The Hershaws Come to Saugatuck- 1935

--contributed by Chris Yoder

Bertha and Gus Hershaw

Families move to a community for a variety of reasons. In these tight economic times, it's nice to recall that some come and stay for reasons of employment.

Mel Hershaw reports that in 1935, his father Gus moved their family from Wisconsin to Saugatuck to operate the farm that his brother-in-law, Louis Jones, had purchased on the New Richmond Road. During the 1936 construction boom, Gus moved his family into town went to work for Rieth-Riley hauling sand to make the new road (they had the contract for what is now the Blue Star highway from the Saugatuck end of the new bridge to about where the interstate overpass is north of town). Other contractors were kept busy as well. L.W. Lamb built the "new bridge" across the Kalamazoo, and Lyons Construction had a dredge and suction working to pump the island out of the river and create the raised roadbed on either side of the bridge. (Both Rieth-Riley and L.W. Lamb are still active contractors today).

After this work was finished, Gus went to work driving a truck for Frank Sewers, one of Saugatuck's leading commercial fishermen. He'd haul loads of fish from Saugatuck and South Haven down to the big market in Benton Harbor, where they'd be sold and others would carry them on to retail markets in Chicago and elsewhere.

Gus didn't like to work out on the lake because he'd get sea-sick, so in addition to driving the truck, he'd do other things closer to shore, like repairing the nets and seining the river for carp. "Sewers" is a name (like Yoder, rhymes with odor) which was the target of more than its share of humor. Mel recalls a favorite true story about an upper crust lady visitor from Chicago who entered the market on Saugatuck's Water Street to ask "Where do you get your fish?. " " We get them from Sewers" was the reply. The shocked patron left saying she " would never eat fish taken from sewers. "

In later years Gus worked for Baker Furniture in Holland until poor health made him give up work. He passed away on Feb. 26, 1968 and rests with Bertha in Riverside cemetery. His marker memorializes his service as a private during WWI.

-Contributed by Chris Yoder