Still Rockin' at Castle Farms

At the end of the last post, Rockin’ at Castle Farms, we left off with John VanHaver. He was the second owner of Castle Farms and an artisan in the 1960s. VanHaver worked with what remained of the dilapidated buildings on the farm. He converted the horse barn to use for metal working. To give a measure of protection from fire, he removed the beams from the hay loft. Notice the vertical rectangular slots in the stonework at the top of the stone walls in the photo at left (with the later restored roof). This is where the beams rested to support the structure and the original loft. Without the loft in place, he was able to use this building with a forge to create his works of art. On other sites he hosted art shows and workshops.

The property changed hands again to an individual that used the location to host rock concerts from the 1970s through the early 1990s. At this time, little remained of the original buildings. What did exist was in poor shape. The concerts were held in the open area that now leads to the formal garden, portrayed in the header photo at the top of this post. There were exterior walls left on the horse and cow barns (at sides in the same photo above) that served as barriers. From the Beach Boys to John Denver, Alabama to Amy Grant, crowds of up to 20,000 rocked the grounds to listen to musicians among the ruins.

                

The owner built apartment on site so that he could remain on the weekend. He did not live there. He only stayed for concert nights so he did not have to drive. Why? US 31, the road at the entrance to the property, featured parked cars where people partied on the highway. Circulation was impassable. As you can imagine, the towns people were not fond of this proprietor. In the end, he did not pay his taxes. His estate lost the property.

During much of the time when the third owner held the farm, the current owner Linda Mueller and her family visited often. At one time, they hoped to purchase the property. Alas, the price was too steep. Later, it went up for auction. Richard Mueller, Linda's husband, owned forty-five Dominos franchises at the time. Richard sold enough Dominos franchises to buy the property for around $300,000 in 2001. Then the long road of renovations commenced. While the major retrofits and building ended in 2005, they do add and improve on the regular. Richard, along with his investors, one being his friend Tom Monaghan, the founder of Dominos, poured at least nineteen million into the property to date. You read that correctly, nineteen million dollars. While the current site hosts around 200 weddings a year, this revenue helps but does not cover that cost.

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There are seven locations for weddings on the grounds. Multiple ceremonies can be held in one day. The highest number of weddings in one weekend was thirteen!

Historic guided tours, entrance tickets, school and local group events also provide income. If you notice the capital letters on plaques in the photo at left below, these are part of the scavenger hunt for children’s programs. Another attraction for the young and old is the train exhibit. These tracks remain during the winter. Everything else is removed and brought into storage. In the spring, train engines with brushes run to clean and clear the track. How neat is that?

It is evident in every direction that Linda does not maintain this property with the sole hope of profit. Her love for the history, buildings, and property flow into every aspect. She is known to tend the gardens herself. Unafraid of hard work, she can often be seen digging in the soil or designing a new facet to the parcel. 

Built in 1918, this treasure thrives 106 years later. A part is owed to the visions of Albert Loeb who first acquired the land and foremost to Linda and her family whose dream long ago became the happily ever after visitors enjoy today.

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A sincere thank you to our tour guide, Betsy. She holds a wealth of

knowledge that she shared in stories and personal experience. Betsy made our adventure at Castle Farms much richer than if we would have strolled the grounds alone. We recommend the tour for sure. Would you like to see Castle Farms? 

As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with over 125 Plans, in 44 languages on the Bible.com app.

Rebecca lives near the mountains with her husband and a rescued dog named Ranger. She is a proud mom of a soldier. If it were up to Rebecca, she would be traveling - right now. First up, trips to see their two grown sons. As a member of ACFW and FHLCW, she tackles the craft of fiction while learning from a host of generous writers. Connect with Rebecca: Facebook Goodreads Instagram Pinterest X/Twitter

Rockin' at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, Michigan

Castles. This word ignites images of kings and knights, even horses and gilded carriages. The stuff of fairy tales, legends, and rich history. I mentioned in an earlier post there are resources claiming forty castles exist in the United States and tens of thousands in Europe. Before 2024, I had only visited Biltmore in North Carolina, USA. This summer I ventured to Michigan with my best friend and experienced Castle Farms in Charlevoix. If you have the opportunity in the future, see the castle and take the tour to learn how this edifice transformed over the years. There were multiple purposes behind the walls and on the grounds from its inception. You might be surprised at the origins.

