Houseboat Valley (1927)

From On the River

While researching last week in the library, I came across an article from 1927 called, Houesboat Valley - Island #3: Abolishment of Community by City, by Claude J. Markle.

The article expressed the city of Grand Rapid's concern for people taking up residence on an island in the Grand River. Island #3, or "Houseboat Valley," was a series of abandoned houseboats, then stranded on dry land by lowering water levels in the river.

Claude J. Markle describes the lives of 9 people living on the island. He illustrates the houses as, "Crude structures of rough plank, tar paper, & what not." The cast of characters on the island include, F. A. Himan a retired farmer/pencil salesman, Ed Nash a labor worker/butcher, Mary a fat circus lady, & Phelps a balloonist. Markle sympathizes with the inhabiters, after the City Commissioners plotting to, "oust the squatters," by saying, "These are homes & therein lies a point that promises to be the source of a tilt.

The article also includes an interview given by F. A. Hinman, recounting the path that led him to the valley:

I'm to old to get a regular job - folks think. Besides, I have only got one arm - had the other cut off in a farming accident. But I get along here. Got a right promising garden & the shed is full of wood, so I guess I'll keep warm in the winter.

Also incorporated is Hinman's personal philosophy on life:

Folks uptown have to pay more'en $18 a month for rent. I get mine free. & I ask you if that ain't better than havin' the city pay for my room & eats. Course it is. Trouble with the world today is that most folks owe too much. Not me. I don't own a single man a single penny.

It's interesting that while we were busy scheming up our own hypothetical Houseboat Valley on the Grand River, the real thing actually once existed, deep in history. I'm not sure that our imaginations could have compared to the actual real lives of those who once inhabited Island #3.