John Baptiste Soucie papers
Scope and Contents
The John Baptiste Soucie papers contain three versions of Soucie's autobiographical manuscript, Forty Years a Cookin'. There is an original, unfinished handwritten copy as was told to Soucie’s friend, Guy Lavigne, a typed version of the handwritten version, and a printed bound version that was completed by Soucie's daughter, Vera Oliver. There is also a copy of a news article originally printed in 1897 and reprinted in 1991. The article announces the closing of the Pack, Woods, & Company's lumber mill. Also included in the collection are photographs of the Alcona Dam Big Wheel preparation, chore boys in the camp kitchen, Coline Dam Mess Hall and staff, Cooke Dam, Five Channels Dam, Greenbush Inn, a horse drawn cart carrying lumber, Lost Lake building, lumberjacks walking into the cook shack, a mess hall at Coline Dam, Oscoda Fire, Soucie blowing the mess horn, a street scene, and a winter road scene.
Dates
- Creation: 1884 - 1996
Creator
- Lavigne, Guy (Person)
- Soucie, John Baptiste (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.
Biographical Note
John Baptiste Soucie was a professional cook from Oscoda, Michigan. His mother emigrated from Ireland, and his father emigrated from Quebec. Soucie's early jobs included head cook at various lumber mill camps in the Au Sable-Oscoda, Michigan area. He later owned a variety of eating establishments, including the Tivoli Restaurant, the Rendezvous Restaurant, and the Tourist Café. Soucie married Ada M. Alton in 1918. Upon retirement, they worked as cooks at YMCA Camp Nissokone.
Extent
0.25 Cubic Feet (, 4 folders, 17 photographs)
Language of Materials
English
Legal Status
Copyright: Donor(s) have transferred any applicable copyright to Michigan State University but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright was not transferred. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Property Rights: Michigan State University.
- Title
- John Baptiste Soucie Papers
- Status
- 4 Published And Cataloged
- Author
- M. Evans
- Date
- November 2005
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the University Archives and Historical Collections Repository
Conrad Hall
943 Conrad Road, Room 101
East Lansing MI 48824 US
517-355-2330
archives@msu.edu