USA > Michigan > Alpena County > Centennial history of Alpena County, Michigan > Part 11
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Marie in four days, under favorable circumstances-a distance of about two hundred and twenty miles-and in two instances they made, under a reward, a traverse from Bay City to Devil river, in seventeen hours -- a distance of one hundred miles or more.
Having given some idea how the mail was carried on the Lake Huron shore, at the time Fremont was first settled, we now proceed to give some details in regard to the establishment of the first postoffice in Alpena county. Among the many pri- vations that are experienced by the early settlers of a country, is the absence of reading matter and mail facilities. The American thinks it a hardship to do without his newspaper, if only for a short time, and receives it again with as much eager- ness as he does his "bread and butter," after being without his dinner. The first settlers of Alpena were no exception to the rule, and Mr. Carter says, in a letter to George N. Fletcher, under date of the 14th of February, 1857: "I want you to send more papers; we read everything all to pieces." As soon as A. F. Fletcher arrived in Fremont, he became sensible of this great want of mail, and in his first letter to his cousin, G. N. Fletcher, he says: "You ought to write to Washington about a postoffice." Soon after this letter, a petition went to Washington, for a postoffice at Fremont, and on the 15th of January, 1858, the papers arrived from Washington, establish- ing a postoffice at Fremont, with Daniel Carter as post- master, together with blanks and other things necessary for the newly made postmaster to exercise the functions of his office. From 1850 to this time, the writer received his mail in the winter, through arrangements made with the postmaster at Bay City, and the mail carriers, the writer's mail being made into a sealed package and carried outside the mail bags; and in summer, by arrangements with the postmaster at Detroit, and his schooner and other vessels coming to Devil river for lum- ber-receiving his mail quite regularly during the winter, and
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at intervals of from one week to one month during the summer. Soon after the operations of the postoffice at Fremont had commenced, it was discovered that there was another Fremont in the State, and some letters occasionally went to the wrong Fremont, and the people had the name changed to Alpena post- office. Then letters sometimes went to a place called Alpine, and the name of the postoffice was again changed to Thunder Bay postoffice, and subsequently to Alpena postoffice, which name it still retains. Having a mail route established along the lake shore, for the winter season, the mail came regularly once a week during the winter, but having no mail route estab- lished for the summer season, the office had to depend on such arrangements as the postmaster could make with the postmas- ter at Detroit, and circumstances. When any responsible per- son went to Detroit, and to return soon, he was authorized to carry the mail; and about the last words to those leaving for Detroit, were, "Don't forget the mail." This state of things continued only one summer. Mr. Carter petitioned the depart- ment at Washington, to establish a mail route between Bay City and Fremont, in the summer season. They replied that they could not establish a mail route, but would grant him the whole proceeds of the office for the purpose of carrying the mail. During the summers of 1859, 1860 and 1861, Mr. Car- ter procured the mail to be carried between Bay City and Al- pena, as often as it could be carried, in a small boat ; and at the end of the three years, Mr. Carter found himself to the good, less expenses, about two hundred dollars. The mail was then carried by steamers, running between Alpena and Bay City, for the proceeds of the Alpena postoffice and the other offices along the shore, and what the people donated, until July, 1866, when a regular mail route was established; and from that time until 1876, there has been a daily mail carried on the boats, and as regular as the weather would permit. Up to 1863, the winter mail had been carried by "dog train," along
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.....
WILLIAM D. HITCHCOCK.
CLOSELY IDENTIFIED WITH THE GROWTH OF ALPENA, AND WAS ITS FOURTH POSTMASTER, BEING APPOINTED IN 1868.
the shore. This winter, the arrangement was changed, and the "dog train" came only as far as Fremont, and returned. Mr. Carter, under a sub contract, carried the mail between Fre- mont and Bay City, and continued to carry it in the winter, until the summer route was established, in 1866. It was then carried by stage, until 1876. Mr. Carter's house was made the first postoffice, and this, as well as many other of the institutions that now belong to Alpena, took their incipient growth at Mr. Carter's house. For remuneration as postmas- ter, Mr. Carter was to have sixty per cent of the revenue from the office, yet his salary for the first year did not reach the moderate sum of five dollars. Mr. Carter resigned the office in April, 1860, but was not relieved until October, when E. K. Potter was appointed his successor, and following him in office was Leroy Bundy. The present incumbent, in 1876, is W. D. Hitchcock, and the fourth on the list of Alpena postmasters. The office is now one of considerable importance, being made a money order office in 1868. Its revenue, in 1875, being $3,- 627.81; and the amount of orders issued reached the sum of
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$24,036.09. In 1867, through the influence of the writer, a postoffice was established at Ossineke, called the Ossineke post- office, and the appointment of George B. Melville as postmaster. The revenue of the office, for the first year, was a little over three hundred dollars. In 1876, there were four postoffices in the county, two as above stated, and one called Long Rapids postoffice, with John Louden as postmaster, and one called East Side postoffice, with Mrs. Ellen Roberts as postmistress.
