History of Bay County, Michigan, and representative citizens, Part 14

Author: Gansser, Augustus H., 1872-
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond & Arnold
Number of Pages: 738

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The first meeting of the trustees was held in a room over the store of Jennison Brothers, located on what is now Water street and Fifth avenue, and where, oddly enough, 46 years later we find the Jennison hardware store, with its great business managed by the descendants of those early pioneers. The trustees did little more than organize on May 5, 1859, but at another meeting, held May 23, 1859, they com- pleted the government of the village by appoint- ing John A. Weed, village marshal; Henry M. Bradley, street commissioner, while the asses- sors named were Algernon S. Munger and

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William Daglish. Evidently things politic were managed somewhat differently during those early years, than they are in this year of grace, 1905. The gentlemen named for assessors not only did not seek the honor, but felt that their private affairs did not allow them to do justice to the public duties. Consequently the village trustees appointed in their stead A. G. Sinclair and Charles D. Fisher. But Mr. Sinclair was equally scrupulous in the matter, and Col. Henry Raymond was chosen on June 6, 1859.

One of the first official acts of the trustees was the ordering of board walks on Washing- ton avenue from First to Tenth streets, and the opening of Jefferson street and Madison ave- nue, north of Center, avenue. On June 3, 1859, Hon. James Birney was appointed attor- ney for the village at a salary of $75 per year ! On June 27, 1859, a general tax for village purposes of $1,047 was certified to by the asses- sors, and they also levied a highway tax of one-half of one per cent. The efficient fire de- partment of this community had its inception on December 19, 1859, when Israel Catlin, Henry M. Bradley and Harmon A. Chamber- lin were appointed a committee on fire protec- tion : on January 4, 1860, they were authorized to rent a sufficient amount of leather hose for use until spring, and they also procured a tri- angle for the hose house.

The first year of the village was rich with promise of future greatness and development. The government census showed a population of 810 in Bay City, and 3,164 in Bay County. Saginaw County, even after losing Bay two years previous, had 12,693 people. This first year of Bay City as an incorporated community was marked by a large increase in population, and new impetus in the financial and social conditions. The first salt-well was sunk in

1860, the lumber industry assumed larger pro- portions, and a few enterprising farmers pro- ceeded to carve farms out of the wilderness of swamp and pine stumpage. The pioneers felt the need of better connection with the outside world, and about II miles of the plank road toward Tuscola County had been built before snow came that fall, and naturally the earliest farms were situated largely on this important highway. It has ever since been known as the Tuscola road. It was for years a toll road, and toll houses were doing business there during the first drive the writer took over its well- worn surface in 1882.

A roster of the village officers reads as fol- lows: 1861 : W. L. Fay, president; Sydney S. Campbell, recorder; B. Whittauer, treasurer. 1862: James Watson, president; J. L. Mon- roe, recorder ; August Kaiser, treasurer. 1863 : Curtis Munger, president; Nathaniel Whitte- more, recorder ; C. Scheurman, treasurer. 1864: Curtis Munger, president; Nathaniel Whittemore, recorder; C. Scheurman, treas- urer. 1865: Jule B. Hart, president ; P. S. Hiesordt, recorder ; Ernst Frank, treasurer.

In January, 1865, the village showed a population of 3,359, and the Legislature was asked to give the community a city charter, which was granted.

On the first Monday in April, 1865, the city of Bay City perfected its organization, by electing a full set of city officials, including aldermen for the three wards into which the ambitious settlement had been divided. The pioneers of that city of a little more than three thousand souls, hardly foresaw that in the course of events, just 40 years later, at the election on the first Monday in April, 1905, this city of Bay City would be united in wed- lock to the equally healthy and beautiful city across the river, and that the family thus united

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would bring over 41,000 people within the boundaries of the new and greater city of Bay City.

At the time Bay City was chartered, the site of future West Bay City was a beautiful grove of oaks and stately pines. The little elevation extending back from the river was a favorite camping ground of the wandering In- dians, and their bark and hide wigwams gave the western landscape a pretty and picturesque setting, as viewed from Bay City. But there was little evidence of the rapid development in store for that side of the river in the years to come. There was a settlement near the mouth of the river, which in 1865 became Banks, and an equally ambitious burg opposite Portsmouth fostered by Dr. Daniel Hughes Fitzhugh, which was called Salzburg by its German pioneers, a name which is still all its own. Since the years of agitation about unit- ing all these scattered and yet connected little communities under one head, the people have often expressed wonder why they were not all included in the charter provisions of Bay City as originally drawn by the Legislature in 1865. But in view of the foregoing it will be appar- ent, that there was really nothing but virgin forest and a few roving Indians to take in at that time on the west bank of the river. In 1864, H. W. Sage began the erection of his "Big Mill" directly across from the heart of Bay City, and workingmen were hurrying to the new lumber El Dorado, but it was not until May, 1866, that the village of Winona was in- corporated. Hence Bay City did not take in anything originally, except the central portion of what is now included in the corporate city limits.