Why build at this location in 1918? The train from Chicago passed through Charlevoix at the time. This resource provided circulation, supplies, laborers, and a method for income. Albert Loeb, Vice President of Sears, Roebuck, and Co, served as president while the current president was helping distribute items for war effort. Loeb needed to display items for the Sears catalog in photoshoots. In the first of a series of innovative steps, he secured land. Loeb then sought a design. He visited France and various castles. Some say Château de Chambord inspired portions of the architecture. At one time the estate included over 1,600 acres of agricultural land.

The title of this post, Rockin' at Castle Farms has a dual purpose. First, the rocks in these photos emanated from local western Michigan. The locals joked that you could clear a field and next day new rocks appeared. Farmers were elated to get rid of rocks and so contribute to the building of Loeb Farms and Stables.

Truth be told, the only people to live in the castle at any time, even today, were the single workers who built the castle. Their parlor photo below shows the original roof supporting one of the conical capped rooflines, known as witches' hats. None of the other witches' hats survived. 

Later during reconstruction artisans discovered how to use poplar trees after trying other materials. Moving quickly to mill the poplar trees in three days allowed them to bend the boards to form witch’s hat roofs. The at left is a reconstructed roof on a grain silo using the same techniques.



The tiles visible on the floor in the photo above at right originally lined the inside of silos to keep moisture at bay. During renovations, the tiles that fell off over the years were salvaged to create the current floor.

Loeb not only used the castle for catalog photo shoots, but he also created a working dairy farm. Milk, cheese, and ice cream were a few of the offerings. It was possible to pull up to the cheese house in a conveyance and order cheese to go. Our tour guide wondered, the first drive-through perhaps?

During this time, the county needed income. Those in power decided to tax cows to pay for a new school. Realizing the possible loss, Loeb asked instead what type of building they wanted and how much space.
He donated land and hired workers to build the school. It is still standing. Notice the photo at right.

Thirty-six stone masons toiled to fashion the walls of the main and subsidiary buildings. As visitors walk along the walls, the techniques and styles are on display, especially in the hay loft. The changes from mason to mason are apparent. 

Blacksmiths made all metal items, door handles, hinges, and other pieces on property. Many remain.

One of the current venue buildings was once home to twenty-six Belgian horses who lived in the stables. These horses had many jobs on the farm. One purpose was to help carry ice to the icehouse - image at left. They had ice all summer long. A benefit aiding in production of ice cream.

What was the purpose of making copious amounts of ice cream, you might ask? They could not ship the excess. It just so happens that spectators of the Sodbusters baseball team would buy the ice cream while watching games. Yes. You read that correctly. Loeb farms sponsored a baseball team that practiced on site.

During the decade Loeb owned the farm, his entrepreneurial approach encouraged the farm to thrive. After his death, the property sat vacant for forty years. Michigan's weather attacked the buildings.

John VanHaver purchased the land and buildings. He salved what he could of the parcel. VanHaver then hosted art shows and metal forging workshops for income. Many of the chandeliers hanging at Castle Farms are by his hands. Next in line to acquire the land and buildings holds the second reason for the title Rockin' at Castle Farms as you will be able to read in part two, next month.

                  

As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with over 125 Plans in 44 languages on the Bible.com app.

Rebecca lives near the mountains with her husband and a rescued dog named Ranger. She is a proud mom of a soldier. If it were up to her, she would be traveling - right now. First up, trips to see their two grown sons. As a member of ACFW and FHLCW, Rebecca learns the craft of fiction while networking with a host of generous writers. 

Connect with Rebecca: Facebook Goodreads Instagram Pinterest X/Twitter

Name Origins of the United States Part III

  By Tiffany Amber Stockton

In June, I shared the second set of state name origins. I'm splitting them up into 5 groups in the name of brevity, to avoid bogging down a long post. Besides, it's summer, and most of you likely are looking for a quick, entertaining read. :) You can read last month's post if you missed it.

Today, it's time for the next 10 state name history stories. So, let's go!

STATE NAMES and their ORIGINS

One thing I found interesting with this list is it's almost a 50/50 split of the state names starting with a letter of the alphabet from either the first half or second half of the 26 letters. Montana is the 26th state out of 50 and the last one with an "M." The remaining 24 states come from the latter half of the alphabet. It would have been fun to see 25 of the states start with letters in the first half of the alphabet and the other 25 from the second half, but we're close!

Massachusetts comes directly from the Algonquian word Massachusett that references the people living in the area, and means "at the large hill."

