USA > Michigan > Saginaw County > History of Saginaw County, Michigan; historical, commercial, biographical, Volume II > Part 77
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85
Mr. Sears, who was born on the Sundley Faim in Fairfax County, Vir- ginia, on November 20, 1831. at present (1917) is in his eighty-sixth year. He was married to Miss Caroline Parish, of Flint, on January 5, 1865, and the fiftieth anniversary of that event was celebrated in 1915 with ceremonies befitting the occasion - a commemoration of a half century of happy home and social life.
Why Saginaw City Was Cut Off
Tradition, as handed down by pioneer citizens whose memory is still keen, explains how it happened that Saginaw City was entirely cut off from the first railroad built from this valley. It was originally planned to enter East Saginaw from the southeast near Brady Hill, and cross the river in the vicinity of Bristol Street. On the east side of the river there was to be a depot and freight house about where the City Hall stands, and on the other side of the river another depot near the present residence of Clark L. Ring. At this central point was eventually to be built the main shipping vards to serve both cities, and shops and supply station for the entire road.
This plan, though a very feasible one, met with decided opposition of the citizens of Saginaw City who fought every improvement promoted by outsiders. Led by George W. Bullock, Peter C. AAndre and other obstruc- tionists, they exerted every influence to defeat the project, believing that since theirs was the older town it only was entitled to the road. In order, therefore, to cut off East Saginaw from any connection with the new road they insisted that it should come in further south and cross the river near Mackinaw Street. This plan provided for a depot, yards and shops near Gratiot and Mackinaw Streets.
But their folly defeated their own object. East Saginaw, promoted by more enterprising and progressive men, was forging rapidly ahead and it was apparent to all was destined to be the railroad center of Eastern Mich- igan. Thoroughly disgusted by the tactics of the narrow men of Saginaw
721
TRANSPORTATION
PETER C. ANDRE
A real estate owner who. it is said, opposed public improvements generally of Saginaw City
City, as Jesse Hovt had been ten years before, the railroad projectors de- cided to shut them off entirely. They accordingly located the line to enter East Saginaw to the north instead of the south of the business section, and purchased a large tract of land near the river for a depot and terminals.
The work of grading the road was commenced in the Fall of 1858, at several points in Saginaw County, by F. W. Paul who had entered into a contract to build the road. This contract covered the line from Flint through Saginaw to Pere Marquette, on Lake Michigan, a distance of one hundred and seventy miles. By March, 1859, about ten thousand dollars had been expended in grading, when Samuel Farwell and Henry C. Potter, his son-in-law, of Utica, New York, and T. D. Estabrook, of Great Bend, Pennsylvania, became associated in the contract. During 1859 twenty miles of line were graded from the Saginaw River southeasterly, and eight miles of rail were laid. The first rail was laid at the edge of the river on August 19, 1859, and a large company of citizens participated in the driving of the first spike. Among them were Colonel W. L. P'. Little, Curtis Emerson, Henry Hobbs, proprietor of the new Bancroft House, and Reverend W. C. Smith.
The arrival of the first engine for use on the road, named the "Pollywog." was another event in the history of the city and of the road. It was a small second-hand affair, bought at Schenectady, New York, for two thousand dollars, and arrived on the schooner Quickstep, Captain Muir, on August 31. The unloading of this antiquated machine, showing long service and an honorable age, on September 2, was eagerly watched by a crowd of people. when Colonel Little gave expression to the general disgust, by the remark : "That is no Pollywog, but a d-d old frog." The same engine, however, was thoroughly repaired by Sanford Keeler, a young engineer employed by Mr. Potter, and the name changed to "Pioneer."
