USA > Michigan > Mason County > History of Mason County, Michigan > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66
In May of that year a rumor was circulated that a liquor saloon was to be started in the village, and great consternation was caused, inasmuch as it was understood that the village lots were sold subject to a condition that no liquors could be sold on the premises. The rumor reached the ears of Mr. Ludington, who immediately wrote a letter to the editor of the Record, in which he said:
"I see by your paper of the 19th inst., that I was about making arrangements with other parties to allow a rum-shop to be opened in the village of Ludington. There is not a word of truth in it, and so long as I can control the matter, I will not allow a liquor saloon
to live in the village that bears my name. All deeds given for lots have conditions that no liquors are to be sold on the premises."
The above letter set that matter at rest, and well would it have been for the place could the conditions have been kept in force.
In July, Ludington Avenue was being graded, and the village editor rode over it with a friend. Returning in safety to his sanc- tum, he was so overcome with ecstasy that he assured the readers of the Record that this new street was without a rival in all this coun- try, and it was his mature opinion that Central Park, New York, would be dwarfed in comparison with it.
In 1869 the Pere Marquette Lumber Company was organized, and became the successor of James Ludington, as explained else- where in these pages. This event brought such men as Delos L. Filer, Luther H. Foster, and their able corps of assistants, to the front in the local interests of the place, and the prosperity of the village received a fresh impetus. During this year the firm of Dan- aher & Melendy was organized and began the erection of their sa w mill. From this time began a general development of all the re- sources of this locality, and which has continued down to the present time.
The year 1870 was a busy one and marked a considerable in- crease in the population of the village. During this year a general feeling grew up that the village should be incorporated. In Decem- ber, 1870, a meeting of citizens was held, the subject of having a village charter discussed, and committees appointed to draft a charter and attend to other necessary details. The matter subsequently came up for consideration, but possibly it began to dawn upon the minds of some that a city was not far distant, and nothing more was done about a charter until the people had outgrown all idea of a village and become animated with a desire to dwell under the more pretentious shelter of a city government.
PIONEERS OF 1866.
Below we give brief biographical sketches of the three remain- ing representatives of Endington in 1866, before alluded to, and also of the late Luther H. Foster, whose family still reside here.
PATRICK N. DANAHER, President of the Danaher & Melendy Company, is the pioneer business man of Ludington, and has had a prominent part in the rise and growth of the village and city. Mr. Danaher was born in Ireland, in 1822. When five years of age his parents came to Canada, and remained two years, when they came to the States. After beginning business for himself, Mr. Danaher was engaged for several years at building railroads. In 1868 he came to Pere Marquette. At that time there was nothing where Ludington now stands but a saw-mill, boarding house and a few shanties. After coming here he was engaged at logging, harbor building, and for a time was in the employ of James Ludington. In 1869 he formed a copartnership with David A. Melendy, and they built the second saw-mill here. The history of this firm is given elsewhere. Since that time Mr. Danaher has been an active business man. He was mayor of the city during the years 1874-75. Although sixty years of age, he is still an active business man, and at the head of the Danaher & Melendy Company. He has been con- nected with the business interests of Ludington longer than any one else now living here, and has been a witness of all the changes that have been wrought. He has participated in many of the im- provements that have been made here. He was at one time engaged upon the harbors here and at Pentwater, and had the contract for building a portion of the F. & P. M. R. R. A portrait of Mr. Dana- hier appears in this work.
FREDERICK J. DOWLAND, Secretary and General Manager of the Pere Marquette Lumber Company, is one of the solid business men
Digitized by Google
L. H. Foster
.
Digitized by Google
Digitized by Google
0
HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.
