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BAY COUNTY
MICHIGAN
HISTORY
OF
` BAY COUNTY, MICHIGAN
AND
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
EDITED AND COMPILED BY CAPT. AUGUSTUS H. GANSSER BAY CITY, MICHIGAN
"History is Philosophy Teaching by Examples"
PUBLISHED BY RICHMOND & ARNOLD, GEORGE RICHMOND; C. R. ARNOLD. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 1905.
Preface
C HE aim of the publishers of this volume has been to secure for the historic portion thereof full and accurate information respecting all subjects herein treated, and to present the data thus gathered in a clear and impartial manner. If, as is their hope, they have succeeded in this endeavor, the credit is mainly due to the diligent and exhaustive re- search of the editor of the historic statement, Capt. Augustus H. Gansser, of Bay City. In col- lecting and arranging the material which has entered into this history, it has been his aim to secure facts and to present them in an interesting form. His patient and conscientious labor in the compilation and presentation of the data is shown in the historical portion of this volume. The record gives an interesting and elaborate description of the aboriginal inhabitants, the natural features and the early society of this section, the story of its settle- ment and a comprehensive account of the organization of Bay County and the Bay Cities, giving the leading events in the stages of their development and the growth of their indus- tries to the present time, as set forth in the table of contents. All topics and occurrences are included which are essential to the usefulness of the history. Although the original purpose of the author was to limit the narrative to the close of 1904, he has deemed it proper to touch on many matters relating to the current year, especially such as refer to the union of the Bay Cities.
The reviews of resolute and strenuous lives, which make up the biographical depart- ment of the volume, and whose authorship for the most part is entirely independent of that of the history, are admirably adapted to foster local ties, to inculcate patriotism and to empha- size the rewards of industry, dominated by intelligent purpose. They constitute a most ap- propriate medium of perpetuating personal annals and will be of incalculable value to the descendants of those commemorated. They bring into bold relief careers of enterprise and thrift and make manifest valid claims to honorable distinction. If "Biography is the only true History," it is obviously the duty of men of the present time to preserve in this enduring form the story of their lives in order that their posterity may dwell on the successful strug-
6
PREFACE.
gles thus recorded, and profit by their example. These sketches, replete with stirring inci- dents and intense experiences, will naturally prove to most of the readers of this book its most attractive feature.
In the aggregate of personal memoirs thus collated will be found a vivid epitome of the growth of Bay County, which will fitly supplement the historic statement; for the develop- ment of the county is identified with that of the men and women to whom it is attributable. The publishers have endeavored in the preparation of the work to pass over no feature of it slightingly, but to give heed to the minutest details, and thus to invest it with a substantial accuracy which no other treatment would afford. The result has amply justified the care thus exercised, for in our belief no more reliable production, under the circumstances, could be laid before its readers.
We have given special prominence to the portraits of representative citizens, which appear throughout this volume, and believe they will prove a most interesting feature of the work. We have sought to illustrate the different spheres of industrial and professional achievement as conspicuously as possible. To those who have kindly interested themselves in the successful preparation of this work, and who have voluntarily contributed most useful information and data, we herewith tender our grateful acknowledgment.
CHICAGO, ILL., May, 1905.
THE PUBLISHERS.
-NOTE .-
All the biographical sketches published in this volume were submitted to their respective subjects or to the subscribers, from whom the facts were primarily obtained, for their approval or correction before going to press; and a reasonable time was allowed in each case for the return of the typewritten copies. Most of them were returned to us within the time allotted, or before the work was printed, after being corrected or revised; and these may therefore be regarded as reasonably accurate.
A few, however, were not returned to us; and, as we have no means of knowing whether they contain errors or not, we can not vouch for their accuracy. In justice to our readers, and to render this work more valuable for reference purposes, we have indicated these uncorrected sketches by a small asterisk (*), placed immediately after the name of the subject. They will all be found on the last pages of the book.
RICHMOND & ARNOLD.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
A BRIEF SKETCH OF EARLY MICHIGAN.
