USA > Michigan > Muskegon County > History of Muskegon County, Michigan: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 2
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EDUCATIONAL.
The ordinance of Congress, passed in 1787, providing "for the government of the Territory of the United States, northwest of the river Ohio," declared that "religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."
PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
By terms of another ordinance of Congress, adopted in 1785, in regard to the disposal of lands iu the western territory. it was provided that Section No. 16, of every township should be reserved for the maintenance of public schools within such township.
The Legislative Council of the Territory, in 1827, provided for the establishment of public schools in every township containing fifty inhabitants or householders. The first Constitution of the State, adopted in 1835, declares in its article "Education :"
"The Legislature shall encourage by all suitable means, the pro- motion of intellectual, scientifical, and agricultural improvement. The proceeds of all land that have been or hereafter may be granted by the United States to this State, for the support of schools, which shall hereafter be sold or disposed of, shall be and remain a perpet- ual fund, the interest of which together with the rents of all such unsold lands shall be inviolably appropriated to the support of schools throughout the State."
The same general provisions are retained in the present Con- stitution, adopted in 1850.
The whole amount of primary school lands derived from the reserve of the sixteenth section, and sold by the State, to the close of tlie fiscal year, 1880, as shown by the records of the State Land Office, is 650,864.56-100 acres, leaving 370,751.21-100 acres unsold, with about 50,000 acres yet to be selected and placed at the dispo- sition of the State Land Office, on account of sales which had been made from sections numbered sixteen, previous to the enactment by Congress of the ordinance dedicating these lands to the primary school fund.
During the years 1863-73 the amount of primary school interest apportioned to the several counties in the month of May in each year has ranged from forty-five to fifty cents for each child between the ages of five and twenty years. In 1864 the number of children
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
was 272,607, and the amount apportioned at fifty cents for each child $136,362,00. In 1873 the number of children was 400,062, and the amount apportioned was $196,176.80, being forty-nine cents for each child between the ages of five and twenty years. In 1880 there were 0,352 districts, 13,949 teachers, 362,556 pupils, an expenditure of $3,109,915, value of school property $8,977,844. Since its admission into the Union, Michigan has expended for sup- port of primary schools alone over $50,000,000.
POPULATION.
The population of Michigan, previous to its final relinquish- ment by Great Britain, and for a long period thereafter, was incon- siderable, and mostly restricted to the confines of the three princi- pal settlements,-at Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinac, and Detroit. The first enumeration after Michigan became a distinct Territory, was in 1810, five years after the erection of the Territory, at which time the number of inhabitants was 4,762. In the following ten years the population increased to 8,896, and the results of the subsequent enumeration are as follows:
YEAR.
POPULATION.
YEAR.
POPULATION.
1830
31,639
1860.
749,113
1834
87,278
1864
803,745
1840
212,267
1870
1,181,059
1850
397.654
1874
1,334,031
1854
509,374
1830
1,636.93₸
Excess of males at the last census, about 84,000; colored. 15,100; Indians, 7,249.
VALUATION OF TAXABLE PROPERTY.
The Constitution of the State (Article XIX., Sec. 13,) requires the Legislature to provide for an equalization by a State Board, in the year 1851, and every fifth year thereafter, of assessments on all taxable property, except that paying specific taxes.
Previous to the year 1851, State taxation was upon the basis of equalization by the Boards of Supervisors of the several counties.
The valuation as equalized for the various years, is as follows, viz .:
YEAR.
VALUATION.
YEAR.
VALUATION
1838
$ 42.953 495.61
1856
$137,663,009 00
1840 ...
37.833.024.13
1861
172,055,808.89
1845
28.922.097.50
1866
307,965,842.92
1850
29,381,270.66
1871
630,000,000 00
1831 ....
30,976,270.18
1876.
630,000,000.00
1853
120.362.474.33
1831
810,000,000.00
THE STATE SEAL.
The Great Seal of the State of Michigan was presented by Hon. Lewis Cass to the Convention which framed the first Constitution for the State, in session at the city of Detroit, on the 2d day of June, 1825, and on the 22d day of the same month, the Convention adopted the following resolution, offered by the Hon. Ross Wilkins:
" Resolved, That the President of this Convention tender to the Hon. Lewis Cass, the thanks of this Convention, representing the people of Michigan, for the handsome State seal presented by him to the forthcoming State."
