Mt. Clemens Decoy Legacy... (Repost for new members)

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Pat Gregory

Well-known member
As many of you know, I have a huge affinity for vintage Michigan decoys. Well, at St. Charles this year, I had a real treat...

Long time friend and decoy collector, Tom Schumaker, from Sturgis, Michigan brought for me a Ralph Reghi canvasback decoy. He acquired this decoy directly from Ralph on a visit in 1993. Tom and long time Michigan decoy collector Jerry Catana went up to visit with Ralph to interview him and learn more about his decoys and relationship with the originator of the Mt. Clemens style, Jim Kelson.

On this visit, Tom and Jerry visited Jim Kelson's daughter who provided the photos below. I believe this is the first time these photos have been public. These photos include rare pictures of Kelson's personal sneakshooting boat and his tender boat. Kelson also was registered in water rescue with the US Coast Guard and was credited with saving many wayward anglers and hunters lives.

Kelson and Reghi were sneakshooters on Lake St. Clair and built thousands of diver decoys both cedar and balsa. Along with the decoy, Tom also gave me all his photos, notes and a cassette tape of his visit with Reghi. I've listened to the tape. It is wonderful and full of information I never knew.

The decoy is made by Reghi somewhere in the 1930-1940's and, all the vintage photos are of Kelson, his family and his boats... Enjoy and, thank you to Tom for blessing me with such kindness! Pat

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Good morning, Pat~

Great stuff all around. Those decoys are really elegant -and that big grey "tender" looks like she's all business.

All the best,

SJS
 
Great pics of Ralph, Tom Schumaker is a nice person and great collector. I see him at many shows. Thanks for posting
 
Pat - Thanks for the new photo's of Mr. Kelson, very enjoyable indeed. Many years ago at the Westlake show I was fortunate enough to get one of Mr. Kelson's drake Redhead decoys. The man made a very pure, functional hunting decoy. His decoy has a prime spot on my decoy shelves. The more that I learn about the man the better.

Premium wooden boats and very good decoy carvers seem to go together...
 
Pat, Great photos of yesteryear. In your third post is that a club and tender/ houseboat from a duck club? That decoy is a great example form and function coming together.
Thanks Phil
 
Phil - Not totally sure. The club picture is the Mt. Clemens Hunting and Fishing Club. Kelson was a hunting/fishing guide as a living. Consequently, he was constantly around and working on boats. Even when Tom and Jerry Catana visited Reghi, Ralph was overseeing some workers working on boats. It was a way of life for them. Pat
 
Pat,
Very cool stuff on Kelson.
One of the fellas (old codger) who comes into my shop regularly (Stan "Butch" Czenkus) used to hunt and carve with Jim Kelson (as well as with Pecore Fox-another legend around here).
Interestingly, I currently own the gun that is shown in the Detroit News lead article from Sept. 29, 1946. I did some trading with Butch and got the gun a couple years ago. Unfortunately, it's not shootable. Kelson had loaned it to a relative, Trombly, and he split the barrel. Nontheless, it's a cool piece of history and sits on my hearth at home.
Lou
 
Lou - Great history! If that gun could only tell stories...
I hope you are well my friend. Need to get together sometime to jaw... pg
 
any history of that big boat? Who built her? Is she still floating?
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Hi Bob,
From the looks of the boat, I'd say Chris Craft since Mt. Clemens is 25 minutes away from the home of Chris Craft...Algonac. I'll have to show the pics to Butch Czenkus, see if he remembers.
Interestingly...Mt. Clemens starts right across the street from my shop. ;)

Pat............do you have any high def pictures you could email to me? I'll print them out and go see Butch.

Later guys,
Lou
 
Thanks Lou, the lack of a above deck structure makes me wonder if it was modified by owner or was a former coast guard boat.
 
Lou - I do not. These were scans from photos taken from a photo album. I improved them as much as I could. I'll email you what I have. It's Kelson's boat. The pictures came from a photo album from Kelson's daughter from a visit in 1993 when Jerry Catana and Tom Shumaker went to visit Ralph Reghi. That is as much as I know currently. Pat
 
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Pat - Thanks for the post as you are quite the "educator"... were you a school teacher at some point in your life? or is it just your passion for decoys and fowl that drive it?
 
Kyle - I appreciate your question and admire your observation. Actually, all the above. Yes, I am a former educator. And, I have a huge love for waterfowling and decoy history. Having to unearth the waterfowling and decoy history in my family was a wonderful and excellent exercise for me. I have been doing it for the last 30 years. I knew about my great grandpa from a family perspective but, didn't know him from a waterfowling and decoy perspective. The more I unearthed, the more I began appreciating the waterfowling legacy he left us.

Moving forward, every day that goes by, we lose people that have first hand information about waterfowling history. So, it's my passion to capture what I can and pass it on so, it's documented and preserved so others can enjoy it. Also, personally, it's fun to do.

So, I hope waterfowlers enjoy these small bursts of history and, learn to appreciate all our forefathers did for us. They paved the way for us and, we get to enjoy many things because of them...

Here is the guy that started the waterfowling legacy in my family and, I thank God he did...

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