Frank Wixom’s dream of The Sanford Dam also created the Edenville Dam, Secord Dam and Smallwood Dam. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the village of Sanford, Michigan. (Photo provided)
It was Frank Wixom’s dream of Sanford Dam that also created Edenville Dam, Secord Dam and Smallwood Dam. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the village of Sanford, Michigan. (Photo
It was Frank Wixom’s dream of Sanford Dam that also created Edenville Dam, Secord Dam and Smallwood Dam. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the village of Sanford, Michigan. (Photo provided)
It was Frank Wixom’s dream of Sanford Dam that also created Edenville Dam, Secord Dam and Smallwood Dam. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the village of Sanford, Michigan. (Photo
In the 1940s, the town of Sanford, Michigan, had a main street, The Railway. Businesses are expanding on both sides.
When we got into town, left, there’s the job with Barbara Miller in charge. (Her husband Ed built it.) Then a café owned by Bob Hildebrandt, where all the businessmen were going to have their morning coffee. There is a building component that Maticka Construction owned through Tom Maticka, Jr. The other component of the construction Sanford Plumbing – Heating owned by Bill Schweitzer and Floyd Nilles. Allen Cole’s garage service and convenience store came next. There’s an empty space, then Dick Marcy’s hairdresser and Bigelow’s pharmacy, two garages. One owned by Clarence Tigner and one owned by Bye Gordon.
To the right of the railroad, on his way to the city, there was a chemical bank, Bill Meyer’s insurance office and then a house, a street and a construction that later became J-D Plumbing. There’s a hardware store owned by Judd Keppel and a young woman named Jean Sorg running there. They later married and had a successful business in Midland (Judds Rental). Then the Dancer’s branch and a grocery store on the corner of Railway and Center Street.
A space in the right look of Center Street, the telephone company operated through Johnny Bacon. The popular corporate telephone on the porch of the space. A cradle in front of the popular for the convenience of the telephone operator who ran the popular at night. Vera Sullivan, one of the operators. I wrote down phone expenses every month for Johnny Bacon, who gave me a dollar for my work. (Later it became The Wolverine Teleteletelephone Company).
Center Street followed the bend of Lake Sanford with spaces on either side of Center Street until reaching the Sanford Dam, then personal homes declined for a while before Tom Maticka’s space in the left visual on the lake side. Tom had a Chris Craft boat, drove a convertible and a kind of legend in Sanford. The spaces were then on either side of Center Street until M-30. Duff Hubbard lived in one and Bud Melchi lived in a nearby one. I knew them because they had entered Tom’s workplace, where he kept books, wrote receipts, answered on the phone, and tried to look busy.
Entering Sanford a sign with giant letters proclaiming: Sanford the most productive little in town through a dam site.
Emily Smith had a good beauty salon on the outskirts of town. George Pontious had a business. Harold Gay, the owner of the Sanford Coal and Lumber Company. His father-in-law Tom Maticka, Sr., had started the business. But a twist of fate that almost cut off his arm led to early retirement.
Francis Grove is one of the favorite swimming positions. In the other aspect of Lake Sanford Flanders Beach. The cabins covered the domain around Flanders Beach and there was a small grocery store for others who came to swim and for others who lived in the domain.
How Francis Grove started is a story that can only take place in a small town blessed through benefactors such as Francis’ circle of relatives. The original Francis farm located in what is called The Flats. In 1924, Frank Wixom effectively completed the Sanford Dam forming a synthetic lake that would eventually make Sanford a popular recreation area. Francis’ circle of relatives had to move to the upper surface. The barns in the assets were demolished.
Billy Francis and his wife, Mary, opened three acres of their lakeside assets for public swimming in 1929. There was a sandy beach. The water was shallow enough for an adult to walk 150 feet before entering deep water. There was room for a parking lot dotted with 50-year-old shaded trees. The Red Cross provided lifeguards and the swimming and canoeing categories were eventually awarded through the youngsters hired to paint at Francis Grove.
Bob Bowland, one of the young men hired as a lifeguard, kept the logbooks that thoroughly recorded the weather, the number of other people who used the facility every day and who were the rescuers. Rescuers during one time included Bill Dixon, the Haney brothers, Warren Phemister, Rex Inman, John Smallwood and Bill Shepherd. Ken and Fred Sovia, Art Sauve, Jim Pontious, Darl Pochert, Dick Betron and Bob Bowland.
Casual parking with parking anywhere there is room. Surprisingly, there were few problems. The blankets spread over the grass for picnics. A total of 40,387 people enjoyed swimming at Francis Grove in 1946. Today, a space is where Francis GroveArray has nothing left of the beach, car park or picnic area.
Martha Thomas organized devoted facilities in her home for the Lutheran faithful until st. Paul’s Lutheran Church was built in front of the Conservation District Office where Carl Hermann was the Office of Conservation for years. The beautiful space that was once owned by Adams’ circle of relatives has the Lutheran rectory.
There is a Catholic church, a Baptist church, a seventh-day Adventist church, a church of God, and a Way orthotic church.
Small in size, the town of Sanford had, however, two local “sons” in the Michigan Senate in Lansing, Michigan: William Allswede elected in 1912 and Lynn O. Francis served in the 1950s.
The depression of the 1930s and World War II in the 1940s discovered Sanford on the brink of strong growth. Lynn Francis and her sister, Detta, shaped the Dean-Francis subdivision in Sanford, creating 3 new streets: Birchview, Lynn and Crescent. New houses were built around Lake Sanford. The lake masses sold for $10,000 for lakeside assets at Francis Shores. Businesses thrived. And in 1958, the Meridian School District was established with Charles Mayer hired as superintendent of the new school district.
The old guard, the men and women who had settled in the village of Sanford had handed over the reins to their children and grandchildren. The men and women who were able to insinuate their lineage in the 1870s, when Sanford joined, left descendants to bear the surname. New names were added as an influx of landowners stretched across the boundaries of the village.
Sanford up to the sign he proclaims: Sanford the most productive little boy in town on a dam site.
Editor’s Note: The moment will be released in two weeks.