Michigan is also based on an Algonquin word, meshi-gami, meaning "big lake."

Minnesota, like many other Midwest states, comes from a Native American language. In this case, the Dakota word mnisota means "cloudy, milky water."

Mississippi literally means "big river" in Algonquin Ojibwa, although it’s based on the French variation of the word.

Missouri relates to the Algonquin word wimihsoorita, which translates to "people of the big canoes."

Montana has some Spanish flair that links back to the Latin mons, for "mountains."

Nebraska stems from the Sioux name for the Platte River, omaha ni braska, meaning "flat water."

Nevada comes from the Spanish name of nieve or nevara for the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountain range, which essentially means "snowy mountains," or "snowcapped."

New Hampshire is the first of many states and cities named as new outposts of other parts of the world. In this case, Hampshire was a county in Southampton, England.

New Jersey was coined by Sir George Carteret of the Channel Island of Jersey.

And that's all for today. If you're like me and LOVE puzzles, download this PDF for some puzzle challenge fun. You might be able to solve it on your own without reading the rest of the blogs in this set, or you can save it and add to it in future months. :)

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Which one of these states was the most fascinating to you?

* Do you live in any of the 10 featured states this month? If so, do you have any other unique tidbits about your state?

* What do you think might be the origin of any of the other 20 states? (You'll learn about them throughout the rest of the year.)

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Leave answers to these questions or any comments you might have on this post in the comment box below. For those of you who have stuck around this far, I'm sending a FREE autographed book to one person every month from the comments left on each of my blog posts. You never know when your comment will be a winner! Subscribe to comments so you'll know if you've won and need to get me your mailing information.

Come back on the 9th of August for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

For those interested in my "fictional" life as an author and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my quarterly newsletter. Receive a FREE omitted chapter from my book, A Grand Design, just for subscribing!

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and four cats in southeastern Kentucky. In the 20 years she's been a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

The Castle on the Straits: Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse & a Giveaway!

My love for the lighthouse at Old Mackinac Point came long before I needed to research it for my novella, The Last Memory, in The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection. Around 1996 we started visiting the area each summer and renting a cottage almost 20 miles west of Mackinaw City. Around that time, efforts started being made to raise the more than two million dollars needed to restore this beacon on the Lake Huron side of Straits of Mackinac. One of the people who spearheaded this effort was actually the great-grandson of the man who built the lighthouse, John P. Schmitt.

In 2004, the beautiful buff-colored brick building reopened as a work-in-progress. First came the exhibits and eventually several rooms on the first floor of the lightkeeper's quarters were restored to the 1910 period. The kitchen was fitted with a cast iron stove, and an oak table and chairs in the cozy corner. The sitting room contains period furniture and a Victrola. And the dining room looks ready for guests. The exhibits include Fresnel lenses, former uniforms, and many facts about the area. Now docents dressed in costumes of the represented era give tours and answer questions. The men look official in their Lighthouse Service uniforms and the women are elegant in their long skirts and shirtwaists.

Beginning in the late 17th century, the French had built a mission and fort in St. Ignace. They later abandoned it for the south side of the straits at Old Mackinac Point where they built Fort Michilimackinac. It was an outpost of fur trade and defense, visited by voyageurs and military alike. In 1761 the British took over after the French and Indian War. Concerned about vulnerability, the old fort was abandoned, burned, and rebuilt on Mackinac Island, considered a stronger vantage point.

Though the fort was buried in the sands, a town eventually arose in the area. As it was planned, in the mid-1800s, land was allotted for “Old Fort Park,” and some was preserved for the site of a future lighthouse. By then, lights had been established on Lake Michigan on the west side of the straits at Waugoshance Point and at Bois Blanc Island on Lake Huron on the west. The Straits of Mackinac could be treacherous with its shoals, reefs, and abundance of small islands, not to mention ice. It was a critical point for the passage of many ships heading west through the Great Lakes to the burgeoning ports of Milwaukee and Chicago. And Mackinac Island was becoming a tourist destination. The straits were a busy place of passage. In 1869, McGulpin Point Lighthouse was established west of Old Mackinac Point and several others were built in the years ahead. 

Eventually, the need for a more visible lighthouse on the Straits of Mackinac was established by the United States Lighthouse Board, since the McGulpin Point location was obscured by Old Mackinac Point. A lighthouse in Mackinaw City, though at a lower elevation would actually be visible to vessels coming from either direction.
 
