USA > Michigan > Muskegon County > History of Muskegon County, Michigan: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 20
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T. MCCARTHY, filer in charge of the gang sawmill of the Thayer Lumber Company, came to Muskegon in 1862, and the same year enlisted at Kalamazoo in the 27th Michigan Infantry, and served in the war until its close, in 1865. After the war he was engaged at millwright work for some years, and in 1876 took the position he still holds.
ORLANDO C. WINSLOW, in charge of the circular saws at the Thayer Lumber company's sawmill, is an old resident of Muskegon, and has worked in the sawmill since 1869. He took the position of saw filer in the Spring of 1881.
HENRY W. COOPER, engineer at the sawmill of the Thayer Lum- ber Company, came to Muskegon from New Zealand, his native place, in 1872 He was engineer at C. H. Hackley & Co.'s mill for six years, and in the Spring of 1880 began in his present place.
P. W. MAXWELL, foreman of the yard at the sawmill of the Thayer Lumber Company, came to Muskegon in 1870, from Holton, where he was in the employ of Blodgett & Byrne. For five years after coming to Muskegon he was in the employ of Ryerson, Hills & Co., and since 1875 has been in his present"place.
WM. LANGE, blacksmith at the Thayer Lumber company's mill, came to Muskegon in 1865, and for three years was in the employ of John Torrent. He has been in his present place since 1878. Mr. Lange enlisted at Jefferson Co., N. Y., in 1861, in the 1st New York Artillery, and served until September, 1864, when he received his discharge, and soon afterward came to Muskegon.
C. H. HACKLEY & CO.
THOMAS HUME, of the firms of C. H. Hackley & Co., and Hack- ley & Hume, lumbermen, was born in Ireland, in 1848, and came to Muskegon in 1870. He engaged with the firm of C. H. Hackley & Co., as book-keeper, in which position he remained until June, 1881, when he became a member of the above-named firm.
D. De BAKER is in charge of the lath mill at C. H. Hack- ley & Co.'s sawmill. Mr. Baker is a native of Holland, and came to Muskegon in 1862. In 1863 he began in his present place in which capacity he has since been continuously employed.
R. THOMPSON, filer in charge of the gang saws at C. H. Hackley & Co.'s sawmill, came to Muskegon from Wisconsin in 1865. Was saw filer in the Mason mill for about six years. In 1871 he went East, and was absent about ten years. Upon his return in 1881, he entered the employ of Hackley & Co. as saw filer.
WILLIAM TWEEDALE, saw filer in charge of the circular saws at
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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
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the sawmill of C. H. Hackley & Co., has been a resident of Muske- gon since 1866. He has been employed in lumbering about twenty years, and has been in his present place since the Spring of 1881.
GEO. H. GALBRAITH, engineer at the sawmill of C. H. Hackley & Co., came to Muskegon in 1867, and has always been employed in sawmills and machine shops. He was for five years engineer at the Bigelow mill, and began in his present place the Spring of 1881.
BIGELOW & CO.
JOHN HUGHES, foreman of the sawmill of Bigelow & Co. came to Muskegon in 1862, and in 1865 began work at Bigelow & Co.'s mill. In 1878 he was made foreman, which position he still holds.
CHARLES BAKSTROM, engineer at Bigelow & Co.'s sawmill, is a native of Sweden, and came to this country in 1880. He came di- rect to Muskegon, and worked in a machine shop until the Spring of 1881, when he commenced in his present place.
BLODGETT & BYRNE.
A. J. WILcox, foreman of Blodgett & Byrne's sawmill, came to Muskegon in 1871 and engaged at mill work. In 1875 he com- menced work for Blodgett & Byrne, and in 1879 was made foreman.
SWAN, WHITE & SMITH.
ARCHIBALD GILCHRIST, foreman of the sawmill of Swan, White & Smith, has been a resident of Muskegon since 1867, and has been engaged at mill work and logging. He has been in his present place since the Spring of 1881.
