuable tool. For purposes of planning, attempting to project beyond 20 years is questionable. This plan should be updated every five years, where the data here is re-evaluated and the conclusions drawn below are reviewed again. 29 Data Center Inc. of Traverse City. 2 ' Manistee County Planning Department estimates based on 1980 Census housing counts and available Building Department new home construction permits for 1980-1985 (permanent population plus residents occupying summer homes in the county). i L. 30 Planning Department estimates based on number of motels, etc., and licensed campsites in the county. Ji Adjusted by climatic season's expected use and by using Michigan Department of Commerce estimated oa..1.1pam.-y rc1tes. 52 �By 1990, the additional population in Onekama Township will include 90 to 289 more people, or 33 to 108 new families/houses for permanent population. An additional 56 to 180 people may come to the area as seasonal and tourist residents. That is an additional 20 to 67 seasonal homes. Commercial area growth as a result of the population growth will be nil. (That is not to say there will not be commercial growth, just that it should not be attributed to only the additional people living in Onekama Township.) By 2000, the additional population in Onekama Township will include 237 to 621 more people, or 88 to 233 new families/houses for a permanent population. An additional 148 to 388 people may come to the area as seasonal and tourist residents. That is an additional 55 to 1-1-5 seasonal homes. Commercial area growth as a result of the population growth will be nil. The above estimates (and those reflected in the table below) are derived from a planner's "rule of thumb". J.J [ I~ !,_ II ! . I i _.. ,-.• L Population Growth Needs Summary In addition to 1986 demands !Je1 population In 1990 90 to 289 In 2000 237 to 621 New fanilies /housing units New seasonal/tourist pop. 33 to 108 56 to 180 38 to 233 148 to 388 Total new housing units (perm. &seasonal) 110 to 356 292 to 766 50 to 175 ac. 150 to 380 ac. •45 to 2.4 ac. 1.19 to 5 ac . Land for housing needs Land for retail &service enterprises New road construction New public lands 1.17 to 5.5 111.i. 1.8 to 10 ac. to 12.5 Ill. 4. 75 to 20 ac. New students in school (pen. pop. only) 21 to 90 54 to 193 L4 The range is so wide because of the small number of people living in Onekama Township. This makes it difficult to have a statistically tight estimate, as the expected percentage of error is large. The range increases the farther into the future one attempts to make predictions. Also, the above data on housing land needs and road construction indicate the rmrumum. If, for example, when zoning, one were to zone only 6 to 43 acres for new residential development, and the land owner( s) decided not to sell, additional land would J~obert B. Hotaling and Geoffrey V. Moffat, Michigan Townships Planning and Zanini: Handbook; Institute For Community Development Lifelong Education Programs, Michigan State University, 1980, p. 60. 53 �i. l be needed in that zoning category. Actual length of new roads will depend on the location of the area being developed. proximity to existing roads. etc. ' Existing Pooulation Characteristics Onekama Township's population is dominantly rural. At the end of this report are two maps, a Building Density dot map (page 60) and a Population Density Isorhythm map (page 61 ). Both maps are used to illustrate where in the township population congregates. Aside from the obvious concentration in the Village of Onekama there is a general concentration around Portage Lake. with centers of density at: 1. Portage Point 4. Easy St. (Sandy ?t.) 2. Andy's (Uorthl ?t. 5. wick-.H'e-wah 3. Hilltop-Clark Rd. 6. Red Park area A lighter area of population concentration can be found at: 7. Pierport and spread out along ErdJ.lan Rd. J L.., I .: l . I' !. I • r ·• ! L.. 'i I I . I • Concentration of density can be better illustrated on the map using lines to show population density. The map presentation using dots to represent each house is a more accurate reflection of what is on the ground. The Portage Lake Management Plan Map (page 62) at the end of this section identifies three centers of future residential and commercial growth. For purposes of this plan, a fourth area can be considered to exist at Pierport. 1. Pierport is an established concentration of population. It has many undeveloped lots within subdivided areas, as well as small parcels along its edges. 2. Portage Point is already quite densely populated. Low lands, wetlands and sand dunes provide little opportunity for expansion. 3. Onekama Village area is an established center and recognized as a county trade center for purposes of retail, services and center of employment. It is a nucleus of Onekama's most potential area of growth. Retail and services should be encouraged to locate in the village where they have access to public sewer. Open land in the village can accommodate residential growth as well as the areas to the west, including and north of Hilltop-Clark Road area. This area should be targeted for directing much of the township's , future development. 4. The Easy Street (Sandy Point) area has some ability for expansion, mainly to the south, in and around the former Roger's Memorial Hospital. The composition of Onelcama's population shows there are a few minorities, less than 2.6 percent. The largest group is Hispanic (2.3% ), followed by Native Americans (1.2% ), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.2% ), and then Blacks (0.0% ). The proportions follow closely the county totals. However, the county has a smaller total proportion of minorities. 54 �-, I I , The ethnic compos1t10n of Onekama, according to U.S. Census summary tape fik number 4, lists the largest group (175 individuals) as "German Ancestry". The next largest ethnic group places a far second, with 92 reporting pure English ancestry. The Irish. 5-l-. and Polish, 51, are the only other significant ethnic groups. Those with German ancestry and French ancestry (38) are in Onekama Township in a higher proportion to the total population than is normally found in Northern Michigan or in Manistee County as a whole. Individuals with more than one ethnic background are more prevalent: German and other(s) English and other(s) Irish and other(s) Polish and others(s) French and others(s) Italian and others(s) :·-, I, L ; . I , 354 288* 190 116 118 7 Those groups marked with an asterisk (*) indicate ethnic groups are found in Onekama Township in a higher proportion to the township's population than are found in .Manistee County as a whole or in Michigan as a whole. The following table presents the population of Onekama Township by age: Onekama Township Population by Age Table 33 Population 123 persons 172 persons 138 persons 39 persons 425 persons 245 persons 76 persons 226 persons I • i ' - I l i. ,_ Years of Age birth to 5 years 6 to 13 years U to 18 years 19 to 21 years 22 to 44 years 45 to 59 years 60 to 65 years 65 years &older Period of Life Preschool Elementary School Secondary School College/Work force Work force Work force Work force/retirement Retirement Onekama Township's age distnbution closely mirrors Manistee County's; which means a relatively higher proportion of senior citizens (15.6% compared to a Michigan average of 14%). However, Onekama's population does differ from the "norm" in two areas. First, the proportion of preschool-age population is higher than found in the county as a whole: 8.5% compared to 6.3%. Second, the proportion of the population in the college age group (19 to 21 years) is much lower than the county as a whole: 2.7% for Onekama and 6.3% for the county. 33 The total, will not equal the township's population. particular question blank. 55 Ce::n.sus data reflects those which left the �- ..... j . .L •' i ' L.J The median age of residents in Onekama (in 1980) was 34.3 years. In comparison. Manistee County median age is 33 years; Arcadia. 38.5 years; Manistee, 31. 7 years; Bear Lake, 32.6 years; Benzie County, 32.3; Grand Traverse County, 28.8; and Wexford County, 30.6. Onekama Township can be characterized as having an elderly population, with a lower than norm college age group population. Just over three quarters of the post-school-age residents of Onekama Township have completed high school. In 1980 about 78 percent of persons who are 25 or more years old were high school graduates. This is in comparison to 62.2 percent for Manistee County as a whole, 67.4 percent for Bear Lake Township, Arcadia 57.1 %, Manistee Township 62.1 %, Benzie County 67.4%, Grand Traverse County 77.2%, Wexford County 62.2%. Housin~ Data Housing stock in Onekama Township is dominantly single family homes. The 1980 U.S. Census reported 2.3 percent of the housing units in the township were in an apartment building with five or more additional units. Housing stock in the township is relatively good. Indicators show 96.8 percent of the homes have one or more complete indoor bathrooms. In terms of size, Onekama Township ranks slightly higher than the county (60.4% compared to 52.1 %, respectively, having three or more bedrooms). Housing age is close to the county norm: built between 1940 and 1969· - 43.4% for the township and 35.4% for the county; built earlier than 1939 - 33.3% for the township and 43.8% for the county. Homes built after 1970 constitute 23.3% of the total (20.8% county). An unusually high percentage of the homes in•the township are occupant owned, as is the case with most of Manistee County. As a reflection of the Village of Onekama public sewer system, 41.4 percent of the housing units in the township are on public sewer. Most of the 618 year-round housing units counted in 1980 have a central heating system. The most common is a central warm air furnace (235). The most common fuel used is oil (392), with the second most used fuel being firewood (50). Third is electric ( 48). (In the county as a whole, the order found is natural gas, oil, bottled gas, firewood.) Cost of housing in Onekama Township is relatively high. In 1980 an average homeowner's housing costs were 111 percent of the average cost of owning a home in Manistee County, regardless of whether a mortgage existed or not. Manistee County's average homeowner costs are considerably lower than the . statewide norm for housing costs (purchasing as well as occupant-costs). The low price is most likely reflecting the relatively low demand for home-owned housing (with seasonal/vacant houses) in the township. Rental rates in Onekama Township are also high, being 120 percent of the county average Onekama Township, particularly the Portage Lake area. is considered the county's real estate hot spot. As a rule, homes in these areas are selling at prices above the original listed price. The Manistee-Mason County areas have had lower lake frontage 56 �• I ' l I 1~ r. l L costs along Michigan's Lake Michigan coastline. In recent years, when people shopped the coast line for property, they found attractive land for a low price in Onekama Township. This has increased demand and subsequently, price. This trend is expected to continue. and may accelerate - in terms of land and house values - in the near future. Older homes belonging to elderly couples, particularly in the village, change hands after one spouse dies. That home often is sold to a young family. The surviving spouse often does not want to leave the community, so looks for a small apartment. Surviving spouses relocate to housing for senior citizens in Manistee or seek an apartment in Onekama. This maintains a demand for multiple family housing units in Onekama. Apartments which ·do exist tend to remain full. In summary, housing in the township, reflected by price and number, exceeds demand for homeowner occupied units. By and large, housing is of good quality and slightly larger in size than the norm for Manistee County. There does not appear to be any pressing need for housing programs. ! ... I . i L.. L l - 57 �.. '.,' .LOCATIONS OF NEW ADDRESSES ISSUED IN ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP 1986, 1987 ••• t • • • • 1_ · : ~:~: ~•• ' • 0 I • ' •• • • ·• t • • • f 4 I • •• • • •• f • None ,, .. . - . ..... '. . ... ► .. • ' .. • I • • • f ........ · • •· • f • • • [ t: . • • f a ~ • : • o, t ~ ' • • • I • • I • • • f • I • • "' • • • I' - f • f • " i ~ :~ 3;:~ :•;:~ 2 1 11 t1 .... .. .. ... - ... .... . • • • f f • I • • • • I , • • f •f • . . .,. ..... . .. . ......... ,. .. . ,. 'f '. . ' I • 1 . • • • • ... t f 1 to 2 3 to 5 I Over 5 1 l! 11 C . ,. . ... ~ 0 .... ,. " • ·> • • : . .: :. ....: .. . ~; I: L. ,- : ! I ... :s:i:::~i ,- f' .. :: .. !: :~~: I·• I _, ,. L. 34 58 24 �,. ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP POPULATION PROJECTIONS i ·- 'pulation / 2100 •1oso , 2000 I ' ' 1900 I I 1 I I I I 1718 • !~ 1700 L II I 1600 I ' !-. 1600-,' , , , .-is19 I , , _.150 1 "' _,, •1666 ~ - 1400 ! ·1200 0 1000 900 800 i ' 700 t i_ 600 :~ 500 400 300 ·- 200 100 1940 1950 1960 1980 1970 59 1990 2000 Year �• ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP Building Density One dot represents an occupied building. (Home, Commercial, etc.) .. .. . ! \. .. ........ -·-. .. • .. • .. . . • . . . • . .. . . . • . • • . .. •• • ... .. .. ... . . ..,.. . ...fl••. ., ..:;. . . .••. • • .• . . • - ... 1• • • •• . .. .. .. .• . . ... . • .. I !,.. • ...·,, .. ..·60 . -• ..• . • .. �11111 ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP Population Density D Zero people per sq. mile 1 to 50 people per sq. mile .•··. tt 50 to 100 people per sq. mile . . . . .- ..--. Above 100 people per sq. mile • • '!' Overall average population density is 59.9 peopie per sq. mile .. - - ... : :'!..-'i....... \:.-~ .:; :-: : • .. • II . • . t" • . . . • .~ t ~ f ' "'"t ... •·. . ~ _.. ,_ , , . f- .. ,. • .-~· • . . . ...•..··.·.. +. . .,, 4i . • ••: ..• • • • " . .. . ~ti_...... ~" : ♦ ·. •. • ... ' :~ ~ .; _ ...... . 't ,.. .. . . .. -~ • JI!"\!"- • ,.. ; 61 ·:-~.('~:-- MANISTEE COUNTY PLANhllNG coM,qrssroR �:1•O~ ~·l ~ lz C, CJ i . ~ a:~ 1 0< . . c.. ,..., :E w I .,I I C, ~w ~. w~ -~:::, iC : w "' . w g 1M z< < i ~>- . WO ~ ::> " JCll ..J l ..<1- '.j .I ; I I i ·•· ' U') w a: :::, C, u:: ,~ . I ! [ ,, / ,I ' ,,,' I I I \I I I ,I , I l" -- ,,,_,, ---"7 I I ,, 'I ffi ~ - ~ -· I I I ,,•/ I ,,•' I ,,' J/ 1 3)1t11 . _________________2_62~----------------- : ·1_ ., I .. �.. r. ECONOMICS This section deals with the economic development of Onekama Township. It is, by virtue of the dynamics of the economic areas of influence, difficult -and not realistic-- to try to deal with Onekama Township without also including Onekama Village and much of Manistee County and northwest Michigan. The following table presents the 1980 census data as to how many residents of Onekama Township work in various sectors of the economy. The breakdown for classification of different types of economic activity by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual is shown. ! I l : . I I , Residents' Industry of Employment Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Mining Construction Manufacturing Transportation, ~ommunications, utilities Transportation Communications, utilities Wholesale trade Retail trade Fina~ce, Insurance, real estate Service Business & repair service Personal, entertainment, recreation Professional Services Health 57. Education 66. Qther 16. Public Administration TOTAL EMPLOYED RESIDENTS 13. 20. 70. 18. 176. 24. 139. 17. :,J:,. The statistic ·535 employed residents in Onekama Township should not be confused with the number of jobs available in Onekama Township. Not all of those employed who live in the township necessarily have their place of employment in the township. The following summarizes the township's employers, and gives an estimate of how many jobs are located in Onekama. Jobs here are given as full time, job equivalents. I - I I , \ . I 12. 13. 52. 55. 102. 25. 63 �• 't, I EMPLOYERS AND JOBS LOCATED IN ONEKA.i\ll.A TOWNSHIP llunber Percentage Htmber Percentaae of Jobs · of Jobs SIC Classification of Bus. of aus. Aariculture 17 45 15 21 0 1 0 !tining 1 7 4 Construction 12 9 Manufacturing s 5 4 24 Trans~rtation Uilities, Comm. 0 2 1 2 0 wholesale 1 1 1 17 21 Retail Trade 62 21 Finance, Insurance 7 Real estate etc. s 3 9 46 so 133 Ser1ices 41 2 Public }dminist. 2 5 2 TOTALSJ 100 100 291 121 The number of jobs in Onekama Township are estimated at 291.1 in 1988. That compares with 535 employed residents in the township in 1980. This suggests that about 243.9 persons in the Onekama· Township labor force commute to work outside tht! township. (One should also note, it is not accurate to assume all 291.1 jobs in Onekama are filled by Onekama Township residents. To state 45 percent of the employed work outside the township is only to indicate the net effect of commuting patterns into and out of the township.) U. S. Census data provides some information as to where employed residents worked (in 1980): r . I r !l ~ Total Employed Total Employed Total . Employed Total Employed Not Reported: \' of Onekama Township: in Manistee County: outside Manistee County: outside Michigan: 535 470 26 0 48 There is no direct data to indicate where one goes within Manistee County for work. However, the 1980 census does provide statistics which provide evidence with which one can draw some conclusions. Census data indicates that 49 Onekama Township and Village residents indicated they walked to work. Of Onekama Village residents, 28 indicated they walk to work. Fifty residents of Onekama Township work at home. Thus, at least 99 residents of the township work in the township (49+ 50). 34 \ residents that work that work that work Columns may not precisely total, due to rounding. 64 �... The following table provides 1980 U.S. Census data on travel time to work. number of time 5 minutes or less 5-9 minutes 10-14 minutes 15-19 minutes 20-29 minutes 30-44 minutes 45-59 minutes 1 hour or more ,. I 1.• 'I ., I l_; l ! - l i - ' i I - employed 40 128 60 55 10~ 86 0 19 One can assume a trip which takes over 30 minutes is long enough for one to commute outside Manistee County. However, within a 30 minute drive, one can also commute to the Frankfort and Kaleva areas. (Note: Census data used here is from the 1980 U.S. Census "Long Form". The long form asked a much larger number of questions than the regular census form. However, the long form was only sent to a random sample, not to all residents. Also, it is not possible to know what was taken into account when a person answered questions. For example, when checking off how long it takes to get to work, it is assumed the time given is just from the house to work; though a certain number will include the time from the house to a sitter, to drop kids off at school and then to work. For these types of reasons one should not expect a perfect match in numbers between various questions.) One can assume 99 up to 228 residents of Onekama Township work in Onekama Township, on the basis that 228 responses indicate less than 15 minutes used to get to work. The qualification would be that a certain number of the 228 may live near a township boundary and can, within 15 minutes, arrive at work in another township. A large number (160) indicated they spent 15 to 29 minutes to get to work. It is within this time range that takes one to the Manistee Lake area. In 1982 a Manistee County Planning Department special study on employment and businesses in the county was done. That study showed 44 percent of the jobs in the county are located in Manistee City, and another 31 percent of the jobs in the county are located outside the city around Manistee Lake. Thus 75 percent of all employment in Manistee County is located around Manistee Lake (Manistee City; Filer, Manistee, Stronach Townships; and Eastlake Village). The 117 people with a 15 to 29 minute commuting time represents a maximum of 32.45 percent of the total residents employed in Onekama Township who may work at Manistee. However, after 1982, several more large industries in the Manistee Lake area closed their doors. Notably were Century Boat Company and Manistee Forge Corporation. The above provides evidence Onekama Township is, in large part, a bedroom community to Manistee. The Onekama Township Planning Commission also feels the area is a strong retirement community. Further, data in the population section of this report indicates a strong seasonal intlu.--c. All three categories, bedroom community, 65 �I l ·r i. ~ I . retirement and seasonal residents contribute to Onekama's economy. Residents buy food. gas, services, send kids to school; all of which result in employment by the service businesses. The table on page 64 shows the high proportion of service jobs. There are about 31 jobs in Onekama Township in service business which are directly dependent on tourists (motels, hotels, campgrounds, etc.). An additional 32 jobs are estimated to be dependent on tourism from construction, retail, services segments of Onekama's economy (32 jobs are the result of calculating the proportion of seasonal to permanent residents, and applying the same proportion to these segments of the township's economy). Thus one can conclude that 63 jobs, or 22 percent of the township's economy is dependent on tourism. Onekama Village, itself, provides a strong center for service jobs and a relatively strong center for retail, financial jobs. Using Borchert and Adams, Urban Report Number 3, 1963, University of Minnesota, for defining different levels of economic service areas and defining the boundaries of those areas, the following conclusions can be drawn. * Pierport and Portage Point are "places 351 ' in Onekama Township. These places do not have definable hinterlands. There are no "hamletS36 " in Onekama Township. * Onekama Village and area is a "Convenience Shopping-3 location. Most of south * Onekama Township is within the hinterland of Onekama Village. The north area should be considered in the Bear Lake Village hinterland. * There is no area of influence from a' "Specialty, Partial Shopping3'" trade center within _O nekama Township . 7 " .. l. ·- 35 I • ) I. Places are commonly known points, often identifiable as being historically significant, but having no economic trade activity or one to two businesses. A hinterland is not definable. Examples include Marilla, Pomona, Chief. 36 I .. Hamlets have business which provide, at a minimum gasoline, food service, tavern, church, elementary school and some tourist or manufacturing employment. Hamlets are the lowest order of economic activity with a definable hinterland. Only minor shopping and service is available for the immediate neighborhood. Examples include Brethren, Copemish. 