USA > Michigan > A history of the northern peninsula of Michigan and its people, its mining, lumber and agricultural industries, Volume I > Part 58
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Another drawback is to be mentioned. Titles to a large acreage of lands were for many years in litigation. This was an outgrowth of con- flicts between homesteaders who had squatted on lands which previously had been claimed under various railroad and canal grants. A fourth,
. and perhaps the least factor which operated to retard the de- velopment of the Iron River field. is found in a certain notion held by many of the earlier prospectors regarding the origin of the iron ores. Since the earlier deposits were found in the narrow val- ley of Iron river, the idea became prevalent that the occurrence of ore was in some way related to the valley, and was not to be sought else- where in the distriet. Even to the present day, a valley, or "draw." presents alluring prospects to many explorers, as is shown by the loca- tion of several recent operations. During the period ending 1893, with the exception of the prospect in section 26 (now known as the Chicagon mine) operations were confined to the valley of the Iron river in the vicinity of the villages of Iron River and Stambangh, where the Iron River and Nanaimo mines, with a few struggling prospects, kept the in- dustry alive up to the financial depression of 1893. One of the note- worthy but unsuccessful enterprises of that period was the attempt made by the Iron River Furnace Company, in 1884, to establish smelting works on the opposite side of the river and north of the Nanaimo mine.
The period from 1893 to 1899 was one of gloom for the mining in- dustries and for Iron River and Stambaugh, although they were kept afloat by agricultural and lumbering operations. But since the latter year, the steady increase in the consumption of pig iron and the great drafts on deposits of Bessemer ores have brought into permanent demand the softer phosphoric ores prodneed by the Iron River district. The last period has been one of continuous expansion and has resulted in nearly doubling the population of both Iron River and Stambaugh. The an- nual shipments of ore, with the exception of those for 1902, have each year shown an increase over the preceding, and have grown from 5,009 tons in 1898 to 1,151,871 tons in 1909.
Active development really began in 1896, when the Mastodon Iron
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Company of Crystal Falls began exploring the property known as the Dober mine. Later this came into the hands of the Oliver Mining Com- pany by whom it has been developed into one of the largest producers of the district. The Baltic was explored by the Verona Mining Company in 1900 and shipments began in the following year. In 1900 the Hia- watha was added to the list of shippers and the Caspian in 1902. The following year operations were resumed at the old Iron River mine, which had been idle since 1892, and a year later Young's mine was added to the number of producers. The James und Brule mines made first shipments in 1907; the Berkshire and Zimmerman in 1908; and the Fogarty, Chatham and Baker in 1909.
CITY OF IRON RIVER
In this general statement of the progress of mining in the Iron River district, glimpses have been given of the effect of the industry upon its corporate centers, Iron River and Stambaugh. The former was platted by Alexander and Donald Mackinnon and A. J. Hewitt in November, 1881, shortly before the first shipments were made by the Iron River and Nanaimo mines over the new spur of the Chicago & North-Western railroad from Stager. In anticipation of the coming of the railroad, settlers and prospectors were so flocking to the locality that James Innis, a thrifty Scotchman, put up a log honse, on what is now the southeast corner of Genessee and Second streets, for the accommodation of trav- elers. This inn was the first permanent structure to be erected on the site of Iron City. In December, 1881, Mr. Innis employed Charles Otto as his cook and in the following January engaged Mrs. Otto as house- keeper. The latter was the first female resident of the place, and con- tinued to be the sole representative of her sex for several weeks. Not long afterwards John MeDonald opened the first grocery in Iron City, and Alexander Morrison the pioneer meat market. The Scotchmen evi- dently had it all their own way at the outset. Dr. Bond opened the first drug store, and in 1883 his former clerk, Emil Ammermann, bought an interest in it and still continues in that line.
The first birth to ocenr in the place was that of Joseph Ditzmeyer, in September, 1882, and he is still a resident of the county.
The first school at Iron City was taught by Thomas Flannigan in the winter of 1883-4. He held forth in a log building belonging to Mr. Mc- Donald, the groceryman, which is now a part of the Methodist parsonage.
