Barbara Noreika

My late grandmother, Barbara Noreika, hailed from Lithuania. She left that country on foot. At the east Prussian border the men left the women and found a way to cross the border through the forest. The women crossed where the border patrol was located. They told the patrol they were trying to find work in Germany.

In truth they were heading for America and soon thereafter rejoined the men who had crossed the border secretly. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean took about 15 days eventually arriving in Calumet. My grandmother and another women helped feed the passengers daily their noon day meal. By passengers, I mean those immigrants that were confined to the hold of the ship. Most were sea sick for the majority of the voyage.

According to the Lake County Court House Library (Book 58, page 283) my grandfather purchased our farm property near Big Bass Lake with a 1913 contract. He acquired the deed a year later. It was re-deeded in 1921 to include my grandmother’s name on the deed.
I was very proud of my grandmother and she learn English from watching American television.

Sauble Lake Rustic Resort

After doing some research I found out that the Sauble Lakes chain once had a resort on it called the Rustic Resort. That was in 1912 and I can’t determine when it shut down. I do know it was in close proximity to Bloody Run Creek which is famous for that train wreck over that body of water.

I wonder if the resort was still in existence when the Boody Run incident took place? Any historians out in our readership that might know about this?  Also what was the rssort like?  I think a William Utter owned it.

Christmas Parade in Ludington with Reindeer

Have you ever wondered why they call them reindeer, especially in Michigan? I mean, how much rain does Michigan get from November through March as opposed to snow and ice? Why not call reindeer snow deer? I even saw a white deer the other day that gave me that idea. Between Dave, Mike, and I we haven’t posted many Christmas-themed articles this year so I thought I’d have one. As for the parade each year Ludington has one but you’d better dress for it as baby you can get cold out there. Merry Christmas everyone.

Ted Nugent and Ward Hills- A Fallacy?

 This property in Lake County Michigan is said to have once been owned by recording star Ted Nugent. The property is on Six Mile Road. To me the property Bears no resemblance to the one at Ward Hill ski area. Nugent enjoyed hunting but you cannot actually call him a professional Hunter. I would be interested in other views on this subject with verifiable evidence to the contrary. I believe that Ted Nugent never owned any part of Ward Hills.

Looking West at The Twin Islands

If you were just exiting the channel from Little Bass Lake to Big Bass Lake this is the view that would await you. In the distance are the twin islands otherwise known as Four Winds and Turtle Island. The former was once the home of Camp Martin Johnson and it still has the original buildings on it although somewhat modernized.

Both islands are now privately owned as Turtle Island was once owned by the Manistee National Forest. En route to those two islands one would also find Sunken Island which is usually surrounded in summer time by an armada of pontoon boats so that their children can frolic in the two to three-foot water in the middle of that section of the lake.

And to the left side of the lake was once the property of Camp Martin Johnson.  Now the Heritage Bay Association owns that land and has built many modern mansions where the former camp once proudly stood.  But, what a spectacular view of the twin islands!

The Dinty Moore Resort

I often wondered where Santa Claus spent his off-season and now I know where.  At Big Bass Lake, of course!  Actually this is Kent Carson and he has been following our website for some time now and has informed us that he is going to be living on Big Bass Lake hopefully by the end of October.  Add to that, he is a relative of Dinty Moore.  No, not the stew guy but the one that once had a resort on the lake by the same name.

Kent will be sharing some history of the area once he is moved in and in early November, I thought I might send him an invitation to join us here at BBL and Beyond as a regular contributor.  That will also come his way in early November.

As for his companion in the boat with him, could that be one of Kent’s elves?