37 Convenience shopping trade centers provide all the functions of a hamlet, plus additional specialized retail and service businesses, such as a bank, restaurant, appliance stores, real estate, hardware, auto repair, florist, building materials. It has a definable hinterland, but has influence into adjacent hamlet hinterlands. Examples include Wellston, Onekama, Bear Lake. 31 Special, Partial Shopping is the fourth order of trade center activity. There are none in Manistee County. E.umples include Scottville in Mason County or Beulah/Benzonia in Benzie County. 66 �All of Onekama Township is within the hinterland of Manistee/Manistee Lake area. a "Specialty. Complete Shopping3 91 ' area. (Despite economic (job) moves to other areas, Manistee ·s hinterland has not shifted yet). All of Onekama Township is within the "Secondary Wholesale-Retail'' trade area of Traverse City. All of Onekama Township is within the "Primary Wholesale-Retail" trade area of Detroit. I l • I . t . 1.. I I • l .. I l L.~ l l .... I• i l• A hinterland is a geographic area which is the primary trade area for a particular level of economic activity. The boundary between one hinterland and another (between Onekama and Bear Lake, for example) is an attempt to indicate the divide. where most shoppers choose to go to their own respective trade center when seeking only the level of services offered. For example, at what point is the line between Bear Lake and Onekama where most people choose to go to Onekama (or Bear Lake) to buy only a loaf of bread. Placement of the boundary is based on several factors. First is a function of distance (usually half way), influenced by natural barriers (such as a large river railroad, with few crossings). Second is previously defined service areas, such as the area serviced by rural post office delivery, telephone exchange, utilities. (If one wants to pick up mail, they must go to the post office that services them, even though another post office may be closer.) This is particularly true (and to Onekama's disadvantage) with the Kaleva and Bear Lake Post Office routes servicing areas so close to Onekama. Third are political boundaries (school district, voting precinct, taxing units). Onekama's Convenience Shopping hinterland boundary between it and Bear Lake is assumed to be a diagonal line from comer of Maiden's and Milarch Road to Thirteen Mile and Northwood Highway (M-22) (equal distant). Between Onekama and Kaleva it is Anderson Road (equal distant, and near post office and school boundaries). Between Onekama and Manistee the line is at about Schoedel Road (equal distant, phone exchange boundary, school district boundary). See the hinterland map on page 70. In comparison with Manistee County, the Onekama hinterland provides proportionally more jobs in economic sectors of service and retail and weak in manufacturing jobs provided (See table: Proportion of Number of Businesses, comparing Township with County totals on page 72), according to the 1982 Employers and Jobs Study done by the County Planning Commission. · As indicated earlier, the bulk of jobs in Onekama Township are found in retail and service sectors of the economy. This is also true for the county, and reflects a national trend toward a service based economy. (See Proportion of Number of Businesses Graph on page 72) The township also has a high proportion of agricultural related economic activity - associated with fruit growing in nationally unique areas. Onekama excels in this 9 Specialty, Complete Shopping tr.u.le center provides all the services of places, hamlets, convenience shopping, specialty partial shopping and also clothing, plumbing, photo, music, antique, sporting, specialized auto parts and some wholesale distribution. The hinterland overlaps areas of hamlets and convenience shopping. l 67 ! t . �r area because of a number of large employers in this category: Onekama Consolidated School, resort and agriculture related businesses. Of the top 8 employer:s in Onekama Township, two are farms, and four are service enterprises. TOP EIGHT TOWNSHIP EMPLOYERS L'\i 1988 1. 2. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. 6. I I I_: r·· I I • I N I I I • I Onekama Consolidated Schools Portage Wire Systems, Inc. Per-Clin Orchards Portage Point Inn Van's Harbor Inn Pepper Mill Heritage Christian Faster Care Darwin Meister Farm After sixth place, the number of employed is below employment levels of 5.9 for the remainder of the employers in the township. Of note is that the largest employer in the township is government funded. The fact that the elementary/high school facility is in Onekama Township is also why the community is relatively high in service jobs. (School employment is counted among service jobs.) Onekama Village, with the existence of a public sewer system, has the capability to accommodate intensive levels of growth; large dense development projects, manufacturing, and so on. Such development should only occur in the village (or located so it is connected to the sewer). The village is one of only two communities in Manistee County with sewer facilities. Thus it plays a potentially important role in township and county economic development efforts. As part of Manistee County, Onekama Township has several organizations created in the past which perform specific functions and roles for economic development purposes: The county Economic Development Corporation for issuing tax-free bonding to assist in financing new businesses; and a Manistee County Chamber of Commerce. Of the above organizations, only the Chamber of Commerce has staff. The above organizations, along with Manistee City and County government, have joined to create an Economic Development Council and finance an Economic Development Office which is professionally staffed for economic development purposes. The creation of this office is an outgrowth of the Manistee County 1982 Economic Adjustment Strategy. Also created by that strategy is the Manistee Area-Wide Labor Management Council. The council's main purpose is to improve the quality of labor and management relations in the county's major employers by use of quality of work life committees at work sites and general community involvement by labor and management leaders. The County/Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service plays a major role in development and technical assistance in the agriculture and forestry industries. 68 �,,,1 \ 1 1 , n 1 , f1 11Jl \ 1 1 , , ~ l • 1 t 1..J ,,;, . The Extension Service also provides technical assistance to local governments, in development of programs, surveys, administration, studies and tourism development. The county also supports a county-wide planning function wruch provides a system of laissez-faire coordination between the above organizations and in-county municipalities. The planning activity also compiles and has easy access to large amounts of data on economics, population and community. Trus material is used by the above organizations promoting economic development, by developers, market analysts, local banks, and so on. The office also provides technical assistance in zoning and planning matters for municipalities, public and developers. The County Planning Commission also performs the long-term strategic planning and goal formation for economic development. Manistee County is also a participating member of the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, which provides economic development support services. Services include providing technical assistance to local economic development offices and/or directly to businesses to help business get started, expand, move in new directions, business planning, research data and economic and employment research reports. The C.O.G. provides the region's only certified (by the National Development Council) economic development finance professional for advice on business plans, and packaging of financial resources. The C.O.G. provides federal procurement assistance for businesses. The C.O.G. administers the U.S. Small Business Association Corporate Loan Program (SBA 503 ). Finally, the C.O.G. administers and provides staff for the Northwest Micrugan Private Industry Council wruch can provide small grants to businesses for job creation. To further support these activities, the C.O.G. also houses the Regional planning function, Job Training Partnership Act staff (for customized in-plant, remote location, training), and data research capabilities. . The newest organization available for Manistee County is the ·Manistee-Mason Community Growth Alliance at West Shore Community College. The C.G.A. is a joint effort between the Manistee County Economic Development Office, its counterpart in Mason County and \VSCC. The C.G.A. also provides technical assistance to county economic development offices, business assistance for packaging, business planning, community college customized in-plant training, federal procurement, and partnership with the Michigan Department of Commerce economic development efforts. 69 �V I \ 1o- 1 , n1 II\ I j J,. %' -~--/ .... !, I . , I fi 1 ... ; 70 J \ I i_.1 , ._ r11 ,u l 1r1. -, �. ·• ~ - .1 ·~:) .'·--·~·.•· t..' ..--· ,. . t. .) ·1· ".•·., .····l .· . I i) r-- •l l • ,.. ·• 1' _, I - :, ! .. . •.. ,., .. "- - --- ,----, J ··r· ·• ..• ~ \ .' l I . . .) ( (--- l -~·:.... "··-·· ,::· ._, 11·'.. •· t·,.·1q r•,1.1,,•..1I •• ' ·1· '• , . I •I ,.:· · ~ I I I ~ _) • • .,.... _..,,·· .,· \ \ I AGRICULTURE ' ·•.. ~_.... -· I I II \ \ / \ ,..... .....·\ ,·. n· · ,-);:,. "1 · •C., \ \ , ( 4-. ,.J /o) CONSTRUCTION \. 1, I .•<;:: : ~:: .::::.,.-_ ....--··--···· Jr" :_. I I ... ~, ( B. lJ~:) \.' """"'·"-";i. .. ·~~~.,,~...... ... ) -·-ccec,c.,s) I J I I I . ,..,.. FINANCE .. I l . , • ' . . ·•. . . ............ l. __ · · - .. ......-- .-~· ·•. ',.... ···•.. I I MANUFACTURING " ", ... ~ / \ MINNING -L 0/ ·.. . .-\' .-·. . . .-··'·,. ..•·· _ _,......- I \\ ~~;. .. .... • / 1r b'· .tC9'o ..) ... } • '\ . /~ .! • ~ ) , ..• l :: ,: , ' -' r \, I,.. 1 ,,.I .·~· .•·.::. ) I I .I l., I ' -· .: 1 I (...) l···. .,;:·, .. ··, l.··..•·· 11.1 . ,,., •.C:: •••11:'1,.....•..l I 1. ,...... , . , . ---------·-..•·r. . . "... . ···-... ,.•·•'/,,· SERVICES • C-l , ·1 •. •, .:,,.. \ (.. . t::1 ; ' C-, ) PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION "'..... ..: 7 ~ '- -·- . .4 ..-· ,., ,·· / / I / (2%) TRANSPORTATION (3%) WHOLESALE I / . 1 . ,·,..,1 ,·,.,·(·,-,· •.) , RETAIL (."' (J7 '1 (,,. ··? • •• • • } , C. .. I �rt r-:- - r r--·---, r---- -·~ l. I_..., t···· ( -':& ,.•., C'':i t•"·. - I i:····:, 1····,I I .. _ J .- 1) . J1• ~) .., ·- , . _ .. . - ., . -- ~ --- - _., , ._. , ,--~ :~ c~-- r-· 1 ;-·-~ r---\l L.1r r · l 1-:> c-~1· ()"f · ·, I I..-.; I .l .- ;:-_-·1 c ·: _,. I ·....... I I···,I i:. :::,.• ;-:....... ) t.: ··· ······ ·- ···-- ·-·••-.• ··-··- ·•·•· · , 0.35 - . .. ...J u ._.. N C lli 1.L •·· . \ .... ·::>•->' , ,..· ... _,.. ···. • ,.,,· · ,..... . ,. ..,·· •' . , \·•. .I.,··' •....... '\ ; ,- // ~"/ ' / _,. ,/ ,.,. ·-, ·,. -~,.._/ :;. ·,. ···--.,, ...u'~ -:~ 2: < ~: ,~c c;;-.,;-LI_Jc~.;;,:, I/ / ./ ,,/ / ', ,, . 7 •., ,.. ;_~, ·- .•. ·· .. ... ~- :::·:> ,.- . , ,.. l . MANUFACTURING I · -,,, · -··I· I,.]· ·r\/o,i·,.·, , / ,;:..__ __ l·-} _ I)~~ - t·, ,.11 (,-·r-,,] 1·=·· , .• .)( .I,;:., WHOLESALE ' ... ,....., I_··~: . . >·: .,.. ,.J .. I •,,. l I •._,, .,, ,,.I __ ., .. '• •, ,.- , ·•, .... ' ' '·,.. .~ .. ~· •,, . ...... ' · ·.....·• . ···•..... , ....,·· ,,..· \,,. '\." . /;;;:j;:~'~}-·, - -1·./:l:.-.:,../ ··' .,·... FINANCE I .. . .. .. I ' . ,. ,_II.II I _':.• \ , ... , .•' .... ,·' .·· . ,· ,l~.. ~·, : '•·, ,.... .... ✓• , ..,· ,, ··. ~ON ·- · · MINNING ,,• • • , . ..,...· ·, >· [:'.;-: :;J;s.lRT~,L.i J: ·-1<--L :;.;-,_~:~;~··. ✓ \ ... ,/ . \. ·•·,, ~I _.. / ·-, ·,. -~ ... .. / ' ~~· ·,., '· ·,·,,. ..✓ - ·<> ··•. 0 . ·t _.,/, '°" \ .,.,..,·· · ,.'·•, _ __ .,•· .· ' ·' / .,·' . ~/, ,....,._,.,··-,,, l '· .. ,, .· ·,.. · ~ .. ··'i·• ·•. ··,...• ··--/.,,· ·.,•...\. •, ..... D O .... '\, •, . .. · 0 .2 (li ', ,...., ,,,· 0.25 - u ,_ .. .. .. ... -- -·· · •' , 0 . 15 ~I ,·· ~-.. - ... ,.• 0 ..3 -- L Qi fJI . .0_. • .. , .,~· ·•........ /" \ ' .. '•. ,.,' '·.,.. 0 ,•1.. . ., .~ 1 . C ,Q ,,,. ··' ,s C D ·•-D , .• "l ... ,• .·' u:, .I + b ·'v SIC h,k1 n1.i,::1I (>Jl:<1.:.J<•r \-·· __ ···----~·-··......._.. --....... , ......... . 0 .4- ·,,. ·· -,. c-1 '• PUBLIC ADM, I::i·' ti.::•.. , . J �COMl\l[UNITY FACILITIES (INFRASTRUCTURE) L I • 1 [._ 1 · I \ - This section is a review of the utilities and public facility systems available to residents of Onekama Township .and an assessment of their adequacy. The full range of public services includes those provided directly by Onekama Township, those provided by private utility companies, and those provided by other governmental units such as Manistee County, State of Michigan, Onekama Consolidated School Board of Education, etc. With many services, Onekama Township is serviced as a whole, or in conjunction with, other municipal governments. All of Onekama Township is within the boundaries of the Onekama Consolidated School System which services all of Onekama, Arcadia Townships and about half of Brown Township and the north third of Manistee Township. In Onekama Township the school system maintains an elementary, middle and high school complex -- Onekama High School - for grades Kindergart~n through 12th Grade. The township is within the Manistee Intermediate School District, located near Manistee. It is also \vithin the service district of West Shore Community College located in Mason County. The township is within the service area of the Manistee County Public Library system, which operates a light reading branch in Onekama Village. Full reference collection materials are available at the main library building in Manistee. Four post offices service Onekama Township. First is the Onekama Village Post Office which provides post office boxes for residents of the community of Onekama Village and provides a rural route which covers most of the area around Portage Lake (except the southwest quarter) and central portions of the township. The Bear Lake Post Office provides service via two rural routes, R.R.#1 to the east edge and central part of the township and R.R.#2 to the north edge (including Pierport) of the township, as shown on the map on page 90. The Manistee Post Office provides rural route service to the southwest corner of Onekama (south of Portage Lake). Onekama Township does not provide any solid waste services. Residents wishing door-to-door pickup of garbage contract with a private hauler. In the Onekama area, usually Harland Trucking (affiliated with Harland's Landfill, Manistee); Micro Sanitation; Fischer Industrial Disposal. Harland receives the vast majority of business. Regardless 73 �who the hauler is. the solid waste is hauled to and disposed at Harland's Sanitary Landfill in compliance with the Manistee County Solid Waste Management Plan. Solid Waste generated in Onekama Township breaks down as follows. The breakdown uses the same formula and assumed proportions as used by Manistee County in preparation of the Manistee County Solid Waste Plan. TOWNSHIP t of 1aste stream Co!ilbustibles Paper newsprint Corrugated Office Total Paper Plastic Yard Waste Textiles Wood lilaste Food Waste Rubber Kise. organics Total Combustibles lloncollbustibles Glass Ferrous Alllllimm Other NonFerrous Total Nonconbust Total waste L ·wASTE STREAl\1 ANALYSIS ton/day ton/year 5.20 11.20 2.50 44.80 9.20 4.10 4.20 3.50 11.50 2.20 3.00 82.50 0.23 0.49 0.11 1.98 0.41 0.18 0.19 0.15 0.51 0.10 0.13 3.64 83.76 180.40 40.27 721.62 148.19 66.04 67.65 56.38 185.24 35.44 48.32 1328.87 458.64 987.84 220.50 3,951.36 811.44 361.62 370.44 308.70 1,014.30 194 .04 264.60 7,276.50 5.30 6.60 0.80 0.50 17.50 100.00 0.23 0.29 0.04 0.02 0.77 4.41 85.37 106.31 12.89 8.05 281.88 1610.75 467.46 582.12 70.56 44.10 1,543.50 8,820.00 0.22 o.n 0.11 1.88 0.39 0.17 0.18 0.15 0.48 0.09 0.13 3.47 0.22 0.28 0.03 0.02 0.74 4.20 The entire township receives police protection from three agencies, all headquartered outside Onekama Township about 15 miles (20 to 25 minutes) from the township's south border. The Manistee County Sheriffs Department provides police, jail, civil service, animal control, detective, marine patrol, canine and other court services. The Michigan State Police Post (77) provides police, specialized investigation and canine services. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Conservation Officers) are dispatched from the state police post. Other emergency medical services are provided by West Shore Hospital; Manistee County ambulance service; federal-county cooperative emergency services planning for the event of natural disaster or war; and fire protection provided by the Onekama Township Volunteer Fire Department. 74 L. lbs/day unit waste generation lbs/capita/day �Onekama Township operates a volunteer fire department. It is staffed by 23 members. The department currently has the following equipment: 1977 International 4 wheel drive fire truck #100 1962 Ford 4 wheel drive brush fire truck #101 1976 International 2600 gallon tanker truck #102 1950 Ford pumper fire truck #103 three 2,500 watt generators with lights and smock ejector two portable pumps six MSA air packs with extra tanks Overall, rolling stock for the fire department is considered to be aging. The department does not want to depend on the 1950 as a primary pumper unit. The truck should either be supplemented with an additional tanker truck or replaced with a new pumper truck. The department also provides service to about half of Brown Township and small sections of Bear Lake and Manistee Townships in addition to most of Onekama Township and Village. (A small part of northeast Onekama Township is serviced by Bear Lake Township Fire Department. Fire coverage deviations from political boundaries is a result of proximity to the fire station and response time. The township also participates in a countywide mutual aid agreement which provides backup and multiple alarm assistance to Onekama Township in return for Onekama Township providing the same services to other municipalities. UTILITIES Electricity in Onekama Township is provided by a private company, a public utility: Consumers Power Company of Jackson, Michigan. Consumers has the capability to provide multiple phase service to most of its service area. The Onekama Village area of the township already has an electrical distnoution system in place to accommodate largedemand users. All of Onekama Township is serviced by Michigan Bell Telephone Company, via the Onekama 889- exchange. The local calling area includes Onekama, Arcadia, Manistee (the 889- and 723- exchanges). The service area is roughly the same as the Onekama School district plus the Manistee Lake area. Long distance tolls are required to place phone calls to anywhere else in the county and outside the county. The more densely populated areas of the township around Portage Lake are serviced by Centel Cable Television. Service also extends the entire length of Erdman Road in Onekama Township. A central CATV reception tower is located along Erdman Road to service cable TV systems around Portage and Bear Lakes. I L WATER, SEWER A.L~D DRAINAGE 75 �I. I ',. Except for Manistee County agricultural drains, all stormwater drainage is associated with Manistee County roads or private parking lots. In each case, the maintenance and operation of the drains is done in conjunction with the transportation facility. The Manistee County Drain Commissioner does not maintain any drains within Onekama Township. Generally, county drains. were constructed to provide drainage of wetlands or moist agricultural lands so the service area can be used for farm purposes. Normally in Manistee County -- with the preponderance of well-drained sandy soils -- agricultural drains are not needed. Onekama Village has a public sewer system. The Onekama Village Sewer Department provides municipal sewer to areas within the boundaries of Onekama Village. The sewer system does not extend to all parts of the village. Generally, sewer mains only extend along existing streets and to areas where home development already exists. In the past, the village has extended sewers into areas proposed for residential development. Sewer is not provided outside the village. This has simply been by evolution, as the issue if the service would be extended beyond the village boundaries has never been addressed. Under Michigan law, with a sewer system in place within 200 feet of a residence, that residence must hook up to the public sewer rather than use on-site sewage systems (septic tanks, dry wells, drain fields). Where a sewer exists, it is not as likely to find septic contamination of groundwater. For this reason, smaller parcel sizes can be allowed -- in contrast to areas outside the village in the township. Outside the village, sanitary sewer and commercial waste disposal is accomplished by use of Manistee-Mason District Health Department-approved septic tank and drain field or similar system. Onekama Township does not maintain any storm drains. The Village of Onekama, however, does have a storm drain to service its paved and curbed streets. The Michigan Department of Transportation, for M-22, does also. The drains consist of a street surface grate and a drywell and storm discharge to Portage Lake. The function is so surface water on roads can drain into the drywell for discharge into the ground, or direct into the lake. Onekama Township has sidewalks in the Portage Point, Red Park and Wick-A-TeWah areas. The Village of Onekama maintains sidewalks in built up areas of the Village. See a map of township sidewalks on page 91. 