In 1883 Andrew J. Boyington built the first regular hotel at Iron River, and made a great success of it until its destruction by fire June 27. 1885. The present Boyington House, conducted by his son, stands on the old site, corner of Genessee and Second streets. In 1884 the first local paper-Mining Reporter-was established.
In the meantime, the Presbyterians had organized a church (in Au- gust, 1882), and the Methodists had held services, although they had not yet effected a regular organization. The Catholics also held early services at a hall on Genessee street and, in St. Agnes church, have the
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HANDSOME CENTRAL SCHOOL, IRON RIVER
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finest building and the strongest society in the city. In 1891 were held the first meetings of St. John's Mission (Protestant Episcopal), and the strong and moral Swedish element is also represented by Baptist and Lutheran societies.
Iron River began its corporate existenee as a village with the session of the legislature in 1885, the incorporating bill becoming a law on the 20th of March. It then had a population of about a thousand people. which had increased to 1,117 in 1890; 1,482 in 1900, and 2,450 in 1910. The increase of a thousand in the past decade is demonstrative of the striking development of the Iron River mining district during that period.
The revival of the mining industries was reflected on the life of Iron River in no more important way than in the organization of the Iron River Business Men's Association, in the summer of 1897. Pri- marily, it was formed with a view of getting the Buckeye Stave Com- pany to locate a stave and heading mill in the town; incidentally, it induced Messrs. Youngs and Fetzer to lease Minckler's saw-mill prop- erty, which led to those gentlemen becoming interested in the Hiawatha mine, with its subsequent fine development. Mr. Youngs subsequently discovered and opened up the mine on section 12, which is now known as the Youngs mine. He and his associates have in addition been in- terested in opening up other mineral territory within the vicinity of Iron River and on the Menominee Range, so that from the day the trav- eling man gave the address of G. W. Youngs to I. W. Byers, secretary of the Business Men's Association, through that source considerable over a million dollars have been expended in this district by Mr. Youngs and his associates. The Iron River-Stambaugh. Reporter continnes the story of the association in this brisk and vigorous strain: "The Buck- eye Stave Company commenced business in September, 1897, and ope- rated a stave and heading mill for the next ten years. Their pay-roll and what they paid for timber in the district averaged $100,000 a year, so that during their time over $1,000,000.00 was put into this commu- nity. All of this can be attributed solely to the work of the Iron River Business Men's Association. This cost the association some $70,000.00, and they have property left that is worth probably $25.000.00.
"It is doubtful if there has been a more successful or wealthier Business Men's Association to-day for the population of the community. The association, however, in its earlier day was so much abused by the people, who were really at that time benefited by it, that it has lost very much of its interest and zeal for the community. This ought not to be so, but we cannot expect men to be other than human beings. and if they find nothing but ingratitude where they should find gratitude it is but reasonable and natural that some of the interest should be lost."
The public schools of Iron River were incorporated by a special act of the State legislature in 1893. By a subsequent act passed in 1905, the act of 1893 was repealed. The schools today are operating under the act of 1905, and are thoroughly graded and systematized. They are conducted in a fine central building and five district structures.
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The Central School in Iron River is an imposing and modern struc- ture of two stories and basement. It contains ten class rooms besides a large school room with a laboratory and recitation room. It is lighted with electricity and heated with steam and hot air, the air being forced into the rooms by means of a large fan. It also includes among its improvements an electric vacuum cleaning plant in the basement, which is probably the only one in operation in an Upper Peninsula school building.
Iron River enjoys all the advantages of good water. electric light and adequate fire protection ; has a well organized bank ( First National) and a good weekly paper, the Iron Rirer-Stambaugh Reporter. Near the city are the fair grounds of the County Agricultural Society, com- prising abont forty acres. The society was organized about the time of its Business Men's Association and has now a membership of some four hundred; this is an indication that Iron county is alive to its agricultural possibilities, and, substantial as are its mining interests, has taken a wise forecast and is providing for all future contingencies.
MINES AT STAMBAUGH AND IRON RIVER
As stated, the real development of the iron industry began with the Mastodon Iron Mining Company taking hold of the Dober property, in the summer of 1896. Later on the Oliver Iron Mining Company took up both the Riverton and Dober properties, and operated them continu- onsly for a number of years. Several years ago operations were discon- tinned at the Riverton but work was revived and in 1909 the mine pro- dueed nearly 170,000 tons of ore. The Riverton mine now comprises the properties formerly known as the Dober and Isabella. Work at the latter has consisted chiefly of exploratory work. The Riverton location is at Stambaugh. During the operation of the Riverton and Dober mines nearly 2,000,000 tons of ore have been mined and shipped away.
