Martha Rule, Janet Graph, and Jack Stevenson on the beach with their dog.
Courtesy Omena Historical Society
Ed Egeler in front of Kimmerly’s Store Courtesy Omena Historical Society
The people of early Omena and surrounding areas loved their dogs. At least most of them did. Dogs went everywhere with their owners: the beach, the store, the train station, and they didn’t seem to be kept behind fences or on leashes.
Dogs in Mrs. Dougherty Kitchen!
Mrs. Dougherty had mixed feelings about dogs, especially when large packs of them ran rampant through her kitchen while she was trying to cook. “Maria Dougherty was at the mercy of every traveler and visitor, expected to prepare meals on short notice, stoke fires, provide accommodation when needed, and deal with “flea-ridden local dogs” who ran through the house with the visitors when she was trying to maintain order. Grove Hill School was her home, her church, and her workplace”. The “flea-bitten dogs” were unwelcome guests.
Vin Moore and his sons with their dog at the Omena Train Station. Courtesy Omena Historical Society
But the early settlers valued their dogs very highly. In fact, “the very first litigation of which there is any record was a suit tried in December of 1856, by Justice S. G. Wood of Northport. The case appears on the justices docket as Wadenemah vs. Mr. Tuece. The suit was brought by the plaintiff to recover damages for the loss of a dog killed by the defendant…and the amount of damages claimed was one hundred dollars. George N Smith was attorney for the plaintiff and won his case, securing a verdict for twenty-five dollars and costs, which, although only one-fourth of the amount claimed, in 1856 dollars was big money and seems to indicate that the price for dogs was pretty high in those early days. That would be $871.09 in today’s dollars, but they were asking for $3546.33! They loved their dogs!
And even now, one can hardly drive down Omena Point Road without meeting someone walking their dogs. Omena’s Mayor is a dog, and every July the Northport Dog Parade is a big event. I’d say the apple hasn’t fallen very far from the tree.