BY WATER .- Prior to 1844, but little was known of Alpena county. and its waters were very seldom visited by any craft larger than a fishing boat. In 1845 and 1846, Thunder Bay Island becoming a large fishing station, made it profitable for steamboats going around the lakes, to call at this island, for freight and passengers. In 1846, the fishermen on the island entered into an agreement with two steamers, to call at the island every trip up and down during the season, when the weather would permit; and it became a habit with all the steamers to land passengers at the island, and call for them when signaled for them to call, by hoisting a flag. And this babit, once obtained, continued until 1859; and most of the travel to and from Fremont was by this route-the freight mostly coming on sail vessels. After the sawmill was built at Devil river, vessels occasionally came there for lumber. In 1852, the writer purchased the schooner Marshall Ney, and run it regularly from his mill, at Devil river, to Cleveland, for four years. Occasionally, during this time, small vessels came in search of freight or trade. In 1859 and 1860, the business of Fremont having largely increased, steamers found it profitable to make occasional trips there, and Capt. Darius Cole, owner of the steamer Columbia, was induced by the people of Alpena, to place his boat on the route between Fremont and Detroit, and in a short time began making regular trips. The Columbia being a small boat, was able to land her passengers and freight on the dock inside the river, while the Forest Queen, that came
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to Fremont only when she could obtain a profitable freight, was compelled to lay outside the river, and discharge her freight and passengers on lighters and boats, on account of the sand- bar at the mouth of the river. In the spring of 1860, we find the following in the Detroit papers: "Steamer Columbia, Da- rius Cole, Master, leaves Detroit every Monday, at 2 P. M., ar- rives at Bay City Wednesday morning, and leaves Bay City for Thunder Bay every Wednesday morning, at 10 o'clock." At the same time, the Forest Queen made trips to Tawas, every Friday, and every other Friday extended her trips to Au Sable, and sometimes came to Fremont. From 1859 to the fall of 1864, the Columbia continued to make weekly trips from De- troit to Alpena, and the Forest Queen came when she could get a paying freight. In 1863, the Genesee Chief, Capt. Clark, run on the Bay City route, and continued on that route until the fall of 1867. In the fall of 1864, the Sky Lark, Capt. A. G. Ripley, came on the Bay City and Fremont route, and the "old Columbia receded." The Sky Lark continued to make bi-daily trips each season, until the summer of 1866, when she was sold to western parties and taken off the route, and the steamer Huron, Capt. D. Cole, run in the Sky Lark's place during the remainder of the season. In 1867, the steamer Al- pena, Capt. John Robeson, run on the route between Detroit and Alpena, making regular trips; and the Huron, Capt. D. Cole, run with the Genesee Chief, on the Bay City route. Dur- ing the years 1867 and 1868, the harbor of Alpena had been so much improved by piers and dredging, that steamers could en- ter the river, and in 1868, a new impulse was given to mill building in Alpena, and consequently a large increase of freight for that place, as well as a corresponding increase along the shore. In the spring of 1868, the steamer Huron, Capt. D. Cole, started on the Bay City and Alpena route, and in July, the steamer Geo. W. Reynolds, Capt. Benj. Boutell, run with the Huron, on the same route. On the 4th day of July, the
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steamer Metropolis made her first visit to Alpena, and run on the route the remainder of the season. The Marine City run this season, on the shore route, from Detroit to Alpena, in place of the Alpena, and extended her trips to Mackinac Island. In 1869, the steamer Metropolis, Capt. Cole, run on the Bay City route, and the Marine City, Capt. John Robeson, run from De- troit to Mackinac. Business having largely increased in Al- pena and on the bay shore, in 1870, the Metropolis, Capt. Cole, started on the Bay City route in the spring, and in October, the steamer Sandusky, Capt. MeGregor, was placed on the same route; and the Marine City, Capt. John Robeson, run on the shore, from Detroit to Mackinac. In 1871 and 1872, the steamer