My experience …
Home Columns Books
Talks About me Contact me
May
25, 2004
Contents
My Life
I was born on a picturesque farm in Leelanau County Michigan, the last of six sons. From this perspective in my life, I could look back with fondness on a simpler life, but I realized many years ago that my childhood was not the ideal. In fact it caused me a lot of pain later in life. This doesn't mean that my life has been a waste or that I am unhappy with my life. On the contrary, I am the man I am today, partly because of my experience. That is why I wish to share my story with you. Out of struggle can come hope and redemption. Click on My Story if you want to read more details.
The Bufka Farm
|
The original farm home, later used as a chicken coop. |
I was always fascinated by the founding of the Bufka farm. We had all the original documents, including one signed by Abraham Lincoln and another by James Buchanan, homesteading the 200 acres to the original owners. The legal description is one that I still have memorized. If you want to know more about the history of the farm and more pictures of the place, please click on the farm.
Leelanau County
The Ordinance of 1787
established the
In searching old records, it is difficult to know where to look or
where to begin even without this history. The area now known as
Sleeping
The county seat is Leland at the mouth of the
I suggest the following links for more information. Press the Back icon on your browser to come back to this site after going to one of these.
Leelanau County Historical Society & Museum
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Other locations of interest
There are two locations highlighted in this section:
"Its heyday was in the last quarter of the 19th Century when
its saw mill, its cheese factory, and its wooding station kept 300 people busy
most of the time. It was first settled in 1863 by H. D. Pheatt a
long-time lake man who came to the bay and built a dock where vessels could
stop for cordwood.
"Five years later Mr. Pheatt built a saw mill near the dock
and then sold both the dock and the saw mill, and moved almost a mile to the
south where he set up a grist mill.
"It was the Schomberg family, brothers Richard, Otto, and
Henry, who contributed to the business development of the village when they
established Schomberg Lumber Company, buying the dock and the saw mill,
enlarging both structures. At the height of business operations they
employed as many as 100 teams to haul logs in from the area around
"The village at this time consisted of 18 houses, two general
stores, a post office in one of the general stores, a two-story boarding house
which was 150 feet long, a warehouse, a saloon, and a feed barn. When the
mill burned down in 1906, the village lost its heart, and the inhabitants began
to move away.
"For many years the houses and other buildings stood vacant,
until the years 1924 and 1925, when John Peters came down from Leland and tore
down the buildings for their lumber. The old
Back to contents
|
|
Bohemian Settlement was an area part of the old North Unity in which
a number of Bohemians (Czechs) had settled in the 1850's and later. Most,
if not all, of these early settlers were Roman Catholic. In 1884, Fr.
Joseph Mrak, the first priest serving this community, organized a church
building committee. Charles Hlavka donated an acre of land. Joseph
Svoboda built the first altar. It was later burned and a new altar
purchased. The church was built on a knoll along side the road now known as
In 1888 the new church was blessed by the first bishop of the
Diocese of Grand Rapids, Joseph Richter. It was dedicated to the care of
Priests from Peshabestown,
Personal Interests
Again, because of my experience, I have an interest in personal relationships - those with my wife, my daughter and her family, my other relatives and my friends. I know this is the result of having such unhealthy relationships when I was growing up. I enjoy people!
I do actually enjoy other activities as well. I love games, but am fearful of my strong competitive drive and my unwillingness to be wrong, so I am reluctant to enter into games some times. Be that as it may, I do love bridge and euchre, Monopoly, Outburst, and golf.
My wife and I
love to travel. Most of that is to the
Of course, I love to talk. I can talk about anything at any time, but I am trying to be more intentional about it now.