# Sebewaing islands



## lscha (Mar 22, 2009)

I hunted ducks and deer near the islands out of Sebewaing in the early 70's and I remember some stories about the snakes on the islands several years before. Does anyone remember if pigs were turned loose on the islands to take care of the snake problem in the 50's? An old timer told me the stories and now I can't find any information on it. thanks.


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## Perferator (Oct 18, 2003)

Hog Island, and island in the group near Beaver Island has that same reputation among the old timers. I remember hearing that as a kid growing up in northern Michigan. Strange part of that story is the island has been mostly uninhabited if I'm not mistaken. It's not like it was being planned for development along the lines of Beaver Island.

I'd like to hear more of this, too.


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## decoydog (May 12, 2009)

I'm thinking it's mostly hogwash LOL but I was told the same thing by my grand dad when I was young, about the Cherity's, little Cherity in particular. Lots of snakes and huge wild bore to eat the snakes, and of course any boys that would attempt the voyage in their small boat. Those fare off islands seemed so misterious, we could see them from White Stone Point where we vacationed in the summer.

Sorry for the spelling it's late


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## Perferator (Oct 18, 2003)

decoydog said:


> I'm thinking it's mostly hogwash LOL but I was told the same thing by my grand dad when I was young, about the Cherity's, little Cherity in particular. Lots of snakes and huge wild bore to eat the snakes, and of course any boys that would attempt the voyage in their small boat. Those fare off islands seemed so misterious, we could see them from White Stone Point where we vacationed in the summer.
> 
> Sorry for the spelling it's late


Lake Erie? Not sure I know the island(s).


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## fisher210 (Aug 20, 2006)

Don't know about the islands but when I was a kid my dad had an area by our granery that had a lot of snakes in it and he fenced it off and turned pigs in there and it took care of the snakes and later in the fall we took care of the pigs.

Howard


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## Piker10 (Mar 31, 2008)

Perferator said:


> Lake Erie? Not sure I know the island(s).


The Charity Islands are in the middle of the entrance to Saginaw Bay. You can get there from Tawas to the west and Caseville from the east. I dont believe there are any hogs on the islands though.


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## snappersnatcher (Sep 9, 2008)

Have buddies that I used to work with would camp out there on I think South Is, for all of bow season,they have air boats so it was easy to haul everything,they never mentioned hogs an they were out there for the whole season an for many years


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## Paul Thompson (Jul 16, 2007)

I have heard of hogs being used to clean out Islands in the deep South, The Marine base Camp Lejeune as one of them. Snakes up here barely live through the winter let alone infest a land locked Island in the middle of Saginaw bay.


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## Perferator (Oct 18, 2003)

Piker10 said:


> The Charity Islands are in the middle of the entrance to Saginaw Bay. You can get there from Tawas to the west and Caseville from the east. I dont believe there are any hogs on the islands though.


Thanx.


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## ridgewalker (Jun 24, 2008)

I heard the same story about the Charity Islands many years ago. I do not know the source of the information or whether it is true or not.


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## DRHUNTER (Sep 15, 2002)

My wifes grandparents lived on Wildfowl Bay during the 40's and her mom has lived there since the 70's. I've hunted on North Island and Heisterman which was once called Hog Island years ago because of the hogs that were let loose there. There are several old foundations on Heisterman which is now uninhabited unlike North Island which has several homes/cottages accessable only by boat on the north shore. The story is that hogs were left on Heisterman and North to control the snakes, specificlly rattle snakes. I don't doubt it as the islands are made up of mostly rock. Her grandfather swore that it was true that hogs once lived there.


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## lscha (Mar 22, 2009)

DRHUNTER said:


> My wifes grandparents lived on Wildfowl Bay during the 40's and her mom has lived there since the 70's. I've hunted on North Island and Heisterman which was once called Hog Island years ago because of the hogs that were let loose there. There are several old foundations on Heisterman which is now uninhabited unlike North Island which has several homes/cottages accessable only by boat on the north shore. The story is that hogs were left on Heisterman and North to control the snakes, specificlly rattle snakes. I don't doubt it as the islands are made up of mostly rock. Her grandfather swore that it was true that hogs once lived there.


I hunted those islands alot too! I explored the old foundations and the old ice house. That is exactly what I heard from the old-timers that I hunted deer, squirrels and ducks with. None of them are around anymore but they were in their 70's in the 1970's and some of them still referred to Heisterman as hog island. Thanks, I'm glad I'm not the only one left that heard those stories.


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## DRHUNTER (Sep 15, 2002)

lscha said:


> I hunted those islands alot too! I explored the old foundations and the old ice house. That is exactly what I heard from the old-timers that I hunted deer, squirrels and ducks with. None of them are around anymore but they were in their 70's in the 1970's and some of them still referred to Heisterman as hog island. Thanks, I'm glad I'm not the only one left that heard those stories.


 We used to pull our 16 ft boat into the cut that used to go completely through Heisterman. It may not be passable by now with all the trees that were falling into it. There are some huge old trees on that island as well. Have you ever been to Big Charity and climbed the old lighthouse? If I recall it was built around 1865, pretty run down last I was there.


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