WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Year 2026. East Michigan Avenue continues on to Wood Street.
Many remember the old Three Rivers High School building and crossing at the corner of Middle St. to stop for an ice cream cone at # 235 E. Michigan at Parkside. In the 1980’s it became Scotty’s Tastee Twirl with owner John Climmons. He with his wife, Henrietta, also operated the Adult Foster Care Home, Inc. down the street at #245. Other businesses were #238 Beam Electronics (Rodney Beam owner), #257 Skip’s Lock Shop (owner Bernard Shutes Jr.), #261 Duff’s Auto Service /Mini Mart (owner Damon Duff), #262 Bob’s 66 Service Station and Wordleman’s Garage /Auto Repair (Robert Wordleman owner).
Wood St. crosses East Michigan (Third Ave.) The south side leads to the Wood Street Dam (once a bridge). The 1905 City Directory lists the only Wood families near Wood St. as Anson H. Wood, (bicycle repair shop), at 332 Third Ave. and Ray M. Wood (machinist), wife Mevla, ch: Charlotte M. 1947-48 directory list residents as Three Rivers Packing House (Meat) Ellgin Dougherty, prop, at Riverside Drive, No # listed St Peters Evangelitical Church, #103 Ernest J. Weyrick, #105 Kenneth Hazelton, #106 Mrs. Marie L. Craft, #109 Mrs. Charlotte Raifsnider, #110 Arthur Turnbull, #115 Clayton Everhart, # 116 Mrs. Joanna Bennage, #119 Walter M. Hood, Mrs Etta Hood, #122 Rev. Donald Schumm, #123 John R. Hyatt, crosses Second Ave. #202 Mrs. Jennie Verheul, #204 Raymond Heslet, # 207 Ralph E. Race, # 210 Dr. J.H. Fulton, Chiropractor, crosses East Mich. Ave. The northern part of Wood St. in next article.
The Wood Street Dam was built in 1851 of logs and dirt. The long cement bridge was built in 1911 at a cost of $10,000 and was demolished in 1984 at a cost of $91,000 (including $1,000 engineering fees). Over the years it served well taking horse and buggy, auto, truck, and bicycle traffic along with walkers and joggers between 2nd and 4th Wards. It’s loss makes travel longer between 2nd and 4th Wards. The old bridge is missed!
Once Three Rivers had 12 bridges crossing our rivers. The St. Joseph, Rocky, and Portage each had 4. A test: Can you remember where the 11 bridges are? Do they have names? What are they? Why does our biggest river have the least bridges? The bridge is missed.
Once something is removed from our historic town it is gone forever – building or bridge.
Next time: Wood St. north – East Michigan to Hoffman.
Submitted by Anna Smith, a Three Rivers history and mystery lover.
