USA > Michigan > Montcalm County > History of Montcalm County, Michigan its people, industries and institutions...with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families Volume I > Part 2
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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
State Organization 43
State Road, First
268
State Senators
432
Statistical
428
Stevens, Thomas N.
503
Streams of the County
33
Sumnerville
64
Supervisors 435
Supervisors, County Board
48
Surface Features of County
33,
41
Surveyors, County
434
T
Taxation, First
45
Taxes
441
Telephones
116
Temperature
37
Terminal Moraines
36
Topography of the County
33
Trails, Indian 265
Treasurers, County
433
Tribe of Ben-Hur
378
Trolley Lines. Proposed.
281
Mills
"Owl's Nest"
Public Utilities
HISTORICAL INDEX.
Trufant
180, 338, 344,
375, 391, 413, 418, 455, 459, 463
Turner, Nelson M.
497
Turner, William F
497
U
Union Telephone Company
458
V
Valuations, 1850 49
Vestaburg-
Banks
391
Business Interests
229
Churches
228, 343
Doctors
420
Industries 455, 464
Location 226
Lodges
369
Name
226
Settlement
226
Telephones
458
Vickeryville
93, 459,
464
Votes for Governor
428
W
Weather Facts 37
Weatherwax,
Capt. John M.
496
Weatherwax, Jacob
501
Westville
123
Wheat
245
Whitefish Lake 199
Willett, James W 502
Winfield Township-
Description of 239
Land Entries 240
Organization of 239
Schools
311
Settlers 241
Streams
33
Supervisors
439
Taxes
442
Vote on Bond Issue. 54
Wolf Bounties 48
Woman's Relief Corps 382
Wood, Edwin K. 503
Wood Lake
199
Wyman
174, 422
Y
Youngs, S. Perry
55
..
اسس
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
VOLUME II
A
Adams, Charles II., D. V. S. 500
Adams, William E., D. V. S. 239
Aelick, Prof. Earl 243
Allchin, Vir C
359
Allen, Albert
93
Almack, Orange S
95
Almy, Albert A
565
Anderson, Simon
102
Arbogast, George
A
206
Arbogast, M.
460
B
Bacon, Arthur E.
356
Bacon, Melvin C. 356
Bailey, Frank W 50
Baird, Mrs. D. H. 309
Ball, Fred
194
Bannen, Richard 318
Banton, Edwin
394
Banton, George
R
389
Barber, Leslie T
131
Barclay, James
632
Baty, James. 3.24
Baty, Thomas 284
Behrenwald, Henry
C.
594
Bellows, Elliott O.
256
Bennett, Jeremiah A
425
Bennett, William
422
Bissell, Lewis
595
Black, Ernest 464 Bluemly, Herman R 548
Blumberg, Charles W
574
Blumberg, George
I
573
Bogert, Orson.
344
Bollinger, Rev. Samuel.
452
Bower, Horace L., M. D
36
Bowman, Edward J.
592
Boylan, Nathan
204
Bracey, Lewis E.
159
Braman, Charles
501
Braman, George
585
493
Braman, George
A
Brice, John N
121
Briggs, Fred D
416
Briggs, O.
667
Brooks, Edgar
S
229
Brown, John M.
590
Brown, Raymond A
75
Brown, William A
312
Bullock, Sid V.
105
Burgess, Charles O
657
Butler, Benjamin F
173
C
Cadwell, George W
160
Campbell, John W
69
Caris, Clarence.
507
Carothers, R. Arthur
84
Case, Seymour
J
475
Caswell, Francis S.
115
Chamberlin, Fred J. 111
Chambers, Mrs. Mary L. (Barber)_ 642
Chandler, Chester E
380
Church, Frank
302
Clark, Eli S.
122
Clark, John W.
196
Clark, William M
474
Clement, Clifton
H
51
Clement, John N.
518
Cliffe, Thomas J
417
Ctosson, Cornelius F
536
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Cole, Fred J 39
Collins, Irwin M. 540
Collins, John C.
313
Collins, William H.
114
Comden, George F
401
Comden, Samuel J .:
429
Comstock, Jared V
570
Cook, Prof. Aral E
331
Corder, James
542
62
Cornell, George E
419
Couchman, George D
644
Courter, J. Watson.
271
Crandall, E. L
364
Crawford, Bert
108
Crockett, W. V.
638
Crooks, Thomas G
427
Cross, Charles H.
559
Culver, Chester R.
551
Cummings, Edward C.