A. J. SCOTT, saw filer at the sawmill of Swan, White & Smith's is one of the pioneer saw filers on the lake, having been engaged at this work for twenty-four years. He has been in his present place since 1865. At the breaking out of the war he enlisted at Fond Du Lac, Wis., in the 14th Wis. Infantry, and served until 1864, when he received his discharge and came to Muskegon.
HENRY BOURDO, saw filer at the sawmill of Swan, White & Smith, has lived in Muskegon twenty-five years. For twelve years he has been in continuous service at this mill, and since 1868 has filled the position of saw filer.
WALWORTH & REED.
ROBERT CORD, foreman of the saw mill of Walworth & Reed, has been a resident of Muskegon County for fourteen years, and has been at mill work for thirty years. In 1879 he came from Lake Harbor to take the place in which he is now engaged.
JAMES M. PARRISH, saw filer at the saw mill of Walworth & Reed, came to Muskegon in 1879 from Whitehall and has been in the pres- en place since that time. Mr. Parish served in the war as a mem- ber of the 3d Michigan Cavalry, from 1861 to 1864. Upon receiving his discharge he re-enlisted in the 6th Michigan Heavy Artillery, and served until the close of the war.
HAMILTON, GERRISH & CO.
ROBERT BEYNON, saw filer in charge of the gang saws at the saw mill of Hamilton, Gerrish & Co., has lived in Muskegon eleven years, and has been filing since 1870. He began in his present place in 1873.
WILLIAM H. LEWIS, foreman of the saw mill of Hamilton, Ger- rish & Co., has been engaged at mill work in Muskegon for twenty- four years. For eight years he was with the firm of C. H. Hackley & Co., and has been in his present place since the spring of 1880.
RYERSON, HILLS & CO.
CHARLES MILLER, engineer at the saw mill of Ryerson, Hills & Co., began mill work in Muskegon in 1859, and has been in his present place since 1872. At the breaking out of the war he en- listed at Grand Rapids in the 3d Michigan Infantry, and served until the close of the war in 1865.
HENRY JACOBS, foreman of the saw mill of Ryerson, Hills & Co., has been in the continuous service of this firm since May, 1856, and is the oldest mill foreman on the lake. Mr. Jacobs is a native of Germany, and came to this country in 1854, and in 1856 entered the employ of Ryerson & Hills. He has been foreman of their mill since 1866.
FRED H. KELSEY, saw filer in charge of the circular saws at the saw mill of Ryerson, Hills & Co., has been a resident of Muskegon since 1867, and has been at mill work all of that time. He has been in his present place since the spring of 1881.
BEIDLER MANUFACTURING CO.
JAMES SMITH is the Muskegon member of the Beidler Manufact- uring Lumber Company. Mr. Smith is a native of England and came to this country in 1855. He first went to Saginaw, Mich., and remained until 1860 when he came to Muskegon and went to work for the Beidler Manufacturing Company. He rose to be foreman of the mill, and filled the position to the thorough satisfaction of his employers. In the spring of 1870 the company was re-organized and Mr. Smith took an interest in the business, and since that time has had the entire management of the mill and business at Muske- gon. He has served two years as alderman.
GEORGE E. WOOD.
W. W. POMROY, of Bluffton, is a native of Connecticut, and came to Bluffton in 1871, to take charge of the lumber interests of Kelly, Wood & Co. In 1877 the firm was succeeded by Geo. E. Wood, of Chicago, but Mr. Pomroy has remained in charge of the business since he first began in 1871.
BOOMING COMPANY.
L. W. WARNER, foreman of the Booming Company's mill, op- erated by Blodgett & Byrne, is the youngest foreman of a mill on the lake. He began in his present place in the spring of 1880, and has been engagod at mill work for ten years.
JOHN W. HODSON, engineer of the Booming Company mill, has followed engineering for twenty-two years, and from 1878 to 1881 was with C. H. Hackley & Co. He took his present place in the spring of 1881.
