USA > Michigan > A History of Northern Michigan and Its People, Volume I > Part 45
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN
405
Civil Divisions
1910
1900
1890
Antioch township, including part of Sherman village
640
657
470
Sherman village (part of)
110
146
125
Hanover, Springville & Wexford twps.
260
427
Boon township, including part of Harrietta village
1,153
955
764
Harrietta village (part of)
269
357
335
Total for Harrietta village in Boon and Slagle township
336
419
335
Cadillac city
8,375
5,997
4,461
Ward 1
2,533
Ward 2
2,446
Ward 3
2,005
Ward 4
1,391
...
....
Cedar
Creek township, including village
2,129
1,937
1,603
Manton village
1,069
895
661
Cherry Grove township
481
417
216
Clam Lake township
954
1,009
881
Colfax township
754
678
463
Greenwood township
432
375
197
Hanover township, including Buckley village and part of Sherman village
812
477
209
Buckley village
464
Sherman village (part of)
45
166
96
Haring township
418
322
319
Henderson township
253
208
138
Liberty township
370
423
274
Selma township
823
446
242
Slagle township, including part of Harrietta village
486
460
South Branch township
380
310
176
Springville township, including Mesick village and part of Sherman village
1,390
1,244
306
Mesick village
510
Sherman village (part of)
81
66
....
Wexford township, including part of Sherman village
919
930
559
Sherman village (part of)
24
49
38
Totals
20,769
16,945
11,278
...
....
ยท
.
. . . .
Wexford county is composed of sixteen surveyed townships, 576 sections of 640 acres each, or a total of 368,640 acres. Of the total it is estimated that 118,927 acres are already in farms and fruit lands
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Harrietta village (part of)
67
62
... .
Total for Sherman village in Antioch,
Manton
COUNTY
GROWING PEAS FOR SEED IN WEXFORD
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN
and that fully 200,000 more are available for agricultural purposes. This is not an exaggerated statement: "One of the most remarkable features of our county is the uniformity of the soil, which is a warm, responsive, sandy loam, usually underlaid with clay at varying depths. As a result of the diverse hardwood forests there has accumulated sev- eral inches of rich leaf mold which has aided in making a soil which is fertile, loose, porous, easy to work, never bakes, never bogs, needs no draining and holds moisture. Soil of this type, combined with our climate, forces all vegetation to a wonderful degree, and, while the growing season is about two weeks later, and about ten days shorter, than in Ohio and Indiana, all crops mature more quickly, and develop- ing faster, they have a quality and tone and flavor that is far superior. Farms can be seen in this area which have been steadily cultivated for thirty years without a pound of fertilizer, and are still producing two or three tons of clover to the acre, two to four hundred bushels of po- tatoes, twenty to thirty bushels of wheat and eighty to one hundred and fifty baskets (on the cob) of corn to the acre. Native, as it were, to this soil are all of the northern fruits and berries, vegetables, seeds, vines, grains, grasses, and clover and alfalfa do especially well. Out of eighty Michigan counties, Wexford stands eleventh in the matter of good roads." Cadillac and Hobart in the southeast, Manton in the east, Buckley in the north, Henrietta and Boone in the center and Mesick in the west, are all surrounded by a productive and prosperous agricultural community.
Although well watered, Wexford county is not so generally supplied with lakes and streams as some of the sections of Northern Michigan in the Grand Traverse and Huron regions. Big and Little Clam lakes in the southeast are its largest bodies of water, although there are many other smaller lakes, all of which probably cover ten sections of the county. Its most important river is the Manistee which enters the county about a mile south of the northeast corner, running thence nearly west about eight miles when it turns to the southwest, leaving the county about two miles north of the center of the west line. Pine river, one of the largest branches of the Manistee, runs for several miles through the southwest corner of the county, and there are many fine creeks in other sections which afford excellent mill sites and assist in watering the country.
In general, the surface of the county may be characterized as roll- ing. There are large tracts, however, that are level or only gently un- dulating, while in some of the townships there are hills that are worthy of the name.
