History of Mason County, Michigan, Part 45

Author: H. R. Page & Co.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 373

USA > Michigan > Mason County > History of Mason County, Michigan > Part 45

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"The pottery was evidently made on a sort of grass braid or cloth, and some pieces denote large vessels."

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE AND MORALITY.

As a general rule people of the older localities are apt to look upon frontier communities, and especially lumbering districts, as being barren of all culture and refinement. The too common impression is that while the backwoodsman may be honest, he must necessarily be rough.

There is no one thing more noticeable among the people of Manistee County, than the high standard of intelligence and mor- ality that has always been maintained.

The early settlers had a liberal proportion of New England blood in their veins. They were born into Christian homes, and reared in a land of churches and schools. They came to this new, wild country, not because a frontier life was congenial to their tastes, but to better their fortunes. It was no easy task for them to leave the pleasant companionship of neighbors and friends, and the pre- cions privileges of churches and schools, for the solitude, hardships and deprivations of the wilderness. But they brought with them the life lessons they had learned, and their strong wills would soon restore some of the privileges they had left behind. They knew that the great forests of Michigan had no depths that could hide them from the all-seeing eye of the Great Father; and that in the rude life of the frontier, they need not surrender their aspirations for better things. Hence it is that we find in the records of these early settlements, the early introduction of educational facilities.

The track to the homestead was cleared, the cabin built for the shelter and comfort of the family, and then the school was estab- lished. A public library was not far behind, and facilities for pub- lic educational and moral training might years ago have been found in the rude settlements of this remote frontier, that would put to shame many a populous village in well settled localities.

The first Sabbath in this wild region did not pass unobserved. The family Bible was brought out, and the truths upon its pages shown as resplendant as though read amid the most elegant sur- roundings. Sometimes, by the camp-fire, before even any shelter had been provided better than the evergreen bower, the handful of settlers gathered to listen to some " man of God," who had chanced to pass that way, and their hearts strengthened for the trials and hardships that were to come. As the population of the township have increased, and the inhabitants prospered, facilities for educa- tion have been improved. The homes are bountifully supplied with books, newspapers and periodicals, and other evidences of intelli- gence and refined taste. The schools of the county are of a high order, and churches numerous and liberally sustained. The gen-

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RES. OF LOUIS SANDS, MANISTEE , Mich.

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HISTORY OF MANISTEE COUNTY.

eral sentiment of the county is strongly in favor of sobriety and good order, and efforts in behalf of temperance and all moral reforms have been vigorous and constant.

Once familiar with the characteristics of the people, it is not so much a matter of surprise to find everywhere an air of thrift and general prosperity. All improvements are substantial, and the peo- ple already here appear determined, not only to make this their abiding place, but to induce others to come in and improve the opportunities which the county still affords.

THE MANISTEE FRUIT REGION.

Manistee County is situated in the heart of the great Michigan fruit belt. The experiments that have been made in fruit raising, have been attended with very satisfactory results. There is no doubt but that the climate and soil are peculiarly adapted to fruit growing, and that the importance of the Manistee fruit region will, ere long, be appreciated.

Mr. David McNab, who has been selling nursery stock for twenty years in this region, and who is thoroughly informed upon the subject of fruit growing, makes the following statement:

" In the Spring of 1859, I was residing at Benona, Oceana County. The following season I found blackberries growing on sandy soil, close to Lake Michigan, that were very fine, and grapes that were as large and good as the Clinton. On examination, I found there was sufficient lime in the soil to make good fruit. In 1862, I pur- chased land two miles south of Benona, with a view of planting an apple orchard; took an agency for the sale of nursery stock, and made my first delivery of stock in the Spring of 1868. In 1864 sold my place, and in 1865 was employed by nurserymen to solicit. In the Spring of 1866, delivered stock .in Oceana County, and in part of Muskegon and Mason Counties. In the Fall of 1870, deliv- ered stock in Manistee County, and have every year since delivered nursery stock in the above counties, and watched with interest the results obtained, which I find to be far beyond my expectations, especially apples, plums, cherries and small fruits. The peach tree buds, and some of the wood, was injured by frost, in the Winters of 1872-'78 and 1874-'75.

