Membership Drive

Anybody have any idea's on how to increase The Detroit Idlewilder's Club membership?

A Little Bit Of Homework

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How Can Idlewild Michigan Be Restored?

Idlewild Michigan was created for African American's how can we keep it?

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Some Of Our Club Members

Mrs. Mildred A. Kyles President
Mr. Peter Kyles
Leola Brock Reese

Lake County Michigan Church Directory

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People of Idlewild

Madame C.J. Walker, the first self-made U.S. woman millionaire, owned property at Idlewild.
Lela Wilson bought property about four miles from Idlewild at Paradise Lake, where she built a hotel, store and nightclub.

THE HISTORY OF THE DETROIT IDLEWILDERS CLUB, INC.

Because a man had a dream and a purpose and believed in them with all his heart, the Detroit Idlewilders Club was formed. The man was Sunnie Wilson. He had become absorbed in the development of IDLEWILD and wanted to see it grow. His dream was of a clubhouse on the shimmering lake. He wanted his friends and acquaintances to gather there for recreation, social entertaining and enjoy the association of good companionship. His purpose was to provide avenues through which to promote the progress of civic, charitable and recreational endeavors.
And so, in May of 1954 Valma and Joe Branam opened their beautiful Arden Park home to those interested in forming an Idlewild club. Among those who came to enjoy the evening and make plans for a bright future in Idle wild were Mary Norman, Joseph Craigen, Iris Booker, Thelma Williams, Bob Austin, David Brantley, Sue Mills, Lottie Butler, Dr. Robert Bennett, Winola and John Conway, K.D. and Viola Davis, P. Rosmond Davis, Joy Ellis, Oscar Fite, Weaver and Gertrude Gibson, Phil and Bea Gils, Isola Graham, Willis Graves, James and Maewill Hickman, Bill Horton, Sadye and Lawrence Johnson, Marie Jones, Beatrice Fleming Jackson, Richard King, Dr. J.H. Mattocks, Brady Moss, Joseph and Evelyn Ratcliffe, Sulee Stinson, Floyd Thompson, Roscoe Wroten and others. The gathering resulted in Sunnie being elected the President, Joe Craigen, Vice-President, Joe Branam, Treasurer, Evelyn Monjoy, Financial Secretary, Isola Graham, Recording Secretary, and David Brantley, Chaplain.
On the second Sunday in June the first regular meeting was held at Daisy Elliott’s home. Olivia Swanson, Viola Davis, Lucille Alexander, Charlie Northern, and Winnie Dillard were hostesses with Daisy. Dr. Richard McGhee, Dr. J.H. Mattocks, Dr. W.H.

Orr, Arthur Cartwright, Asa Canadia and K.D. were the hosts. A discussion was held by the members concerning the rental of a house in Idlewild to be used as a place for our club activities. The club committee brought in the by-laws and constitution, other committees were appointed by Sunnie, and we were on our way. The first Board of Directors consisted of Beatrice Fleming Jackson, Brady Moss, Priscilla Davis, Joseph Craigen, Mary Norman, Joseph Ratcliffe, Richard King, Sulee Stinson, Dr. J.J. McClendon and P. Rosmond Davis. Other committees were Membership, Entertainment, Program, Benevolent, Extension, Public Relations, Housing, and Constitution. The following October meeting found us making plans enthusiastically for our very own clubhouse. A Monte Carlo Party held at Isola’s, a Cabaret Party at the Latin Quarter, a party at Daisy’s house, and another one at Dot Rose’s all helped to swell our treasury. We were ready now to look for a clubhouse. Sr. and Mrs. Penn agreed to sell us their cottage on the lake and a committee comprised of Joseph Craigen, Chauncey Davis, and Arthur Cartwright brought in all the details to us. We purchased the place in July of 1956 and at this time a very small balance is due.
Present officers are Sunnie Wilson, President (he declares he’s going to take a rest this year), Leroy Dues, Vice-President, Joe Branam, Treasurer, Millie Rayford, Financial Secretary, Evelyn Dangerfield, Recording Secretary, and David Brantley, Chaplain who is still on the sick list.
After being entertained by the Cleveland-Idlewilders in April, we’ll settle down to the business of our annual meeting. We’ll plan for a gay time in Idlewild this summer and look forward to seeing the same happy people as we have in all the years before…

Detroit Idlewilder's Closing

Saturday, October 7th 2006 8:00 p.m. till 1:00 a.m.
This is when freinds family and club members come together one last time in Idlewild till spring.