76 �PUBLIC BUILDINGS 1. r ' Onekama Township maintains one public building. The building, constructed in 1987-88, houses township offices, records, meeting rooms, and the fire depanment. The hall is located on Main Street in Onekama Village. Onekama Village owns the Farr Center. That facility houses village offices, meeting rooms, records and the Onekama Branch of the Manistee County Library. The village also owns a maintenance building for storage and use of equipment necessary for park, street and sewer operation and maintenance. Also in Onekama Township is Onekama High School, owned and operated by the Onekama Consolidated School System. The school includes a gym combination auditorium; cafe, as well as classrooms for meeting purposes. PARKS, RECREATION FACILITIES AND VACANT PUBLIC LAi~D Onekama Township maintains a relatively small park system, often in cooperation with other units of government. The administration of the park system is done by the Onekama Township Board of Trustees. No formal park or recreation planning has been done in the past. A description of park facilities follows: (see map, page 93) A. B. C. r I l_ D. Mineral Springs, or Glen Park: Twelve acres of wooded park land. It is a day use park utilizing an old American Indian pathway along the Lake Michigan shoreline and the location of a mineral springs bath house reson. Mainly a green or environmental area. The park was opened in 1976. Vandalism has plc1:::,crued the facility since then. Facilities include 14 picnic sites, tables, grills, trAsh barrels; stairway to mineral springs, shelters over three springs; 2,400 foot nature trail; outdoor classroom and council ring for group use; two foot bridges over a spring fed stream; parking lot; two pit toilets. Manistee County Fairground, owned and operated by the Manistee County Fair Board: The approximately 20 acre facility includes concessio~ stand shelters, 4-H display buildings, livestock buildings, display buildings, grandstands, horse/auto race track; parking; stables. · Michigan Depanment of Natural Resources public access to Ponage Lake on the west side of Andy's (North) Point. Facilities include a boat launching ramp, bathroom facilities, parking and access road. Manistee County Road Commission "Ponage Point Turn-a-Round" at the west end of Second Street and beach as part of Michigan Ave. Road right-of-way. Facilities include paved parking area, stairs to Lake Michigan beach, trash containers. Uses include swimming, sunset watching, beach walking. . L, " i I l_ f_ 77 �E. Manistee County Road Commission "Old Faceful" turn-a-round at the west end of Thirteen Mile Road at Pierport. Facilities include a paved parking area. stairs to the Lake Michigan Beach. F. About 20 acres associated with the Onekama School Building. Facilities include football field: si"< lane asphalt track; baseball diamond; elementary school playground, five basketball hoops, eight swings, two slides, monkey bars, teetertotter. G. Onekama Village Park; 10 acres on Portage Lake and on Main Street (M-22). Facilities include parking for 40 cars and boat trailers, parking for 32 additional cars, boat ramp and fish cleaning station; two drinking fountains, bath house with indoor toilets, showers, sinks and handicapped facilities; 200 linear foot beach~ multiple purpose sports area, paved with lights, able to accommodate two tennis courts, basketball, badminton, volleyball, shuffleboard, fenced with benches around the facility; children ·s play area, three slides, three swings, merry-go-round, children's cross bar spring set; bike rack; picnic area with 40 picnic tables: benches along a sea wall on Portage lake; historical monument. H. Triangular Park, unnamed, 0.5 acres, at First and Spring Streets. No facilities. I. The Beach House; 0.45 acres on a "road end". Public access to Lake Michigan. Swimming, beach, open shelter on the beach originally built and owned by the Portage Point Summer Resort Corporation. Recreation programs which service some or all the geographic area of Onekama Township include the following: * * Manistee Recreation Association (MRA). The MRA is a staffed, organized recreation association located in Manistee. The MRA is run by a paid staff and volunteer effort. It is housed in the former Lincoln School building in the city of Manistee. It provides a full range of community recreation activities and programs, though is not as effective as it could be in the Onekama Township area due mainly to distance from its center. It receives its operating funds from user fees, United Way of Manistee County, the City of Manistee and Manistee County. Onekama Summer Recreation Program. A volunteer group with. funding from the Onekama School District, township and village governments, Onekama Lions. Programs include baseball leagues (all ages), basketball mini camp or clinic and gymnastics. Vacant land owned by government includes the following parcels (See maps starting on page 94): r. I !' J. K. L. M. Four acres on Erdman Road, 0.5 mile north of Eleven Mile Road. A 40 acre site on Erdman Road, 0.5 mile north of Eleven Mile Road. A 10 acre site at Erdman Road and Eleven Mile Road. A strip of land from Clark Road to Little Eden Camp running between Portage Point Drive and the Portage Lake shoreline. 78 �N. 0. P. Q. R. S. T. U. V. \V. X. Y. Z. AA. AB. AC. AD. AE. AF. AG. AH. Michigan Avenue (Lake Michigan Beach) on Portage Point. Subdivision park at corner of South Portage Point Drive and Ivanhoe Drive. Subdivision park at corner of Bayview Road and East Portage Point Drive. Subdivision park at corner of undeveloped Shadow Lawn and Ivanhoe Drive road right-of-ways. Small subdivision circus park at undeveloped Shadow Lawn and Ivanhoe Drive road right-of-ways. Blocks 56 and 57 of Portage Park Resort subdivision. Outlet 7 of Portage Park Addition (old golf course). 'Three Beach Park" of Portage Park Resort subdivision. Outlet Ave. park of Portage Park Resort subdivision. "Island Park" of Portage Park Resort. Subdivision park at DNR access site. Subdivision park west of existing Twelfth Street, Portage Point. Department of Natural Resources, government outlot 6 and associated lots in Portage Park Addition on Andy's (North) Point; running from Midway to the Arborvitae area. Department of Natural Resources, government outlot 4 and associated lots m Portage Park Addition along the bay. east of Andy's (North) Point and west of Little Eden Camp. Onekama Consolidated Schools, 13 acres northwest of the High School Building. School Forest, 118 acres on Thirteen Mile Road and Milarch Road. School Forest, 60 acres on Potter Road between Erdman and Milarch Roads. Onekama Village, l acre site on M-22 at the west end of the village. Onekama Village land adjacent to the Farr Center, on the west side' of the building. Brook Street Park, 0.2 acres. No facilities or use. Community Dock; Former site of a dock put in place by the Portage Point Summer Resort Corporation. No facilities now. ROAD ENDS I I. About forty-nine dedicated roads (platted roads in subdivisions) exist in Onekama Township. Many provide narrow strips of land, 30 to 66 feet wide, which are perpendicular to Portage Lake or Lake Michigan or run along the lakeshore, where the road is riparian on the shore. As a result, these are public access to Portage Lake or Lake Michigan, though often not marked and not widely known. These road ends are subject to a great deal of discussion and planning effort in the Portage Lake Management Plan. In short, the plan outlines the seriqus nature of the township's liability exposure to continue to allow private dock use of these public accesses, proposes several different categories of uses for various "road ends" and proposes a permitting system to manage the private use of the public lands. 79 �In the list of road ends which follow, the following comments should be made: Ownership does not represent the results of a title search. It is a reporting of an indication from reviewing plats, as found on Manistee County Tax Maps, and a review of the Manistee County and Onekama Village Certified Road maps. Land use is a general description, intended to include both land use and land cover. Occupation comments are a result of field inspection of each site by Ken Wagoner and Kurt H. Schindler Friday, March 20, 1987 in the afternoon, and Mr. Wagoner's personal knowledge. (See map on page 96.) 1 NAi\11.E: Ave E (a north-south road from Second St. to Channel) OWNERSHIP: planed right-of-way. WIDTH: 60 feet. LAi'\l'D USE: Sand dune, beach grass. OCCl.iPATION: None, fence line along west edge of right-of-way. NOTES: 2 NAME: Portage Point Turn-a-Round (Second Ave.) OWNERSHIP: planed right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: Joins Lake Michigan Ave., a platted right-of-way that parallels the Lake Michigan shore. LAND USE: Parking lot and public beach. OCClJPATION: Paved parking lot and guard rail, public park. NOTES: 3 · NAl\11.E: Second Street OWNERSHIP: planed right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTII:? LAND USE: manicured lawn, small access to lake for fire trucks. OCCUPATION: Lawn and fence placed by the Portage Lake Yacht Club. NOTES: An agreement exists, where the Yacht Club can use part of the platted right-of-way as lawn and fence it, in return for access to the lake off to one side. Not known if the agreement is written, verbal, or based on past practice. 4 NA1\11E: Third Street (west end) OWNERSHIP: All a planed right-of-way. County certified road, but not all the way to Lake Michigan. WIDTII:? LAND USE: Sand dune, wooded OCCUPATION: none NOTES: Goes down a large hill to get to the Lake Michigan beach. 80 .' I �5 NAlv!E: Third Street (east end) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 40 feet. LAl'\lD USE: Manicured lawn, garden. OCCUPATION: Back lot owners' docks: 1 dock with 3 lifts and pilings. NOTES: . 6 NAl\1E: Fourth Street O\.VNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 40 feet. LAND USE: Beach grass. OCCUPATIO~: Back lot owners' 1 boat lift. NOTES: 7 NAl\1E: Fifth Street (west end). OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 30 feet. LAND USE: Sand dune, beach. OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: 8 NA1\1E: Fifth Street (east end). OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 40 feet. LAND USE: Manicured lawn. OCCUPATION: Back lot owners' docks: 1 dock with 3 lifts with pilings. NOTES: 9 NAME: Sixth Street (west end). OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 30 feet. LAND USE: Manicured lawn, beach. OCCUPATION: Posted with a sign: "Private property". Appears as a side yard associated with private homes. NOTES: 10 NA1\1E: Six;ih Street (east end). OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH:? LAND USE: Gravel & lawn. OCCUPATION: Small storage shed. Back lot owners' docks: 1 dock with 2 lifts. NOTES: 81 �11 NAi\1E: Seventh Street (east c:nd) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH:? LAND USE: Yianicured lawn, recreation facilities. OCCUPATION: Fuel tank, tennis court, visually appears as though it is owned by the Portage Point Inn. NOTES: Not clear from plat if this road is access to the lake. 12 NAi\1E: Eighth Street OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way \VIDTH: 30 feet LAND USE: \Vooded and beach. OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: 13 NA.t\1E: Seventh Street (west end) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 30 feet. L.Ai'\l"D USE: gravel for first 30 feet, beach west of that. OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: 14 NAME: Ninth Street (west end) O\VNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 40 feet. LAJ."'ID USE: sand path to Lake Michigan. , OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: Known and often used path for access to Lake Michigan. property (home) may be owned by Portage Point Inn. 15 Adjacent N.Ai\ffi: Ninth Street (east end) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 40 feet. LAJ."'\l"D USE: Manicured lawn. OCCUPATION: Portage Point Inn's Casino building, fence, circular drive to Inn, ornamental shrubs. NOTES: The Portage Point Inn (Luckman) is aware of the trespass. Has in the past offered to trade other land to obtain this right-of-way. 82 �16 NAME: Twelfth Street OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 40 feet. LAND USE: grass. OCCUPATION: Back lot owners' docks: 1 main dock, 2 "finger" docks with 4 lifts. NOTES: This site has conflicts between uses, docking and swimming. There is also pressure from those using the site for passive purposes. Youth also use the site for parking of a lot of cars. 17 NAME: Ridge Avenue/Outlet Avenue (see "AH" in list of vacant township lands. above) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 60 feet. LAi'\fD USE: Heavily wooded with cedar trees. Paved walk to beach. OCCUPATION: Back lo( owners' mooring buoy. (Formerly a dock with swimming and fishing.) NOTES: Site is known locally as the "Community Dock". The dock was sponsored by the Portage Point Summer Resort Corporation. 18, 19, and 20; NA.t\1E: - OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way WIDTH:? LAND USE: sand dune. OCCUPATION: ? NOTES: No access to the platted right-of-way. r I. 21 NA.t\1E: Beachward Ave. O'vVNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 40 feet. LAND USE: Manicured lawn near lake, wooded near Portage Point Drive. OCCUPATION: Lawn associated with neighboring cottages. Seawall. NOTES: Also known as "First Ave." 22 NA.t\1E: Lake Isle (See Beach House "I" in list of parks, above) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. WIDTH: 66 feet. LAND USE: beach/dune. Boardwalk and small open air shelterhouse. OCCUPATION: Boardwalk and shelterhouse NOTES: The walk and shelterhouse, known locally as 'The Beach House", is owned by the Portage Point Summer Resort Corporation. I· 83 �23 NAi\iIE: Ave F (Happy Hollow) O\VNERSHIP: platted right-of-way, County certified road. \VIDTH:? LA.t~l) USE: Sand dune, some trees. OCCUPATION: none NOTES: 24 NAi\iIE: Latonia Way O\VNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 66 feet LA.'\D USE: Marsh. OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: 25 NAi\iIE: .Aqua Way OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 66 feet. LA.t'l'D USE: Marsh. OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: 26 NA'vIE: Golfmore Way OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. Northwest Shore of Portage Lake Inc. (disputed ownership) WIDTH: 66 feet LA.t'ID USE: field/woods in flood plain. OCCUPATION: NOTES: The organization was created to assume title from the DNR when the DN"R decided to transfer its -ownership of the lakefront outlet to adjacent homeowners. (The state owned the land between Portage Lake and lot owners' homes, though trespass by lot owners was common and accepted). Intent was for the extension of the platted right-of-way to be held in the public trust. County tax rolls show the ownership is with the Northwest Shore of Portage Lake, Inc. r . 84 �27 NAlviE: Batesmore Way OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. Northwest Shore of Portage Lake Inc. (disputed ownership) WIDTH: 66 feet. LAND USE: a road on west end, field/beach on east end. OCCUPATION: NOTES: The organization was created to assume title from the DNR when the DNR decided to transfer its ownership of the lakefront outlot to adjacent homeowners. (The state owned the land between Portage Lake and lot owners' homes, though trespass by lot owners was common and accepted). Intent was for the extension of the platted right-of-way to be held in the public trust. County tax rolls show the ownership is with the Northwest Shore of Portage Lake, Inc. 28 NA.J.viE: Sylvian Way O\VNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 66 feet. LAND USE: wetland, heavily wooded. OCCUPATION: none NOTES: Provides access to an outlot owned by the State, which has lake frontage. 29 NA.J.\1E:? OWNERSHIP: ? (may not be a public right-of-way) WIDTH: LAND USE: Manicured lawn. OCCUPATION: NOTES: Located just east of 4501 Main Street. 30 NA.t.\1E: Portage Street (Park Street) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. Village certified street. WIDTH: 66 feet. LA.i~ USE: Boat launch ramp associated with Onekama Village Park. OCCUPATION: Access drive to village park and adjacent properties. NOTES: 31 NA.J.\1E: Zosel Street OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. Village certified street. WIDTH: 66 feet. LAND USE: Manicured lawn. OCCUPATION: Between two houses. NOTES: I I 85 �,. .., .,_ ,. ,. .,., I. I l NAME: east end of Easy Street OWNERSHIP: ? WIDTH:'? LAL"l"D USE: Marsh, or under water. OCCUPATION: none (fences appear to mark lot lines at end of road). NOTES: NAl\1.E: Lakeshore Road OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. County certified road. ·wIDTH: 66 feet, paralleling the lakeshore its entire length. The platted right-ofway appears riparian its entire length. LAl\iU USE: County certified road, and riprap (broken pavement) along shoreline. OCCUPATION: Some private docks set out along the shoreline. NOTES: 34 NAl\1E: Portage Ave. OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. (County certified road, but not all the way to lakeshore.) WIDTH: 33 feet. LAND USE: heavily wooded. OCCUPATION: NOTES: 35 NAME: Sector Ave OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. (County certified road, but not all the way to lakeshore.) WIDTH: 33 feet. LANU USE: heavily wooded. OCClJPATION: NOTES: 36 NAME: Lakeview OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way (platted right-of-way may not extend all the way to the water's edge). WIDTH: 33 feet. LAND USE: Manicured lawn. OCCUPATION: Seawall and fill landward of seawall. NOTES: Known locally as "Finny's Marina". r- ,L 86 L �l. l 37 NAME: Third Street O\VNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 66 feet. LAND USE: wooded. OCCUPATIO~: none. NOTES: In \Villiamsport. 38 NAi\1E: Second Street OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 66 feet. LAi"l"D USE: Manicured lawn. OCCUPATIO~: platted right-of-way blocked by single wire fence and weUestablished· hedge. Shore protection. NOTES: In \Villiamsport. 39 NAi\1E: Portage Street OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 66 feet. LAND USE: Manicured lawn. OCCUPATION: platted right-of-way blocked by log fence (with gate). gate: ''Private Property No Trespassing". NOTES: In Williamsport. 40 NAi\fE:? OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH:? LAi"l"D USE: wooded sand dune. OCCUPATION: none NOTES: No practical access to the platted right-of-way. 41 N.Al\fE: none OWNERSHIP: platted access. WIDTH: 400 feet (no depth). LAND USE: beach. OCCUPATION: Road Commission installed riprap to protect Lakeside Road. NOTES: Access has eroded into Lake Michigan. Depth is only enough to accommodate Lakeside Road grade edge and rip-rap. I\_ I I.. 87 I I, Sign at �r I 42 NAME: (alley) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 15 feet. LAND USE: high wooded sand dune. OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: No practical access. 43 NAME: (alley) OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 15 feet. LAND USE:? OCCUPATION:? NOTES: Not sure we found the location on the ground to be able to provide land use and occupation observations. 44 NAi\1E: none (township owned "park'') OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH:? LAi~D USE:? OCCUPATION: ? NOTES: Not seen. 45 NAME: Ave. C OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 30 feet. LAND USE: Heavily wooded high sand dune. OCCUPATION: NOTES: Poor access. 46 NAi\1E: Ave. B OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. WIDTH: 30 feet. LAND USE: Heavily wooded high sand dune and gully. OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: Poor access. 88 �47 NAME: Lakevie!w OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way. County cenified road. \VIDTH: planed right-of-way parallels Ponage Lake shore, pan of the platted rightof-way is riparian, some is separated by land owned by the State. LAND USE: Road. (beach between road and lake) OCCUPATION: Road. NOTES: DNR is currently proposing a land swap, so the land between the road and lake is given to the township or private adjacent landowners. 48 NAME: Arborvitae, Juniper Way and Ferndale. OWNERSHIP: platted right-of-way (County cenified road, but not all the way to the lakeshore.) . WIDTH: 66 feet. (?) LAi'\l'D USE: wooded (cedar). OCCUPATION: none. NOTES: Low land, sand soil in flood plain. Ferndale, even if extended, does not provide access to the lake. 49 NAME: various roads. OWNERSHIP: planed right-of-way. WIDTH: 66 feet. LAND USE: Parking lot, boat launch. OCCUPATION: DNR public access site on the platted right-of-ways and adjacent lands owned by the State. NOTES: . 50 Strip of land 700 feet long between (Lakeview) and community dock (Ridge/Outlet Avenue). The township is in the process of adopting a road ends ordinance to control the use of the public owned road ends which terminate on Portage Lak~ ·and Lake Michigan. The text of that ordinance should be consulted for specifics. 89 �r ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP U.S. POST OFFICE SERVICE AREAS 3 Bear Lake 2 I __ , 49614 .._ u 11 Bear Lake Oneka l. 49675 [__ I! . - ... OffiC boxes, ekama I I. R.R.#1 Manistee 49660 $0 49614 0 �- :-::L... ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP -· . sIDEWALKS PORTAGE POINT DETAIL l. Road, No Sidewalks ~~~~ Road, Sidewalk on Both Sides I I -I 1· I l. 91 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP SIDEWALKS DETAILS // (l \ ___ - - - Road, No Sidewalks ~~~ Road, Sidewalk on Both Sides --= WILLI AMS PORT· WICK-A-TEE-WAH RED PARK 92 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PARKS Letters on Map Correspond to Text E 2 .....- - t + 11 I •tt 0 24 I '- 93 MANISTEE COUNTY PLANNING CO"M};l;JssroR �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LANDS Letters On Map Correspond To Text ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP ~ STATE OF MICHIGAN ::~,~~ :,:u:1,I ONEKAMA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS - MANISTEE ~ ONEKAMA VILLAGE __ , .._ co~ 2 It K I + 14 II + ~ 24 21 I I. l. �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LANDS PORTAGE POINT DETAIL N • u V • ~y, "'I 'J X _Letters Correspond to Text \- LAND OWNERSHIP ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP ~ STATE OF MICHIGAN :::::f:i N· I ,. :-•• 1 •• -1 ONEKAMA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS -MANISTEE COUNTY ~ ONEKAMA VILLAGE 95 �t ~ i;~ /.' ~· ·-. '• 2 "· ...... ~ I • :. ..), . '~ • . • • ' • ,/·,5 ·· . ~ 1 / \0 ' ~ 7 : • " . ·S" .. °' J~.,. 'l.''. •. '..13 .. • . ,_, . ... l . I .. 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' • J . .. . .: • ' - \'\ , •I •• ;;:;; ·,.,. ,. • l .. · r, . ~ " ;.c;:,-_,, ._,<'. -<::::: L.. . I,- -· ., ~--·__ . C . .r,,,,,.::.,,,.,' ;;;."" -~ ~"-' -. ~ ~~-: - ,' "• ' ·-- - ' . ! .." ' :· ..-: . . '· . '11 ~~jl: _-e-._f .,r:~r ._ iff ,. t ' • •. f : ?:~~'i(_t.:.:7l.,·... . ! ' • IE _/,, ❖ ,.'f_" '11'£- . ,._.. ! 3~ .. .. I ; ;..:.:~- .' ll,fffi':. 7#1:-..~ '~Ll.~ : I -t~~::lj~-~\:--=:~~/2~ -f-",)[: ·----- .._____, • Ji. ~;- \\,Z\ , \ '.__ .11:c;J[:] --. 1 Ii . :::y ·.;,11b,'if/9,~\l)~-::·~ ~~~~~ ·-. . .., ~--- . . :·,,\. .. t· .. i ,. . . .. '•:\. t~-\~ ~~ ,/,, ,\,· ) · . .- ...."\'........ ...... ..". :~ ~. ii. l ., . ~--.....-.l I Locations are approximate. Numbers correspond to listing in text. f)J!_ r:~~S1~½~~:i~~)~, )Wt• •. ,. ;,:j. ' ' -~~, \1 '1 .I ' • • f I ~ 18 • f9• 2 I.