SILENT SUPPORT NECESSARY

MAIN ROAD, WASHINGTON ISLAND -

"As you probably know, there are construction issues with the building which the Board has been trying to get corrected for several years." - Island Observer, Nov. 19, 2009

Exterior wall supports appeared approximately three years into the very young, six-year life of the facility known as the Trueblood Performing Arts Center, located south of Island Schools on Main Road.

Twenty-one steel angle struts were secured mid-way up the walls on the south, east, and a portion of the north TPAC exterior walls, and were anchored to 17 concrete blocks of several tons each. These supports were installed, as we recall from an article in the Island Observer at the time, by project contractor Selmer Company to add lateral stability to the walls, which in turn, are key to holding up the sections of heavy concrete roof. Exactly why these struts were essential was not made clear to the public then, or in the intervening months and years since installation.

Possibilities of improper design, or faulty construction practices, or lack of sufficient builder oversight by the construction supervisor - separately or in combination - may have played a part in the suspicion that the building's integrity is at risk. Not considered serious enough to close at the time, but serious enough to justify the additional support, these multiple steel struts were to be an interim solution to a longer term fix. It would appear that island client TPAC has been cast adrift by these entities who have each scrambled into their own lifeboat and sailed to the four winds. It has the appearance of each lacking the corporate responsibility and conscience to stand by a faulty project.

A Nov. 10th news release from TPAC manager Doc Westring appeared in the November 19th issue of the Island Observer, and this sheds a bit more light on the building's status. This news release also raises more questions as it begs the reader to provide more between-the-lines interpretation.

We are asked to accept the judgement of the TPAC Board and its recent decision to close the TPAC for an indefinite time, while matters of culpability and solution are weighed. A hoped for solution may occur in quiet settlement behind closed doors, with the original contracted providers, not the TPAC Inc. private non-profit, agreeing to pick up the repair tab. We have an inkling, based on our reading between the lines, that this may come down to a court enforcement against the licensed, professional entities of designer (Frederick Phillips and Assoc.), builder (Selmer Company), and construction supervisor (Voss Jorgensen Schueller), requiring them to make good on a project that has now resulted, officially, in closure.

( As pointed out in the News Release, this is not a State imposed closure: the Board's vote to voluntarily close recognizes the risks, the low-usage during winter anyway, and the need to force the point with those who would ignore cooperative solutions at little to no cost to the TPAC.)

We will not speculate on what sort of problems exactly are being faced, because we do not know for certain. Therefore, we don't know what sort of solutions are required, or desired. The public has no information on the financial status of the TPAC, but we have to believe the cooperation of the contracted providers mentioned above is wished for, rather than a lengthy and costly court proceeding that might produce a less desirable result than cooperation, the act of doing what is right.

In the meantime, more TPAC BOARD clarity is awaited. We are somewhat puzzled as to why the TPAC Board did not provide this information directly, or why the TPAC President speaking for the Board didn't provide the public communication. At this point, we do not even know who the TPAC Board is, or who their president is, or what authority Doc Westring was given (he recently held the title of TPAC Manager.) We have never seen public disclosure of finances, financial goals or expenditures, and for this reason the public may find it easy now to distance itself from "someone else's problem." When we see those steel supports on a daily basis as we drive past the TPAC, they've become as familiar to the island landscape as a tree or longstanding barn.

Over the past six years, since the TPAC first opened, practically every island person, resident, property owner, and regular visitor has attended at least one event that has brought enjoyment, enlightenment, or an evening's entertainment. This facility with its comfortable seating and excellent acoustics, despite prohibitive cold weather operation, has become an important and desired focal point. This winter's closure may not be a big deal because we understand winter is a hard time to heat a facility and make it profitable, and the winter audience potential is more finite. But if closure continues into summer, it will begin to impact island life. Provisions are now being made to secure alternative locations for many key events.

While trying to understand the need for discreetness in public communications, it has been a running observation that the island public has never, in the eyes of this observer, been worthy of disclosure of financial status, while still being pursued by the TPAC for support in all ways conceivable. In every sense, the closure of the TPAC faciity has become a community liability. Silent support is necessary now.

- Dick Purinton

EUGENE GUNNLAUGSSON

WASHINGTON ISLAND, WISCONSIN -

This is a piece on an island resident, now deceased, who has occupied my thoughts for the past few months, ever since Mary Jo visited a "garage sale" at the residence of Bob Eldridge, out on Deer Lane Road.

Bob was about to move to a Velkommin apartment, and he was selling, or giving, whatever possessions he had that he could not take with him. Chief among the items that Bob displayed were papers, books and other mementos that once belonged to his Uncle Eugene. Eugene's notebooks, a suitcase full of old sheet music, pieces of his art, and his easel were among the things Mary Jo considered. She liked the colors on the door he used for an easel and thought I might enjoy his book of poems. Those were the two main items she brought home.