Food and BYOB

Detroit Idlewild Club House, Idlewild Michigan

Detroit Idlewilder's Western Round Up

Saturday, October 14, 2006 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
4381 Larkins @ Michigan
Donation $30.00

Food Served BYOB

Mrs. Mildred A. Kyles President
Miller McWilliams Chairman

Call for tickets 313 779-3879

Michigan's Idlewild takes issue with new film

John Meeks stands in front of the Flamingo Club in the small, historic Michigan town. Meeks is the self-proclaimed "unpaid, unofficial Idlewild ambassador."

F or moviegoers, "Idlewild" is the title of a new film starring platinum-selling hip-hop duo OutKast. For many others, however, Idlewild is a historical landmark.

Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton, known to rap fans as "Andre 3000" and "Big Boi," respectively, star in the film, which is a musical drama set in the 1930s in Idlewild, Ga.

But, there's one thing -- Idlewild doesn't exist. At least not in Georgia.

There is an Idlewild, Mich., and some who have frequented it aren't happy because outside of the name, the movie has nothing to do with the small town in northwest Michigan.

"It's an insult," says Coy W. Davis Jr., a Grandville filmmaker who directed the historical documentary "Whatever Happened to Idlewild?"

As a child, Davis spent many summers from the 1950s through the '70s in the Lake County town where his family owned a cottage.

"They take something with such historical significance as Idlewild, take the peripheral aspects of it, and turn it into a shoot-'em-up, bang-bang minstrel show," he recently told the Grand Rapids Press. "It demeans me as an African American.

"I understand it's just entertainment," Davis adds. "But call it 'Mishawaka,' call it 'Schenectady.' Don't call it 'Idlewild.' "

Idlewild, Mich., about 60 miles south of Traverse City, was a haven for black entertainment during the segregation era. Its rich, storied history is remembered mostly in glowing nostalgic terms. It was a place where black professionals from all over the Midwest vacationed and saw performances by legendary entertainers such as Louis Armstrong and B.B. King.

According to Ronald J. Stephens, a Detroit native and author of "Idlewild: The Black Eden of Michigan," the movie draws a few parallels to the real Idlewild, but nothing more.

"Its biggest asset is it puts the name in the public's imagination in ways the small town of Idlewild, Mich., couldn't do," Stephens says.

John Meeks, owner of the Morton Motel in Idlewild and the self-proclaimed "unpaid, unofficial Idlewild ambassador," says prospective filmmakers have been sniffing around the town for years, but the makers of "Idlewild" never came by.

"A lot of people are disappointed when they find out it isn't about Idlewild at all," he says. "It's unfortunate that the name is being exploited, that it has no connection to the history of one of the most famous black resorts."

Mildred A. Kyles' Letter to Francis X. Donnelly

February 15, 2002
Detroit News
Francis X Donnelly
615 W. Lafayette
Detroit, MI 48226

RE: Article, Sunday February 3, 2002, Black History: Remembering Idlewild Good-time ghost haunt 'Black Eden'

Dear Mr. Donnelly:

First let's start out with my name, I am Mrs. Mildred A. Kyles. I live and work in the City of Detroit. My family has owned property in Idlewild for more than 40 years. I have owned property since 1979. Idlewild is not a big community but rather a small community with more than four churches and they are not chasing a ghost. Some have returned there because of the small town atmosphere, lots of space and good air.

Sure the night clubs are long gone and the after hour places are long gone, but the beauty of Idlewild Lake, Paradise Lake, The Twin Lake, Little Idlewild Lake, Water Mill Lake and other lakes are most enjoyed by us year round. In the summer water skiing, boating, fishing, sunning or just relaxing on the beach, watching the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening is very relaxing.

In the winter there is snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and ice fishing. This is all part of living in idlewild. We start opening our cottages in April and we are there until Labor Day and others are there until after deer hunting season.

I am President of the Detroit Idlewilders Club, Inc. Chapter. Most of the members have been going to Idlewild for more than 50 years. Our National Idlewilders is made up of Chapters from Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Mid-Michigan and St. Louis. Members also live in Las Vegas, Kansas City, California, Minnesota, Florida and New Jersey.