During the Fall of 1859 Mr. Keeler ran this engine in hauling ties, rails and supplies from the dock to points on the line where they were needed in track laying, and in carrying workmen to and from their work. The following year operations were resumed and early in September track laying was extended to a point twenty miles from the river. During that Summer the East Saginaw Salt Manufacturing Company needed a large quantity
722
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY
of wood in salt making at their plant in the north end of the city, and train loads were hauled from points along the line to the salt works, a track having been laid out there by Mr. Keeler and put in by the road gang. Two or three other engines (all second-hand ) were purchased by the road, overhauled by Mr. Keeler and put in service as traffic demanded. One of these, named the "Pontiac," No. 4, formerly used by the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad, had a single pair of driving wheels, with cylinders six and three- quarters by eighteen inches, and could haul only three loaded cars. It had inclined cylinders, outside connected, which was quite a curiosity as all others were inside connected. The "Buena Vista," No. 2, with cylinders only thirteen by twenty inches, could haul only a few cars, but since the entire equipment of the road in the early days consisted of only ten flat cars and two or three box cars, this limited capacity of the engines did not matter much. Afterward. as the repair work increased, difficulties arose and Mr. Keeler, who had done much of the mechanical work himself, aided by the mechanics and facilities of Wickes Brothers, induced Mr. Farweil, who was then in charge of the road, to erect a machine shop suitable for their needs. This was done and two lathes, a planer, drill press and wheel lathe were bought and set up in a wooden building, directly opposite Union Station, which for many years has been used as the paint shop.
At the annual election held July 6. 1860, Captain E. B. Ward was chosen president, M. L. Drake, of Pontiac, secretary, and A. T. Crossman, of Flint, treasurer ; and the other directors were: Charles .A. Trowbridge, of Detroit, B. Pierson, A. J. Boss, William Ilamilton and G. M. Dewey, of Flint, and II. D. Faulker, of New York.
Although the track was completed in 1860 to a point twenty miles from East Saginaw, the road was not opened to regular traffic at that time, but all efforts were concentrated on extending the line. Much work had yet to be done, and as the sales of land which the road had received by grant, on September 5, 1860, for the first twenty miles of track laid, were slow, it was late in the Fall of 1861 when the iron was laid as far as the crossing of the Plank Road, now Mt. Morris, twenty-six and one-half miles from the Saginaw River.
The Opening Excursion
The formal opening of the road took place on January 20. 1862. when an excursion was run from the end of the line near Washington Street to Mt. Morris. This was an auspicious event and about one hundred citizens accepted the invitation of the railroad officials to inspect the road and travel on the first passenger train to depart from Saginaw. The train consisted of one wheezy engine, a baggage car and one coach, the entire passenger equip- ment of the road, and the trip was slow and halting. A heavy fall of snow covered the tracks and, although scrapers had been put on the pilot of the engine, progress was impeded and it was not until one o'clock that the primitive railroad train reached the other end of the line. After a brief stop the return trip was commenced and the train arrived at East Saginaw without mishap, all passengers agreeing that they had had a "good time."
The road was at once opened for business, but the traffic was very light at first, only one hundred and two dollars being received from ticket sales during the first week of operation, and only five hundred and seventy-two dollars in the month of February, 1862. The gross earnings to December 31 of that year were, on passengers, nineteen thousand two hundred and fifty-four dollars, and on freight, twelve thousand five hundred and ten dollars, a total of thirty-one thousand seven hundred and sixty-four dollars.
In December, 1862, the track was extended to the first ward in Flint, and on January 5 following Governor Blair certified the road as completed thir-
723
TRANSPORTATION
teen and seven-tenths miles for further land grants. The Flint & Holly Railroad, seventeen miles in length, projected by Henry II. Crapo, William WV. Crapo, his son, and others, was built in 1864 and opened for traffic in November of that year. This opened railroad communication with Detroit and the East, South and West, and was a great stimulus to immigration. The first schedule of trains between Saginaw and Detroit was:
Going South
East Saginaw, leave. 7:00 A. M. 12:15 P. M. Flint
8:45 A. M. 2:00 P. M.
llolly
10:00 .A. A1. 3:00 P. M.
Detroit
12:30 P. M. 5:25 P. M.
Going North
10:30 .A. M. 5:30 P. M.
Detroit, leave
1:00 P. M. 8:00 P. M.
Holly
2:00 P. M. 9:15 P. M.
Flint East Saginaw, arrive. 4:00 P. M. 11:00 P. M.
In the following Spring, through a contract with this road and the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad, the Flint & Pere Marquette secured an entrance into Detroit, an important event in its history. On December 3, 1868, through the efforts of President Eber Ward, the Flint & Holly Railroad was absorbed by the Flint & Pere Marquette, and while the former lost its identity as an integral railroad property, the new interests thus introduced into the direct- orate of the latter road became the dominant ones in its councils. The two new members were William W. Crapo, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Jesse Hoyt, of New York, both of whom were to play important and dis- tinctive roles in the expansion of this transportation system.