67
Cummings Frank F
509
Cummings, Otto
635
Curtis, Fred E
604
Curtis, Lorenzo
D
100
Cutler, Roy
270
E
Ede, Albert E 296
Edwards, George 258
Ehle, Oscar E 269
Eitelbuss, George W
383
Eitelbuss, Mrs. Mary S 382
Eldridge, Bert A. 486
Eldridge, Eli
228
Emerson, Robert F
232
Evans, Robert
411
F
Farnsworth, Lauriston B
189
Fender, John HI
209
Finnegan, John 407
Fitzpatrick, John M.
391
Fleck, Roswell
408
French, Charles W 96
Friedt, James W
199
Frisbie, B. Stephen, M. D. 237
Frost. James.
633
Fry, Randall. 462
Fuller, Thomas
F
338
Fuller, William H
265
Fults, John
299
D
Dailey, James A 150
Danforth, Mortimer E., M. D. 664
Dasef, John W
560
Davis, Thomas
D
334
Davis, William F
358
Dean, Diz W
169
Dean, Fred L
369
Despelter, John
617
De Young, Cornelius
254
De Young, James
467
Dickerson, Allen B
71
Dickinson, Charles
F
119
Golden, John A.
469
Gooby, Matthew
337
Dolloff, LaForest H
646
Dow, Thomas D., D. D. S ..
247
Drews, William E.
614
Drummond, Clark J
213
Durkee, Ervie E.
280
Durst, Jacob W
290
Dyer, Clarence L.
639
G
Gaffield, Benson
I.
480
Gaffield, John W
424
Gallagher, William
235
Galloup, Prof. Lewis B
367
Galloup, Orland W
373
Gates, Clarence M 526
Gates, Merton D
472
Gibbs, George R.
245
Gibbs, Jay
40
Gibbs, Lucius H
112
Gibson, Frank S
607
Dilley, D. Darwin
650
Goodwin, Andrew
B
288
Graham, Byron
A
461
Graham, William
534
Greenhoe, Edwin D 282
Grill, Martin A.
305
Griswold, Warren
G
220
Gunther, Fred, Sr
242
Corey, Allen L., M. D
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
HI
I
llaack, Christ F
586
Hallett, John W 116
Hanchett, Joseph 352
llansen, Carl F
283
Hansen, Englebrecht
610
Hansen, Frank G
266
Hansen, Hans
580
Hansen, Hans I
581
Hansen, J. William G., D. V. S 273
Tlansen, Jens P
_645
ITansen, Lars P
267
Hansen, Oscar
T
295
Hardy, G. W
582
ITarriman, George
F
341
Harris, William
327
Hartt, Cicero W
543
Haskins, James B
326
Hatchew, Philip
J
606
Hawley, Charles
376
ITeisler, TI. I
375
Hempstead, Capt. Henry M.
80
Henry, Charles E
126
Ilerman, George
601
Herold, John A
308
Herrick, Adelbert
368
Herrick, Charles R
525
Herrick, Walter G
510
Hicks, Charles I.
556
lligbee, Chancellor E
37-1
ITill, Augustus
F
184
Hiller, John N
572
HTillis, George T
451
ITillis, Joseph C.
515
Hillis, Robert J
443
Ilinds, Henry H
128
ITinkley, Leon L.
520
Holcomb, Albert J
445
Holcomb, George W 444
Houghton, Olon J.
531
Howell, William E
436
IToworth, Harvey E.
336
Hubbard, Melvin C., M. D
485
Hunt, Lyman
385
Ilunt, Mortimer A
523
Ingraham, Henry L
577
Isham, J. Frank
379
J
Jackson, Thomas E
441
Jamieson, William
172
Jarstfer, Leroy K
554
Jensen, Niels
300
Johnson, Fred A., M. D.
666
K
Keith, William . W
330
Kemp, Ernest A
398
Kennedy, Salem F
178
Kent, Silas
654
Ketchum, Serenus
42
Kimball, Jesse
553
Kindell, Edwin J
624
Kipp, Howard C.
253
Kirker, William J
456
Kirtland, Horace
167
Kittle, E. A.
405
Klees, John
505
Klees, Joseph
505
Klees, Peter A
497
Knapp, Almeron N.
538
Knapp, James H.
205
Knapp, Orlando J
316
Kreeger, Julius.
463
Krohn, Isaac.
123
Krum, George
468
L
LaDu, Charles W
203
LaDu, Rev. Stalham W
210
Larsen, Chri
634
Holmes, Harry
170
Lascelle, Joseph
M
238
Lee, Lewis N
521
Lester, George H.
