"When the sun set on North Manitou Island on September 26, 1979,
it marked the end of community life on the island. My husband Ken
and I watched 'The Glen Shore' depart the island dock, loaded with
farm equipment and one passenger, the last employee of the Manitou
Island Association. For the first time in at least 125 years the
island would become unoccupied for year-round residents.
"Having spent eleven years as a year-round resident and
thirty-three years as a summer resident, I was compelled to write
about living on the Island and the lives of early settlers from the
1840's to 1999.
"Living on the island was a challenge. A frozen Lake Michigan
once prevented the mail boat from reaching us for forty-one days.
There were tragic accidents with no doctor available. There were
wonderful times such as Christmas programs in the one room
schoolhouse, parties and dancing in the lodge and a Grand
Celebration at the end of the cherry harvest with a parade to the
island dock carrying the last load bound for the mainland.
"'God and nature made the island beautiful.' The lives of its
people make it interesting. These pioneers should not be
forgotten.
"For me, the island was home "
Rita Hadra Rusco, a North Manitou Islander for nearly fifty
years, has turned her love for the island into a warm story
reflecting not only the island's history but the character, romance
and determination of the people. Her writing is rich, frank and
full of life as she relates the island history from wilderness to
thriving community and its return to wilderness. Her own adventures
are intertwined with historical fact. This charming book bears the
unmistakable stamp of a perceptive observer with a tale to
tell.
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