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The letters of William G. Butler and other tales of Saugatuck
The fourth in a series of books that tell interesting stories of the history of Saugatuck, a small town located in southwestern Michigan where the Kalamazoo River meets Lake Michigan. William G. Butler was the founder and first settler of Saugatuck coming from Connecticut in 1830. Other stories include a round-the-world trip by an area sailor, and an account of Saugatuck's Oval Beach.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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December 14, 2022
Kit Lane is the premier historian when it comes to the history of Saugatuck, and has written more books on it’s history than the entire county in which it’s contained has in comparison. In ‘The Letters of William G. Butler and Other Tales of Saugatuck, Lane offers five historical shorts from Saugatuck’s illustrious history and is the first book in the ‘Other Tales of Saugatuck’ series.
In The Letters of William G. Butler, Lane types out Butler’s personal and professional letters, which one would have to personally travel to the Detroit Public Library to behold. William Gay Butler was the first white settler in Allegan County, Michigan and the founder of what would become Saugatuck.
The short Around the World, Kit Lane gives a detailed account of civil war veteran George N. Dutcher’s seaward journey around the world, leaving Saugatuck behind to become a shipmate - crossing the Atlantic, around the cape of Africa, through the Indian and Pacific Oceans, down through the isthmus of Panama, and up to New York.
Cannon on the Village Green gives the life story of a pre-Civil War cannon, how it appeared in Saugatuck, it’s previous owners, the various people who saw it’s intrinsic value and saved it from utter destruction, and how it all ended up on the public square which can still be seen today.
Calvary Pistols at Dawn is a quick read, but outlines for us how two men challenged each other to a dual for the burning love of a woman, a practice which has been illegal in the State of Michigan since it’s statehood. Twenty paces, on your mark, turn, FIRE!
The last short, How Can a Beach be Oval? Kit Lane painstakingly gives us the chronological history of Oval Beach, from it's conception as a designated public park to one of America’s hottest beaches one can stop at by driving to the parking lot, or climbing the 282 steps up Mount Baldy, over the sand dune, and down to the beach.
Lane draws much of her history on various local newspaper accounts, being the former editor of the Saugatuck Commercial for over 20 years and uses her access to the archives to give life to her historical stories. Lane’s books are somewhat rare to come by, unless you have access to the Saugatuck Museum, so finding these gems are well worth the read especially if you live in Southwest Michigan.
In The Letters of William G. Butler, Lane types out Butler’s personal and professional letters, which one would have to personally travel to the Detroit Public Library to behold. William Gay Butler was the first white settler in Allegan County, Michigan and the founder of what would become Saugatuck.
The short Around the World, Kit Lane gives a detailed account of civil war veteran George N. Dutcher’s seaward journey around the world, leaving Saugatuck behind to become a shipmate - crossing the Atlantic, around the cape of Africa, through the Indian and Pacific Oceans, down through the isthmus of Panama, and up to New York.
Cannon on the Village Green gives the life story of a pre-Civil War cannon, how it appeared in Saugatuck, it’s previous owners, the various people who saw it’s intrinsic value and saved it from utter destruction, and how it all ended up on the public square which can still be seen today.
Calvary Pistols at Dawn is a quick read, but outlines for us how two men challenged each other to a dual for the burning love of a woman, a practice which has been illegal in the State of Michigan since it’s statehood. Twenty paces, on your mark, turn, FIRE!
The last short, How Can a Beach be Oval? Kit Lane painstakingly gives us the chronological history of Oval Beach, from it's conception as a designated public park to one of America’s hottest beaches one can stop at by driving to the parking lot, or climbing the 282 steps up Mount Baldy, over the sand dune, and down to the beach.
Lane draws much of her history on various local newspaper accounts, being the former editor of the Saugatuck Commercial for over 20 years and uses her access to the archives to give life to her historical stories. Lane’s books are somewhat rare to come by, unless you have access to the Saugatuck Museum, so finding these gems are well worth the read especially if you live in Southwest Michigan.
Displaying 1 of 1 review