568
Lester, Will H., M. D.
277
Lewis, John
89
Lincoln, Edward W
620
Lisk, Solomon
323
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Long, Sherman 399
Loper, Marvin L. 627
Lovely, William H 103
Lower, R. Earl
261
Lunn, William P
648
Lutterloh, Henry
208
Mc
Mcclellan, Spencer. 616
McCloskey, J. E 310
McConkie, M. J
613
McCrea, Jacob,
545
McDonald, Angus
H
400
McGowan, John
622
Mc Hattie, William
384
McNutt, R. D.
147
M
Mabie, Charles A 351
Maddhes, George H *292
Mader, William 388
Madison, Albert.
473
Madsen, John
587
Martin, Josiah 550
Marvin, Charles H.
641
Mayes, Delbert
528
Meach, Charles L
183
Merrifield, Nicholas C .. 430
Messenger, Judge Christopher C.
34
Miel, Judge Lucas M 192
Miller, Charles M.
140
Miller, George W
652
Miller, John C.
658
Miller, Noble W., M. D. 320
Miller, Oscar C. 77
Mills, William
583
Minard, George H 466
Miner, James 354
Miner, M. J
348
Miner, Uriah
355
Mitchell, John H 470
Moffatt, Edwin E. 275
Moulton, Ralph W. 301
Mulick, Edward G.
272
Musson, Thomas W
578
N
Neff, Jacob M. 156
Neff, Sherman E 163
Nelson, Judge Francis. 598
Nelson, John A. 307
Nelson, Oscar E 297
Neve, Robert. 404
Nevins, Harlan P 437
Newbrough J.
176
Newcomb, Solomon
319
Newhouse, Newton W
55
Newton, Rudolph
626
Nickerson, Charles R
502
Noah, Asher R 465
Noah, Clarence A 596
Noah, Joshua 448
Noah, William
304
Norton. Bernard
291
()
O'Brien, Fred U.
332
O'Donald, Albert. 311
()'Donald, Richard H. 44
Oswald, Simon
298
Otis, Rev. Norman L
377
P
Pakes, Fred A 662
Parker, Rev. Charles 148
Paulson, Brede A. 198
Peabody, George W
621
Peck, Ford S 361
Peck, Mrs. Mina 361
Peck, Samuel D 609
Penny, John L
285
Peterman, William
447
Petersen, Peter
264
Phelps, W. S. 629
Pickell, Fred S. 286
Pierce, Harrison 342
Pierce. Warren B
530
Pierson, John W. S.
136
Pierson, George J .. 651
Pintler, Raymond 481
Platt, Frank.
494
Platt, Hezekiah
496
Potter, Thomas
J
73
:
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
Preston, Hubert S. 222
Prevette, George C. 154
Prout, J. H. 109
Pugsley, William H. 488
Purdon, James, M. D.
547
a
Quigg, John
263
R
Rader, Henry 383
Ranney, Ellis W 143
Ranney, Frederick E 47
Rasmusen, Willard C. 647
Rasmussen, Nels P
294
Rasmussen, William E.
152
Reader, Fred B. 589
Reed, David C. 611
Reynolds, Claire C. 660
Reynolds, John 293
Rice, Harvey W 76
Stevens, Frank A 535
Stevenson, Morris W 60
Stoddard, Elmer E 132
Stokes, Edgar
615
Stone, Albert O
498
Stone, Luther R 656
Strait, John B 216
Strait, William E 495
Summers, S. Clay 631
Sutton, Samuel. 412
Swarthout, Charles 215
Swarthout, Scott 162
Sweet, Clarence A
249
S
St. Clair, Marshall A 514
Sanford, Otis A 226
Sayles, Cyrenius C., M. D. 512
Schermerhorn, Lucius B 393
Schroder, Martin. 262
Serviss, John H .. 141
Sexton, William H., Jr 434
Sheehan, Rev. John J 135
Sherd, Marshall D. 362
Sherwood, Charles O 517
Sherwood, Mrs. Emma C. 347
Shook, A. N. 195
Silver, Bert C. E 90
Siple, George W 322
Skarritt, Alfred F 124
Skeoch, J. E.
