…Holland and Springfield Township Recollections
Editor’s Note: The Holland- Springfield-Spencer Historical Society president Karla Miller submitted this story.
Do You Remember Sandburs?
If I told you the shores of Lake Erie began in Indiana, would you be surprised? I was when I learned about it. It all has to do with the Black Swamp.
When the water drained out of the area it left huge areas of beach sand. This left us with a very sandy beach soil, a breeding ground for sandburs. A sandbur is a plant native to warm, sandy soil formed in a rounded sharp-spined bur that would catch on the coats of, or scratch the faces of, grazing animals.
People are not immune to this plant. Many of us who lived in the 1930s and 1940s have memories, or should I say, nightmares of this little weed.
Farmers did not have a problem with the sandbur on their crops because they would plow their fields every year so the weed did not have a chance to reseed itself. I remember well the field next to the railroad track on Holloway Road where my family lived was loaded with sandburs. We tried mowing them out. My mom planted Rye grass seed every year in an attempt to choke them out. After a few years, they were gone and we had grass.
If you attended Springfield Schools in Holland Elementary, you must remember the playground and surrounding area was covered with sandburs. Recess was not a pleasant time for us in the spring and early summer. The sandburs would cling to your shoes, socks, pants, etc.
If the spine became embedded in your hand or leg, it was painful to remove it. Removing it was not an easy job because it could become infected. I am pretty sure Crissey and Dorr elementary schools had the same problem. The Springfield Township Cemetery is very sandy soil. Sandburs loved it there.
Just lately, I discovered that the area of AIbon Road and Chicago Pike (Airport Highway), is listed on the map of Lucas County as “Sandbur Corners.”
Most people I spoke with had no idea this existed. Everyone knew we had the sandburs but not a specific location named for them. They were nasty to deal with and what fond memories they left us with. Sandburs can still be found on the banks of Lake Erie in Ottawa County. Wander the sand dunes on the trails at Oak Openings Metro Park and you will see them.
According to the August issue of AAA magazine, sand dunes were formed more than 10,000 years ago when the receding glaciers carved out the Great Lakes. They deposited huge quantities of sand on the shorelines of Michigan and Ohio.
