Step Back in Time: Before it was Michaywe’, site was home to a fur farm

Bill Granlund was a former principal at Gaylord High School and passionate about chronicling the history of Otsego County. His book, “Early Times of Otsego County, Michigan” may be purchased at the Otsego County Historical Society Museum, located on Gaylord’s Main Street. This article about the AuSable Club is based on a written account Grandlund had requested from Al Kassuba, whose family were early settlers here.

Many will remember the AuSable Club on Charles Brink Road as a gathering place for wedding receptions, parties and dining. It was a pleasant place to visit and I had the opportunity to attend many gatherings at the club during the 1950s and 60s, including school proms.

The beginning of the club dates back to 1922 when Dion Geraldine established the First National Fur Farms. The basis of the farm enterprise was to raise purebred cattle, hogs and fowl, as well as the production of fur-bearing animals. The farm property had 9,500 acres and included 20 lakes and five miles of the headwaters of the AuSable River.

The farm’s prospectus listed soils from the richest black muck, to light, sandy clay and sandy loam. In 1923 over 9.5 miles of fencing had been erected and another five miles were ready to be added. The business was organized by departments, which included farming, horticulture, livestock and mechanical, as well as an administrative organization.

The fur division consisted of purebred pedigreed Silver Black Fox, which had an appraised value of over $90,000. The foundation stock for these animals were imported from Prince Edward Island in Canada. The other animals in this division included Karakul sheep (Persian lamb), Chinchilla (fur) rabbits and muskrats. The Karakul sheep flock had a value of $21,000 and were expected to yield two to three thousand skins a year.

The stock of Chinchilla rabbits consisted of 104 does and 26 bucks. The expectation was that 125,000 pelts would be harvested each year. The muskrat population was estimated at 500 animals and within two years were expected to produce upwards of 75,000 to 100,000 skins annually. The farm also considered raising fish on the many lakes but no commercial production was planned at the time.

It was apparent this endeavor began on a large and complex scale and would not last for long. The Aug. 28, 1927 Herald Times carried the following headline: “Geraldine Ranch is now AuSable Club.”

Geraldine had established the AuSable Holding Corp. and served as its president. Geraldine met with local businessmen to discuss the details of his new project. The initial details revealed that the club, which included more than 9,000 acres, would be used as a recreational area for the joining club member and his family. The Holding Company had leased the land for 99 years and could provide a building lot if desired. The membership was non-assessable and non-taxable. There was a service charge of $10 a year to cover overhead expenses.

The corporation set a maximum membership at 15,000 and as sales permitted, an additional clubhouse would be built and an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, children’s playgrounds, saddle horses, and boats and canoes would be added or purchased.

The only cost to members staying at the club would be for room and board, which was to be provided at cost, according to the contract. The project was met with great enthusiasm by local business leaders, who were eager to join the new club.

At the June, 1927 opening, 200 members of the club attended a dinner and tour of the 9,000 acre club. Norman E. Glasser extended a welcome from the city of Gaylord to all attending members. What became of the original farm program in the early 1920s is perhaps known to some of the early residents, as well as the changes after 1927 in the club’s structure and operations, until it burned down in later years.

The Michaywe’ Four Season Resort Community, known today simply as Michaywe’, now encompasses the area of the former AuSable Club.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Step Back in Time: Before it was Michaywe’, site was home to a fur farm