I waited a bit to write this piece, trying to match the tone with the person. In the meantime, I spoke with Sam Meyer (brother-in-law) and Dorothy Lindsey (sister), and visited the archives to get more information about Eugene. Stories about Eugene had circulated around the island, and most of them it seems were true, or possessed a great degree of truth, about Eugene and his life. He was eccentric. He loved to talk about vitamins and improvement of one's health through the right supplements. He cared little about what his property looked like. Rather, he was about helping others in the best way he knew how, by offering them a place to stay, encouragement, tools, equipment, and the hope for recovery.

Yes, it was true Eugene had been struck, nearly killed, when a barrel of pickles he carried over a wet factory floor struck a high voltage line. He seemed different after that, and he struggled with personal health, both mental and physical, according to those close to him. But his qualities as a human being never diminished, and maybe grew, as the goodness he saw in others, his open praise of God, lit an endless quest to put messages of hope for the hopeless into his work, his poetry and his paintings.

As a young man, Eugene learned printing and ran his own press. He and a cousin, Jake Gunnlaugsson, started their version of an island newspaper. His mother, Anna (Jorgenson) Gunnlaugsson, created a map of Washington Island that was noted for its accuracy and artistic touch, which Eugene published. Printing was in his blood, as were books, even though he had not graduated from high school. His mind showed clarity and logic in his letters to the paper and to local government, as he laid out arguments as to why his ideas should meet approval for zoning, for a septic system, or for establishment of a group home for the aged, infirm, and downtrodden. Eugene referred to his project as "Hell's Corner."

One such letter was written to his cousin, Percival Johnson, then Town of Washington Chairman. Eugene laid out his thoughts in a multi-page, handwritten letter, describing the vein of high quality gravel that ran through his property that might be of interest to the Town. If sold, the gravel might bring enough income to fix up the old family farm and to build housing for those in need of work, to help them get on their feet with projects that would produce income. The "projects," already in progress, included daily sorties for cast-off appliances, auto parts, and any items from which to reclaim scrap value. In time, the old Louis Gunnlaugsson farm on Gunnlaugsson Road looked for all purposes like the landfill annex. The back and side yards were filled with rusting washing machines, stoves, refrigerators, and assorted machinery. The house, a few windows broken, was covered in a drab, brown asphalt shingle siding, and its roof needed replacement.

In time, the Town of Washington bought Eugene's property and mined the deep layer of gravel found there for use as road building material. After a semi load or two of scrap was cleaned from the yard, the old farmhouse, beyond repair and not worth moving, was burned in a controlled exercise by members of the island fire department.

But, it was at the height of disrepair in the early 1990's when a car caravan of approximately fifteen Christmas carolers cold-called at Eugene's home on an early December evening. Eugene had been under mounting pressure to clean up his property and conform to an island community that prided itself in natural beauty and relied on visitor dollars to strengthen local economy. Yet, he was known and respected as a compassionate person, one who needed love and care as much as he gave such love and care to others.

Carolers approached the darkened home with flashlights, cautious not to trip on items laying about in the yard. When no response came from initial knocks on the front door, carolers entered the dark, smokey hallway. The pungent aroma of a wood stove, perhaps burning garbage, and a sweet smell from aging apples, greeted them. A sliver of light from one room showed between door and jamb and through the keyhole. Having found light at last, the pastor knocked again, and the door opened.

A surprised Eugene greeted us with a smile. In his hands were an artist's brush and a palette. A single lit bulb hung overhead from electric wires, illuminating what appeared to be the only room he occupied. Spiral notebooks were stacked on his bed, and hanging on a nail on the closet door was a painting he had been working on.

Late Summer Garage Sale Items
This closet door that served as Eugene's easel is the door that Mary Jo chose from among Bob Eldridge's garage sale items, with its colorful dribbles and daubs of paint where he wiped off his brush or doodled until inspiration took hold once again. Mary Jo also chose one of Eugene's "paintings," in this case a color photo enlargement of one of his paintings touched up by Eugene in order to brighten the colors. Like most of his artwork, this one had a religious theme, possibly two of the three wise men gazing upon a star. I recently placed this Eugene Gunnlaugsson photo/painting on his easel and took the photos shown above, to illustrate his use of color, frequent reworking of the subject matter, and conservation of materials at hand.

Somewhere in an album, (I haven't yet been able to locate it) is a photo of Eugene in coat and tie standing next to one of his paintings in our living room. That framed painting appeared in a gallery exhibit of his work, and it combined a depressing poem with an effective but depressing painting. Typically, Eugene smiled as he posed. That photo is for another entry, another day. Lacking that photo, I've reprinted one of Eugene from the Washington Island Archives files, of Eugene holding up a bottle of Phillip's Milk of Magnesia.
Here's a poem from Eugene's booklet, Hell's Corner - a book of poems, self-published (and likely printed by Eugene) on Washington Island in 1986. The frontispiece reads:
When your private hell has grown
To where you can no longer cope
Come over to Hell's Corner
Where we'll help you find new hope.

