Over two months ago I posted about The Park with a Literary Name , Ramona Park in Portage, Michigan. This lake property was in my family for many years.
It was owned by Carrie Paak/Peek Waruf and her husband Henry Waruf. These photos are of their home, which was situated on Sprinkle Road in Portage, about a block from the Long Lake shore. The above photo is a side view–Sprinkle to the left, Long Lake to the right. The porch was eventually remodeled to a large enclosed porch.
Any car experts can tell us a date by looking at the automobile here?
The photo below is the front of the house.
This house was inherited by Therese Remine, Carrie’s niece, and became part of the Ramona Park estate. In more recent years, it was relocated. My Kalamazoo sleuths (aka Mom and Dad) are working on its location.
When I was a little kid, we hunted for arrowheads in the field behind the house. The vintage (at the time) dining room furniture was beautiful.
The Family Kalamazoo 
Wonderful place…
Thanks, Sheila. I used to love that place when I was a kid. I’m glad it hasn’t been destroyed and am hoping my parents can find out where it is.
I can also remember looking for arrowheads in plowed fields when I was a child.
Who knew it was a limited “resource” that would no longer be there in years to come. Kind of reminds me of looking for wheat pennies when I was a kid, too.
If this house was where I think it was….I think I recall a house out there being moved. Isn’t it weird to pick up something so large and move it? Maybe to make room for play areas at the park.
I would love to find out where they moved that house and who has it and what it’s being used for (house or business). And what it looks like today. I wonder if people who have that house or the Burdick and Balch house of Richard DeKorn would be interested in seeing these old pix.
[…] posts where you can read about Ramona Park, Long Lake, and the Waruf/Remine house can be found at Living by Long Lake, Portage, Michigan and The Park with a Literary […]
I was born across the Street from Ramona Palace, Ramona Park, Long Lake, my address was 361 Waruf Drive R.R.# 3 Long Lake. The Waruf house had been sold a couple of times The Kruithoff’s, lived in last, then it was moved to Sprinkle & Bishop, and was refurbished and is now from what I understand offices.Ramona Park was a wonderful place to live back then especially for kids, all the big Companies in Kalamazoo, Brunswick, Upjohn’s, Shakespear,
plus many many more, all us kids in the neighborhood could get into them real easy, I remember back in 1950, I got into a penny scramble and ended up winning a new pair of shoes. All the Big era Bands played at the Palace including our own Rem Wall and the Green Valley Boys.. We had our own baseball team, called the Long Lake Bears, Pop Corn Stand where my two older sisters and I got jobs during the summer selling Popcorn and Peanuts, even a few of my friends from around the lake also sold popcorn.. They had free movies all summer long. It was a great place for kids, alot better than today society.. As kids we placed out side til way after dark playing Kick the Can and numerous other games. Swimming all day long, concession stand open on weekends, fishing, and a short walk around the lake to Roller Skate, then winter time we Ice Skated and went sledding. We new Teresa Remine, use to shovel out her drive way in winter time and pick up paper and stuff in the park for her.. She was a nice lady.. Have lots of old pictures of the park.
Am still looking for more, I am going to make a book of about Ramona Park.
Paula, this is so exciting. I’m thrilled to hear you’re making a book about Ramona Park. Because my dad was the caretaker for Ramona for several years when I was a kid (60s), the place is indelibly impressed upon my memories in so many ways. I remember the huge popcorn maker–almost the size of the room it was stored in. The dropoff by the dock haha.
You were there when it was even more exciting than when I was hanging out there. It sounds like a kids’ paradise!
My parents did find the Waruf house. I wrote a post about it here: https://thefamilykalamazoo.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/the-report-from-my-detectives/
I also wrote about Ramona Park at the link above, but here it is again in case: https://thefamilykalamazoo.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/a-park-with-a-literary-name/ In this one I have old photos of very early 1900s and of the Warufs and of Therese Remine, too. These photos are from my family collection.
Are you going to publish your book? If you would like to use any of my photos, I can email you copies and I would ask that you give credit for each one. They are part of the Joseph DeKorn Collection, available through The Family Kalamazoo. I probably have more, too, that I have not posted on this blog.
On a related note, did you ever find arrowheads around there? I remember finding one in the corn field behind Therese’s house, and it was my impression that they had been even more plentiful before my time.
If you want to make contact about photos, give me an email at mosaicwords[@]aol.com! I would love to chat more :).
Luanne
Paula, are you still working on the Ramona book? I have recently inherited family history about it, including photos of some baseball games, the “Pop and Ice Cream” stand, etc. I even found my grandpa, Ernest “Eddie” Smith’s ownership papers and liquor license for Ramona Palace, where he was an owner and band director. Any interest? I was planning to donate some of them to the Kalamazoo Public Library.
Shawna, do you want me to email Paula for you in case she doesn’t see this? If so, let me know an email address for you. YOu can reach me at luanne.castle[at]gmail[dot]com.
Luanne, I have the same pictures you have, my parents were very friendly with Henry and Carrie, I use to do yard work and help clean Terese’ house at the end of the palace. She was a lovely woman, a lot of people thought she was a snob, but they never took the time to get to know her.. If you have the original clippings of Henry Waruf’s death, you will find my brother in law “Harvey Thornton”was one of his Pallbearers.. And I got the picture of Carrie by herself and the picture of the two of them and the picture of Carrie, and they were copies from my Mom and my brother in law… I would be interested in any more that you have of Carrie and Henry, especially at different ages.
When I was little and Henry would be down working around the Palace I would follow him around and help if I could.. As for arrow heads yes I have found a few behind there house in the woods. I have a lot of pictures from the park too, some date back to when Henry built it. Do you live in Kalamazoo?
my email address is gizmo021244@aol.com. I do not know how old you are, but I will be 70 in February, and I have so many memories, I can never forget one of them, it was a magical dream and the older I get I still think about it every day. Especially when I see all these children being abducted from there our yards and raped or murdered. I have read most of your articles on your site here.. There would not be a Park or a Palace dance hall if it wasn’t for Henry Waruf.. Do you have any pictures of his gun or hardware shop in Kalamazoo, before he built the big house? Well take care and nice to have met you Luanne..
Paula
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