Strongheart was the first German Shepherd Dog to star in movies. He was born in 1919 and began his acting career in 1921.He was very popular with moviegoers, and travelled around the country making personal appearances.
His popularity led to the production of Strongheart Dog Food, which is still available today. There are also two books written with reference to him, Letters to Strongheart, and Kinship with All Life,both written by J Allen Boone.
Strongheart was injured during the making of his last movie when he slipped and fell against a hot movie light. The burn turned into a tumor within a few weeks, and he died soon afterwards. An obituary in a Kansas newspaper lists the date of his death as June 24, 1929.
Teaser, the Golden Retriever, heard about Strongheart and wanted to find his letterbox. She and her family visited the Maybury Recreation Area in Northville Michigan.
They entered the recreation area off Eight Mile Road, and parked in the parking lot near the Concession building.They began their journey on the path that led past the outhouses. They walked a short distance on the paved path, then Teaser said,
"Lets try the hiking trail off to the right.Look, it starts right there.There's a picture of a guy with a backpack. It's just past that post with the number 1 on it! " They traveled along the footpath for a while until they came to a picnic area. Teaser spotted a tree with a hollow place at the base. "Great place for a letterbox!" she woofed, but when she sniffed inside, there was nothing there.
"There's a trail map!", she said. After they studied the trail map they stood at the map post, faced the paved path and decided to walk to the left. Along the way they spotted a bench where they stopped to give Teaser a drink of water.
After resting a few moments, they continued on their journey. Soon they saw another picnic area on the right. "That looks like a great place to get out of the sun and watch the people pass by" Teaser said, so they sat on the bench and read the clues. They stood at the bench and took a heading of 72 degrees. Teaser walked 32 (people) footfalls, sniffed around, and sure enough, there was the prize!
The letterbox is hidden fairly close to the trail and the terrain consists of a well kept foot trail and a wide bike/foot path, both with plenty of shade. The round trip distance is approximately one mile.
As with all letterboxing adventures, be careful about reaching into dark places, watch for poison ivy, and read the disclaimer.