21
of Ludington, who has had a hand in the development and pros- perity of this region. Mr. Dowland was born in Newfoundland, in 1837, and came to Wisconsin in 1848. In August, 1862, he en- listed in the service as a private in Company G, Twenty-Sixth Wis- consin Volunteers. Soon after enlisting he was disabled by sickness, and after remaining in hospital for some time was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, and detailed at Washington, on clerical duty. In 1865 he received his discharge and returned to Milwaukee. At that time James Ludington was doing an extensive lumber busi- ness, at what was then called Pere Marquette, and Mr. Dowland came here to take the position of assistant bookkeeper for Mr. Lud- ington. He remained with Mr. Ludington until 1878, when the Pere Marquette Lumber Company was organized, and succeeded Mr. Ludington in the business. At the organization of this com- pany Mr. Dowland was elected secretary and general manager, and it is to his careful management and energy that the company is very largely indebted for its prosperity. Mr. Dowland has always been identified with county and other public affairs. He held the office of county treasurer from January, 1877, to January, 1881. Was county superintendent of schools one year, and treasurer of the county agricultural society until, in 1881, he declined to serve any longer in that capacity. He succeeded the late Delos Filer as presi- dent of the Pere Marquette Boom Company, at the death of that gentleman, in 1879, and still continues to hold that office. Mr. Dowland is a liberal and public-spirited citizen, and has always maintained a reputation above reproach.
Mr. Dowland was married to Miss E. C. Mitchell, at Port Huron, Mich., October 22, 1867. A view of their family residence appears in this work, and also a portrait of Mr. Dowland.
JACOB STAFFON has stuck by Ludington since its infancy, and has shared in the general prosperity of the place. Mr. Staffon was born in Calumet, Wis., in 1845. He remained at home until fifteen years of age, and then went East and remained two years. Return- ing West, he went to Milwaukee, where he was clerk in a store, and also attended a commercial college. In September, 1865, he came to Ludington, and took a position as salesman in the store of James Ludington. He remained as clerk for the Pere Marquette Lumber Company, and since 1872 has had an interest in the business and been in charge of the store. Few young men applied themselves as closely to business as did Mr. Staffon, and this trait of character, and his integrity and superior business habits, were the stepping- stones of his prosperity. A portrait of Mr. Staffon appears on another page.
LUTHER H. FOSTER .- Probably no event has ever occurred in Ludington which produced such a profound sensation as did the assassination of Luther H. Foster, by a burglar, on the morning of the 29th of June, 1876. The burglar had effected an entrance to Mr. Foster's house, and awakened that gentleman, who pursued him to the street, when the burglar shot him dead.
Luther Hall Foster descended from parentage who, like him- self, possessed great moral worth. He was born at East Machias, Washington Co., Me., May 31, 1827. At the early age of three years his practical education was begun, in a kindergarten school of great excellence. In the course of time he attended the public schools and academy until the age of seventeen years. In mathe- matical and mechanical studies he was especially distinguished. His father was an accomplished musician, and Luther early com- menced the study of music. When about eighteen years of age, he purchased a reed instrument called a seraphine, which is still pre- served in the home of his family. He was successful in his musical studies, and attained a high degree of proficiency. He early de- veloped a taste for select reading, and to the end of his life was a great reader of standard works.
In 1851 he went to Ridgeway, Pa., with his brother Edward, to engage in lumbering interests, which business he followed to the time of his death. In 1854 he removed to Oshkosh, Wis., and for three years was chief manager of extensive lumbering interests.
On the 25th of May, 1855, he was married to Miss Lucy Schram, in Camden, Oneida Co., N. Y. They went at once to Oshkosh. While at that place he became a member of the Presbyterian Church, and at once took a prominent part in religious affairs. From Osh- kosh he went to Stiles, Wis., where he was foreman of the extensive humber mills of Eldred & Balcom.
In 1864 he removed to Muskegon, Mich., where he was em- ployed in the lumbering interests of Eldred & Farr.
In November, 1866, he came to Ludington, then Pere Marquette. His journey here was made in a small sail vessel. This place was then a wilderness, except a small area about the mill. Mr. Foster came here to superintend the lumber interests of James Ludington. Mr. Foster's keen business sagacity and busy brain soon formulated a plan for the development of the vast lumber and real estate in- terests here, and when his plans were matured, he laid them before Mr. D. L. Filer, and the ultimate result was the organization, in 1869, of the Pere Marquette Lumber Company, with a capital of $500,000. Mr. Foster was secretary of the company until his death, and his energy and clear brain had much to do with the early pros- perity of the company and growth of the village.
Mr. and Mrs. Foster, with their two children and three others, organized the first Sabbath-school in Ludington, and until his death he was a leading worker in the Sabbath schools.
In 1870 he assisted to organize a Congregational Church, and was active in its support until 1874, when the Presbyterian Church was organized, and he united with that society.