Sandusky, Capt. John Stewart, run on the Bay City route; and in 1872, the steamer Lake Breeze, Capt. Lathrop, run with the Sandusky, on the same route; and the Marine City, Capt. John Robeson, continued to run from Detroit to Mackinac, and the propeller Galena, Capt. Broadbridge, made regular trips from Cleveland to Alpena. About the middle of the season of 1873, the steamer Dunlap, Capt. Brown, and the steamer John Sherman, Capt. John Stewart, were placed on the Bay City route, the Dunlap continuing on the route until after 1876. She was sailed in 1874, by Capt. Snow, and in 1875 and 1876 by Capt. A. G. Ripley; and the Sherman, Capt. Stewart, run with the Dunlap in 1874. In 1875 and 1876, the steamer Dove, Capt. Knowlton, run with the Dunlap on the Bay City route, and the Marine City, Capt. John Robeson, continued to run on the shore route, between Detroit and Mackinac Island. In the meantime, the propellers Wenona, Capt. L. R. Boynton. and the Galena, Capt. Broadbridge, run from Alpena to Cleve- land.
BY ROADS .- The first meeting of the Highway Commission- ers took place at the house of Daniel Carter, on March 26th, 1858, and, "On motion of D. D. Oliver, it was voted to form two road districts:
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"Road District No. 1, to be bounded as follows: Commenc- ing on Thunder Bay, where the east and west center line of town 30 north, of range 8 east, intersects the bay; thence west, to range line between ranges 7 and 8; thence north, to town line between 31 and 32; thence east, to range line between ranges 8 and 9; thence south, to Thunder Bay; thence on mar- gin of bay, to the place of beginning.
"Road District No. 2, to be bounded as follows: North by Road District No. 1; thence east by Thunder Bay, to the town line between towns 28 and 29; thence west to range line be- tween towns 7 and 8, and thence north, to the south boundary of District No. 1."
At the second meeting of the Highway Commissioners, which soon followed the first, a petition, signed by Joseph K. Miller, Addison F. Fletcher, David Plough, Daniel Carter, Moses Bing- ham, Abram Hopper, James S. Irwin, Lewis Atkins and David D. Oliver, was presented to the board, to lay out and estab- lish a road, "commencing near the mouth of Thunder Bay river, and thence by the most feasible route to the mouth of Devil river," this being the the first township road surveyed in the county. The petition was accepted, and the county surveyor was requested to make the necessary survey of the road.
At the spring election of 1859, a motion was made by the electors, and carried, and the following was placed upon the records: "Voted to raise the sum of one hundred dollars, ac- cording to the report of the Highway Commissioners, for the purpose of surveying and establishing a road from the mouth of Thunder Bay river to Devil river."
The records do not show that any one was authorized to levy and collect the tax, but nevertheless the tax was levied and col- lected, as the same has been done many times in towns where their organizations were much older than Fremont. The writ- er made the necessary survey of the road the same season, but too late in the fall to do any work on the road.
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The first highway tax roll was made in 1858, by Lewis At- kins, township clerk, for Road District No. 2. Only four par- ties appear on the roll, subject to road tax, as follows:
Page and Oliver, taxed 112 days, 4 hours.
David D. Oliver, taxed 1 day, 7 hours.
Andrew Horn, taxed 5 days, 6 hours.
John Dawson, taxed 1 day, 3 hours.
The highway tax roll of District No. 1, the writer has not been able to obtain.
The people all along the Lake Huron shore, and especially those at Fremont, were very anxious to have a road opened be- tween Bay City and Fremont. Indeed this road had become a necessity, and a petition was drawn up and signed by nearly all on the shore, and presented to the State Legislature, who, in 1859, passed the following act:
Sec 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact, That Daniel Carter, of Fremont, C. C. Chilson, of Bay county, D. D. Oliver, of Devil river, Allen Terry, of AuSable, and Charles H. Whittemore, of Tawas City, be and the same are hereby appointed commissioners to lay out and establish a state road, from Saginaw City, in the county of Saginaw, to Cheboygan, in the county of Cheboygan, touching at Tawas City, AuSable, and Fremont, on Thunder Bay.