A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE
Man cursed the wind
For making boats
More difficult to row
Then some one put up sails
And thanked the wind
For taking him
The way that he would go.
- Eugene H. Gunnlaugsson

More on Eugene at a later date...
- Dick Purinton

OBJECTIVE CALM

Island Ferry Dock - Webcam

Several blogs back, I recounted the rainy slop and cold weather we suffered, what seemed almost daily through October.

In an effort to provide proper balance, I report the days of late have been stellar, and not just for early November but for any time this fall. Light air, sunshine and mild temperatures make it possible to enjoy the outdoors once again. Contractors are busy, with hammering heard across the still harbor. At home, a once insurmountable, soggy pile of leaves spread broadly across our yard are dried, mulched and piled in a far corner awaiting decomposition. Only a few oak leaves have yet to fall. I've got it made!

Looking at the Sunday morning Island Ferry Dock Webcam and the couple on the bench at the edge of the waterfront, I wondered who they were, where they were headed? Did they know they were on the internet?

In the spirit of reflections, calming thoughts:

Your love inspired me
to be a better person.
Inspire me again.


Read me memories
From bright-lit pages, my dear.
Love me in darkness.


- Dick Purinton

BOOK PILE

Norbert's Garage - Europe Bay Road, Liberty Grove, Wisconsin -

Norbert Blei, author and Cross+Roads Press publisher, will probably send me a note when he sees this photo of him sitting on a book shipment in his garage.

It's just a typical garage, and like an attic or basement it's meant to hold things. Tools, mowers, bicycles, paint, whatever won't fit elsewhere and is too good to throw away, or too heavy to move far. Sometimes, there's still room for the car. Most often, not.

Norbert's garage, though, half way between house and writing Coop, is a literary shed in addition to being a shelter for odds and ends. The latest addition to his garage in mid-August was a pallet of Words on Water, approximately one-thousand boxed copies, freshly unloaded from a delivery truck.

Now is the time of year when book sales at local stores slow-drift between tapering fall tourism and the snowy, December holiday gift search.

Keep Norb and his garage in mind.

Winter reading is encouraged by darkened, late afternoons, cool air, and by the entertainment, warmth and ideas books may deliver to our easy chairs.

Here's hoping Norb will sell enough copies to squeeze his car between a few odd remaining boxes of books and the ladders and barbeque, before snowdrifts bury the doors shut.

Buy a gift book from Cross+Roads Press today!

WORDS on WATER - A FERRYMAN'S JOURNAL, WASHINGTON ISLAND, WI - DICK PURINTON
Buy from a Door County book seller, or Order direct From Garage Owner Norbert Blei (mail order or check, please):
CROSS+ROADS PRESS, PO Box 33, Ellison Bay, WI 54210 $19.95 plus $2.75 S & H

- Dick Purinton

RECENT CONNECTIONS WITH ANCIENT PAST

WASHINGTON ISLAND, WISCONSIN -

A week ago I received a phone call from Michelle Birnbaum. Michelle introduced herself as a Ph.D. candidate in the UW-Milwaukee Department of Anthropology who is currently working on the Richter archeological dig that took place in 1968 and 1973.

Two UW-Milw. masters theses reports had already been completed by others, according to Michelle. One was the analysis of bone fragments found when human (and one dog) skeletons were unearthed, completed by Kari L. Wellner in 2006. The other report, published by Dustin Blodget in 2004, analyzed arrow points and tools. Michelle's specialty is ceramics, and an article on that would be forthcoming, with her doctoral thesis combining all of the various analyses and further relating them to similar sites that have been identified along the the Door County / Green Bay shoreline.

She informed me she intended to visit the island In order to obtain clay samples that might provide clues to source of materials for the potsherds found in the field. We offered to show her the Richter site.

Michelle's surprise phone introduction, along with a description of her background and revelation about the long-awaited conclusion to this dig, was received with great interest by members of the Richter family. Mary Jo, then a recently graduated high school senior, recalled archeology students working in the field during the summers of 1968 and 1973.