" Lake Michigan was supposed to be covered with solid ice in the Winter of 1874-'75, but some peach trees planted in favored localities near the shore, and on elevated ground six to eight miles east of shore, have stood these hard Winters. The first ·peach orchard in this county was planted by Filer & Sons, in 1868, and some of the trees are living yet, and bearing a good crop of fruit this season. Have operated in my business to the north line of this county, and find the Concord, Delaware, and other hardy grapes do well. On the east shore of Lake Michigan, there is a difference of six days to the degree of north latitude, in the open- ing of Spring, and the same in the ripening of crops and fruits. The soil is of a forcing nature; deep plowing, and good cultivation early in the Spring will help much towards the ripening of crops and fruits.

The tenth annual report of the secretary of the State Pomo- logical Society gives a history of Michigan horticulture, in which is a report from Manistee County, written by Hon. S. W. Fowler, which is as follows:

"This county is comparatively new, having been settled but about thirty-five years, and, as lumbering has been the principal business of its inhabitants until within the last six or eight years, farm interests were formerly sadly neglected. The county is well

located in the center of the great fruit belt of Michigan, is well adapted to fruit growing, and is probably one of the very best loca- cations in the world for plums, pears, apples, peaches and small fruits.

"The deep waters of the great lake (Michigan), which is never frozen over, give off warmth in the Fall, so that there is no early frost to injure anything, and the cold is kept off nearly two weeks later than in the interior of the state; also, in the Spring, the cold water of the lake prevents buds from starting early, and frost never injures fruit; besides, the soil and climate seem wonderfully well adapted to fruit culture.

"The first fruit trees were planted in the county, in 1849, by James Stronach, Sr., in a small place known as Old Stronach. Some of the trees yet remain near the first frame house built in the county. Mr. Stronach only planted a few trees around his house, as he was a lumberman.

"Robert Risdon planted the first plum orchard in the county, about the year 1869. He planted two acres, and the orchard is yet the best plum erchard 'in the county, and yields a revenue of about $400 a year. The plums are splendid, and are not troubled with curculio. Later, D. L. Filer & Sons planted over 3,000 peach, plum and other trees, which yield them now a large revenue. Others have planted orchards, until now there is a young and thriving orchard on nearly every farm in the county, all doing well, and yielding profit and pleasure to the fortunate owners.

"The first nursery was started by James M. Fairbanks, on his homestead in Bear Lake, in 1868. He sold trees for several years, and then died. Since his death, no one has engaged in that busi- ness in Manistee County, although it is one of the best locations in the state for that business.

"The first fruit exported was from the orchard of D. L. Filer & Sons, and about the year 1876. They have shipped peaches and other fruit quite largely each year since, but owing to the fact that there are over 3,000 men, many of them transient, employed about the mills and in the woods in the Manistee region, Manistee is the best home market in the world for all kinds of fruit and vegetables.

"No insects have ever yet troubled the fruit in this region to any serions extent.

"There has been no purely horticultural society in the county, though we have an excellent county agricultural society.

"Manistee raises more and larger strawberries than any region I know of. There is frequently as high as $300 cleared from a single acre in one season.

"In 1880 S. Rice marketed 3,354 quarts, picked from one acre of land. The average price was ten cents per quart-$335.50. Charles Hurd, John M. D. Heath, R. Barns, and many others, have done about as well.

"Manistee has direct steamboat communication daily with Chi- cago and Milwaukee, making this a desirable shipping port. Lands, good for fruit and farms, can be had from five to ten dollars per acre, and we confidently expect that the day is not distant when all this region will be largely devoted to furnishing fruit to the large cities and non-fruit bearing regions of the West. Already Manistee fruit has taken the first premium at the state fair whenever well represented. R. Barnes has taken the first premium on peaches; L. S. Ellison, plums and peaches; S. W. Fowler, plums and peaches; William Probert, apples; and others have been equally successful.

IN THE SPRING OF 1871

Richard Hoffman, Esq., editor of the Manistee Timex, visited sev- eral orchards, and reported the results of his observations as follows:

"Some claim that apples can be successfully raised, while peach and some other orchards will not prove a profitable investment.

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HISTORY OF MANISTEE COUNTY.