· ~ I ~~~~~---:,, '1\\ ' .. , , · /22 I • ' --~til\i•'(' , ,) ~ ; ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP Road Ends · ' I' 'I ,· ,,·,•·, I/ /. " 'fl ·. . .,.',II ' ' l , I', 11'!',\ ' ' ' •• �TRANSPORTATION The major thrust of transportation planning in Onekama Township will center on road construction and mafotenance. Two other forms of transportation provide service within the township: Manistee County Transportation, Inc. (Dial-A-Ride and bus services). G rent Lakes recreation boating. Road construction is one of the most powerful tools government has to influence the development -- or lack of development -- in a given area. Planning and routing of roads have more social impact than most other planning activities. Homes, businesses, etc., will tend to be built along existing roads. Land speculators tend to develop propeny in areas which already have roads, or have a short distance to existing roads --to minimize the developer's cost for road construction. A clear policy at the township level as to what areas are programmed for development is important. Equally important is that the same policy indicates new roads will be built in those areas -- and new roads will not be built in areas where development is not wanted. Currently there are five types of roads in Onekama Township. First is the state/federal highway which is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation. (Day-to-day maintenance is contracted out to the Manistee County Road Commission in Onekama Township.) Driveway, sign and drainage regulation is handled by the MDOTs Cadillac office. M-22 is the only road of this status in Onekama Township. It is the secondary north-south artery along the east side of Lake Michigan and part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour route. M-22 has long been considered a state scenic highway. The highway supports commercial development in Onekama Township south of Portage Lake and in Onekama Village. The second type of road in Onekama Township is the county primary road. These roads are county roads, under the jurisdiction of the Manistee County Road Commission and their construction and maintenance are funded entirely by state and federal gasoline taxes. Primary roads are main arteries, or through routes. In Onekama Township, Thirteen Mile, Milarch (north of the village), Eight Mile, Portage Point, Crescent Beach, and Lakeshore Roads are County primaries. (See maps on page 101 ). The major through routes in the township are predominantly north-south except for Portage Point and Crescent Beach Roads. The third type of road in the township is the county local road. The county local roads (formerly known as township roads) are under the jurisdiction of the Manistee County Road Commission. Their construction is financed by state gasoline tax revenues 97 • �and from the township general fund. Maintenance is financed by state and federal gasoline tax revenues. These are generally considered neighborhood service roads of varying degrees. Some have a seasonal status and do not receive year-round maintenance (no snow removal). The road surface will vary: paved, gravel. graded sand or two-track (see road surface map on page 104). The fourth type of road is the recognized private road. Private roads generally are built, maintained. and the responsibility of a land developer or the subsequent landowners. Private roads can be constructed in conjunction with a subdivision of land, an easement across private property to otherwise landlocked land, or private land roads. The Manistee County Road Commission discourages private roads in new subdivisions. and requires private roads in subdivisions to be constructed to county road standards. Private roads are shown on the road surface map, page 104. The fifth type of road in Onekama Township (not shown on any maps in this report) is the incidental two-track road. Through recreational vehicle use, or just crosscounty auto travel. roads are worn and defined by two-track ruts. Those two-tracks, which are not certified in the county system, have no legal status except for what someone might claim through adverse possession or prolonged public use. Such roads can be created quickly and will grow over from disuse in a short period of time. County roads (local and primary) are all certified to the Michigan Department of Transportation under Public Act 51 of 1951. The notations of numbers on the two certification map reproductions (page 101) in this report give the length of each county road segment in feet or miles. The certification maps are used to determine the number of miles of county road for gas tax reimbursement, and becomes the Road Commission's official statement as to which roads are public versus private or incidental two-track. County roads are on right-of-ways which are (1) dedicated to the public (under Onekama Township Board custodianship) as is common within subdivisions, or (2) are on right-of-ways which are recognized by use. Generally, a "user road" right-of-way is only as wide as the worn or maintained portion of the road. Road right-of-ways are also (3) owned by local, county or road commission, by recorded deed, lease, easement, in the same manner that anyone or a corporation can own land. Onekama Township has a higher proportion of its roads blacktopped than is normal for most townships in Manistee County. With the possible exception of Manistee and Filer Townships, most have half or more of the local roads as a gravel surface. There are townships in Manistee County where only primary roads are paved. The Michigan Department of Transportation and Manistee County Road Commission both set up equipment for periodic traffic counting. A map on page 107 illustrates the results of the count data for Onekama Township. Traffic counts strongly support the assumption that M-22 is the major north-south route through the township. It also illustrates the high volume of traffic using Portage Point Drive (the only ingress/egress to the Portage Point and Andy's Point area). A map showing number of addresses per segment of road (page 108) is probably most important in placing a relative value on each road for purposes of amount of use, and for setting priorities for road maintenance and upgrading. This map should be used 98 �in conjunction with the known average daily traffic map (page 107). In its use, one shoulu remember that not only a road segment with a high number of potential resident users (addresses) needs improvement/upgrading, but also roads connecting it to equal value roads or county primary roads. For example. Lakeview Road, in Pierport, has a high number of residences. One does not just improve Thirteen Mile Road from Lakeview to Burtker Roads, but also Thirteen Mile or Burtker and Potter Roads for access to M-22. Road improvements must accommodate traffic to/from the high resident segment. Currently, only one road project in Onekama Township is pending on the Manistee County Road Commission 1987-88 work order listing. It is the reconstruction and repaving of Portage Point Drive from M-22 to the Portage Point Inn. The project includes a wider base of pavement, to be marked off (by pavement surface painting) for a bike path. Pending road construction projects in Onekama Township are: Primary roads: 2.8 miles of Portage Point Road; clear, grade, gravel and pave, including construction of two paved shoulders for bicycle-pedestrian use. 0.6 miles of Crescent Beach Road (Miller Road to Leonard Avenue); to reconstruct. Local roads: 1.0 mile of Lakeside Road north of Lake Isle; gravel. Clark Road; grade and gravel. Hilltop Road; grade and gravel. BUS TRANSIT Manistee County Transportation is a federal/state subsidized public transportation system which services all of Onekama Township. Service includes handicapped and senior citizen transportation, dial-a-ride (door-to-door or demand response) service, bus route in and around Manistee City and worker commuter service from Onekama Township to employment locations in the Manistee Lake area and for community college students going to West Shore Community College. The system also provides .door-to-door pick up during scheduled rural service times in Onekama Township. Manistee County Transportation also provides the promotional services for van and car pooling in the county and works with the Manistee County Road Commission/Michigan Department of Transportation to construct car pool parking lots. HARBOR Portage Lake is a natural harbor of refuge for recreation and fishing boating on Lake Michigan. In the past, it has been used for refuge by lower great lakers. The channel between Lake Michigan and Portage Lake is dredged to chart datum, 10 feet deep, 100 feet wide. About 325 feet are between the two breakwalls. The channel is shallower on both sides of the maintained center. 99 �As part of the harbor and lake management, Onekama Township participated in the drafting of the Portage Lake Management Plan. That plan presents specific alternative courses of action for the management and shoreline management of Portage Lake and is ad9pted as part of this plan by this reference. I . 100 �i - lI J~~KAMA TOWNSHIP C ,,., i. ,:n r FIED ROAD MILi: ~ RD. O.!S o ERICKSON RO. ...; ~=====-=-';.;:.·_0-:..-:..-:..-:..-:..-_-_-_....,.[,_.. 1.0 POTTER RD. a • • c:: z N - • I I a • "" le < N State Highway I <:? 2: cc • A - ::::::::========: M County· Primary Roads 1.0 CHRESTENSEN RD. -County Local Roads () e , Detail Maps o: Portage Point, ndy's Point, ·ir w:.-A-Tee-Wah, e 1 Park. zJ. 1 o.+ 0.5 -)osePH - PORTAGE L- LAKE X N). l. i .. I ... ...= ~.$, ______ c:i 101 ~ < ..J ~ �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PORTAGE POINT AND ANDYS POINT DETAIL CERTIFIED ROAD MAP J :z < "' 3 J 2f / W I ~( ; "' "' . ~ ) :I ..,< PORTAGE LAKE no PORTAGE POINT i .., .. .s . ~ ISO : 1$0 z r .S~c•.,. j! 102 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP WICK-A-TEE-WAH AND RED PARK DETAIL CERTIFIED ROAD MAP ~ ~ 1 ~ l t li ! PORT,.GE Lt."E I,; 700 ~ ".., ., ~ ~ ~ ~Cl' .... ~ -= e 't 1'l It ;; \J "'"' ~_, ll<i I WICK-A-TEE-WAH SECTION 34 ONEKAMA TOWNSr!IP . lie -=.. ...... I L I 33 9-. L. i .,.. RED PARK 193 �,ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP ROAD SURFACES Paved ~ ~ ,.._ Paved , narrow -----Gravel _ _ _ _ Gravel, natrow - - - t i Graded sand -------- J! ( ____..,___________ - ,,._ t / --- ----------- I I I ---------Two track I I I I ,, I , I ,' , I ' ," _,_..," \ ' ....... , .. , " ,-' 'I I ,,----..._ ,; ,, I _, _,#I' I I I S e Detail Maps For Portage Point, Andy's Pnint, Wick-A-Tee-Wah, F d Park. I ..... ------, ......... ' • •• ~ , '- ',,----..._ I i 1- 104 �, ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PORTAGE POINT AND ANDY'S POINT DETAIL ROAD SURFACES MAP I I ,I__ I ,I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ' Paved _.,.~ -. .,.. Paved, narrow - - - - Gravel r - - - - - G r a v e l , narrow I- _ _ j _ _ Graded sand ------------Two track I I -II 105 -- �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP WICK~A~TEE~WAH AND RED PARK DETAIL ROAD SURFACES MAP Paved ...._ .... :9 Paved, narrow Gravel Gravel, nar'row Wick-A-Tee-Wah Graded s~nd 0 Red Park I '. , - 106 �.. I I ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP TRAFFIC COUNTS _,n,- ~ Average Daily Traffic \ \ ' Over 1, 000 ADT -- -I ,-, 79 ADT . ' ( I - ---- I ( 500 - 1,000 ADT 144 ADT 'I ~ l 400 - 500 ADT 200 - 400 ADT -- I I --, 100 - 200 ADT 38 ADT / I ---,---I 36 AD,(! 0 - 100 ADT - - - t,}6 ADT i--a-------1- - - - - - 1- No Count Data Available I / I I ! ( ( ~ .,. I I I \ ' \ , I- ✓ I \ - I/ I I I I t 1---'\ / I -I \. / / / 122 ADT - 286 ADT7 / I 1-- --- - - - I 1. 1 I I / , - -.J-},24 1 I -- ~ \ I., \ IL '\. ' / I I - -..I'-- - -I 107 I T �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP Count of Addresses per Segment of Road Line thickness represents \ - II . addresses per segment. \ I Over 20 .! 15-20 I ! , I 10-14 5-9 1-4 , i I I'/ ,'/ none ' ' i ,· I I 108 �r r- LAND USE This section of the Onekama Township Plan will provide an inventory and analysis of the use of the land,_ ownership of the land, and division of the land. To do this the treatment of the Land Use Analysis is divided into the following parts: (1) a review of the ownership of land. (2) a review of the division or fractionalization of land including subdivisions and small parcels, (3) the various classifications of the land use, ( 4) an analysis of the elements which define the distinct character of various communities in the township, and (5) a review of the existing township zoning districts. LAi"J"D 0\V}.icRSHIP Land in Onekama Township is predominantly privately-owned. Most of the land in the township is owned by private individuais, for home, vacant, farm, or commercial purposes. The second gro~p is local government-owned land, with various holdings represented as township and village government facilities (parks, buildings, recreation, roads, etc.). Most notable in terms of land area is vacant parcels (dedicated parks) and road ends in subdivisions around Portage Lake. A map on page 118 illustrates the landownership pattern within Onekama Township, naming the larger parcel owners. This map also begins to illustrate the pattern of land fractionalization in the township. L.Ai'ID FRACTIONALIZATION [ __ Fractionalization of land is the manner in which it is divided into parcels: large acreages vs. small lots; square vs. long narrow strips; straight edges vs. irregular boundaries; and so on. The most dense (small lots) division of land is generally represented by the existence of subdivisions. When a landowner chooses to divide his land into more than four parcels, each 10 acres or smaller in size, within a 10-year period, a formal plat must be drawn and approved as a subdivision. Other splitting of land is done as dividing property into smaller parcels. 109 �A proposed plat (the drawing of lots) is subject to a lengthy review by township, county and state agencies before the land can actually be subdivided. The review and approvals are designed to provide government the opportunity to insure compliance with zoning, that there is adequate drainage, septic facilities, road access, open space, and so on. The map of subdivisions, on page 119, shades in the areas within Onekama Township which have recorded -- approved -- subdivisions. As a generalization, subdivisions tend to cover the largest land area in the more urban areas of the township: Onekama Village, around Portage Lake and a small area at Pierport. Land fractionalization has also taken place in the township. The map entitled "Land Fractionalization", page 120, shows the area within Onekama where parcel sizes have been reduced over the years, usually to 10 or 20 acres or smaller, but not within subdivisions. The areas where land is divided in this manner are commonly found adjacent to subdivisions and along main roads. However, in Onekama Township this activity has been scattered throughout the township, particularly in farm areas north of Onekama Village. By comparison of the land fractionalization map on page 120 with the plat map on page 118, one can observe that much of the fractionalized land is into parcels which are about 10 to 20 acres, or smaller, in size. Fractionalization presents several problems: 1. Each parcel often has one home near a public road. The remainder of the parcel lies vacant. This arrangement creates a situation where land which is not near a road is split up into different ownerships without clear or easy access. This results in land remaining vacant and generally not available for use. Homes tend to be built along roads, resulting in a residential land use pattern in strips along both sides of a road, while property behind the · homes remains vacant. The residential development then continues to move along road corridors rather than the development filling in behind existing homes: "infilling". 2. Small parcels are often not as economically feasible for developers to subdivide. This is particularly true with development of a subdivision requiring road, drainage, or other development. ,., .,_ The 20 acre parcel, or smaller, plays havoc with public strategy to have farmland preservation. Division of land into smaller parcels drives the price of land (and property truces) up in an area which adversely impacts on farms. Also, small parcels are not large enpugh for use as a farm or for forestry purposes. t· The Township presently has an agricultural residential zone through most of the township north of Portage Lake. This is more accurately described as a rural multiple use district, potentially allowing a long list of land uses, and doing little to prevent adverse activities toward agriculture. Land use patterns show scattered residential development mainly stripped along roads. Little infilling has taken place. Onekama Township has adequate land to accommodate the anticipated growth in the township, and can accommodate the development with little infrastructure development (see discussion, page 53). This is assuming the majority of the development 110 �I- takes place within residential areas by use of subdividing, rather than development of 10 acre parcels. The township has adequate areas in subdivisions which have vacant lots which are acceptable for on-site sewage systems. Also, the township has about 480 unsubdivided acres (0.75 square mile) in residential zoning districts north of Portage Lake alone. With the anticipated population growth in the township (110 to 356 new housing units by 1990), about 50 to 175 acres (0.078 to 0.2734 square miles) of additional land is adequate to meet the 1990 growth demand with little road construction. However, due to the larger lot pattern (lack of subdividing) and homes on large parcels leaving land behind them vacant, as much as 3,560 acres (5.5 square miles) are needed with the accompanying infrastructure costs for that development. For example, it takes a lot more road -- and costs a lot more - to service 356 homes in a 3,560 acre area than the same 36 homes on about 20 acres. The same escalated costs exist for other services: school bus, garbage route, utilities, and so on. Part of the problem is land, fractionalized into 10 +/- acre parcels. Such parcels are not large enough to farm or harvest for logging purposes. Economies of scale are needed for farm operations (which vary depending on the product). In Manistee the main market for timber is Packaging Corporation of America. PCA is moving toward chipping-logging operations which generally require a minimum of 40 acres of trees in one ownership to be economically feasible for harvesting. Forty acres, in Onekama Township, is not large enough for farm operations. Although an individual orchard may occupy less than 40 acres, it is generally an orchard which is part of a larger farm. For these reasons, too large for residential, too small for agriculture and forestry, land fractionalization can be viewed as a problem. A possible solution is a regulatory approach: One might impose a very large maximum parcel size (30 or 40 acres) in a zoning ordinance in rural zoning districts to discourage dividing into 10 to 20 acre parcels. However, this is often politically not popular and subject to serious legal challenge. A regulation requiring all new parcels to have road frontage is a common regulatory approach. Also, regulating a maximum width to depth (3:1 for example) avoids long narrow parcels and may help to discourage unwanted land fractionalization. The township can also, in talking with landowners, discourage the development of just dividing land into large parcels, while promoting development via subdividing. Zoning to accomplish agricultural preservation, as discussed earlier in this plan, endorsed by this plan and starting on page 31, is also an effective tool. The township may consider speculative construction of a road in residential zones. The theory is that home development will follow along the road. This can also hasten infilling. Concern with this approach is that new taxes collected on the developed land are enough to pay for the road construction costs. The township can also, by policy, refuse to develop roads or allow road development in areas not zoned primarily for residential, commercial or industrial use. Also, the township can agree to road development, (agreeing or not agreeing) to share cost of roads with developers, in areas zoned primarily for industrial, commercial and residential uses. This policy of road development can be used as a means to encourage development in certain areas of the township. 111 �,: LAND USE The map on page 121 illustrates the location and extent of the various types of land uses in the township. To draw the map, airphotos are used to identify, for example, a residential area. Then a boundary is drawn around the residential area, thus illustrating the shape and extent of land the residential area occupies. This is then given a classification number -- 113 -- which is similar in function to the Dewey Decimal Classification system used for books in libraries. The classification system is a statewide standardized system. (For visual impact, and to make the map easier to read, one may color the map. A suggested color scheme is residential, yellow; commercial and sen-ices, orange; industrial. red~ transportation and utilities, black; open and other (parks, cemeteries), purple; agricultural, light green; rangeland, white; forested, green; water, blue; wetlands, aguablue ). A discussion on the various land uses in the township follows. Wetland: (611, 612, 622) Wetlands in Onekama Township are mainly around Portage Lake. (Map on page 124.) Wetlands which are contiguous to a surface water body (lake, creek, stream) are currently under the protection of the Goemaere-Anderson Wetland Protection Act (P.A. 203 of 1979; MCL 281.701 et. seq.). Until the Michigan Department of Natural Resources inventories other wetlands, they are not subject to the Wetland Protection Act. (See wetland discussion starting on page 24.) Forested: (400 - 499) As shown with the map, page 124, forest cover land is the dominant land use in Onekama Township. Forest areas, along with the rangeland category, illustrate the undeveloped area of the township. The two maps, together, show areas of the township which have not seen residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, etc. development. Further discussion on forestry issues are found in the natural features section of this plan, starting on page 28. Rangeland: (31, 32) Rangeland on the map (page 124) refers to open fields of grass (31) and to grassy fields with shrubs (32). Often these areas are former farm locations. Distribution in Onekama is even, in the north and east portions of the township. It is indicative of historically unsuccessful farming enterprises. Agricultural: (21,22,24) Land actually used for agricultural purposes in Onekama Township tends to be along the ridges north of Portage Lake. A comparison of the agricultural map (page 124) 112 �with the soils map (page 42) illustrates a relatively high correlation between better soils and agricultural activity. Further discussion on agricultural activity can be found in the natural features section of this plan. Open and Other: (193, 194) The land use category ''open and other" in Onekama Township includes two categories: outdoor recreation (193) such as parks, golf courses, track; and cemeteries (194 ). With the scale map (page 125) used in this report, only the larger facilities, cemeteries, DNR public access to Portage Lake, and Portage Point Inn ballfield, show. Industrial and Extractive: ( 13, 1319, 1321, 1336. 