He was a man of great courage, which never faltered through all the hardships of business trials, and his integrity never suffered during all his business career. He was prompt and determined in his decisions, earnest and resolute in all that he did, and his liberal heart and active hands were the benefactors of every good enterprise. Stricken down by the ruthless hand of an assassin, in the full vigor of life, the bereavement was doubly severe. His death was mourned by the entire community.
At a regular meeting of the City Council, held July 3, follow- ing his death, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:
" WHEREAS, In the inscrutable way of Providence, Luther H. Foster, one of our oldest and most valued citizens, has been stricken down by the hand of an assassin, and
WHEREAS, Heroic courage in defense of his dear ones has ad- ded its tragic weight to his many peaceful virtues at the expense of his own existence :
Resolved, That it is the sense of this council that Luther H. Foster was a wise, generous, faithful, gallant, Christian gentleman, a benefactor of individuals, and one of the greatest benefactors of the city of Ludington, a father to make his sons proud, and to secure them the esteem of this community, a husband to secure for his widow the loving condolence of every citizen, and as a tribute to his memory, we ever stand ready to engraft these sentiments in marble over his tomb."
Soon after coming to Ludington, Mr. Foster built an elegant residence opposite the Lumber Company's store, which his widow and two sons still continue to occupy.
BIRDS' EYE VIEW OF LUDINGTON IN 1871.
A very correct glimpse of Ludington in the Summer of 1871, may be obtained from a letter written by a correspondent of the Milwaukee Sentinel, in July, 1871. The letter was widely published, and is as follows:
"Along the east shore of Lake Michigan are localities that seem to
Digitized by Google
-
-
22
HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.
have been designed by nature for the manufacture of lumber. Rivers, in the valleys of which are vast forests of timber lands, empty into miniature lakes that are separated from the greater lake by short and navigable outlets, affording the best of facilities for making and shipping this product.
"Among these points is Ludington, seventy-five miles north of Grand Haven, and its facilities for the business are not excelled, if equalled, while it has, also, farming and general manufacturing advantages of inestimable value.
" THE VILLAGE.
"The territory on which this settlement is located, rises to a gentle eminence from the shores of both lakes; and the harbor, over- looking a magnificent view of land and water, and having a southern aspect, lies pleasantly open to the sun and the lake breezes. Four years since, the writer made a visit to this place, at which time James Ludington, Esq., of Milwaukee, who is extensively known as a gentleman of wealth and high standing, was 'lord of all he sur- veved' as sole proprietor.
"At that time there were few inhabitants, and those chiefly in his employ; and there were only one mill and a store. It was during that season that he laid out the village, and, at the suggestion of the residents, changed the name from Pere Marquette to that of Ludington.
"JAMES LUDINGTON,
who is a gentleman of taste, and takes a liberal view of the fitness of things, provided broad streets, a public park, built large and hand- some buildings, among which was a boarding house for his men, that is equal to a first-class hotel, and is surrounded by ample gronds which are abundantly adorned with choice fruit and ornamental trees, shrubbery, and & profusion of rare flowers, all of which is wonderful in a bachelor of confirmed standing, and will long redound to his credit, as a man of culture and refinement. Upon establish- ing this village, Mr. Ludington invited in settlers, encouraged their business, and the place took a new start.
" THE PERE MARQUETTE LUMBER COMPANY
was formed two years since, bought out a three-quarter interest of Mr. James Ludington, and went on with the business. Its mem- bers are D. L. Filer, president; L. H. Foster, secretary; both of Ludington; J. M. Loomis, treasurer, of Chicago; and James Lud- ington, of Milwaukee; E. A. Foster, of Ludington. The company has ample capital, and does its business with ready money. The advent of this company gave renewed impetus to the growth of the place. Several lumber mills and manufactories have been added, two streets exhibit the life and bustle of business, and a village of 1,200 inhabitants has been built up with a good class of buildings, many of which are of considerable pretensions. It will be safe to say that few places in the West have grown up with equal and healthy rapidity, and it has the following
" BUSINESS PLACES :
"There are four stores selling general stock; two grocery stores; two hardware; two furniture; one jewelry; four dry. goods and cloth- ing; two drug; one boot and shoe; four millinery; three meat mar- kets; ten saloons; one bakery; three shoemakers; one barber; one wagon and four blacksmith shops; three hotels; one stationery and news depot; one printing office; one machine shop.