The Hiawatha mine, operated at Stambangh by the Munro Iron Company, has been developed into one of the largest producers in the district, and now produces over 136,000 tons of ore per year. Its gen- eral offices are at Iron River, having been removed thither, in 1907. from Hibbing, Minnesota.
The Mineral Mining Company was organized in 1903, by several Milwaukee men, for operating the Nanaimo and Beta Mines at Iren River, and in 1904 and 1905 nequired various other properties, inelud- ing the James and Konwinski in that district ; also the Breen Mine at Wancedah. All these properties are among the oldest of the district The total production of the Nanaimo mines has been 377.976 tons and, while they are now idle, they still have a considerable body of ore which will be merchantable in ordinarily good times. The James and Kon- winski properties are in the development stage. The James having com- meneed shipments in 1907 has a total production to January 1, 1910, of 152.971 tons. It now has a productive capacity of about 300,000 tons per annum. There are two shafts equipped with modern plants of
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machinery. The Konwinski will ship during 1911 and will have a ca- pacity of about 100,000 tons in that year.
The Spring Valley Iron Company is also exploring the Zimmerman mine near Iron River and has made small shipments.
Most of the present large producers in the Iron River district are operated from Stambaugh. With that point as headquarters, the Brule Mining Company ships an average of 100,000 tons from its Brute lo- cation, 65.000 tons from the Chatham mine, and 34,000 tons from the Berkshire tract and has favorable exploration properties at the so-called Claibourne and Lennon loentions. Probably 300 men are employed by the company in its active work. The Baker mine, with a production of
STAMBOUCH
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STAMBM'GH, MINING SUBURB OF IRON RIVER
63.000 tons, is also operated at Stambaugh by the Crystal Falls Iron Mining Company ..
STAMIBAIGI VILLAGE
Stambaugh, located on the Iron river a mile east of the village by that name, is one of the most flourishing mining centers of the Upper Peninsula, its population having increased from 695, in 1900, to 1.322 in 1910. As stated. it is headquarters for the Hiawatha and Dober mines, as well as those controlled by the Verona Mining Company, whose superintendent and the general manager of the Oliver Mining Company are residents of the place. The village was platted in the spring of 1882 by W. H. and R. Z. Selden, with Louis D. Cyr and Louis Stegmiller as proprietors. It suffered with the general depression of the iron industry for a number of years prior to 1899 and has enjoyed. in full measure. the effects of the revival. It is now a well built and
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progressive village, the intelligence of its people being reflected in the condition of its public schools. They were organized under the special legislative act of 1905 and comprise one Central High School, and two department and six district schools. In the former is a good library and all the buildings are well heated, lighted and equipped. Between twenty and twenty-five teachers are employed, most of whom are Nor- mal graduates, and about 700 pupils are enrolled. The churches of Stambaugh include Presbyterian, Swedish Mission and German Lutheran, and the Finnish people, although they have no special house of worship hold frequent services. The village is really a resident and mining
STAMBAUGH SCHOOLS
suburb of Iron City, and, although it has a number of well sustained business honses, its banking transactions are conducted through the First National Bank of the former.
CRYSTAL FALLS
Crystal Falls, which has remained the seat of justice of Iron county since its organization in 1885. is a neat municipality of 3.775 people. It is compaetly built on ground which rises rather abruptly from the valley of the Paint river, its striking site being capped by a handsome court house and Union High and Manual Training School. The court house is a $60.000 structure and the High School building. erected in 1905, eost $65.000. Crystal Falls has complete banking facilities, mod-
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CRYSTAL FALLS SCHOOLS: PRIMITIVE AND PRESENT CENTRAL SCHOOL
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ern system of water distribution and electric lighting. and, being not only the county seat, but the administrative center of a score of iron mines, enjoys a steady and growing general trade. Its interests and advantages are judiciously spread abroad through its weekly paper, the Diamond Drill.