Others think that peaches can be raised with no more care than in other places. In order to fully test the matter, Mr. Husted, of Lowell, has planted an orchard of ten acres, two miles south of this city. His ground was well prepared, a good stock of trees selected, and they were carefully set out, and the limbs and tops closely trimmed, and the ground planted with potatoes.

"We had the pleasure of a ride to the orchard, a few days since, with Mr. McNab, the book-keeper and agent for Husted, and found the trees in a healthy condition, and though they had been planted but six days, several of the trees were in blossom, and the blossoms looked as if they might come to maturity. Mr. McNab says that the trees will be taken care of, but, that there may be a fair test, no extra care, more than trees ought to receive in any place, will be given them. We regard this as the test orchard of Manistee County. Set out and cared for by a practical nurseryman and receiving such care as they need, it will demonstrate the success or failure of fruit growing in this county.

"The site is situated on a beautiful plateau, on the bank of the Little Lake, and slightly inclining to the south.

"The orchard consists of the following trees: 800 peach, 295 apple, 200 plum, sixty-five crab, 145 cherry, fifty standard pear, ten sweet chestnut, sixty Lombardy poplar, and eight silver leaf maple. The apple trees are set fifteen feet apart, with a row of peach trees in the center. The pear trees are set thirty feet apart, with other fruits in the center, and the shade and ornamental trees surrounding the whole.

"In our trip we visited Golden Filer's orchard, and found the trees loaded with blossoms. Mr. MeNab thought the prospect for a full crop could not be better. The trees are all about of a size, and are trimmed as near alike as they can be, and present a uniform appear- ance. We noticed that the apple trees were covered with a small insect, called ' Bark Lice,' but otherwise this is as fine a prospect for a young orchard as we could wish to see. The field contains probably fifteen acres, and is on the same elevated plateau as the orchard of N. P. Husted. Charles Hurd, Esq., has about ten acres set to fruit trees. They are healthy, and will, if properly cared for this season, make a rapid growth. We understand that Mr. Peters has a very nice pluin orchard some distance from the city, but we have never seen it and cannot judge of its prospects. The orchards already referred to, together with Mr. Canfield's and T. J. Rams- dell's, and a number of others, present a fine showing in this line, for this new country."

Last Fall, Charles Garfield, secretary of the State Pomological Society, issued a pamphlet containing an exhibit of the horticultural interest of Michigan, from which we make the following extract:

" OCEANA, MASON, MANISTEE, BENZIE.

"These four counties lie along the Michigan shore next north of Muskegon. Each has its lake harbor, and, although less developed than any of the counties before named, still the growing of fruit has become a leading industry in many locations. The finest plums in the world are grown here. Intelligent growers are awakening to the possibilities of this region, and great fruit farms are being planted. A glance at the map will suffice to show that portions of Oceana and Mason Counties extend well out into the lake, giving a water protection even when the wind is directly north or south.

"In all this region frozen ground is unknown. A mantle of snow drops down upon the land before severe Winter weather, and remains until the danger from frosts is over in the Spring.

"In Manistee and Benzie the fact is especially to be noted that the soil is calcareous in its nature, and the country abounds in pure springs, from which the celebrated grayling are taken in abundance. Pure water, clear air and rich soil, with a delightful climate, make this a famous region. The Pere Marquette Railroad taps Lake

Michigan at Ludington, in Mason County; the Chicago & West Michigan line reaches to Pentwater, in Oceana, and will soon be extended further north, while the completion of a road to Manistee is sure to be accomplished this season.

"Lake Michigan is truly a 'cherishing mother' to the orchard- ist. A body of water 360 miles in length, and over 100 miles in breadth, it would float the three states of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, and it is deep enough almost anywhere to bury Mount Holyoke beneath its surface. With its 3,400 cubic miles of water in one basin, it maintains a very even temperature through- ont the year; and this, with the fact that about sixty-five per cent of our Winter winds are westerly, gives the key to our peculiar suc- cess in horticulture. We grow peaches successfully along the forty- fifth parallel, which bound; Vermont on the north, and raise figs in the open air in latitude 42} , about on a line with Boston, Mass. It is true that this lake influence is not felt so largely in the interior as along the shore, still, in a large measure, the whole southern pen- insula is modified in extremes of weather by this great equalizer. The fact that the western shore from St. Joseph northward to Grand Traverse is especially favored with immunity from frosts has given rise to the term " Michigan fruit belt." This is a strip of territory with a shadowy interior boundary in which peaches are grown with a smaller percentage of failures than elsewhere in the state. Within this belt there is great choice of location for pur- poses of peach culture, still the purchaser is not compelled to give the same relative importance to altitude that he would farther in the interior."