207
Slawson, Earle B 98
Smith, Herman W. 395
Smith, Rayburn B., M. D. 218
Smith, William B 175
Snow, Bert R
628
Spangler, Benjamin 340
Spencer, John P 454
Squire, Eli 387
Staines, William
J
618
Starr, Harry
Stearns, Alfred L 53
Stearns, Wesley J
240
Stebbins, Allen E 106
Stebbins, Arthur
M
118
Stebbins, Chester H
328
Stebbins, Ensign
B
224
Steere, Joseph B 409
Steere, William M 439
Richards, Charles S
187
Richardson, Albert
A
374
Ridley, James T. 79
Riley, Charles W 260
Robinson, James W 597
Rowland, Oren A. 281
Rowley, Edwin S. 603
Rule, Zacharias D. 230
Russell, A. Noah 104
Rutan, Eugene. 33
Rutan, Manning
48
Rutherford, Ernest
A.
268
T
Tallman, W. A. 655
Taylor, Arthur J 83
Taylor, Frank A 413
Taylor, H. W. 151
Taylor, J. Philo, D. D. S. 133
Taylor, J. W. 278
Teed, Lemuel J 490
Thurlby, John F 513
Tower, R. J. 134
Towle, Delos A
57
Train, James K 144
:
637
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.
U
Urie, James W
345
V
Verplanck, James H
366
W
Wagar, Hon. Edgar S.
64
Wagar, Harry F 38
Waldo, Otto
201
Wandel, John H.
190
Wanink, William
W
593
Ward, Lewis 181
Warts, William
O
508
Waters, David L
306
Weeks, Clair W.
88
Wheeler, Wilson
649
White, Charles M 363
Wickes, George P 636
Williamson, Francis G. 186
Wilson, George M 458
Wilson, Oscar W
414
Winter, Thomas B 177
Wood, William A. 432
Woods, Joseph 558
Worden, Adelbert 588
Worden, Thomas W 623
Wright, Cass T 45
Wright, Will
233
Wyckoff, F. M. 274
Y
Youdan, J. Claude.
315
Young, Ammon E. T. 477
Young, John P., M. D.
492
Youngman, Niel H.
567
HISTORICAL
CHAPTER L.
GEOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.
The surface of Montcalm county, which is extremely varied, is cov- ered by many small streams and lakes. Originally, it was covered by dense forests of pine, with some hardwood timber interspersed here and there, but these monarchs of the forests have almost altogether disappeared and in their place are hundreds of fertile farms that produce the good things of the earth. The farmer has taken the place of the lumberman and the plow that of the axe.
From Bloomer township, which stands about one hundred and fifty feet above the level of the Great Lakes, the surface rises to the height of three hundred and fifty feet above the same level in Home, Belvidere, Cato and Winfield townships. The city of Greenville has an altitude of two hundred and fifty feet above Lake Michigan, which is somewhat less per- haps than the general level of the county.
The principal streams of the county are Flat river, Little Muskegon and Pine rivers, Tamarack and Fish creeks. The first rises in Six Lakes and other lakelets and streams in the northern part of the county and in the southern part of Mecosta county, and, flowing through Belvidere, Douglass, Pine, Montcalm and Eureka townships, affords considerable mill power which at different times has been utilized to some extent. The Little Muskegon and Tamarack creek, its tributary, flow through Cato, Winfield and Reynolds townships. Pine river, in Richland, and Fish creek, in Day, Evergreen, Crystal and Bloomer townships, flow to the southeast while passing through the county and finally mingle their waters, the former with those of the Saginaw river and Lake Huron, the latter with the Maple and Grand rivers and Lake Michigan.
The lakes of Montcalm are numerous, there being more than one hun-
(3)
34
MONTCALM COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
dred and sixty in number. The principal ones are Crystal and Duck lakes in Crystal township; Rock and Bass lakes in Richland; Tamarack lake in Cato; Town-Line lake between Cato and Belvidere; and White Fish lake in Pierson.
FIRST CORRECTION LINE.
Montcalm county possesses one peculiarity in the first correction line. This line, in its course across the lower peninsula, parallel to and north sixty miles from the base line, passes between townships 10 and II north, or through the center of Montcalm county, from east to west. The neces- sity of this and of other correction lines will be perceived when it is remem- bered that if north and south lines are true meridians they will not be parallel, but will approach one another or converge toward the north. In fact, if continued sufficiently far, they would meet in one point at the North Pole. The convergence in a single township is small, though quite perceptible, the actual excess in length of its south over its north line being, in Michigan, about three rods. The townships north of the base line, therefore, become narrower than the six miles width with which they com- mence, by that amount, and those south of it become as much wider than six miles. If continued too great a distance this narrowing or widening would cause serious inconvenience, and to obviate this effect of the curva- ture of the earth's surface it is found necessary to establish, at stated inter- vals, standard parallels commonly called correction lines. These are usually sixty miles apart, though in some localities it has been found convenient to establish them nearer together. Michigan has five correction lines, all north of the base line; the first, as before mentioned being the one which passes through Montcalm county. On these parallels, which form new base lines, fresh measurements are made from the principal meridian, and the corners of new townships are fixed six miles apart as on the original base line. This method of procedure not only takes up the error due to con- vergency of meridians but checks and arrests errors which from want of precision or carelessness, are likely to occur in the surveys already made.
