People of Omena

In 1890 Grierson retired with the rank of Brigadier General of the US Army and in 1896 moved into his cottage on Omena Bay. I imagine after all those years in the dry dusty west, he spent a lot of time on that long dock and high tower looking at the bay. – photo credit Weengush Odeimin General Grierson’s cottage, named “the Garrison” in his time was a magnificent, towered building on the end of Omena Point. (Now called the Rule cottage) Benjamin Greirson was an unlikely hero of the civil war. He was a gangling Scotch-Irishman with dark hair,… Read More »

This is a customer reply card from Solle’s Bookstore from 1941. Solle named the local train “Maude” and credited her for delivering his books. Courtesy Leelanau Historical Society Rarely does death strike the same family twice within one week. But shortly after Carrie Solle was called to Chicago in March of 1949 to be with her sister whose husband had died, she got another call that her own husband had died as well. William H. Solle, “World Famous Omena Bookseller”, was home alone on that Sunday afternoon when he became ill. He called Dr Johnson of Northport, who found him… Read More »

William Craker with his egg basket. He brought eggs to the store and got groceries which he carried home every day. Photo courtesy Leelanau Historical Society It says a lot about a man’s character that he took care of an eagle for 14 years. William A. Craker, “Delly” to his many friends, captured the eagle while he and his family were living in Maple City in 1917. He named it “Megizzewas”, and kept it for 14 years until it escaped. What does it take to take care of an Eagle? First of all, an eagle isn’t a pet. The most… Read More »

Gordon Solle, Elsie, and Geneva (Putnam) Smith at the counter in Anderson’s Ice Cream Parlor in 1935. Geneva Smith became the Postmaster there in 1965. – Courtesy Omena Historical Society Ernestine Freeland Johnson once remarked about the lengths the local postman went to look after his neighbors on his mail route. She said, “Ed Egeler was the rural carrier from 1927 to 1954. He was a very conscientious man. One winter it had been snowing a lot. Ed told her some man along the route had told him, ‘You know I’ve had impressions made for dentures,’ and the dentist said… Read More »

The VanPelt family Emily’s daughter her husband, and Emily’s grandchildren are on the left in this photo Emily and Thearl Smith on the right. What could a young farmer’s wife with a three year old daughter do in 1922 when more money is needed to supplement the cherry crop? Many, many things if you are Emily Nash Smith. She had been a teacher before she was married, so, hearing Bass Lake school needed a teacher, for starters she accepted the job teaching in the one room schoolhouse. She had to be at school an hour before the children to make… Read More »

The farm horse Maude with Ole’s parents. – Courtesy Katja Sage The family had no electricity or running water in Ole’s early years. During the colder months baths were once a week. His mother poured kettles of hot water from the wood stove into a big laundry tub in the kitchen. The trips to the outhouse were cold, especially at night in the snow! They used candles and Kerosine lanterns for light. These could have been the cause of the fire which completely burned down the family home destroying all the childhood photos of Ole in 1956 while Ole was… Read More »

The main house at the Clovers ca. 1900 – Courtesy Omena Historical Society The other half of the story of Jeannette and Sidney….is the story of our twice postmaster, Sidney Keyes. Sidney was born in Branch County, Michigan in 1839, and was raised on a farm. In 1847 when Sidney was 8, his parents moved to Iowa where they remained for twenty one years. By 1868, when Sidney was 29 years old, he had watched his older brother William suffer the death of his wife not once but twice, (not until the age of nearly 50 did William finally marry… Read More »

The view from the second story of the Post Office: dirt roads and the Anderson Dock. – Courtesy Omena Historical Society This is a story of tragic deaths, a disabled child, land barons, and a postmaster who came and went and came again… and the Omena Post Office. In 1881 Jeannette and Hiram Ballard owned considerable timber land, at least 770 acres around Mougey and Bass Lakes. They lived in Evanston, Illinois with their 2 sons. Harry, who was mentally disabled, and Charles, who was four years younger than Harry, In Evanston in May of 1883 the father Hiram died,… Read More »

Bert Russell and his son Dell with customer Furn Charter, one of the first two women to get haircuts at Russell’s Barber Shop. Courtesy: Dell Russell and History of Leelanau County. When Albert Freeland cranked up the Victrola to play after dinner music for the enjoyment of the guests at the Freeland Resort, he wanted to look his best. Besides operating the Victrola, Albert was a “genial host and an excellent conversationalist.” The guests would dress up for dinner in their “afternoon dresses”. Albert would get his beard trimmed at Russell’s Barber Shop. Bert Russell opened his barbershop in Northport… Read More »

Wally’s Omena home, at the corner of Omena Point Road and Lake Street – Courtesy Omena Historical Society There was once a little boy whose parents got divorced, and as sometimes happens, what followed was frequent moves with his mother and little sister from Detroit, to Chicago, to New York, and back to Detroit. Because he was small and thin, he was often targeted by school bullies. Omena Summers He started coming to Omena in the summer as a small child, and came to think of it as his home…where he was from. He had many happy adventures here. Here… Read More »