Remembering Gus Kleinke’s Garage

I can imagine Gus Kleinke’s place at one time as a hub of activity in the northern Door County village of Ellison Bay. A place to stop for gasoline on the way to Gills Rock; a reliable place to bring your car for an oil change and lube; a place to just stop and chat with friends and neighbors over soft drinks.

But the imaginings seem to be all that remain of Gus’s place. The gas pumps have been removed, the place locked up, the metal chairs out front slowly rusting away. Someone takes care of some seasonal decoration – the pumpkin placed at the front door, as well as items placed in the bed of the abandoned pickup truck – placed by someone who still cares about the place, much like someone returning to a grave site with fresh flowers every so often, to stop and visit with old memories.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2005 James Jordan.