The Detroit Idlewilders has invested in the community by adding an addition to the original structure of the Detroit Idlewilders' Clubhouse on Lake Drive, where many gather for entertainment & fellowship.

The Lot Owners' Clubhouse is where many events take place all year long, for those that stay year round or those that come up only for a season with Board of Director members from all over the country.
There is the newly renovated Morton Motel, the Idlewild Party store and The Red Rooster Bar & Lounge.
The Idlewild Historical Museum has opened and it is a place to gather to view the displays of idlewild's rich history.
The Mid-Michigan Chapter had the Contours perfoi7n at the Lot Owners' Clubhouse and a book signing with Mr. Ossie Davis and Ms. Ruby Dee.
Dr. Ronald J. Stephens' book signing of his book Images of America, The Black Eden of Michigan.
The Art League of Michigan, Harlem Renaissancelldlewild Performance, August 2001 at the Detroit Clubhouse.
The Poetry in the Woods group had Mr. Dick Gregory signing books and records.
The Five Caps, Inc. Enterprise Board has built many new homes in Idlewild. They will be adding others in the future.
This is just to give you an overview of what happens in our Great Idlewild Resort Community; also known as the Black Eden.

We do enjoy going to Baldwin, MI. There is Jones' Ice Cream, Kat's Meow, Pandora's Box, Ben Franklin, Sporties and our newly renovated Lake Oceola State Bank. Sometime just drive to Traverse City or Ludington for a day.

I invite you to come up to Idlewild when the season opens and spend a weekend. From that visit, perhaps you can write another article on Idlewild with the another point of view.

If you'd like to discuss this in more detail, I can be reached at (313) 368-1917.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Mildred A. Kyles, President Detroit Idlewilders, Inc.

Resorters at the Idlewild Club House, ca. 1926

Photo courtesy of Ben C. Wilson

Detroit Idlewilder's Web Site

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Check The Weather In Idlewild

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Fun At The Beach 1940

The summer of 1940 can anyone recognize any of these people? CLICK TO PICTURE ENLARGE

Map Of Idlewild

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The luxury resort that discrimination built

Phil Giles, a Detroit hotelier, opened the Flamingo Club at Idlewild in the 1940s.
Lake County was created in 1840 and originally named Aischum after a Potowatomi chief. The present name was adopted in 1843. The county is not on Lake Michigan, but does contain 156 small lakes. It is the geographic center of the Manistee National Forest, has three famous trout streams, abundant deer, grouse, and wild turkey.
Lumbering removed most of the indigenous white pine, and the second growth forest and remaining sandy soil allowed few to eke out a living by farming. In the early years of this century, however, a group of developers bought 2700 acres of land in Yates Township around Idlewild Lake. The land was 70 miles north of Grand Rapids and 30 east of Lake Michigan. Erastus Branch and his partners began to advertise the lots in black newspapers such as the Chicago Defender, and recruited black salespeople by offering them a lot for every one they sold.