In 1865 Jared Lapham, of Northville, and a group of business men under- took to build a railroad from Holly to Wayne, but they experienced inability to finance their project, and after the line had been extended in a state of partial construction it had to be abandoned. The Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad acquired this road in 1872, and the line was soon completed to Wayne, and two years later to Monroe. This extension gave the Flint & Pere Marquette direct connection, by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, with Toledo and the South. At this time a twenty-year contract was made with the Michigan Central Railroad giving the Flint & Pere Marquette an entrance of its trains into Detroit by the way of Wayne. This route was used until 1893 when the railroad entered Detroit over its own lines and the tracks of the Wabash Railroad.
Meanwhile the road had been extended westward through Midland, which was reached December 1, 1867, to Clare, in November, 1870. and Reed City, in December, 1871. The remaining link, from Reed City to Ludington, was completed in 1874, thus opening through railroad communication be- tween Lake Michigan and the East. The East Saginaw & Bay City line was built in 1867, and the Flint River Railroad, from a point three miles north of Flint to Fostoria, a distance of fourteen and one-half miles, was completed September 1. 1872. Two years later the total mileage of the Flint & Pere Marquette was two hundred and fifty-five.
Land Grants and Earnings
The extensive land grants conferred upon the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad, under an act of Congress approved June 3, 1856, for the construc- tion of its original line, amounted to five hundred and eleven thousand four hundred and ninety-two acres, but one hundred and thirty-one thousand acres of these grants were held jointly by it and other railroads which crossed its line. For many years the disposal of these lands to settlers in the counties through which the road passed, was in charge of William E. Webber; and
724
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY
A PIONEER ENGINE, "WILLIAM L. WEBBER," F. & P. M. R. R.
the revenues thus derived were used in extending the line to Lake Michigan. The vast timber resources of this section of Michigan furnished a large pro- portion of the heavy tonnage of the road for nearly thirty years; and the clearing of the land and the consequent increase in agriculture added appre- ciably to the business of the road.
In 1873 the earnings of the road were one million one hundred twenty- six thousand one hundred and ninety-seven dollars ; and the development of traffic may be seen by a comparison of the lumber and forest products moved in 1863 and in 1873:
1863
Staves
Lumber-feet, board measure. 7.442,262 1.017,200
Shingles 6.312,750 6,100
Salt-Barrels
1873 96,049,000 2,859,200 171,600,000 261,679
But at length this traffic began to wane and it became necessary to acquire renewed strength by controlling more territory. This is the reason for the acquisition in 1889 of the Port Huron & North Western Railroad, a narrow-gauge line to Port Huron and into the "Thumb." the Saginaw. Tuscola & Huron Railroad, which had been built by Jessie Hoyt and William L. Webber, and the later consolidations which eventually brought eighteen hundred miles of Michigan railroads under one management - the Pere Mar- quette system.
In 1874 the Board of Directors was composed of Captain E. B. Ward, president ; Samuel Farwell, vice-president : Henry C. Potter, general man- ager, secretary and treasurer : William L. Webber, land commissioner and solicitor : Gilbert W. Ledlie, auditor ; and Jesse Hoyt of New York, John Il. Prentiss, Chicago, James K. Hitchcock, Cornwall, New York, and William W. Crapo, of New Bedford, Massachusetts.
A Mutuality of Interests
There has always been a peculiar inter-dependence, a mutuality of inter- ests, existing in the relations of the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad with the Saginaw Valley. Neither could have done without the other. From the day that direct communication by railroad was opened with Detroit and the East, the Valley began to forge ahead with East Saginaw as its industrial
1
(
725
TRANSPORTATION
center. This railroad was essentially an East Saginaw road, having been promoted and built by the enterprising men of this hustling city; and it is an unquestioned fact that no institution in the last fifty years has done so much for the material advancement of the Saginaw Valley as the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad.
For many years the most important local industry has been the Pere Marquette shops and railroad center thus created, giving employment the year round to from fifteen hundred to two thousand mechanics, train men and laborers. In 1874 the shops consisted of a car shop, under the charge of John Lundger, eighty by two hundred feet in dimensions; a blacksmith shop, under the charge of John West, eighty by two hundred and fifty feet ; a machine shop in charge of Sanford Keeler, sixty by one hundred and twenty feet in size; two brick engine houses and a supply store. The capacity of the car shops, which had six tracks, was four box cars per day and six passenger coaches in a year employing two hundred men. The blacksmith shop had a capacity for forty forges, besides machinery for mak- ing and cutting bolts, tapping nuts and drilling iren work for the car shop : and had two steam hammers, bending rolls, shears and punches, and a com- plete brass foundry. The machine shop, in which locomotives were over- hauled and rebuilt, was completely equipped with giant lathes, planers, drills and presses, some of which were said to be "human machines" in the excel- lence of their performance. Mr. Keeler, who had charge of this shop since April, 1860, was made assistant superintendent of the road January 1. 1874. Peter MeNoah was foreman of the bolt works and brass foundry; Thomas M. Hays of the locomotive shop and engine houses: Fred Scheover of the pattern and cabinet shop, and D. Herbage of the paint shop.
The Steamship Line
The steamer line on Lake Michigan, operating between Ludington, Man- istee and Milwaukee and Chicago, was started in 1876; and for many years was managed by Captain Duddelson, commodore of the fleet. During the navigation season one steamer left Milwaukee and Ludington every night (except Saturday), affording direct connection between the Northwest and the Eastern seaboard. In 1887 the line consisted of the steamers F. & P. M. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4, and did an extensive business principally in the salt trade. Later, when car ferries were introduced thus obviating breaking bulk, several large ferries were built and operated between Ludington, Milwauke and Manitowoc. At length the smaller steamers were entirely displaced in the lake service, and were either leased or sold.
The Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw Railroad
The construction of the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw Railroad, the first railroad to open Saginaw City to the outside world, was first projected in 1856 the year the State of Michigan was empowered by Congress to grant public lands in aid of construction of railroads. The act of Congress pro- vided for a road from Amboy, in Hillsdale County, near the south line of the State, by the way of Lansing, to some point on Traverse Bay; and the Amboy, Lansing and Traverse Bay Railroad Company was organized Jan- mary 23, 1857, with a capital of five million dollars. The grant of land was conferred by the Legislature and formally accepted by the company on March 5, 1857. Among the directors named in the articles of incorporation were Hiram 1 .. Miller, of Saginaw City, and Morgan L. Gage, of East Sagi- naw; and at the first meeting of the stockholders George W. Bullock and Colonel W. L. P. Little were added to the directorate.
The financial crash of 1857 followed soon after and nothing was done on the construction of the road until 1859, when the line between Albion and Owosso was laid ont to connect the Michigan Central and Detroit & Mil-
726
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY
waukee Railroads at those points. The first iron was laid from Owosso south and twenty miles were completed and accepted by the governor on December 28, 1860. The work progressed very slowly and it was not until September 17, 1863, that the road was completed to Lansing, nine miles further. Grad- ing had been done for thirty miles south of Lansing, but the company was unable to procure the iron and never performed any further work on this line.
Shortly after, the Lansing & Jackson Railroad Company was organized with a capital of three hundred thousand dollars, to build a railroad between those points, a distance of thirty-nine miles. In order to secure to the new corporation the lands which it was apparent would be lost to the State through the inability of the original road to construct more of its line, its articles of incorporation were amended by changing the name to Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw Railroad, by increasing its capital to one million five hundred thousand dollars, and by designating Saginaw as its northern terminus. An extension to seven years for completing the road was granted by an act of Congress, and the grant of land was disposed of by the Legis- lature at its session in 1867, upon the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw Railroad Company. This company then proceeded with the work of completing the road with such energy that it was extended to Saginaw in November, 1867, and to Wenona on January 7, following. In 1871 the railroad was absorbed by the Michigan Central Railroad, and became known as the Saginaw Division.
From Wenona northward the route of the road lay through an un- broken forest far beyond the rudest settlement, and the work of construction was suspended for two years. In March, 1871, the route north of Wenona was relocated, construction work commenced and completed to Wells, forty miles north of Wenona, in December of the same year. At the end of another year the road was extended to Otsego Lake, a distance of one hun- dred and nineteen miles through a dense forest. But the rapid growth of towns and villages along the road, and the extensive lumbering operations soon begun fully justified the sagacity and foresight of the projectors of the road. Sixty-eight miles more completed the road to the Straits of Mack- inaw, its northern terminus.
