USA > Michigan > Muskegon County > History of Muskegon County, Michigan: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 8
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WHITEHALL STAGES.
The first mail route to Whitehall was on foot over the Indian trail and the first mail carrier was Mr. S. C. Hall, now a wealthy lumberman of Muskegon City, who carried the mail on foot for the first three weeks in a carpet bag. The first letter was for Joseph Hinchman. The first stage to Whitehall was by Gale & Nichols, then came Bickford's stage, then Smith & Saunders, Hall & Al- sauer, Lee, Scully & Co., and Culbert Bros. to the South, and first Bickman and then Rodky to the North.
STEAMBOATING.
Among the earliest to commence the steamboat passenger bus- iness was Mr. J. T. Ryerson, now of Muskegon, who ran two boats, the old "Truesdell" and the "Ottawa," as combined lumber and pas- senger boats until 1867, when he sold out to Mr. A. E. Goodrich, of Chicago, who has run steamers to Muskegon, Ottawa and Grand Haven, both propellers and side-wheelers, but chiefly the latter from that time until the Fall of 1880, when he withdrew the line for a year but they are again being put on in 1882. As early as 1866 Mr. Goodrich ran a few trial trips with one of his steamers. For
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
CHATIONAL BANK CAPITAL $ 50.000
NATIONAL BANK CAPITAL $ 50.000.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK, WHITEHALL MICH. I.M.WESTON, PRESIDENT.
C.A.HAMMOND, CASHIER.
RES OF JOSEPH HINCHMAN, WHITEHALL, MICH.
35
HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
many years this line has been run by the Goodrich Transportation Company, which is very extensive in its operations, and has a con- tinental reputation for the speed, elegance and comfort of its boats. The head office is at the foot of Michigan Avenue, Chicago, where they have extensive docks. " The President of the company is A. E. Goodrich, Thos. G. Butler is Vice-President and Supt .; G. Hurson, Secretary; Wm. H. Wright, Treasurer; and John Singleton, Pas- senger Agent at Chicago. They have now seven lines of boats, and take in both sides of Lake Michigan. They now own eleven steamers, five large and elegant low pressure, side-wheelers, and six A 1 upper cabin propellers.
BANKING.
There are but tliree National banks in the county, the Muske- gon National and the Lumberman's in Muskegon, with capital of $200,000 and $100,000 respectively; and the First National, of Whitehall, with $50,000 capital.
The first bank established in Muskegon City was in 1859, by Capt. T. J. Rand; in 1864 it became an Exchange Bank with more extended facilities. On the death of the founder the bank became a National bank, under the title of
THE LUMBERMAN'S NATIONAL BANK,
in February, 1873, with Major C. Davis as its first President, Henry Beidler as Vice President, and C. C. Billinghurst Cashier. Its direct- ors liave always been prudent and conservative men, which accounts in a great measure for the large amount of deposits continually entrusted to their care. This institution has always had in view the prosperity of the city, more especially its great manufacturing inter- ests, and, as its name implies, is a Lumberman's Bank in that the greater part of its loans and discounts are made with the lumbering interests connected with the city and river. Among those inti- mately connected with its management for many years, as officers and directors, are: Major Chauncey Davis, the President; A. V. Mann, I. O. Smith, C. H. Hackley, Alex. Rodgers, W. F. Wood, and Rollin S. Thompson, nearly all of whom are wealthy and ex- tensive dealers in lumber. The bank is situated on Western Avenue, not far from Terrace Street, and has just been thoroughly over- hauled and refitted, an elegant new front having been put in. This bank is a stable and prosperous institution.
THE MUSKEGON NATIONAL BANK
was established in November, 1870, and was the first regular bank in Muskegon. Before this E. G. Comstock had been conducting a private bank for Mr. Gustin, his father-in-law. Mr. Comstock died in 1880, in New York. The first President of this bank was Mr. Gustin. The early Directors were: A. Rodgers, F. A. Nims, C. H. Hackley, L. G. Mason, E. W. Merrill, and Gustin and Comstock. The capital at one time was $225,000. but is now $200,000; the surplus and earnings are $83,713.98. The officers (in 1881) were: C. T. Hills President; C. H. Hackley Vice Presi- dent, and Frank' Wood Cashier. The Directors were: C. T. Hills, A. Hathaway, C. H. Hackley, C. S. Montague, L. G. Mason, D. R. Shaw, and A. S. Montgomery.