The Latin motto on the seal, Si queris peninsulam amanam circumspice, -- "If you wish to see a beautiful peninsula, look around you," was doubtless suggested by the inscription upon a tablet in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, to the memory of Sir Christopher Wren, its renowned architect, Si queris monumentum amonum cir- cumspice,-"If you wish to see a beautiful monument, look round you," referring to the great master-piece of architecture, by him de- signed, as the most fitting tribute to his memory.
THE GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN.
UNDER FRENCH DOMINION, 1622 -- 1763.
Samuel Champlain .. 1622-1635
M. de la Barre .1682-1685
M. de Montmagny
. 1636-1647
M. d+ Nonville 16º5-1689
M. de Aillebout ..
1648-1650
Count de Frontenac. .1689-1698
M. de Lauson
1651-1656
M. de Callieres 1699-1703
M. de Lauson (son)
1656-1657
M. de Vaudreuil 1703-1725
M. de Aillebout.
.1657-1658
M. de Beauharnois .1726-1747
M. de Argenson
.1658-1660
M. de Galissonier 1747-1749
Baron de Avangour.
.1661-1663
M. de la Jonquiere
1749-1752
M. de Mesey
1663-1665
M. de Quesne.
.1752-1755
M. de Courcelles 1665-1672
M. de Vaudreuil de Cava-
Count de Frontenac. 1672-1682
gnac. 1755-1763
UNDER BRITISH DOMINION, 1763 -- 1796.
James Murray. 1763-1767 | Henry Hamilton. 1785-1786
Guy Carleton. .1768-1777
Lord Dorchester .1786-1796
Federick Haldimand. . . . . 1777-1785
TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS.
NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
Arthur St. Clair ...
.1796-1800
INDIANA TERRITORY.
William Henry Harrison.
.1800-1805
MICHIGAN TERRITORY.
William Hull. . 1805-18!3 | George B Porter ..... ... 1831 -- 1834
Lewis Cass .1813-1831 Stevens T. Mason, ex officio 1834-1835
GOVERNORS OF STATE OF MICHIGAN.
Stevens T. Mason. 1835-1840
Andrew Parsons (acting) ... 1853-1854
William Woodbridge .. .1810-1841
Kinsley S. Bingham .1855-1858
J. Wright Gordon (acting). . 1841-1842
Moses Wisner. .1859-1860
John S. Barry .1843-1845
Austin Blair 1861-1864
Alpheus Felch. 1816-1847
Henry H. Crapo .1865-1868
William L. Greenly (acting) . 1847-1847
Henry P. Baldwin .1869-1872
Epaphroditus Ransom .1848 1849
John J. Bagiey. .1873-1877
John S. Barry. 1850-1851
Chas. M.Croswell. 1877-1881
Robert McClelland 185 :- 1853
David H. Jerome 1881.
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6
HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
It is a pleasant and cheerful task to write the history of rapid and continuous progress in the past, of prosperity in the present, and to predict with confidence a brilliant future. Such is the nature of the task assigned to the historian of Muskegon. Favored by nature with a great lake to the west, the second greatest fresh water sheet on the globe, with a coast line indented with the best harbors on the lake, with inland lakes communicating with the great lake at the termini of great rivers, extending for hundreds of miles inland, and bearing on their bosoms the boundless wealth of the best pineries in the world, with excellent railway communication reaching out to every part of her domain, with her harbors white with the winged messengers of commerce, with increasing means of utilizing the waste and refuse materials of the saw mills, with the certainty of discovering in salt a new and important source of rev- enue, with her salubrious climate, with her growing and important fruit interests, and above all, with the aid of lier energetic and en- terprising citizens, backed, as they are, by ample capital, Muskegon is destined to become one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest, of the counties of Michigan.
Muskegon County is situated on the east shore of Lake Michi- gan, in the very heart of the famous " fruit belt" of Michigan, and is bounded on the north by Oceana County, on the northeast by Newaygo County, on the east by Kent County, and on the south by Ottawa County. It is of irregular shape, as several towns extend far to the east into Kent County. On the west the boundary is Lake Michigan.
The townships are, commencing on the northwest and going east, in the first tier: White River, Montague and Whitehall (forming thirty-six sections), Blue Lake and Holton. In the second tier are Fruitland in the west, and then Dalton and Cedar Creek. In the third tier are Laketon, on the north and west of Muskegon Lake, with a small township, Lakeside, of three sections at the southwest corner of the same lake; then Muskegon, then Egelston, Moorland and Casno- via extending far to the east. The fourth or last tier is Norton in the west, then Fruitport and then Ravenna. That is, five townships in the northern tier, three in the next, six in the next and three in the southernmost tier-in all seventeen townships. Then there is in Muskegon Township a great city-Muskegon,-the villages of Whitehall and Montague are in the townships of the same name, and Fruitport in the extreme south, at the head of Spring Lake.