Mary Jo's mother, Mary Richter, had written to UW-Milw. in the early 1970's, to follow up on the project:

"Dec. 9, 1982
UW Milwaukee Dept. of Archeology:
I remember having asked each of them (responsible archeologists) for pictures and written reports of their finds. I received verbal promises to that effect from them. I have no other recourse other than to trust the integrity of the participants; unless the University feels the responsibility to do something about it." Very Truly Yours, Mary C. Richter"


A follow-up investigation by Archives member Eldred Ellefson was reported to Mary in a letter of Jan. 4, 1983:
"I did meet with Dr. Fowler at his office on December 21st. Dr. Fowler was "up-set" that the materials, photos, and artifacts have disappeared. He agrees that the University is responsible and "will get to it" after the first of the year!!! - Eldred S. Ellefson"

Fortunately, for reasons not totally clear, the University's Department of Anthropology recently renewed interest and obligation for the collection of artifacts removed 40 years earlier, still intact, still under UW-M custody. Birnbaum described this collection of artifacts as coming from a "significant site," based not only on the number of artifacts but the apparent range in years of origin. The timeline established indicates a more-or-less continuous occupation from around 300 B.C. to around 400-500 A.D.

The paper written by Kari Wallner in 2006 stated that the skeletal remains found at the Richter site "...represent the only known burials from a North Bay site."

If one wished to meet a dedicated and exceedingly enthusiastic student of archeology, Michelle would fit that description. We showed her the Richter property, which she had never seen but found a striking setting. We speculated on the more obvious reasons for why this might have been a favored site for occupation long ago: water; nearness of food source in the marsh and bay for fish, birds, mammals, reptiles; sandy soils; relative isolation and moderate protection. Michelle commented on the scientific as well as spiritual component of this study, her awe and appreciation for humans who made this shore property their home 2000 years ago. The residents of Detroit Harbor represented by the Richter dig come under the "North Bay" classification, based on tools, pottery, living habits and the approximate time period.

We're fortunate as a community to have Michelle's involvement in this project, as it is clearly her intent to follow through on what had begun as a student field project long ago, and she'll use her skills and knowledge to trace the threads of occupation, willingly passing along her knowledge to others.

Michelle is planning return to the island for further research, and she may then offer to lead a hike with interested persons on Land Trust property near Little Lake. Upon meeting with Archive members, she proposed presenting a community program during the month of July which the Washington Island Archives will help to sponsor.

The history of the aboriginals of these islands will be further examined as the UW-Milw. Department of Anthropology also completes an analysis of artifacts from the Meyer property near Little Lake. This site project, undertaken by Marquette University, was thought to have been occupied at a somewhat later time period than the Richter site in Detroit Harbor.

While going through files on the Richter dig at the Washington Island Archives Tuesday, Michelle found slides and information that she had not previously seen in Milwaukee. She left copies of the two completed reports on the Richter dig at the Archives, promising to forward more information as it's published.

- Dick Purinton

Sunshine in Bright Colors

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

Changing colors of fall began later than usual this year, and the transformation to gold, red, and yellow was pretty much complete when more wet and windy weather knocked foliage from the trees.

The leaf mat has been too soggy to use a mechanical leaf vac attached to my mower to pick them up. Its rained five days out of seven without fail. We usually tackle this fall chore as the leaves gradually accumulate, stretching it over several weeks. This year, if we're lucky and string together a few dry, sunny days, we'll be chasing and capturing them before they fluff up and blow about the yard, into cedar hedges.

Today's marine forecast calls for gale force winds out of the south, decreasing slightly and then shifting to the west overnight. This is the third Friday in a row with high winds and wet, rainy weather. The cement boat St. Mary's Challenger is anchored in Hedgehog Harbor awaiting a change in lake conditions, according to a report from Chuck Klima whose home is just inside the tip of Table Bluff.

Tasks of preparing for winter have begun at the Ferry Dock, like setting up the winter front. BJ and Tully are tightening down the screws that hold the windbreak in place, near the west entry. With Halloween around the corner, items that might attract prankster interest are tied down, screwed down, or are hidden out of sight for a few days to discourage their reappearance up the road or on a neighbor's property. Lack of serious vandalism on the island is appreciated. Property owners can put up with toilet papered trees and the occasional smashed pumpkin. Our neighbors on Main Road, who display a wagonload of pumpkins for sale, may want to move them away from the roadside before they disappear one by one into darkness made for mischief.

With these dark and wet days comes a change from daylight savings time as we set our clocks back an hour Saturday. Very soon, our yards will be enveloped by nightfall before we get home from work, forcing us indoors sooner and longer than we'd like, a routine that will continue for several months. The repeat of that one hour also postpones, ever-so-slightly, the showdown between the Vikings and Packers 100 miles down the bay shore at Lambeau Field. Starting at 3:15, This will be essentially a night game, one we won't mind coming indoors early to watch.
- Dick Purinton

C.G. REDUX

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- Washington Island, WIsconsin

We've had surprising response to old C.G. Richter photos and stories, more than any other particular subject matter, so we're putting a few more words and photos before you in this blog.

