Family Vacations

Tom Matti with a boatful on Cass Lake in the 1950s. All photos are courtesy of the Chaldean Cultural Center.

At Cass Lake in the late 40s: Standing left to right: Shamamta Dickow, and Dorothy Najor. Sitting left to right: Zarifa Saroki, Ruby Najor, and Jalila George.

Katu Matti and Jamila Binno with a baby at Belle Isle, c. 1937.

The Matti boys playing in Cass Lake, c. 1940s.

Aah, the family vacation! Perhaps it was an annual road trip to Carey, Ohio, or a couple weeks at the cottage, but it seems the family vacations of yesteryear are tinted with nostalgia. These beauties were pulled from the archives of the Chaldean Cultural Center. Cass Lake was a popular destination for summer fun, as evidenced by the Matti boys playing in the water in the 1940s and Tom Matti in his boat on the lake in the 1950s. The group photo was also at Cass Lake, taken probably sometime in the late 1940s and featuring Shamamta Dickow standing on the left with Dorothy Najor on the right, and sitting left to right were Zarifa Saroki, Ruby Najor, and Jalila George. It seems to have been submitted by Josephine Sarafa. Another favorite getaway was Belle Isle, where Katu Matti is pictured with Jamila Binno, who’s holding a baby. The photo is dated 1937.

The Chaldean Cultural Center and Museum owns a collection of captivating images from our vibrant community that we are delighted to share with the Chaldean News. If you have photographs that you would like us to incorporate into our archive, kindly reach out to us at info@chaldeanculturalcenter.org or call 248-681-5050.