17) The predominance of industrial and extractive act1vrty in Onekama Township is found in Onekama Village and activity associated with the few oil and gas wells and processing found in the township. Also, a little extractive activity takes place in the township, north of Onekama Village and Portage Lake, in the form of gravel and sand pits. Commercial and Services: (12, 122, 126) Commercial activity in Onekama Township is almost entirely in Onekama Village and south of Portage Lake near Ellen and Crescent Beach Roads (map on page 125 ). Further discussion on commercial and services can be found in the economic section of this plan. Residential: (112, 113) The map on page 125 illustrates the distribution of dense residential land uses in Onekama Township. Dense residential uses tend to concentrate around Portage Lake and at Pierport. Also, less dense residential development exists in lineal patterns along county roads. For the purposes of drawing the residential land use in map form, only those residential areas which are larger than 2.5 to 5 acres in size and with a density of three homes per 2.5 to 5 acres are shown. Thus a single home (farm homestead, for example) will not be classified within the residential land use. The distnoution of the residential land use also illustrates the areas of the township which are subdivided versus those areas which are divided into parcels and result in homes along existing county roads. l. Barren Lands: (72) Barren lands include the Lake Michigan beaches and sandy bluffs along the shoreline. The map on page 125 illustrates the strip of beach/bluff along the shore. In a number of locations the barren land cover category extends inland where sand dune blowouts or high bluffs occur. COMMUNITY CHARACTER I - 113 �This part of the Land Use Analysis is an attempt to characterize the various neighborhoods, or groups of neighborhoods, as distinct entities. The purpose is to define various areas of the township which share common attributes. The attributes reviewed are physical, environmental. aesthetic and socio-psychological. The members of the Onekama Township Planning Commission independently reviewed various areas of the township. By using their personal knowledge they were able to go down a checklist to use a quick phrase to characterize a particular community in the township. Staff at the Manistee County Planning Department reviewed each township planning commission member's response in order to compile the responses into one set of characterizations for each neighborhood. The Onekama Township Planning Commission then reviewed the compiled responses, editing and modifying them according to the consensus of the group. The Township Planning Commission also defined the geographic boundaries of each area, as shown on the map on page 126. · The neighborhoods have the following characteristics: Onekama Village and Area: The village of Onekama has been developed on a hit and miss basis. It is spread out in a narrow strip along the north shore at the eastern end of Portage Lake. There are many platted lots of record available for future building sites. The buildings are mainly of frame construction with many of them having been built in the early nineteen hundreds. In recent years a number of house trailers have also been located in the village. The average value is probably in the range of about $50,000, with a range of from $20,000 to $200,000. Most dwellings are privately owned, with approximately 10% being rented. There are few fences and this, combined with the number of vacant lots, give the appearance of adequate open space. The main thoroughfare through town is M22 which borders Ponage Lake. Many of the main streets in town have sidewalks on at least one side of the street. Many of the homes· in Onekama enjoy a view of Portage Lake. •-· Williamsport: Williamsport is located at the southwest end of Portage Lake. It developed in the early part of this century as a resort residential area. Most of the homes are of frame construction and many would be eligible as local historic landmarks. They range in value from $50,000 to over $200,000 with the average value well above $100,000. There are a few split rail fences and a few woven wire fences but the majority of the property boundaries are marked with hedges. The density in this area would probably average about one residence per acre. There is no through traffic in this area since ingress and egress is by a single gravel road. As a result of this, all homes enjoy a high degree of privacy. There is a platted public roadway to the south pier; it is totally used as private property. The access is blocked by a gate and a lawn. 114 �Red Park: This area is located west of the center portion of the south shore of Portage Lake. It was also developed during the early part of this century and has many homes of historic significance and may merit designation on the national historic register. It is also the location of a former camp known as Camp Tosebo. All of these homes are privately owned and approximately 20% are rented out as "resort" property. There are few fences in this area. These homes range in value from $20,000 to $150,000, are mostly of frame construction and are located on relatively small lots. This area has a high degree of privacy since it can only be reached by dead end roads from Crescent Beach Road. Wic-A-Te-\Vah and Eagle Point: This area is located at the center portion of the south shore of Portage Lake. It has developed since 1920 and has many new modern year-round homes. These homes vary in value from an estimated $50,000 to $250,000. Many of these homes are of frame construction but there are also many brick veneered and concrete block homes. This area is also the location of the Evangelical Covenant Church Bible Camp. This area also has a high degree of privacy since it can only be reached by roads from Crescent Beach Road. Little Eden: This area is located on the north center shore of Portage Lake. It is the location of a church camp known as the Little Eden Camp. In addition to the camp there are a number of cottages to the north side of Portage Point Road and east and west on Portage Point Road. These cottages date from the 1920's and are mostly of frame construction. They occupy the road frontage and the hillside to the north of the road. The cottages vary in value from $50,000 to $200,000. They all enjoy a view of Portage Lake. l ! I_ Portage Point: This area is at the west end of Portage Lake and is unique in that it also has many points of public access to Lake Michigan. It is also the location of the Portage Point Inn and area, which is on the National Historic Register. This area was originally developed in the early 1900's and has a number of homes of historical significance. Most of the early homes are of ·frame construction; however, many of the newer homes are of brick and block construction. These homes vary in value from an estimated value of $50,000 to $350,000 or more. These homes all enjoy a relatively high degree of privacy since the only access to this whole area is Portage Point Road. Bayview: This area is located on a point of land that juts into Portage Lake from its north side. These homes vary in value from $20,000 to $250,000 and are of varied construction styles, with some frame construction, some brick veneer, some stone veneer and some concrete block. All of these homes enjoy an excellent view of the lake. There are few fences and most homes occupy relatively large lots. Access to this area is by a looped road from Portage Point Road. These homes enjoy a relative degree of privacy. 115 �r ! ' Pierport: This is a small community at the north edge of the township on the Lake Michigan shore. It can be accessed by a paved road from the east or by gravel roads from the north (which is a nature trail, unique to Manistee County) or the south. It is a rather private community and has had little development since the 1920's until recently. AJl of the homes are of frame or log construction and vary in value from $30,000 to $200,000. Easy Street-Farr Road (commercial-residential): This area is located at the eastern end of the south shore of Ponage Lake. The Easy Street area in unique in that it is built up on fill made by digging channels into Portage Lake. All of these lots have waterway access to the lake. It also has some commercial development in the form of a marina, a restaurant and a campground. All of the development in this area has been since 1950. The homes in this area and Farr Road area vary in an estimated value from $50,000 to $250,000. There are few fences in this area and very little privacy since most of this property is within sight of M-22. Lake Michigan Shoreline: Between Portage Point and Pierport is a stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline which is characterized by high bluffs and sand dunes. This is a very fragile area and must be carefully controlled to avoid lake and wind erosion of this ecosystem. !. I l Agricultural Areas: Agricultural areas, farming, open field. The balance of the township 1s presently zoned Agricultural Residential and has a mix of farm and nonfarm homes. The 11 neighborhoods described above each have unique characteristics. Those characteristics help define the different areas of the township for purposes of introducing public programs to enhance the positive characteristics and to mitigate what may be seen as undesirable characteristics. The community characteristics, along with land use mapping and natural features information, etc., can be used to identify commercial, industrial, residential and agricultural, and forestry zones in Onekama Township. EXISTING ZONING I l_ This discussion will center on the use and comparison of four maps: The township land use map (page 121 ); Neighborhoods map (page 126); 1983 Zoning Ordinance map (page 127); and the county Land Use Plan map (page 128). Existing land use, recognized neighborhoods, a general county plan, and existing zoning are each major factors in creating a future plan map for Onekama Township. 116 ' I I 1' ' i I. - �Also to be taken into account are the areas which have particular limitations toward development (wetlands) and soil types and special and unique areas, and regionally and state designated forestlands. In Onekama Township soils suited for farm purposes involve a large area. Further. those areas are already in farm use. The area zoned agricultural residential in the northeast quarter of the township follows strong parallels to existing land use, neighborhoods, and soils particularly suited for farming. However, the current zoning ordinance allows a long list of non-farm uses in the district. It also encompasses a large amount of land which is not considered nationally unique farmland (see discussion on page 34, 148). This results in valuable agricultural areas not receiving protection, and a large rural "throw-away" district. This difference is also seen in comparing the county land use plan map with the current zoning map. Onekama Township can be considered "out-of-step" with county wide planning on this issue. Nationally unique farmland should be delineated and zoned agricultural. Residential zoning, on the other hand, closely follows the county plan, existing land use patterns and provides for adequate room for growth (the north half of Sections 22 and 21). Other than minor district boundary changes, if any, to recognize neighborhood distinctions outlined above, no revisions are necessary. Areas for more intense commercial and industrial activity are adequately provided for within Onekama Village, and need not have a designated area in the unincorporated areas of the township. The provision of a residential-commercial area (Easy Street/Farr Road area) is more than adequate for projected growth or demand. Such uses are also more appropriately located in the village where public sewer is available. Zoning designed to protect the features which lead the county land use plan to designate special and unique areas and resource preservation areas (generally Portage Lake frontage wetlands, and the undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline (high bluffs, beach, sand dunes, high risk erosion)) should also be considered. Current zoning does not deaJ with either of these issues. The remainder of the township should be considered for a rural residential (general farm-residential-multiple use district) zoning for the township's future land use plan. l. 117 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PARCEL MAP 1983 REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION,@ROCKFORD MAP PUBLS, INC. z 8 0 !:? z . § 8 ':\( :;;/" 2 7 AMSPORT z § 4Q PORrAG£ z ,.:...,,~~~...i:::::~:!.l.---.:::....w=:~~J:!::..L::;;.~.;..:::=1.~~.:.._JL!l::::;~~--_.;::.::..:::..i.;~.;.i.;+::...i.~;;::..;.J.-lr-..i..----~~:;i. ,, e.-,R...-k/'"- ,..,__,_p,,~, ,r;,,r 2000[ ,.,.,...,_ 5000[ J000£ 118 c..,-_,,,,.,,-h § ,-. 6000C �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP RECORDED SUBDIVISIONS Hopkins Addn. to Village of P~~rport Amended Plat of the Village of Pierport 2 3 I 11 ll ____ , u 1 15 0 Portage Park Addition #1 Plat of Portage Park Resort I. ,. I Il. Forest View Shores 34 Farr's Sub. of Lot 47 of Eagle Point 119 MANISTEE COUNTY PLANNING COM~ISSIO~ �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP FRACTIONALIZATION OF LAND NOT INCLUDING SUBDIVISIONS: Land divided into 20 or less acre parcels 1974-1983 Land divided into ·20 or less acre parcels prior to 1974 u I 0 120 MANISTEE COUNTY PLAl✓NJNG COM.Q:1ss10R �21 ' JNEKAMA TOWNSHIP , 1 USE/LAND ,ER MAP ,H 32 1982 21 32 -421 32 -429 -429 32 22 31 ~ I I_ -411 �, 1. Ier ta ~mtic Lillll Use laps Urban 11. Resider.tial 111. :!111.ti-fanily; high rise (4 or mre floors) 112. }!ul:i-faaµy; low rise 113. Si::c:le fanily and duplexes 115. Hcb::e home parks 116. !ulti?le or group quarters 12. Comie."Cial anc services 121. P!'ina.,ry central oosiness district 122. 124. 125. 126. 127. 13. Shopp~,g cen~er/aall . Secc:-.aary neiallborllocd oosmess 01::e: commercial mi services I::stitutional/gover:ment Iix:cc: cultural, public 3ssemly, recmticns Fm:r..:: diqits for eacil cateaory above: 1 1. ·eomaercial, retail '2. Services, financial, professional, repair 'j, Health '4. Education '5. Religious 1 6. CorreC"ional, detention, jails '7. Military '8. Government administration and services '9. ct.Iler See f:.f:h digi:s to indicate type of fourth digit use. Indus:rial 131. m. m. 134. 135. 136. 138. 139. P!'inary netal orcduction ?e~ochelicals. storage, refining, etc. Pnnary wood processmg, 1~, ptlD, paper Sbr:e, clay, giass, cement, bnck 1 eti:. Net.al fabrication 1secondary nanuracturing) Hor:-netal fabrication (secondary mufacturing) Incustrial Parks Other See fourth digits for further detail and cross-reference to standard Imtrial Classification llanual 15. Transoortaticn, Col!mmication, utilities 141. · Air tran5?>rtation 142. Rail transportation 143. Wate ~ t i o n 144. Road transoortation 145. Ccmmnications; radio, moneLradar, TV 146. Utilities;. electric, gas, petroleum, solid 11-aste disposal mi transfer, sewage, eater treabent (Use sane subcategories as 14) 16. Mixed 17. Brtractive 171. ODen ~its 172. Sfiaif (Dines) 173. Wells 14. 179. other See fout"..ll digits for breakdown of the type of material being extracted. 19. I L Open and other 191. Mccor cultural; ~ens zoos 192. outccor public ass9bly, drive-in mvies, fair, racetracks, stadim:is 193. outccor.recreation (see fourtll digit for type) 194. Ce::eter1es 199. other (c:intlnued) 122 �Kev to Thematic Land Use Maps (continued) 2. Agri=l:ml 21. Crcolan<i 211: CJltivated cropland 212. Bay, rotation and pernanent pasture 22. Orcilar:ls, Bush-Fruits, Vinevards, Borucu.lture 221. rree fruits (see rourth digit for type of tree 222. Bush-fruits v~rds 223. Cc'.anental hor..icillture, nurseries (sod, floriculture, nurseries) 23. Confined Feeding Operation.s 24. Peniai:e.'I: ?as~e 29. ot.1!er (faratead, greenhouses, racetracks, etc.) 3. Rangelar.d (Non-foresterl, fields) 31. Her:aceous; arass field no woodv piants 32. Shrub; s:a:l'.cody plants in a field 4. Forested 41. Decic~cus 411. 412. m. 414. 42. 5. water 51. 52. 53. 54. 6. Northern hardwood Central hardwood Aspen/lihite Birch asscciation I.cwlam hard'.ocd Coniferous 421. ?ine 422. other UDland conifer m. Lovlana conifer 429. Chrisblas tree plantation Strean, vatenray Lake Reservoir; dall backwater, irrigation ?Jnd Great Lake Wetland 61. Forested (wooded) liocded; trees mre than 20 feet tall daainate 612. Shr.ib/scrub; woody vegetation less than 20 feet Hon-forested 621. Aquatic bed; plants growing/living in the water 622. E!ter9ent; et plants growl.Ilg above water level 623. Plats 6ll. 62. 7. Barren 72. 73. I I_ 75. 79. Beaches and Riverb1nks 721. Sam beach 722. Gravel beach 723. Riverbank 729. other Sand Dunes 731. Hill, IKllllld, ridge, wind-blown 1I11Vegetated sand other . 739. Transitional Areas other !. 123 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP THEMATIC LAND USE/COVER MAPS Wetlands (Forested and NonForested) i : Forested Lands Herbaceous (Fields, Small Bush) Agricultural Lands (Orchard, Row Crops, Pasture) I I- 124 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP THEMATIC LAND USE/COVER MAPS Comme::c:La: Land Uses Open U.r ba-: Lands (Parks & Cemeteries) Residentia.:.. Land Uses Barren Lands (Beach) 125 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP -__·-____ -: · ~:---.:ttE16PfBORHOODS --., -~- ·.::.:-- ~ ~ - . --= ~ 7:. ~ _7.=== P_ierpo.rt __ , ._ 2 ll I 11 15 r tt l _; .. 0 24 Portage Point I \_ Wi 11 iamsport ,. ' 126 MANISTEE COUNTY PLANNING CO~fSSIO'R �• I --.-•-······ ON61(~:-~ : 0~SfilP. ZONING MAP . (copy) ·-- -·--=~.· ~ - ·--·- ..-- ~ November · , 1987 · D -' D D D D RR-1 Resort Residential RR-2 Resort Residential RR-3 Resort JO ft Reaidential 8 ecback RR-4 Resort Residential A AC-1 AgriculturalResidential45 ft setback CommericalResidential B 70 ft. AG-1 NT1B Ill. Qca-1 -_,,·~~~.. ~•-it : · .,11. • ... · · • :'·· . ..., _..;.· · ~ . . :_, . __ , ,... 2 gJu.cult.wt.a.l-R .i.denti..al. U I 11 · '--:30:7r t ··,, · setback i I. .30 I.I ·30 ft setback E o~Ru.id 55 ft' setback · ING COMM 127 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP DETAIL MANJ~EE; co_u~ LAND USE PLAN :-:::im · •· . .~.. .. ·= .. .; ~ .... _, RURAL ,ona II). RESOURCE 14 15 ~..,..wVA~ I N - RESOURCE PRESE~~li-4il• •-----+--4 ·nENTIAL R~~M~~h1or I IL .· ESIIENT AL 128 �GOALS, OBJECTIVES, ACTION PLAN [. I The main function of this document is to plan for the future of Onekama Township. Planning for the future includes the total scope of township services and capital improvements to. be done in the township. Thus, planning includes road construction; water and/or sewer system construction; maintenance and construction of public buildings; sidewalk construction; park improvement and construction; economic development1 including tax incentive programs, bonding, grants, etc.; and development of the land so there are coordinated areas of residential expansion, preservation of open space, environmental protection and areas for intense development, such as commercial and industrial. The planning for the future of Onekama Township must take into account the anticipated population growth, economic growth, natural resources and geography of the township. This section of the Onekama Township Comprehensive Plan is to present statements and principals for the planned development of Onekama. This section of the plan is also likely to be the more frequently amended and updated portion of the plan. The Onekama Township Planning Commission should, every three to five years, carefully review this document to make sure it is still up-to-date. Every time a zoning ordinance amendment is proposed, the Planning Commission should first review the proposed zoning amendment against the plan to insure that it complies, or that this plan be updated first. Finally, the Onekama Township Planning Commission should coordinate this plan with the Manistee County Comprehensive Plan to insure neither contradict one another. The statements for planning in Onekama Township are given in three forms, or three levels. First is the statement of a "goal". A goal means a general description of an ideal condition or situation. The purpose of a goal is to provide direction. It may, admittedly, not be obtainable. The ·second is the statement of an "objective". An objective is an achievable point in the general direction of a goal. Its achievement marks progress toward the goal. The third .is the statement of "strategy". A strategy means the township's policy, planned action, or directive, which is designed to achieve an objective. A simplified example of this, at a personal level, might be to have the goal of always owning a new car without debt. The objective is to buy a car every three years. The strategy is to place $333.33 in a savings account every month and not use the savings account except to buy the new car. In an attempt to identify goals and objectives for this Plan, the following two methods were used. The Onekama Township Planning Commission established some .general service statements which were used to develop the map on the next page: 129 �"Existing Service Areas of the Township". The statements are to reflect areas where public water and sidewalks are to be provided. where paved roads are. areas where neighborhood parks are within a one mile from residential areas. The map on Page 131 shows those areas of Onekama Township where the above services should be available. That map, "Planned Service Areas", is created by the Onekama Township Planning Commission to define what levels of service will be provided (objective) to certain areas of the township. The following map, "Deficiencies in Planned Service Areas", is a map that shows which areas of Onekama Township have service deficiencies according to the above standards. The overall goal of the Onekama Township Comprehensive Plan is to maintain the intrinsic character of the area and to preserve the attributes. which comprise the high quality of life in Onekama Township, while at the same time accommodating population and business growth to occur in an orderly manner. An objective is that commercial, industrial and residential areas of Onekama Township be consolidated in area so that the township can benefit from lower costs by only providing urban level services to those selected areas of the township, rather than bearing the high cost of providing the urban services throughout the township. The Planned Service Areas map is Onekama Township Planning Commission's attempt to show which areas of the township will receive what levels of service. The remainder of this plan will, by general topic, introduce goals, objectives and strategies which comprise the township's future plan. 130 �··. , ..,··· . .., . ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP -~ -.=lY.ANNED SERVICE AREAS _____ , I - Service Area I II - Service Area II 2 III - Service Area III \2. . 11 15 1 0 24 I I I I. 131 MANISTEE COUNTY PLANl"INC r.