The following is the statement for Oct. 1, 1881:
RESOURCES.
Capital Stock LIABILITIES. .$ 200,000 00
Surplus ..
40,000 00
Other Bonds ... 19,000 00
Circulation
45,000 00
l'eposits
359,377 83
Dividends Unpaid
200 00
Due from Banks. 65,219 15
Cash on Hand 65.796 57
$ 673,291 81
$673,291 81
The bank building on Western Avenue is a noble structure, and is on the corner of First Street. It was erected in 1874-75, the bank entering upon business in it March 5, 1875. They have four large vaults, one burglar-proof, with fifty-eight safety deposit boxes. The works are from the Detroit Safe Company.
The last list of officers and directors is as follows;
Directors: C. T. Hills, C. H. Hackley, L. G. Mason, A. S. Montgomery, Aaron Hathaway, C. S. Montague, and D. R. Shaw.
Officers: President, C. T. Hills; Vice President, C. H. Hack- ley; Cashier, Frank Wood; Teller, Ray W. Jones; Book-Keeper, T. D. Whitney; Collection Clerk, Alfred H. Wylie; Exchange Clerk, P. O. Lange.
WHITEHALL BANKING.
The first bank in Whitehall was the Exchange Bank, opened by Frank Blackmarr Nov. 14th, 1870, of which C. A. Hammond was Cashier. August 11th, 1873, the Lumberman's State Bank organized under the State banking laws with a capital of $50,000, and officers as follows: President, Hon. John P. Cook; Vice Pres- ident, Hon. Elliot T. Slocum; Cashier, Frank Blackmarr; Assistant Cashier, C. A. Hammond; Directors, Hon. John P. Cook, Hon. Elliot T. Slocum; John C. Lewis, Hon. George M. Smith, E. M. Ruggles, Frank Blackmarr and Charles H. Cook. The new bank purchased the old Exchange Bank's business. July 5th, 1876, Col. William Weston purchased a controlling interest in the stock and was elected President, and on June 26th of the year following his son, I. M. Weston, succeeded Frank Blackmarr as Cashier.
July 17th, 1879, I. M. Weston succeeded his father as President and principal owner of the bank, and C. A. Hammond, the former Assistant Cashier, was elected Cashier.
September 1st, 1879, it was re-organized as the First National Bank of Whitehall, with the same capital and officers.
In 1881 the officers were: President, I. M. Weston; Vice President, Albert Mears; Cashier, C. A. Hammond. Directors: I. M. Weston, Albert Mears, B. F. Weston, John C. Lewis, L. G. Ripley, E. M. Ruggles and S. H. Lasley.
The official statement made to the Comptroller of the Currency October 1st, 1881, shows: Capital stock, $50,000; surplus and undivided earnings, $10,151.33; cash on hand, $44,593.47; de- posits, $152,256.89.
The bank building, of which we present a cut, is the finest edifice devoted to business purposes in the village. It was built in 1873, of Milwaukee brick, at a cost of $12,000, and is complete and elegant in all its furnishing. It contains a large vault, with double burglar-proof Hall doors. Inside the vault is one of Hall's latest improved burglar-proof safes, with Sargent's time lock at- tached, and also a chest of iron safety deposit boxes for customers.
The bank does business for a large area of territory, being the only one between Muskegon and Pentwater, a distance of forty miles, and as far east as the Grand Rapids & Indiana R. R. It takes first rank among the banks of the State as a strong, prosper- ous, and well equipped financial institution.
For 1882 the Directors are: I. M. Weston, A. Mears, J. C. Lewis, B. F. Weston, C. A. Hammond, E. M. Ruggles and S. H. Lasley.
At the Directors' meeting the new board elected I. M. Weston President and C. A. Hammond Cashier. A semi-annual dividend of four per cent. was declared, and eight per cent. was passed to the surplus fund from the earnings of the past six months.