"In connection with the above it may be added that there are four lawyers, four practicing physicians, and a Congregational and a Methodist clergyman.
"The postoffice was established July 1, 1864, and D. A. Melendy was postmaster for several years, when he turned it over to G. W. Clayton, the present incumbent. It was made a money-order office,
August 1, 1870; and to July 1, 1871, the number of orders issued has been 1,393, amounting to $35,977.19, and the number of orders paid, 174, and amount paid out $7,052.15, which is an exceedingly good showing for a place of the size and age of this. Mr. Clayton also publishes the Mason County Record, which is a very excellent local paper of seven columns, the whole of which is set-up in the office.
" GENERAL ITEMS.
"There is here a large school building, in which 130 scholars are taught.
"The Methodist Society is moving in the matter of building a church, and the Pere Marquette Lumber Company has subscribed $1,000 to the fund. Proposals for building have been issued.
" There are three public houses, of which the Farrell House is the best, takes the first-class custom, is very handsomely furnished, and Mr. Farrell takes every possible pains to accommodate and en- tertain his patrons.
--
"Another hotel is now in process of building.
"There are two commodious public halls.
" The buildings just completed and others going up are so many that it would be impracticable to give a detailed account of them.
" Mr. L. H. Foster has the management of the land department of the Pere Marquette Lumber Company, and is disposing of lots as rapidly as he thinks is desirable for a healthy growth of the place.
"Steps are being taken to purchase a fire engine that will cost $1,500, thus calculating to avoid the destructive conflagrations that have visited other new towns for the want of a fire department.
"DELOS L. FILER,
under whose auspices the Pere Marquette Lumber Company was formed, has the chief direction of the business (aided by the Messrs. Foster,) in whose capacity, perfect integrity, activity, experience and other elements of success the stockholders have implicit confidence. He is senior of the firm of Filer & Sons, of Filer City, near Manistee, and also of Filer, Stowell & Co., of the Cream City Iron Works, Milwaukee. He is a gentleman eminently fitted to head such a company, inaugurate business and build up a town, is the presiding genius of the place, and leads in every worthy enterprise. His residence is the fine and showy house built by Mr. Ludington, (mentioned above,) and he has furnished it with all the elegance of a city dwelling, and domestic felicity abounds within its portals, and while enjoying its warm hospitality the writer was taken by his en- tertainer for a drive over the village and around the lake shore, be- hind as fine a span of blood horses as can be found in the country.
-----
"PERE MARQUETTE LAKE AND HARBOR.
This beautiful sheet of water is two miles long, three-quarters of a mile wide, and has an average depth of forty-two feet, with bold shores. The water is very clear, and abounds with the best of fish. Its outlet into the greater lake forms a harbor, which, with its improvements, is 700 feet in length, 225 feet in width, and four- teen feet deep, and it never freezes over in the Winter, making its value unsurpassed.
" THE ENGELMANN LINE OF STEAMERS.
" The shore boats touch here on their daily trips, and the "Mes- senger tri-weekly from Milwaukee, which latter boat comes into this port and Manistee only during the Winter season. Mr. G. B. Van Pelt is the agent at this place, doing also a warehouse business. The running of those steamers is a great convenience to the business of the place. The management of them is a model of promptness, efficiency and accommodation. Although there are larger, a better boat does not ply the lakes than the "Messenger," or one better
Digitized by
. .
Jacob Staffon
Digitized by Google
Digitized by Google
>
HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY.
23
officered. It is certain that the cooking on board of her is not equalled.
" SHIPPING INTERESTS.
"S. F. White is Collector of the Port, and from him we gather the following statistics: From the 15th of May to the 15th of June there were sixty-seven clearances, carrying 6,709,000 feet of lum- ber, and there were other miscellaneous cargoes, aside from goods transported by steamers. Two first-class tug boats are owned here.
" AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES.
" From the fact that this country is densely wooded with hard timber of a very large growth, it may be inferred the soil is strong and productive, and such is the fact. The last few years a heavy immigration has been rapidly coming in, clearing up land and es- tablishing homes. Contiguous to Ludington there are numerous settlements which contribute trade to this point. The land pro- duces all the grains well, and for root crops is unsurpassed. , Pota- toes are raised in the greatest abundance, and the quality of them is beyond precedent-large, mealy and richly flavored.