-OMi\lrssrd~ �LAND USE DEVELOPMENT GOAL: To maintain the intrinsic character of the area and to preserve the attributes which comprise the high quality of life in Onekama Township, while at the same time accommodating population and business growth to occur in an orderly manner. OBJECTIVES: To develop Onekama Township according to a land use plan shown on page 150. GOAL: Develop an open space system in conjunction with region-wide goals and policies. OBJECTIVES: Implement zoning, based on a land use plan, for the protection of land along ·shorelines and streams. AGRICULTURAL LAND USE · GOAL: To preserve nationally unique farmland, to protect the agricultural industry in the township and the resources it needs to exist. OBJECTIVE: To zone to attempt to protect agricultural lands, which are important agricultural resources, for farm use while at the same time providing some flexibility for farm operations to be able to engage in a wide range of farm activities and have some ability to sell parcels from the farm for other compatible uses. STRATEGY: Establish area of the township (shown on the map, page 150) which are for agricultural preservation, that includes only those areas which are both nationally unique or locally exceptional farmlands and areas which have current or historic agricultural land use. (Natural Resources) STRATEGY: Permitted uses should include only agricultural activities, taken in a broad sense, so they include farms, forestry operations, and accessory uses; farmer's homes, housing for farm workers, storage, barns, repair shops, etc. (Natural Resources) STRATEGY: Special uses should include only those uses which by their very nature are compatible and complementary with farm/agriculture operations. The idea is to avoid uses which are going to experience problems being located next to a farm, or which will be a problem for the farm that may be next door. (Natural Resources) I , 132 • �AGRICULTURAL-RESIDENTIAL LAND USES OBJECTIVE: Areas of the township which are not designated as residential~ commercial, or agricultural should be classified as agricultural-residential. STRATEGY: Agricultural residential areas should be those areas shown on the map (page 150) that include a broad range of residential, agricultural, light commercial and industrial, and extractive uses. STRATEGY: Allow platting new subdivisions for single family dwellings m areas designated agricultural-residential. RESIDENTIAL LAi~D USES OBJECTIVE: Allow for the orderly growth in residential and seasonal dwellings without destroying the intrinsic character of the area --i.e. the "up north", "woodland lake" atmosphere. STRATEGY: Maintain a lower population density in the Resort Residential areas by limiting these areas to single family dwellings and encouraging establishment or preservation of green areas STRATEGY: · Provisions for multiple family dwellings, if required, will be provided in the commercial and agricultural-residential areas of the township. STRATEGY: Encourage platting new subdivisions for single family dwellings in areas designated residential (as areas where services can be provided in a cost efficient and environmentally sound manner). COMMERCIAL LAND USES OBJECTIVE: Have reasonable commercial ·development to provide services for residential and transients, and to provide employment opport~ties at businesses. STRATEGY: Provide for businesses to locate in the area designated commercial on the land use map (as areas where adverse impacts on the character of the area and natural environment will be minimized). I '~ STRATEGY: Provide for '1ight industrial" business activities, under special circumstances and conditions, in the township in order to provide some employment for residents in the area designated commercial �and/or agricultural residential on the land use map (as the areas where adverse impacts on the intrinsic character and special and natural environment are minimized). STRATEGY: "Heavy Industry" should not be permitted in Onekama Township. The Manistee Lake area, and Kaleva Village Industrial Park --in the same labor market area, and economic hinterland-already provide the required locations for existing and future heavy industry needs for the Onekama Township and Manistee County area. SHORELINE LAND USES OBJECTIVE: To maintain the intrinsic character of the overall quality of Portage Lake, the shoreline of Portage Lake and Lake Michigan and surrounding wooded hills. STRATEGY: Shoreline Development Ordinance should be adopted by the Township which deals with 1. Specific provisions for shoreline protection and maintenance. 2. Controls of runoff laden with pollutants including oil, grease, gasoline, commercial fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, septic effluents, etc. 3. Protection of unique natural environmental features (sand dunes, designated natural areas, wetlands, Lake Michigan beach). 4. Establishment of a greenbelt around the lake which shall remain unmodified and protected from alteration. 5. Prolubition of keyhole development and spot zoning. STRATEGY: Revision of Township Zoning Ordinance to create a more responsive guide for development in the Portage Lake area as they relate to the following elements outlined in the Portage Lake Management Plan: 1. streams and creeks 2. wetlands 3. woodlands 4. hillsides and erosion control 5. mining 6. variances 7. land use regulations as they relate to all specific land uses including residential, commercial, industrial, etc., including the possibility of using Planned Unit Development to allow for clustering of developments in exchange for maintaining open 134 �J space and/or protections to valued environment features in the area. STRATEGY: Enforcement of Ordinances: The Township and residents must recognize that existing and recommended ordinances and revisions are of no value if not enforced. The Township and other municipalities must take affirmative action to ensure compliance with all adopted ordinances. This policy should go beyond just the issue of land use planning but be applied to all issues discussed herein. 135 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP LAND USE PLA N MAP 1989 r 1 II Agr-Res 0 r I. I. -···-················ Hf:f:HJEHHf III~ ~EiI~~= ~~~::::::: ~::::i::: ...... ······ ..... ::::::: ::::::::···:::::::: ::::::::::: :::: :······==:::::::::::::::::::::::. :::::;: :: :-: ::~:::::::: Ll;;::::: = ===· -====: ~::~gf:;~~~~ ~ f~g = n~ ~~~gg~ ~ ;~ - • . :r..~: ·- ...- ,......._. .·-·•. :-'--erc·tlr ~;:kef " 136 MANISTE: COUNTY PLM,l·!!t·IC ,:-o.a.<JAfssroA j I �TRANSPORTATION GOAL: To·provide safe automobile transportation through the township with the miles of roads in existence in proportion to development so roads are not built where development will not occur and road construction resources are concentrated only in populated areas. OBJECTIVE: To use development of roads to concentrate development in residential and commercial areas, and not encourage road development in agricultural and special and unique areas. STRATEGY: New road construction to take place in residential and commercial areas (Service Area I, II) unless a part of a subdivision allowed agricultural-residential area in Service Area III. RECREATION GOAL: To have equitable distribution of park facilities that serve all residential areas in Service Areas I and II and to provide the township with a variety of park facilities. GOAL: Develop a Portage Lake/Onekama Village/Onekama Township community system of parks, and recreation areas adequate to meet the needs of all age groups and handicapped persons who live within the community. OBJECTIVE: Retain, maintain and/or acquire land for water access to Portage Lake and Lake Michigan and streams for the benefit of citizens who do not own waterfront property while at the same time avoiding nuisances for landowners adjacent to the access sites. OBJECTIVE: Retain and/or acquire land needed for future park expansion in Service Areas I and II, which includes plans for a soccer field, softball fields, but schedule development in relation to what can be properly maintained. STRATEGY: Encourage donation of private land for nature trails, public parks, and recreation purposes. STRATEGY: Develop small public or semi-public open spaces in conjunction with new governmental, institutional, commercial, and residential building projects. I I Lr STRATEGY: Explore, as a means of augmenting the present supply of recreation areas and conserving valuable natural and scenic 137 �environment, the granting of tax deferments to propeny owners who keep land in open use. OBJECTIVE: Develop a parks and recreation maintenance program, shared by government units and service . and educational organizations. i.e. "Adopt a Park" GOAL: Develop a recreation program which will provide opportunities for all age groups and the handicapped. OBJECTIVE: Encourage cooperation between the Village and Township government, County Fair Board, County Road Commission and the school board in providing an integrated recreation program, including consideration of joint financial support. STRATEGY: Utilize the County Fairgrounds for recreational purposes. STRATEGY: Develop senior citizen activities in the area as a minimum objective, with more frequent use of Farr Center for more senior activities, cards, bingo, meals. STRATEGY: (See road ends discussion, below.) OBJECTIVE: Involve service organizations and church groups in meeting recreational program needs and bring youth and seniors together in a recreational atmosphere which will encourage greater understanding for retired citizen and youth needs. OBJECTIVE: Develop a system of scenic, historic and pastoral mini-parks in Service Area I and throughout the township for hiking, biking, skiing, and connect all parks with a "path". I I. STRATEGY: Connect scenic areas with bike path and/or walking paths. STRATEGY: Place approved markers and signage throughout - designating areas as scenic, historical, or wildlife areas. STRATEGY: Identify recreational areas and opportunities via maps and guides for all ages to enjoy. OBJECTIVE: Develop or allow development of more water-based recreation facilities which are well located and controlled for public enjoyment and use. ,_ 138 �OBJECTIVE: Improve the year-round recreation base of the community by encouraging the public and private development of winter recreation facilities. STRATEGY: Allow development of facilities to accommodate cross-country skiing, ice fishing, and ice skating. GOAL: Establish a comprehensive ''Road Ends" management system designed to eliminate township liability issues and enhance township recreation opportunities. OBJECTIVE: "Road End" Recreation Areas: Use the recommendations of the Portage Lake Management Plan as a guide to establish "road end recreation areas" involving the dedication of specific road ends for designated activities based upon their inherent characteristics and capabilities. STRATEGY: Determine ownership and jurisdiction of road ends, and then proceed with use of individual sites, as appropriate. STRATEGY: Onekama Township Park Ordinance: To properly maintain and program these recreational "road end" areas, Onekama .Township should adopt a township park ordinance following the Portage Lake Management Plan as a guide. GOAL: To have safety and a mixed use of Portage Lake transportation and recreation needs: OBJECTIVE: To provide for a variety of uses on Portage Lake (shipping, harbor of refuge, recreation boating) while at the same time providing for swimming, fishing, and other water contact sports. STRATEGY: Establishment of Water Safety Awareness Program: Through the Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Coast Guard, county or township offices, a Water Safety Awareness Program should be developed including public presentations and written literature, following the recommendations of the Portage Lake Management Plan as a guide. INFRASTRUCTURE (Water System, County Drains, Utilities, Schools, Public Buildings, Fire Department): GOAL: To maintain an active capital improvement program, to insure needed and desired public facilities exist. 139 �IP. f OBJECTIVE: Construction of a centralized public sewer system or cluster drain field system in areas of concentrated development. STRATEGY: Development of preparatory plans for an additional Public Sewer Service District: Initial action should be taken before the need (via increased development density) is severe and water quality sacrificed (Service Area I). STRATEGY: When there is a concentrated development of new housing taking place, consider requiring "cluster .type" waste treatment systems (Service Area II). STRATEGY: Develop a sewage Disposal Ordinance which requires public monitoring and maintenance of existing on-site sewage disposal systems (all service areas). (See Natural Environment) GOAL: To have the ability to suppress all fires prior to significant property damage and without any injury and loss of life. STRATEGY: members to have Establish training. Continue training programs now underway to have all of the Fire Department through Fire Fighter #1 class, and as many as possible through the Fire Fighter #2 class. incentives for persons to take the time necessary for the STRATEGY: Purchase a VCR-TV system to provide in-house training for Fire Department and First Responder Unit (Rescue Squad) personnel. i I-· STRATEGY: Upgrade access roads in those areas where the Fire Department or First Responder Unit would have difficulty reaching in case of an emergency. STRATEGY: Provide information to the County Road Commission so that they install road signs where needed. Make sure house numbers are properly displayed. OBJECTIVE: Improved communications system for Fire Department and First Responder Unit that will allow prompt and accurate response to all emergencies. STRATEGY: Take part in a countywide communications system (911 emergency call). r- 140 updated centralized �,.... OBJECTIVE: To have the ability to respond promptly to calls involving human injury and/or medical emergencies. STRATEGY: Send at least two persons a year for Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training. STRATEGY: Purchase a defibrillation unit for heart attack emergencies. STRATEGY: Purchase a rescue vehicle if required by law. STRATEGY: Provide additional members of the First Resoonder unit with portable two-way radios. STRATEGY: Provide additional members of the First Responder Unit with first call bags and resuscitators. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOAL: To take part in development of a strong regional (county-wide) economy to solidify Onekama Township's role as a bedroom community to the Manistee Lake area. OBJECTIVE: To continue to develop and protect the tourist and seasonal aspects of Onekama Township's economy. OBJECTIVE: To take land use steps necessary for the protection and enhancement of agricultural enterprises. OBJECTIVE: To protect the quality of life that enhances Onekama Township's position as a desirable bedroom community to the Manistee Lake area. OBJECTIVE: To allow small manufacturing enterprises to locate in Onekama Township while keeping to a minimum adverse impacts on agriculture, tourism and residential economies. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT GOAL: To preserve those areas of the township that are environmentally special and unique for the benefit of future generations, such as OBJECTIVE: Implement stricter measures to protect sand dunes along Lake Michigan and Portage Lake. 141 (" ' ' �STRATEGY: Control or exclude building and development in sand dune areas identified in this master plan that are fragile from an environmental standpoint. STRATEGY: Stabilize ''blow-outs" by soil erosion measures and preventing removal of natural vegetation. STRATEGY: Require lower density developments in sand dune areas, by allowing only single family dwellings on larger parcel sizes than otherwise permitted in residential areas, and greater distances for lakefront bluff line setbacks. STRATEGY: Use the Open Space Preservation Act to encourage agreements between landowners not to develop in return for a tax reduction or -acquire (publicly or by private organization) development rights. OBJECTIVE: Achieve stricter wetland preservation measures than what currently exists in Onekama Township zoning. STRATEGY: Limit the type and amount of development in a wetland. In certain key wetlands identified in this Master Plan prohibit any development or building by exclusionary zoning, public purchase of the land, as may be necessary. STRATEGY: Use the Open Space Preservation Act to encourage agreements between landowners not to "develop in return for a tax reduction or acquire (publicly or by private organization) development rights. OBJECTIVE: Protect designated natural areas (Williamsport Wooded Dune) and areas designated special and unique . . STRATEGY: Use the Open Space Preservation Act to encourage agreements between landowners not to develop in return for a tax reduction or acquire (publicly or by private organization) development rights. 1· iI. .. OBJECTIVE: Protect the water quality of Portage Lake and other lakes and streams. STRATEGY: Establishment of a comprehensive water quality monitoring program --by the township, lake association, or a lake board-- 142 �pursuant to the Portage Lake Management Plan to identify nutrients and pollutants and the change of concentration over time and to determine the nutrient/pollution sources. STRATEGY: Development of On-site Sewage Disposal Ordinance: Adoption, compliance, and enforcement of an On-Site Sewage Disposal Ordinance, according to the Portage Lake Management Plan (see Infrastructure). STRATEGY: Development of preparatory plans for an additional Public Sewer Service District: Initial action should be taken before the need (via increased development density) is severe and water quality sacrificed. (See Infrastructure.) STRATEGY: Development of Lake Quality Awareness Program: A public awareness program to educate the public on the dynamics of lake water quality is required to modify the public·s practices concerning septic system operation, weed and algae growth. relationship between water quality and land value, escalation of poor water quality once pollution has started, water conservation, lawn fertilization. OBJECTIVE: Increased communication and cooperation among municipal units: It is critical that all local municipalities understand their interdependence upon one another in ensuring that Portage Lake follows a healthy direction in the future. It is critical that all local municipalities understand their interdependence upon one another in establishing an environment supportive of the needs of the local residents. Accordingly, consistent open dialogue is necessary as are regularly scheduled meetings among these entities. The Soil Conservation District and Cooperative Extension Service should be utilized for their expertise and guidance in these areas. STRATEGY: Portage Lake Watershed Committee: To coordinate activities in the entire Portage Lake watershed, cooperation among all municipalities within the lake watershed directed at maintaining and ensuring good lake water quality. A committee should be established consisting of appropriate health and planning officials from Manistee County and Onekama Township, Onekama Village, Bear Lake Township, Brown Township, Manistee Township, as directed in the Portage Lake Management Plan. HISTORIC AND CULTURAL, POPULATION. OTHER GOAL: Protect historic and cultural features in the township. 143 �OBJECTIVE: Work closely with the Michigan Historic Commission and Department of Natural Resources for designation and development funds. OBJECTIVE: Support efforts of the Manistee County Historical Society in achieving the goal of maintaining the area museums. [\WP\TOWNS\PLN-GOAL.ONE] L L rl ... ( I I I L 144 �• APPENDIXES r L- 145 I" I l �October 22. 1990 WORKING PAPER AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE OF THE ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION [add to end of "Agriculture" subsection of the "Natural Features" Section of the Onekama Township Comprehensive Plan [\WP\TO\VNS\PLN-NATR.ONE] ] l• Even though having farmland preservation zoning is a widely held concept, there is concern in Onekama Township if farmers want or need such provisions. To resolve this issue, the Onekama Township Planning Commission created an Agriculture Committee. The committee consisted of two members of the Commissfon and three Onekama Township farmers. The results of discussions in this committee is the best thing to accomplish agricultural land preservation is a strong and healthy agricultural economy. The second thing centers on land management, and seemingly is contradictory: 1. Do not limit the farmer in terms of what he can do with his land. This is both in terms of not limiting the type of farm operation, farm practices or types of crops (i.e. a broad definition of what is a farm), and for what uses the land may be sold for. 2. Protect the farmer, so incompatible land uses do not start up next to him and so land development in the agricultural area does not drive up the value of land. In short, the farmer wants the cake, and wants to eat it too. In an attempt to reconcile the inherent conflict -freedom to use/sell farm land for whatever is wanted and to protect farms from non-farm high property values and incompatible land uses-- the following is proposed. Onekama Township should use as broad a definition of "farm" or "agriculture" as possible. The idea is to allow the fullest scope of activities possible while still being a farm or agricultural operation. The definition, or qualification, of a farm under the administrative rules promulgated under the Michigan Farmland and Open Space [ r IL \ 146 �Preservation Act' 0 is an example. A second example is the definition used in the Standard Industrial Classification Code (SIC Manual).u The district should permit only farms/agricultural and forestry uses in an Agriculture District. Things such as the farmer's home, farm labor's housing, barns, tool and repair shops, storage, should be considered accessory uses to the principle farm use. There are certain uses which are okay, in terms of companble and not resulting in being detrimental to the agricultural economy (land values). Those uses should be allowed only under certain conditions. Thus, uses like a single family home on a parcel. a small neighborhood retail enterprise, sawmill, and some manufacturing enterprises should be acceptable. Such uses would be subject to certain conditions or standards. Those standards include: 1. From a single parcel of farm land, a maximum of four new parcels can be created. This is to coincide with the state Subdivision Control Act requirement that only four parcels, which are 10 acres or smaller in size, may be created without making a subdivision. (The idea is not to allow residential subdivisions in agricultural areas.) 