This sign points out the features of the town of Idlewild.
Small lots, 25 x 100 feet each, were sold for $35 with $6 down and $1 a week. A typical ad touted: high and dry building sites, beautiful lakes of pure spring water, perfect hard sandy beaches, beautiful timber, profusion of wild flowers and berries, myriads of game fish and game of all kinds.
Excursions were organized for black prospective buyers from Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, or Milwaukee, for groups as large as a hundred, though usually smaller, who would come by bus or railroad. After the excursion, the salesmen would visit the city where the excursion originated and organize the buyers into an Idlewild Lot Owners' Association.
Leona B. Simmons, shown here in 1984, owned Lee Jon's in Idlewild for many years.
Segregation policies at most resorts kept middle class blacks from vacationing comfortably. The concept of a black resort was very welcome to those who had run into discrimination in their travels.
Herman and Lila Wilson came from Chicago in 1915 along with Dr. Daniel Hale Williams and other 'pioneers'. These early landowners bought 10 miles of telephone wire and set up their own telephone company with 13 subscribers. Dr. Williams' prominence attracted more investors and owning Idlewild property became a status symbol.
Dr. Williams had performed the world's first successful open heart surgery on July 9, 1893, in Provident Hospital, a black hospital which he founded in Chicago. He repaired the heart of James Cornish who had been stabbed, by opening his chest and operating on his pericardium. He was the only black doctor among the 100 charter members of the American College of Surgeons. After vacationing at Idlewild for years, he retired there and died at Idlewild in 1931.
Another Idlewild advocate, W.E.B. DuBois, was the first black American to get a Ph.D. from Harvard and was founder of the Niagara Movement, precursor to the NAACP. He served on the board of the NAACP and as editor of their magazine, Crisis. He was a strong proponent of a black intelligentsia, whose leadership would elevate the position of all black people.
In 1921, DuBois spoke of Idlewild in the NAACP magazine:
"For sheer physical beauty, for sheen of water and golden air, for nobleness of tree and flower shrub, for shining river and song of bird and the low moving whisper of sun, moon, and star, it is the beautifulest stretch I have seen for twenty years; and then add to that fellowship -- sweet strong women and keen-witted men from Canada and Texas, California and New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois-- all sons and great-grandchildren of Ethiopia all with the wide leisure of rest and play, can you imagine a more marvelous thing than Idlewild."
Madame C.J. Walker, the first self-made U.S. woman millionaire, owne property at Idlewild.
DuBois bought lots there, although he did not ever build. He also commended the developers, stating that 'Idlewild is worth every penny.'
Another early resident was Madame C.J. Walker, who invented the straightening comb, sold door to door and eventually had a sales force of 20,000 for her hair care products and cosmetics and opened offices in Denver and Philadelphia. In 1917, her business was earning $250,000 a year. She bought her lots from Dr. Williams.
Charles Chesnutt, the celebrated novelist also owned Idlewild property. A journalist turned lawyer, Chesnutt found his true calling in literature, publishing short stories and novels, although he continued to practice law.
These renowned early residents and vacationers gave Idlewild a cache that attracted many less famous, middle class blacks to the Michigan 'Paradise'. Blacks who could afford resort vacations were unwelcome at most white resorts, and with the imprimatur of the black elite, and its natural beauty, Idlewild had much to offer, as an early promoter promised: "When you stand in Idlewild, breathe the fresh air, and note the freedom from prejudice, ostracism, and hatred, you can feel yourself truly an American citizen."
The white developers turned over the resort to the Lot Owners' Association in 1921.
The Idlewild Clubhouse was built on the island in the 105 acre Idlewild Lake. Floors were set on lots along the lake for canvas tents, later replaced by bungalows. Eventually, substantial homes were built for those who could afford them, many of whom were early real estate investors. Lela Wilson bought property about four miles from Idlewild at Paradise Lake, a forty acre lake on which she built a hotel, store and nightclub.
Lela Wilson bought property about four miles from Idlewild at Paradise Lake, where she built a hotel, store and nightclub.
The resort grew from the twenties through the 1950's. The 1940's saw black plant workers making good money in the war effort. Sonny Roxborough, of the Detroit insurance family, whose brother was Joe Louis' manager, opened the Rosana Tavern in 1943. Phil Giles, a Detroit hotelier, opened the Flamingo Club. A 1957 article mentions 1000 summer homes and rental cottages, 50 motels and lodges, 2 hotels, dozens of shops, grocery stores, restaurants, night clubs and taverns, beauty shops and service stations, a roller skating rink, riding stable and two swimming and bathing beaches. At least 13 churches flourished.
The riding stable, the Cloverleaf Ranch, was run by Sergeant Johnson, a veteran of the Spanish American War cavalry.
From the thirties to the sixties, top entertainers from across the country performed at Idlewild's clubs: the Flamingo Club, the Paradise Club, and the Purple Palace. The El Morocco was an after hours spot, the place to go when the other places closed, open till 8am.
There were stars just starting out and those who were at the top of their career. The names are legendary: Sarah Vaughan, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Della Reese, Dinah Washington, B.B. King, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis and Bill Cosby. Moms Mabley, T-Bone Walker, Fats Waller, and Billy Eckstein performed at Idlewild as well. Three of the Four Tops met their wives there.
Idlewild in its heyday drew as many as 22,000 people on a summer day.
The 1960's brought great strides toward integration. The 1964 Civil Rights Act forbade discrimination in housing, and white resorts opened their doors to blacks. Integration spelled the end for Idlewild. Black vacationers began to head toward previously forbidden spots: Las Vegas, Florida, Cape Cod. The big names no longer played at the Paradise or the Flamingo, and the crowds dwindled.
The Four Tops often played the clubs at Idlewild.

Idlewild Post Office

Anybody know what year this pictrue was taken and "Who's That Lady"