The county has a breadth from north to south of twenty-four miles, and an extreme length from east to west-from Laketon to Casnovia,-of thirty miles.
White River Township is a mere gore of two or three sections wide and six miles long, forming about two-fifths of a regular Con- gressional township. Montague and Whitehall together form a full town, of which the former constitutes about two-thirds. They were originally known as Oceana Township. The incorporated village of Whitehall is at the head of White Lake, and across the lake, to the north, is Montague village. Fruitland is somewhat irregular, on
the west, as is also Laketon, Norton and Muskegon. Fruitport [is the largest town, being nine miles wide from east to west, and con- taining fifty-four square miles. The other towns are regular squares of 6x6 miles, containing 36 sections. These are Blue Lake, Holton, Cedar Creek, Egelston, Moorland, Casnovia and Ravenna.
Muskegon City was taken from Muskegon Township, and lies on the southeast corner of Muskegon Lake. It is a stirring, active, progressive city, the greatest lumber manufacturing city in the world, and contains within its limits half the population of the county. It has the county seat, and is in every way the emporium of the surrounding townships. We shall endeavor to do full justice to this wonderful city.
Whitehall and Montague are the next places of importance, are great lumbering regions, and, of late years, are thriving won- derfully. Whitehall had her great fire in July 1881, and is just recovering from it, and Montague had hers a few years before. Both are now being built chiefly of brick, as far as the business streets are concerned.
North Muskegon, just across the lake from the City, is fast rising in importance as a lumber manufacturing place, and will re- ceive due recognition in these pages. Holton Village and Fruitport are the only other places of importance, the other villages and ham- lets being small post stations.
RAILWAYS.
The county is well served with railways, which are all under one management as the Chicago & West Michigan Railway, which with its branches, is already 400 miles in length. We are enabled to give a full history of the rise of this railway, which is under admirable management, and is highly prosperous. It runs across the west side of the county, about six miles from the west coast, from Grand Haven through Norton, Muskegon, Dalton, Northeast Fruitland, Whitehall and Montague, and thence north to Pentwater. Its stations are Mona Lake, Muskegon, Big Rapids Junction, Dalton, Cailiff's, Whitehall and Montague. Four miles north of Muskegon City there is the Big Rapids branch of the C. & W. M., crossing Dalton Township, with Twin Lake station in the northeast, thence through Holton village and on to Big Rapids.
On the extreme east of the county the Newaygo Railway from Grand Rapids enters Casnovia, and its principal station, Trent, serves the people of East Muskegon with railway accommodations.
There is scarcely a portion of the county which is more than six miles from some railway, and the roads being chiefly sandy are soon in condition to travel after a rain. There is, however, pressing need of a better wagon road from Ravenna and Casnovia to Muske- gon City, which would be a mutual benefit to the residents of these towns and of the city.
There is also a short line of railway to Bluffton from Muskegon, and the railway already runs to North Muskegon, and it is proposed to run it down to the mouth of the lake, so as to have a complete circle of railway around the beautiful and busy Muskegon Lake.
2
16
HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
THE C. & W. M. RAILWAY.
The history of the railroads of Muskegon and Ottawa Counties is but another evidence of the tendency of the age towards the con- solidation of smaller concerns into a huge and powerful consolidated company-the Moses' rod plan of swallowing up the weaker. We are indebted for many of the following particulars to Mr. F. A. Nims, of Muskegon, who aided in bringing about the present com- bination of clashing interests, uniting them into one harmonious whole, more profitable to the stockholders and affording the people better service.
The year 1868 saw the first railway in operation, the Muskegon & Ferrysburg, a distance of about fifteen miles; with L. G. Mason, President; F. A. Nims, Secretary and Attorney, and Major Davis, S. R. Sanford, A. Rodgers and others, as Directors.
