Lewis D. Crusoe, born in rural Wisconsin, spent much of his working career in the automotive business in Detroit at Fisher Body Company. However, his heart was always in Cheboygan where he and his wife, Greta, began to purchase land in 1936, building what was to become the “Golden River Ranch” near the tiny village of Aloha. He planted thousands of trees as he exercised stewardship over the land. Through the years, the ranch grew to 3,600 acres. Lewis retired from Fisher Body in 1945. He intended to spend his retirement running the ranch with his son Jim. That was not to be. In 1946, he returned to Detroit to help with the post-war restructuring of the Ford Motor Company. He eventually became executive vice-president. Lewis retired for the final time in 1957. During this time, the family continued to spend summers and vacations up North. Jim continued to run the ranch after a tour in the Navy during World War II.

Fortunately, for Jim Crusoe, he was soon to meet a woman who would grow to love the land as he had. Dolores Livernois made her first visit North from Detroit to Canada Creek Ranch, a local resort, and there she met Jim. “I was city born and bred,” explained Dolores. “It was the first time I smelled damp cedar and pine. It was just marvelous. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.”

After marrying, Jim and Dolores ran the ranch for eight years raising Morgan horses to tend to a herd of nearly 1,000 head of cattle. They also ran a dairy operation. Like his father, Jim made a long-term return to the Detroit area to work as an automotive manufacturing representative in 1955. Both Lewis and Jim continued to run the ranch, now called the L & J Crusoe Ranch, using local managers. Jim sold most of the farmland when his father died in 1973. Jim and Dolores returned to Cheboygan in 1982 and Jim ran the Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealership he had purchased in 1973.

In 1998, Jim Crusoe died, but his legacy of caring for the land continues. Dolores still lives in the family home on Mullett Lake. Two sons, Lewis and Steve, live in Cheboygan. Steve runs a small apple orchard on a portion of the original farmland. The remaining children, Greta, Charles and Peter, have also staked out property on which to build when they too return to the land they love.

Dolores credits her children, especially Steve, with initiating efforts that have led to the conservation easements now protecting a total of 373 acres. The land includes 2,250 feet of Ballard Creek that drains into Mullett Lake. It also includes more than two miles of frontage on four area roads. Its natural beauty continues to provide comfort for this family that understands how the love of the land will be enjoyed by many yet to come.

Above right. Greta Crusoe and her daugher-in-law, Dolores.