First, $5,500 was provided for a fog signal on the approved site and was operational by 1890. Next, $20,000 was approved for the construction of the actual lighthouse which began in 1892 with a view to decommissioning the McGulpin Lighthouse as there was no need for both, but it remained open until 1906. 

Two homes were constructed under one roof, one for the head lighthouse keeper and the other for the assistant. One side had both a parlor and a sitting room, a kitchen, and dining room. Both apartments had three bedrooms upstairs. The dwellings were joined by a lobby and a service area, from where the tower could be accessed by either the light keeper or assistant light keeper. 

The castle style building was constructed on an Indiana limestone base and walls of Cream City brick. These buff yellow-gold bricks were made from clay dug up from near the city of Milwaukee. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower and became operational on October 25, 1892. Also on the property, stood the fog signal building, a small storage barn, and an oil house.

The rotating Fresnel lens glowed red until 1913, when the signal color was changed to white. At the time of my story, in 1899, the flame glowed from kerosene. Mechanical weights which needed to be wound, powered the turning action.

George Marshall, a Civil War veteran, became head lighthouse keeper in 1892. His four brothers had also entered the Lighthouse Service. He and his wife, Margaret, didn’t have children by birth, but had two adopted sons. One of them, his nephew Chester, went on to become a keeper at the Manitowac Lighthouse for over three decades. Chester’s father had been the assistant keeper at Mackinac Point from 1900-02, until ill health overtook him. George’s older son, James, took over for George when he retired in 1919. James lived there with his wife, Frances, and their three children, George, James, and Madonna. During his tenure electricity and a radio beacon were added to the lighthouse. He was the head lighthouse keeper until he had a stroke in 1940.
 
For nearly 50 years, a Marshall had manned the lighthouse. For the next ten years, Henrik Olsen took over the head lightkeeper’s duties. The last one to have the post was John P. Campbell from 1951-57. In addition, there were several assistant light keepers and even second assistants to bear the brunt of the workload at the castle on the straits. Once the Mackinac Bridge was completed, there was no longer a need for a lighthouse on Old Mackinac Point.

The Mackinac Island State Park Commission acquired the decommissioned lighthouse in 1960. It was open to the public from 1972 until 1990 and closed due to lack of funds to properly maintain and restore the building, along with falling attendance. Still, the building stood, attesting to a bygone era and the people who worked hard to keep the Straits of Mackinac safe.

An effort to raise over two million dollars to restore the lighthouse and re-open it began in 1996. One of the people who spearheaded the effort was actually the great-grandson of the man who built the lighthouse! In 2004, the lighthouse opened again with a modest museum area and a gift shop (going by memory here). Each year we visited the Mackinaw City area, I would implore my husband to stop so we could again visit the exhibit and watch the gradual restoration to the 1910 era

To absorb the ambiance of the life of a Gilded Age lighthouse keeper to learn more about the importance of this crucial waterway on the Great Lakes, or climb the stairs to the tower for a spectacular view, visiting the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is the place to be! Here is more information for those interested in visiting this beautifully restored and maintained historical exhibit: https://www.mackinacparks.com/parks-and-attractions/old-mackinac-point-lighthouse/

Lighthouses are full of history, romance, and mystery. What lighthouse would you like to visit?

Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection, with my story The Last Memory and six other great stories! One paperback will be given to a randomly chosen winner. Enter before 6 p.m., Sunday, November 26, 2018

Along the Great Lakes, America’s inland seas, lighthouses played a vital role in the growth of the nation. They shepherded settlers traveling by water to places that had no roads. These beacons of light required constant tending even in remote and often dangerous places. Brave men and women battled the elements and loneliness to keep the lights shining. Their sacrifice kept goods and immigrants moving. Seven romances set between 1883 and 1911 bring hope to these lonely keepers and love to weary hearts.

The Last Memory

1899—Mackinac Point Lighthouse
Natalie Brooks loses her past to amnesia, and Cal Waterson, the lighthouse keeper who rescues her, didn’t bargain on risking his heart—when her past might change everything.

Kathleen Rouser is the multi-published author of the 2017 Bookvana Award winner, Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan, and its sequel, Secrets and Wishes. She is a longtime member in good standing of American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathleen wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She longs to create characters who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming Savior in their everyday lives. She lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of thirty-some years, and the sassy tail-less cat who found a home in their empty nest. Connect with Kathleen on her website at kathleenrouser.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kathleenerouser/, and on Twitter @KathleenRouser.