A. V. MANN & CO.
S. C. MooN, foreman of the saw mill of A. V. Mann & Co., Lakeside, came to Lakeside from Jackson County, Mich., in 1868, and has been engaged at milling since that time, and since 1874 has held the position of foreman.
H. PARKER, in charge of the lath mill at A. V. Mann & Co.'s saw mill, Lakeside, came here from New York State in 1866, and has been engaged in mill work ever since, and has been in his pres- ent place since the mill was started in 1872.
JOHN KELLY, engineer at the saw mill of A. V. Mann & Co., Lakeside, is a resident of Ferrysburg, Ottawa County, and has been engineer in mills on the lake for twenty-five years. He took his present place in the spring of 1881.
WILSON & CO.
ASA MARSHALL, saw filer at Wilson & Co.'s saw mill, has been a resident of Muskegon for nineteen years, and has been filing for eigliteen years, nine of which he has been in the present place. He enlisted in the service in 1861, at Grand Rapids, in the 21st Michi. gan Infantry, and served until the close of the war.
STIMSON, FAY & CO.
W. F. CALKIN, engineer at the saw mill of Stimson, Fay & Co., Lakeside, came to Lakeside from Big Rapids, where he was in the employ of the same firm, in 1879, and has continued in their em-
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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
ploy since that time. He took the position of engineer in the spring of 1881.
JAMES BUGGY, boom tender at the saw mill of Stimson, Fay & Co., Lakeside, has been engaged on the lake since 1859, most of the time in the employ of the Booming Company. Has been in his present place since the spring of 1881.
O. HAPPERSTEAD, foreman at the saw mill of Stimson, Fay & Co., Lakeside, has been milling on the lake for twenty years. He came to Muskegon from Chicago in 1861. Has been in his present place since the spring of 1881.
RODGERS & LEBOEUF.
S. W. KENDALL, saw filer at Rodgers & Leboeuf's mill, Lake- side, has been filing since 1878. For ten years prior to that time was engaged in the mills as sawyer. He began in the present place in the spring of 1881. Has been at mill work for twenty years. Was in the war from 1864 to 1865.
DAVIES MILL.
E. F. AGARD was born in Lucas County, Ohio, in 1850, and at the age of twenty-two years came to Grand Haven, where he worked for Wyman & Buswell as saw filer. In 1875 he married Miss Laura Beljeman, by whom he has two children. In the spring of 1882 he removed to Muskegon City, where he now resides, working in the Davies' mill.
BAY MILLS.
M. W. LLOYD, foreman of Bay Mills, was born in Oswego County, N. Y., in 1831. * When three years old his parents removed to Jack- son County, Mich., and 1837 moved to Ionia. Mr. Lloyd left home for Muskegon in 1849, where W. H. Lasley had a mill just started, and he cut the first boards there. He has been with Ryerson, Hills & Co. since 1870. Mr. Lloyd is an energetic and capable manager, and his services are highly appreciated by his employers. He has an elegant residence on the sand bluff near the mills.
HUGH CLEGHORN, engineer Bay Mills of Ryerson, Hills & Co., born in Galashiels, Scotland, 1826, immigrating to America in 1849. He married at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1846, Margaret Montgomery, of Dumfries, Scotland. His eldest son, Alexander, is captain of the tug Getty. Mr. Cleghorn is a very skilful and experienced engineer having been in many different situations, In this county he lived in Whitehall, and in 1866 moved to Muskegon County, being engaged for years on the water works.
C. D. NELSON & CO.
E. F. PARKER, engineer at Nelson's saw mills, was born in York- shire, England, in 1830, and has seen a great deal of the world, traveling as ship carpenter in Africa, Spanish Isles, St. Helena, etc. He came to America in 1852, working in Boston and New York, and came to Muskegon in 1866. He married in 1863, Miss Esty, of Maine.
ALFRED WOOD, foreman at Nelson's saw mill, was born in Port Sherman, January 17, 1862, his father having came two years pre- viously. He married January 8, 1881, Miss Salina Vassar, of the same place.
