By James Heinz
Readers of the WMHS blog must remember our story by WMHS President Carl Eisenberg from June 30, 2021, about the WMHS creating three wooden model boats, known as LITTLE TOOT #1, 2, and 3.
The origins of this project were described by Carl in the original blog post: “On October 13, 2020, the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society began its Little Toot project. On that day, Executive Director Suzette Lopez shared Lynn BeBeau’s October 8 “Mystery Solved” post on Facebook and suggested, “Maybe WMHS should launch a boat?”
The BeBeau Facebook post was about a wooden model boat found by Lynn and Mike BeBeau in the sand near Ashland, Wis. They discovered the boat on October 7, 2020. That little boat had an inscription: “I am traveling to the ocean. Please put me back in the water. Will you send information on your whereabouts to: Lakewood School Room 116 & 118 5207 N Tischer, Duluth, MN…53304.”
Twenty seven years earlier in 1993, near Duluth, Minn., at Lakewood Elementary School, the students of teachers Bonnie Fritch and Brenda Scheel painted two model boats and released them at Brighton Beach, Minn., during their year-end trip.
This school project was inspired by Holling C. Holling’s 1941 book, Paddle-to-the-Sea, a Caldecott Honor Book in 1942. The students learned about currents and the connection between the Great Lakes and the ocean. In 1966, an Oscar-nominated twenty-eight minute film based on this story was directed by Bill Mason for the National Film Board of Canada.
Suzette’s provocative question led WMHS leaders to start the Little Toot project as a fun undertaking that might brighten up members’ spirits. Board Member and Promotions Committee Co-chair Joe Grygny eagerly volunteered to construct and decorate three model boats, LITTLE TOOT #1, LITTLE TOOT #2, and LITTLE TOOT #3. LITTLE TOOT #3 will be enshrined in Milwaukee Public Library’s Central Library, perhaps in the Children’s Room.
On June 30, 2021, under a clear sky and with a calm sea, a temperature near 70 and with less than a 10 mph wind from the south, two motor boats provided by the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center for the launch of LITTLE TOOT #1 moved slowly away from the dock.
The two motor boats slowly exited Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor and made their way to the launch site at 43 02.724N and 087 52.439W. Joe spoke to LITTLE TOOT #1: “Travel safe and far” and LITTLE TOOT was launched over the starboard side.”
I am happy to report that LITTLE TOOT #1 has come home.
On March 19, 2023, WMHS received the following email: “Greetings! I found your boat!!!
I was cleaning up a beach in Cudahy WI and came across it. I took it home and now I’m wondering why I did that. I’d be glad to re-release it or even give it to someone who needs it. It could use some touch up and a new paint job I think.
Best, Joel”
The sender was Milwaukee resident Joel Bruening. On March 24, 2023, Carl Eisenberg and I met with Joel at the Café Centraal in Bay View. Joel explained that he feels about the environment the same way Mark Twain felt about the weather: “Everybody complains about it but no one does anything about it.”
Joel explained that his favorite activity is environmental beachcombing. He walks the shore of Lake Michigan collecting trash and garbage from the shore. As Joel explained it, he thought “someone should do something about this, and I realized that I am a somebody.”
On March 19th Joel was combining his favorite activity with his other favorite activity, exercising out doors with his 16 month old, 63 pound Golden Retriever, Marlon (“as in Brando”). Like Joel, Marlon likes the outdoors, including surfing.
It was Marlon who inspired Joel to clean up the beaches of Lake Michigan. Joel wanted Marlon to be able to run without cutting his paws.
He told us that he has collected a total of 540 pounds of metal, which he knows because he took it to a scrap yard, which paid him $55 for it, money he donated to Milwaukee Riverkeepers. Joel has collected as many as two 5 gallon buckets full of trash in a day, mostly bottle caps and straws.
As Joel says, “It’s just service to your planet and you have to do it every day.”
And so, Joel was walking along the beach on March 19th when he spotted LITTLE TOOT on the beach opposite the Warnimont Park Golf Course. When he picked it up and read the message on the bottom, at first he thought he should just leave it there. However, he thought better of it and brought it home.
Joel said it was good that he found it before the spring rains cause the bluff to slide down onto the beach.
Joel then handed over our wayward wooden wanderer. Despite Joe Grygny’s admonition to “travel far”, in 21 months LITTLE TOOT #1 had travelled about five miles. And despite Joe’s admonition to “travel safe” LITTLE TOOT had lost all of its paint, except the message on the bottom.
As a reward, Carl bought us both lunch and WMHS gave Joel a free one year membership.
And as a reward to me, Joel and Marlon took me on an environmental cleanup walk later that day. Any illusions I had about beachcombing from romantic illustrations was quickly dispelled. We had to climb over large blocks of busted concrete to get to the beach. The beach itself, instead of romantic sand, was composed of stones and pebbles along the shore, and dirt and mud a few feet further inland.
Joel was right, bottle caps and straws were everywhere, as were old metal pipes and unidentified bits of rusty metal. We collected two five gallon buckets full of stuff. Marlon acted in a supervisory capacity. Eventually we got to the spot where Joel found LITTLE TOOT : 42°56’44.9″N+87°50’36.6″W.
And there, I found that it was indeed lucky that Joel had found LITTLE TOOT when he did, since the bluff had collapsed onto the beach, blocking further travel. It would have buried the toy boat under tons of dirt.
Joel and I then retraced our steps back down the beach and made the steep climb up the bluff carrying the two buckets of trash, proud that we had left a clean beach behind us.
As for LITTLE TOOT, she will undergo restoration under the loving care of Joe Grygny. WMHS plans to launch her again this summer. Stay tuned for further developments.
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James Heinz is the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s acquisitions director. He became interested in maritime history as a kid watching Jacques Cousteau’s adventures on TV. He was a Great Lakes wreck diver until three episodes of the bends forced him to retire from diving. He was a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee police officer for thirty years. He regularly flies either a Cessna 152 or 172.
Photo as top of page: LITTLE TOOT #1 sailing off after being launched at Milwaukee, June 30, 2021.
Other Photos:
Photos by Carl Eisenberg:
