USA > Michigan > Saginaw County > History of Saginaw County, Michigan; historical, commercial, biographical, Volume I > Part 10
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The honored names of Henry B. Schoolcraft, Charles Moran, Daniel S. Bacon,Calvin Brittain, Elon Farnsworth, Charles C. Has-
101
HISTORY OF MICIIIGAN.
call and others are found in the list of the members of the Library committee.
March, 1836, the State library was placed in charge of the Secre- tary of State; in February, 1837. it was given to the care of the pri- vate secretary of the Governor; Dec. 28 following its custody was given to the Governor and Secretary of State, withi power to appoint a librarian and make rules and regulations for its government. C. C. Jackson acted as the first librarian for the State. Lewis Bond also had the care of the books for a time. Oren Marsh was appointed librarian in 1837, and had the office several years. In Marcli, 1840, the law was again changed, and the library was placed in the care of the Secretary of State, and the members of the Legislature and executive officers of the State were to liave free access to it at all times.
State Library .- The library was of course increased from time to time by Legislative appropriations. In 1844, as the result of the efforts of Alexandre Vattemare, from Paris, a system of interna- tional exchanges was adopted.
April 2, 1850, an act was passed requiring the Governor to appoint a State librarian with the consent of the Senate, and it was mnade the duty of the librarian to have the sole charge of the library. This act, with some amendments, still remains in force. It requires the librarian to make biennial reports and catalogues. The libra- rians under this act have been: Henry Tisdale, April 2, 1850, to Jan. 27, 1851; Charles J. Fox, to July 1, 1853; Charles P. Bush, to Dec. 5. 1854; John James Bush, to Jan. 6, 1855; DeWitt C. Leach, to Feb. 2, 1857; George W. Swift, to Jan. 27, 1859; J. Eugene Tenney, to April 5, 1869; and Mrs. Harriet A. Tenney to the present time. This lady has proved to be one of the best libra- rians in the United States. She has now in hier charge about 60,- 000 volumes, besides thousands of articles in the new and rapidly growing museum department. She is also Secretary of the " Pio- neer Society of the State of Michigan," and has charge of the books, papers and relics collected by that society. The library and these museums are now kept in the new State capitol at Lansing, in a series of rooms constructed for the purpose, and are all arranged in the most convenient order and with the neatest taste.
BANKS.
The earliest effort for the establishment of a bank within the pres- ent limits of the State of Michigan was in 1805. The act of Con- gress establishing the Territory of Michigan conferred legislative powers on the Governor and judges; and at their first session as a Board, a petition for an act incorporating a bank was presented to them. This was at a time when the local business could scarcely have demanded a banking institution, or have afforded much prom- ise of its success. The small town of Detroit had just been laid in ashes, and the population of the entire Territory was inconsidera-
LAW BUILDING.
CASTILEAS CU
UNIVERSITY HALL.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR.
MEDICAL BUILDING.
CHEMICAL LABORATORY.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR.
104
HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
ble, being reckoned five years previously at only 551; in 1810, it was less than 5,000; the conntry was possessed mainly by the Indians, and the few French in the State were neither enterprising nor prosperous. No road pierced the forests of the interior; no manufactories existed; agriculture yielded nothing for market, and navigation had scarcely begun to plow our rivers and lakes. In general commerce the fur trade was almost the only element.
The petition for a bank charter was presented, not by citizens of Detroit, but by capitalists of Boston, Russell Sturges and others, who were engaged in the for trade. This petition was granted Sept. 15, 1806, incorporating the " Bank of Detroit," with a capital of $400,000. The great distance of this locality from New England gave those capitalists the advantage of circulating inland bills of credit against their Western banks for a long time before their redemption. Jndge Woodward, one of the judges who granted the act of incorporation, was appointed its president, and the bank went into immediate operation; but imputations unfavorable to Judge Woodward in regard to this and other matters led to a Congres- sional investigation of the act incorporating the bank, and the act was disapproved by that body. The bank, however, continued to do business; but in September, 1808, the Governor and judges, in the absence of Woodward, passed an act making it punishable as a crime to carry on an unauthorized banking business, and this put an end to the brief existence of the institution. Its bills were quietly with- drawn from circulation the following year.
The next bank established in the Territory was the "Bank of Michigan," incorporated by the Board of Governor and Judges, Dec. 19, 1817, with a capital of $100,000. The validity of this act was fully established by the conrts in 1830. By the terms of its charter, the corporation was to expire on the first Monday in Jnne, 1839; bnt the Legislative Council, Feb. 25, 1831, extended its life twenty-five years longer, and subsequently it was allowed to increase its capital stock and establish a branch at Bronson, now Kalamazoo.
The two above named are all the banks which derived their cor- porate existence from the Governor and judges.
The first bank charter granted by the " Legislative Council " was to the Merchants' and Mechanics' Bank of Michigan," approved April 2, 1827. The bank was to be established at Detroit, with a capital of $200,000, with liberty to increase it to $500,000. This corporation was also made an insurance company; but it does not appear a company was ever organized under this charter. March 29, 1827, the " Bank of Monroe " was incorporated, its capital stock to be $100,000 to $500,000, and to continne in existence 20 years. The " Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank of Michigan " was chartered Nov. 5, 1829, and March 7, 1834, it was allowed to increase its capital stock, and establish a branch at St. Joseph. The " Bank of River Raisin " was chartered June 29, 1832, and allowed to have a branch at Pontiac. The " Bank of Wisconsin " was chartered Jan. 23, 1835, and was to be located in the Green Bay country, but on
105
HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
the organization of the State of Michigan it was thrown outside of its jurisdiction.
March 26, 1835, there were incorporated four banks, namely: " Michigan State Bank " at Detroit, " Bank of Waslitenaw" at Ann Arbor, " Bank of Pontiac," and the "Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad Bank " at Adrian. The " Bank of Pontiac " was also a railroad bank, its establishment being an amendment to the charter of the " Detroit and Pontiac Railroad Company."
The nine banks last above named are all that were created by tlie "Legislative Council."
Next, the State Legislature in 1836 chartered the Bank of Man- hattan, Calhoun County Bank, Bank of St. Clair, Bank of Clinton, Bank of Ypsilanti, Bank of Macomb, Bank of Tecumseh and Bank of Constantine. The same Legislature passed "an act to create a fund for the benefit of the creditors of certain moneyed corpora- tions," which was in fact the famous safety-fund system of the State of New York. It required each bank to deposit with the State Treasurer, at the beginning of each year, a sum equal to one-half of one per cent. on the capital stock paid in; and the fund so created was to be held and used for the benefit of the creditors wlienever any bank subject to its provisions should become insolvent; but this statute was destined to have but little practical effect. The system in New York proved inadequate for the security of the public interests, and it was practically abandoned here.
By this time, the financial affairs of the whole country had become sadly deranged, consequent upon a wild and reckless spirit of speculation. The currency became greatly inflated, fabulous prices given to property, and the masses of the people subjected to the cruel mercies of shrewd financiers. The session of 1837 was flooded with petitions for the creation of banks, and the Legislature met the emergency by adopting a system of free banking, under which were organized a great number of those institutions since known as " wild-cat banks." The statute authorized any 12 free- holders of any county who desired to do banking, to apply to the treasurer and clerk of the county for that purpose, and books were to be opened for subscriptions to the capital stock, $50,000 to $300,- 000. Ten per cent. on each share was required to be paid in specie at the time of subscribing, and 30 per cent. of the entire capital stock in like funds before the association should commence opera- tions. The president and directors were also required to furnish securities for the payment of all debts and redemption of all notes issned by the association.
This new law was popularly received with great enthusiasm. On its final passage in the House, only four meinbers were bold enough to vote against it, namely: Almy, of Kent; Monfore, of Macomb; Purdy, of Washtenaw, and Felch of Mouroe. This Legislature closed its session March 22, 1837, by adjournment to Nov. 9, following; but the financial embarrassments of the country increased so rapidly that the Governor called an extra session of
106
HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
the Legislature for June 12, and in his message he attributed these embarrassments, in a great measure, to the error of over-banking, over-trading, and a want of providence and economy. The banks east and south had already suspended specie payments, and Mich- igan was of necessity drawn into the vortex. The report, to this Legislature, by a special commissioner appointed by the Governor, held forth, however, that the banks of Michigan were solvent, but that a little time may be granted them as a defense against the results of suspensions in New York and elsewhere. The number of banks doing business in this State at that time was 13 in num- ber, previously mentioned. The Legislature granted them time until May 16, 1838. The session of the winter following under- took to secure the public by appointing three bank commissioners to visit all the banks in the State at least once in every three months, to examine the specie held by them, inspect their books, and inform themselves generally of their affairs and transactions; monthly statements of the condition of the banks were required to be made and published, and no bills were to be issued without bearing the endorsement of a bank commissioner, etc. Under the general banking law, as already stated, every subscriber to the stock was to pay in 10 per cent. in specie on each share at the time of subscribing, and 10 every six months thereafter, and 30 per cent. of the whole capital stock was required to be paid in like manner before the bank should commence operations. The specie thus paid in was to be the capital of the bank and the basis of its busi-
ness operations. The requirement of it involved the principle that banking could not be carried on without bona-fide capital, and without it no bank could be permitted to flood the country with its bills; but the investigations of the commissioners showed a very general violation of the law in this respect. In many cases, instead of specie, a kind of paper denominated " specie certificates " was used; in some cases, specie borrowed for the occasion was used and immediately returned to the owner; sometimes, even, a nail-keg filled with old iron, or gravel, or sand and covered over the top withi specie, was employed to deceive the commissioners; and sometimes the notes of individual subscribers or others, usually denominated "stock notes," were received and counted as specie. The books of the banks were also kept in so imperfect a manner, sometimes through incompetency, sometimes with fraudulent de- sign, as frequently to give little indication of the transactions of the bank or of the true condition of its affairs. By proprietorship of several banks in one company of men, by frequent sale and trans- fer of the stock, and by inany other tricks and turns, a little specie was inade to go a great way in flooding the country with worthless paper.
It is manifest that this conditon of things could not have existed without a fearful amount of fraud and perjury. In the excitement and recklessness of the times, amid ruined fortunes and blighted hopes, the moral sense had become callous. The general banking
107
HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
law was not without some good features, but it came into existence at a most unfortunate time, and the keenness and unscrupulous- less of desperate inen, taking advantage of its weak points and corruptly violating its salutary provisions, used it to the public injury.
Under this law about 40 banks went into operation, many of them in remote and obscure places, and before the commissioners conld perfect their work of reform the crisis came and the catas- trophe could not be averted. Failure rapidly succeeded failure, and legitimately chartered banks were drawn into the same vortex with the "wild-cat " institutions. Only seven banks escaped the whirlpool, and the worthless paper afloat represented inore than a million dollars. As ex-Gov. Alpheus Felch well says:
" Thus ends the history of that memorable financial epoch. Forty years have passed since these events, and few remain who can remember the excitement and distrust, the fear and despondency, the hopes and disappointments whichi agitated the community, in those days of inflation and speculation, of bankruptcy and financial distress; and fewer still remain who bore part in the transactions connected with them. We look back upon them to read the lessons which their history teaches. The notion that banks without real capital, or a currency which can never be redeemed, can relieve from debts or insolvency, is tried and exploded. We are led to the true principle, that prosperity, both public and individual, awaits upon industry and economy. judicious enterprise and honest productive labor, free from wild speculation and unprofitable investments, and a wise and prudent use of our abundant resources."
In 1875 there were 77 national banks in this State, doing an annual business of about $26,000,000; 15 State banks, with a busi- ness of nearly $4,000,000, and 12 savings banks, with a business of $6,000,000.
GEOLOGY.
The lower peninsula occupies the central part of a great synclinal basin, toward which the strata dip from all directions, and which are bounded on all sides by anticlinal swells and ridges. The limits of this basin exceed those of the peninsula, extending to London, Ont., Madison, Wis., Marquette and Sanlt Ste. Marie. The whole series of strata may therefore be compared to a nest of dishes, the lower and exterior ones representing the older strata.
The upper peninsula is divided by the Marquette-Wisconsin anticlinal into two geological areas, the eastern belonging to the great basin above alluded to, and the western being lacnstrine in its character, and largely covered by Lake Superior. The southern rim of the latter is seen uplifted along Keweenaw Point and tlie south shore of the lake, and these strata re-appear at Isle Royale.
108
HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
Between the Michigan and lacustrine basins the metalliferous Mar- quette- Wisconsin axis interposes a separating belt of about 50 miles.
The palæozoic great system of this State measures about 2,680 feet in thickness, of which the Silurian division is 920 feet, the Devonian 1,040 feet, and the carboniferous 720 feet.
The coal-bearing group occupies the central portion of the peninsula, extending from Jackson to township 20 north, and from range 8 east to 10 west.
Of iron, hematite and magnetite, in immense lenticular masses of unsurpassed purity, abound in the Huronian rocks of the upper peninsula. The former of these, under the action of water, becomes soft, and is called Limonite, and is abundant throughout the State as an earthy ore or ochre, bog ore, shot ore, yellow ochre, etc. Sometimes it is deposited in stalactitic. mammillary, botryoidal and velvety forms of great beauty. Kidney ore abounds in the Huron clays, and " black-band " in the coal measures.
Of copper, native, in the " trap " of Lake Superior, abounds in the form of sheets, strings and masses. Gold, silver and lead are also found in unimportant quantities in the Lake Superior region.
Salt abounds in the Saginaw region, gypsum, or " land plaster " in the vicinity of Grand Rapids, building stone throughout the State, manganese in many places, and many other valnable earths, ores and varieties of stone in many places.
NEWSPAPERS.
There are about 275 newspapers and periodical publications in Michigan, of all classes. Of these 224 are published weekly, 17 daily and weekly, two daily, seven semi-weekly, one tri-weekly, four semi-inonthly, 19 monthly, one quarterly, and one yearly; 112 are Republican, 46 Democratic, 73 independent and neutral, 14 relig- ious, and 15 miscellaneous. Among the latter are two Methodist, seven Adventist (two Dutch or Hollandisch), one Episcopal, one Catholic and one Baptist; four mining, five educational, one Masonic, one Odd-Fellow, one Grange, three medical and one agri- cultural. Five are printed in the German language, six in the Dutch, one in the Swedish and one in the Danish.
The present population of Michigan, according to the census of 1880, is as follows: Male, 862.278; females, 774,057; native born, 1,247,989; foreign, 388,346; white, 1,614,087; colored, 22,248; total, 1,636,335.
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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
STATE OFFICERS.
Govs. During French Rule. Ap'd.
Sieur de Mesey. .1663
Sieur de Courcelles 1665
Sieur de Frontenac. 1672
Sieur de LaBarre. . 1682
Marquis de Denonville 1685
Sieur de Frontenac. 1689
Chevalier de Callieres 1699
Marquis de Vaudreuil. 1703
Marquis de Beauharnois 1726
Compt de la Galissoniere. 1747
Sieur de la Jonquiere ..
1749
Marquis du Quesne de Menneville. 1752
Sieur de Vaudreuil de Cavagnal. . . . 1755
Govs. During British Rule.
James Murray 1765
Paulus E. Irving 1766
Guy Carleton. . .. 1766
Hector T. Cramahe 1770
Guy Carleton.
1774
Frederick Haldimand. .1778
Henry Hamilton 1784
Henry Hope. 1785
Lord Dorchester
1786
Alured Clarke.
1791
Lord Dorchester 1798
Governors of Michigan Territory.
William Hull 1805
Lewis Cass. 1813
George B. Porter. 1831
Stevens T. Mason, ex officio
1834
John T. Horner, ex officio 1835
State Governors. Elected.
Stevens T. Mason. .1835
William Woodbridge. 1840
J. Wright Gordon, acting. 1841
John S Barry 1842
Alpheus Felch. 1846
Wm. L. Greenly, acting 1847
Epaphroditus Ransom. . 1848
John S. Barry 1850
Robert McClelland. .1852
Andrew Parsons, acting. 1853
Kinsley S. Bingliam 1855
Moses Wisner.
1859
Austin Blair. .1861
Henry H. Crapo.
1865
Henry P. Baldwin 1869
John J. Bagley.
1873
Charles M. Croswell.
