-
August
1966 - UAW Officers approved site for purchase.
-
January
1967 - purchase completed.
-
November
1967 - construction started.
-
Construction
of the Main Buildings took almost 3 years.
-
Log
cabin buildings were the only buildings on the property when purchased.
-
Lou
Maxon, a Detroit advertising executive had the log cabins built.
-
Main
MaxonLodge
was built in 1932 as a hunting lodge.
-
Many
auto executives and show people stayed at the Maxon Lodge. Desi Arnaz and
Lucille Ball honeymooned here.
-
Harry
Bennett of Ford delayed a bargaining session because they were going to
spend a few days at this fabulous place. At
the next meeting Mr. Bennett showed pictures of the place to the Union
people. Walter said "in jest," "after the revolution we will
own that place."
-
In
January 1967, the UAW purchased the Maxon lodge along with 750 acres, and
took out an option on 250 additional acres. The UAW purchased another 200
acres in 1989 from the Sugar Estate which adjoins the Hilltop area. We now
own approximately 1,200 acres.
-
The
beach is called "Hongore Bay."
-
Black
Lake covers about 10,100 acres and is 3 miles wide and 6 miles long, with a
shoreline of 27 miles. It is called Black Lake because of its depth of up to
50 feet, making the water look very black.
-
Fish
- walleye, perch, pike and sturgeon.
-
Trees
- many planted by the C.C.C. and are white, red, scotch and jackpine, cedar,
oak, maple, aspen and hemlock.
-
All
utility systems on the Center are underground.
-
The
treatment plant covers six acres and is a blender rather than a chemical
treatment system. There
are five one-acre lagoons. Lift stations around the Center pump all sewage
away from the lake in order to eliminate pollution.
-
Fireplace
hearths are from Canada and French Creek, Pennsylvania.
-
Crab
Orchard Stone - 15,000 tons of it came from Wisconsin.
-
The
Gymnasium/Auditorium was built first and can seat 1,200 people.
-
All
bronze work was cast in Italy and designed by Vivalli.
-
Oskar
Stonorov was the principle architect of the buildings.
-
Roofs
are strong enough to carry five feet of snow.
-
The
laminated beams and columns came from the West Coast. They vary in diameter
from 9 to 16 inches and some are 40 feet long. The columns were turned on
the lathes used for masts of sailing ships.
-
The
longest beam is in the Dining Room and is 72 feet long.
-
The
red cedar was used both indoors and outdoors.
-
Doors
and wood trim are birch.
-
Wood
paneling in the sleeping rooms is pecan.
-
Student
corridor railings are red birch.
-
Hotel
can sleep 300.
-
Dining
Room will seat 300.
-
Everything
that looks like marble is actually granite.
-
The
Japanese arch bridge is pre-cast cement and its bronze sculptured light is
called Man and Woman.
-
Bronze
fireplace in the Dining Room has a Latin inscription that is the motto of
Michigan: "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."
-
The
handrails on the staircase in the Dining Room are made of teak.
-
The
large black stone outside the Dining Room is lava stone and was a gift to
the Center from the quarry in Wisconsin. It weighs 300 pounds.
-
The
Hub, or Zodiac Room in the connecting hallways from the student units to
Education and the Gym area, displays the signs of the zodiac on the
birthdate of Walter Reuther - - September 1,1907. This was a gift to the
Center from the Construction Trades who built the Center.
-
The
bronze sculpture at the fork of the road to the Main Lobby is called
"Children of the World."
-
The
swimming pool is Olympic-size and is heated to a comfortable temperature.
The saunas are located in the dressing rooms and an exercise room is
available for the adult guests of the Center.
-
There
is a 51-site campground for the use of UAW members and retirees. All sites
have full hook-up of water, sewer & electric.
-
The
Inn was originally a horse stable.
-
The
Old Lodge is of whole log construction and has hand-hewn beams and the stair
treads are half log cuts as in the mantle over the fireplace. The furniture
in the old section is from the Maxon era and features hard rock maple chairs
and tables, beds and chests.
-
The
chalets on Hilltop will house 72 people.
-
There
is an 18-hole golf course opened Spring 2000.
-
On
May 9, 1970, the plane carrying Walter and May Reuther, their bodyguard
and the architect Oskar Stonorov to the Center crashed in nearby Pellston.
All (six) were killed in the crash, including the pilots. Walter
and May Reuther's ashes were spread in a simple ceremony atop a hill across
from the Main Lobby area. This area is marked by the flame in the Japanese
lantern, donated to the Center by Japanese Trade Unions in their memory.
Above
the Main Lobby is a pictorial history of Walter and May Reuther. The plaque near
the Japanese lantern for the Reuther's reads:
There is no
greater calling than to serve your brother, There is no greater satisfaction
than to have done it well.
Walter
P. Reuther and May Reuther In Brotherhood and Peace
Walter's
brother, Roy Reuther's ashes are on the hill also. His plaque reads:
"Look to the
stars - - - Let us dream our hopes and
aspirations for that better tomorrow.
Roy L. Reuther
In Freedom and Social Justice"
In
early January 2002 I received some information by email. I found it interesting
and decided to post it here as a thank you to the sender for her contributions.
It read as follows:
----- Original
Message -----
From: "Ruth
Fox"
To:
<don-miller@local387.com>
Sent: Tuesday,
January 08, 2002 10:14 PM
Subject: Black Lake
property
Hi Mr.
Miller,
I came upon
your website detailing the development of the Black Lake
property and
found the information very interesting. For the sake of
nostalgia, I
wanted to clarify one item. My father, Lou Maxon, did have
the main lodge (and
several of the other buildings, which may or may not
remain -- it has
been decades since I was on the property) built. However, it was
never a
hunting lodge. In fact, when my dad owned the property there was a
perimeter
fence around the hundreds of acres, with "No Hunting" signs
posted on the
painted fence posts at regular intervals. My father would
put out salt licks
for the deer on a ball field, and we all loved to see the
deer who
would visit the site. Not a major point from your perspective,
perhaps, but
the property was never used for hunting -- though I remember
that a deer
was once killed by a poacher on the property. We had wonderful
times on that
beautiful property and I remember it in vivid detail and
with great
affection.
Sincerely,
Ruth Fox
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