The effects of running the first correction lines will be noticed by referring to any outline map of Montcalm county. Its position is indicated by the offset which commences there in the north and south lines. Thus the east lines of Ferris and Richland townships are carried nearly half a mile to the westward of the line which forms the eastern boundary of Bloomer and Crystal townships, and these offsets continue on the same line to Lake Michigan.
35
MONTCALM COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ROCK FORMATIONS.
In the southern peninsula of Michigan the rock formations present less variety of features than in the northern peninsula, and are much less open to view, because of the greater thickness of the glacial deposits. None of the rock formations in the southern peninsula have been subjected to such upheaval and folding as characterize the formations in the western part of the northern peninsula. They all lie in nearly horizontal position with a gentle dip toward the center of the peninsula. The beds of shale, sand- stone and limestone which outcrop in the eastern part of the northern pen- insula, also dip toward the center of the southern peninsula, and pass beneath the beds which form the surface of that peninsula.
The rock formations of the southern peninsula range in age from the upper part of the Silurian, through the Devonian, to the lower part of the Carboniferous, and consist of a series of limestone, shale and sandstone beds with which are associated deposits of coal, gypsum and salt, each in its own particular horizons. The arrangement of the several formations has been likened to the piling up of plates or saucers in a series of diminishing size, and diminishing amount of dishing from bottom to top. The upper- most and youngest formation, though resting on those which precede it in age, does not stand above some of the outlying parts.
The rock formations in Montcalm county belong to those of the Car- boniferous age and to the particular division known as the Saginaw forma- tion. The surface formations in Montcalm county include the moraines, both landlaid and waterlaid, bowlder-clay plains, outwash plains and sandy drift. There is a fringe, slightly less than six miles wide, beginning in the southeastern corner of the county and gradually tapering off to the extreme northeastern corner, of bowlder-clay plains or till plains which were formed under the ice sheet. The soil ranges from clayey to sandy loam and from first-rate to good second-rate quality. North of Carson City, however, this fringe is broken by a strip of outwash plains where the sand or gravel was spread out by water escaping from the ice sheet. Here the soil is usually light and requires intelligent cultivation. There is also a narrow strip of outwash plains between the two moraines, one west of the bowlder-clay plains already referred to, and the other just east of Stanton and extending north and south throughout the entire length of the county. Still a third outwash plain is bounded roughly on the east by the Grand Rapids & Indiana railroad and extends west to the county line.
:
36
MONTCALM COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
TERMINAL MORAINES.
Two of the principal moraines of Montcalm county have already been referred to. The Montcalm county moraines, which are landlaid alto- gether, consist of rolling or gently undulating glacial deposits formed at the border of the ice sheet. The soil is quite variable within a short space and ranges from very stony material to heavy clay with a few stones and is usually fair to very good farm land. There is one moraine of this char- acter which is bounded roughly by a line drawn from Greenville to Gowen and tapering almost to a point by straight lines some three or four miles north of the Montcalm county correction line. Another moraine lies in the northern part of Pine and the southern part of Cato townships.
A strip running through Stanton, north and south, four or five miles wide at the southern line of the county and tapering to the width of the city of Stanton, then gradually broadening out to the northwest to the Pere Marquette railroad, consists of bowlder-clay plains, already described.
Besides all these formations, there are several areas west and north- west of Stanton, consisting of sandy drift, or sandy deposits not definitely formed as outwash from the ice border, and in part deposited under the ice. The soil of these areas is variable but usually is second rate. Areas of this character may be found in the western part of Douglass township, in Pine township, in the southern part of Cato and in Maple Valley town- ship.
HOW THE GLACIAL DRIFTS WERE FORMED.