2. That a special use permit is only issued with the proviso the applicant sign a statement they understand agricultural uses and practices will continue in the area even though they may be inconvenient or a nuisance. 3. That the proposed use utilizes land which is the poorer (in terms of agricultural suitability) areas of a farm, such as a sand blowout, ditches, gullies, dips, etc., or existing buildings. 4. That the proposed · use is found to be companble as a neighbor to agricultural uses. Concerns the above principles are trying to deal with include mainly compatibility. The idea is to avoid uses which are going to experience problems being located next to a farm, or which will be a problem for the farm that may be next door. Examples include: (1) an industry (warehousing, retailer) which handles hazardous, toxic or other liquid wastes which may result in groundwater contamination, air pollution which reduces or eliminates crop growth. Such a situation is not compatible to a farm dependent on groundwater. (2) A housing development (i.e. more than a single family home that is only allowed with the above proviso) will not be compatible with farm operations running large equipment at night, manure smell, crop spray blowing onto or into a house, etc. and drives neighboring farm land values up. (3) A large or major retail or service enterprise (i.e. more than a small neighborhood retailer who is only allowed with the above proviso) will 42 ' 0 P.A 116 of 1974, as amended, being MCL 554.701 eL seg. n Standard Industrial Classification Manual 1987; Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget; U. S. Government Printing Office, National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161: Order number PB 87-100012. 42 P.A 288 of 1967, as amended, being MCL 560.101 eL seq. 147 �not be compatible with farm operations where spray coats merchandise, customers' cars, there is high volume traffic on a road also used by large slow farm equipment, and drives neighboring farm land values up. Finally, a concern expressed is farm preservation should not be . a zoning district which encompasses any more area than justified. Such a district should include only those areas which are both recognized as nationally unique or locally · exceptional farmlands (see map on page '?) and areas which currently and historically have an agriculture land use (see map on page '?). The areas which do not qualify under the conditions given here should be zoned residential or agricultural-residential. I I I L 148 �[add to Land Use Development subsection of the Goals, Objectives, Action Plan Section of Onekama Township Comprehensive Plan [\WP\TOWNS\PLN-GOAL.ONE] ] OBJECTIVE: To preserve agricultural lands, which are important agricultural resources, for farm use while at the same time providing some flexibility for farm operations to be able to engage in a wide range of farm activities and have some ability to sell parcels of the farm for other compatible uses. STRATEGY:Establish an area of the township (shown on the map, page 150) which is for agricultural preservation, that includes only those areas which are both nationally unique or locally exceptional farmlands and areas which have current or historic agricultural land use. (Natural Resources) STRATEGY: Permitted uses should include only agricultural activities, taken in a broad sense, so they include farms, .forestry operations, and accessory uses; farmer's homes, housing for farm workers, storage, barns, repair shops, etc. (Natural Resources) STRATEGY: Special uses should include only those uses which by their very nature are compatible with farm/agriculture operations. The idea is to avoid uses which are going to experience problems being located next to a farm, or which will be a problem for the farm that may be next door. (Na~ural Resources) 0 BJECTIVE: Areas of the township which are not designated as residential. commercial, or agricultural should be classified as agricultural-residential. STRATEGY: Agricultural residential areas should be those areas shown on the map (page 150) that include a broad range of residential, agricultural, light commercial and industrial, and extractive uses. 149 �~ ~~1~~:;-.: \: ~~~. ·-:-:~.- ~ ~': ... --: ·. : 7" -~- - -:-: ..-:-:-. .~ . ;: ·.-.... . --t""·~-~:.,....,..; •:·.: --:~ ~·· ~.:· ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP DETAIL ..;MANISTEE; COUNTY LAND USE PLAN - -=:= ~ ..l -·= . _:.a .......- 1 RURAL RESOURCE ~~!W-J.U.VJ:l.lA I N 15 _J ·"auRES-OtJ RCE PRESEJ.A1-a.+-++i~._.._...,...._..~ , ' .......DENT IAL n~~M~~h1c I L. ESIIENT AL 150 �SA.i\1PLE DEFINITIONS: DEFINITION CONSTRUCTED FROM FARMLAND PRESERVATION ACT RULES: FARM means a business enterprise engaged in agricultural production (and otherwise known as farms, ranches, dairies, nurseries, orchards) .of crops, livestock and trees and: a. Includes forty (40) or more acres of land in one ownership which is primarily devoted to agricultural use, or b. Has five (5) or more acres of land in one ownership, but less than forty ( 40) acres, devoted primarily to agricultural use, which has produced a gross annual income from agriculture of two hundred dollars ($200.00) per year or more per acre of cleared and tillable land, or c. Has been designated by the Michigan Department of Agriculture as a specialty farm in one ownership which has produced a gross annual income from an agricultural use of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) or more. DEFINIDON CONSTRUCTED FROM SIC MAL"ilJAL: l_ [ I. \ ! I. lL. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION means establishments (e.g. farms, orchards, greenhouses, nurseries, ranches, dairies, feedlots, egg production facilities, broiler facilities, poultry hatcheries, apiaries) primarily engaged in the production of crops, plants, vines, and trees, sod farms, cranberry bogs, mushrooms, bulbs, flower seeds, vegetable seeds, growing of hydroponic crops; in the keeping, grazing, or fceding of livestock for the sale of livestock or livestock products (including serums), for livestock increase, or for value increase. Livestock as used here includes cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and poultry of all kinds. Also included are animal specialties, such as horses, rabbits, bees, pets, fish in captivity, and fur-bearing animals in captivity. [\WP\TOWNS\PLN-AGR2.ONE] 151 �ONEKAMA TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSIOi'J WETLAND COMMl'l"l'EE REPORT October 22, 1990 The wetland committee is making three recommendations: First, the following language be used in the Goals, Objectives, Strategies section of the Master Plan: "NATURAL ENVIRONMENT "GOAL: To preserve those areas of the township that are environmentally special and unique for the benefit of future generations, such as "OBJECTIVE: Achieve stricter wetland preservation measures than what currently exists in Onekama Township zoning. "STRATEGY: Limit the type and amount of development in a wetland. In certain key wetlands identified in this Master Plan, prohibit any development or building by exclusionary zoning, public purchase of the land, as may be necessary. "STRATEGY: Use the Open Space Preservation Act to encourage agreements between landowners not to develop in return for a tax reduction or acquire (publicly or by private organization) development •ghts ..... II ncr Please note the language is the same as shown in earlier drafts of the plan. The issue is how the above is achieved. To this end, the following zoning language is proposed. The second recommendation is the following proposed zoning language. It creates another residential district: a ''Wetland Residential" district. The district does not prohibit building of dwellings in the residential district. Rather it tries to accomplish the following: 1. Allows use of one's land for single family dwelling purposes. 2. Requires the review and approval by the Health Department and D NR Wetland for permit requirements prior to issuing a zoning permit. (Thus if denial for use of a wetland happens, it is done by the DNR, not the township). 3. Creates a specific district for those major wetlands identified in the Onekama Master Plan, thus alerting people a wetland issue may exist for a parcel in 152 �this area. (The map of the district has only those wetlands which are shown as "significant" in the township master plan subject to the provisions of this district (instead of all wetlands).) 4. Requires (recommended) larger setbacks. 5. Requires a minimum parcel size, which does not include any area of the parcel which is a wetland, sand dune, beach, etc. The proposed zoning is: ARTICLE VIII.B - LO\VLAND RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT - R 6 It is the intent of this district to protect significant wetlands adjacer.t and contiguous to Portage Lake, to recognize those wetlands as ecologically sensitive environments, to retain wetlands' ability· to serve as a sediment filter at Portage Lake, to retain the wetlands' ability to produce plant material and oxygen necessary to support the process of decay of natural and man-made materials on the lake bottom, to retain the wetlands' ability to act as a natural pollution filter for water entering Portage Lake and lake water. to protect fish and wildlife habitat; while at the same time providing compatible uses for recreation and game management such as recreation, low intensity residential uses, and to be consistent with the Onekama Township Master Plan. 8B.01 - Permitted Uses Permitted uses by permit authorized pursuant to Section 14.01 of this ordinance: A. B. C. D. Open Space Individual recreation act:Ivraes (such as an individual hunting, fishing, trapping) normally done without construction of permanent structures and normally allowed by state s\atute. Dwelling. 1. Home Occupation. 2. Parking for currently licensed automobiles. 3. Storage of one recreational vehicle, boat, boat trailer or trailer. 4. On lakefront lots, one boat dock for private use. Accessory Buildings and Uses to the above. Section 8B.02.1 - Special Uses: Special uses by permit authorized pursuant to Article XV of this ordinance: A. B. C. D. Water and wetland habitat-dependant game rearing operations. Federal, state and municipal game areas. Outdoor recreation parks Boat launching ramps 153 �E. F. t- Parking lots Accessory uses to the above. i Section 8B.03 - Regulations: Minimums: A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Minimum lot size: _ _ _ _ (_) square feet, which does not include nonbuildable sites within 1. sand dune 2. beach 3. wetland 4. high risk erosion area, and 5. flood plain Minimum lot frontage: _ _ _ _ _ (_) feet. [100 ft?] Minimum frontage on a public street or highway: _ _ _ _ _ (__) feet. Minimum yards, including all accessory buildings: 1. Front: _ _ _ _ (_) feet. [50 feet recommended] 2. Side: _ _ (_) feet for each side yard. 3. Rear: _ _ _ _ _ (_)feet for all uses. 4. Waterfront: one hundred (100) feet from the ordinary high water line. This waterfront setback does not apply to boat docks, boat launching · ramps, or beach facilities. Minimum floor area: _ _ _ _ _ _ (_.) square feet. Minimum dwelling width across any front, side length, or rear measurement: _ _ _ _ (__) feet. Any use constructed or occupied in this district shall be: 1. shown, by issuance of a Health Permit prior to obtaining a zoning permit under this ordinance, to be on an upland site which meets the requirements of the Manistee County Health Code; and 2. shown, by issuance of a wetlands permit or a letter indicating a wetlands permit is not needed from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, prior to obtaining a zoning permit under this ordinance. Third, the wetland committee recommends the Onekama Township Land Use Plan Map 1989 show wetlands as shown on the map on the next page. (For reference a Water Systems --showing wetlands-- and a Significant Wetlands Map are also attached.) 154 �·- ·~1 :'1'1 a::----: .'· ...: -.· _.:C.:_, :.'·:-- :: ' ; ,),i. . . . , .• . . • �.. ~_'{..r. F~ - ~- x -~. r::-: I .,/ / ~~,c~~~~:. .{~~!"!:RJ:j~~1~:QS~ c •. �..:!f".-~:;;.==ztt::::~ -- -;;;.;····•-11111-=-,..::;•.;iiP-,,-.,_ - - - - --- --- - - - -- I . �, ! • I I r ' L r. I I - L. .. ~· ~ .-~ : : · · ~ . ... ...- ' 4>.". - �Onekama Lake, Manistee ,: ... ~-'· t. ~.';\ ._. . -~ County, Mich. 0 u 0 ~ 0 :I: ~ w ~ 190 7 r-- lII I •. ,_ r· t ( '= '~- �--------- ...... .._-. Corner on Main Street. O nekama. Mich. I. f L l . .. ' . -. ... ' ~ ·:.. ·...:; :-~":> - .: :. ._; �,y _-:--· 1 ~ - I :.Jlll \ r: l. [ .,..· �.:'"'~~ : . .. -:.-::.~..:. . ~ ~i-~~~i~~ - f" l . �., Picturesque Portage Point. I ,_ 1• L �Portage Inn, Onekama, ]v1ich. 19 10 • Portage Lake and Portage Poiut Inn, Onekama. Mich. r·I I r i l �r I I I r �~ ,. ,f . ~;~: r , ~ - ·.::..:; ~~ .. ~~~ " . - f .. /...;;' -·-~~~--. [ .," . �r ---- ·-·--------------------------- - - ·---- - - - ..' ""·· .. - ·- . . _ .~ ~-- .,._ .. I. ~ .. - _ ... ~ - - -· -------'---- �PORTAGE POINT INN. ONEKAMA . MICHIGAN i ~ I• �le �-.____ __. ---. '- · I. r r. rr -- .... -.•~ \,. .. r . ... .• - -· _: �• I. . . Ltlt, I L l I I. ' .- ~ ;i,~~f~ _,{-~..:i::-~ �Channel to Pcrh,ge L11ke Harbor of Refuge, Onekama, Mich. r.. [ � 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 Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 Onekama-Twp_Comprehensive-Plan_1990 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Onekama Township Planning Commission, Onekama Township, Manistee County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-10-18 Title A name given to the resource Onekama Township Comprehensive Plan Description An account of the resource The Onekama Township Comprehensive Plan was prepared by the Onekama Township Planning Commission and was amended and approved on October 18, 1990. Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Onekama Township (Mich.) Manistee County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives 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 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 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6f2bcdb6fc35024b72bd7aaef36cc0a3.mp4 886f2168e4962e6c9fef99ec3cb32b65 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/49a6cfc2c546660ce9eef9f597f5ea39.pdf 3b73e184bae8818afd39b7338b9a6b25 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Cornelia Ooms Interviewer: Frank Boring Transcribed by Emilee G. Johnson, Western Michigan University Length: 41:14 Frank Boring: Well, let’s begin, if you could tell us your full name and where you were born. Cornelia Ooms: My name is Cornelia Lucretia Cook Ooms. That’s a long name! [laughs] Frank Boring: But you’re know as…? Cornelia Ooms: I’m known as Cookie. I have been for many years. Frank Boring: And when were you born? Cornelia Ooms: February 26, 1913. Frank Boring: And you grew up here in Grand Rapids, is that right? Cornelia Ooms: In Grand Rapids, I attended Christian schools. We lived in the Southwest part of Grand Rapids around Grandville Avenue, Hall Street, and so. 1:00 Frank Boring: What was your early schooling like? Cornelia Ooms: I went to Franklin Street Christian School and Grandville Avenue Junior High Christian School and then I went to Grand Rapids Christian High. And then after I graduated from there, I went into nurses’ training, right from school. Frank Boring: What was your interest in nursing? Did you have that from early on? Cornelia Ooms: No, I think, about the last year I was in high school, another girl and I talked about it. She didn’t go into nursing, but I did, we were going to go together, but she flunked out. [laughs] But I went into nursing, and so… I went to Blodgett Hospital. Frank Boring: Ok, all right. And what was your training like? Your schooling for nursing, what was that like? Cornelia Ooms: Well, it was good, Blodgett was known as a good hospital. 2:00 And we went, we had, the first year we were there, we went to junior college for a couple of courses. Otherwise, we had courses right at the hospital there, and learned how to do things, you know. �Frank Boring: Did you have any inkling that there was going to be a war coming up during that period of time? Cornelia Ooms: No. We were surprised when Pearl Harbor came. Frank Boring: Do you remember that day? Cornelia Ooms: Oh, I sure do! Sunday. Frank Boring: Tell us about it. What happened? Cornelia Ooms: Well, we were at another house, we were with some other young people and it came in the radio, and we were real surprised and then the next day, they declared war. Frank Boring: What was your reaction? Cornelia Ooms: Well, we all felt real bad about it. 3:00 We tried to do as much as we could, I was doing public health nursing at the time, I was in public health nursing. So I don’t know, just everybody was surprised, I think. Frank Boring: Did you feel like you wanted to join the military at that time, or did that come later? Cornelia Ooms: Not then. Later we talked about it, we three girls talked about it. And we felt we would like to do it. I think it was a matter of adventure too. [laughs] To get away, get out, you know. Frank Boring: So what is the process of joining the military, as a woman, as a nurse, at that time, what did you have to do? Cornelia Ooms: Well we, you know, I can’t even remember where we went to sign up, I think we went to Detroit to sign up. And we signed up 4:00 to go overseas, which my Dad laughed about, he said, “Yeah, that’ll never happen.” But anyway, two weeks we were sent to Camp Grant in Illinois, and we worked there as a nurse in the hospital, for about two weeks and then we got our notice to go overseas. Frank Boring: During that two weeks, what were you treating, just people that had colds and flues and things or were these actually…? Cornelia Ooms: Well it was just a Army hospital, I don’t remember much about that. Yeah, I don’t. Frank Boring: So, you got the notice then, that you were going to be going overseas… �Cornelia Ooms: And it was, they needed nurses so badly, I had a, some of the girls that went, they needed to go in uniform, they didn’t get their uniform till they got to New York. And I know, my mother and father and my sister and her husband, 5:00 came to Camp Grant to say goodbye to us, to me. And my mother sewed all Sunday, fixing the uniforms to make them fit for the other, my uniform was all right, but the other girls needed a little work done. So she was busy doing that. And we went to Camp Shanks in New York. Frank Boring: Did you have to do any kind of basic training, or did you have any military training? Cornelia Ooms: Well, no, they didn’t have time to do it. So when we were in, after we got to North Africa, we were there for about six weeks, I guess, they sent us to Sidi Bel Bes, Algeria, I don’t know if you, that’s the place where the French Foreign Legion was, in North Africa, and they had a big Army hospital there. And they sent the girls who were 6:00 going to be in charge of wards and some enlisted men, we went to that big hospital for about a month. And we worked there and learned how to do the records and all that stuff. That’s the only training we had for Army nurse. Frank Boring: Let’s go back for just a brief bit to your arrival in North Africa, you’d never been outside of the country, is that right? Cornelia Ooms: No. It was real funny, when we, well at Camp Shanks, they kept giving us more equipment all the time, they’d get us out of bed even during the night to hand out stuff. Anyway, we were lined up in a big shed to go on this ship, and I looked around, the Red Cross was handing out donuts and coffee. 7:00 And there I saw a guy who was our neighbor! And I thought, well that can’t be him, so I looked away, I thought if I look again, I won’t see him, just imagined it. But it was him. He was, we were on the same ship for a month, going overseas. And now he’s here in Sidi Bel Bes with me again. Frank Boring: So what was the arrival in North Africa like? I mean, I’ve been to foreign countries, and I know it’s very different in terms of the smells, in terms of the… Cornelia Ooms: Well, yeah, well, we landed in Oran. And at night, they put us on these big trucks, and we rode for a long time inland, you know, so we didn’t see much of the country then at all. But we were on a hill, they called it Goat Hill, 8:00 it was a big, big, thing, and they had about, oh, I bet five different groups of nurses there. [pause] The officers and the nurses were on one side of the road and enlisted men were on the other side, it was a big encampment there. We slept in tents, big tents, about ten or fifteen girls in a tent. �Frank Boring: Cots? Cornelia Ooms: No, not at first. We slept on the ground, at first, on our sleeping bags, our bedroll, that they called it. Frank Boring: Did you have a rank? Cornelia Ooms: Second lieutenant. Frank Boring: So you went in as a second lieutenant? Cornelia Ooms: Everybody, all the nurses went in as second lieutenants. Yeah. Frank Boring: And what were your first jobs, 9:00 what were the first jobs that you were doing when you arrived in North Africa? Cornelia Ooms: Well, when we were on Goat Hill, we didn’t work at all, we were just waiting, to be assigned. Then we stayed there for a long time. It was really something when we were on Goat Hill, it was so hot, terrible hot and so they made, well, I don’t know if I should tell this or not, but they made showers for everybody. And there were just pipes with holes in them, you know, and they had just canvas stripped around, not over the top, just around the bottom. Well, the enlisted men had a certain time when they could take showers, the officers had a certain time, and the nurses. When the nurses had 10:00 their time to go shower, it was all open, you know, everything was open. All the enlisted men had to come to get water, so they could look down on us. And we even had an airplane flying over us, taking pictures, we heard. And, we didn’t care, we were so hot, we didn’t care, what’s the difference, when there’s fifty, sixty, women are all together, they all look the same anyway, so. But they finally, they changed the time, and they put fellows there, to keep the enlisted men away, so, funny things like that happened. Frank Boring: What was your daily routine like? Cornelia Ooms: At…? Frank Boring: At Goat Hill, the routine was, you were just sitting around and play cards, or, what are you doing? Cornelia Ooms: Well, yeah, I guess, we would have breakfast, we’d wash ourself, you’d have to use a helmet, we used 11:00 the outside of the helmet as a basin of water. They had big tin cans, we’d wash our clothes in them and hang them on the bushes or whatever we could find. Frank Boring: This is a desolate area, I take it? �Cornelia Ooms: Oh, terrible, there’s no trees around at all. No trees at all. Frank Boring: And very, very hot. Cornelia Ooms: And about five o’clock, well, we’d have to walk to go get our food, we had to walk over to the mess, they had the mess, we just ate out of the mess kits, C-ration, some of us just ate at our own place with C-ration. It wasn’t very good. And, but about five o’clock, it was just like Grand Central Station, you’d see all the jeeps coming, all the different people would come pick up nurses. I had a fellow too, he would come take me for a ride all 12:00 around the country and… Yeah, we, and then we just, we would sing a lot together, and we’d talk, and yeah, there was nothing really to do, you just hung around. Frank Boring: Did you have any idea where you were going to be assigned? Cornelia Ooms: No. We didn’t know. We were assigned to Bizerte. We went on a big train, they had a big, long train, and we, you know, it was a French cars, I don’t know if you know they have two seats, two rows of seats and then there’s a row and then there’s a window and there’s outside of the train and with this little compartment. Six girls in one compartment, we were knee to knee, that’s how we sat, and that was sleeping too! And they would stop 13:00 quite often to get coal and water for this huge train, and the people that live around there would know that we were coming, course, and they would be lined up on the track, with eggs and bread, some bread, and stuff. Well we would, my friend and I, we sat by the window. And we’d put our helmet out, and they’d give us some hot water, in the helmet. And the people were sitting right by the window, I mean, we didn’t care. So we’d start to wash, first one would wash their face, and then the other one and then they’d wash their arms and that’s how we took our bath every day out of the helmet with everybody watching us. But we didn’t care, we got, at least, we were clean. 