Page 78 - 2018 Lake St. Clair Guide Magazine

Continued from Pg. 44 - Strawberry – the local Lake

Island Part III As a stone cutter, St. Clair Guide

there are two historic places in Detroit magazine of its

still bearing his craft. He is credited time!) In 1906,

in 1882 with the stone archway at the the Schweikart

entrance to the oldest cemetery in De- Boat Works starts

troit, Mt. Elliott Cemetery built in 1841. producing racing

Walter is also credited to producing yachts and Carl
the carved gargoyles on Detroit’s is mentioned as In the center of Lake St. Clair, every day
one of the best boats anchor and swim off Strawberry Island
Episcopal Church on Woodward.

In 1880, the Sch- yachtsmen

weikart Boat Works in the area Ice racing meetings were held at

of Detroit was estab- – their boat the Huntress was Kramer’s Roadhouse at Kensington &

lished. At that time, mentioned in different races Jefferson, and the Fairview Ice Yacht

Walter’s two sons around Lake St. Clair. Club – Village of Fairview which is

– later to also make 1oD9f0et5lhiveBeurNydawTtreiuoicsnkear l Has anyone heard of the DentotorowthitGeProu1s9bs0lie6c LibraryPointe Park. According
their own mark
iCn othuisrtesy AutGomroosstieve PHoisinttoery “CIcoel”lecYtiaocnh,t Rudder magazine, “Ice
article - Carl and John Club? Mt. Clemens Ice Yacht boats had dated back to 1873 for Lake
are 20 & 10 years old. 1905: Most Coveted Club? Ice boat racing was St. Clair when Carl Schweikart built a
TTrhoepAhynhoenuLseark-eBuSsth. CCluapir
Carl born in 1860 and for Ice Boat Racing held weekly in a very cold time boat.” That would have made
John 1870. obviously on Lake St. Clair Carl only 13 years old! It was

The Schweikart and was reported on in the reported they would sail the

Boat company grew sports pages of the Detroit boats to the St. Clair Flats (Ah

and at least from 1887 – 1892, built Free Press. Beer ha – to Strawberry Island I pre-

and rented 300-400 row boats on Belle was already a spon- sume) and to the Lakeside Inn

Isle. At 35, oldest son Carl joined De- sor of sports!! … In by Mt. Clemens from Detroit.

troit’s Belle Isle Park (FYI the first ice boat in Ameri-

Commission from Ice Boat Racing ca is attributed to Oliver Booth
1895-1899. (It was on Lake St. Clair in 1790 in Poughkeepsie, NY. …
in this timeframe and I did find that Jimmie Rice
when dad Walter 1910
introduced the sport of
claims the Straw-
ice boat racing on Lake
berry Island par-
St. Clair). Cont. Pg. 79
cels). Then in 1905

the Schweikarts ex-

pand to build and

operate a small

ferry taking visitors

from Detroit’s Wa-

terworks Park to

Belle Isle.

Carl and the

Schweikart fami-

ly are often mentioned in the Detroit 1905 the most coveted trophy for

Free Press and Rudder Magazine ice racing on Lake St. Clair was the Photo Courtesy of the National Automotive

(the monthly Rudder Magazine for Anheuser-Bush Cup (1876 Budweiser History Collection, Detroit Public Library

Yachtsmen was first published in 1891 was introduced in the U.S.).

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