WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:04.639 Welcome to Macina Island Moments, hosted by lifelong Islander Jason 2 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:08.480 Saint Aje. Through conversations and interviews with Foe Island locals 3 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:11.160 and residents, Jason will bring you the real stories and 4 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:14.039 characters that to find life on the island. Whether you're 5 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:16.760 a seasoned visitor, new to Macina Island, or even an 6 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:19.760 islander yourself, you'll be sure to learn firsthand about the 7 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.399 island with Jason on Macin Island Moments. 8 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:26.760 And welcome to another edition of the Macina Island Moments podcast, 9 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:29.559 the only podcast brought to you from Macin Island by 10 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:33.600 a lifelong islander. Folks, we're trying to get back on track. 11 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:36.920 I know I've been kind of intermittent with our podcast uploads, 12 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:39.479 but was a busy summer and a busy fall. But 13 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:40.960 we're going to try and get more and more coming 14 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:43.079 at you. And first of all, we want to thank 15 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:46.240 today's sponsors. Sponsors the Mustang Lounge on Macin Island on 16 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:49.479 Astro Street, Michigan's most historic tavern. Parts of that building 17 00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.840 date back to the seventeen hundreds. In fact, this morning, 18 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:55.640 I was thinking about the Mustang and kind of chuckling, 19 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:00.119 you know, on the island before the advent of cell 20 00:01:00.159 --> 00:01:03.759 phones and emails and text messaging. For a large group 21 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:06.799 of us, the Mustang was kind of the first digital 22 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:08.920 bulletin board, if you would. And what I mean by 23 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:11.879 that is the guy like me might walk in. You know, 24 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:14.519 the Mustang opens around ten, but the day bartender's in 25 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:16.719 there at seven thirty eight am getting things ready and 26 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:19.879 cleaning and such, and so you might walk in the 27 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:23.000 door be unlocked. You'd walk in around eight o'clock, eight fifteen, 28 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.879 and you'd say, hey, Adele or Gila, one of the 29 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:28.719 morning bartenders say, I got to run to a shboy 30 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:30.599 can tell Arman that part didn't fit, and I'll go 31 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.239 pick one up, be back at three, Yeah, okay. And 32 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:35.159 then maybe an hour later Arman would walk in and 33 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:38.560 say anyone seen Saint aj and Dell or Gila would say, yep, 34 00:01:38.599 --> 00:01:40.799 he said the part didn't fit. He's running to sheboy 35 00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:43.840 going to be back around three, to which Arman may say, okay, well, 36 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:45.840 I'm heading to play golf. I'll see him probably tomorrow. 37 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:48.560 Then okay, fine, I come back around three, I say 38 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:50.719 where's arm and they said he went golf in Okay, great, 39 00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:52.879 I'll catch him up tomorrow. Now, that wasn't just a 40 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:55.439 me and Arman thing. There was probably ten, fifteen, maybe 41 00:01:55.480 --> 00:01:57.519 twenty people a day who ran in out of there 42 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:00.920 with their daily messages and and what they were up to. 43 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:03.480 And I never thought about it till this morning. But 44 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:07.040 poor deb and Gila. They're expected to are Adele and Gila. 45 00:02:07.079 --> 00:02:10.599 They're expected to remember not only drink orders and wait 46 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:13.319 tables and do all their work. But they're trying to 47 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:16.159 shuffle half a dozen or so orders a day of 48 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:18.800 folks just stopping. And this is not their job. This 49 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:20.919 is just just kind of how it worked. And I 50 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:23.639 was kind of chuckling about that this morning, and I'm 51 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:25.919 sure it's like that in a lot of small town bars. 52 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:28.800 But since a Mustang as our sponsor today, I thought 53 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:33.800 i'd bring that one up. So it's January. It's mid January, 54 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:36.719 and it's pretty cold. I woke up as about six 55 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:40.319 this morning, and tomorrow it's supposed to be below zero 56 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:42.879 in the morning and kind of warm up to about 57 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:44.840 three or four degrees in the afternoon, then go below 58 00:02:44.919 --> 00:02:48.439 zero again. Not uncommon for mid January. This is kind 59 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:51.080 of what it's supposed to be doing. A lot of 60 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:53.280 question about the boats. How long will the boats still run? 61 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:55.719 The ferry is still running as of today. Just talked 62 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:58.159 to Larry Rickley. He said it's a lot open water. 63 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:02.000 This morning he went outlooked and so I suspect today's 64 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:06.840 boat at least the eleven thirty departure will be okay. 65 00:03:06.919 --> 00:03:09.639 You know, a lot of people don't really understand how 66 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:13.360 that works. There's not a set day or time. Arnold 67 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:15.879 Ferry doesn't call up and say, okay, Wednesday at noon 68 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:18.639 is going to be it this time of year, it's 69 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:22.080 day to day and oftentimes it's trip to trip. And 70 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:24.599 what I mean by that is, you know, as the 71 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:26.240 ice comes in, the wind can blow a lot of 72 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:28.479 ice in, or the temperatures can drop and freeze the 73 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:32.159 boat at the dock, and the locals no. You know, 74 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:34.199 if you've been here long enough, you can look out 75 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:36.599 the window, you can realize that you know, this is 76 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:38.199 probably going to be the last week, or this is 77 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:40.680 going to be the last weekend. You better start stocking up, 78 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:43.520 you better get stuff you need moved moved, and that 79 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:46.080 sort of thing. But you know how it really works is, 80 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:49.479 you know, they might load the boat up, put the 81 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:51.759 passengers on and they can't get out of the harbor, 82 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:53.639 and they say, okay, that's it, and the boat docks 83 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:57.560 for the winter, you know, until spring breakup. Sometimes the 84 00:03:57.599 --> 00:03:59.560 captain runs the boat, gets it all the way to 85 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:02.039 the island and then says, I'm gonna wait an extra 86 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:04.759 twenty minutes on this boarding and that's it. I'm going 87 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:06.759 back to saying this. We're tying up. There's too much ice. 88 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:09.000 We can't do it anymore. So as you can see, 89 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:11.840 it's not a oh we have seventy two hours, Oh 90 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:14.240 we have till Friday. It is this time of year. 91 00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:16.759 You better be ready because the boat could lay up 92 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:19.879 at a moment's notice. And you know, it's been a 93 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:22.720 good years. It's mid January and the ferry's still running, 94 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:26.160 so it's hard to complain. So today we have a 95 00:04:26.199 --> 00:04:29.439 real special treat folks. We're gonna head over, gonna take 96 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:31.399 the portable studio with us. We're gonna head over to 97 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:33.519 the West Bluff. We're gonna go chat with Dale Gallagher. 98 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:38.720 Dale's an absolute legend, a real gem. He's the real deal, folks. 99 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:41.920 He's in his nineties, he's still working. He has a 100 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:45.560 memory that's just phenomenal. He quote He can quote years 101 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:49.600 and dates and remember everybody who was present. So real, 102 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:53.879 nice guy. He's busy, you know. So we're glad he's 103 00:04:53.879 --> 00:04:55.279 gonna take the time out to chat with us. But 104 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:57.000 we're gonna head over. We're gonna pack up, We're gonna 105 00:04:57.040 --> 00:04:59.800 head over and see Dale, and folks, do I have 106 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:02.800 a treat for you today? We have where we took 107 00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:04.519 the studio on the road and we are at a 108 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:08.279 workshop on the West Bluff behind one of those majestic cottages, 109 00:05:08.759 --> 00:05:12.079 and we are here with lifelong islander Dale Gallagher. Dale 110 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.759 is the current the grand old Man of macn Island. 111 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:17.839 He's the oldest living year round resident. He's just a 112 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:21.560 spry ninety two. It'll be ninety three in March, folks. 113 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:23.959 This man is working forty hours a week. He said 114 00:05:23.959 --> 00:05:26.160 he's cutting back. He's down to forty hours a week now. 115 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:29.879 But I stumbled into his shop. He's got coffee on 116 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:32.279 and he agreed to chat with us for a little minute, 117 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:34.519 for a minute or two, Dale, welcome to the show. 118 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:35.639 So glad you're here. 119 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:38.839 Well, it's good to be here, but I'd miss all 120 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:40.879 my friends that went before me. 121 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:43.639 Yeah, I'll bet and I'll bet you've known a few, 122 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:47.920 so Dale has had all the best jobs on mcn Island. Really, 123 00:05:47.959 --> 00:05:50.439 he was chief of police, I should mention the Korean 124 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:53.800 War veteran, and he drove the snowplow. But he's been 125 00:05:53.800 --> 00:05:56.399 taking care of several of these cottages on the West Bluff, 126 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:59.560 those great big houses you see. He's been behind the 127 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.399 scenes man since nineteen, say fifty five. 128 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:05.279 Fifty six, I started taking care of. 129 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:10.199 Miltons, okay, and it. 130 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:13.079 Went in when Richard bought it. I've been with him 131 00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:14.079 for thirty five years. 132 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:17.920 No, that's amazing. And you know it's funny because nineteen 133 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.839 fifty five isn't fifty years ago, it's almost well, it's 134 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:24.800 seventy years ago. And to imagine this, the same gentleman 135 00:06:24.839 --> 00:06:28.600 has been behind these places all those years. It's pretty amazing. 136 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:31.920 I also say, for those who don't know Dale, he's 137 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:33.920 a dapper man too. He's never had a hair out 138 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.160 of place. I'm only fifty one, so I've only known 139 00:06:36.199 --> 00:06:38.279 him a little more than half his life. But I've 140 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:39.879 never seen him with the hair out of place. I've 141 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:42.399 never seen him in a bad mood. He's always waving 142 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:46.079 hello to folks, and in fact, a couple of weeks ago. Dale, 143 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:48.000 you probably don't know this. My wife was behind you 144 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:51.199 on the boat and a lady kind of cut you 145 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:53.560 off a little bit and getting on the gangplank, and 146 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:55.360 she said, oh, sorry about that, and you said, go 147 00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:58.399 right ahead, young lady. I have plenty of time. And 148 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:01.480 not everybody is in that kind of a food getting 149 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.639 on and off the boat, that's for sure. But Dale, 150 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:06.120 can you talk a little bit about your chief of 151 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:08.319 police time maybe and tell us what that was like 152 00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:08.959 back in the day. 153 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:14.560 Well, when I was twelve years old, I told my 154 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:17.519 mother I would never drink and I would never smoke, 155 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:21.160 and she said, well, I hope you don't. And I've 156 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:24.319 kept my promise that I wouldn't do it. And then 157 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:29.240 OJ Smith, who was a chief of police before I 158 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:32.680 went to Korean War, called me in and asked me 159 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:35.000 if i'd be a night watchman for the city, and 160 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:38.519 I said, yeah, I'm not working at nights, I can 161 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:43.240 do it. So I started there. That was way back 162 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:48.680 in the fifties. And then I come back home from 163 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:53.160 the Korean War in fifty four at the end of 164 00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:56.480 this year, and the first job I had was night 165 00:07:56.519 --> 00:07:57.279 watching again. 166 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:01.639 So then obviously from there, you worked up the chief 167 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:03.959 of police. When did you go to work for the 168 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:04.560 state park? 169 00:08:05.519 --> 00:08:08.399 State Park? I went to work in nineteen seventy two. 170 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:11.920 Okay, and eventually retired from there. Well, he retired from 171 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:12.879 one of his jobs. 172 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:16.759 Yeah, I did retire from that one. And then that 173 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:21.040 was because my wife had a stroke and nobody was 174 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:23.519 home to help with the problem she had that she 175 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:27.560 couldn't do it herself. And finally the doctors told me, 176 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:31.199 if you don't put her in long term care, you'll 177 00:08:31.240 --> 00:08:35.000 be here in here next So we had to spring 178 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:37.240 her over where she could get twenty four hours care 179 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:43.399 and it worked out pretty good. But during my chief 180 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:47.679 of police time, I worked for your OJ Smith. I've 181 00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:52.440 worked for Myron Bloomfield, who was a chief at one time, 182 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:57.080 and then I worked for Jack Walcher until he resigned 183 00:08:57.200 --> 00:08:59.879 and moved to Rudyard. And he said, you know that 184 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:01.799 I'm going to ask you to take this job, and 185 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:04.600 I said, I don't think I can handle it. He said, 186 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.799 you're doing all my work for me now, So that 187 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:13.159 was really good to hear. So anyway, I took that 188 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:17.840 sixty five sixty six ten hours a day, seven days 189 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:22.559 a week now and then during that time the chief 190 00:09:22.600 --> 00:09:26.480 of place because I could run a bulldozer. We had 191 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:29.799 the landfill to worry about. So I take my uniform 192 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:32.440 off at night and go out there and I got 193 00:09:32.440 --> 00:09:34.480 two dollars an hour to do the tract to work. 194 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:37.360 Will that be the old burners in or. 195 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:40.159 That was when we moved nineteen fifty five, we moved 196 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:43.320 it from the village behind the village to early farm. 197 00:09:43.639 --> 00:09:47.320 Okay, so you know, let's talk a little bit about 198 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:49.320 your time at the state park. You must have been 199 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:51.759 heavily involved in the restoration of all the buildings in 200 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:53.480 the fort and the time. 201 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:57.320 I'll tell you in nineteen fifty nine. That was the 202 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:02.080 year that missus Lacy was Jim Francis. I was working 203 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:04.519 for him too, a part time, and he asked me 204 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:08.120 if I would do some shingling because they had twenty 205 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:12.240 one hundred bundles of shingles to put on the state roofs. 206 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:14.960 And he said, I'll give you porky to work with. 207 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:18.799 The two of us did all the roofs in the fort, 208 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:20.399 plus the ones on the outside. 209 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:23.000 No kidding, I didn't know you worked for the General 210 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:26.559 Jim Jim Francis, Folks, he was the biggest contractor back 211 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:27.039 in the day. 212 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:31.639 But Jim was related to us because yep, our great 213 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:35.519 grandfather had one son, and that was Jim's grandpa, right. 214 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:38.559 And I'm pretty sure Jim's grandpa was a soldier in 215 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:40.879 the Fort or a great he was a sergeant. Sergeant. 216 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:45.039 Yeah, John Francis was a sergeant. He used to take 217 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:48.759 my mother by the hand and walk her around quite 218 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:53.279 a bit. And one of our aunts was born in 219 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:56.200 the Fort while he was a soldier. Oh no, kidding, yeah, 220 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:57.080 and Ida. 221 00:10:57.320 --> 00:10:58.600 Okay, sure I've heard of her. 222 00:10:58.840 --> 00:10:59.039 Yeah. 223 00:10:59.639 --> 00:11:02.840 So let me ask you this question. You've been here 224 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:05.639 your whole life, You've been totally a part of every 225 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:09.200 fabric of the island. Have you ever sat back and said, 226 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:11.960 you know what, I think, maybe I'll move to a 227 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:14.240 bigger city. Has it I ever thought of across your mind? 228 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:15.639 Or you've been happy here every day? 229 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:21.000 Well, to believe it or not, your cousin Johnny that 230 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:25.200 I were the same age. I went to work down 231 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:28.879 in Detroit nineteen fifty one for Grandpa Chester to on 232 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:36.600 the Michigan Central Railroad, and Johnny joined. He signed up 233 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:38.759 for the service and he come and asked me, he said, 234 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:41.399 come on, sign up with me, and I said, they're 235 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:45.039 going to have to come and get me. So they 236 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:47.200 did come and get me that same year, and I 237 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:51.399 was drafted and I had to give up my job 238 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:56.279 at the come back here and go to the service. 239 00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:02.720 And I ended up out two miles from where where 240 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:05.559 Johnny was killed when he should have. 241 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:09.159 Been home, right, folks, he's speaking of He's actually my 242 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:13.879 great uncle, John D. Saint An. He was in the Airborne. 243 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:17.200 He was a ranger of Special Forces and obviously a 244 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:20.360 classmate and a baseball teammate of Dale's. And he was 245 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:23.840 lost in the Korean War, and obviously before my time, 246 00:12:23.879 --> 00:12:24.240 of course. 247 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:28.600 Well, in nineteen fifty one, I was playing baseball on 248 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:33.879 the side for the railroad company. They had a two 249 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:38.240 scouts coming around and try to talk I and my 250 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:41.279 brother Jak when I told him he was there, and 251 00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:46.240 he joke he was painting with my dad on Lefty's 252 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:50.480 Milk factory, and they tried to sign us up, but 253 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:55.519 it was Philadelphia Phillies. And when j K said if 254 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:57.960 I can't play for he tried, I ain't playing for anybody. 255 00:12:58.000 --> 00:12:59.679 So I said, if he don't go, I don't go. 256 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:04.720 That sounded just like JK Folks. Dale's brother JK was 257 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:08.440 another Macanon legend and icon. And you know, I'm gonna 258 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:10.960 take this moment to ask Dale if he recalls this 259 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:15.919 or has intentionally committed it to no memory. But there's 260 00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:19.559 a story back in the Palm Cafe. Horns Bars be 261 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:22.240 the Palm Cafe, and there's a story about how Dale 262 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:24.720 and his brother JK were listening to the Tigers games. 263 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:26.919 Now you have to remember back in the day, not 264 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:28.799 all the games were televised. You listened to him on 265 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:31.960 the radio. Well, the story I got I wasn't born yet, 266 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:34.000 but the story I got was Dale and JK were 267 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.240 listening to the Tigers game and some dock borders came 268 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:39.320 in and wanted to play the jukebox and Dale and 269 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:41.559 JK said, hey, turn that thing off or listening to 270 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:44.919 this game, and those guys persisted, and they said, don't 271 00:13:44.919 --> 00:13:47.279 play any more music. We're listening to this game. And 272 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:49.639 these guys put a few more coins in the jukebox 273 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:52.000 and it was one of those big glass rounded over 274 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:54.200 I don't know what they called them, electrolas or whatever. 275 00:13:54.840 --> 00:13:57.080 The story I was told as you and JK picked 276 00:13:57.080 --> 00:13:59.120 that jukebox up and carried it outside and set it 277 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:04.960 on the side. So that did happen. Yeah, gosh, what 278 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:06.399 I love to ben there for that man. 279 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:08.159 You want to you want to listen to that you 280 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:11.919 go outside, That's that's amazing. 281 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:14.360 You know you plowed the snow here too for years. 282 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:16.639 You mentioned you ran the bulldozer for the state park. 283 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:20.200 What you've seen some scenery in the day, huh, work 284 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:21.879 in those early morning snowstorms. 285 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.960 We had some terrible storms in the eighties, except something 286 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:29.960 that with our six foot wing plow wouldn't even open up. 287 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:32.879 I had. I had to go around ahead of the 288 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:36.159 truck with the with the bulldozer with a with a 289 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:40.320 bucket on it and uh get the big snow banks 290 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:41.480 so they wouldn't get stuck. 291 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:42.279 Wow. 292 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:45.320 So I did a lot of plow on for the 293 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:48.200 city when I worked for the city, all the village 294 00:14:48.279 --> 00:14:51.200 roads and stuff. I was up there every time it snowed. 295 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:54.879 No kidding. Now in Dale's time, you know, they just 296 00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:57.440 started allowing snowmobiles on the island in the in the 297 00:14:57.720 --> 00:15:00.919 early seventies, late sixties, And it's just for means to 298 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:03.960 get around. They're not rent the ball and you're in fact, 299 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:05.679 you're not even allowed on half the island with them. 300 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:08.320 It's closed because that's just for scenery and state park. 301 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:11.279 But before that they had these things called air slaves, 302 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:14.720 and I know, Dale was really big. Imagine an airplane 303 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:18.159 propeller on the back of it looked like a bob sled, 304 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:20.480 and that's how they went back and forth. Now, Dale, 305 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:22.480 can you tell us a little bit about how those operated? 306 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:26.600 We had We started off with one that Wings had 307 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:29.679 that was made for the government, and it was in 308 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:32.440 storage and sending this we found out it was for sale. 309 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:35.720 I am Jim Perrow, and we bought it, took it 310 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:37.639 over here and we made it a little bigger so 311 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:41.039 we could haul more passengers and more freight, and we 312 00:15:41.320 --> 00:15:44.440 went in the business because we had no airport then sure, 313 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:48.320 so we were would take you over and back for 314 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:52.840 two dollars each way, no money for your freight. Freight 315 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:53.559 was free. 316 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:56.200 Yeah you hear that boat lines the freight was free 317 00:15:56.279 --> 00:16:00.159 back and then those days. So like any islander that's 318 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:02.399 had to work out on the ice, you certainly mustn't 319 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:03.919 remember some close calls. 320 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:07.960 Yeah, I had we I've had a sink. It was 321 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:12.600 underwater for ninety eight feet of water. Both machines. We 322 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:15.080 had two of them, build another one and both of 323 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:19.600 them went down the same time. Well, when we didn't 324 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:22.000 check the ice, when we're just taking somebody's word that 325 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:24.919 it was they they were going across and it was 326 00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:27.480 ice to say, but we lost both of them on 327 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:31.320 the same day. And a week later, when the ice 328 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:34.360 got heavy enough, we built a tripod and found it 329 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:38.320 with a mag magnet and then got the coast guard 330 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:41.879 grabbed hook and she hooked it and brought it up 331 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:45.840 above what the chain falls and I was back running 332 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:47.240 again about three days later. 333 00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:51.039 That's amazing. Like I said, all the all the locals 334 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:53.519 have a couple of close call stories and we're going 335 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:55.720 to touch on that. As you may know, I'm putting 336 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:57.559 a book together about the ice Bridge, and we're going 337 00:16:57.639 --> 00:16:59.440 to talk about all of these close calls. Have been 338 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:02.559 gathering these stories from some of these folks. Dale is 339 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:05.759 a lifelong islander. I don't know about you, but I 340 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.400 have a favorite road or a favorite area I like 341 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:09.799 to be on on the island is Do you have 342 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:12.519 a favorite spot when you're riding your bike or walking around? 343 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:13.960 Do you have a favorite spot on the island. 344 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:18.680 No, the whole island was interested. I was interested in 345 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:22.480 the whole island because I was responsible when I was 346 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:24.839 on a police force for the whole thing. Sure, I 347 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:27.759 wanted to know what was going on as much back 348 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:30.799 where you live out in that area as I did 349 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:31.279 in town. 350 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:34.920 Right, So now that you're going to turn ninety three 351 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:36.960 here in March, you're going to slow down maybe and 352 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:38.599 go down to one job or. 353 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:42.319 Well, mister Minoogaan asked me when I turned before I 354 00:17:42.359 --> 00:17:44.640 turned seventy five, when I was going to retire, and 355 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:47.599 I said, ask me when I'm eighty five. So that 356 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:52.920 didn't take place, so I was ready to hit ninety. 357 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:55.440 He thought maybe i'd give it up, but he said, 358 00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:57.799 I'm not even going to ask you. I said, don't 359 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.000 because it'll be one hundred and five. 360 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:05.319 That's awesome. You know, I'm hopeful at least you're not 361 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:07.839 climbing ladders anymore and getting up on roofs. But I 362 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:10.119 don't dare ask because I'm sure your daughter Sandy is 363 00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:11.839 going to listen to this and she probably doesn't want 364 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:12.240 to know that. 365 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:15.599 Well, yes, I do climb ladders, but if my right 366 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:17.599 leg goes up, the left one got to follow. I 367 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:20.319 can't bend it because it's in my forth replacement it. 368 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:24.039 It doesn't bend. But I go up ladders one step 369 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:26.599 at a time. I come down the same way, one 370 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:29.920 step at a time. But I'm always a little bit 371 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:32.720 leery about setting up scaffolding because I don't have the 372 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:36.519 movement in my body on inside hills. 373 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:40.400 I think everybody understands that. So I don't mean to 374 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:42.160 put you on the spot, but folks are going to 375 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.000 want to know. You're ninety two, almost ninety three, You're 376 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:48.440 working every day, forty hours a week minimum. What is 377 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:53.119 your secret? Is it Wheati's coffee? What's your secret? 378 00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:56.200 I don't drink the island water because when I was 379 00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:59.880 a city council in eighty three and eighty four, we 380 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:04.079 went to our new water plant business. We had done 381 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:07.240 away with the chlorine and put start putting chemicals in. 382 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:11.119 And I we asked the people that came from planting, 383 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:15.680 why do we have to change it. They agreed that 384 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:18.519 the water tasted good, you know, when they were drinking 385 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:20.519 it right there at the Grand Hotel and the meeting 386 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:25.519 we had. And the thing is, when they started putting 387 00:19:25.559 --> 00:19:29.920 chemicals in, well, a lot of younger people start dying. 388 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:32.920 And I and I blame it on the water with 389 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:37.559 the cat. Look at Mark, my grandson, twenty years old, 390 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:41.799 never drank in his life, and so alcohol didn't do it. 391 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:43.359 It was something else he was drinking. 392 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:46.400 Well, folks, you heard it here first, Tony Boom. I'll 393 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:48.359 be heading down to the Mustang and switching over to 394 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:50.599 draft beer. I'm not drinking any more water. I want 395 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:52.519 to make it right now. I hope to make it 396 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:55.039 to fifty three, much less ninety three. 397 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:57.759 And I drink. I drink a lot of a lot 398 00:19:57.759 --> 00:19:59.880 of soft drinks, and I eat a lot of can 399 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:04.839 And the doctor even told me, the doctor Kessler said, 400 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:08.119 whatever you're doing, keep on doing. He said, your vitals 401 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:09.240