Sec. 2. For the purpose of the further construction and in- provement of said road, there is hereby appropriated all the non-resident highway taxes, not otherwise appropriated by law for State roads, within six miles of the line of said road. on each side thereof, for the year 1859, and for five years there- after."
The act also provided that the Highway Commissioners, of each township, through which the road should pass, should adopt and work the same, and it also provided that "said com- missioners" should receive the large sum of "one dollar and fifty
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cents per day, for each day they were so engaged in laying out said road."
Soon after the commissioners had received notice of their appointment, a meeting of the commissioners was called to meet at Tawas City, that being the central point. The only way to reach that place from Fremont, was either to foot it down the shore or go in a small boat. Accordingly Messrs. Carter, of Fremont, and Oliver, of Devil river, two days before the meeting was to take place, started for Tawas City, in the said small boat. They reached the place of meeting, iu good time and found all the newly appointed commissioners on hand, excepting C. C. Chilson, of Bay county, who had but little in- terest in the road. The commissioners met and, after thorough- ly discussing the matter, and considering the great wisdom and munificence of the Legislature in passing the act, came to the conclusion that there would not be money enough collected during the said five years, to keep a brushed road that length in repair, after it had been laid out and made, as at that time but little land had been purchased along the line of the pro- posed road, and after voting the enterprise a failure, they ad- journed sine die.
Thus ended the first effort for a road from the Saginaws to Alpena. After a week spent in this useless effort, Carter and Oliver returned, having spent their time and money, for which they could not expect any remuneration, except the conscious- ness of having faithfully discharged the duties imposed upon them by the people, and the imposition imposed upon the peo- ple by the Legislature.
The subject of a State road, from Bay City to Cheboygan, was not dropped, but the subject continued to be agitated until, in 1861, the State Legislature passed a large bundle of bills for making State roads, and among them was the following:
Sec. 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact, There shall be laid out and established, by commissioners to be ap-
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pointed by the Governor, upon the most direct and eligible route, between the places hereinafter designated, the following State roads: (The 22d in the list is) a road from Duncan, in Cheboygan county, to AuSable river, in Iosco county, via Al- pena, to be known as the Duncan, Alpena and AuSable River State Road.
Sec. 3. To secure the construction of said road, there is here- by appropriated an average amount of six hundred and forty acres of State swamp land to the mile." *
David Plough, of Alpena, was appointed commissioner on the Duncan, Alpena and AuSable Stato Road. No provision having been made, by the Legislature, for laying out this road, excepting the lands, the Board of Supervisors met and passed an order, to accept lands of the State of Michigan, for the benefit of the county, and issue road orders, provided they would be accepted, for making the survey of the road, in lieu of the land, and they authorized the commissioner to make a contract accordingly, and in April, 1862, he made a contract with the writer to make a survey of the road, for the sum of five dollars per mile, payable in county orders, or lands, at the option of the surveyors. The road was to be surveyed under the supervision of the commissioner, the writer furnishing all things needed for the work.
On the 31st of May, 1862, the writer commenced the survey of the road at AuSable river. His party consisted of David Plough, commissioner, and Daniel Carter looking out the most feasible route for the road; A. J. A. Micholowski and Frank Trow- bridge, for chainmen; John King and Isaac Isaacson, for pack- ers; Robert Newell, for axman, and Elijah Degroat, for cook.
The survey was made in due time, and the report accepted by the Board of Control, at Lansing, in the fall of 1862. In July, 1863, the first contracts were made for the work on the road. The largest contractors on the road were S. O. Harris and J. B. Babcock.
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Mr. Plough remained commissioner for a number of years, and was variously praised and blamed, as interest or prejudice prompted, but he was honest, and failed to make money out of the road, when he could have seen "millions in it." Here the speculative ideas of Plough and Oliver were at fault, for the extensive knowledge that Oliver had at that time of pine lands, and the extensive influence and power exercised by the Commissioner of State Lands, in letting and accepting con- tracts, would have made the business extensively profitable; but all this passed like a panorama, with but little thought, if any, in that direction, and so the wisdom, that comes after the fact, is worthless.
