Charlie Savala (Walking Charlie) Walking Charlie was an Iron Mountain icon.
Walking Charlie was an Iron Mountain icon. He was a familiar sight around town in the 60's and 70's, every one knew who he was. He lived in the streets and slept where ever he could find a spot the lay his head down. That was the life he enjoyed. I recall Mike Rodman, the owner of Rodman's Bridge Inn saying he had to get Charlie out of his car every morning this week before he could use it. I got to know Charlie fairly well and had several conversations with him. He was an intelligent person with beautiful handwriting. He played the harmonica and told me one time, as he spread his hands about a foot apart, that he had to get back to Traverse City, Michigan to retrieve his good harmonica, which he had hidden in a stump next to the railroad tracks there. There were a lot of stories about Charlie circulating at the time, only Charlie would know if their was any truth to them. The kids used to call him lightning to tease him, he would shake his fist at them and make like he was going to chase them. He told me he hated that name and liked to be called " Wildcat Charlie" that was what they called him when he worked in the woods. I was trying to get a truck started in cold weather one time and Charlie walked up and told me how when he worked in the woods, they would build fires around the diesel engines to get them started. For a while he had a shack behind the Powder Lake dump made out of cardboard and tin. Talking with him at the Log Cabin in Aurora, WI, he invited me out to his shack for a Christmas drink, he said just cut through the dump, cross the crick and his shack was right there. He lost half of one foot to a train sleeping on the railroad tracks, I believe that happened behind Smitty's Sport Shop, now Stephen's Decorating, as the story goes when he was recuperating at the Veterans Hospital he disappeared one day and they found him, in his wheelchair, stuck on the railroad tracks on H street trying to get to Greenleafs bar. For a while one of his morning stops was Joey Jaff's Avenue Bar. He would stop and ask Joey if he needed any snuff, Joey would give him the money to run and get him a can of snuff, then give Charlie a couple of beers for doing it. I understand Charlie was supposed to have been quite a war hero. I looked , but could not find any information on this. I think one of my fondest memories of Charlie is every time I would run into him, if he had money in his pocket he would try and give me a dollar, if not he would ask to borrow one.
Memories of Walking Charlie. Nancy I remember him coming into my mom’s office on a regular basis. Sometimes just to visit and “check in”, other times for warmth. Always interesting. Many people watched out for him.
Nick He kind a stayed at Harry Carlson's gas station on the corner of Woodward and Carpenter Ave. When I helped out there he was always in one corner of the station. I heard he lost part of a leg when he fell asleep on the train tracks. Don't know for sure...... Tim I took him to Minneapolis one time must have been 75-76 and got to meet his brother who was president of some big company great big house thought I was in the wrong place and learned a little about Charlie was college educated had good jobs before the service but during the war they were in battle don't remember where and he shot a deserter and when he came back he didn't want to be around people that's when he started in the woods and there's more things but that's enough the VA should have taken better car of him my opinion anyhow.
Carla I think his last name was Savola. I waitressed at Kresges lunch counter right out of high school (1971). Charlie would sit at the counter and play his harmonica. He was a very talented man. Kim Iron Mountain Police would arrest Charlie in the winter and bring him to jail. The jail would than transfer him to the V.A. For treatment of his bad foot. In the spring the V A would release him and the police would drop the charges. Freda Engbloom (VA advocate) had a room for him on east side in a boarding house. He would not use it.
Lori He was a homeless man living in Iron Mountain and would sleep near the railroad tracks and one night he fell asleep too close to the tracks and got his foot ran over ... Uncle Albert was working for the ambulance service at the time and they had to remove part of his foot...
Susan I remember him as a kind helpful man. When our truck died out on Stephenson Avenue, he came to help push us off the road. What was even more touching about it was the young guy that tooted, smiled and waved as he passed and never thought to help us move the vehicle off the road. Charlie just came, pushed us off and left as fast as he came, no expectations of anything. He was a genuinely kind man. We could use more Charlies in this world Amy Omg I felt so bad for him he lost his leg on the railroad track and the kids would call him lightning and he would chase them and they would scream.
PRM
RRP Name: Birth ¥
ea ee
State
or
State of Res
Charles J Savela
citizen (White)
Michigan
Michigan
County
or
Enlistment
Baraga
Date:
Enlistmen
7 Aug
1942
Michigan
Enlistment
Marquette
Bre Branch
Term
heey
igid White,
Nativity
em
Charles J Savela
C
Branch
Immaterial
- Warrant
Officers,
USA
Branch
Immaterial
- Warrant
Officers,
USA
Grade:
Private
Grade Code:
Private
of Enlistment:
Enlistment for the duration plus six months, otherwise
Component: Source:
Education: pation; atus:
according to law
Selectees (Enlisted Men) Civil Life
Grammar school Architects Single,
Height:
67
Weight:
162
of the War or other emergency,
subject to the discretion of the President
without dependents
or
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