In July, 1881, Charles W. Garfield, Secretary of the State Pom- ological Society, requested Hon. S. W. Fowler to furnish him with information concerning the Manistee region, and Mr. Fowler rephed as follows:

"DEAR SIR: - - In your circular letter of the 25th you inquire:

" First .--- What special features render your part of the state promising to the horticulturist?

" .Second .- What fruits do particularly well with you?

" .Third. - Upon what basis would you uge people who have a taste for any branch of horticulture, and have money to put into a permanent home, to locate in your region? '

"It is with pleasure that I respond to these inquiries, because a knowledge of the facts will have a tendency to induce immigration and settle up and improve the country, and thus benefit all con- cerned.

"To the first inquiry I have to say that among the special fea- tures of this region, as a fruit-growing country, are its freedom from extremes of heat and cold, the purity of its air and water, and the great quantity of lime in the soil, together with its alluvial nature, rendering it peculiarly adapted to the growth of fruit. The great depth of Lake Michigan causes its waters to gather and retain the heat of Summer, and practically to become a reservoir of heat, tempering the extreme cold of Winter and cooling the great heat of Summer, so that the mercury seldom, and in some Winters never, sinks below zero, and in Summer seldom rises above 80°.

---

"It takes all Summer for the water to become moderately warm, and all Winter for it to become very cold, giving us warm, pleasant Falls and cool and backward Springs, thus cutting off the danger of frosts both Fall and Spring. Often snow falls in the beginning of Winter, before either grass or foliage are blighted by frost, and in the Spring the buds are kept back until all danger from frost is past. Nor is it alone the waters of the lake that accomplish these great results for good, else either shore would be equally benefitted. But so far is this from being the case, that peaches are not a success on the west side of the lake, and in almost every cold snap the mercury marks from 10° to 20° lower in Milwaukee and Chicago than it does

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HISTORY OF MANISTEE COUNTY.

in Manistee. This remarkable difference is undoubtedly due to the fact that the prevailing winds are from the west and southwest. The winds come from 80 to 100 miles diagonally across Lake Mich- igan, the waters of which are as pure as crystal, and as sweet and beautiful as any in the world; the dust and impurities are sifted out of the air, and it strikes this shore loaded with humidity and tem- pered by the influences of the lake, giving us a moderate tempera- ture and one of the healthiest climates in the world. Peach trees are not killed by the extreme cold of Winter, and the buds are kept back so that they are not injured by frost in the Spring.

"THE WATER OF THIS REGION

is among the purest in the world. All our streams are fed by springs, and they never ebb or flood. In fact, the waters of northern Mich- igan are about the only waters in the world where the celebrated grayling fish abound and thrive, and these fish can be taken in abundance from any of the streams in Manistee County. They are as gamey as the speckled trout, and, if possible, sweeter.

"THE LIME IN THE SOIL

of this region is something wonderful, and it can be seen with the naked eye in every shovelful of earth. This is probably accounted for by the fact that the whole formation is alluvial. These qualities render it pecularly adapted to vegetation and fruit. Trees grow large and thrifty and take up lime in solution, so that frequently cups full of clear lime are found in the bottoms of sugar kettles in the sugar-making season. Clay and sand are about equally divided, and the rich ingredients of lime and plaster make our sandy soil frequently preferable for fruit raising.

"TO THE SECOND QUESTION

we answer: Apples, plums, pears, peaches and small fruits are all profitable here, especially plums and small fruits. Insects haye not as yet damaged plums or any fruit, worth mentioning, and people have cleared as high as $200 to $300 per acre with plums and straw- berries. Plums and peaches have proved sure crops nearly every year, and we certainly can compete with any place in the world with cherries and strawberries.

"TO THE THIRD QUESTION

we base our claim to the favorable consideration of those who desire homes in a fruit region, upon cheap lands, salubrity of climate, and upon the certainty of speedy and profitable returns for judicious investment. Good fruit lands can be had for from $5 to $10 per acre. The water, soil and climate is everything that could be desired; and this is just the place for those who would escape hay fever, fever and ague, and the thousand and one ills that beset the bil- ious sections of a more southern location.