The first election of city offices in Bay City resulted as follows: Hon. Nathan B. Brad- ley, mayor; William T. Kennedy, recorder ; Ernst Frank, treasurer. In this year of grace,

1905, Hon. Nathan B. Bradley is still with us, the same public-spirited, enterprising, beloved and esteemed citizen, that he was just 40 years ago! It is a rare anniversary in the life of a community and in the career of a public offi- cial. And during all those 40 years our "First Mayor" has been indefatigable in the work of building up these communities, and in blessing its inhabitants. He is to-day the "Grand Old Man" of our city's surviving pioneers, just as Hon. James G. Birney was the "Grand Old Man" of the pioneer days of our county. Nor is Mr. Bradley alone in celebrating this anni- versary, for the first city treasurer of Bay City, Ernst Frank, is still actively engaged in his business pursuits, occupying a suite of offices in the Crapo Block, from whose lofty pinnacle can be gained a fine view of the new greater city, so far ahead of anything the first officials of our city perceived even in their fondest dreams. Both of these veteran officials and sterling citizens held many offices of trust and responsibility in the years following the incor- poration of our city, and contributed much to the development of the city and county.

The first Board of Aldermen was as fol- lows: First Ward : George W. Hotchkiss and Jerome B. Sweet; Second Ward: Alexander M. Johnson and Jeffrie R. Thomas; Third Ward : James Watson and Herschel H. Hatch. Hon. Herschel H. Hatch is in 1905 a resident of Detroit, and one of Michigan's most distin- guished lawyers. He, too, filled many places of trust and responsibility in this city, county, district and State, and lives to enjoy the 40th anniversary of the birthday of this city, and of his entry upon its public duties. On April II, 1865, these councilmen fixed the bond of the treasurer at $3,000, and appointed Thomas Carney, Sr., street commissioner ; Theophilus C. Grier, city attorney ; C. Feige, city marshal ; and Andrew Huggins, city surveyor.

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One of the first requirements of this bust- ling little "sawdust" town was more ample fire protection, and at a special election held the first Monday in September, 1865, the people voted in favor of purchasing a steam fire- engine. Accordingly on September 30th the aldermen ordered the sum of $4,997.47 spread on the city tax-rolls for. the ensuing year, and by resolution, adopted November 18, 1865, the new "Silsby" fire-engine was duly accepted. The valuation of the city's property during the first year of its existence was placed at $633,000.

Hon. Nathan B. Bradley came to Bay City in 1858, engaging in the lumber business, in which he has ever since been more or less in- terested to this day. He was one of the first lumber manufacturers to add the making of salt to his sawmill plant, using the refuse as fuel for the salt plant. In 1865, with that fore- sight which has ever made him the foremost citizen in all public enterprises in Bay City, he interested others with himself and applied for and secured a charter for building a street railway in the new lumber town! Verily things were moving fast! Only seven years before, the supervisor from Portsmouth had to come down in a canoe, because the Indian trail and river, road were both difficult and uncertain as a means of reaching the heart of the settlement, and now these settlers already have metropoli- tan ideas and want an up-to-date street car serv- ice! It is also to be noted in passing, that those sturdy pioneers did not enter any protest against giving away valuable franchises, about bartering away the people's rights without ade- quate return, such as have become the fashion of these latter days. In 1865 the residents of this booming lumber town welcomed the pros- pect of rapid and easy transportation, such as the horse cars furnished all over the country at that time. Mr. Bradley was the secretary-

treasurer and one of the managing directors for many years of the local street railway sys- tem. He served this growing community with eminent distinction in the State Senate, 1866- 67, and in 1872 was elected to the 43rd Con- gress. He served on the committee of public lands, doing much to develop the interior of Michigan, which then contained much of the country's public lands. He also secured large appropriations for dredging the Saginaw River and the harbors of his district, making them navigable for lake boats of the deepest draught, both of which measures were of vital import- ance to the commercial development of this city and county. The first mayor of Bay City stood like a stone-wall in defense of the elec- toral bill in the 44th Congress, believing it the only peaceful solution of the all important question. During all the 40 years since Mr. Bradley first guided the public affairs of the growing city, he has been conspicuous in every discussion of important public questions. He has presided at many city, county and district conventions, and there has not been an import- ant political campaign during that long period that has not found him fighting in the very van for the principles he holds dear. Yet the love and esteem in which he is held by the entire community attest the fact, that he has never stooped to the guerrilla tactics, so common in partisan warfare during the heat of political campaigns. He has set the good example of placing his citizenship first! Partisan consider- ations come thereafter. Hence while his neigh- bors might differ with him on questions of national economy and the particular manner of conducting our national affairs, yet they were, after all, his fellow-citizens, whom he knew to be as honest, as earnest and as sincere as he was himself.