J. FOLSGROF, saw filer at Nelson's, was born in Chicago Aug. 15, 1842. At nine years of age moved to Indiana, and enlisted, in 1862, in the 82d Ind. Regt. After the battle of Gettysburg he went to Lookout Mountain; also with Sherman to the sea, being cap- tured in South Carolina, and being a few weeks in Libby, when he was paroled. He came to Pt. Sherman in 1867, working for Trues- dell, Wilson, and Nelson. He married, in 1872, Emily Stinfield, of Milwaukee, and has two sons and two daughters.
NORTH MUSKEGON.
Just across the lake and directly facing Muskegon City, which manufactures more lumber than any single city in the world, at a distance of two miles, may be seen clusters of smoke stacks and steam pipes, from which, here and there, issue in the frosty air of winter, stately columns of vapor, the whole shore being " pierced with plumes of smoke." In Summer, the scene is still livelier; night and day, all along the shore the mills are running at a white heat, and from both shores, like answering batteries, rise the din of steam whistles, the noise of steam carriages, and the din of ma- chinery, while thousands of busy hands and brains are responding to the eager cry of the world for lumber, more lumber! to form hab- itations for men, and for the necessities of civilized life.
To the north appears the marshy mouth of the Muskegon river -the longest river in the State, with the Boom Company's storing grounds. Then, on the southeast, appears the rising city of Mus- kegon, the proudest building of which, the central school, the noble temple of learning, towers over all. The city with its spires, its fine rows of blocks on Western Avenue, its numerous mills and machine shops, looks grandly down. The eye stretches to the west and sees mill after mill encroaching on the lake, away down for six miles through Lakeside, and then Bluffton and finally to Port Sherman, at the foot of the lake, which is surrounded on both sides by barren hills of sand rising nearly two hundred feet in the air. On the north there is not a great city, but about a dozen saw- mills line the shores, which are generally bluffy and abrupt.
Extending for about three miles along the north shore from the head of the lake, is a peninsula or tongue of land, in some places only about forty rods wide, as at the Farr mill; in other places nearly 100 rods wide, as at Torrent & Arms'. This strip, lying south of Bear Lake, whose overflow, by a narrow channel, empties into Muskegon Lake, is the incorporated village of North Muske- gon. The eastern end was known as Reedsville, and was platted at a very early day by one Archibald Reed; some even assert that it is the first plat on the lake. The soil is good, being tempered by proximity to three lakes, and Moulton's vineyard attests to its value as a fruit growing region. The first flouring mill was built here, near the foot of Bear Lake, by that worthy old pioneer, John Rud- diman, now enjoying his otium cum dignitate, while the old mill, whose services at an early day are gratefully remembered by the first old settlers, has gone to decay. The village of North Mus. kegon could be reached in summer in two ways, either by the ferries or, by a long detour, by the road over the bayou at the head of the lake. It can now be reached in a civilized way by the cars of the Chicago & West Michigan. In Winter, Jack Frost, the " greatest Roman of us all" in road building, stiffens Neptune's back and one walks over dry shod, and a regular road is established.
A branch of the Chicago & West Michigan Railway is just completed to Farr's mill, a distance of two miles, and it is expected that next summer will witness the extension to the foot of the lake, where an elevator will probably be erected.
The ferries are two in number, the tugs M. E. Minter and Cen- tennial, both safe little boats, running promptly every half hour from 5. A. M. to 11 P. M.
The village was incorporated in March, 1881, and its officers were :
E. C. Misner, President; Geo. D. Farr, Treasurer; N. L. Downie, Clerk and Assessor; James Hawkins, Marshal; A. B. Allen, Attorney; George Arms, Street Commissioner; Wm. Wells and Mr. Malloch, Justices of the Peace, and the Trustees are John Lynch, L. M. Haines, C. N. Storrs, Geo. Hubbard, John Hawkins and J. B. Champagne.
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TORRENT, BROWN & CO.
TORRENT & ARMS LUMBER, CO.
UPPER NOR
JAMES GOW BUD
TH MUSKEGON
TORRENT & BERTRAND
A.H. PETRIE & CO.