In 1869 the Muskegon & Ferrysburg road consolidated with the road from Grand Haven to Allegan, under the name of the Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, with the late Ransom Gardner, of Kalamazoo, as President; A. J. Kellogg, of Allegan, as Secretary and Treasurer, and George Goss, of Allegan, as Superintendent. The firm of Goss, Warner & Co. had built the Allegan portion, and W. F. Thompson, of Detroit, the road from Ferrysburg, which were subsequently sold under foreclosure of mortgage, being bid in by the bondholders, and reorganized as the Grand Haven Railroad, the original stockholders getting nothing. James W. Converse, of Boston, became President; C. C. Converse, Secretary, and Fred H. May, Manager. In 1881 the control of the stock passed into the hands of those interested in the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad, and the Grand Haven and other lines were consolidated with the Chi- cago & West Michigan. The four consolidated companies are now known as the Chicago & West Michigan Railway Company, which includes the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad Company and others, the only change of name being the use of "railway" instead of "railroad." The four consolidated companies are: 1. The old Chi- cago & West Michigan Railroad; 2. Grand Haven Railroad; 3. Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore; 4. Indiana & Michigan Railroad.
The officers for 1881 were Nathaniel Thayer, Jr., of Boston. President; Charles Merriam, of Boston, Secretary and Treasurer; G. C. Kimball, of Grand Rapids, General Manager, and F. A. Nims, "of Muskegon, Attorney. It has now four hundred miles built and in operation, and one hundred miles building. The organization extends from Manistee in the north, to Battle Creek in the southeast, and to Lacrosse, Indiana, in the south.
The Chicago & West Michigan Railroad originated in a com- pany formed to build from New Buffalo to St. Joseph. In April, 1869, an organization on paper was formed, with Hon. A. H. Mor- rison, of St. Joseph, as the leading spirit. In June, 1869, the Lake Shore Railroad of West Michigan was formed to build a road from St. Joseph to Muskegon, and in the following month both companies consolidated, and took the name of the first company. The officers were virtually the same, and both were organized by Mr. Morrison, and he built the road from New Buffalo to Nunica.
Prior to this a company had been formed in Grand Rapids in February, 1869, called the Grand Rapids & Lake Shore Railroad, to run from Grand Rapids to Pentwater by way of Muskegon. In August, 1870, this company was consolidated with the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, taking the name of the latter, and during 1870 Martin L. Sweet, of Grand Rapids, built the road from Nunica to Montague.
In 1870 another corporation named the Grand Rapids & Hol- land Railroad was projected, with F. Godfrey, of Grand Rapids, as President, and also Geo. H. White as one of the promoters. The road was built in 1870. At this time James F. Joy was President
of the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore, and was advancing money in his official capacity as president to build these lines as feeders to his own line.
In 1871 still another line was projected as the Montague, Pent- water & Manistee Railroad, with Samuel A. Brown, of Pentwater, as President; and this road was built by Thompson, Smith & Co., of Detroit, under a contract from Joy as president of the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad. In the fall of 1871 the Montague, Pentwater & Manistee Railroad was completed, and, along with the Grand Rapids & Holland line, was consolidated with the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad.
In December, 1871, there was organized in Muskegon a line to run from Muskegon to Big Rapids, known as the Muskegon & Big Rapids Railroad Company, which line is now the Big Rapids branch of the Chicago & West Michigan, with L. G. Mason President; A. Rodgers, Treasurer, and F. A. Nims, Secretary and Attorney. This road was built in the fall and winter of 1872, by Thompson, Smith & Co., of Detroit, under a contract with Joy similar to the other contracts for building the lines. Prior to the completion of the road it was consolidated with Joy's roads.
For the construction of these roads and branches mortgages had been given, and on November 11th, 1876, a bill was filed in the United States Court to foreclose these, and Geo. C. Kimball, of Grand Rapids, was appointed Receiver for the entire property, he having acted for two years previous as General Manager.
At the sale of these roads they were bid in for the bondholders by Charles Francis Adams, Jr., of Boston, who reorganized them and named the consolidation the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad Company.
The Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore Company was or- ganized to build a road from Grand Rapids to Manistee. The road was built to White Cloud by Chester Warner & Co. James W. Con- verse, of Boston, and his friends, took the bonds, furnished the money and obtained control of the stock. Early in 1881 he parted with the control of this stock and that of the Grand Haven Railroad to the leading stockholders of the Chicago & West Michigan Rail- road, passing over at the same time the control of the Muskegon Lake Railroad, which had been organized to build a road from Muskegon City to Pt. Sherman at the mouth of Muskegon Lake.
In the summer of 1881 the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad, in order to get more extended connections to the south, southeast, and southwest, organized a corporation known as the Indiana & Michigan Railroad, which is in course of rapid construction to Lacrosse, Indiana, the junction of the Panhandle system of railways with the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad. The road crosses the Michigan Central, Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, Baltimore & Ohio, Grand Trunk, Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago, New York, Chicago and St. Louis, and other lines. To realize the importance of the line it is sufficient to state that in thirty-five miles it crosses no less than ten trunk lines. It will be opened to Laporte, Indiana, early in 1882, and finished in the spring of the same year.