The writer has no apology to offer for this transgression upon the tide of events in the

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city and county. For the first mayor of Bay City is to-day such a bright and living example of all that is noble, progressive, charitable, forceful and worthy of emulation by coming generations, that the pause in the narration of municipal events is really but an indicator of one of the leading factors in their consumma- tion. It is usually easy enough to carry on a city government that has been well organized and properly started, and hence more import- ance attaches to the charter organization than to subsequent administrations, that had the benefit of the experience of the earlier officials. The esteem in which the first officials of Bay City were held, and the ability with which they served their young constituency, is best attested by the many honors subsequently conferred on Mayor Nathan B. Bradley and on City Treas- urer Ernst Frank, who served continuously until April, 1869, and again in later years, and on Recorder W. T. Kennedy, who served until April, 1867.

The roster of city officials from that day to this includes many prominent names in the annals of the city, men who stood high in the business world, and others who stood equally high in their chosen professions. Here is the list of the successors of the first officials :

Mayors .- James Watson, 1866-67; W. L. Fay, 1868; James J. McCormick, 1869; Alger- non S. Munger, 1870; G. H. Van Etten, 1871 ; Appleton Stevens, 1872-75; Archibald Mc- Donell, 1876-77; George Lord, 1878; John H. Wilkins, 1879-82; Hon. T. A. E. Weadock, 1883-84; George H. Shearer, 1885-87; Hon. Hamilton M. Wright, 1888-89; Hon. George D. Jackson, 1890-95; Hon. Hamilton M. Wright, 1895-97; Alexander McEwan, 1897- 1901; Dr. William Cunningham, 1902-03; Frank T. Woodworth, 1904-05.

Recorders .- Nathaniel Whittemore, 1868- 70; I. G. Warden, 1871-77; T. A. Delzell,

1878-85; James B. Barber, 1886-92; Octavius A. Marsac, 1892-1905.

Treasurers .- I. G. Warden, 1869; August Kaiser, 1870; Lucien S. Coman, 1871-74; C. S. Braddock, 1875-76; Charles Supe, 1877; E. Wood, 1878; Jacob Knoblauch, 1879-80; Jo- seph Cusson, 1881-82 ; Charles Babe, 1883-85; William G. Beard, 1886-87; Albert Jeffrey, 1888-91 ; Ernst Frank, 1891-95; Ludwig Dan- iels, 1895-99; H. A. Gustin, 1899-1903; Ed- ward E. Corliss, 1903-05.

Comptrollers. - R. Mckinney, 1869; George Lord, 1870-74; Patrick J. Perrott, 1875-76; W. H. Fennell, 1877-78; C. F. Bra- man, 1879-89; Capt. William Keith, 1889-97; G. F. Ambrose, 1897-1901; Thomas W. Moore, 1901-05.

The present city officials are as follows : Mayor, Frank T. Woodworth; recorder, Oc- tavius A. Marsac; treasurer, Edward E. Cor- liss; comptroller, Thomas W. Moore; city at- torney, Brakie J. Orr; city engineer, Capt. George Turner; chief of the fire department, Thomas K. Harding; chief of police, N. N. Murphy; police justice, William M. Kelley; street commissioner, Henry Fox; pound mas- ters,-John Rowell, Sr., and Michael Dom- browski; librarian, Capt. Aaron J. Cooke; superintendent of water-works, E. L. Dunbar; superintendent of schools, Prof. John A. Stewart.

WEST BAY CITY.

BANKS .- In 1851, Joseph Trombley, the far-famed Indian trader and pioneer, had 25 acres of his large land holdings on the west bank of the river, platted into village lots, which Thomas Whitney, of Bangor, Maine, who erected the first sawmill in that locality, named in honor of his birthplace, Bangor. In 1865 "Uncle Sam" established a post office in this little settlement, and finding another post

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office with the same name in Michigan, had it changed to Banks, which 40 years later still marks this enterprising portion of Greater Bay City. The village of Banks in 1865 was sit- uated on section 16, in the township of Bangor, and had 350 inhabitants.