BUILDING OF THE STATE ROAD
During the years 1836 and 1837 the United States surveyors had reached the territory now known as Wexford county, in their prelim- inary or township line survey, but it was not until the year 1840 that a name was given to that part of the state known as townships 21, 22. 23 and 24 north, of ranges 9, 10. 11 and 12 west. The first name to
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN
this territory was Kautawabet, supposed to have been an Indian name, but it was afterwards discovered that the name had no particular sig- nificance and in 1843 it was changed to Wexford, in response to a strong Irish element which was in legislative evidence and which cre- ated names for Antrim and Emmet counties as well.
*It was some twelve or fifteen years after the township lines had been established before the government found time to divide the town- ships into sections," says Wheeler's "History of Wexford County." "This work would doubtless have been done sooner had there been any demand for the land, but no one then would have taken land in Wex- ford county as a gift, while on the prairies, in states farther west, it was difficult to make surveys fast enough to meet the demands of the constantly flowing stream of people from the east. Soon after the section lines had been run an effort was made to secure the building of a state road through from Muskegon or Newaygo counties (the settle- ments in these counties being then the most northerly on the south side of the 'Big Woods') to the new settlement opening up around the shores of the Grand Traverse bay. This effort was crowned with suc- cess when the legislature of 1857 passed an act authorizing the con- struction of a state road to be called the Muskegon, Grand Traverse and Northport State Road. This name was afterwards changed and when the road was finally built it was known as the Newaygo and Northport State Road. Not much was done toward the construction of this road until 1860."
As the opening up of Wexford county was chiefly due to the survey of the state road through its dense forests space in this history cannot be better utilized than by reproducing extracts from a letter written by Perry Hannah, one of the fathers of the Grand Traverse region : "In the winter of 1853-4," he says. "I made by first trip to the 'out- side' world on snow-shoes. Soon after the first of January, 1854, I left Traverse City, when there was hardly a single house outside the limits of the city to Grand Rapids. The snow was plump three feet deep, light as feathers, and not a single step could be taken without the In- dian snow shoes. I furnished myself with two Indian packers for car- rying supplies. It took six days to make the trip from here to Grand Rapids. The first settlement we reached was Big Rapids, some five or six miles this side of the forks of the Muskegon river.
"The wolves got on our track before the first night's camping. They were not troublesome to us in the least until we had made our camp fires in the evening; then a tremendous howl was set up and continued during the whole night. We were not in the least troubled as to their contact with us, but they broke up our sleep. As soon as we left our camp in the morning they followed us and picked up any scraps that might be left. They continued with us till we were out of the woods.
"There was not a single sign of a trail of any kind to travel by, which compelled us to constantly use our compass, as very little sun- shine can be seen at that season of the year beneath the thick timber that then shrouded the whole country. This was the most tedious jour- ney I ever experienced in the early days of Grand Traverse.
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"In the winter of 1856-7 I was a member of the state legislature. When the legislature adjourned, early in the spring, some of the mem- bers came and shook hands with me and said 'I suppose you have to go on to your home all the way by stage.' This was very amusing to me, coming from state legislators, when I knew that my trip had to be made 'afoot and alone' through the long woods.
"In 1857 I was appointed one of the commissioners to assist in the work of laying out a state road to be called the Muskegon, Grand Trav- erse and Northport State Road. Before we started the survey on the line, I concluded it would be a good move to have the route looked out, so I engaged a hardy old pioneer and hunter to go from Traverse City south and look over the line through Wexford county. After being ab- sent for some ten days he returned, and in answer to my questions regarding the feasibility of the line his reply was. 'First rate, it could not be better. I tell you, Mr. Hannah, if we get a settler through to Grand Traverse on that line we will be sure of him. By golly! them hills, they be awful big, and they all slope this way, and the settler that gets there will never go back over those hills.' While the hills over the state road are pretty 'tall' the old hunter got a pretty poor im- pression on his first trip from the state-road point of view. Today we consider that Wexford county is not all hills, but is, much of it, the best land we have in the state.