A short time prior to the survey of the Duncan, Alpena and AuSable State Road, a State road had been made from East Saginaw to AuSable river, called the East Saginaw and Au- Sable State Road, but was only passable for teams in the win- ter, on account of the condition of the AuGres swamps, and it was, after repeated efforts and appropriations of swamp lands, that it became passable in the summer season. The road, from the AuSable to Alpena, was finished during the summer of 1864, and that winter a stage line was run by Daniel Carter, between Alpena and Bay City, and the people rejoiced that they had a way out of the woods during the winter.
In order to carry the mail, Mr. Carter, in 1863, run teams between Alpena and Bay City, by traveling sometimes in a bushed road, and sometimes on the ice, on the lake shore, but this way of traveling was risky and disagreeable.
The Legislature had failed to connect the two roads, by one- half mile of road, and a bridge across the AuSable river.
In the winter of 1866 and 1867, through the Hon. J. K. Lockwood, an appropriation of swamp lands was made for the improvement of the road, and for building a bridge across the AuSable river, and in 1867, the connection of the roads was made by a bridge across the river. The road, from Alpena toward Duncan, was continued to be made slowly, and in 1865,
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Daniel Carter built a bridge across Thunder Bay river, on the contract of G. N. Fletcher. It was many years before this road was finished to Duncan, and indeed, in 1876, it is not pass- able for teams, the whole length, in the summer.
From the organization of the township, to 1870, most of the proceeds of the road tax was expended on the streets of Fre- mont. A bridge had been made, in 1865, across Thunder Bay river, connecting Dock and Second streets, and paid for from the proceeds of the road tax. It was a poor experiment, and soon went to decay. A road had been surveyed and cut out for a bush road, on the west side of the river, from Fremont to the Broadwell mill, at the rapids, and some work had been done, on what is known in 1876, as the section line road.
When the Duncan, Alpena and AuSable State Road was sur- veyed, it was carried in a direct route from the town line, near Greenbush, in Alcona county, to Ossineke, in Alpena county, and passed west of Harrisville and Black River. It was sur- veyed there instead of following the lake shore, through the instance of S. O. Harris, who compromised with the commis- sioner, and paid the writer thirty dollars for backing up on his line, from Harrisville to Greenbush. What his object was, the writer was not informed.
The people along the shore still needed a road, and, in 1865. an appropriation of swamp land was made for a State road from Ossineke to Harrisville, following the shore to South Point and Black River, and late in the fall of 1866, the road was opened for winter travel. Obed Smith was the principal contractor and builder of this road.
On the 3d of May, 1869, a meeting of the citizens of Alpena was called, for the purpose of taking into consideration the condition of the old bridge. At this meeting the Highway Commissioners were requested to examine the bridge and re- port at the next meeting. On the 15th of May, the commis- sioners, D. Carter, Thos. Murray and Samuel Boggs, made their report, and the following resolution was passed: "Re-
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solved, That a new bridge be built by tax, on the present site of the old one, and to be finished by the first of May next."
A motion was also made and carried, requesting the Board of Supervisors to call a meeting and take the necessary steps to build a county bridge. J. K. Lockwood, Chairman; A. Hopper, Clerk.
This meeting had the desired effect, and during the winter of 1869 and 1870, a good and substantial wooden bridge was placed over the stream, connecting Dock and Second streets. This bridge is good in 1876.
For several years, during the winters, much talk and agita- tion was had by the people of Alpena, and those along the bay shore, in regard to a railroad along the shore, to Alpena, but was always dropped during the summer.
In January, 1875, quite an impulse was given to the railroad agitators by a man of the name of Jefferds, who pro- posed to build a railroad, from Alpena, direct to Sterling, on the Saginaw and Mackinaw road, and the spring opened with a fair prospect of a railroad to. Alpena, and made quite a stir for a short time.
The road was surveyed, and grounds cleared for a site, for work shops, and an engine house, and some of the road cleared and graded.
Had the people of Alpena "boosted" the enterprise a little, as much as they will have to do, in all probability, when they get a road, they would have had one this summer, but they had lapsed into their usual summer complaint, and Mr. Jefferds not being able to build the road, it was abandoned.
In the winter of 1875, five sections of swamp lands were given by the State, to build a State road, from Alpena to Long Lake, and called the Long Lake State Road. The five sec- tions of land, being insufficient to build the road, it being six and one-half miles long, a sum of $700 was raised by the people for that purpose, and in July, of the same year, a contract was made for building the road, and in 1876, the road is being made.
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