Where Did Those Two Trees Come From?
When people think of Belle Isle today, they probably think of the beautiful island park in the Detroit River, its conservatory, aquarium, fountains, and the many other attractions that have entertained generations of Detroiters.
But there was a time when Belle Isle offered another recreational activity that many people living in Detroit today may not even know existed. You could go horseback riding there, not simply on a pony being led around a little enclosure, but on a full-sized horse, following bridle paths through the wooded portions of the island.
And my dad, Stanley George Maier, was one of the people who enjoyed doing just that.
My memories of Dad's horseback riding go back to approximately 1948 through 1955, when I was growing up on Detroit's east side. I believe we were still living in our house on Seminole Street when the particular incident I'm about to describe occurred, although I haven't yet established exactly when we moved from that house.
Dad wasn't someone who simply decided one Sunday afternoon to go over to Belle Isle, rent a horse, and see what horseback riding was all about. He was a serious recreational rider, and he pursued the activity over a period of several years.
He even had the proper riding clothes.
I can still picture him wearing his riding boots and the leather chaps that covered his legs. He looked like someone who belonged on a horse, and apparently he thought so, too.
One of his riding companions was a gentleman he referred to simply as Temrowski.
As I remember it, Mr. Temrowski owned or operated an upscale men's clothing store, possibly in Hamtramck or somewhere on Detroit's east side. I believe the store was called Temrowski's, although I can't be absolutely certain of that. It was the kind of establishment where a gentleman could purchase good-quality men's clothing, something a little more specialized than what might have been available in an ordinary department store.
I suspect Dad may have become acquainted with him through buying clothing there, and over time they became friends.
Mr. Temrowski was also a horseback rider, complete with his own riding outfit, and the two men apparently enjoyed riding together on Belle Isle.
Now, a little history helps put this story in perspective.
Belle Isle's riding stables dated all the way back to 1894. By the 1940s, horseback riding was an established recreational activity on the island. A Detroit recreational guide published in 1945 specifically described horses available for rent at the Riding Academy on the eastern end of Belle Isle, along with bridle paths through the woods.
There is even a photograph in Wayne State University's historical collection showing a Belle Isle bridle path in December 1949.
So this wasn't some unusual activity that Dad and his friend had discovered. It was part of Detroit's recreational life at the time, and the riding facilities continued operating into the early 1960s.
In fact, the principal horseback-riding operation did not close until October 1963, several years after the events I remember.
That brings me to the particular afternoon that gave this story its title.
Dad and Mr. Temrowski had gone to Belle Isle for one of their horseback-riding outings. I wasn't with them, so what happened next is based on what Dad told us afterward.
Somewhere along the ride, something apparently frightened Dad's horse.
Now, a horse is a large and powerful animal, and when one becomes startled, it doesn't necessarily consult its rider about which direction to go next.
Apparently, Dad's horse suddenly left its intended course and headed into the woods.
And there, directly in its path, stood two trees.
The horse managed to pass between them.
Unfortunately, Dad's knees were sticking out on either side of the horse.
You can probably imagine what happened next.
The horse went through the opening, but Dad's knees encountered the trees.
Where did those two trees come from?
That, at least, is the question I imagine Dad might have asked himself at that particular moment.
I don't know exactly how fast the horse was traveling or precisely how the incident unfolded. I do know that Dad made it home, and that he was very sore afterward.
What I particularly remember is seeing him come into the house wearing his riding outfit, boots, chaps, and all, and learning what had happened.
I don't recall seeing his knees or whether they were bruised or swollen. I don't remember whether he went to a doctor or a chiropractor afterward, although Dad was someone who believed in chiropractic treatment.
But I do remember that he was sore for several days.
And I can certainly understand why.
What makes the story particularly interesting to me now, more than seventy years later, is that the incident apparently didn't discourage Dad from horseback riding.
He continued to enjoy it.
That tells me something about him. He had found an activity he liked, and a painful encounter with a couple of trees wasn't enough to make him give it up.
I also find myself thinking about the Detroit of those years.
Here was a major industrial city, filled with automobile factories, commercial buildings, crowded streets, and neighborhoods of working families. Yet right in the Detroit River was this beautiful island where people could escape the city for a few hours, put on their riding clothes, mount a horse, and follow wooded trails that must have seemed far removed from the busy streets surrounding them.
Dad and his friend Temrowski were among those people.
Today, the riding stables and the horseback-riding activities of that era are largely part of Belle Isle's history. But I still have the memory of my father coming home in his riding clothes, somewhat worse for wear, after an unexpected encounter with two trees.
I never did see those particular trees.
And, of course, I have no idea whether they're still standing somewhere on Belle Isle.
But if they are, I wonder whether they ever knew that they became part of a story a little boy would remember for more than seventy years.
Where did those two trees come from?
I suspect Dad would still like to know.
Final note
My father, Stanley George Maier, was born August 21, 1904, and died June 11, 2002, at the age of 97. He remained remarkably active throughout his long life, continuing to work and pursue his interests until approximately age 95. His horseback-riding adventures on Belle Isle were just one small part of a lifetime in which he continued to enjoy being active and engaged with the world around him.
Pony Rides at Belle Isle
Back when our kids, Karen, and probably Mike, and might be Dave, I'm trying to recall. I guess I think it would just be the older two, Johnny and Linda McDonald, Ernie and Jean's wedding best man and his wife, had children Gary and little Johnny. They, Ernie, Jean, and their children Karen and Mike would go to Belle Isle for picnics, hanging out, and one day the kids went on pony rides.
Additional research
A stable hand looks at half-empty stalls on Oct. 27, 1963, after A.L. Knack announced he was closing his horse ride business on the island. The decision left only ponies available for riders. Detroit Free Press photo from the collection of Vance Patrick
Diana Gratopp rides a hors on a Belle Isle trail in 1977. Detroit Free Press
An armada of 350 novice canoeists float at Belle Isle in 1963. Jimmy Tafoya, Detroit Free Press