"Of the article of wheat, both kinds of the Winter are raised, of the choicest quality. So abundant is the sugar maple tree in this vicinity that large quantities of maple sugar are yearly made. There are also a quantity of large hemlock trees, the bark of which can be made a source of profit for export.
" IMMIGRANTS
will find here particular inducements to make a home. Every needed encouragement is held out to them by the principal proprie- tors here. Those who can labor in and about mills, and in cutting timber, find ready employment, while those who are disposed to settle down on land will find in this section superior inducements * to those afforded by the far-off regions west of the Mississippi River. There are available lands still open for homestead exemption, and those for sale in second hands are offered at low rates. Added to this there is now, and will continue to be, an increasing market at this point for all the productions farmers in this region will have to sell. Lumbermen are great consumers and not producers of the necessaries of life, and the number of these will be constantly mul- tiplying at this place. In the Winter all the teams that can be had in the country around are employed, at remunerative prices, in the prosecution of logging business during the entire season.
" There are a great many acres of government land open for entry, on the line of the F. & P. M. R. R., which are rich in soil and unsurpassable in valuable timber; there is an eastern outlet to East Saginaw, thirty miles, and there soon will be to the west, at Ludington. The climate is excellent, and better openings for farm- ers are not to be found in the West.
" MANUFACTURING.
" What is most desirable here is an increase of manufacturing, and for this branch of industry excellent advantages are afforded, especially in all manufactures from wood, and the Pere Marquette Lumber Company is liberal in its encouragement of such enter- prise. The hard woods, as well as that of pine, are of superior quality. There are good openings for the making of doors, sash and blinds, hubs and spokes, barrel staves, wooden ware, such as tubs and pails, wooden bowls, shoe lasts, broom handles, and all kinds of utensils made from either hard or soft wood. Timber is abundant, sites for manufacturing plenty and cheap, and advantages for shipment to all parts of the country unsurpassed by any other locality, while for a blast furnace this point affords superior advan- tages.
" IRON MANUFACTURE.
" Capt. E. B. Ward, of Detroit, who is extensively interested in iron manufacturing in the West, has said that no place in the North-
west affords equal advantages for a charcoal furnace with Ludington, and under his advice the Pere Marquette Lumber Company have re. served several sites for furnaces and rolling mills, which they offer to donate to companies or individuals who may wish to engage in the business. The Pere Marquette River runs by its meanderings a distance of thirty miles, through a country timbered almost en- tirely with maple and beech. The river is navigable for that dis- tance with vessels drawing four feet of water. The sites selected are on the edge of Pere Marquette Lake, and about one mile from the harbor, and there is plenty of water for any sized vessel that is used for navigation on the chain of lakes. The distance to Escanaba is about 120 miles, where Lake Superior iron is brought by railroad. Capt. Ward says that it is one of the best points for a boiler plate iron rolling mill, both as to location and the facility for shipment, of any point in the Northwest.
" RAILROADS.
" It is calculated that eventually four railroads will centre to this point. The first that will reach here is the Flint and Pere Mar- quette Railroad. Present contracts will complete this road to within fifty miles of this place by the first of October next, and the same contract continues the construction twenty miles further. Work will also immediately commence on this end of the line, proposals having been issued for the building of ten miles this season. This route forms a junction with the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad fifty miles east of here, and with the Detroit and Milwaukee Rail- road at Holly, 190 miles, crosses the Michigan Central at Wayne, 230 miles, passing through the important towns of Flint, East Saginaw and other points, and terminating at Toledo, Ohio, a dis- tance of the entire line of 2783 miles.
" The Pere Marquette Lumber Company has donated to this railroad company property for depot grounds to the value of $100,- 000, comprising one of the best sites on the shore of the inner lake. The machine shops of this road will be located at this point. It is the design to institute a through route by this line by a line of boats crossing the lake to Sheboygan or Manitowoc, for which purpose the company is now building two large, iron propellers. Messrs. White & Ewell, of this place, are attorneys for this road, and are young members of the bar of high standing.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.