SHIP BUILDING.
The only two points at which ship-building has been carried on, and that on but a small scale, have been Muskegon City and White- hall. At the former place tlie Booming Company was the first to
Loans and Discounts .... $ 431,592 32 Overdrafts .... 1,222 91
U. S. Bonds at Par .. 50,000 00
Undivided Earnings. 28,713 98
Real Estate, Furniture and Fixtures .... 32,000 00 3.210 86 Expenses and Taxes Paid Due from U. S. Treasurer 2,250 00
36
HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
have a shipyard on a small scale, to repair their boats and build their tugs and dredges. Their yard was on the bank of the lake not far from the upper railway depot. The water has since been encroached upon, so that the position is now quite inland. About 1868 Capt. J. P. Arnold commenced to work for the company and continued to do so for several years. At that time, he says, the company had but one tug, the old "Algoma," and in 1871 the "Morris" was built. Previous to this river boats had been used. The company still keep up their yard for repairing and for building a portion of their tugs, dredges and scows. Capt. Seth Lee was one of the former overseers of the yard, and now Capt. Mees has charge.
The ship-building business has never been very extensive on Muskegon Lake, either on account of the timber, or on account of capitalists not taking up the business with energy, owing to other lines of business presenting more lucrative openings for investment.
Capt. J. P. Arnold started his own yard near the "Foss" mill in 1879, and built there the schooner Lyman Davis, capacity 230,- 000 feet of lumber, which is still running; also twelve tugs, a dredge and a number of boats. In 1881 he built the tug "Arnold," and took it all the way to New Orleans and there disposed of it to good advantage, after enjoying an exciting trip on the "Father of Waters." This Spring the captain is building a fine ferry boat on the Boom- ing Company's grounds for Capt. Seth Lee, to be used as a ferry to North Muskegon. It is 80 feet long, 16 feet beam and 6 feet hold. The Booming Company is also now engaged in rebuilding the tug Stevens.
Henry Footlander's yard is at the "Foss" slip and was com- menced in 1878, at which tugs now have been built, boats repaired, and a vessel is now in course of erection, which is expected to be ready for launching soon.
Ship-building at Whitehall in the Winter of 1881-2 has been quite active, there having been on the stocks the schooner Mary Collins, of Chicago; the Kate Howard, of Evanston; and the steam barge Michael Groh, of Chicago. The total amount expended is about $20,000, and 40 or 50 men have been employed.
FLOURING MILLS.
The first flouring mill in the vicinity was built by John Ruddi- man at the mouth of Bear Lake, across Muskegon Lake, in 1852, and many recollect the benefit the old mill was to the early settlers. It is now a thing of the past.
The second and last mill is the CITY MILLS, built in 1869, a four story wooden structure with five run of stones. It was built by Wm. Martin and Jas. M. Barnet (Grand Rapids) and purchased in Aug. 1878, by H. S. Henderson & Co. (Mr. Peterson.) The firm do no custom work, and have to import wheat largely to supply the demand. They have worked up a large and increasing business. and also deal in pressed hay and manufactured feed.
The only other flouring mill in the county is that of Ferry, Dowling & Co., in Montague, which is a fine affair. It
is a fine three-story and basement wooden structure, fitted with all modern improvements for milling by new processes, with four run of stones, making forty barrels a day. It was erected in 1867 by Ferry, Dowling & Co., and at first they had to import grain to keep it going, now they can export, such is the progress of agri- culture. In 1875 JAS. M. WEBSTER took charge and is managing it with energy and ability.
HOMOCIDES AND FATAL ACCIDENTS.
Muskegon has been singularly free from criminal trials, for murder or homocide. For the last seven years the only murder trial was that of Dick Talbot, of Marshall, for the murder of Thos. Leitch, on the Newaygo road. The trial took place in the Spring of 1881, and Talbot is serving out a sentence of fifteen years' impris-
onment at Jackson. The cause of the murder is a mystery. There was a murder committed by a book agent named Birge, who shot his wife and immediately shot himself, so that he died the same day in jail. This was a very melancholly affair. In the summer of 1881 the body of Neil Mckinnon, Canadian, was found in the Muskegon Lake, and in the Fall of the same year the body of Henry Slater, a talented lawyer of Muskegon, and formerly of Whitehall, was found on the marsh in which it is probable he had wandered.