.1877
David H. Jerome. .1881
Lieut .- Governors of Michigan.
Edward Mundy. 1835
J. Wright Gordon. 1840
Origen D. Richardson. .1842
Wm. L. Greenly.
1846
Wm. M. Fenton 1848
Wm. L. Greenly 1849
Calvin Britain. 1852
Andrew Parsons 1853
George A. Coe .. 1855
Edmund B. Fairfield. 1859
James Birney 1861
Joseph R. Williams, acting. 1861
Henry T. Backus, acting. 1862
Charles S. May 1863
E. O. Grosvenor. 1865
Dwight May. 1867
Morgan Bates. 1869
Henry H. Holt 1873
Alonzo Sessions 1877
Moreau S. Crosby 1881
Secretaries of State.
Kintzing Pritchette. 1835
Randolph Manning. 1838
Thomas Rowland. 1840
Robert P Eldridge. 1842
G. O. Whittemore. 1846
George W. Peck. 1848
George Redfield. 1850
Charles H. Taylor. 1850
William Graves. 1853
John McKinney
1855
Nelson G. Isbell. 1859
James B. Porter. 1861
O. L. Spaulding 1867
Daniel Striker .. 1871
E. G. D. Holden.
1875
William Jenney 1879
State Treasurers.
Henry Howard .1836
Peter Desnoyers. .1839
Robert Stuart. 1840
George W. Germain 1841
John J. Adam. 1842
George Redfield 1845
George B. Cooper 1846
Barnard C. Whittemore. 1850
Silas M. Holmes.
1855
John McKinney 1859
John Owen.
1861
E. O. Grosvenor. 1867
Victory P. Collier. 1871
Wm. B. McCreery
1875
Benj. D. Pritchard 1879
Attorneys-General.
Daniel Le Roy 1836
Peter Morey. .1837
Zephaniah Platt. 1841
Elon Farnsworth.
1843
Henry N. Walker. 1845
Edward Mundy
1847
Geo. V. N. Lothrop
1848
William Hale.
1851
110
HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
Jacob M. Howard. 1855
Charles Upson 1861
Albert Williams. 1863
Wn. L. Stoughton. 1867
Dwight May
1869
Byron D. Ball.
1873
Isaae Marston ..
1874
Andrew J. Smith
1875
Otto Kirchner 1877
Auditors-General.
Robert Abbott. 1836
Henry Howard. 1839
Eurotas P. Hastings. .1840
Alpheus Felch. 1842
Henry L. Whipple.
1842
Charles G. Hammond
1845
John J. Adam. 1845
Digby V. Bell 1846
John J. Adam
1848
John Swegles, Jr.
1851
Whitney Jones
1855
Daniel L. Case.
1859
Langford G. Berry 1861
Emil Anneke.
1863
William Humphrey
1867
Ralph Ely ..
1875
W. Irving Latimer.
1879
Supts. Pub. Inst.
John D. Pierce. 1838
Franklin Sawyer, Jr. 1841
Oliver C. Comstock. 1843
Ira Mayhew.
1845
Francis W. Shearman
1849
Ira Mayhew. .
1855
John M. Gregory. .1859
Oramel Hosford. 1865
Daniel B. Briggs
1873
Horaee S. Tarbell.
.1877
Cornelius A. Gower. 1878
Judges of the Supreme Court.
Augustus B. Woodward. 1805-24
Frederick Bates. 1805-8
John Griffin ... 1806-24
James Witherell
1808-28
Solomon Sibley.
1824-36
Henry Chipman.
1827-32
Wm. Woodbridge 1828-32
Ross Wilkins ... 1832-6
Wm. A Fletcher. 1836-42
Epaphroditus Ransom 1836-47
George Morell. 1836-42
Charles W. Whipple.
1843-52
Alpheus Feleh.
1842-5
David Goodwin. 1843-6
Warner Wing. 1845-56
George Miles. .
1846-50
Edward Mundy 1848-51
Sanford M. Green 1848-57
George Martin ...
1851-2
Joseph T. Copeland. 1852-7
Samuel T. Douglas 1852-7
David Johnson 1852-7
Abner Pratt. 1851-7
Charles W. Whipple. 1852-5
Nathaniel Bacon. .
