Ben Schmidt

Ben was born into the large, blue collar, working family of Willam and Susan Schmidt. His parents had 11 children during their marriage and the family was supported by his father working as a lather in the housing trades, applying the wooden cleats to the walls upon which the finish plaster would be applied. The whole family was called upon for support and Ben dropped out of school after only the 6th grade to enter the work force. He and many of his brothers apprenticed under their father as lathers. For a brief period around 1900, he was employed as a "brush maker", but soon returned to his father's craft, except for a brief period during WWI when he worked as a welder at the Packard Motors plant in Detroit.

In 1910, Ben married Florence M Rasch who was working as a domestic at the time. The couple had two children, one of which did not survive birth. His wife's prior occupation proved advantageous because, between at least the periods of the 1920 and the 1930 census, they ran a Rooming House at 35 Erskine St in Detroit with up to four boarders and, for a period, Florence's parents.

By the time of the Great Depression, the housing market and its associated industries fell into decline. It was during this period that Ben entered into the commercial decoy business as an adjunct to whatever lathing work he could obtain. He had hunted alongside his father since he was 16 and had made decoys for his own use beginning about 1914 when he shot for the market (see note 1). His favored hunting area at that time was off Belle Isle where the Detroit River meets Lake St Clair.

He must have also sold some decoys to fellow sportsmen during that period, the success of which persuaded him to begin large scale production at his home, beginning in 1934. In the early years of the business, he worked alongside his older brother, Frank (1879 – 1960). His peak production period occurred during the 1940's and 1950's when he was selling large numbers of his decoys through selected local sporting goods stores, including the huge Hudson's Department store in downtown Detroit.

By 1950, he and Florence had moved to Centerline, a suburb of Detroit, where he is listed in the census as "retired". A 1955 article in the "Detroit News", however, describes him as still actively carving at "a frame shop" on Van Dyke St in Centerline (see note 2). His daughter, Virginia, estimates that her father made about 14,000 decoys in his lifetime. As Ben aged, the years took their toll. In 1968, a terminally ill Ben Schmidt took his last trip to the Point Mouillee Waterfowl Festival where he was met with kindness and respect by all that knew him. One of Michigan's most prolific, best liked, and talented carvers passed away just three days later.