Find her at:

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Clara Ward, Michigan's Million Dollar Princess

By Kathleen Rouser

Princess Clara de Caraman-Chimay in 1898, photo taken
by Paul Nadar, {PD}

Back when I was researching the Detroit upper classes circa 1900, for a novella, I came across some information about a young lady who was an American dollar princess. With the popularity of shows like Downton Abbey and the Smithsonian Channel’s series about American million dollar princesses, along with the excitement over the upcoming marriage of Meghan Markle to Prince Harry, many have found the stories of American-born princesses intriguing.

When I did read about Clara Ward, who was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1873, I found the story of a princess which was anything but the stuff of fairytales. Clara Ward was the daughter of Eber Brock Ward, Detroit’s first millionaire, and his second wife. A man who seemed to have a talent for investing, he’d worked in shipping with his uncle, had his hand in lumber, the railroads, and manufactured steel near Detroit. After having seven children with him, his first wife divorced him for serial infidelity. He then married the much younger Catherine Lyon, the niece of a senator. E.B. Ward died in 1875 before Clara was even two. 

Clara in 1898, by Paul Nadar, {PD}

Clara grew up to be a very willful young lady, straining against the confines of morals and society at the time. She was expelled from boarding schools in London and Paris. After being placed at a convent school in Italy, she shocked the nuns there with her outrageous behavior.

While she was in Europe, Clara’s mother made sure to find a proper match for her, trading dollars for class and pedigree. In Niece, France, at the age of seventeen, the young lady was introduced to Prince Joseph de Caraman-Chimay of Belgium, from the province of Hainaut, near France. He was a cousin to King Leopold II and a member of the Chamber of Deputies in Belgium. Fifteen years her senior and lacking in funds, he found the beautiful Clara and her dowry of three and a half million francs ($2.5 million) an attractive package. In exchange, his bride would become Princess Clara de Caraman-Chimay. The marriage took place in Paris in the spring of 1890. 

Clara with Rigo Janczy, between
1897 and 1905, {PD}

Americans were enthralled with the idea of an American princess, much as they seem to be today. As time went on, their match would make waves on the other side of the Atlantic as well. Clara gave birth to a daughter in 1891 and a son in 1895, but the princess quickly became restless with her life in Belgium. One rumored story says she threw gold coins off of the battlements of her chateau and watched the villagers below fight over them.

Clara apparently carried on with other men, but her husband ignored it all. She was also rumored to have caught the eye of King Leopold II in the Belgian court and had a relationship with him, causing a stir. 

However, in 1896, while the Prince and Princess de Caraman-Chimay dined at a Parisian restaurant, the performance of a Hungarian gypsy violinist, set into motion a scandal that rocked the gossip news of both America and Europe. Clara became infatuated with the roving musician, Rigo Janczy, and he with her. Ten days later the couple eloped. 

Clara on a postcard, performing
"poses plastique," Between 1898
and 1905 {PD}

Prince Joseph divorced Clara in 1897. She gave up custody of her children and agreed to pay for their support. After Janczy obtained a divorce in 1898, he married her. The infamous couple was shunned by upper and lower classes. Clara further scandalized the society of the time by performing what she called her “poses plastiques” in a nude-colored, skintight body stocking at French cabarets such as Folies Bergere and Moulin Rouge. This was considered very shocking at the time. Her second husband sometimes accompanied her performance on his violin. She was often the subject of photographs used on postcards in her stage outfit and wearing more conventional clothing.

The couple traveled far and wide, living as they pleased so that Clara’s family needed to put brakes on funds available to her, restricting her to today’s equivalent of around two million dollars a year. Eventually, Rigo and Clara's love grew stale and she divorced Janczy around 1904 for his infidelity.

Clara soon took up with her third husband, Peppino Riccardio, supposedly a handsome waiter she met on a train. They were together until 1911 when he alleged that Clara cheated on him, which she denied. 

Postcard of Clara Ward Chimay,
possibly 1905 {PD}

Her last husband, Signore Cassalota, managed the railroad station which arranged tours of Mt. Vesuvius. In 1916, Clara died at her villa in Padua, Italy, at the age of 43. Her two children, her third husband, and a cousin received the remains of her wealth. 