The Chicago & West Michigan Railway also lease the White River Railroad, extending already twelve miles into the pineries from White Cloud, and which will probably cross the Flint & Pere Mar- quette Railway to the North.
The Chicago & West Michigan is now in a highly prosperous condition under its present wise and vigorous management, its stock having pulled up from fifteen cents on the dollar as high as ninety-five cents, and at this present writing standing at eighty-five cents.
Late in 1881 the company removed the rails of the old Lake Shore line, from Holland City through Blendon, Ottawa, Robinson
17
HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
and Spoonville Stations, and have, in fact, discontinued the line from Holland via Nunica to Fruitport, and have built a short branch a little above Ferrysburg to a point about a mile north of Fruitport, which enables them to run their freight in and out of Muskegon City more easily.
HYDROGRAPHICAL.
It is impossible to conceive of a county more blessed with water in its various forms than Muskegon.
First, it has on its western side a coast line of about thirty miles exposed to the modifying influences of the great lake, the pre- vailing winds being from the west. The presence of so mighty a body of water-next to the largest sheet of fresh water on the Globe-and that on the windward side, cannot fail to have a marked influence for good, in moderating the temperature of the atmosphere, in ameliorat- ing the character of the soil, and increasing the land surface by reason of its currents, raising up those immense sand dunes towering along its coast line, blockading the mouths of rivers, and forming beau- tiful little lakes, such as Black Lake in Norton, Muskegon Lake, Duck Lake and White Lake, on all of which the busy hum and whirr of the saw mill are heard.
No one can overestimate the importance to Muskegon County, of its position on the great lake; apart altogether from the advantages to climate, soil, and small lake formations, is that of commerce. Her great staple is lumber, and as this is a heavy freight, there is no means of carriage as cheap as water, and with such harbors as Port Sherman and White Lake, the lumber is right on the high- way of commerce, which is open and free to all nearly all the year round, and keeps down the railway rates which have to compete with water. Muskegon harbor at Port Sherman never freezes over, so rapid is the current.
Then in its rivers Muskegon possesses a priceless heritage, which has made it what it is to-day, and will continue to be, the greatest factor in its prosperity. Muskegon River is the longest and largest river in the State of Michigan, which after draining a broad valley far in the interior, expands into a handsome lake close upon the shores of Lake Michigan. No natural position could be more favorable for the handling of logs and the shipment of the sawed product.
MUSKEGON RIVER extends its branches to the central high plateau, and is fed by Higgins and Houghton lakes. The mouth of the Muskegon is a short distance south of the first correction line. This river and the Grand River are not navigable to any extent, but their mouths are sufficiently wide for a few miles to afford harbors for vessels of medium size. The water power of these rivers is ample, and the branches flow through timbered lands, which is of vital importance to the lumber interest as mediums for the trans- portation of felled timber from otherwise almost inaccessible parts of the interior to ports or railroad stations. Without these rivers the greater portion of our timber would be almost worthless to its owners. Their importance can be fully appreciated only by those who have seen the lumberman at work.
In the fall of the year hundreds of axmen and teamsters, with their horses and yokes of oxen, penetrate seventy or eighty miles into forest desolation, scarcely cutting a rough, narrow road, which seems impassable for man or beast; yet, by means of which, during their stay in the winter, the necessary supplies are conveyed. Ar- rived at the places with valuable timber, huts are erected, temporary stables for the animals arranged,and work begins. Tree after tree sinks to the ground under the pitiless strokes of their axes. The valu- able parts of the trunks are cut into logs of proper length, and drawn on sleds to the nearest creek, where they are piled up until, in spring- time by the melting of the snows, the creeks are swollen into im-
petuous streams, which are kept back or hemmed in by dams. After the water has risen sufficiently, the braces holding back the logs are removed, when with terrible speed, smashing everything in their way, they dash into the muddy pond. The gates are then opened, and swiftly glide the logs along with the rapid current, accompanied by a crew of men, who remove all obstacles, walking with surprising dexterity to and fro over the floating logs. Finally they reach the mouth of the rivers, which expand into lake-like basins. It often occurs that a river-bed for many miles up its course is jammed with logs, representing several square miles of forest, an interesting and curious sight.
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