The glacial drift which covers so deeply much of the rock surface of the southern peninsula consists of a more or less commingled mass of boulders and small stones in a sandy or clayey matrix, though it differs greatly in constitution and texture from place to place. It was brought in largely, if not wholly, by an ice sheet or continental glacier which moved southwestward from the highlands of Canada across the several Great Lakes basins, carrying in it the earthy and stony material gathered from the loose surface material of the districts over which it was moving. The Canadian highlands were thus extensively denuded of soil and subsoil, while the district south of the Great Lakes was correspondingly enriched by the glacial action. The average thickness of the drift in the southern peninsula is about three hundred feet. There are places near the border of Lake Michigan where the drift is known to exceed six hundred feet.
37
MONTCALM COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Places in the high interior of the north part of the peninsula may have over one thousand feet.
There is evidence that the drift of this peninsula is not the product of a single ice invasion, but instead, of two or more invasions, between which were long periods of warm climate such as prevails today. Between the deposits of glacial material are soils and peat beds and other indications of the presence of vegetation such as would thrive under a genial climate.
Among the most prominent of the topographic features are the belts of rolling or hummocky surfaced drift called moraines, which have already been discussed. These belts have been followed in some cases for scores and even hundreds of miles in their broad sweep around the basins of the Great Lakes, and across other districts. They were formed at places where the edge of the ice held a nearly constant position for a long period, and, by a continual advance to this line, brought in the material which furnished the irregular surfaced moraines. The uneven surface of the moraines is probably due largely to differences in the dirtiness of the ice. The dirtiest parts upon melting would furnish the material for the hummocks, while the cleanest parts would fall short of building up the surface and leave corresponding depressions. It is probable also that some inequality of surface is due to disturbances of material by the ice movement.
With the exception of a small area in the southwestern part of Mont- calm county, where the altitude is from six hundred to eight hundred feet, the altitude of the county varies from eight hundred to one thousand feet above sea level.
TEMPERATURES MODIFIED BY THE LAKES.
The climate of the lower peninsula of Michigan is insular to a marked degree on account of the Great Lakes. Large bodies of water tend to equalize the nearby land temperatures, and this is especially true of the lower peninsula, where the effect of the great cold waves sweeping down' from the northwest is modified by the warmer water of the Great Lakes, the movement of these anti-cyclones, or cold waves, is often deflected by the great bodies of water.
The effect of the Great Lakes, particularly that of Lake Michigan, in modifying the temperature effect of cold anti-cyclones and warm cyclonic storms, makes for lower Michigan a more equable and less extreme climate than obtains in the states of similar latitude on the other side of Lake Michigan. This influence is very marked in the immediate vicinity of Lake
38
MONTCALM COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Michigan, although apparent in all parts of the lower peninsula. In Wis- consin winter temperatures have frequently continued from ten to twenty degrees lower during periods of extreme cold weather than in lower Michi- gan, owing to the warming influence of the lake which intervenes between the two. In spring the influence of Lake Michigan particularly, and all of the Great Lakes in general, is of untold value in modifying the eastward sweep of early hot waves and late cold waves. In summer the refreshing southwest to west winds are making the entire shore bordering on Lake Michigan one continuous summer resort.
EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE.
The January mean temperature for a period from 1886 to 1911, in Montcalm county, varies from 22 to 23 degrees, while the July mean tem- perature varies from 69 to 72 degrees. The mean annual temperature of lower Michigan as a whole is about 46 degrees, ranging from 49 degrees in the extreme southwestern part to 42 degrees in the extreme northeasterly portion. The average minimum or day temperature ranges from about 82 degrees in summer to 28 degrees in winter, while the average minimum or night temperature in summer is approximately 57 degrees and 12 degrees in winter. The highest known temperature in Montcalm county from 1886 to 1911, was 100 degrees and the lowest known temperature during this period was 26 degrees below zero.
Michigan is seldom visited by tornadoes. The most destructive storms of this character occurred on May 25, 1896, in Oakland county and at Omer, Arenac county, on May 24, 1897. In recent years the most destruc- tive tornado occurred at Owosso on November 11, 1911, and at the very unusual hour of about eleven p. m.
Long heated spells in summer or abnormally protracted cold ones in winter are very unusual. Historical ones occurred in the summer of 1911 and the winter of 1899. The continued high temperatures prevailing dur- ing the latter part of June, in 1911, were phenomenal and had never before been equalled as far as length of time is concerned. On the other hand, the phenomenal cold weather which occurred during February, 1899, marked the longest period of low temperature known. A strong factor in determining the continued cold of February, 1899, was the freezing over, or rather the covering with fields of rubble ice, of Lake Michigan, thus forming a bridge instead of a barrier for the advance of the northwestern cold wave that crossed the northern states that month.
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