These White Spruce trees were cut down at the Portage Lake camp of Presque Isle residents Ralph and Martha LaPointe after the big windstorm May 14. According to Mrs. LaPointe, there were two of these mammoth White Spruce trees on her family lot owned since the 1920s, and during that storm in May, the winds took down the biggest of the two trees and for safety reasons, it was decided the second tree should come down also.
The trees were cut by Doug Cray and estimated by Forester Wayne Gagnon to be at least 120 years old! To put their age in perspective, they would have been saplings in about 1889, Grover Cleveland was President, and Portage Lake would not even be an established township for another 20 years!
What makes this picture unique is that we don’t really see trees like this in this area anymore. That is why camp neighbors Creed and Rochelle Chasse, children of Doug and Danielle Chasse of Ashland, were called over to hop on the logs for a fun photo.
Ongoing Events
The Ashland Area Senior Citizens group meets every Thursday at noon at the Ashland Recreational Center. Any senior citizens wishing to participate in the potluck lunches and meetings are always welcome to attend.
The Portage Lake Over 50’s Club lunch is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 11:30 a.m. at the Town Hall. All individuals 50 and over are invited to attend and can bring a potluck dish to share. For more information, contact Wilza Robertson at 435-6211 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
The Red Hat Loonies of Portage Lake meet the second Thursday of every month at Dean’s Motor Lodge. Membership dues are $2. Come and have a great meal and a great time, too! For more information, contact Rachel Stevens at 435-6358.
Susan Feeney-Hopkins is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and surrounding townships. She can be reached at 435-8232 or feenhop@aol.com.
Photo courtesy of Danielle Chasse
ASHLAND SIBLINGS Creed and Rochelle Chasse take a ride on these super logs cut at a neighbor’s camp recently in Portage Lake.
