We interrupt this Lake Metonga series blog post for an important message about John F. Kennedy’s visit to Crandon which included a fishing report from Lake Metonga! What??? That’s just crazy!
I agree. This is what happened. As I was conducting my research for the Metonga presentation, I was searching the Crandon Public Library’s Newspaper Archives for the keyword “Metonga” and an article blurb appeared on my screen that mentioned both “Metonga” and “John F. Kennedy”. So I had to investigate. (Seriously, I had to investigate. In my world an old newspaper = bright, shiny object)
The article was from March of 1887 and discusses a visit by John F. Kennedy of the “Sheboygan News” to the Crandon area. Turns out this John F. Kennedy, while his family was from Ireland and may, in fact, be a distant relative of President John F. Kennedy, was a hard-working Wisconsinite who lived the majority of his life in the Plymouth / Sheboygan area working as a farmer, carpenter and writing columns for the “Sheboygan News”.
I apologize for the leading headline AND the short blog post this week. I’m working on the Forest County 4-H Fair and needed a quick little blog post to keep your attention on Metonga stories. I promise to write more and share more photos next week.
Until then, here is Mr. John F. Kenney’s article on Crandon. While you’ll notice that some things have changed in Crandon (we are definitely not a temperance town) I especially like the following description of Crandon:
…”its people are remarkable for their business enterprise and hospitality. Every one seems to want to do you a kindnes, and the good heart shines out in honest faces, that have a smile and a kind word for every one they meet”
132 years of Crandon Pride! #CrandonProud #HistoryMatters Enjoy!