When it came time to position ourselves for the departure of the C.G. Richter from the island dock, I drove Arni in his van around to the service dock. We were about as close as I could get, but it didn't appear to make much difference. Arni's eyesight has failed to the point we're not certain what he was able to see. New owner Ray Hixon came over to shake his hand and introduce himself before he boarded, and while Arni was gracious, once again, it was hard to say how those events registered.

A few days before, while on a special "last time" cruise, Estelle Richter's PT Cruiser was the last vehicle to take a ride on the ferry's deck. Afterwards, Estelle was guided over the side ramp by Dave Johnson.

I've been asked if we took photos of the C.G. leaving the harbor for the last time. I suspect someone has those photos, but I do not. That Sunday morning while a fuel pump was being replaced, a last-minute repair to put the Hixons on their way to Northport, I was on board the Robert Noble heading out the channel. I missed the opportunity.

Many have asked questions related to: Where it will go? How will the ferry be used?

A comparison of the old Walter Haertel blueprints can be made with the intended changes as passed along to us by Ray Hixon. Not a bad looking pirate ship, actually. Keep in mind, the latter is an artist's sketch, not bound by a naval architect's rigors and the Federal Regulations that shape U.S. passenger vessel design and operation. The final appearance is bound to flow from a series of modifications and compromises based on acceptable materials, construction methods, stability factors, and dollars.

When ready to begin a new career, it will be named TREASURE SEEKER, and it will homeport in St. Thomas, V.I.

The lower photo was one of many taken by Connie Essig. The C.G. is shown exiting the lock at Marseilles, IL near Peoria, well on her way to the Big Muddy. We wish a safe transit and a successful conversion for the new owners!

- Dick Purinton

C.G. - Sunday Morning Update

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

The departure of the C.G. Richter was not without a few hitches last Sunday morning, Oct. 18.

Ownership had officially transferred to the Hixons' new company, A Pirate's Life For Me, LLC, at 8:30 a.m. The C.G. was to follow the scheduled 10 a.m. ferry as it left the channel for Northport, then take on fuel at Northport before heading south on the lake. Captain Bill Jorgenson came over from the Robert Noble to take the helm one last time, an offer from the Hixons for one last, symbolic ride. As we started out the channel on the Noble, word came from Rich the fuel pump was "searching," RPMs not steady, not responding to the throttle. Anything can happen with mechanical equipment, and it was just as well it happened at that moment, not later on. We wanted them to start out with confidence, not the lack of it, in their new venture.

A spare fuel pump was on hand, and an hour and a half later the C.G. was underway for Northport with Bill Jorgenson at the helm. After taking on fuel, and with their own hand now on the wheel, the Hixsons departed Northport about 1:30. (Webcam viewer Mike Glish of Peshtigo pulled several views of the C.G. at Northport from his screen and emailed them to us.)

Veteran Door crossers and professional pilots on the pier looked wistfully, and with some concern as the C.G. departed. A choice was made to cross over Waverly Shoals as an exit from the Door, rather than go around the buoy, but this maneuver had no ill-effects, and the ferry was out of sight by 2 p.m. The following morning in Sturgeon Bay, Hoyt and Rich observed the C.G. moored to the city pier after having apparently had enough action with the southerly winds on the lake Sunday. It was Tuesday, after winds had settled, when the C.G.'s voyage was resumed.

We know little after that Sturgeon Bay sighting except for a couple of reports from interested island property owners who tracked the vessel's progress through the river system near Chicago. Connie Essig met up with John and Dorothy Gay somewhere near Peoria and played Scrabble while waiting for the Richter to arrive at one of the locks on the Illinois River. (The three had joined us on a "final" C.G. cruise two weeks earlier at the island.) Connie emailed this photo, taken Saturday afternoon as the C.G. passed through one of several locks along the Illinois route. Mrs. Ray Hixon is standing above, near the port life ring.

With several low bridges - major obstacles in the river route - now behind them, it would appear the trip is proceeding smoothly. We presume cutting down the mast and the radar mount, and ballasting the bow, might have done the trick. Challenges ahead of them will include the navigation of the Mississippi, and the avoidance of large tows. We hope others might forward photos as the trip continues.

The top photo (photographer unknown) does not show the C.G., but it does show what happened one winter day in 1979 at Northport, following the breakdown of the C.G.'s Twin Disc reduction gear days before. Running short on supplies at Mann's Store, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Acacia volunteered to transport the weekly grocery shipment to the island. (The Acacia has been sold to a private group as a museum piece, homeported in Manistee, MI.) The cutter's skipper Jerry Rainey, and crew, formed a brigade to hand-pass the groceries from the Shannon truck to the deck of the Acacia. Soon afterward they were transported to the Potato Dock and met by the Mann's Store truck. On one of the Acacia's trips of assistance, crated repair parts for the C.G. were also transported. The crate weighed several hundred pounds, and had been shipped from New Orleans to O'Hare Airport, where Arni and Mary Richter picked it up in daughter Adele's Buick wagon.

