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 continue with a look at the old Frederick & Margretha Werner Farm, which was at the end of Miller Road: Siblings Charlie (Junior) and Rosie Miller stand here in the front yard of the house that burned five years later. The view is to the southeast, with a bit of the barn in the background.
The open area to the left was mainly used as pasture. Their sister Mary Lou: “Every spring the fields would kind of sprout stones. We’d go out there and Dad would drive and we’d pick up the stones and load the stoneboat and take ‘em back and dump ‘em beside the barn.” The stoneboat was a simple homemade “flat framework with skids underneath it,” that was dragged over the ground. Because it was low to the ground, it was easier to load with heavy rocks.
Charlie suffered a convulsion and lost his sight in one eye when he was 2 years old, reportedly because he “ate too much corn.” “Oh, they took me to the doctor quite a bit to find out what was wrong with my eyesight, but I think he was just a dang phony doctor.” Eventually Charlie was diagnosed with a cataract and received glasses at the government-run clinic in Empire.
