BIRCH LAKE EXTRAS

Leinenkugel's

Leinenkugel's Beer has been brewed in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, since 1867. In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the character Don says, "It's a local beer made by local guys. In fact, I got a cousin works there. So why in hell shouldn't I support 'em?" For its first century or more, Leinenkugel's was indeed a local brand -- but in recent decades it has become steadily more popular regionally and even nationally. Today, a sixth generation of the Leinenkugel family operates the brewery in Chippewa Falls.

Eddie Arcaro and Citation

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, four of the characters see Citation win the 1948 Stars & Stripes Handicap at Arlington Park.

In 1999, Citation was voted the third greatest thoroughbred of the century, after Man o' War and Secretariat.

Citation's regular rider, Eddie Arcaro, is widely considered the greatest jockey of all time. He is the only rider to win the Triple Crown twice, and he won a total of 17 Triple Crown races during his career. He also won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (analogous to the present-day Breeders' Cup Classic) ten times. Despite this, the character Jack says, "He's overrated in my book."

A&W Root Beer

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the character Jeannie works as a carhop (or "tray girl") at an A&W Root Beer stand on the outskirts of the town of Birch Lake. She says, "Working at the A&W is pretty neat." At work one night in 1941, she meets two other major characters, Jack and Don, for the first time.

Some 450 A&W drive-ins opened during the 1930s and 1940s, but it wasn't until after World War II that the chain experienced its greatest period of growth and popularity. By 1960, there were over 2,000 locations across the United States.

Richard J. Daley

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the character Jack works as a building inspector for the city of Chicago and as a precinct captain for the Cook County Democratic Organization (a.k.a. the "machine"), both of which are led in the novel--as in real life--by Richard J. Daley.

Daley's election as mayor of Chicago in 1955 is covered in some detail, and the power he wields as party boss prompts Jack to say, "Daley is a dog with some big nuts." Daley served as mayor for 21 years, from 1955 until his death in 1976. His son Richard M. Daley served as mayor for 22 years from 1989 to 2011.

Cadott, Wisconsin

Cadott, Wisconsin, is at 45 degrees north latitude, which places it halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the character Don remarks upon this. Cadott is also mentioned when the characters Carol and Ray attempt to list all the towns they pass through on their way from Birch Lake back to Chicago.

Riverview Amusement Park

Riverview Amusement Park was a favorite haunt of Chicagoans from 1904 to 1967. It was located on 74 acres between Belmont Avenue on the south, Western Avenue on the east, Lane Technical High School on the north, and the Chicago River on the west. Here we see the park's famous railroad ride, with Aladdin's Castle in the background. In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the characters Carol and Ray spend a pleasant afternoon at Riverview during the summer of 1961.

The Indian Brave statue

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the character Ray mentions the Indian Brave of the Chippewa Valley, an eight-foot wooden statue that was carved by a man named Luke Lyons in 1876. Ray's description of the statue and its history is accurate -- but in real life, the statue resides in the town of Lake Holcombe (not Birch Lake). In the novel, Birch Lake is used as a substitute for the actual towns of Lake Holcombe and Cornell.

"Bob" Clemente

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the character Ray gets two packs

of baseball cards at the crossroads general store run by another important character, Bill, during the summer of 1960. Ray lists the players whose cards came in the packs, including "Bob Clemente." For most of his Hall-of-Fame career, Roberto Clemente was called "Bob" or even "Bobby" by broadcasters, sportswriters, and the Topps Company. Other Latin players had their names similarly altered. Miguel became "Mike," Guillermo became "Willie," Pedro became "Pete," and Jose became "Joe." That the players themselves, especially Clemente, hated the practice didn't seem to register.

Brunet Island State Park

Brunet Island State Park in Wisconsin was named after Jean Brunet (1791-1877), who built the first dam and sawmill on the Chippewa River. Developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938, the park features campsites, biking and hiking trails, fishing, hunting, swimming, boating, and other activities. In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the characters Jack and Don attend a picnic at Brunet Island in 1940, and two other characters go camping there in 1961. In real life, Brunet Island is located just north of the town of Cornell.

Marshall Field's

Marshall Field's was the most famous department store in Chicago from its founding in 1852 until 2006, when it was sold to and absorbed by Macy's. In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the character Carol spots her future husband Jack for the first time while en route to Marshall Field's for lunch with some girlfriends one day in 1946. Although Carol doesn't say so, one can assume that the lunch will be had in the Walnut Room. After Carol and Jack are married, they take their son Ray to see the holiday decorations in Marshall Field's windows every Christmas season.

Abandoned houses and farms

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the characters Carol and Ray are driving from Birch Lake back to Chicago when Carol muses about the abandoned houses and farms they see along the way: "What was it like when it became obvious that the future, if there was one, lay elsewhere? When it came time to call it quits because the bank foreclosed or because the place and the people were just worn out, what did it feel like to close the front door for the last time and head off to someplace better or someplace worse, never to return? Thinking about that actually makes me shiver."

The Merchandise Mart

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the characters Jack and Carol meet for the first time at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, where she works as a secretary for the Chicago Transit Authority. After they are married, their son Ray recounts Jack's version of the couple's first meeting, and points out that the mart "was the largest building in the world, if you are talking about square feet, until the Pentagon was erected outside of Washington, D.C." The Kennedy family owned the building for many years, and Sargent Shriver, President Kennedy's brother-in-law, served as its general manager. Shriver and his wife Eunice appear (very briefly) as characters in the novel.

Augusta, Wisconsin

The town of Augusta in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, is mentioned several times in Ghosts of Birch Lake. In the summer of 1941, the character Jeannie says, "I have it on good authority that a girl about my age in Augusta got in a car with a fella she barely knew and was never seen or heard from again." In the summer of 1961, Carol and Ray drive through Augusta on their way back to Chicago. Ray mentions seeing an Amish man driving a horse and buggy, a sight that is common in the area even today.

Tennessee Williams

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the characters Jack and Carol go to New Orleans for their honeymoon and dine at the famous Galatoire's in the French Quarter one evening.

At one point their waiter, Armand, leans over them as if to tell a secret. "My friends, I don’t know if I should tell you this," he says, "but you are such nice people I can’t help myself. Speaking to you confidentially, would you believe Mr. Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire at this very table! He visits us almost every day."

Jack, chewing on a piece of shrimp, says, "Who the hell is Tennessee Williams?"

Tennessee Williams

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the characters Jack and Carol go to New Orleans for their honeymoon and dine at the famous Galatoire's in the French Quarter one evening.

Jack, chewing on a piece of shrimp, says, "Who the hell is Tennessee Williams?"

Rosehill Cemetery

In Ghosts of Birch Lake, the characters Jack and Carol sometimes take their son Ray for walks through Rosehill Cemetery, which Carol describes as "very pleasant."

Founded in 1864, Rosehill is the largest cemetery within Chicago's city limits. Its name derived from that of the surrounding neighborhood, Roe's Hill (after farmer Hiram Roe).

Rosehill is the final resting place of many notable politicians, entrepreneurs, and other celebrities. Carol mentions some of them in her narrative: temperance and women's rights crusader Frances Willard, retailer Richard W. Sears, U.S. Vice President Charles Dawes, and hot-dog king Oscar Mayer.