Historical Images & Recollections from the Sleeping Bear Dunes Area
vzOralHistory.comI was stationed to work as a Park Ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore from 1984—2005. During that time I was lucky to have the chance to get to know most of the folks around Port Oneida. I first started taping some of their recollections in 1992, when Laura Basch happily filled some 14 hours of tape with her encyclopedic knowledge of Port Oneida goings-on, gained from a lifetime near the top of Basch Road. (Her neighbor Charlie Miller later noted, “She was a talking newspaper.”)
Since that time many others have shared stories, data, photos, documents, and whatever else might serve to give the rest of us some idea of how their community worked. This project is an attempt to pass along some of what was kindly shared with me.
Over coming months and years, I hope to produce booklets featuring photographs and recollections gathered during our oral history projects. Each project is more fully documented in a notebook which includes audio recordings, transcripts or summaries of the interviews, and all collected images. Copies of these notebooks have been placed in various libraries and archives, and are available for public use at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Library, the Glen Lake Library (Empire), Traverse City Public Library, and the Bentley Historical Library (University of Michigan), among other places. See them for more details from these projects.
Images & Recollections from Port Oneida: The Burfiend and Baker Farms
An elder statesman passed from Port Oneida on August 13. Descended from two of Port Oneida’s founding couples, and having spent a lifetime working as fisherman, dunemobile driver, Coast Guardsman, farmer, builder, deputy sheriff, and County Magistrate, if you needed to know how something was done around Port Oneida, it was, “Just ask Jack.”
Fortunately, throughout his 92 years Jack Barratt gave generously of his wide-ranging knowledge of Port Oneida ways. This book is based on oral histories and family photos donated by Jack, his wife Lucille, and his cousin George Burfiend.
Images & Recollections from Port Oneida: The Frederick & Margretha Werner Farm
This second volume in the Images & Recollections from Port Oneida series focuses on the old barn and farm at the end of Miller Road, long known as the Miller Farm.
Images & Recollections from Port Oneida—The Thoreson Farm and Its Neighbors
This latest in the Images & Recollections from Port Oneida series is based mainly on the oral history interviews and photo collection of Leonard Thoreson. Leonard tells about about his ancestors’ early years on the farm, his parents’ lives, and his own boyhood there. An audio CD is included
Dottie Lanham of Burdickville
Although the major focus of this series is the Port Oneida area of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, this one centers on the nearby village of Burdickville (my home).
Dottie Lanham, a fourth-generation citizen of Burdickville, has donated use of her collection of historic photographs, and spent many hours providing associated oral history information. Dottie Lanham: Images, Recollections, and Observations presents some of those photographs, accompanied by notes drawn from her interviews. There are also some images, interview excerpts, and information from some of Dottie’s neighbors.
Boudewijn & Kate DeKorne
One more Burdickville book—A 36-page collection of photographs and related information about the beginnings of this family in America, and their lives in Grand Rapids and at Glen Lake. This will mostly be of interest to DeKorne descendents and friends. (This is an expanded second edition.)
Links to Related Organizations
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Sand Hill Nature Education: My wife Alice's site, which includes great information on Sleeping Bear area phenology--signs of the seasons, etc.
Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear