Review by Sharon Brunner
Tom Chambers delved into the history of Mackinac Island, Michigan from the 1940s to the present in his memoir “Memories of a Mackinac Island Native.” The island is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the town of St. Ignace, Michigan. It served as a meeting place for the indigenous years ago, battles were fought on the island and now it is a popular tourist destination. People live on the island year-round and children attend a quaint little school with approximately 84 students (grades Kindergarten to 12th grade). Numbers can vary from year to year. Cars are not allowed on the island, and you will see lots of horse-drawn carriages and bicycles. The smell of fudge permeates the air in the town proper. Chambers was employed in a wide variety of trades from serving as a bartender to a painter of homes and businesses. He had a real love of rock and roll and lived a life filled with adventure, risks, exploration and competition.
Some of the themes exposed throughout the book were the importance of family, music, the history of Mackinac Island and living life to the fullest by experiencing a variety of activities. Chamber’s mother was mentioned a lot in his memoir, and he seemed to be closer to her more than anyone else in his family. Since his parents were divorced when he was a child, he spent the majority time with her. The second chapter of the memoir was dedicated to his family’s history. He described the history of transportation to and from the island in the first chapter and gave the names of several steamship lines. I was reminded of the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” when I traveled to the island during the winter months in the 1990s. I drove my car to the very small airport, rode in the three to four passenger plane over to the island and then I was picked up by someone on a snowmobile at the airport on the island. Music was mentioned a lot in his memoir. Chambers played in a rock and roll band for many years and returned to music at a later date. He ended the book with Ste. Anne’s Church Square Dances. Chambers enjoyed trying new things like riding snowmobiles when they first came to the island, he traveled on the Mississippi River in a ferry boat and explored many places in Europe.
I liked how he described the history of the ferries. Like Chambers, I am also interested in ships and boats. I live in Sault Ste. Marie and thoroughly enjoy seeing all the freighters as they travel on the St. Mary’s River. He described ships that existed during the 1950s such as the Lance II and the Mackinac Clipper. The Sheplers’ Ferry Service has provided transportation to and from the island for years and Captain William Shepler got his start in 1945 when his father piloted Arnold’s Algomah II. Captain Shepler started with two small mahogany cruisers which he sold in the 1960s. He was responsible for building the new dock and the ferry business expanded to what it is today. Chamber’s ability to remember names of all his friends, many acquaintances and family was simply amazing.
The Nicolet
His Mississippi River trips served as a trip down memory lane when I read about how the crew and Chambers managed the voyage up the Mississippi River, a short stint on the Illinois River and the last part of the journey involved traveling on Lake Michigan. When they arrived at the Gulf Craft shipyard to pick up the ferry called the Nicolet, the ferry was still on land and had to be launched down a short sandy slope into the water. The men on the ferry took four-hour shifts throughout the day and night to help man the ferry. That’s how ships were managed in the past. Everyone had a job to do. However, sailors in the past did not stop at floating McDonalds. I have taken the Nicolet when I visited Mackinac Island.
His travels to Europe sounded quite fascinating. He started his trip at Great Britain and managed to travel to Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. He and his girlfriend took a chance when they visited East Berlin in Germany, the communist portion of the city. For some reason he could not take back East German Marks back with them, or they could be contained for hours to weeks. I had the good fortune of visiting France and spent time in Ireland on a foreign study. Chambers’ trip to Europe involved traveling to various countries and I was a little envious that he was able to experience so many different cultures.
This book does relate to my life experiences in conjunction with Mackinac Island. When I was in grade school, a friend of mine and I used to take a ferry to the island. We rode our bikes around the entire island, which is nine miles, and ended up at the Grand Hotel to go swimming. I am dating myself because now you are charged to transport your bike because they rent them on the island. As far as I know, open swimming does not occur at the Grand Hotel anymore. I also worked for a tribal education program and provided services for children of various ages on the island and thoroughly enjoyed walking on the boardwalk to the school. The island’s boardwalk starts at the Iroquois Hotel and runs east of the Grand Hotel’s swimming pool. It was first built in 1942.
The book “Mackinac Island: Four Generations of Romance Enrich a Unique Community” by Gail Gaymer Martin, Jill Stengl, and DiAnn Mills reminds me of Chamber’s book. He did date on occasion and explained a scary time when he took a girlfriend on a scary trek through the woods. He was trying to take a shortcut because there was lightning, and thunder and she had a fear of thunderstorms. Chambers described several generations of his family who lived on the island. The classic film “Somewhere in Time” starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeves was filmed on Mackinac Island. Currently, the movie is being shown at the Mission Point Theater every Monday from May to October. Chambers addressed in his chapter “Is Mackinac Haunted” about buildings and his personal experiences concerning paranormal activity such as things being moved or missing. The book “Yoopernatural Haunts: Upper Peninsula Paranormal Research Society Case Files” covered the hauntings at the Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island. If you want to learn more about hauntings and the history on the island, this is another book that would afford that experience.
I recommend Memories of a Mackinac Island Native for its first-hand account of the author’s personal history, because of its remarkable island lore, captivating characters and rich Mackinac Island history. His real-life experiences such as the harrowing time he spent on the Straits of Mackinac II during a storm brought to life the danger that exists when traveling on the Great Lakes. The friendly atmosphere on the island and everyone knew their neighbors was demonstrated throughout the memoir. It was how things used to be in smaller communities throughout the U.S. People looked out for each other. The General was one of the captivating characters who commanded respect. Chambers worked for him as a painter. His memoir was laced with Mackinac Island history and I was happy to learn so much about it.
Memories of a Mackinac Island Native: Life on the Island from 1940s to 2020s by Tom Chambers
Modern History Press, 2024