The creation of Crystal Falls as a town-site, is due to the implicit confidence in its future, entertained by S. D. Hollister, Sr., and George Runkel, who had bought the option on the property from the original holders and reached the place September 18, 1880. Here their premed- itated jaunt into the Agogebie country was forgotten in the astounding discoveries as related to them by Henry Maltby. Realizing that the re- gion was inconceivable rich in iron ore, they organized the Crystal Falls Iron Company, and together with Jas. H. Howe, purchased the land upon which a portion of the village now stands, from Guido Pfister, who had bought originally direct from the government, and in 1881 commenced to lay out the property in town lots. Close upon their heels came J. E. Bower, druggist, in June, 1881, who erected the first build- ing in this backwoods camp. This was a cottage for Mr. Runkle, and stood at the head of Superior street. All of the personal effects brought by Dr. Bower at that time hind to be "packed." carried on the shoulders, tied with a "tump line,"-a broad leather strap which rested on the forehead-from the nearest bridge over the Brule river, nine miles dis- tant. In 1881 came a man of push, experience and prominence, in the person of Jerome B. Schwartz and another pioneer was added to the stanch people of Crystal Falls-Jerome B. Schwartz, former captain of the Breen mine at Wancedah. He erected a store and embarked in a general business, for, although subsequent to railway connections and but forty persons resided on the town plat proper, some six hundred men were employed in the mines, and at the saw-mill, whilst back in the woods, hundreds of men were occupied in getting out the saw-logs. During the period that followed Mr. Schwartz realizing the future of Crystal Falls, invested extensively in real estate, acquiring the "addi- tion" which is known by his name, and continuously prospered.
In 1881 arrived D. C. Lockwood, D. Bannerman and Dr. II. C. Kim- ball and Mrs. Kimball, the first resident lady in the place: then Al. Austrian, O. O. Welch, R. Dawson, L. M. Tyler, Frank Scadden, Dr. J. L. Kimhall, Martin Ragan. J. H. Elmore, Charles Henry, K. S. Buck ; and W. Doucet, afterward proprietor of the Crystal Falls Opera House, once the best of its kind on the range. Following these, came Nicholas Lachapelle, restaurateur, and Dr. A. A. Metcalfe, a successful practitioner whose reputation preceded him. Chas. Gallagher. J. P. and ex-Depnty Sheriff Walsh fell into line, and joined the procession up the slope, in the footsteps of Andrew Vandandaigne, who built the second dwelling house in the village, in August, 1881. J. Brown, the "wet goods" mer- chant, arrived in 1882, and on his tracks came Carl Pardee, Win. Rus- sell. R. Flood. Geo. Fremen and Captains W. II. Morrison and Frank Proker.
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As stated, Crystal Falls was platted in the fall of 1881 by George Runkel and Col. James H. Howe, proprietors, who were also contract- ors on the Chicago & North-Western Railroad, which reached the site of their town in May of that year. Mr. Runkel is credited with the real parentage of the place, as he resided at Crystal Falls for several years after it was laid out. He now lives in Idaho. Mr. Runkel was an en- terprising, popular man, and his daughter, Julia, was the first head of the local postoffice. She was succeeded by Dr. H. C. Kimball. Messrs. Runkel, Kimball and J. E. Bower erected the first permanent buildings, in the fall of 1881, in one of which the doctor opened the first drug store of Crystal Falls. In December of that year David C. Lockwood com- meneed to build the pioneer publie house, and threw it open in the fol- lowing April as the Lockwood Hotel. At that time it was not entirely completed, but travelers were demanding a place in which to eat and sleep, and so Landlord Lockwood opened his hotel to them, albeit the partitions between the rooms were of building paper. The Lockwood Hotel has been since rebuilt into a comfortable, modern place of enter- tainment.
The first Sabbath school in Crystal Falls was opened. in the spring of 1882. at the house of George Runkel, with Findlay Breese as super- intendent of ten scholars. At first it was connected with the Presby- terian society, but was afterwards absorbed by the Methodist church.
William J. Lowrey, a theological student from Princeton Seminary, held the first services in the place during the month of June, 1882. He organized a Presbyterian society, which first met in a two-story build- ing over a saloon and which flourished for some years thereafter. Mr. Lowrey is now a missionary in China.
