Posted June 16, 201015 yr testing Hi all, I have some unknown history information about Duck Island, right now I am just trying to figure out how to post on this site. joyce ps i will post here
June 16, 201015 yr Hi again, I don't have alot of time today to post lenghty things and stories I know about Duck Island...But I will start today and try to stop in when I can. The most important thing is this, my grandmother came here through Ellis Isand in 1907. She came from Poland with no English and 2 babies, 2 years before my grandfather (they both died before I met them). They had the following children, Anna, Victoria, Charles, MIchael, Frank, and Steve(my dad)-a wild group, as my grandfather died in a construction accident when my dad was 4 -my grandmother raised them all through the depression -all have passed They settled at 2118 w 17th street-bought a small house, built 2 more on the small lot. All the children grew up there ,raised kids there, a few spent their whole lives there, all went to Hicks, (so did I)- by the West Side Market. It was referred to as "the old neighborhood" ok stay with me now... Our family name (my maiden name) is Kaczor (polish)-now when checking for family pictures on the net I found over 400 thousand entires for Kaczor Donald or Donald Duck in English Kaczor=Duck -check it out if you want -http://www.kaczordonald.pl/ Years ago at a bar in Cleveland I was talking to a person about the old neighborhood, he told me it was Duck Island where I grew up. The old neighborhood was like a island, from 20th entering between the Carnegie (Bob Hope) and Lorain wrapping around with 17th overlookiing the river and flats, and ending up on Abbey at the store, this was back then. please post, joyce
June 17, 201014 yr Hi all, thanks for the welcome. Willy I dont think it was offficially named after my family, I think it was a inside nickname that stuck. Thats what it seemed like when I was made aware of it 30 years ago....(All I could think of is - There is no ducks there, and let go). All things considered it was a great place to grow up, (I'm in my 50ties---auggh...) I lived there when I was a kid. In my dads time, there was a bootlegger that lived at the end of the street, my dad said he had a room full of money. (He may have killed himself, but I'm not sure if I remember that correctly, I have a older cousin that may) Also in my dads time there was a whore house on 18th street...I remember meeting a women who owned that house once, she was old and had alot of makeup on, I remember here red lipstick. Right now I have to go, a have a busy day- mostly away from the computer. joyce
June 17, 201014 yr A friend told me it got that name because its twisty streets & valleys made it a good place to "duck" police pursuit during prohibition. I have no idea where he got this or if it's true.
June 17, 201014 yr ummm OK. LOL A friend told me it got that name because its twisty streets & valleys made it a good place to "duck" police pursuit during prohibition. I have no idea where he got this or if it's true. That is what I've heard as well.
June 17, 201014 yr my last name is k0tchk0ski (was kaczkowski, in the old country) and kaczka = duck maybe it's named after me 8^)
June 17, 201014 yr maybe could be/how long ago did he tell you that, because I never heard it called that till about 30 years ago from a guy in a bar...i would think someone in my family would have heard it called that when i was growing up or when they were. There were 4 brothers that grew up there 2 that spent there whole lives there, starting about 1907. 30 years ago the island (according to the guy in the bar) was only those few streets from 17 to abbey, resembeling a island, one alley, no valleys - the hill across the street was a field overlooking the flats, we would play ball there. My grandfather built several of the homes on that street, several are still standing. The only way to get down the hill was on foot and there was rats, garbage and bums down there. I never heard of any stories about it being a hide a way from the cops. i spent some time looking for how duck island got its name a while back could not find anything, if anyone finds any documentation I would love see it. ..joyce
June 18, 201014 yr Joyce, Do you know how long that German looking bakery has been there (forgot the name)?
