The famous boat club, the Wah-wah-sums, was organized December 12, 1868, the first officers being L. Burrows, Jr., president; G. A. Lyon, vicepresident; E. N. Briggs, secretary and G. B. Grout, treasurer. It was a popular club in its day, the members were enthusiastic in their rowing exercises and practice, and eventually became very efficient in the art. Their peculiar cognomen was given them by Chief Shop-en-a-gons who, upon being asked to suggest a name for the rowers, asked, "Good men are they?" "Sure," replied Mr. Burrows. "Then call them 'Wah-whasum'-lightning on the water," said the old chief.

The story of this famous water team is a romantic one. In the sixties there was a crew of "east town" oarsmen, composed of Frank Wilkins, Jim Mack, Matt Brown, Pat Glenn, Joe Stringham and Frank Lawrence, and their boat was named the "Neptune," from which they took their name. These boys in their showy uniforms would frequently row over to Saginaw City, pulling a beautiful oar, and sport around in those waters in a very tantalizing manner. They would then go ashore and get some refreshments at the new Taylor House and other places, meanwhile, putting on, as some of the "young bloods" thought, unwarranted "airs." These actions so aroused some of the husky fellows over there that they got together and formed a rival crew.

The first barge of the Wah-wah-sums, named the Eclipse, was six-oared, and the boat house was directly south of the Mackinaw Street bridge. The stroke oar was Mr. Slenau, No. 2 oar was pulled by John Smith, No. 3 oar by Pat McElgunn, No. 4 by Henry Smith, No. 5 by Bert Payne, 6 by Ed Behan. Charles F. Wheeler, then with Rust Brothers, was coxswain. The rival teams first clashed in 1869, the Wahwahsums six and the Neptunes eight oars, and the former won. From that time these sturdy lumbermen won race after race by brawn and skill, not knowing the sting of defeat.

Their first important event was in the regatta at Detroit in 1870, when they rowed in the six-oared barge race, making one and a half miles in eleven minutes forty-five seconds, and won the race. At Oconomowoc these oarsmen again showed their skill, and in the forth annual regatta of the N.W.A.B.A. Association, held at Erie, Pennsylvania, July 10 and 11, 1872, they won the championship race with six-oared shells. At Toledo, in July 1873, they won the championship race, and in the contests of the following year added to their honors.

The career of this club was exceptionally brilliant, and continued to retain its high repute in boating circles for many years. In 1881 the officers were: Edward I. Peck, president; R. J. Birney, secretary; Henry Smith, captain; L. A. Burrows, 1st coxswain; E. J. Fisk, 2nd coxswain. Upon decline of the sport, late in the eighteen-eighties, the club disbanded.

1874