"We do not claim that fruit will grow without care or culture, or that people can live here without work, but we do claim that fruit planting, care and culture will receive a sure reward, and that the climate (air and water) keeps people healthy and able to work; that here pre-eminently, Mother Earth yields rich reward to those who give her love and labor-that this is one of the most desirable spots in the world for those who love the luscious fruit and are willing to labor through the seed time, that they may enjoy the harvest."

In 1869 there were raised 1,000 bushels apples, 1,600 baskets peaches, 18 baskets pears, 2,000 pounds grapes, 1,800 quarts black- berries, 1,400 quarts raspberries, 1,600 quarts strawberries.

In 1872 the county produced 341 bushels apples, 200 bushels peaches, 4 bushels pears, 31 bushels plums, 14 bushels cherries, 500 pounds grapes, 155 bushels strawberries.

In 1873 the product was 702 bushels apples, 30 bushels peaches, 11 bushels pears, 56 bushels plums, 20 bushels cherries, 900 pounds grapes, 396 bushels strawberries.

In 1879 the fruit crop was as follows: Apples, 756 bushels; peaches, 337 bushels; grapes, 1,778 pounds; other fruits, 512 bushels.

In 1880 there were 662 acres of apple orchards, and 9.41 peach orchards. The fruit crop was as follows: Apples, 9,754 bushels; peaches, 808 bushels; grapes, 4,215 pounds; other fruits, 1,647 bushels.

Last year there were 940.12 acres apple orchards, and 18.25 peach orchards.

ACTS OF THE EARLY SUPERVISORS.

HOMELESS RECORDS.

Public records at an early day were homeless wanderers. Sal- aries were meagre, and of public buildings there were none. The early postoffice was kept in some mill or boarding house, and some times in the hollow of some faithful tree. The first postmaster at Manistee was Luther G. Smith, and the office was kept at his mill. Afterwards, when James Dempsey became postmaster, it was changed to Buswell's boarding house, and part of the time was kept in Canfield's mill.

The county offices and records also led a migratory life. They were pilgrims and wanderers in the earth. At first they found tem- porary shelter in law offices and private dwellings, and the affairs of the various offices were conducted on a sort of co-operative plan. Then they found room in some hall, changing location so frequently that their whereabouts was at all times a matter of great uncertainty. In 1875, when the question of building a new court house was being agitated, one of the local papers, urging the necessity of a county building, reviewed the situation as follows:

"In 1867 the Circuit Court in Manistee was held in a small room called Burpee's Hall over a billiard saloon, near the spot where Willard & Hall's store now stands. The click of the billiard balls chimed in sweet harmony with the forensic eloquence inspired by Coke and Blackstone, while the inspiration below would sometimes become so high that the court would dispatch the sheriff to put them down.

"The county clerk's office was held in a small corner room just south of the bridge, and the treasurer's office was down near Can- field's store, with the funds in a safe so unsafe, that some scamp, with the aid of a knife or a similar instrument, cut his way in and scooped the deposits.

"We next find the Circuit Court in Ellis' Hall. Then it was transferred to Thurber's Hall where the winds whistled at the court and helped the counsel howl at the jury, while the witnesses had the truth froze out of them around the stove.

"Then it was chased back to Ellis' Hall. Then it perambu- lated to the Congregational Church, a frame building near the Union school.

"Then it slid back to Ellis' Hall. Then it took a trip up to the City Hall, now the billiard saloon near the livery stable. There it tarried long enough to take breath, and then the court was hustled up to the Temperance Hall, where its sessions are sandwiched be- tween temperance Jectures, prayer meetings, negro shows and dances; all for the dignity of the city and the good of its people."

. In course of time, however, both the city and county provided munificently for their public offices.

The first Board of Supervisors of Manistee County met at the office of the county clerk, April 14, 1855. Andrew C. Sherwood was chosen chairman, and Henry S. Udell, county clerk, acted as

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History of Mason County, Michigan, Part 45

Author: H. R. Page & Co. Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Number of Pages: 373

Author: H. R. Page & Co.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 373