17
CHAPTER II.
THE ABORIGINAL PERIOD 27
Virgin Forests, Trackless Swamps and Lake-Bound Prairies-"O-Sauk-E-Non," the "Land of the Sauks"- Indian Tribes and Chieftains-Manners, Customs and Modes of Life of the Aborigines-The Overthrow of the Sauks by the Confederated Tribes-The Indians as Found by the Pioneers-The Indians of To-day.
CHAPTER III.
THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 48
The Onward March of Civilization-The Pale Faces Westward Bound-Years of Exploration, and Trading with the Indians-Trappers, Hunters and Adventurers-The Saginaw Valley for Years the Northern most Outpost of Civilization in the Northwest Territory-Indian Title to Land Extinguished-The Earliest White Settlers.
CHAPTER IV.
.60
EARLY SETTLEMENTS AND SETTLERS. . .. The Indians and Trappers Give Way to the Settlers-Planting of Settlements-Memoirs and Reminiscences of Prominent Pioneers-The Period of Reckless Land Speculation and "Wild-Cat" Banks-Indian Mounds and Legends-The Mound Builders-O-ge-ma-ke-ga-to and Other Indian Chiefs-Incidents of Pioneer Life on the Saginaw River and Its Tributaries-Character Sketches and Anecdotes.
CHAPTER V.
ORGANIZATION AND GROWTH OF BAY COUNTY. .99
Early Land Transactions and Settlements-Hampton Township Erected-Early Elections-The Strenuous Fight for Separation from Saginaw County-Era of Prosperity-Early Official Transactions-Arenac County Erected-Census Figures and Some Vital Statistics-Synopsis of Election Returns-Some of Those Who Have Served in Official Positions-Roster of County Officials.
9
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VI.
CREATION AND GROWTH OF THE CITIES, TOWNSHIPS AND VILLAGES OF THE COUNTY. .. 122
Incorporation and Growth of the Village of Bay City, the Successor of Lower Saginaw and Portsmouth Village- Chartered as a City-Roster of City Officials-History of the Villages of Banks, Salzburg and Wenona and of Their Successor, West Bay City-Roster of Village and City Officials-The Townships of the County with Historical, Geographical and Census Data-The Villages of Essexville, Kawkawlin, Pinconning, Auburn and " Iceburg, U. S. A."
CHAPTER VII.
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ADVANTAGES OF BAY COUNTY 162
Climate-Easy Water Communication Provided by the Rivers and Saginaw Bay-A Paradise of Fish and Game-Rich Mineral and Agricultural Resources-Pine and Hardwood Timber-Extensive Underlying Deposits of Salt and Coal-Rich Soil and Fruitful Farms-"Garden Spot of Michigan."
CHAPTER VIII.
GREATER BAY CITY .- 1865-1905. .166
Remarkable Evolution of the Bay Cities from Booming Frontier Lumber Communities to Hives of Varied Indus- tries-The Rise and Decline of the Lumber and Salt Industries-Municipal Improvements-Public Buildings and Business Blocks-The Revival of the Lumber Industry-The Center of America's Beet Sugar Industry- Chemical Factories, Chicory Mills and Varied Industries-Discovery of Coal-Iron and Steel Industries-Mam- moth Ship-Building Plants and Dry Docks-Fish and Game-The Fight for Consolidation-The First Officers of Greater Bay City-The Charter.
CHAPTER IX.
BAY COUNTY'S LUMBER, SALT AND COAL INDUSTRIES AND TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. 215
CHAPTER X.
SUGAR BEETS, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, FISH AND VARIED INDUSTRIES .237
CHAPTER XI.
THE BENCH AND BAR AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 254
1
IO
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XII.
CHURCHES, RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES, HOSPITALS AND CHARITIES
.. 272
CHAPTER XIII.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES AND THE PRESS
.. 310
CHAPTER XIV.
.. 326
FRATERNAL, BENEVOLENT AND LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
CHAPTER XV.
BAY COUNTY'S MILITARY RECORD
.. 342
CHAPTER XVI.
MINOR MENTION-ODDS AND ENDS.
.. ..... .359
BIOGRAPHICAL.
.. 367
..
INDEX
Biographical
PAGE
Allen, George A
724
Ambrose, Josiah Little, M. D.
483
Ames, George W.
671
Andrews, Martin M.
376
Appold, Christian
614
Appold, Mary Barbary, Miss.
589
Arnold, John C.
655
Arnold, John G.
404
Arnold, John M.
680
Arnold, Michael J.
598
Atwill, Thomas
426
Averell, Charles M., Capt.
427
Babcock, Edward C.
684
Bailey, Arthur D.
464
Baker, Oscar W.
485
Corliss, E. E.
398
Barclay, Jonathan Smith, Hon. .
588
Becker, Hiram B., Capt.
643
Cuthbert, Charles C., Serg .- Maj. 645
Beeckman, Peter
545
Bentley, Oscar F.
466
Berger, John
536
Beyer, Frederick
605
Bigelow, Charles A.
457
Birney, James Gillespie, Hon.
413
Birney, James, Hon.
408
Blodgett, Horace D.
436
Boehringer Brothers
386
Boes, Jacob F.
682
Borton, Bethuel
546
Boutel, Benjamin, Capt.
461
Bradley, Nathan B., Hon.
371
Brockway, James E.
443
Brown, Russell Warner, M. D .. 624
Bublitz, August
476
Buck, Homer E.
708
PAGE
Callender, William Elisha Crosby 472
Campbell, Sydney S., Hon.
531
Chatfield, Clarence B.
666
Churchill, Worthy Lovell, Hon ..
578
Clark, Dillon Prosser
584
Clark, Henry 475
Clements, Henry
648
Clifft, William Orrin 425
Carroll, John
393
Cobb, George P., Hon.
391
Cole, George S.
395
Collins, Chester L., Hon.
421
Collins, W. A. 407
Coman, Lucien S.
596
Conover, Richard Field
397
Cressey, E. Wilson 558
Cuthbert, William
568
Davies, Meurig Lloyd
701
Dunbar, Erastus Lord
465
Dunham, Frederick William
532
Eades. Herbert Alfred, M. D. 523
Egbert, John W.
662
Eickemeyer, Edward A.
431
Emery, John H.
656
Endline, John
715
Englehardt, Charles F.
525
Erwin, Robert W., B. S., M. D .. 40I
Evans, Edward E.
685
Feinauer, John Andrew
620
Fifield, Eugene
627
Fisher, Spencer O., Hon.
573
PAGE
Fitzhugh, William D.
373
Foss, Edgar B.
698
Fowler, John
524
Fox, George R.
424
Fox, Willis D. 629
Francis, Griffith H., Hon.
403
Francis, Adolph
647
Frank, Ernst
382
Fraser, Jame
369
Friday, William H.
412
Gail, Cyrus A.
385
Gallagher, Morton, M. D.
600
Gansser, August H., Capt.
690
Garland, Michael
565
Gates, Otto B., Dr.
640
Gilbert, Harvey, M. D.
713
Gillespie, Richard
680
Gillette, Hezekiah M.
417
Gres, Francis, Rev.
418
Greul, Paulus
710
Griswold, Harry
521
Haffey, Joseph P.
544
Hauxhurst, John Walker, M. D .. 668
Hearit, John
712
Heinzmann, Christopher
467
Herbolshimer, George A.
634
Hewitt, John C.
505
Hill, Isaac H.
603
Hiller, Cyrus
447
Hinman, William L.
436
Hitchcock, Charles W.
432
Hoffman, Frank H.
542
Hofmann, Andrew F.
646
12
INDEX.
PAGE
Schultz, Julius 406
Schutjes, H. J. H., Rev. 4II
Second National Bank, The Old 372
Sermeyer, Frank
678
Sharpe, John H. 615
Shearer, Fred E. 630
Shepard, Theodore F., Hon. 502
Sigelko, Joachim 676
Simpkins, Abram
639
Simpson, William W.
711
Sims, Walter, Elder
636
Slocum, Clarence H.
453
Smith, Peter C., Capt.
527
Snyder, John P., M. D.
507
Stewart, Allen L.
394
Stewart, John A.
438
Stevens, Jerome B.
536
Stone, David F., M. D.
443
Taylor, Robbins B.
.397
Thomas, Henry H.
702
Thompson, Dell H.
656
Thompson, Henry C.
677
Timm, Fred
488
Tobias, Lucious W.
653
Tough, George C.
704
Tupper, Horace, M. D.
367
Tupper, Virgil L., A. M., M. D. 497
Turmell, Octave
660
Turner, George, Capt.
707
Turner, Henry
636
Tyler, Columbus V., Hon., M. D. 663
Tyler, Frank Elliott
679
Underwood, Charles C.
595
Van Poppelen, Henry
668
Van Rooy, R. G., Rev.
577
Van Tuyl, Fred C.
717
Vanbuskirk, Yetta, Mrs.
568
Vanderbilt, Louis
405
Vankleeck, James, Hon.
696
Reilley, Edgar J.
585
Vennix, Gerardus
44I
Richards, Paul
674
Rivard, Frank
5,38
Rivkin, Hyman
610
Roecker, William G.
5II
Marston, Isaac, Hon.
657
Rosebush, Louis
725
Marston, Thomas Frank
654
Martens, Phillip
665
Rowden, John C.
604
Masson, Eustache, Jr.,
664
Maxwell, Andrew Crosby
. 384
McClatchey, Albert
444
PAGE
Horn, Charles
484
McDonald, Charles P. 723
Horton, Heman 486
Howell, Chatford A. 556
Hubbell, George B.
660
McGuire, Margaret L., Miss
4II
McKinney, John Y., Capt.
608
Meiselbach, Oscar F.
508
Merrill, Frank C.
491
Merritt, Walter
402
Miller, Frank A. 452
Mohr, Frank H.
545
Molyneaux, Thomas
721
Monroe, Robert
638
Moritz, John B.
635
Mosher, George Learned
606
Munger, Averton Edmund
526
Nabert, Bruno
.541
Nelles, Nelson
623
Nerreter, Charles
609
Newkirk, Charles F., M.A., M.D. 675
Nitschka, William
442
Kohn, Joseph E.
493
Knodle, Valentine
696
Knaggs, J. W.
512
Knecht, Louis
570
Knight, Birdseye, Hon.
422
Krabbe, Carl
413
Kraner, August
583
Kraner, Henry
583
Kuhlow, Charles F.
686
Laing, John B.
548
Landon, Henry B., A. M., M. D. 451
Lane, Robert R.
646
Langlois, Eutrope, Rev.
448
Larouche, Peter
452
Lefebvre, Edward Augustin, Rev. 599
Lemieux, Hono
586
Letourneau, Nelson
685
Lewis, Adna G.
715
Lewis, L. R., M. D.
504
Lijewski, Joseph
524
Lind, Peter, Hon.
569
Linderman, Elizabeth, Mrs.
649
Vogtmann, John A.
722
Wagner, Philip F.
719
Wagner, William
626
Wait, Samuel F.
618
Ross, William M.
476
Walker, Clarence E.
455
Walsh, John
498
Walsh, William C.
719
Walton, Frank Griswold
518
Ruterbush, Herman
693
Ward, William J.
482
Keating, Patrick, Sr.
563
Kelley, William M.
590
Kelley, William George, M. D.
. .
618
Kelton, John M.
526
Kern, Chester A.
494
Kern, John Chatfield 487
King, Robert L. 398
Niven, Robert
673
Nuffer, George A.
620
Nuffer, John M.
587
Orr, Brakie J.
633
Padley, Richard
625
Paige, Frederick D.
725
Peoples, William
558
Phelps, Perry
496
Poquette, Joseph
505
Porter, Edward W.
543
Potter, James H.
613
Powell, Salina, Mrs.
564
Raby, Cyrelle
699
Radzinski, Alfred J., M. D.
454
Rafter, Thomas, Rev. 471
Randall, Floyd Hamilton, B. S., M. D. 503
Reid, William
617
McEwan, William
388
McGuinnes, John
720
Ittner, John P.
528
Jennison, C. E
368
Johnson, Elof L. 417
Johnson, Jonas
672
Johnston, J. Madison
593
Joslyn, Lee E.
433
Kaiser, Julius
644
PAGE
Link, John A.
523
Magill, William E., M. D. 597
Rueger, George, Sr.
713
Ruhstofer, Lawrence
456
INDEX.
13
PAGE
PAGE
PAGE
Weber, John L. 700
Williams, Walter W., M. D. 445
Wright, Hamilton Mercer, Hon.,
Wedthoff, George E. 607
Wilson, Fitzland L. 649
B. A., M. A., LL. B. 533
Weiss, Andrew 492
Wilson, John, Jr.
508
Wyss, John G., Rev.
553
Wentworth, Justin 554
Wissmueller, Lorenz A., Rev.
537
Young, David H. 689
Wheeler, Chesley 616
Wittwer, Ernst A.
386
Young, Frank P.
661
Wheeler, Frank Willis, Hon. 617
Woodworth, Frank T. 481
Young, Sylvester C.
423
Wilcox, David 495
Woolson, John O., Capt. 501
Willcox, L. G., Major 379
World's Star Knitting Company 694
Zagelmeyer, Alexander, Hon.
477
Williams, Mary, A. W., M. D. . . 445
Wratten, Edward M. 683
Zube, Albert
474
Illustrations
PAGE
Arbeiter Hall and Hose House
No.
IIO
of
178
Ames, George W.
670
Baptist Church, First
290
Bay City Fire Dept .- East Side
Headquarters
152
Bay City Fire Dept .- West Side
Headquarters
IIO
Bay City Water Works,-West
Side
IIO
Bay County Court House
92
Bay County Poor Farm
92
Beet Sugar Factory, Views in a 248
Becker, Capt. Hiram B.
642
Becker, Mrs. Lucy E.
642
Boutell, Capt. Benjamin
460
Campbell, Hon. Sydney S.
530
Catholic Churches-
St. Boniface
550
St. James'
36
St. Stanislaus'
290
Co.
178
Center Avenue, Looking East
66
Children's Home
290
City Hall and Public Library.
54
Coal Mines-
Wenona 226
Wolverine, No. 3 . 226
Cobb, Hon. George P.
390
Collins, Hon. Chester L.
420
Cornfield in Bangor Township, A 226
Crapo Block
66
Dry Docks-
Floating
I34
Capt. James Davidson's
IIO
Eickemeyer, Edward A.
430
Erwin, Robert W., B. S., M. D. 400
Federal Building
204
First Building Erected in Bay
City 92
Fisher, Hon. Spencer O.
572
Gansser, Capt. A. H.
16
Globe Hotel, Old
92
Griswold, Harry
520
PAGE
Hanson-Ward Veneer Co., Plant
High Schools-
Bay City, East Side
44
Fremont
44
Hill, Isaac H.
602
Kolb
320
Park
320
Washington
44
Rafter, Rev. Thomas
470
Range Light,-Entrance to Har-
bor
152
Roecker, William G.
510
Sage Library
320
Salt Block of Kern Mfg. Co., A 178
Sawmill of Kern Mfg. Co.
178
Schutjes, Rev. H. J. H.
410
Shipyard of the West Bay City
Ship Building Co.
I34
Soldiers' Rest Monument
22
Sugar Beets, a Field of
248
Sugar Beets,
Polish
Women
Weeding
248
Sugar Factory, German-Ameri-
can
248
Sugar Factory, West Bay City. . 248
Third Street Bridge
22
Tobias, Lucious W.
652
"Tom Dowling," Raft - Towing
Tug
134
Train of Logs
178
Tupper, Horace, M. D.
366
Turner, Capt. George
706
Vennix, Mr. and Mrs. Gerardus
440
Washington Theater Building. . . .. 204
Wenona Beach
152
Willcox, Maj. L. G.
378
Woodworth, Frank T.
480
Woolson, Capt. John O.
500
Wyss, Rev. John G.
551
Young Chemical Co.
W. D.,
Plant of
76
Young, David H.
688
PAGE
Protestant
Episcopal
Church,
Trinity
36
Public Schools-
Dolsen
44
Bay City, West Side
320
Holy Rosary Academy
550
Industrial Works and Railroad
Crane
226
Johnston, J. Madison
592
Keating, Patrick, Sr.
562
Kraner, Mr. and Mrs. Henry and
Family
582
Landon, Henry B., A. M., M. D. 450
Launch at the West Bay City
Ship Building Co.'s Shipyard 134
Lighthouse, New,-Entrance to
Harbor
152
Lower Saginaw in 1837
26
Lower Saginaw in 1854
47
Lumber-Yard of E. B. Foss &
Methodist Episcopal Churches-
First
Madison Avenue
36
22
Michigan Central Railroad Depot
Michigan Chemical Co., Plant of
66
Midland Street, Looking West . .
Nabert, Bruno C.
540
National Chickory Co., East Side Mill and Yard of 76
National Cycle Mfg. Co., Factory
of 76
Nelles, Nelson
622
New Republic House
204
Orr, Brakie J.
632
Phoenix Block
66
Potter, James H.
612
Presbyterian Churches-
First
290
Westminster
36
36
Masonic Temple
204
Mercy Hospital
290
Merrill, Frank C.
490
76
MICH
Capt. Augustus Af Ganser. Edg. Co. B. 3rd Mich. I.f. =
History of Bay County
CHAPTER I.
A BRIEF SKETCH OF EARLY MICHIGAN
Downward through the evening twilight, In the days that are forgotten, In the unremembered ages. -The Song of Hiawatha.
Just one hundred years ago, on January II, 1805, Congress passed the bill for the or- ganization of Michigan Territory. Thus was created, from the then scarcely known and seemingly boundless Northwest Territory, a distinct community, which in the century to come was destined to develop and prosper, as one of the brightest stars in the constellation of our sisterhood of States.
To understand the history of Michigan, one must go beyond the territorial period and take a fleeting glance into the hazy mists of past and unknown ages. This period is entirely within the realm of scientific research. Pre- historic upheavals, the glacial period and the great floods, have given Michigan her present geological formation. Isolated rocks and the rich alluvian deposits on our soil indicate the action of floating ice and great floods. The Great Lakes, which bound Michigan on almost all sides and give to her unsurpassed transpor- tation facilities, are the deep pools which lay
too low to be drained by the great upheavals which laid bare the land. Thus do the scien- tists account for the wealth of our mineral resources, the boundless fertility of plain and prairie, and the towering forests. Truly Mich- igan has been blessed with the richest gifts of Nature.
Prehistoric relics found all over the State show plainly that these blessings were appre- ciated and enjoyed by the aboriginal people who inhabited the Western Hemisphere. In scattered mounds and nooks and caves we find a multitude of signs, of crude utensils and fos- sils, that speak to us in a voiceless language of a past out of which no other tidings will ever come.
Ages have passed since then and a new era has dawned,-the aboriginal period. Dense virgin forests, trackless swamps, and lake- bound prairies form the background, and the only living beings are the savage red men and the wild beasts of the jungle. The great
1
18
HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY
waters are unruffled save by the Indians' bark canoes and the storms of heaven.
So pass other untold ages. But in the East "the morning light is breaking, the dark- ness disappears," and the rays of advancing civilization penetrate the gloom. Savage wanderer and prowling beast hear the footstep of the pioneer, and the known history of this great New World begins. The rude civiliza- tion of the copper-colored children of the for- est, extending undisputed from ocean to ocean, is gradually but surely receding Westward be- fore the older civilization of the pale faces. The hatchet, bow and arrow give way before the musket and flintlock. The wandering tribes are displaced by the founders of homes, the builders of cities and States.
From this point the history of Michigan is identical with that of all the American Colo- nies. Advancing civilization devoted itself to certain things, and when the desired results were accomplished, the genius of the age changed and historical facts assumed a differ- ent character. These tides in the affairs of nations are our historical periods, and in the course of events we now find Michigan in the period of voyage and discovery,-1634 to 1760. Explorers and adventurers went every- where but settled nowhere. To make new dis- coveries was the universal passion, but only a few colonies were planted.
The first white man known to have visited the territory now embraced in the State of Mich- igan was Jean Nicollet, who was in the serv- ice of Governor Champlain, of Canada, then under French control. He skirted the western coast of Lake Huron and explored most of the large rivers entering there, including, without a doubt, an excursion up the greatest of them all, the Saginaw River. His first prolonged stop occurred at the present site of Sault Ste. Marie, in the summer of 1634, where he raised
the standard of France, and had some friendly interviews with the Indians, many thousands of whom made the shores of Lake Huron their hunting grounds. He visited Mackinaw, and retraced his steps to report the results of his explorations.
He was followed by the Jesuit missiona- ries, Raymbault and Jogues, who visited the Indians at Sault Ste. Marie in 1641, performed suitable religious ceremonies, and returned to their Eastern missions. In 1660, Pere Rene Ménard resolved to start a mission in that neighborhood. He spent the winter with In- . dians near Keweenaw Bay. Accompanied by a single Indian guide, he started for what is now Portage Lake Ship Canal, and was never more heard of. In 1665, Pere Claude Al- louez started the first mission west of Lake Huron at La Pointe.
In the 20 years that followed, the Jesuits continued their explorations with prodigious activity. Foremost among them was Pere Marquette, who thoroughly explored the west- ern shore of Lake Huron, traversing the Sagi- naw River, thence going north, and in 1668 he established the second mission at Sault Ste. Marie, which has ever since been inhabited by Americans and Europeans, and is the oldest permanent settlement in Michigan. The mis- sion was a square fort of cedar pickets enclos- ing a chapel and house of logs, with a clearing, bearing crops of wheat, maize, peas, etc. In 1671, Father Marquette with a band of Huron Indians founded the mission of St. Ignatius, now St. Ignace. His grave is situated near the mission which he founded more than two centuries ago.
In order to gain a better foothold on the Great Lakes, and to foster and perpetuate the spirit of friendship in which the Ottawas and Hurons received the early explorers and mis- sionaries, M. Talon, Intendant of New France.
19
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
sent messengers to call a great council of the Indians at the Sault in the spring of 1671. Fourteen tribes of the Northwest sent repre- sentatives to meet the French officers, who formally took possession of the country. Father Allouez was the interpreter, and after raising the cross and the lilies of France, he pronounced a glowing panegyric on his king, Louis XIV, pronounced the "chief of chiefs." Thrice was the chapel at the Sault burned to the ground in the next nine years, and thrice did Father Druilletes raise it from its ashes with indomitable energy.
The missionary was followed by the fur trader and trapper. In his frail birch canoe he skirted the shores of lake and river, pene- trating the most secluded spots of the wilder- ness, satisfying his keen relish for adventure and carrying on a brisk trade.
On August 7, 1679, LaSalle, the great ex- plorer and missionary, sailed the "Griffin," the first schooner to traverse the Great Lakes, through the St. Clair River into Lake Huron. A severe storm carried him into what is now Saginaw Bay, and thus early were the fine harbor facilities of the Saginaw River discov- ered and appreciated. The "Griffin" reached St. Ignace later that season and sailed up Lake Michigan to Green Bay, where the ship was lost in a storm.
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