Former caretakers at the 2009 Campfire

Last Friday, the School of Natural Resources & Environment held its annual Homecoming Weekend festivities around the Baxter V. Dow campfire circle. These festivities have been going on for almost 100 years, although the campfire circle was built several years after the tradition began. As it was Homecoming, the alumni from the class of 1959 were invited to come celebrate with the current student body and faculty members. Two people in particular that came were inimitably tied with the history of Saginaw Forest: the 1957-1959 caretakers.

When they came inside, the long-married couple were pleasantly surprised to see the updates that had been put in during the 50 years since they occupied the cabin. The stairs that a former caretaker installed to access the loft was something that they had wished they had, since the loft was only used as a storage area while they lived here. Similarly, they didn't have a shower, but had to carry in water from the lake and heat it in a metal tub whenever they wanted to bathe (although he had the option to take a shower at the Union building -- before the CCRB was built!).

Furthermore, the small structure attached to the side of the barn is now explained: it was a dog house that he constructed for their beagle puppy. Next spring, I'll try to excavate that area a little bit more than it is currently, although it will likely mean a difficult mowing process in order to do so.