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Ford River
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back to Ford River >> Local Community >> |
| Music and Dancing Baseball |
The Idle Hours
Supporting information from interviews with Harry Nelson, Mary Busick , and Daily Press
article by Chip Olsen
~ Idle Hours Cabin ~
Neighborhood recreation
A short walk from Harry Nelson’s back door stands the Idle Hours cabin built and christened in 1930 by the older Nelson brothers–Frank, Earl, Herman–and some neighbors. There was little time for relaxation between logging and farm work but, when there was time, the gang met there at the Idle Hours.
Harry said that, “In 1927, Ford River neighborhood boys built the log cabin as a place to hang out. It was a gathering place for the neighbors here. Folks would walk and gather to play cards and sometimes party. Names were carved in the logs. Magazine pin-ups of movie starlets decorated the walls.”
Idle Hours drew people from the neighborhood
They would come from all directions to the little cabin in the woods—young men and women, bundled in winter, strolling lazily on warm summer evenings. In the cabin built from trees they had felled and assembled, the offspring of stout men and strong-willed ladies huddled together to share a story, a game of cards, and a clandestine “tug off” over an outlawed bottle.
The first Idle Hours cabin was destroyed by fire in 1929
 ~ Idle Hours Building ~ |
“Some people said the local conservation office torched the cabin thinking it was being used for poaching”, said Harry. Nevertheless, the boys went right back to building a second Idle Hours in the forest nearby. The Idle Hours structure is still standing and is being restored by the Nelson family. |
Music and Dancing > up
Supporting information from interviews with Harry Nelson
Harry said that music and dancing were pastimes enjoyed by all the neighbors
“Dances were pretty much every Saturday night in the summer at the Grange Hall. A local barn became the stable for all the horses.
A favorite to dance to was a one-man band by the name of Pete Hansen. He played banjo, mouth organ and drums, and played anything you wanted–polkas, waltzes…”
Some of Harry’s favorites: “Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister?”; “Gold Slippers”;
“Over the Waves”; “Red Wing”; “The Westphalia Waltz”, and “The Orange Blossom Special.”
~ Party at the Garden Peninsula Grange Hall ~
Supporting information from interviews with Harry Nelson and The Story of Ford River Township by Jean Peterson Brayak
Playing baseball has long been a past-time of Ford River residents
When asked, Harry sited baseball as a long-standing pastime for Ford River area residents.
~ Ford River Baseball Team ~
According to Harry, “Baseball was a big deal. The Ford River league played 2-3 other teams—one from Cedar River and one from Fox (the town no longer exists). The diamond was located on what is now Harry’s current home site.”
Records show the establishment of team baseball at Ford River Mill in the early 1900’s. Two Ford River men played in the minor leagues and one resident played with the San Francisco Giants from 1962-1966.
There were also Little League and Babe Ruth Leagues in the Ford River area. A girl’s softball team was organized in the 1960’s and they were city champs in 1968-70-71 and ’72,
and the UP champs in 1970-71.
~ Hyde Softball Team ~
