THE LEGEND OF JAVA JOE

Told by family members -

As the story goes, Captain Joe and his crew were sailing the great ship known as the Ramada from the banks of the northern tip of Africa headed to the new world. His precious cargo was the Ethiopian coffee bean. It was in 1812 when he set sail with a full load headed for the port of New York.

On the 53rd day of his travels, a hurricane blew him off course to the North where the British captured him and took him prisoner. The United States was at battle with the British (known as the War of 1812). The British confiscated his cargo and took Captain Joe to Montreal. It was here that he was befriended by some French Voyagers involved in the fur trading business. The Voyagers helped Captain Joe to escape and with their help, rescued the Ramada and headed West with what was left of his precious cargo. The French enjoyed his espresso bean and began to refer to him as "Java Joe".

Captain Joe and the Voyagers made their way West. The Voyagers were headed to Mackinac Island to trade their furs, and Captain Joe was headed to St. Ignace, located in the Michigan Territory, to seek out a long lost Uncle. As they approached the Straits of Mackinac, a huge storm started to brew, and it whipped the Ramada around . The strong winds were such a force, it finally took the Ramada to the bottom of the great Lake Huron. Captain Joe and the voyagers were able to escape a horrible death and save some of their precious cargo. At this point they went their separate ways, Captain Joe arrived in St. Ignace and opened a little cafe known today as Java Joes. Legend has it that if you take a boat ride straight out from the cafe, on a clear day you can see the great Ramada at the bottom of the lake. All that was saved was the crows nest you see in front of the cafe and of course Java Joe's NUMBER ONE ESPRESSO BEAN IN THE UP!