The following is the
TAX ROLL OF 1839, which shows the " solid men" of that day :
Names and property taxed: Joachim Lansdak, $185; John Nait (or Nail), $60; James Banks, $105; John Jackson, $105; Henry Pennoyer, $165; Wm. Bailey, $75; Joseph Troutier, $260; B. H. Wheelock, $3,000; Wm. Lasley, $1,910; Geo. Cown, $30; Joseph Stannock, $110; Louis B. Badeau, $1,850; T. Newell & Co., $1,683. Total, $8,938. Signed, E. Wilcox, J. K. Newcomb, and C. Fryzine. Dated, May 20th, 1839.
C. Fryzine was postmaster in 1839.
THE "TRADING POST"
was the name of a spot about four miles up White River, on the right bank, and consisted of a hut made of split logs, erected by a French trader in the early days, certainly before 1835, which was abandoned when the Mears and Daltons came in, shortly after that date. The place was occupied as a sort of saloon and eating house by Charles Johnson and Johannes Gustavus, who are still both living, the former rich, the latter poor. The " boys" in those days called the place instead of the "Trading Post" the " snubbing post." The place was on land now owned by a Mr. Nelson and the Christ. Wyre estate. This historic land-mark is now removed.
PRIMITIVE JUSTICE.
A Justice of the Peace in the olden times was an important per- sonage; as an instance we insert the following anecdote.
Mr. James Dexter came to White River in 1848, and removed from that place to Pentwater in May, 1855. He was one of the Jus- tices of the Peace of White River Township, which, until 1855, comprised all the territory in Oceana and Mason counties.
During the judicial reign of James Dexter when Justice of the Peace of the township of Pentwater, one Henry Rector, becoming incensed at his neighbor's hog for destroying his garden, shot said hog.
Complaint being made to his Honor of the commission of so grave an offense, he immediately issued his warrant, and Mr. Rector found himself a prisoner before his Honor's judicial tribunal.
Upon trial, the prisoner was found guilty, and Justice Dexter, in pronouncing the sentence of the Court, said; -
"Having been tried by a jury of your countrymen and found guilty of disturbing the peace and dignity of our community, the quietude of which has heretofore never been disturbed by anything more serious than the killing of an Injun, it becomes the duty of this Court to inflict the penalty of the law upon you. You will pay to me within one hour a fine of twenty dollars and costs, amounting to ten dollars, and in default thereof, you will be imprisoned in the county jail at Whiskey Creek for the term of ninety-nine years."
The prisoner failing to make the required payment, was actually conveyed to Whiskey Creek and placed in the jail, where he might have remained until the full term had expired had not his friends succeeded in procuring his release upon a writ of habeas corpus, is- sued at Grand Haven where Judge Littlejohn was holding court.
37
HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
WHITE RIVER ITEMS.
About the year 1844, after the first salt well at Grand Rapids was completed, the men that sunk it, consisting of a father and two sons, by the name of Hulbert, came on White River as the most likely place to strike salt. It was then an unbroken wilderness, the beautiful lake was navigated only by the red man and his dusky mate, except it may be that the veteran pioneer, Chas, Mears had a mill where A. M. Thompson's mill lately stood. It is not known what induced them to come here, whether they decided upon geological knowledge, or from Indian stories about the great salt spring, ten or twelve miles up the river. But one thing is certain, they went there and found the spring to contain about twenty-five or thirty per cent salt, and commenced sinking a salt well, and got to the depth of eighty feet, when the drill got fast and they were obliged to aban- don it, but doubtless, salt can be found there in paying quantities.
The old Daylight propeller was the first to ply between Grand Haven and Pentwater, and was commanded by Capt. Ed. Burroughs with his brother Edson as Wheelsman. It was a side-wheeler with heavy stroke, and ran for several years about 1864-5-6.
In giving his pioneer experiences, Mr. James Gibbs, of Mears, writes that twenty-six years ago but one house, Sargent's, stood in Montague, where now the spacious Franklin House stands, and there was but one house in Whitehall at that time. On his ar- rival there he had to subsist three days on potatoes and salt.
LOGGING ROADS
are of recent invention. The Northwestern Lumberman, in a recent article, says that the idea of using steam to convey logs from the pineries first entered into the mind of a Muskegon man, W. S. Ger- rish, when sauntering in Machinery Hall at the Centennial Exposi- tion in 1876, and now Michigan has more miles of such forest roads than all other States combined, and enquiries as to their construc- tion are coming from other lumbering States, especially the South.
CHANGE OF NAMES.
. The names of quite a number of places have been changed, and the places themselves in some cases have disappeared, being either paper organizations and appearing only in old maps, or the people have moved away, and left the formerly flourishing village to deso- lation. Among these is the projected village of "Crimea," on the north side of the entrance of Black Lake, and "Chichester," on the northeast corner of Moorland; "Ferrysville" and "Stump P. O." at the mouth of White Lake; "Carleton," up White River; "Mears," (now Whitehall); "Reedsville," now a part of North Muskegon; "Laketon" and "Millville," now Pt. Sherman; "Oceana," the name of a township of varying size, which at one time included Montague and Whitehall. The names of the railroads are all changed into Chicago & West Michigan Railway, which were formerly the Chicago, Michigan & Lake Shore, the Ferrysburg & Muskegon, the Muskegon & Pentwater, the Muskegon & Big Rapids, etc. For a time the name of the county varied, even in acts of the Legislature being sometimes Muskegon, and at other times Muskego.
MAP OF 1834.
In a map of Michigan of the year 1834, all the territory north of Oceana was classified as the Territory of Michilimackinac, and is all a blank space, as is, indeed, nearly all the map of the State. The only names of settlements that appear in the counties of Kent, Allegan, Ionia, Ottawa, or Oceana, are those of " McCoy" and " Gypsum," where Grandville and Jenisonville now stand. All else is blank. The Grand River is pretty well traced, but the Mus- kegon and White Rivers are made to appear of equal length, rising up about Holton. No lakes appear at their Mouths. Oceana County came down near the line of Muskegon River.
THE CITY MAP IN 1854.
The earliest printed plat of Muskegon City is one by Robert S. Innes, C. E., which of course shows the "village" on a small scale. The plat extended from Pleasant and Jefferson Sts., on the west, to Myrtle St. on the south, and Little Chief St. on the east, being from two to five blocks deep and ten blocks long. There was but one pier extending a short distance into the lake-the old Newell pier-a short distance east of the mouth of Ryerson's Creek.
COUNTY MAP IN 1864.
In looking at a map of the county published in Philadelphia in 1864, one is struck with the important changes in the boundaries of towns and of the progress in other respects. Many of the pres- ent wagon roads were then unopened, and not a single railroad ap- pears. Norton and Fruitport are all included under Norton. Mus- kegon covers all of Laketon and Lakeside as well as its present ter- ritory. White River comes to a sharp point by being prolonged into what is now Fruitland. Dalton is the name for all of the rest of Fruitland, of the whole of the present towns of Whitehall, Dalton and all of Blue Lake, except the two upper tiers of sections. Oceana was the name of what is now Montague and that part of Blue Lake not taken by Dalton. Cedar Creek includes the present town of that name as well as Holton. The other towns were arranged- as at present. Whitehall village is indicated on the map by a small plat called "Mears," and Montague village is not named, but in its place appears the name of W. M. Ferry's saw mill, Ferrisville is the name of the then considerable settlement at the mouth of White Lake, which mingled its waters with Lake Michigan by the old tor- tuous channel to the north of the present one. There appears but two roads to the north from Muskegon City, the State road, and one running along the north of the lake and branching off at Green's Creek towards the lake shore. There was also the road up the river to Newaygo. Where Pt. Sherman stands appears the name of Millville.
THE PRESS.
In 1882 the Press of the county is represented by three news- papers published in the city of Muskegon: The semi-weekly News and Reporter, by F. Weller, shortly to be converted into a daily; the daily and Weekly Chronicle, by Mckay and Dana; and the Evening Mail, by the Mail Publishing Company. The first is Dem- ocratic, the second Republican, and the third Independent. At Whitehall there is the Forum, weekly, Republican, issued by Charles P. Nearpass, and the Holton Banner, weekly, Republican, by C. P. Nearpass. At Montague is issued the Lumberman, weekly, Demo- cratic, by Frank Bracelin.
In 1881-2 there was several changes in the personnel of the press. In the Fall of 1831 the Hon. W. M. Harford, publisher of the Chronicle at Muskegon, disposed of the paper to two enterpris- ing gentlemen from Ohio, Messrs. McKay and Dana. In January, 1882, James Campbell, the able conductor of the Evening Journal, Muskegon, sold the good will of that paper to the publishers of the Chronicle, and the Journal ceased to exist. This reduced the press of Muskegon to two, the semi-weekly News and Reporter and the Daily Chronicle.
The Evening Journal was commenced Feb. 10th, 1882, by Chas. S. Hilbourn, James Smith and W. G. Cameron. Messrs. Hilbourn and Cameron are both experienced newspaper men, the former having been publisher of the Lakeside Register, published in Muskegon from 1873 to 1877, when it was sold to Mr. Weller, of The News and Reporter. It was a Democratic organ. The Mail
38
HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
is independent in politics, is issued every week-day evening, with a double sheet on Saturdays. It has advocated the " Ten Hours" movement of the working men.
The Muskegon News was founded by John Bole, now of Grand Rapids, Jan. 1st, 1864, as a Republican organ, and in the Fall of the same year he sold out to J. P. Gardner, who, in the Spring of 1865, sold to Mr. F. Weller, who has conducted it ever since. In 1867 Mr. Weller purchased the Muskegon Reporter from Fred. Lee, and consolidated the journals as The News and Reporter. At the time of the Greeley-Grant campaign it supported Greeley, and has ever since been Democratic. It has been for many years a sprightly, newsy semi-weekly journal.
FERDINAND WELLER, editor and proprietor of The News and Reporter, was born in Asch, Austria, Dec. 24th, 1838. At eighteen years of age he came on a sailing vessel to America, landing at New York, settling ultimately at Howell, Mich., for six years, where he learned the printing business. Thence he went to Grand Rapids for two years, and came to Muskegon in 1865, and pur- chased The Muskegon News, and afterwards the Reporter, which he consolidated as the semi-weekly News and Reporter. In 1869 he married Miss Anna Ellis, of Earlville, Iowa. In 1870 Mr. Weller made a pleasant visit to his native place, and returned with his aged mother, who still resides in that city, hale and hearty, although now seventy-four years of age.
The Muskegon Daily and Weekly Chronicle was established in 1857, and is now in its twenty-fourth year, and is the oldest paper in the county. The Daily Chronicle is now in its second year, and has been from the beginning a vigorous newspaper. Both papers are Republican in politics. The Hon. W. M. Harford, for- merly publisher of the Fremont, Ohio, Journal and of the Parents' and Teachers' Monthly, purchased the office about February, 1878, and in 1881 it was purchased by the enterprising firm of Mckay & Dana.
In December, 1877, The Muskegon Chronicle, then owned and edited by Mr. O. B. Curtis, was the only Republican paper in Mus- kegon. Another paper seemed to be needed to fully represent the party, and at that time Mr. R. R. Johnson established the Journal. Mr. Johnson continued its sole proprietor until January 1st, 1879, when James G. Campbell, an attorney of the Muskegon bar, bought a, half interest in the office and assumed editorial control, and from thence until April, 1880, the office was owned and controlled by these gentlemen, operating under the firm name of Johnson & Campbell. At the time last mentioned Mr. Campbell purchased the interest of Mr. Johnson and assumed the whole control. In Jan- uary, 1881, Mr. Campbell disposed of the paper to the publishers of the Chronicle.
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