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A 1858 map shows a two block length to five streets south of North Street (present W. Michigan Avenue). Thomas, Spring, Constantine, Pleasant Streets and one unnamed street are shown. Later Pleasant became Andrews and the “unnamed” street to its west became Hooker. In 1922 South Hooker ran to the Air Line route of MCRR tracks just south of Broadway. A section of a railroad bridge, just south of the Broadway Street bridge, is what is left of the famous Air Line Route that ran between Chicago and Detroit in the 1890’s and early 1900’s. The Census shows our city population as 3,550 in 1900 and 5,072 in 1910.
The 1909 City Directory lists 15 house numbers in the two blocks of South Hooker: 103 Albert & Harriet Jones, 104 Sarah Ranck (widow of barber Enos Ranck), 100 no info, 109 Leslie & Lillian Mc Jury, farmer, 110 Oliver (a mason), 111 Harry Hastings (Sheffield Car Co. employee), 113 John & Mary Kline, 141 George & Lizzie Stoltz, 115 John Ross, electrician, 123 Carrie Isaac, 124 Harvey & Nellie Shook, 201 Joseph Miehan (1922 it became George Stoltz’s new address), 211 Frank & Lillian Joseph, 214 Ray & Dora Miehau, 220 George & Norma Trickey (he was mail carrier who became Assistant Post Master in 1922).
By 1959 there were 83 addresses listed with some having rental units. Due to business expansion on West Michigan some lots on South Hooker were lost. Some residents of South Hooker in 1959 were: 108 Dale & Margret Fuelling, (TR teacher) 109 C.R. Boles, 111 F. M. Pew, 114 Wilfred Miracle (USPO clerk), 115 Catherine Skebiskie, 119 Mayer’s Shoe repair & Sharpening Shop, John Mayer, 123 R. B. Karstetter, 124 Ed Sordyl, 201 R. J. Dalton, 201½ Grace Detwiler, 204 Paul Miller, 210 R. K. Walters, 211 C. E. Kaiser, 214 R. S. Bowersox Sr., 220 George W. Trickey, 221 Hazel Gear, 300 Orel & Cora Rosenbaum (Rosies’ Dinette M-60), 301 C. E. & Elsie Bonfoey (owned of Bonfoey Dairy on South Andrews), 333 Thomas Mathews, optometrist, 324 Buryle & Mildred Bitting (Mildred – J.C. Penney clerk), 332 Onie & Violet Withers, 401 Raymond Smagala home (store on Constantine Street), 517 Gerald & Vera Phillips, 608 Earl Tice & Virginia Tice (sales for Ralph Todd Realty), 621 Howard & Frances Buckhold (owner Three Rivers Pattern Works), 636 David & Vivian Blasius, 641 Clifford & Louise Wellington, 700 Rosemary Evans (Asst. Manager Murphy Co.) and Ramona Evans, 815 Richard & Betty Kipker, 917 Wilma & Joann Naylor, 919 No info.
Next time: North Hooker Avenue.
Submitted by Anna Smith, a Three Rivers history and mystery lover.