14:00 And we were in overalls, you know, jump suits. Frank Boring: Now, where did you arrive, eventually, where did you end up? At the end of that train trip? Cornelia Ooms: In Bizerte. And then we went to a big field, with big tents again. The hospital wasn’t quite set up yet when we got there. So we had to wait there for, I don’t know, a couple weeks, I guess, or a week, I don’t know. And then we went to our own hospital, that’s how it was set up. Frank Boring: Give us an idea of what this looks like. Cornelia Ooms: Well, it was called the 81st Station Hospital. And it had, there was a road, down the middle. On one side was all the hospital, they were big tents, four in a row, and it �went way down, and it was medical and surgical. 15:00 I was in a surgical tent. And on the other side of the road were the tents where the officers lived. And then they had a big recreation tent in the middle, and then the nurses tents on that other side, we all had bigger tents, we did have cots. [unintelligible] cots. Frank Boring: Now the tents you were sleeping in, these were not pup tents, right, these were…? Cornelia Ooms: Four ladies at a time, four beds. And we had a little stove in the middle, which, they’d burn some oil in it to heat in the winter time. Frank Boring: Are you familiar with the television series M*A*S*H*? Cornelia Ooms: Oh, yeah! Frank Boring: Is the tent sort of like that? Cornelia Ooms: Sort of like that. Yeah. Frank Boring: Ok. So, I think they had three to a tent, on the TV show, but you had four. Cornelia Ooms: We had four to a tent. Frank Boring: Approximately how many people were out there, are we talking thousands of people,16:00 or hundreds of people? Cornelia Ooms: Oh, there were…you mean in our group? Frank Boring: Just in your immediate hospital area. Between the officers and the support people… Cornelia Ooms: Well, yeah, there were about fifty nurses. And a lot of officers, I don’t know how many, but… Frank Boring: So this is a large area… Cornelia Ooms: So a couple hundred at least, two or three hundred people. Frank Boring: Now what was your responsibility, what was your job? Cornelia Ooms: I was the head nurse of this one ward. And we had very sick patients and some that weren’t too sick. Frank Boring: By sick, what kind of sickness are we talking about? These are war wounds? Cornelia Ooms: Just come from surgery, some were wounded, and they had a lot of dressings to do and IVs, it was very, and I, as a public health nurse, 17:00 I never learned how to �give intravenous injection. And I told our commander, the officer, reverend, I mean, Captain Gere, was our doctor in that..our tents and I told him, I said, I’m willing to learn if you want to teach me how to do it. “Aw,” he said, “I’ll just do it. You get everything ready, you know who has to have intravenous fluid, and when I go to surgery, I’ll stop by and stick the needle in.” He said, “Those boys have been through enough! They don’t have to go, they don’t have to have you poking them trying to hit a vein.” So, I never did learn to do intravenous, 18:00 put a needle in the vein, I… At public health, they didn’t want you to, it was too much responsibility, away from a doctor, and you know, in a home. Frank Boring: Why were you made the head nurse? Cornelia Ooms: Well, I don’t know, I had more experience. Some of the nurses there were just out of nurses training. They came right from nurses training into the Army. And I was older, we were older. We had had experience in the nursing field. Frank Boring: So as a head nurse in this particular ward, what was your responsibility? Cornelia Ooms: See that everything was done good, assign the nurses to the tents, the people they had to take care of, the baths that had to be given and see that the ward men did the work that they had to do. And we also did baths. 19:00 I worked all the time too. We didn’t just sit around. Frank Boring: Were you responsible for ordering medicines or was all that taken care of? Cornelia Ooms: The doctor did that. We had to give the medicine. We gave a lot, used a lot of sulfa. Frank Boring: What kind of wounds are we talking about here, what variety of…? Cornelia Ooms: Well they were gunshot wounds in the abdomen and the back, and we had some, a couple fellows that were burned real badly and had a couple of amputations. So that sort of, just general surgery. They had a, they called it hospital row, there were about four hospitals set up. Some took lung cases. 20:00 [pause] Some took lung cases, some had head wounds, others had different things, but we had general surgery. Frank Boring: This could not have been a very pleasant place to work. Cornelia Ooms: No, but the fellows were real nice. They never, when they first would come off the field, in from the airplane, they would be very dirty and we’d get them all cleaned up �and some of them would use bad words once in a while and they would apologize for it. They’d say, “Oh, we haven’t seen women for so long, we forget.” But they were real good fellows. Frank Boring: Um, did you treat just Americans or were there other nationalities? Cornelia Ooms: No, well, we had one fellow die and 21:00 he was from Britain. He was English. Most of us we were Americans, yes. Frank Boring: How long did you stay at that particular ward? Were you there for a year, or? Cornelia Ooms: Yeah. All the while we were in Africa, we were… [unintelligible] When we got to Italy, then I wasn’t, I just worked in the ward, I wasn’t ever responsible for it. Frank Boring: How did you get your news? Did you have newspapers, radio, how did you know what was going on in the war? Cornelia Ooms: Well, they had the Stars and Stripes, that was the newspaper, we would get that. And they had a radio, some of them had radios. Frank Boring: Did you have any idea that we were winning the war or losing the war, did you have any sense of how the war was going? Cornelia Ooms: No, I don’t think so. Course, in Italy, when we got to Italy, then we 22:00 took care of the French Army and different, we had more diverse people, more than Americans. We had Arabs and we had people who worked for the French Army. [pause] Frank Boring: So in Italy, you were not the head nurse. Cornelia Ooms: No, no. Frank Boring: So your responsibilities were just the same as any other nurse. Cornelia Ooms: Yeah. Frank Boring: Dispense medicine. Cornelia Ooms: Give baths. Frank Boring: Give baths, ok. Cornelia Ooms: That’s right. �Frank Boring: Were there any particular incidents that stuck out? I mean, I know this is a daily routine of wounds and people, but were there stories that you remember from that period that…? Cornelia Ooms: Well, one day, there was, he was from 23:00 Morocco, I guess, anyway, he was from the French Army, he wanted something else to eat, we couldn’t figure out what he wanted. So finally, he made a noise like a chicken, then we knew he wanted an egg. And another time, we had a black man we called Yah Yah, he was a huge fellow, and we also had another little guy whose leg had been amputated and the French didn’t do a very good job on people when the operated, so they were, had weights on his leg to pull, so they could fix it better, so he could use the prosthesis, and that was painful for him to have those weights on there but it was necessary. 24:00 But his friend would come along and stick the weights under the mattress to take the, relieve the pulling, you know. Well, one day, I got him all ready, I had him all fixed up, and had it all settled, and then I came back, the weights were under the mattress again, so I fixed it again and I was going this way [motions]. He couldn’t understand me and I couldn’t understand him but I was going this way [motions], shaking my head. And one of his friends came along and started talking to me in Arabic, I guess, I don’t know, anyway, and all of the sudden this little guy, he was raised right off the floor, here was Yah Yah, he had him by the scruff of the neck and just lift him right up and looked him in the eye and he said something 25:00 to him, I don’t know what, but we didn’t see the guy for two days after that, he must’ve scared him really bad, but we always felt we didn’t have to worry as long as we had Yah Yah around. He was, he knew what he was saying to him, probably wasn’t nice. Frank Boring: What was the procedure for a patient coming in and then finally getting discharged? Give us an idea of what the… Cornelia Ooms: Well, when we were in Africa, of course, all the records were in English. In Italy, we had young people working for us on the ward who were Italian, didn’t speak any English. These people came in from the French Army, they didn’t speak English either. 26:00 So, the ward doctor would take the medicine chart, cart, and he cut off all the bandages of this one fellow and rewrite all the orders in English, that was the only way they could do it. And somebody would take tetanus, and give everybody a tetanus shot. Just under the skin, you know, test them if they needed it. And when we had, if they were going to have surgery, they weren’t to have breakfast, they had a certain color card that we laid on their bed, and then these Italians would know that would mean they didn’t get a breakfast. That’s how we had to work. Lot of hand, head shaking and hand shaking and, but it worked, 27:00 it worked. Frank Boring: Would you say that the pace was hectic? �Cornelia Ooms: No, no. It was busy, but not hectic. We never stressed, I don’t think, I never felt that way, anyway. Frank Boring: So, from your knowledge of how all this works, a soldier would get injured in battle, the medics would bring him to— Cornelia Ooms: Our hospital. Frank Boring: Ok, so you were getting them fresh from the battle. Cornelia Ooms: We got those from the French Army, we did, yeah. And they had much different wounds than our fellows did, you could tell they had hand-to-hand combat. They would come, these guys, from, you know, the Arabs, with these knives that were crooked, you know, I mean, the big curled-over, they would go under the mattress, they still had them with them. And their wounds were a lot different, 28:01 all sliced and, they weren’t gunshot wounds like the Americans. Frank Boring: Was it during this period of time that you met a young lieutenant, I believe he was a lieutenant at the time, Dole, is that the same period of time or is that much later? Cornelia Ooms: No, no, that was after I came home. Frank Boring: Oh, ok. Cornelia Ooms: No, I didn’t see him in Africa, no. Frank Boring: So, you were then in Africa and then in Italy and what happened after Italy, where did you go from there? Cornelia Ooms: Well, I, see I injured my back when we got to Italy. Frank Boring: Let’s talk about that. Cornelia Ooms: So I worked for six months. But I was, my body was real crooked, I was trying to save my back, you know. Frank Boring: Well, let’s talk about that incident, what happened, actually? Cornelia Ooms: Well, as I said, when we got from the ship, to our place where we were going to live, we had to get on a big truck, 29:00 it was 6x6. And we had all our heavy clothes on and a tent bag and a helmet on our head. And I was the first one off the truck. And the fellow who, there were no steps, we just had to jump off, and that’s a long ways down. But the fellows would always put their hands up like this [motions] and we could put our hands on theirs and they would spring us, and we wouldn’t hurt. But this little fellow who helped me, didn’t give me any support, so when I landed on my feet, my back twisted. �And I called to the nurses, the other girls and I said, “Be careful when you get off, he doesn’t help you enough.” But then I didn’t think any more of it, but as the time went on, it’d get worse. And one night, I was supposed to have a date, and he didn’t come, which wasn’t unusual, they had 30:00 other assignments, so… But I started to get sciatica, a pain in my leg, it was just terrible. And everybody was out and when they came back in, I was walking around all crumpled up. They gave me pain pills and put me to sleep and in the morning it was still there, so then I went to the hospital. And I was in traction there for maybe a month. And I was sent home on a hospital ship. And I went to Springfield, Missouri, then, we came home and landed in Savannah, and then I was sent to Springfield, Missouri, to the hospital there and had a laminectomy for my back and I was there for a while and then I went to Percy, then I went 31:00 to Fort Custer, I was on assignment, I went back then to Miami for reassignment, and I chose Fort Custer, Percy Jones, because that was near where I lived, you know, and I had a car waiting for me in Grand Rapids and so I went there but I was only there about six months and my back went out again and I had a second operation there. And that’s when I met Dole, I was recuperating from that second operation, and I helped him and I volunteered to feed him. Frank Boring: Now, you were telling me there was two officers there that were in pretty bad shape, tell us about meeting Bob Dole. What kind of shape was he in? 32:00 Cornelia Ooms: Oh, he was so thin! He’s a big, tall guy, you know, and he was real thin, he couldn’t use his one arm and his other arm he couldn’t use to eat with. He was very, very thin. And he wasn’t eating, that’s why they asked us if we would feed him. To feed him while the food was hot. So every, every three times a day, we would go, before we went our own meal, we would go and feed this fellow, these fellows, this other nurse and I. And she fed a fellow who was a paraplegic and I had Dole. So, that way, he did start to get better then. By the time I left, when I was discharged from there, he was still a patient there when I was discharged. Frank Boring: What was he 33:00 like as a patient? Cornelia Ooms: I never saw him, I just went in to feed and would go away again, you know, we didn’t… But he was real nice, we had a lot of nice talks together. Yeah. Had a good sense of humor. Frank Boring: Course, you didn’t know who he was from anybody else at that time, he was just— Cornelia Ooms: Oh no, he was just, he was a lieutenant. Yeah. There were, Senator Inouye was there, at that same time. Frank Boring: Oh, wow. �Cornelia Ooms: And there was another man, I can’t think of his town, but he was from Michigan, he was there, they all became senators! Three of them that were there at the same time. Course they didn’t know it at that time. Frank Boring: When did you first find out that the guy that you were feeding was a— Cornelia Ooms: Well, when I was, lived in California, we lived, I, we moved there, and after I had finished school and my husband finished school, 34:00 we moved out to California. And his picture was on Life Magazine, he was running for senator then. And I wrote to him and told him who I was, and he wrote back to me and invited me to come to Washington, and show me around. But then a year or so later, I got another letter from him, he had been in San Diego, but he hadn’t had time to come to see me or to contact me. So that was when I saw him, and then I saw him, course, later in Grand Rapids, at that political luncheon. Frank Boring: Now, once your back, it was hurt you’re— Cornelia Ooms: When I was, when we were in, when we were going to school 35:00 in Seattle, I was married and I was going to school, getting my degree in public health nursing, then my back went out again, and then I went through the veterans’, I went to the public health hospital, and I had a big operation and I had a spinal fusion. And then they injured the nerve in this leg, [motion to right] my right leg, which was more sensation than movement, I could use it, but it was the sensation. It was so terrible cold, I had, I started getting terrible cramps, and it was so cold, my foot was, my leg was always ice cold. So I went back to this hospital and saw the doctor, and they did a ?????? which, 36:00 they directed more blood through another vein, a vessel, and then I didn’t have any more trouble with it. It’s always been weak, this leg has always been weak, I’ve fallen many times. But never really got hurt real bad. Skinned up a lot. [laughs] Frank Boring: Yeah. How about your discharge from the military, was that a fairly simple thing? Cornelia Ooms: Yes. You are, I was discharged when the Army hospital said you’re able to go work, or be around, you know. So, I was discharge and then I went back to Camp Grant, and got my final discharge there, I was only there a day or two, and I was discharged. Frank Boring: Did you find that your military experience helped you, later in your life? Cornelia Ooms: Oh, yes! 37:00 Made me grow up. Oh yeah. I found out I could do things I never thought I could do. Take responsibility I never thought I could do. I had always lived at home with my parents and very secluded, always the same friends, didn’t have to do anything different. But I found out I could do it. I really grew up. �Frank Boring: Did you have moments of real… I guess the word I looking for is when you think about nurses, there are times when the life of that person is in your hands. Were there close calls that you can recall? Cornelia Ooms: No, I don’t ever think so. Except that one time in Africa when the little boy died, and we all felt really bad about it, but— Frank Boring: What was that, what happened there? What happened to the little boy? Cornelia Ooms: Well he was wounded 38:00 very badly and he died, he couldn’t make it, the doctor tried everything to save him, he couldn’t do it, I don’t know what happened to him [unintelligible] That’s the only casualty we had in our ward. I don’t think we had too many in our whole hospital. Frank Boring: You guys did a good job. [laughs] Cornelia Ooms: I think so. I think we did. Frank Boring: Well, I guess we can wind down the interview now, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you letting us come and talk to you. Cornelia Ooms: Well it’s been fun talking about it again. Frank Boring: Yeah. Cornelia Ooms: Yeah. Frank Boring: Well, make sure to keep in contact, because I’d like you to get a copy of this video. Cornelia Ooms: Ok, thank you. Frank Boring: And we’ll make sure to have that for you. And when Bob Dole comes to town, let’s see what we can do about it. Cornelia Ooms: Oh, I hope, I sure hope I can see him again. Frank Boring: I have one more question. I interviewed a Navy nurse, ok, and not a Navy nurse, excuse me, she was in the Navy. She had actually been offered to be in the 39:00 Army. And she chose the Navy cause she heard that the Army nurses wore khaki underwear. Cornelia Ooms: [laughs] Oh, no, we didn’t! [laughs] No. But we did a lot, we did a lot more actual nursing than the Navy nurse did, that’s what I was told. I talked to a Navy nurse, they get a lot of bookwork. And they told other people what to do. The Army nurse, we �did the actual nursing too, we gave baths and we did all that kind of work. And, but, the Navy nurses probably ate better than we did too. [laughs] One thing, I went with a, he was a lawyer, and he’d come once a week to the hospital and come and pick me up and take me to Bizerte, to his place, 40:00 where they had… And the first time I went, they were all sitting at a big, long table, all men, of course, I was the only woman. And I sat down and I looked, and I said, “Butter!” And they said, “Butter?” I said, “Butter, we don’t get butter.” They said, “You don’t?” I said, “No, we get…” stuff, I don’t know what it was. Anyway, before I knew it, I had all the butter of the table in front of me. And every time I came, everybody would give me butter. They all brought butter to me. [laughs] Now, they, some of those people ate pretty good. Army didn’t eat so good. Oh, we ate all right, but it was a lot of C-rations and K-rations and… Frank Boring: I actually know what those are. I’ve eaten them myself. Cornelia Ooms: [laughs] Yeah. 41:00 Frank Boring: Well, Cookie, thank you so much for this interview, and I guess we can wind it down now and… Cornelia Ooms: Well, thank you for doing it, I never knew it was going to be like this. 41:14 � 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 Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> 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 OomsC Title A name given to the resource Ooms, Cornelia (Interview transcript and video), 2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ooms, Cornelia Description An account of the resource Cornelia Ooms was a nurse in the U.S. Army during World War II. She was stationed in Italy and worked in the field hospitals with French, North African, British and American soldiers. She hurt her back in Italy and had to return back home to the states where she finished school and married. While she spent time in Italy in a hospital, Cornelia met Bob Dole and two other soon to be senators. She volunteered to feed Mr. Dole, who at the time could not use his arms to feed himself. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives Women Language A language of the resource eng 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 Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004-06-26 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives