Village of Birch Clump, Michigan

Birch Clump, Michigan "Grandfather, When my final sunset comes make from my life beautiful colors that may be seen for the next seven generations." Photos and art work by the author or as otherwise indicated email author
Your search engin can't find Birch Clump? The author places the village half way between Escanaba and Menominee, Michigan. Most,if not all map makers don't bother with it. See the disclaimer in the second paragrpah of the next column • • Note Green Bay in the upper right (NW) portion of Lake Michigan. Birch Clump is in the north east portion of that. Maps are from Googlearth.com Randy Vanwesterdyke - born 1951 near Birch Clump at about age 13 or 14. The Medicine bag was a gift given him by a mysterious Grandfather when he was only 6 years old. Below: Randy gaged and hogtied after being mugged and robbed; age 15 in 1966. Click for more on this scene Some Birch Clump Teens of the later 1960s wore headbands, sandals and beads. Tight jeans were popular, as was long hair for both genders as seen in next picture of one of Birch Clump Village High School's 1969 graduating members. 1968 Year Book [Clic-pic] Click Pic An enlargement is found in the Birch Clump Village High School yearbook for 1969. See more of his cool, groovey right-on classmates that called themselves "69-ers." Google Book Search The big blue button above with the gray background peeks inside HAWK DANCER. The big blue button below with the RED background lets you read portions of CLOUDBURST, the second book I wrote. --- About the Author --- Brother Joshua was born on Easter Sunday 1951. His family hails from the Upper Peninsula. Joshua grew up in a north Detroit suburb. His name was Tim Seidl, the middle of three children. He took the name Joshua upon making his first year of vows with the Priest and Brothers of the Society of St. Paul in Canfield, Ohio. • • Hawk Dancer is not a chronology of Joshua’s personal life. However, a fair portion of the story derives from what he has seen or heard from many others, both his peer group and from Elders in his lifetime. • • He joined the Franciscan Friars in August 1970 at Duns Scotus in Southfield, Michigan. He left before making vows and entered the Air Force in February 1973 serving primarily in Incerlik, Turkey and Schusterberg (Kamp Niew Amsterdam) in the Netherlands. • • He was honorably discharged in late 1976 with the rank of Buck Sergeant and returned to the Franciscans. He made a final break from the Franciscans in 1978 or ‘79. • • He made a career in pubic transportation and then again tried religious life by joining a fledging order of Franciscan Friars in Mt. Morris, Michigan. That was in or near the year 1992. He then transferred to another fledging order, a group of Dominicans called the Servants of the Gospel in Ft. Covington and Bombay in far upstate New York along the Canadian land border. • • The latter order has ceased to exist and he encountered the Society of St. Paul. The photo above is from his final vows (lifetime commitment) with the Paulines, as the society is dubbed. The photo below is from a powwow right after he made his final vows in or around 2002/’03. Anishinabe Regalia: • • Three pieces of regalia Bro. Joshua is wearing comes from his Great Grandfather, Great Grandmother, and his grandfather. The items were made for and gifted to his grandparents at special honoring ceremonies on Bad River & Red Cliff Reservations along Wisconsin’s Lake Superior shoreline in or near 1954. More on the children of Birch Clump: • • Classmate girl friends included Cecilia for Dean, and Trudy for Randy. • Randy was Cecilia's first heartthrob. Quoting form the novel: “Cecilia thought of the cute boy who moved to Gaylord, of his dark brown eyes, his kind and gentle manners. … When she last saw him, he was playing with her cousins and brother. He had shed his shirt. She liked his dark, well-tanned skin. He was exceptionally short and thin in build, but his lean, sinewy muscles were well toned. He tied a red bandanna to hold back his long hair and rode a stout but well weathered rope between two oak trees on her farm. … He was a natural. He had self-assuredness in his walk. The other teenaged girls, and her, were fascinated in how well he managed to pack himself into his faded, and incredibly skin-tight jeans, yet moved about with a natural genteel manner. He was neither arrogant like the few, more daring Birch Clump boys who strutted about in tight jeans a la mode; nor was he self-conscious and lumbering like Dean.” She was later attracted to Dean, and went steady with him though high school. Trudy & Cecilia • • Trudy was also drawn to Randy. Their families frequently visited on Sundays and at the Monastery since early on. She never lost her fascination for him, but with him in Gaylord during their high school days, she began dating a newcomer to Birch Clump. • • On one hand, her boy friend was well received in Birch Clump, but he was a troubled kid. His temper was hot and fast, and so were his fists. He had it out with Dean over some silly argument. Jealousy over Trudy nearly brought the new boy friend and Randy to blows. • • One moment the newcomer was laughing, joking, the life of the party, and one who showed he really cared about people. The next moment he challenged a rival for Trudy’s affection and laid him out cold. Odds & Ends of Birch clump Rail station Herbs hung in an open wigwam type of structure to dry. For the curious: Explore the hidden pages Of this site. Click picture • Order straight from PUBLISH AMERICA and save. Click here for HAWK DANCER . Or you can click here for CLOUDBURST . Hawk Dancer lists for $34.95, but Publish america sells direct for $27.95. Cloudburst is listed for $24.94, but the publisher sells on line for only $19.95. (Do the math - you can save $12.00 if you buy both books direct from the publisher, Publish America.) This is a mainline publisher, publishing on demand. That means a freshly printed book with each order.	Village Facts • • A few folks emailed the author trying to locate Birch Clump, Michigan. The author expresses his gratitude that some of the readership would want to come and visit Birch Clump. The village, central to the novel Hawk Dancer, is located along the south shore of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You may consult the two maps left of this paragraph. Should you travel by car from Marinette, Wisconsin all the way across the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) to the Straights of Mackinaw via the south shore route, [M-35], you can’t miss it. Well, maybe you can miss it. • • The disclaimer in the front of the book says, in part: “This is a book of fiction outlined in real historical events. … The Village of Birch Clump reflects portions of several small towns, villages and zoned hamlets in the Upper Peninsula. The author is not responsible for any readers who become lost in the vast, pristine northern wilderness attempting to find this village or any other location described in this novel.” • • Nonetheless, the tour is beautiful any time of the year. While your up there, try some smoked fish and pasties. The author likes to add gravy to his pasties. • • Population: The local bi-monthly newspaper, (which came out every 4 or 5 weeks), showed around 80 households in 1952. Actual numbers might have been something like 250 folks and upwards of 380 by mid-1970 because of the baby boom that followed World War II. The figures have declined some since as folks are having fewer children and young people move out looking for work. Most of them want to come back after they retire. • • Economy and Employment: Yoopers (from the abbreviation U.P.) are generally industrious, hard working and versatile in skills and education. Lumbering, paper, farming, dairy and fishing are a few mainstays, but just about every type of employment you’d find in a larger town or city can be found in or within a half hour’s drive from Birch Clump. • • Commercial Services: There were not many commercial services in the novel’s 1934 opening. The main business was a general store that also served as post office and gas station. The general store sold mostly groceries, though a few items of clothing or household tools were available. There were two Churches next to each other across the street. One was called the Community Church. An independent, non-denominational Protestant Church hired pastors as they could from a number of other denominations. The second Church was an outpost chapel belonging to a Catholic circuit of mission churches. • • The local marina served a few commercial fishing boats in the early years and had begun limited touring or for hire sport fishing excursions towards the end of the 1950’s. The marina was not well maintained until the 1980’s, and began catering to a higher priced clientele. A restraunt/bar was added by the early 1950's. • • Geographic size: Now this sort of depends how much of the surrounding area you might include in your definition of Birch Clump. The business district and homes that are insight of one another stretches about three quarters a’ mile along M-35, and about a half mile inland along the county road. If you include Annunciation Monastery and the farmers who frequent the village center, then you can add another mile east, west and north. The forest is pretty thick and green, so if you zipping along at posted speeds, it might not seem that large. • • There is a two-lane bridge over Birch Clump River. That might be all of 500 feet across. Those of you that know about the annual Labor Day walk across the six or whatever mile Big Mac connecting Michigan’s two peninsulas probably know that area is crowded and hectic on the holiday. Come to Birch Clump for Labor Day and walk our bridge. The lady’s auxiliary sells blue berry pies and a number of local artists and crafty folks have their stuff out for sale. Proceeds go for worthy causes. • • If you can’t make it, no problem. After all, the term “novel” means the story is fiction, and so is the village. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Click Pic and Read the Gazzette ______________________________________________________________________ Who's Who in Birch Clump • • (and who aint) Rev. Dr. Charles W. Browne & wife Olga -- Randy Vanwesterdyke • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • -- Abbot Jacob White • • Rev. & Mrs. Browne, Phd They are -A.K.A – Rev. Luke Matthews and Clara Blackbird in the novel, Hawk Dancer. The author’s real life paternal great grandparents (Browne) finalized their long ministry career in Washburn, Wisconsin. They served on Red cliff Reservation to the north and Bad River to the south and east. The Matthews are fictional and should not be confused with the real life Brownes. The author drew his ideas of inculturation from his Great Grandfather’s ministry, which fully incorporated Ojibwe culture. The novel’s Rev. Luke Matthews, like the author’s relatives, was a Methodist Minister and a member of the Anishinabe Midiwin (Traditional Indigenous Medicine Society). • • Randy Vanwesterdyke is pictured above-center at about age 16 or 17 sitting on the type of rock that typically protrudes the water along the lake coast. Randy is one of the major characters in the novel. He is mixed Ojibwe and Euro-American. He was orphaned at age one in 1952 and looked after by his Dutch-American adopted parents and by Job & Hazel, a Potawatomi couple who also vied to adopt the child. (There are more pictures of him in the left collumn @ age 15 following a tradgic run in with thieves). • • Abbot Jacob White is also known as Gibwanasi Namishkis – the Hawk Dancer. He is the founder of the Order of St. James, a group of Native American friar-monks. The Order was founded to promote indigenous cultural norms, traditions and protocols within an Eastern rite Church. The rule for this Native American Franciscan styled Order of Priests and Brothers has actually been written by the author. More information is available from the author about the Rule of St. James. T. Douglas, Sgt., USAF Chronologer; born 1951 in suburban Detroit. (Left - 1973, in Turkey. • • • • • • • • Right - 1978 in Birch Clump) • • Reasearch by T. Douglas put the Hawk Dancer chronologies together. He was raised in suburban Detroit, nearly 450 miles from Birch Clump. His family frequented the U.P., but Birch Clump was little more to him than a place to get some groceries while camping at nearby Wells State park. Douglas met Randy in Ephesus, Turkey in or around 1973. Randy was on a yearlong study there, and T. Douglas was an Air Force sergeant assigned to Incerlik Air Base. • • Thet learned that their paths may have crossed several times over the past 20 years. A steady correspondence resulted between the two since that time. • • Douglas was honorably discharged from the Air force in 1975 or 76, and paid Birch Clump a visit in August of 1978 (age 27). He came back almost every year since interviewing and putting together the history of Annunciation Monastery, the Order of St. James and other people closely associated with the Native American Friars. At least that is how T. Douglas is depicted in the novel. • • In reality, Douglas is another fictional character. The author created him as the one responsible for gathering the information on so many lives involved in the same story. That is how T. Douglas actually came about. The author opted to use his image for the drawings of T. Douglas. The Hermitage - The Native American Friars The Order of St. James, Birch Clump (Above, left: One of a dozen out lying cabins for retreats. Right: A section of trail at the monastery). • • Monastery of the Annunciation: The monastery began during World War II about two miles north of Birch Clump. A major thrust of the monastery and the Order of St. James was to establish an order of indigenous priests and brothers. This order follows Anishinabe traditional protocol and spiritual discipline. All other seminaries and religious orders up to this time required Native American candidates to forego their cultural heritage in order to minister within the churches of all denominations. • • This is a first ever attempt to fully incorporate Native American (American Indian) culture within a main-line Christian Religion, namely an Eastern rite Catholic Church. Membership is not limited to Native Americans, but members must realize that Native American culture is the norm in the Order of St. James. [Quote from page 74 of Hawk Dancer for the pictures that follow below:] • • The bottom of the silver bowl came level with his eyes, it’s plating worn to the copper base, and stayed a moment, restrained in it flight by four chains, each containing three bells. As the bowl made its return, pendulum style, he took in the cloud of incense left behind. The tiny particles of sweet smelling carbon entering the susceptible lungs unexpectedly caused him to gag and cough. For a moment the ceremony separated from him. The cantors were once again standing before their circle of chairs. The black veiled deacon was seasoning the corners of the worship space with his ceremonial bowl of incense. The bells called attention to something greater than those gathered in the small chapel. That something was the Great Mystery announced by the deacon when he told the Priest, “Master, now it is time for the Lord to act.” Left: What an Eastern Liturgy looks like. - Right: Main chapel. church model is from photo of the Anishinabe Spiritual Center in Espanola, Ontario, Canada. See ministry pages for link. Below: One of the newer cabins Children of Birch Clump • • The novel concentrates on the Baby Boomers of 1951/54. Television was in its early years and the children of Birch Clump did not spend much time watching it. In those days, and in that splendid environment, they played and fought in the woods, fished and swam in the river or out on the bay. They were not a perfect lot, but basically good kids. • • Here are a few photos of childhood friends, Dean (Thompson) Phelan and Randy Vanwesterdyke. Dean is pictured at ages 9 and 11; Randy is probably 12 in the third drawing, his final childhood year as a resident of Birch clump. His family moved to Gaylord in the northern portion of Lower Michigan in 1963. The forth picture is probably Randy @ age 14. Dean Randy • • The two boys got along well, but did not hang together much outside of school hours until the sixth grade. It seemed that they paired up just for being the shortest one in their class. Dean’s racial teasing in the sixth grade and sour remarks about Randy’s natural mother, who no one knew anything about, ended up in a vicious, drawn out, fist-‘n-cuff schoolyard duel. • • Strangely enough, or perhaps typical of boys that age, the fight gave them greater respect for each other and they since became close friends in and out of school. *The novel, Hawk dancer, is not about Pleasant Ville, USA* • • This is a good, clean novel, but it is by no means soft and mushy. There is a cross burning scene, traffic accidents, and a few fistfights between the kids. The scope of the story is on how to move on in a positive direction. Most of the characters in the novel are good people, but the author felt they needed to be fully human. That means, they try, they mean well, but they are not perfect. • • It is best not to name who is involved in the following fistfight, as that would give away some of the twists, turns and plots in this novel. This much can be said: It is a case of mistaken identity. ABOVE; Kids move in to watch the fight. - ABOVE: One observer takes a seat to watch. BELOW: Out for a moment. - BELOW: the fight resumes and goes to a knock out. --- --- --- --- A man contemplates to join the Order of St. James Thus ends this brief tour of Birch Clump, Michigan. ____________________________________________________________ The demand for more information on Birch Climp (oops)-- Birch Clump rolls in. Bowing to pressure, with a smile on my face, I will shortly comply. More stories from the residents and visitors of Birch Clump will be coming soon. There will be news and updates, pictures and what ever I can conjure up on the spur of the moment. ---Thank you, Migwetch, teshekur edirum, sukran, merci, etc., ect., Bro. Joshua Dean after graduation . . A Priest and a Deacon of The Order of St. James - in procession Link to the web site for The Order of St. James Click this picture for an enlargment and read a two page section from the novel "Hawk Dancer." The picture is the author's rendition of one of his novel's characters: Jerome Mott, Birch clump. Aug. 1969 An index is at the bottom of most pages. For the curious: Explore the hidden pages Of this site. There are around 57 pages to this site, but only 20 are listed in the menu found on most pages. The other 30 pages are supporting off shoots of the major listed pages. Click here if you want to see the other pages or at least read what they are about. This particular link to the semi-hidden pages is found on only a few pages of this site. <
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