TO SETTLE ON ISLAND

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 98, 24 February 1947, Page 6

TO SETTLE ON ISLAND

NORTHERN REGIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN U.S. WAR VETERAN AND FAMILY t ' ’ • -- A war veteran, his family and a close friend prepared to become the first permanent residents in 70 years on isolated Garden Island in the northern reaches of Lake Michigan. Local historians said the Island’s latest regular residents, a settlement of 200 Indians, abandoned it in 1879. Principals in the expedition are Charles Kleinhenz of Petoskey, a former Army Air Forces sergeant; his wife, Martha, their eight-weeks-old daughter, Sally Charlene, and Zene Golden, a family friend. The two men, both of whom have spent brief intervals on the island in past years, expressed desire to engage in commercial fishing there.

Mrs Kleinhenz told interviewers, “Charles and I spent three months on the Island last winter and we liked it so much we’re going back and this time for good. Even though we have a baby now, we think it’s the best place for all of us. “A lot of our friends think we’re wrong to even consider such a thing, what with the baby and all, but pioneer women raised children under such conditions and I don’t see why we can’t do the same thing,” she added.

The little group has laid in 1000 pounds of provisions for the winter season and purchased four sled dogs to haul a sled across to St. James, nearest inhabited island which is two miles away. The two men are to head for the Island very shortly to fix up a cabin, which Mr Golden previously built when he, too, spent several months there.

Mrs Klenhenz and her daughter are to go by mail plane from Charlevoix to St. James, which is located on Beaver Island. They will complete the trip by dog sled across the frozen lake and the family expects to be all set up in its new home shortly.

Garden Island is a heavily wooded region of 3300 acres, about 5| miles long and 24 miles wide. Minor lumbering operations have been carried on a couple of months a year in recent history.