"Next is a little incident in building our bridge over the Manistee river. George W. Bryant, who lived in our village, had located the land where the bridge was to cross the river. I had let the contract to Godfrey Grelick, a sturdy old German, to build the bridge. Mr. Bryant notified Mr. Grelick that in building the bridge over the Man- istee river he must not cut a single tree on his land. The old German, meeting him on the street of our village one day, told Mr. Bryant in very emphatic language 'If you come where we do make dot bridge and I see one tree grow on top your heat, by golley ! I cut him off.' It is needless to say that Mr. Bryant's land furnished all the timber of that bridge.
"What a wonderful change in the last fifty years in Grand Trav- erse and Wexford counties. Traverse City today has a population of twelve thousand, and the Newaygo and Northport state road is lined with many beautiful farms."
FIRST SETTLERS AND INSTITUTIONS
The making of this state road progressed very slowly and was not opened through Wexford county until 1863, the bridge mentioned by Mr. Hannah being completed in the following year. This was the direct cause for the coming of Wexford county's first settler, B. W. Hall, who for several years prior to 1863 had been in Newaygo county. He lo- cated in what is now Hanover township. Its first permanent and "lead- ing citizen" was Dr. John Perry who, in the spring of 1863, located on the northwest quarter of section 6, town 23 north of range 11 west and there built a log house for a family home. His homestead became
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HISTORY OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN
a part of the Sherman village site. Dr. Perry, the first physician and the second postmaster in the county, died in 1875.
Closely following Dr. Perry were Robert Myhill, and Aaron Baker, who settled in what is now Springville. In June of the same year, 1863, Lewis Cornell, Elon Cornell, James Wart and William Masters selected lands in Wexford, and in the following fall brought on their families, forming the nucleus of what has since been known as the Cor- nell settlement. Mr. Masters was the first postmaster and opened a store and boarding house-none other short of Traverse City.
When the summer of 1864 closed there were some twenty families in the county, nearly all living within two miles of the state road. In the spring of 1865 the settlement of what is now Sherman received numerous additions, some coming by boat and some overland. During the summer of 1865 an arrangement was made by which Jacob York, one of the new comers who had a horse and wagon, made weekly trips to Traverse City to take out and bring in the mail for the settlement, and also to such errands and bring in such light articles of merchan- dise or freight as he could in his light wagon. By common consent the house of William Masters, on the state road, was chosen as the place for leaving and receiving letters and parcels, and his house soon came to be called the "postoffice." Later in the year Mr. Masters was appointed postmaster and a mail sack was furnished in which to carry the mail, but the settlers had to pay Mr. York for his services for a year before the postoffice department would consent to establish a mail route to the new settlement.
The first school house built in Wexford county was made of logs and was situated near the county line between Wexford and Grand Traverse counties. It was put up by volunteer work on the part of those interested in having a school, and the first teacher, Zylphia Har- per, was paid under the old system of rate bill, for as yet there was not even a township or school district organization in the county. This school house was, a few years later, the scene of the first law suit ever held in Wexford county. It was a case of assault and battery between Jay J. Copley and Myron Baldwin and grew out of the holding of the second caucus in Wexford county. The case was presided over by I. U. Davis, one of the justices of the peace elected at the first township election held in the county.
The first sawmill was built by John H. Wheeler in the summer of 1866 near what is called Wheeler creek about two and one half miles northeast of the village of Sherman. It was the first frame building in the county. The following year Mr. Wheeler and J. J. Copley each built a frame house, the first in the county.
Lewis J. Clark, who died in 1877, was the pioneer business man of Sherman, coming to the town corners in 1867. The next year he built the first frame building where Sherman now stands. He occupied this building with a store until 1871 when he retired from business. The postoffice of Sherman was established in 1868 with John Perry as post- master. In 1869 L. J. Clark was appointed postmaster and the post- office was moved into his store.
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After the settlers began to raise grain an important question arose -how to use this grain to the best advantage for the benefit of them- selves and their families. The nearest grist mill was at Traverse City, twenty-six miles distant. In 1868 Oren Fletcher purchased land near Sherman and erected the first flouring mill in Wexford county. Thus commenced the settlement of the problem.