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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
At the village election held in April, 1882, the following ticket was elected by an average of five majority. Total vote cast, one hundred and fifty-two:
President, Clark N. Storrs; Clerk, Neil L. Downie; Treasurer, Albert Waldron; Assessor, E. P. Crandall; Street Commissioner, J. D. Champagne; Constable, Chas. H. Leslie; Trustees, Charles Beamis, C. D. Cleveland and William Pett.
The village school is under the charge of Mr. N. L. Downie, who is also a prominent member of the County Board of School Examiners. He is assisted in the school by Miss Hubbard, the school population being about 300, while the population of the vil- lage in the summer season, when the men are back from the woods, and in the mills, already reaches 2,000.
There are two general stores, that of Torrent & Arms, and that of the Farr Company; two drug stores, that of Dr. Andrews and that of Dr. Zerah Mizner, one of the pioneers of White Lake; also H. Misner & Son's livery stables, four meat markets, &c.
There is also quite a village plat in the neighborhood of Rud- diman's saw mill, at the mouth of Bear Lake, and a number of houses have been built there.
The post office is kept by Geo. D. Farr.
THE FLEET.
Mr. Torrent owns quite a fleet of vessels to carry off the pro- duct of his mills. These are the steam barge R. McDonald, Capt. P. Pardee, with a capacity of 350,000 feet, making three trips weekly to Chicago, built in 1881; the steam barge, Nellie Torrent, Capt. W. F. Coleman, capacity 400,000 feet, built in 1880; schooner H. B. Moore, Capt. Wm. Frazee, capacity 235,000 feet, and the tug North Muskegon, built in 1881, and commanded by Captain P. Pillow.
The Farr Company own the schooner Westchester, capacity 240,000 feet. The ferries Minter and Centennial, R. C. Hitchcock manager, have been until recently owned by the same company, who also own the tug John Torrent, John Wetherell master.
THE LOGS.
The mills properly own no logs themselves, merely doing the sawing, the logs at the eastern end being the property of Torrent & Ducey, and further down that of the Farrs' and Col. Geo. Fuller. The North Muskegon Lumber Company is supplied chiefly by Farr & Fuller. The Bay Mill is, of course, supplied by Ryerson, Hills & Co. Messrs. Torrent & Ducey own many acres of fine pine lands in this State, and have recently complete l a purchase of 54,000 acres of white pine and spruce in the St. Regis district, New York State. Col. Fuller is also a very extensive owner of pine lands on Muskegon River and its tributaries. One other large interest on the north side is the lumber inspection business of E. C. Misner, whichi employs eight or ten men all the season. In some weeks extra hands are necessary, according to the amount shipped. From the older mills of the Torrent companies as much as 3,000,000 feet had to be tallied in a week, besides the product of the other mills.
The population is already over 2,000, and next summer the thirteen fine mills of the north shore alone will require, with the other industries, a great increase in population. All this will re- dound to the profit and honor of the southern city, as the develop- ment is chiefly by Muskegon's citizens, and this must continue to be the center of capital, enterprise, law, education, and all that constitutes a semi-metropolitan state of society.
Under the heading of " Saw Mills" we have already described the leading feature of this place.
The Peninsula Fruit Farm is situated upon the west shore of Lake Muskegon, and is one of the finest fruit farms in the State.
