ROSES FOR THE LIVING

  

                                                           James A. Flower

      Along in the early part of this century Henry Ford started to build the gas contraption that

People called a “horseless carriage.”

     Around 1901 or 1902 John S. Weidman bought one of these horseless carriages called a

“Cadillac” automobile.  This car was propelled by one cylinder gas engine and would make

at high speed about 15 miles an hour.

     Later on E. C. Holmes bought a Ford Roadster and this car would perhaps do a little

better on the road at high speed of 20 miles per hour.

     Later on John Beutler, who still lives west of Weidman, bought a Model T Ford.  George

Drallette bought a Reo, and in running it around the streets of Weidman, ran into a Pere

Marquette railroad engine, not injuring any of the occupants, but the new car needed

attention by someone who knew how to fix it.

     In these days there were no garages and no one making a business of repairing auto-

mobiles.  Dolph Flower, then a young man living in Weidman, concluded that there was a

business in making a specialty of repairing automobiles.

     So we are told that he got all the books and information he could on how they were built

and how to make them run and started a garage, fixing over a building formerly used as a

hotel, and later as business developed built a large addition in the rear.

     James Adolphus Flower, whose likeness appears above and familiarly known to everyone

as plain “Dolph,” was born in Vestaburg in 1886.  He moved with his father and mother to

Weidman where his father was employed as section foreman for the Pere Marquette and

later was employed by the Holmes Milling Company until his death.

     Dolph besides being a first-class mechanic is an ardent sportsman.  He owns a hunting

lodge in Kalkaska County where he makes frequent trips to hunt and fish.  If anyone gets

more real enjoyment out of these pastimes than Dolph, we would like to meet up with that

gentleman. 

     The picture above shows him in a favorite pose, telling a Kalkaskian audience ‘how’,

‘when’ but not ‘where’ the Big One was caught.

     Dolph is a good citizen.  He is a credit to our village.  He is always ready with his money

or time for all civic interests.  His friendly smile and willingness to help any deserving cause

makes him a very popular citizen of this village.