The number of acres patented to this company was three hundred forty- eight thousand four hundred and thirty-three, and the sales of land com- menced in 1868. James Turner was the first land commission, but Augustine S. Gaylord, of Saginaw City, assumed the duties of this office on August 15, 1872.
Early in the seventies the Detroit & Bay City Railroad had been built from Detroit by the way of Rochester, Lapeer and Vassar to Bay City, a distance of one hundred and nine miles; and in 1879, after the road had been acquired by the Michigan Central Railroad, this road built a branch from Denmark to East Saginaw. This branch line was fifteen miles long and opened another route from the Saginaws to the East and South. A substan- tial bridge was built across the river at Emerson Street to connect with the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw line; and passenger trains were run from a depot at llayden and Franklin Streets to Vassar, where connections were made with the main line trains between Detroit and Bay City.
But the Michigan Central, with all its resources and connections, was not getting anywhere near its share of Saginaw business, the bulk of which went to the Flint & Pere Marquette. The latter road was first and last a Sagi- naw institution, and its policy was so shaped that this city reaped great benefits. It was the one popular road of the Saginaw Valley. The big shippers and merchants here were induced to ship and route all their goods
1
727
TRANSPORTATION
over this road by the granting of rebates and gratuities in the form of annual passes over the line, for themselves and families. Thousands of passes were distributed yearly to our business men, most of whom could well afford to pay their fares. This practice became so extensive as to seriously affect the passenger revenue of the road, and a curtailment of the privilege was absolutely necessary.
About 1884 the officials of the Michigan Central awoke to the situation, and at once adopted measures to combat these conditions and gain a larger share of the traffic. Their first move was to send Spencer Goseline to this city as freight agent. Ile was a man of vital force, experience and tact, and possessed a genial nature which quickly made for him many friends. By the exercise of rare sagacity and thoughtful attention to the needs of shippers, he soon had a firm grasp of the whole situation. lle rearranged and im- proved the old freight schedules, speeded up freight deliveries, extended track connections, and thus gradually gained a rightful share of the freight business. During the twenty odd years of his life in this city he rendered valuable service to the city as well as to the railroad, and he was highly regarded by our substantial citizens. Upon his death, which occurred Octo- ber 12, 1905, S. S. Armstrong succeeded to the position of freight agent, which he still holds. He has been connected with the local office of the Mich- igan Central since 1887, and has seen the traffic increase from a small volume to the heavy tonnage moved by the road in recent years.
The passenger train service of the Central, rendered by its branch line to Vassar, was never adequate to the needs of Saginaw whose citizens were accustomed to travel by through trains to and from Detroit, and by through sleeping cars to Chicago, daily. It was therefore deemed expedient to place Saginaw on the map of the Michigan Central, and to this end the branch line to Denmark Junction became a part of the main line between Detroit and Mackinaw. About 1890 through service was inaugurated with three trains daily to Detroit and the East, and two to Mackinaw and the Northwest, stopping at the new brick station on West Genesee Avenue, the old station at Hayden Street having been abandoned. In recent years a small station was built at Emerson and Washington Streets, for the better accommoda- tion of the East Side business. The passenger service to the East was
A WAY STATION IN THE FOREST WILDERNESS
728
HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY
further improved about eight years ago by operating a daily Pullman sleeper through to New York, leaving here at noon and arriving in New York the following morning. Meanwhile the service to Lansing, Jackson and Chicago was increased by a sleeper train, running as a limited to Chicago. All main lines of this road are now operated with modern equipment and powerful and fast locomotives. In 1910 a new brick station at Court and Niagara Streets replaced the old depot which had been in use for more than thirty years.
The Saginaw Valley & St. Louis Railroad
A railroad promoted, financed and built entirely by enterprising men of Saginaw City was the Saginaw Valley & St. Louis, which was organized April 28, 1871. The officers of the company were: David H. Jerome, pres- ident ; George F. Williams, vice-president; Ezra Rust, secretary, and Ammi W. Wright, treasurer. These officers and Newell Barnard, Amasa Rust, George Jerome, L. 11. Eastman, Timothy Jerome, John L. Evans, James Hay, Benton Hanchett and J. E. Shaw comprised the board of directors.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.