This continues a series adapted from the book, “A Port Oneida Collection,” Volume 1 of the twopart set, “Oral History, Photographs, and Maps from the Sleeping Bear Region,” produced by Tom Van Zoeren in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. Here we have a look at the old Warner Farm, which was along Thoreson Road across from the Thoreson Farm.
August Warner, the “bastard” son of Katie Poertner (previous chapter), grew to manhood on the Richard Werner Farm in Port Oneida. He married Rosie Haas of South Manitou Island and began a new farm along Thoreson Road. Like other large areas of Port Oneida, this land and the virgin forest it supported had been acquired by lumberman Thomas P. Kelderhouse. After being stripped of all timber, the ravaged landscape was sold off “dirt-cheap” to (overly) hopeful farmers.
In 1922 Mr. Warner purchased this new 36’ fishing boat, just completed by neighbor/boat builder Fred Miller (Ch. 30). “I don’t think he was making out”, commented fellow Port Oneidan Jack Barratt. “Most of the farmers around here didn’t make a living off the farm. They went to the woods in the wintertime, or they had a sideline.” August Warner adopted the sideline occupations of fishing and running the mail route between Glen Haven and South Manitou Island. Jack, who sometimes assisted him, remembered motoring west for two hours to pick up chub nets from 600’ deep, “right in the middle” of the lake.