June 18, 201014 yr Hi Willy, Before the bakery (I think it was in that store not 100% sure - it was right there somewhere, 18th or 19th street)- was a Great candy store I remember the name it was Molnars (checking the net Molnar is stilll in the confection business in the Ygst. area) maybe a relative? At the Molnars you could get penny candy, a strip of dots stuck to paper, or a 3 pack of some pick gum with a blue wrapper,wonderful. Then they closed it, and I remember the bakery after that, we never shopped there, my Dad said it was expensive, (Expensive was a curse to him)---I remember buying a block of yeast for a few cents, and eating it. This was in the 50ties. I hate telling my age, we have 3 kids in their early 20ties that keep me young. The old neighborhood was allways a rough place to live, but everybody knew each other. My best friends tgrowing up were a group of (we say Latinos here in south Texas). I was a 98 lb weakling, we would cut catachism from St. Pats. on Bridge. -very rough bunch but they kept me safe. running out of word space on this post....con
June 18, 201014 yr Thinking a little bit more about the term Duck Island, most of the gangsters were over on Murray Hill, in fact my Dad told us never to to go there, (I thought it wouold be a good place for Italian food)... also if i was going to duck the cops, i would go down the flats, you can really get lost down there. Everybody has the right to their opinion, so here is mine, I think it was named after my Dad and his brothers - they drank and were always getting in trouble around 25th street and the Westside market area, for years and years (I dont even think Ohio City exisited then it was just 25th). Not knowing, someone made up the cop ducking theory. Heres a link with Cleveland gangster history, joyce http://www.americanmafia.com/Cities/Cleveland.html
June 18, 201014 yr one more thing then I have to get busy. Murray Hill is kinda far from the old neighborhood, and you have to go all the way down Euclid or Carneige to get there
June 18, 201014 yr you are right- I was thinking about the rebuilding and the new Ohio City in the 60ties http://www.ohiocity.com/index.cgi?id=131&l=2&p=3716
June 19, 201014 yr I'm not sure Italians were the only people running illegal booze back in the day... I think it was a fairly popular activity.
June 19, 201014 yr Ohio City existed before Cleveland, so surely it existed in the early 1900s. yes and no. i'm pretty sure it was all just referred to as the 'near west side' for quite a long time until around the 1970's when the 'ohio city' moniker was revived and used by the early gentrifiers.
June 19, 201014 yr hi- we just called the area 25th back then, my Dads generation too. There was a bar called Ernies, owned by Ernie Grillie, a friend of my Dads, it was right across from the market-I have a picture of them here somewhere. Also found a pic. of the old Hicks school on the net. This link shows the area I would call the island, its a circle overlooking the flats with no way down. goes from 20th around to 17th to Abbey (there is/was a great view of the Terminal Tower from the corner of 20th-actually the first Lorain is there- and 17th) http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=41.486527,-81.698005&spn=0.006992,0.02105&t=h&z=16 I havent been back for over 10 years, cant tell from looking at me but I have arthritis in my back made it very difficult for me in winter. Happy Dads Day All-joyce
June 21, 201014 yr Hi all, Here a picture or Hicks school the old one built in 1907-or earlier- Out of the families of Kaczors that lived there (there is two single houses and a double on 17th)-14 of my aunts, uncles and cousins went there, (3 went to Ignatius). It was right next to West Side Market, this was before the projects across the street. The building had a open center floor plan, and wonderful Christmas parties sponsered by the businessmen of 25th street, -each kids would get a big (garbage bag size)- of gifts -(some things like toothpaste and fruit, but it was still really cool). I remember that there was a chicken store, next to the school and market where they will kill fresh chickens, I would be sad for them and hear them on recess. I graduated from Hicks second in my class (have a picture here somewhere)- and the businessmen gave me a wallet with 5 dollars in it-(still have that wallet)-Jimmey Henderson was first. After that we moved to Brookpark, I wound up graduating from Midpark. http://www.oldohioschools.com/cuyahoga_county_files/Cuyahoga%20Cleveland%20Hicks.jpg
June 21, 201014 yr if the old school link does not work, try this one they are in alpha order. http://www.oldohioschools.com/cuyahoga_county.htm
June 22, 201014 yr Ohio City existed before Cleveland, so surely it existed in the early 1900s. yes and no. i'm pretty sure it was all just referred to as the 'near west side' for quite a long time until around the 1970's when the 'ohio city' moniker was revived and used by the early gentrifiers. I thought the story was that Ohio City was a separate city....had commerce sucked away when on of the bridges was built (was it the viaduct anyone?)....got pissed off....tried to resist, cannon fired on Cleveland.... then eventually became annexed. Is that it in a nutshell? Love the stories about this place, (Duck Island) keep them coming!!!...... Some have told me that it is slowly becoming better...and a kind of more quiet area in which to live...secluded.
June 22, 201014 yr I thought the story was that Ohio City was a separate city....had commerce sucked away when on of the bridges was built (was it the viaduct anyone?)....got pissed off....tried to resist, cannon fired on Cleveland.... then eventually became annexed. Is that it in a nutshell? Technically, he's right. After Ohio City was annexed, it was called the Near West Side neighborhood of Cleveland until the late 1960's.
June 22, 201014 yr It was the Columbus Road bridge that started the ruckus... it allowed trade to enter Cleveland directly from the south, no longer needing to go thru Ohio City first. So they burnt the bridge down, cannons, etc.
