Cornelia Campbell Begle was born in Detroit. Ned G. Begle was born in Saginaw and attended college at the University of Michigan. By the time of Cornelia Cambell and Ned G. Begle’s 1913 marriage in Ann Arbor, Ned Begle was already associated with the Berst Manufacturing Company – a Saginaw firm famed for making toothpicks, wooden butter dishes and more. Although the Begle family only resided in Saginaw for a few years, newspapers record their social and community involvement – he, the Rotary and YMCA, and she, a number of social organizations. Although their residency was brief, they made numerous connections. They left a lasting marker of their time here by carrying the name of their one-time home across Lake Michigan to the company town of Saginaw, Minnesota.
The Saginaw News recounted the story:
“Berst Manufacturing Company found by Henry L. Berst and his brother, Jesse, in 1898, turned out 3.5 million feet of maple toothpicks annually until fire destroyed the operation in 1904. The company rebuilt, but when the supply of maple ran out around 1915, Ned G. Begle, a Berst executive, moved the operation near Duluth[.] Many local families moved there and established Saginaw, Minn. In 1918, a forest fire leveled the plant and destroyed the community.” (The Saginaw News, October 8, 2003.)
In the days following the 1918 Cloquet fire – the blaze that destroyed the company’s operations in that state--it was uncertain if the Begle family survived; however, the Begles were, in fact, among the fortunate survivors.
This link will take you to one of the websites detailing the history of the tragic fire.
Mr. Begle’s obituary provides a more detailed account of operations in Minnesota and a decisive claim to his role in naming Saginaw, Minnesota:*
“When the Saginaw Valley supply of toothpick wood petered out, he found a fresh supply near Cloquet, Minn., set up a logging camp and mill to cut the wood into toothpick-length blocks. The town which sprang-up around the mill he named for his native Saginaw, and the town of Saginaw, Minn. still flourishes.
In 1920 he helped to organize the Berst-Forester-Dixiefield Co., a merger of the Saginaw and Minnesota firms with two in Maine and went on to become the prosperous new concern’s president and board chairman. The B-D-F Co, was acquired last June by Daimond Match Co.” (The Saginaw News, April 6, 1948.)
While the Begles would never again call Saginaw Michigan – or Saginaw, Minnesota--home, the events of their family were frequently reported in the Saginaw paper:
“Ex-Saginawian Taken by Death
“Saginaw friends of the family have learned of the death March 30 in Greenwich, Conn. of Mrs. Cornelia Campbell Begle, former resident here. She was the widow of Ned G. Begle, who headed Saginaw’s one-time widely known toothpick factory, Berst Manufacturing Co. He moved the factory to a forest spot near Cloquet, Minn., and created the village of Saginaw, Minn. He merged his company with two others to form Berst- Forster-Dixfield Corp., and was its president and chairman until it was absorbed in 1947 by Diamond Match co. He died in 1948. Mrs. Begle attend Vassar College and the University of Michigan.” (The Saginaw News, April 4, 1959.)
Although sources concur that Saginaw, Minnesota is the namesake of Saginaw, Michigan, there are questions about the Berst Manufacturing Company's role in the selection of the name. It appears that Saginaw, Minnesota may have been named prior to the development of the plant. And the name may have been a reference to other former Saginaw residents involved in lumbering and mining. Nevertheless, there is no question that the Begles had the rare distinction of being involved in two Saginaws. (Our contrived sentence reflects the lack of evidence that the family ever technically resided within the boundaries of the Minnesota version of Saginaw.)*
The Recipe: Mrs. Ned Begle’s Thousand Island Dressing
“Mr. and Mrs. Ned Begle and four children of New York city, visited friends in Saginaw Wednesday en route to Higgins lake where Mrs. Begle will spend the summer. Mr. and Mrs. Begle are former residents of Saginaw.” (The Saginaw News Courier, July 2, 1925.)*
Mrs. Ned Begle’s Thousand Island Dressing – serves about 12
A little salt
3 tablespoons vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil
Beat together, then add 1 ½ cups boiled dressing or mayonnaise, 1 can pimentos chopped, 1 cup chili sauce, 1 tablespoon chopped chives or a few pearl onions. Serve with head lettuce. From Back to the Kitchen with Lakeside Cooks*
CTK Interpretation:
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons white vinegar
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup chili sauce
1 4oz container of chopped pimentos, drained and chopped
½ tablespoon finely chopped pearl onion
½ tablespoon chopped chives
Beat together salt, vinegar, and olive oil. Add mayonnaise, chili sauce, pimentos, onion, and chives. Chill for at least one hour prior to serving.
Notes:
And just as there is more than one Saginaw, there are many versions of the story of the creation of Thousand Island Dressing – and there are just as many variations We found this particular site helpful –
*Although it does not appear that the Begles were regular residents of Lakeside Camp on Higgins Lake, the paper records they spend at least one summer at Higgins Lake.
** In case you are pondering a trip to Saginaw, Minnesota, this is an AI overview:
“AI Overview
Saginaw, Minnesota, an unincorporated area in Saint Louis County, has a post office with the ZIP code 55779 and a population of around 1,100 residents.”
We have other namesakes to explore--and next week we may just end up in Texas.
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