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Irene Ruthardt Buchanan |   |
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 Irene Ruthardt Buchanan's father, Louis, emigrated from Germany and homesteaded 160 acres on County Line Road in Solon Twp. Irene is very proud of her father's duty in the civil war, the establishment of the Ruthardt railroad siding used in logging, his work as township supervisor and his planting of the huge maple trees on M72 near Cedar Road.
Christmas was a thrilling time in Irene's childhood. I didn't see Christmas in the stores, because we didn't go to Traverse City. We had the Sears Roebuck catalog instead. We didn't see the tree until Christmas Eve. Then we went into the parlor and the candles were burning and Santa Claus had come. The candles on the tree were lit Christmas Eve, and Christmas Night and maybe on New Years -- about three times so they didn't get too short. The decorations were from Germany. We had an angel and a little bird with a feather tail. Irene Ruthardt Buchanan, Solon Twp. Interviewed by Betty L. Mann Photo by Peter M. Mann | |||