They say the best food is made with love. We try to recall how the table fare from these groceries tasted after passing through so many hands, over several conveyances.

- Dick Purinton

More CG RICHTER News

Island Ferry Archives - Washington Island, Wisconsin

Photos of the CG RIchter since the recent sale seem to have sparked memories for various blog readers, and so we've dug around for a few more photos representative of this ferry and its service for nearly 60 years.

Poking a spur into my own memory bank is the shot of the Lampert truck being loaded on the CG in late winter at the Northport dock. Taken around the year 2000, we were experiencing the start of a new low water trend, and coupled with the low water was the height of the Northport dock. It was a good six to eight inches higher than the island dock, which created a steep angle on the side ramp. This side ramp, made of welded steel, had a small hole that set over a pin on the Richter's rail, held there by gravity only, with a characteristic looseness that allowed for some movement from side-to-side, as well as up and down. If the movement was too severe, the ramp could jump off the pin. There was no locking device, only safety chains from the sides, used to retrieve the plate if it slipped from it's post.

The objective of the crew was to first secure the ferry with both bow and breast lines, add a few RPMs to the propeller, and then when all was ready, start slowly down the incline. The weight on the front set of tires rolled the CG toward the pier, making the ramp even steeper. A critical moment arrived as the rear set of tires on the truck, often loaded to five tons or more, rode up on the shoreward edge of the ramp, rocking the front end of the ramp slightly upward, and occasionally off, the steel pin. (A pry bar could be used to scoot it back in place.) As the truck's front wheels approached mid-ships, approximately twelve feet onto the ferry, the deck leveled, a momentary time to catch one's breath before directing the final step. When the rear wheels descended from the ramp to the ferry deck, the ferry rolled once again considerably to port, toward the pier. By this time, passengers had often lined the port rail of the passenger deck to watch the exercise. Their combined weights added to the truck tonnage as it shifted from the ramp to the ferry deck.

A good driver (nearly always a crew member) timed this as one, smooth evolution followed by quick braking as the truck's front fender was about to strike the bulwarks on the starboard side of deck. A typical 25-ft. straight truck fit snugly across the 25-ft. deck, with the front bumper pressed against vertical wooden pads, rear wheels inside the deck edge by about three feet. Often longer timbers protruded from the balance of the lumber by several feet. This became a secondary challenge for the operator who had to clear the pier with the stern sufficiently when reversing to avoid scraping timbers against the steel sheeting. The operator worked against floating ice pressures and the natural tendencies of a single propeller to suck the stern toward the pier as power was applied, rather than away from it, while in reverse. As soon as the truck was on board, wheel blocks and a safety chain secured the truck to the ferry, to withstand rolling once out in the open lake or when bucking against ice.

Despite the angle of the shore ramp, backing heavy trucks from the ferry to the pier at our island dock always seemed to go better, more controlled. Slippery, icy conditions could be the one factor that could add more difficulty to the task. It was a good thing, maybe, that we could carry only one such truck per trip, due to the awkward limitations of the open foredeck on the Richter.

The photo of the stroke of electrical energy shooting from the CG's passenger cabin was captured by a Mr. Brown several years ago. (I no longer have his full name but appreciate his taking the time to send the photo.) The rainbow photo shows the pot o' gold at the end of the service dock (my own photo).

The black and white photo at the bottom of the series (photographer unknown) shows the CG being loaded at Northport, maybe in the early 1990's. At the gangway were Bill Jorgenson and Erik Foss. Passengers Jimmy Young and Jason Gordon are already on board (perhaps helping load freight), and Barb Hansen is crossing the ramp at lower left. The winter loading process took time, while freight was sorted out, carried from the shed to the deck, and vehicles queued for boarding. Passengers arrived over a general time period of an hour or so, with the pile of luggage and personal gear growing the accumulation of freight and gear in the bow.

Leaving "on time" was a relative term, because ice conditions, the late arrival of freight, or one and a hundred other things could cause a delay, including a customer who hadn't yet arrived "but was near Sister Bay."

We have a few photos to show you of the CG as it departed Northport Pier on its final journey from Lake Michigan, and we're hoping to have an update along with a photo or two from our overseas correspondents for the next blog.
- Dick Purinton

Shades of Yesterday: Today

Gills Rock and Northport -

Ferries ran into Gills Rock again today, all but the first trip of the morning, due to strong winds and heavy seas from the NE. Long swells rolled inside the normally protected Northport harbor, surging and making landing there too difficult. Ticket seller Jason Carr had a long shift in his shorts, perhaps advertising for balmier days ahead. Jason sold tickets and then directed customers back toward Gills Rock where the ferry awaited them.

















As always on such days, which have been as rare as one or two occasions every five years, moving freight from one dock to the other, and getting passengers together with their vehicles at the right parking lot, can be a challenge.

For the first time in a long while, we had a question asked by phone caller: "Where is Gills Rock? I'm passing a building on a curve that looks like a lighthouse." It took a good 20 years for the public to learn where Northport is, so we might appear slow and nonspecific in our answer.

Because of several strong storms out of the east to northeast this fall, we've had three different days when conditions forced us to use Gills Rock. The memories of traffic lining up on the left-hand side of the road, against better judgement, and of the confinement at the bottom of the hill for turning around trucks or trailers, are a reminder of why we moved the operation to Northport on a year around basis in 1984.

There is that five minute cruise along the bluff that is quite impressive, but once away from land, at least with eight-footers in the Door, most customers appreciate the shorter ride Northport affords. The forecast calls for winds to become westerly during the night, then northerly by morning, and somewhat reduced in velocity. That should put us back into Northport for Saturday's ferry schedule.
- Dick Purinton

C.G. RICHTER About to Get Underway

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Sunday morning, October 18th, at 8:30 a.m., the official transfer of ownership from Washington Island Ferry Line, Inc., to A Pirate's Life for Me, LLC will become official, and shortly thereafter, around 10 a.m., the C.G. Richter will sail from its mooring point in front of the Ferry Terminal for the final time and out the channel to Northport for a brief fueling stop. These will be the first miles of a 3-4 week trip to St. Petersburg, FL.

Ray Hixon and son Tripp, with Captain Jesse Cook and Steve Kelly at right, will navigate through the Chicago - Illinois Ship Canal, enroute to the Mississippi, the Gulf of Mexico, and new homeport in St. Petersburg, FL. Upon completion of this journey, the Hixons intend to bring the C.G. to a nearby Florida yard for cosmetic conversion to a pirate-themed passenger vessel, after which it will be placed into regular excursion service with a crew of .... pirates.

The C.G. Richter is shown in the above photos in earlier days at Gills Rock in the early 50s, a familiar summertime sight to those who traveled regularly to Washington Island from 1950 through 1984, when regular auto service of larger capacity ferries shifted to Northport. From 1984 through 2001, as an outmoded summer ferry, the C.G. served as a passenger cruise vessel, on a regular summer schedule from Gills Rock with narrated passage.

The C.G. Richter had been designed and built with framing reinforcement in the forward 1/3 bow section, but with twin shafts and light horsepower (around 225 per shaft) the ice work bent the shafts that first season. It then was relegated to non-ice service only until converted to a single-screw ferry in 1971, a move prompted when the Griffin was sold to the Anderson Transit Company and became a freighter/oiler on regular runs to Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay. The C.G. conversion to a single V-8 Murphy Diesel motor (around 465 hp), a 5-inch shaft, and a stainless Kahlenberg 4-blade propeller for winter service in ice was an essential move for winter service. It remained the island's only winter ferry through the early winter months of 2003, when the Arni J. Richter was placed in service.

A Memorable Three Days At Northport Pier

Shown in the second photo is the C.G. at the Northport Pier, where it was pressed against the pier by heavy bay ice. The ferry was unable to complete a round trip days earlier due to a sudden wind shift of gale force that broke off and slid ice floes into the Door, jammed the C.G. with the ice against the pier. Ferry Line management and crew then awaited assistance from the Coast Guard cutter Acacia, which sailed beyond Porte des Morts on the lake side, on its way to breaking out ore carriers stopped by ice in the Rock Island Passage. Freeing the ore carriers was a day's task, and it took priority over the pier-side passenger ferry. Over the three-day period since the storm first struck, island-bound passengers accumulated along with auto traffic, mail, and freight.

Northport residents Hedy and Ernst Eller, whose home was at the head of the pier, welcomed the gathering numbers of passengers, providing a clearing house for new arrivals, a place to meet, eat, and for a dozen or so, find overnight shelter. (The storm which broke up the bay also had dumped over ten inches of snow on the Door Peninsula. Highways were slowly reopened.)

Ferry crew on the original trip from the island were Dave Johnson, Alvin Cornell, Dick Purinton. They were joined by Arni Richter, returning home from a business appointment in Sturgeon Bay. Arni is shown in this photo at the door of the pilot house. Others in the photo, L to R were:
Ernst Eller; Thorsten Williamson; Gert Young; Ricki, Stacey and Netta Hanlin; Julie Kraft; Pastor Sam Kochel with new-born son, and Mrs. Kochel; Mae Williamson; Marie Jorgenson; Charlotte Meyer; Gordon Jorgenson. (Behind) Kirby Foss and Jeff McDonald.
On the upper deck toward the stern were Norbert Jensen and Shorty Hagen. A Green Bay television station camera crew is on the end of the Northport Pier, capturing the "freeing" operation.

There were at least 15 other passengers who were not in this particular photo. The photo is credited to Estelle Richter.

Most notable about the frustrating wait was the indignation of the Coast Guard organization at the time over having to commit their vessel to breaking ice for a small ferry when they had more pressing and important things to do, such as breaking out the ore carriers near Rock Island. Since the C.G. wasn't technically underway, and not in any immediate danger, the Coast Guard placed the CG, it's passengers and freight, well down on the list of ice breaking assistance priorities. When the Acacia did arrive at last, around 2 p.m. of the third day, to free us and break a track, we were expected to follow at a full-throttle clip through 26-inch thick chunks of ice to keep up. We completed that second-half of our round trip that afternoon by 4:30 p.m., passed the freight and U.S. Mail backlogs to the proper recipients, and looked forward to much better going in succeeding days. The flow of bay ice thinned out throughout the Door with current, light wind, and daily ferry usage.

A subsequent letter to the Coast Guard Commander, Ninth District, by Congressman Toby Roth on Washington Island's behalf, changed future Coast Guard ice breaking priorities. Ninth District policy changed, recognizing a degree of government responsibility for keeping ice routes open "to islands served solely by ferry service." In the future, Washington Island would qualify for government "preventive" as well as emergency ice breaking assistance, when the ferry was beset, or "stuck," in ice.

Memories of Deprivation and Adversity Improve With Time

These are but a few of the memories of the C.G. Richter over the years. Passengers may look back from a different perspective: long hours in a hot, steamy cabin; elbow-to-elbow bench seating with islanders, visitors, school children, card players, crying babies, and occasionally, large dogs with foul breath. It was often too cold to step outdoors on the open deck for long, which also meant giving up a seat, on a trip that could last anywhere from 45 minutes to four-to-five hours. An open stretch of water on the backside of Plum Island was no guarantee the front side of the Door would be clear, and any trip under an hour was considered a good run.

The C.G. was a sardine can of humanity, possessions, valuable food and freight, vehicles, and it was always a relief to be on solid land in a somewhat reasonable time frame.

For islanders, it was a trip to be repeated many times, out of necessity, not curiosity or intrigue. But, in retrospect, our fondness for the good moments ("Remember the time....") brings with it thoughts of our young children bundled up but overly warm in a cabin heated by forced air; a family holiday off-island; an island visit from relatives or friends; the familiar face of a service providers such as the General Telephone repairman, or the building contractor; and the cabin door that never closed without a slam... experiences carved into our memory, synonymous with island winter travel and island living.

- Dick Purinton

Fall, and Falling Temperatures

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

Fall Harvest Weekend on the island came and went, October 10 & 11.


























Unlike most years, we had snow fall, enough to stay a short time on the ground, enough to make it wet and uncomfortable for outdoor activities because the snow squalls were accompanied by winds above 30 mph. Saturday, Oct. 10th, could have been a most pleasant one for visitors, businesses, and anyone who wanted to be outdoors. Instead, despite layers of clothing, most folks we saw were happy to be indoors, even in unheated buildings, just away from the wind.

At the Farm Museum Saturday on the Cherry Train, where I stopped with 26 folks from the Eau Claire area, people huddled in side or along side buildings, and drank hot cider pressed by the Farm Museum's volunteers just a short time before. Earl Davidson and Oliver Hansen are shown here dumping a batch of apple pieces into the hand press hopper. Larry Goodlet's hot dogs and brats, and a roaster of chili, sold inside the granary shed, were popular items, too. Cold weather brings out an appetite. Saturday evening at Trinity Lutheran Church, some 550 people were seated over the course of four hours for the traditional Fall Harvest Dinner: turkey with all the trimmings; pumpkin pie for desert.

I came away from frigid Saturday with an image in my mind of Ted Hansen and his horse team as they plodded back in the swirling sleet past the old Koyen General Store, heading for the barn. Other years Ted would have been busy with horse rides for the public until late afternoon. Behind me on the Cherry Train as we passed the horse team, the folks from Eau Claire huddled together as close as possible. I watched through the rear view mirror with some trepidation, but little choice other than to drive on, as they gritted their teeth for the ride south on Main Road toward the Ferry Dock. A hot lunch awaited them at Kap's Ship's Wheel Restaurant.

Sunday brought with it sunshine and a more joyful outlook, even though our temperatures were still in the lower 40s. Back at the Farm Musem, Dick and Sally Clancy took a turn at the concessions table, enjoying sunshine, sheltered partially from the wind.

Just to be certain we knew winter wasn't far away, more snow fell Tuesday evening, this time enough to stick overnight. Across the upper midwest it seemed winter had arrived, even though leaves on our maples hadn't yet turned from green to yellow or red. We still have fall, maybe the best part of fall, to look forward to!
- Dick Purinton