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Young Jerry Ford is the blond good looking guy sitting next to his brother Dick, who is dressed in tennis whites. At Ottawa Beach, Jerry organized games and activities for the younger cottagers.
Life for the cottagers continued sprinkled with special events. A barn dance held in 1931 attracted many cottagers including Katherine Pantlind and Edward Wells. This picture is from a 1996 special event to mark a rare summertime blue moon by posing some of the neighborhood families in the manner of old "paper moon" arcade photos from the 1920's and 30's.
Future United State President Gerald R. Ford's parents, the Gerald Fords Senior, owned the cottage on lot lots 132-133 which had been built by Adison Barber in 1899. At the beginning of World War II, the Fords sold the cottage, but purchased lots 127-129 which sat vacant after a fire had destroyed an earlier cottage.
The history of Ottawa Beach - Page 13
Following the war, the Ford Family built a single story vertical log-sided cottage on their vacant land. The Ford sons, Jerry, Tom, Dick and James and their wives and families would take turns staying in the cottage.