The village of Banks was incorporated by act of the Legislature, April 15, 1871, and this act was amended March 31, 1875, by extending the boundaries, which then included "all of Sections 15 and 16 lying north and west of Saginaw River, and the east half of the south- west quarter of Section 17, and all of said lands being in town 14 north range 5 east are made and constituted a village corporate by the name and title of the village of Banks."

The first village president in 1871 was Robert Leng, a prominent salt manufacturer. Under the new charter, the recorder, treasurer, and assessor were to be elected, instead of ap- pointed, and this first election proved unusually interesting. Fred W. Bradfield, now manager of the Bay City Hardware Company, and still a resident within the old corporate limits of Banks, was elected president without opposi- tion. Since most of the inhabitants were of French extraction, the officials elected reflected the predominant nationality. John B. Poirier won out for recorder with 40 votes to spare, Robert Leng was chosen assessor, with 53 majority, while Bernard Lourim, treasurer, had no opposition. The trustees were Joseph Trombley, John Brown and Peter Smith. The village management was very public-spirited, especially in the matter of public schools, the improvement of roadways, and the securing of new industries. In 1877, by act of the Legisla- ture, Banks became a part of West Bay City.

SALZBURG .- In 1862 Dr. Daniel Hughes Fitzhugh platted a strip of land fronting on

the west bank of the river, and extending from the Lafayette avenue bridge north to the sec- tion line. The Laderach and other German families had settled here in 1861, and as the salt excitement ran high in the valley in those years, they named the embryo village Salzburg, after the ancient town of Salzburg in Austria.

The village was never incorporated, yet fought vigorously against consolidation, to- gether with its northern neighbor, Wenona village, in 1875, when the central division sought to absorb the wings. In 1868 the post office was established in the flourishing village, and as Frankenlust and Monitor townships be- came settled, and the population rapidly in- creased, this office did a thriving business. In 1877, Salzburg became a part and parcel of West Bay City, but the southern suburb of the West Side will ever be known by the appropri- ate name accorded the hamlet by the early pioneers.

WENONA .- The beautiful grove of oaks and pines extending along the little sand-ridge above the river bank and river bottom, directly opposite Portsmouth and Bay City, was a nat- ural park, as beautiful and pleasing to the eye as any park ever artistically laid out by the hand of man. It was the favorite camping ground of the Indians, and Indian trails led to this picturesque park from all directions. It was picked out by Henry W. Sage, capitalist and lumberman of Ithaca, New York, during his first memorable visit here in 1847, as a very likely location for a booming lumber town. Yet the years rolled by and, while the less de- sirable east side of the river grew and pros- pered, "Jolly Jack" Hays in his lone cabin, the man who operated the only ferry across the river for years, and the Indians, who at all seasons of the year returned to their favorite

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camping ground, were the only people who en- joyed the many natural advantages offered by this site. The trail through the woods to Mid- land, 20 miles to the west, began here. On the edge of the grove stood the little cottage of George King, the second settler, and near by was the little school house, where the children of Bangor township were taught, and which also was the town hall of the few scattered set- tlers.

In 1862 Henry W. Sage proceeded to carry out the plans for building a sawmill on this promising site, which appeared to have waited all these 16 years for the return of the master mind that had so quickly grasped the advan- tages which appealed to later arrivals appar- ently in vain. After long and almost futile negotiations for the desired site, then owned by Dr. Daniel Hughes Fitzhugh and Mrs. Eliza- beth P. Birney, who naturally desired to drive a sharp bargain, the late James Fraser suc- ceeded in harmonizing the differences, and the great lumber firm of Sage, McGraw & Com- pany transferred their activities from Lake Simcoe, in Canada, to the site of future We- nona, in 1863. They at once proceeded to erect the largest sawmill in the world, and the magnitude of the entrprise drew the attention, not only of this country, but also of Europe, to the shady groves of Wenona.

The little settlement gathering about the mammoth mill grew with leaps and bounds. The company at once laid out a village, selling the lots, 200 by 50 feet in dimensions, for $200 each, and named it Lake City, but when they applied for a post office, it was found that an- other village in Michigan had prior claims on the name. The wives of Messrs. Sage and McGraw then decided to call it Wenona, after the lamented mother of Hiawatha, in the book of Indian legends and traditions of that name,

written by Longfellow, and then at the height of its popularity.