Clara Ward Chimay decided to live life the way she wanted and is heralded by some feminists for doing so. In the process, she lost her children and any semblance of a good reputation. She ran from the restraints of what she considered proper society. She bargained her fortune for a title but didn’t find contentment being part of the Belgian royal court. She was estranged from family. Though she lived a lavish lifestyle of great wealth, she left behind no legacy of goodness that I found in my research. She was only remembered for her scandalous behavior. Clara’s obituary in a Detroit paper summed up her life well: “She died a woman without illusions. She had gone the pace. She lived intensely, a slave of her desires; she died an outcast, an old woman of 43 years, just when she should have been in her prime."

Kathleen Rouser is the award-winning author of Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan, and the novella, The Pocket Watch. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathleen has loved making up stories since she was a little girl and wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She longs to create characters who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming Savior in their everyday lives. She lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of 36 years, and the sassy tail-less cat who found a home in their empty nest. Connect with Kathleen on her website at kathleenrouser.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kathleenerouser/, and on Twitter @KathleenRouser.

1913 Italian Hall Massacre

At the turn of the century, the most prosperous copper mines in the world were in the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Many of these were owned by the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company of Chicago (C&H), and from 1871 through 1880, the mines produced more than half of the United States’ copper.

Raw Copper

At the peak of production, the mines employed approximately 15,000 miners. Working conditions were poor, at best, and deadly, at worst. Due to the long hours, dangerous condition, and low pay, the Western Federation of Miners Union (W.F.M.) established a local office in the area in the year 1908. Though because miners were under the constant threat of C&H thugs, it wasn't until 1913 that the W.F.M. had a large enough membership to effectively strike.

During the strike of 1913, many of the miners and their families lived in the Calumet/Red Jacket area. Times were tough. The striking workers didn’t receive benefits during the strike, and the people’s finances suffered along with the optimism of the workers.

Dangerous, one-man mining

Many knew Christmas would be lean that year and wanted something to raise the holiday spirits of the town folks. A Christmas party, sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Western Federation of Miners, was planned. The ladies meant for the gathering to boost the morale of the striking workers, and the festivities were more than just a time of fellowship, but also an attempt to bring the people together and encourage one another to fight the good fight.

On Christmas Eve, 1913, on the second floor of the Italian Hall in Calumet Michigan, over four-hundred striking workers and their families gathered together. Wives huddled in groups at the food and beverage table trading recipes with one another and bragging on children. Husbands gathered in small groups and spoke of the hard times of the past and the better times to come. Children ran from one side of the hall to the other, chasing each other until they could no longer catch their breath or a parent waggled a finger in their direction as a sign to slow down. The mood remained light and festive and the people bonded in camaraderie. 

  

The Italian Hall, Calumet, MI

Until someone shouted, “fire!”.

Suddenly, horror ensued. Poorly-marked fire escapes on one side of the building and precarious, emergency-ladders located at the back of the building, which could be only be reached by climbing through the windows, left mothers and fathers frantic to get their children to safety as quickly as possible.

So, everyone—all four-hundred terrified people—panicked and ran for the narrow staircase leading outside. Little did they know the exterior doors wouldn’t open. The party goers packed tighter and tighter into the stairwell, crushing those who were first to enter.

Though highly debated, it’s been reported that the doors opened inward, but other reliable reports and supporting photos suggest that the exterior doors opened outward and were bolted from the outside by the ruffians attempting to get workers back in the mines.
  

Funeral march for those who perished

The true heartbreak of the false alarm is the deaths of 73 people. This number includes 59 children who tragically lost their lives on Christmas Eve, 1913.

In the first of several investigations into the disaster, the coroner’s inquest forced witnesses who did not speak English to answer their questions in English without an interpreter. After only three days, the coroner issued a ruling that stated no cause of death.

Then in early 1914, the United States’ House of Representatives arrived in Copper Country to probe the strike and the Italian Hall disaster. This time, twenty witnesses testified with the proper interpreters and under oath.

Eight of the twenty witnesses swore that the man who cried "fire" wore a “Citizens' Alliance” (a mine owner’s group) button on his coat.
  

Italian Hall Memorial

No one was ever prosecuted nor were any indictments made. The Italian Hall was demolished in 1984. Today, only the archway to the old hall remains.

This horrific story seems to be founded on greed and power, and those who perished should never be forgotten.

________________________________________________________________

Award winning author, Michele Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and seven grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. Michele loves to hear from readers on Facebook, Twitter, and through the group blog, Heroes, Heroines, and History at HHHistory.com