An article in The Review’s 125th Anniversary edition last December sparked interest in a missing cane once given to our original publisher, John A. Neal.
A similar cane, believed to be created by Michael Cribbins, came into our offices earlier this month.
Former Lake Orion and current Clarkston resident Mike Wotton was given a cane as a gift by his neighbor in the village some 31 years ago. Wotton did yardwork for his neighbor as an adolescent.
‘I thought it was a really neat cane and wanted to learn more about it,? Wotton said of his visit to our office.
‘My neighbor gave it to me because it had the name ‘MIKE? inscribed on it,? he added.
It wasn’t the first time Wotton’s cane had been to our office.
After seeing Neal’s cane in The Review during our 100th Anniversary issue, Wotton’s father, Al, lent us the cane to take some photos.
In addition to the name ‘MIKE,? Wotton’s cane includes carvings that read ‘ORION WAR of 1861, CO. A7,? believed to be a reference to the Civil War.
It is believed that Cribbins created this cane around the time of the Civil War, which would predate Neal’s cane by about 20 years.
According to a letter written to The Review by the Lake family in 1981, Cribbins was close friends with Neal.
People came from all over to pick up canes from Cribbins. Recipients are believed to have included Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, a boyhood friend of Cribbins.
Cribbins was the father of Clara Mae Deere and grandfather of her sons, Francis Michael Lake and Ward N. Lake, former Lake Orion residents.
Today, The Review is still searching for Neal’s cane. We have been told that it was given away and then sold (perhaps on the internet).
‘If anybody knows the whereabouts, we’d like to know,? said Assistant Publisher Don Rush. ‘It’s a historical item that should stay in town.?
If you have any information on that cane or others, please call The Review at (248)693-8331.