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The Metz Fire of 1908–and Maybe a Connection

October 12, 2017 By Sandra Heska King

 

 

Metz Fire

My grandmother once rode a train through the middle of a forest fire. I heard the story second-hand from my dad. The family settled in Alpena, he told me, and never returned home to Tower, Michigan. Grandma was four years old. She was born in 1904.

Tower is about 15 miles west of Millersburg, 30 miles west of Metz, 60 miles northwest of Alpena, which overlooks Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay. A branch of the Detroit & Mackinaw railroad once connected these towns.

On October 15, 1908, a fire started somewhere west of Millersburg and raged over northeastern Lower Michigan, burning all the way to Lake Huron. The fire ultimately destroyed 2.5 million acres and incinerated the village of Metz.

Is it possible this was the fire my grandmother and family fled, on an earlier train? These thoughts and other questions set me to researching the event a few years back. Some of the accounts gave me nightmares. I dared to start a novel but didn’t dare myself to continue writing. I tucked the first pages away in a box.

My husband and I visited Metz, what there is of it, this past summer. I’m telling a bit of the story over at Tweetspeak Poetry today. It’s a piece that was originally supposed to run last month, but had to be rescheduled. October 15 will be the 109th anniversary of this fire, and this week flames are raging over northern California.

Join me at TSP for more words.

 

Note: Yes, I’m still here. There’s been a delay in revamping this space and my focus. I’m still working on it. Please stand by.

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Talking with D about his grandfather. One of the f Talking with D about his grandfather. One of the farmhands said Grandpa King was one of the toughest men he ever knew. In the dead of a Michigan winter, he wore a baseball cap instead of a knit hat. In April through October he never wore a shirt.
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Once he was raking hay and while trying to get the rake in gear, he fell against the tractor fender. He finished raking hay. Then for the next two days, he rode on a combine bagging oats, bouncing and breathing in dust and lifting bags. After 3 days, he said, “I don’t feel very good. I’m gonna go to the doctor snd see what’s wrong.” He had two or three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and pneumonia.
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D said he only saw him tear up three times.
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1. When his 19-year-old grandson died from a heart condition.
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2. When D said, “ Goodbye Grandpa. I’ll see you in the spring.” ( D was maybe 11 or 12. ) Grandpa was on his way to FL for the winter and knew he probably wouldn’t be back. He died about a month later.
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3. When he talked about the fact that the hotels in FL would not let black baseball players stay there. That was in the 50s.
“Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop.” “Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop.” -Rumi
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Even if it’s spring.
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This evening’s walk.
Happy place. Happy place.
E.T. phone home. E.T. phone home.
Side effects update - 50 hours post Covid vaccine Side effects update - 50 hours post Covid vaccine #2...
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Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nope. None. Not even a sliver.
No chocolate this year. Besides, the neighborhood No chocolate this year. Besides, the neighborhood raccoon we saw up the tree the other night has (had?) a sweet tooth and stole the box the next-door hubby had delivered--took it around the side of their house and ate it all.

Also no flowers or cards. 

Just this. And her name shall be called... drum roll...

We loved all the suggestions. But we also wanted to keep the love connection--and I wanted to let D finally get to choose a name for our 13th (if I've remembered all of them) cat. The rescue named her Valentine, so since she's the only Valentine either of us are getting today, we decided to keep that name--but as a middle name. D has been calling her "Lucy Vallie."

Lucy--for Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy) and her mischief and troublemaking. We've already seen signs of mischief in the shattered antique bottle we'd discovered next to our farmhouse in Michigan. It sat on the windowsill over the bathtub--silly me in having neglected to totally cat-proof--and in the missing top to my contact lens case--that D finally found next to the litter box. 

Also, there's the light-shedding Luci Shaw... whose poetry I love. 

And Lucy Pevensie from the Chronicles of Narnia who superly loved Aslan.

So now we have Lucy the Goose and Lucy Valentine whom we already love and expect lots of love and light and laughs from. And probably lots of mischief. She also has trouble staying still long enough for pictures.

How is Sophie taking to her? Well, they are still pretty much separated. This morning there were some barks and squeals and hisses and growls. But we will get there.

Happy Valentine's Day to us. And to you from all of us. ❤️
Peekaboo... I see you little cutie in the next doo Peekaboo... I see you little cutie in the next door neighbor’s tree. (I’ve got to start carrying the camera at all times.) #eveningwalk
Trees are confused. #fallingcolor #notfall Trees are confused. #fallingcolor #notfall
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I’m a sucker for a rainbow. I’m also now very I’m a sucker for a rainbow. I’m also now very wet.
“There’s no knowing. But courage, child: we ar “There’s no knowing. But courage, child: we are all between the paws of the true Aslan.” ~ King Tirian in The Last Battle”
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In other news, since I was able to hike last night, I’ve been cleaning up my “nest” where I’ve hung out for the last month—elevating, icing, snoozing, reading, watching more movies than I’ve watched in a year. I’m happy to report that during this time I’ve read every book in The Chronicles of Narnia, including The Magician’s Nephew that I had to get from the library cuz I don’t know what happened to my copy. First time. Don’t judge. Though I *did* see the LWW when the movie first came out if that counts.
Saw this beauty on our hike last night. Check out Saw this beauty on our hike last night. Check out those feet. And it moved more gracefully than I did. #purplegallinule
And that’s a wrap. Furthest I’ve walked in a m And that’s a wrap. Furthest I’ve walked in a month. I might feel it tomorrow, but it feels so good today. No broken ankle is gonna keep me down for long.
Here. On a whim. No crutches. No boot. No scooter. Here. On a whim. No crutches. No boot. No scooter. Walking slow.
“alert as an admiral” ~ Mary Oliver in “Hawk “alert as an admiral” ~ Mary Oliver in “Hawk”
Thursday, my ortho told me I could start weaning m Thursday, my ortho told me I could start weaning my ankle from the boot and crutches on Saturday--which would have been 3 weeks from injury. So I went home that same day and discontinued the boot. The next day I hung up the sticks. Today I canceled PT. I know what to do, and I will do it cuz you can't keep an adventure girl down for long. But I suppose that means the days of being waited on are over. I may have just sabotaged myself.

Also, my FB memories told me I canceled PT for something (I can't even remember what) 11 years ago this day. I took both cheers and jeers for that in the comments. 😂
He thinks I can’t see him. He’s wrong. Camoufl He thinks I can’t see him. He’s wrong. Camouflaged but not concealed. #kingofthehedge
Breakfast. Not sharing. Breakfast. Not sharing.
Time out for a little #berniememes fun. Time out for a little #berniememes fun.
“We don’t know when he will act. In his time, “We don’t know when he will act. In his time, no doubt, not ours.” ~ Peter in Prince Caspian
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It’s Inauguration Morning. Prayers for the incoming and the outgoing. Prayers for all of us because we are all exhausted. Prayers for peace and patience and safety and wisdom and more compassion and more kindness and more love and unity. And, please Lord, no more virus.
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