Hemingway's Michigan Connections
Hunting and Fishing
Ernest's special interests were hunting and fishing. Doctor Hemingway taught his children how to use guns safely and insisted they used them responsibly. Killing was reserved for game that could be eaten. This lesson was applied when young Ernest and a friend shot a porcupine that had injured the Bacon's dog. After proudly showing the family the dead animal they were reminded of the rule and the porcupine was prepared for them to eat!
There were many streams and lakes close by for Ernest to explore and on these he developed what would be his lifelong passion for fishing. Pic1 Pic2 Pic3 Pic4
In 1915 and 1916 Ernest decided to hike to Walloon Lake. In 1915 he and his Oak Park friend Louis Clarahan took the steamer Missouri to Onekama, Michigan, and from there walked, fished, and camped their way north. They repeated the trip the following year with Ernest completing the trip on his own after Louis took a train home midway through the hike. Pic1 Pic2 Pic3
In his notebook, Ernest noted possible story ideas and the locales around Kalkaska and Mancelona eventually used in several short stories including The Battler.