June 22, 201014 yr Morning All, 1of2 Punch, Duck Island doe not border any water-its round shaped, on the top of a somewhat steep hill, under the Carnegie Hope Bridge, overlooking the flats with no access to the flats. The blue in the google picture is rooftops of newer buildings in the flats- since I was there trees grown up, blocking the view and I think there is now a fence on the hill across from the homes an 17th. In between the Carnegie Hope and Lorain bridge on the right if you were heading toward the market was a flower shop, I think it was called Brunswick flowers - anyway the owner gave all the young girls a red rose on the way home from school it think it was on holloween-nice One other about Hicks, they had a summer program called Kentucy Gardens, near (Kentucy school I think) each kid got a plot of land maybe 6x10. A man I assumed a farmer, (he wore jeans, jeans were not in back then)- taught the kids how to garden, we went there once of twice a week. (cont. out of space)
June 22, 201014 yr 2of 2 One other good thing about Kentucy Gardens, is that the kids got alot of free Indians tickets. The old staduim was still in use and I guess they had alot of extra seats cause it was so big. Mike and I took our 3 to Jacobs Field to see the Indians when they were younger, spent a small fortune for nosebleed seats. I regret not seeing the Stones at the Old Stadium, I did get to see them a few years ago in Houston though. joyce
June 22, 201014 yr FYI - www.kentuckygardens.com - Still going strong as a community garden after over 60 years.
June 23, 201014 yr Thank You Buckeye - One summer I made a Cinderella coach from a cantelope and carrot horses, for a contest at Kentucky Gardens, had a picture, don't know if I still do. I will have to go through some old pics. and boxes. The Gardens have bees now.
June 24, 201014 yr During the Depression my Grandmother was a widow with 6 kids- my Dad told me he would look for nails down the hill and by the railoroad tracks- they would get a penny for a bucket old used nails..
July 2, 201014 yr also during the depression, my Dad and his brothers got conterfeit food coupons-I remember my Dads second oldest brother, my Uncle Micky really disliking cats cause a cat took a leak on a bag of sugar during that time.. .(I moved back to 17th as a adult for a few years -after moving to LA Calif.-in the 70ties) - my Uncle Micky was living in one of the house there-so I got to know him better as a adult.
November 18, 201311 yr with the new development, I'll *BUMP* this thread Although, please post news/comments regarding the development projects in the thread in the projects/development section. Comments on the history, stories etc. about Duck Island belong here. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 29, 201311 yr I'm starting to look for a place (1BR) to rent for the near future and would love to find something in Duck island... I've been occasionally looking on CL for the past month or so but I have found just 1 listing (which is for a house that will likely be demo'ed in the Brickman devel, it's on west 20th, north of lorain). Is a budget of $600 for anything in that area realistic?! Any leads or other places to look!? I'm fine with something smaller, less up to date, or with fewer amenities [no AC, no dishwasher, etc] at a place given my location and budget.
October 15, 20195 yr Hello my name is Eddie and I am an original duck Island member. The second district police gave us the name in the early 60s . Because we were able to elude them by jumping down the hill to the flats or through the alleys in yards of neighbors and Friends . The prohibition story is fake news . Eddi Makarek On 6/17/2010 at 11:48 AM, raised on the island said: Hi all, thanks for the welcome. Willy I dont think it was offficially named after my family, I think it was a inside nickname that stuck. Thats what it seemed like when I was made aware of it 30 years ago....(All I could think of is - There is no ducks there, and let go). All things considered it was a great place to grow up, (I'm in my 50ties---auggh...) I lived there when I was a kid. In my dads time, there was a bootlegger that lived at the end of the street, my dad said he had a room full of money. (He may have killed himself, but I'm not sure if I remember that correctly, I have a older cousin that may) Also in my dads time there was a whore house on 18th street...I remember meeting a women who owned that house once, she was old and had alot of makeup on, I remember here red lipstick. Right now I have to go, a have a busy day- mostly away from the computer. joyce Hello. I grew up on Duck Island in the sixties and 70s. The police call hit that because we were able to duck away from them all the time. Either over the hill or through the little alleys or through the yards. Don't believe the Bootleggers story. 2nd District police gave us the name back in the 60s Eddie Makarek
October 16, 20195 yr 7 hours ago, Eddie said: Hello my name is Eddie and I am an original duck Island member. The second district police gave us the name in the early 60s . Because we were able to elude them by jumping down the hill to the flats or through the alleys in yards of neighbors and Friends . The prohibition story is fake news . Eddi Makarek Hello. I grew up on Duck Island in the sixties and 70s. The police call hit that because we were able to duck away from them all the time. Either over the hill or through the little alleys or through the yards. Don't believe the Bootleggers story. 2nd District police gave us the name back in the 60s Eddie Makarek Welcome...
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