In May, 1866, the village of Wenona was incorporated by the Board of Supervisors, which described the village as lying in section 20, township 14 north, range 5 east. The first election was ordered held on June 1, 1866, at the school house in Bangor township, and C. F. Corbin, J. B. Ostrander and W. D. Chambers were named as election inspectors. The fol- lowing village officials were elected: President, Maj. Newcomb Clark; trustees,-John G. Emery, William D. Chambers, Martin W. Brock, Lafayette Roundsville and Marcellus Faxon ; clerk, Harrison H. Wheeler ; treasurer, David G. Arnold; marshal, Ainsworth T. Rus- sell ; pound master, J. B. Ostrander ; assessors, -John G. Sweeney and James A. McKnight ; street commissioners,-Wilson O. Craft, Hi- ram C. Allard and Ainsworth T. Russell; fire wardens,-William Swart, Ainsworth T. Rus- sell and John H. Burt.

In February, 1867, the Legislature granted a charter to Wenona, and on April 2, 1867, the charter election was held, resulting as follows : President, David G. Arnold; recorder, Maj. Newcomb Clark; treasurer, George A. Allen ; assessor, James A. McKnight; trustees,-J. G. Emery, M. W. Brock, Carlos E. Root, Wilson O. Craft, Lafayette Roundsville and Harrison H. Wheeler. The charter was drawn by Maj. Newcomb Clark, the first president of Wenona, and speaker of the House of Representatives, 33rd General Assembly of Michigan. He was educated at Oxford Academy, served with dis- tinction through the Civil War, with the 14th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, and later with the 102nd Regiment, U. S. (Colored) Infan- try, and came to Wenona in 1865. For many years he held offices of trust in the rising com- munity, and contributed much to the business

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development of the village and later of the city. Treasurer Allen, Assessor McKnight and Trus- tee Roundsville are still residing here, having watched through the varying fortunes of 40 years the gradual growth and increasing im- portance of the place that was infinite enough when it first assumed a place on the map of the county and State. They will likely live to see the cities united in April, 1905, and assume the place in our nation's constellation of great cities, to which they are entitled.

It was Major Clark who drew up the special charter, and carried it to Lansing for the Board of Trustees. He placed it in the hands of Hon. Nathan B. Bradley, then State Senator, and it was made effective in short order. While such men as Mr. Bradley served this constituency at Lansing, there was no "railroading" of home rule measures. The people through their ac- credited representatives had merely to express their wishes, and the representatives saw to it that they were gratified without alteration of any kind.

The roster of village officials contains the names of some of the most enterprising pio- neers, and the few survivors are among the most prominent and prosperous of our citizens, as the following roll of those who succeeded the first officials, will show : Village presidents, -Harrison H. Wheeler, 1867; David G. Ar- nold, 1869 and 1874; E. T. Carrington, 1870; C. F. Corbin, 1871; Lafayette Roundsville, 1872; S. A. Plummer, 1873; James A. Mc- Knight, 1875; George Washington, 1876. Village recorders,-C. P. Black, 1868; Maj. Newcomb Clark, 1869; O. J. Root, 1870; E. C. Haviland, 1871; Maj. Newcomb Clark, 1872; T. P. Hawkins, 1873; C. F. Corbin, 1874; A. S. Nichols, 1875; E. S. Van Liew, 1876. Village trustees .- J. G. Emery, 1868; Wilson O. Craft, 1868-69; J. B. Ostrander, 1868; W. D. Chambers, 1868; Lafayette

Roundsville, 1868-69; Martin W. Brock, 1868- 70; C. W. Rounds, 1869; W. F. Hicks, 1869 and 1871; C. P. Black, 1869 and 1876; S. A. Plummer, 1870-72; George A. Allen, 1870 and 1872; C. F. Corbin, 1870; David G. Ar- nold, 1870 and 1876; James A. McKnight, 1870, 1873 and 1876; A. Agans, 1871; R. Stringer, 1871; W. M. Green, 1871-73; O. J. Root, 1871; P. Irwin, 1872-73; William Moots, 1872-73; George Kiesel, 1873; George G. Van Alstine, 1873-74; George Harmon, 1873; E. T. Carrington, 1874-75; A. S. Nichols, 1874; W. E. Lewis, 1874-75; Alex. Laroche, 1874-75; T. P. Hawkins, 1874-75; Perry Phelps, 1875-76; R. H. Chase, 1875; John G. Kiesel, 1876; Benjamin Pierce, 1876.

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History of Bay County, Michigan, and representative citizens, Part 14

Author: Gansser, Augustus H., 1872- Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond & Arnold Number of Pages: 738

Author: Gansser, Augustus H., 1872-
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond & Arnold
Number of Pages: 738