Martha Parmenter taught the first secular school, in the summer of 1883, gathering her little elass in a building which stood on the south side of Superior avenue, between Third and Fourth streets.
Within a decade from the year Crystal Falls was platted her popu- lation had exceeded three thousand people; it was 3,231 in 1890. This goodly growth spurred its citizens toward the goal of village incorpora- tion, which was granted by the county board of supervisors January 24, 1889. It was reincorporated by the state legislature in 1891, and its present population is distributed by wards as follows: Ward 1, 703; Ward 2, 1,824; Ward 3, 1,248. Total, 3,775.
In conclusion, this sketch which relates especially to the corporation of Crystal Falls, should speak more fully of the admirable Central school at this point. The building is a three story brick, with stone trinnnings, and is outwardly imposing and pleasing, especially as it is so well framed by generous grass plats, which, at the rear, stretch toward a beautiful maple grove and two plats of ground (300 by 400 feet). designed for playgrounds and athletic fields. The ground floor of the building is devoted to the gymnasium, toilet rooms, and mannal training and do- mestie science quarters, which are complete and sanitary in every detail. A part of this floor, as well as the entire second, are given over to the
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BIRDSEYE VIEW OF CRYSTAL FALLS
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class rooms of the High School department (average attendance, 120 pupils) and those of the grammar grades (320 scholars). The well- equipped laboratories and recitation rooms occupy the third floor. Here is also a remarkably complete township library of 4,500 volumes. Its generously laden shelves open off from the main recitation room, which is tastefully adorned with pictures, statues and other works of art. In fact, the corridors and the entire interior bear such marks of good taste and mental stimulus; the active b:ain of today is not obliged to
IRON COUNTY COURT HOUSE, CRYSTAL FALLS
be frozen with the bare walls of yesterday's schools. The entire money value of the school and grounds is placed at $90,000.
Under the prevailing system all the city and township schools are under one superintendent, who is the principal of the Crystal Falls central school. Outside of this are three ward schools, in the city, at- tended by 780 scholars in the elementary grades. Altogether there are twelve schools, in the township, whose school population, according to the census of 1911, is 1.595, and whose teachers number 45. It should be added that the Crystal Falls High School is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and that its grad-
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uates are entitled to admission to any of the institutions within that organization, which inelnde the leading colleges and universities in this section of the country.
When speaking of Crystal Falls as a mining center, first mention is due the firm of Corrigan, MeKinney & Company, one of the leading in- dependent iron-ore producers in the Lake Superior district. In Iron county the company controls and operates the Tobin, Armenian, Dann, Lamont. Fairbanks. Kimball. Crystal Falls, Great Northern and Baker mines; the last named, at Stambangh, is the only location outside the Crystal Falls district. The heaviest and most constant producers of late years have been the Tobin, Dunn and Great Northern. According to late figures the Tobin ships over 425,000 tons of ore annually and employs 170 men; the Dunn mine has shipments amounting to nearly 190,000, with a payroll of 150 and the Great Northern takes ont some 112,000 tons and employs 200. The Armenian, Lamont, Fairbanks, Kimball and Crystal Falls mines have been rather uncertain proposi- tions, all but the Armenian (unwatered in 1909-10) having been idle for some time.
Just north of Crystal Falls the Bristol mine is operated by the Bris- tol Mining Company, with an annual output of over 400,000 tons of ore and a force of abont 240 men ; which figures place it well up in the list of producers in the Menominee range. A less important proposition is the Hollister mine, also with headquarters at the county seat; it ships about 26.000 tons yearly and employs about 75 men.
OTHER TOWNS
Palatka, platted in the summer of 1901, is a mining town of some consequence, the headquarters of the Verona Mining Company, which operates the Baltic, Caspian and Fogarty mines at that point. Follow- ing are the latest recorded productions with number of men employed : Baltic, 185,107 tons, and 250 men; Caspian, 205.703, with 275 employ- ees: Fogerty, 86,155 tons and 75 men.
Mansfield is a village a few miles east of Crystal Falls, well known as the location of the productive mine by that name. It has been ope- rated for a dozen years, produces over 114,000 tons of ore annually and employs 110 men.
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