Two Brothers Share a Moment in Time

By Steven Wade Veatch

Two brothers, on a sun-drenched afternoon in 1906, take a break from fishing in a nearby lake. They are in a forest clearing, somewhere near Crystal Lake, Michigan. Pine and deciduous trees surround them. Green mounds of moss grow at the base of the tree trunks. Grass pokes up through fallen leaves and pine needles. The air is heavy with the languid perfume of pine. 

Walt (1897-?) and Vic (1898-1999) Wannamaker take a break from fishing. Walt shows his younger brother how to clean a fish. Their love of the outdoor life in Michigan is evident in the photograph. Unknown photographer, photograph circa 1906. From the Wannamaker family collection, courtesy of the Benzie Area Historical Society (21562-3).

The older brother, Walt Wannamaker, sits on a wooden crate in shorts, wears a sweater, and sports a cap. He rests his bare feet on wooden planks. Walt is teaching his younger brother, Vic, how to clean a bluegill. Vic, likewise, in shorts and barefoot, sits on the ground. Vic watches his brother with ardent attention. It is a day they will not forget.

One can imagine Walt and Vic’s many sublime encounters in this forest. Drawn to the water’s edge of a lake, they sat on stones next to the shoreline and looked at fresh racoon tracks along the bank. In this idyllic place the two boys loafed around and fished when they chose to. Sometimes they built a fire to cook their catch. It is likely no one knew about their favorite fishing spot—they kept it top secret. The boys also recognized it was sometimes the best place in the world to just do nothing or soak up the sunshine. 

The forest seemed like a magical place. Plots of purple and white flowers were in full bloom. The sound of chirring insects and birdsong eased the boys into the landscape. The wind, like some medieval magician, rustled the leaves. There were lakes and ponds to fish, streams to watch, where the swirling currents transported sand and small pebbles, and ravines to investigate. These bold boys surely slipped into clearings and watched hawks glide low and silently through the air. Once, a porcupine ambled by at the edge of the woods, poking its nose in the air to confirm the boys were nearby. 

Their boyhood orbit must have included exploring forests, building forts, catching frogs, chasing turtles, swatting mosquitoes, and swimming. These wanderings allowed them to follow the infinite possibilities of a bucolic boyhood. For these two young Wannamaker brothers, the forest and their fishing spot must have been a place of indelible colors, smells, and encounters that could not be found anywhere else. The bond that developed between them from their time together in this place, where wild berries grew, bears roamed, and deer browsed, lasted a lifetime.

Walt, being the older brother, had an obligation and privilege to teach his younger brother the many mysteries of the outdoors. Teaching my brother how to fish and clean his catch is one of my fondest boyhood memories. On the days I fished with my brother, I recall how I spent more time untangling his line than I did fishing. Many times, I rowed the boat to the shore to rescue my brother’s tangled fly hung up in a tree limb. To me, there is rarely anything more exciting than a big brook trout pulling my line as it dives deeper into a lake’s cold water. Fishing became an essential element of personal experience for both of us. And, like Walt Wannamaker teaching his brother about fishing, I could do no less for mine.