In 1867 the first settlement in the town of Colfax was made, the first settlers being Charles Soper and Mr. Lameraux. The first house erected within the territory first comprising Colfax was built by Charles Soper, and the first, and for several weeks the only white women resid- ing therein were Mrs. Soper and her daughter, Mrs. Warner. During the summer and fall quite a number settled in the western part if the town, and before the year had elapsed the whole territory now con- prising Colfax was well settled up by a thriving, enterprising people
The settlement from its very commencement was known as Union- ville, from the fact that more than nine-tenths of the male inhabitants at that time had served in the Union armies during the Civil war. An- other reason for the name was the unity of feeling among the settlers at that time. When the town was organized the name was changed to Colfax.
THE COUNTY AND COUNTY SEATS
In 1840 that portion of the state embraced in towns 21, 22, 23 and 24 north, of ranges 9, 10, 11 and 12 west was laid off as a separate county and designated by the name of Kautawaubet. In 1843 the name was changed to Wexford.
Wexford county, up to the year 1866, was attached to the township of Brown, of Manistee county, for assessment and judicial purposes. At the annual meeting of the board of supervisors of Manistee county in 1866 the whole county of Wexford was organized into a new town- ship, to be known by the name of Wexford. It was ordered that the first election should be held on the first Monday of April in 1867, when a full set of township officers should be elected. Previous to this time none of the numerous voters in the county had cast a ballot since they had resided in the county.
Civil and political matters continued to depend upon Manistee un- til March 30, 1869, when the state legislature passed an act enabling the voters to organize an independent government. This act divided the county into four townships-Colfax, Hanover, Springville and Wex- ford, and Missaukee county was attached to it for municipal and judi- cial purposes. The county seat was fixed in township 24 north, range 12 west, "at or near Manistee bridge, " and the commissioners appointed to locate it were H. J. Devoe, I. U. Davis and E. C. Dayhuff. At the first election held April 5, 1869, 129 votes were polled, and the follow- ing chosen as officers: Harrison H. Skinner, sheriff; John H. Wheeler. county treasurer; Leroy P. Champenois, county clerk and register of deeds : Isaac N. Carpenter, judge of probate; O. H. Miller, prosecuting
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attorney ; C. Northrup, superintendent of schools; R. S. McLain, sur- veyor.
At a special meeting of the board of supervisors held in January, 1870. the matter of building a court house was decided upon, and a committee appointed whose duty it was to advertise for sealed bids for its erection in accordance with plans and specifications prepared by William Holdsworth, Sr., of Traverse City, the cost not to exceed five thousand dollars, exclusive of the foundation which was under a sep- arate contract. J. H. Wheeler was the successful bidder for the court house job and the preparatory work was entered upon. at once. One great reason why the work of building a court house was begun so soon after the county was organized was the fact that the Grand Rap- ids & Indiana railroad was already pushing its line northward and it was feared that unless some building was erected for county purposes some town might spring up along the line of the railway which would be a successful rival of the settlement "at Manistee bridge." It was thought that by erecting a $5,000 court house and jail, not to be used for any but county purposes, that the seat of justice would be "spiked" down at Sherman. As will be seen, these plans were of little avail.
During the summer of 1870, while the frame of the court house was being erected and enclosed, the county officers performed their duties at their residences. Two or three other houses also went up. Mr. Clark made an addition to his store and the village grew apace. The first session of the circuit court was held in a little log hotel kept by Syl- vester Clark.
At the annual meeting the board of supervisors in 1871 a resolution was passed authorizing the superintendents of poor to purchase a poor farm on section 16, in what is now Antioch township. This was done and the following summer a large two-story building was erected in which to care for such unfortunates as might become a county charge.
But all this time the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad had been steadily creeping up through the wilderness from the south and Sher- man might have seen the handwriting on the wall when, in 1871, George A. Mitchell platted the village of Clam Lake in anticipation of the iron horse which snorted through the eastern sections of Wexford county in the following year, leaving the county seat far to the west on the old state road.
At the annual meeting of the board of supervisors in that very year, 1872, Chauncey Hollister, supervisor from Clam lake township, intro- duced a resolution to remove the county seat from Sherman to the vil- lage of Clam Lake. This resolution was defeated by a vote of four yeas to five nays. Not daunted by this defeat, Mr. Hollister renewed his efforts at the January meeting of the board in 1873, but the result was more disastrous than before, there being but three votes for the resolu- tion to six against.
In 1872, with the building of the railroads, Manton, or Cedar creek as it was at first known, was placed on the county map, and in June, 1876, the county board was equally divided on propositions to move the county seat either to Manton or the village of Clam Lake.
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When it became known, some time in March, 1877, that the village of Clam Lake had been transformed into a city under the name of Cad- illac, and that after the first Monday in April she would have three members on the board of supervisors, steps were at once taken to check- mate this new scheme for the removal of the county seat. An effort was even made to fix the seat of justice in the territorial center of the county as far removed from the railroad as Sherman.
Space forbids an attempt to go into the details attending the cease- less contentions between the old county seat and the new aspirants, the villages of Clam Lake and Manton; but on the seventeenth resolution for a change which had been offered in the board the supervisors voted in favor of Manton at their meeting in October, 1881. By the organi- zation of six new townships, however, Cadillac secured the upper hand, and in the April election of 1882 the people voted, by 1,363 to 636, to move the county seat thither, and there it has remained.
Probably these words of an old citizen express the common-sense view of the situation on the county seat question: "For many years following the removal of the county seat from Manton to Cadillac there remained a bitter feeling on the part of those who had 'loved and lost,' and even yet there occasionally crops out a tinge of this bitterness, but nearly all parts of the county have come to realize that the present location is the proper one and the most convenient for the majority of those whose business calls them to the county seat."
EARLY HISTORY OF CADILLAC
The first clearings in the forest which presaged the rising of the fu- ture village of Clam Lake and city of Cadillac were made for the camps which were used in the construction of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad through the county in 1871-2. In March, 1871, Messrs. Hol- brook & May started a store in a little log building on the eastern shore of Little Clam lake, the first permanent structure of any kind to be erected on the present site of Cadillac. The same gentlemen afterward built a two-story store on the corner of Mason and Mitchell streets in which they conducted a thriving business for a number of years.
Colonel J. C. Hudnutt was the civil engineer in active charge of the railroad survey, and when he received orders from his superiors to swing around the eastern end of Little Clam lake, instead of passing between the two lakes as was first intended, he rightly concluded that a town would arise at that point. Being a forehanded man, he acted accordingly. In the words of John H. Wheeler who was personally cognizant of the incident which he relates: "With this idea in view, he decided to buy any or all land bordering on the eastern shore of the lake and for this purpose he started for the government land office, then located at Traverse City, in the fall of 1871. to ascertain what there was in that locality that could be purchased. The only road to Traverse City then was the State road running through Sherman and as the stage was the only conveyance it took two days to make the trip
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from the northern end of the railroad, which was then just this side of Big Rapids, to the land office.
"The Colonel stopped over night in Sherman and in conversation with some of the business men of that village casually remarked that he was on his way to the United States land office 'to buy a city.' I. H. Mequeston, one of Sherman's first merchants, boarded at the hotel, and overhearing this remark of the Colonel's adroitly drew out the facts that the 'city' was yet in embryo, but that it was to be built on the eastern shore of the Little Clam lake. So while the Colonel was en- joying a much-needed night's rest, Mr. Maqueston started for Trav- erse City, where he arrived in the middle of the night. How he found the residence of the register of the land office, or how much he gave him to leave his warm bed and go to the land office at that unseemly hour of the night, will probably always remain a mystery, as both have been dead for many years, but certain it is that when Colonel Hudnutt reached the land office the next day he discovered that government lots 1, 3 and 5 of section 4, in Clam Lake township, or rather what is now Clam Lake township, had been sold to L. J. Clark and I. H. Maqueston, of Sherman. This was the land upon which the original village of Clam Lake was platted."
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