1855-8
Sandford M. Green
.1856-8
E. H. C. Wilson. . 1856-8
Benj. F. H. Witherell, Benj. F. Graves, Josiahı Turner and Ed- win Lawrence, to fill vacancies in the latter part of. .1857
George Martin.
1858-68
Randolph Manning.
1858-64
Isaae P. Christianey 1858-77
James V. Campbell.
1858
Thomas M. Cooley.
.1864
Benj. F. Graves
1868
Isaae Marston 1875
U. S. Senators.
John Norvell.
1835-41
Lucius Lyon. .1836-40
Augustus S. Porter .1840-5
Wm. Woodbridge
Lewis Cass .. .
1841-7
1845-57
Thos. H. Fitzgerald
1848-9
Alpheus Felclı.
1847-53
Charles E. Stuart
1853-9
Zachariah Chandler
1857-77
Kinsley S. Bingham
.1859-61
Jacob M. Howard.
1862-71
Thomas W. Ferry 1871
Henry P Baldwin. 1880
Z. Chandler.
1878-9
Onar D. Conger.
1881
Representatives in Congress.
Isaac E. Crary .1835-41
Jacob M. Howard. 1841-3
Lucius Lyon. . .843
Robert MeClelland. 1843-9
James B. Hunt.
1843-7
John S. Chipman.
1845-7
Charles E. Stuart. 1847-9
Kinsley S. Bingham 1849-51
Alex. W. Buel.
1849 51
William Sprague
.1849-50
Charles E. Stuart.
1851-3
James L. Conger.
1851-3
Ebenezer J. Penniman 1851-3
Samuel Clark.
1853-5
David A. Noble. 1853-5
Hester L. Stevens. 1853-5
David Stuart.
1853-5
George W. Peck.
1855-7
Wm. A. Howard. 1855-61
Henry Waldron 1855-61
David S. Walbridge. 1855-9
D. C. Leach. 1857-61
Franeis W. Kellogg .1859-65
B. F. Granger 1861-3
F. C. Beaman. . 1861-71
R. E. Trowbridge.
1861-3
Charles Upson
1863-9
111
HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.
John W . Longyear 1863-7
Josiah W. Begole. 1873-5
John F. Driggs.
1863-9
Nathan B. Bradley
1873-7
R. E. Trowbridge. .1865-9
Jay A. Hubbell. 1873
Thomas W. Ferry
1869-71
W. B. Williams. 1875-7
Austin Blair ..
1867-73
Alpheus S Williams 1875-9
Wm. L. Stoughton 1869-73
Mark S. Brewer. 1877
Omar D. Conger. 1869-81
Charles C. Ellsworth 1877-9
Randolph Strickland. 1869-71
Edwin W. Keightley
1877-9
Henry Waldron 1871-5
Jonas HI. McGowan 1877
Wilder D. Foster. 1871-3
John W. Stone. 1877
Jabez G Sutherland. 1871-3
Edwin Willits. 1877
Moses W. Field.
1873-5
Roswell G. Horr 1879
George Willard.
1875-7
John S. Newberry 1879
Julius C. Burrows 1873-5, 1879
The State printing is done by contract, the contractors for the last 13 years being W. S. George & Co. (Geo. Jerome), the former the active partner, who also publishes and edits the Lansing Re- publican, a paper noted for originality, condensation and careful " make-up."
TOPOGRAPHY.
Michigan is a little southeast of the center of the continent of North America, and with reference to all the resources of wealth and civilization is most favorably situated. It is embraced between the parallels of 41º.692 and 47º.478 north latitude, and the merid- ians of 82°.407 and 90°.536 west of Greenwich. The upper peninsula has its greatest extent east and west, and the lower, north and south. The extreme length of the upper peninsula is 318 niles, and its extreme breadthi, 164} iniles; its area, 22,580 square miles. The length of the lower peninsula is 277 miles, its width, 259 miles, and its area, 33,871 square miles. The upper peninsula is rugged and rocky, affording scarcely anything but minerals as a source of wealth; the lower is level, covered with forests of valuable timber, and is excellent for all the products of Northern States.
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