The Mink Farm / Collignon Property

On the north side of Cleveland Avenue, about 200 feet from River Vale Road, stands a big white house. Sometime during the early 40's this place was rented out by its owner, Andrew Artz, to two fellows that had a mink farm in their backyard. This place was directly behind our house so we would visit the mink quite often. Was kinda interesting watching these things being raised from little ones to rather good size mink. The partnership was dissolved rather abruptly, shortly after the two partners had a knife fight on the front lawn of the place. I assume that they were settling a partnership issue. Made all the local papers for a short time.

The Collignon Property

Just north of the four corners, about 400 feet, as you went around a slight bend in the road you would have seen a parcel of property on your right that was owned by the Collignon family. Setting down in a small dwell on the property was an old building that housed the necessary equipment for Mr. Collignon's cider mill. Most of the year there was not much activity on this spot, but when the apples got ripe the place was a hustle and bustle of activity. There would be trucks full of apples coming in to drop off their apples to Mr. Collignon so he could put them into his big presses and squeeze out all that wonderful cider. This became another place where we would stop in and visit on the way home from school and while there sample Mr. Collignon's cider. If he did mind us taking his cider, which I doubt, he never complained a bit.