In 1867 Bridgeman Moulton, Esq., came here from St. Joseph, Mich., where he was engaged in fruit growing. After locating 250 acres of land he returned to St. Joseph, and disposed of his inter- ests, and the following year came back and began clearing up the land he had located. He built a comfortable home, and set out fruit of various kinds among the stumps. Mr. Moulton was a practical grower and a man of great industry and energy, and the results of his labor and skill are now apparent in the elegant fruit farm which yields a handsome revenue every year. In December, 1880, Mr. Moulton died, and his wife survived him but little more than a year. After Mr. Moulton's death Mr. R. R. Cockburn took the management of affairs until 1882. Parcels of land have been sold from time to time, and at the present time there are about one hundred acres, nearly all in fruit.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
GEORGE ARMS is one of the " old settlers" of Muskegon, having come here from New York in February, 1856. He has seen Mus- kegon grow up from the sands to a thriving, prosperous city. Mr. Arms, on his arrival in the then hamlet of Muskegon, engaged in the lumber business, and was one of the old Newaygo Company. He has resided here ever since 1856, except for a short time when in Chicago. He has been always identified with Muskegon's great industry, "lumber." In 1860, or thereabouts, Mr. Arms and the late " Squire" Furman, than whom Muskegon has never had a stronger, brighter, honester man, purchased from the Muskegon Booming Company all its rights, franchises, and property, and en- gaged in the business of rafting, towing and sorting the logs for the mills. The war came on, and labor and the prices of everything advanced, and they were compelled to abandon the undertaking. While in this business Mr. Arms conceived the idea of using "pens" for the purpose of sorting the logs, which process is still in use, no person ever having been able to improve upon it. To such pioneers as Mr. Arms and " Squire" Furman Muskegon River owes its devel- opment and the laying the foundations of its present capacity for delivering saw-logs. He has always been energetic, wide awake, and pushing; has never, in the darkest days in the infancy of the now great industry of Muskegon, lost faith in its ultimate success and the future of the western town of his choice, and to-day Mr. Arms can look back upon years of hard, patient toil and feel the complacency of the man who can say, " I told you so."
C. BEAUDRY, of the firm of C. Beaudry & Co., proprietors of the French mill at North Muskegon, is a native of Montreal, Canada, and came to Muskegon in 1854. For several years after coming here Mr. Beaudry worked as foreman and engineer in saw mills. In 1872 Mr. B., in company with Messrs. Vallicott and Coe, built a saw mill upon the site where the French mill now stands. In the winter of 1880-81 the old mill was torn down and a new one built. Several changes have occurred in the membership of the firm, but Mr. Beaudry has remained at its head from the first.
CHARLES E. BEMIS, saw filer at Torrent & Brown's shingle and lumber mill, North Muskegon, has been filing six years, and in his present place since the Spring of 1880. Mr. Bemis enlisted in the service at La Porte, Ind., in 1861. He first enlisted for three months, and at the expiration of that time re-enlisted for three years or during the war. He received his discharge in 1865.
WILLIAM H. BROWN, one of the active members of the extensive lumber firm of Torrent, Brown & Co., is a native of Scotland and came to this country in 1854. In the Spring of 1881 he came to Muskegon from Grand Haven, and the firm of Torrent, Brown &
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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
Co. was organized. The company are extensive manufacturers of lumber and shingles. Their mills and office are at North Muskegon. Mr. Brown gives the operating of the mills his personal attention, and the great success of their business is largely due to his energy and sagacity.
ALECK BUCKANEY, saw filer in charge of the gang saws at the French mill, North Muskegon, is a native of Canada, and came to the States in 1869. He has been filing on the lake for twelve years, and in his present place since May, 1881.
JOSEPH B. CHAMPAGNE, of the lumber firm of C. Beaudry & Co., at North Muskegon, is a native of Canada, and came to Muskegon from Montreal in 1869. He first began in the employ of others, and in 1878 bought the interest of Mr. Vallicott in the firm of C. Beaudry & Co., and remained a member of the firm until the close of 1881. Mr. Champagne is a practical mill man, and gives his personal attention to the manufacturing department of the business.
NEIL L. DOWNIE, Superintendent of Schools at North Muskegon, was born in Canada, Oct. 15, 1838. Early in life his tastes led him to select teaching as a profession. In 1858 he came to the United States and obtained a situation as teacher at Fairfield, Michigan. After remaining there two years he taught for two years near Grand Rapids, and subsequently in Newaygo and Ottawa Counties. From Holland, Ottawa County, he came to North Muskegon in 1878, and since June, 1881, has been in charge of the schools. He is also a member of the County Board of Examiners. Mr. Downie is a good instructor and an enterprising citizen.
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