I just turned 12 and had graduated from Herman elementary in June, lived on Burnett between West Chicago and Joy. My family and I were visiting my Dad’s friends in Redford Township, we showed up for breakfast as we always did on the weekend. We watched some TV, swam and just ran around outside as always.
But the grownups were uneasy, you know like something else was happing and not paying much attention to what we [[kids) were doing. I think they were listing to the radio outside when Dad had me get the police radio out of the car. My Mom’s Dad was a guard for Burns Detective agency and had us all listening to police radios, [[I still have ours).
By noon time there was a lot of smoke far in the sky, the police radio was going crazy, with calls one after another.
Dad said it was getting bad and we had to go, it was about late afternoon to early evening there was still a lot of light left.
I think we started off traveling down Grand River, but we drove right into a mess, Police, buildings on fire, people all over the streets, Dad made us duck down in the back so I don’t remember much. We had a sweet 1959 white Cadillac convertible, no one tried to stop or bother us.
We had to drive around and use some back streets. Seen where they had loads of fire trucks parked blocking the street outside the fire house across from Ruthruff Elem. [[Plymouth and GR ?)
We sleep on the floor under the bed that first night. People were outside running down the alley carrying boxes and off loading cars. Nat Guard troops were in jeeps and tracks driving all over. The next morning, real early Dad took us to my Grandma’s house by way of Dearborn to Honorah off Vernor [[He got gas in Dearborn). Mom and us kids stayed there until it was over.
He went back to our house and stayed with my German shepherd dog Butch a trained police dog and the shotgun to protect our property. One night during the week my dog got cut under the eye I guess by someone taking a short cut through the back yard but Butch must have got a piece of him also.
Dad climbed out on the roof to see where the fires were at and was almost arrested when a helicopter flew over and ordered him down.
At Grandma's we road our bikes over to Patton park to see the Nat Guard Troops, some of them sent kids to the store for snacks.
I remember seeing buildings mostly stores burned down all around our neighborhood, on Joy Road and Grand River. We moved close to Grandmas on the southwest side on Oct 31st.