Could everyone write one simple essay about something that once happened in Saltaire…that they saw or were a part of…and put it on one big website? Somebody should collect a lot of stories before we all forget. Otherwise it is like a line in “On The Beach” : The history of the war that now would never be written.” -(JO'H)

Thursday, February 21, 2013

1960 Photo Essay about Fire Island

We were able to track down this article from the July 1960 CORONET Magazine. CORONET was a popular monthly Magazine kind of a hybrid between READERS DIGEST and LIFE MAGAZINE, featuring articles and photo essays like this spread about Fire Island in 1960. This article was pretty much read and commented on in 1960 at the Beach.

We reproduce that article here in full.

ONLY ON SALTAIRE38.BLOGSPOT.COM
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is certainly some good collection of Fire Island history Jimmy. I remember this article from many years ago. I do remember the Pirate ship in Dunewood as being someplace to go and play and then one Summer it was gone. The photo of the ferry Atlantic as well, single engine, only did about 12 knots and it always seemed it took along time to cross the bay- I'm thinking about 45 mins. In the Fair Harbor ferry fleet was the Cherry Grove and the Running Wild. Then came the Isle of Fire. I was there as a kid on the Fair Harbor when she made her first trip across the bay- the theme: people in Pirate costumes armed with shaving cream which was used when they arrived at the dock. Then came along the Isle of Fire II, one winter in her military look and then it was converted for a new ferry for Fair Harbor when Gus Pagels owned the ferry line. One of the last ASR navy surplus- like the Isle of Fire, Fire Islander, the old Fireball, the old Firebird, the Zeeliner, and the Point O' Woods V along with the Fire Island Empress out of Sayville, however the Empress was a vessel that was started and never finished for military. Ken Stein bought the vessel and finished her for ferry operation. I was aboard the first crossing of the Isle of Fire II by chance that we were going to Fair Harbor. Again, Pirates in costumed armed with shaving cream and a cannon mounted on the bow blasting away as we crossed the Great South Bay. It would have been about the Summer of 1964 I'm guessing. Justin

Anonymous said...

That's a great picture of "old man" Charlie McManus being hauled off to Church in Bill Cerveny's Model A.

Also - the old Fair Harbor Ferry "ATLANTIC" Capt Al used to refer to her, due to the fact she was a flat bottomed boat, as the "Crabcrusher" She was so slow that it took in excess of one hour and fifteen minutes to run from the old Maple Ave dock to Fair Harbor.

Anonymous said...

The Saltaire Youth Group on their way back from a hike to either OB or the Sunken Forest were the hooligans that destroyed the Dullwood Pirate ship back in the late 50's or very early 60's. I think that the Saltaire Youth Group was banned from ever transiting through Dunewood for eternity after that stunt

Anonymous said...

AND WE GOT THROWN OUT OF THE LIGHTHOUSE FOR 40 YEARS FOR THROWING EVERYTHING BUT OUR COUNSELOR OFF THE TOP IN 1958 OR SO.