USA > Michigan > Mecosta County > Portrait and biographical album, Mecosta county, Mich., containing portraits and biographical sketches > Part 67
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
In one end of this building a room is partitioned off which serves one of the contractors as a private residence and the sleeping apartments of the female help. An alarm clock at least three-quarters of an hour ahead of the true time awakens the inmates of the shanty at four in the morning, and the day's labor commences at once. The teamsters are first called, and while breakfast is being prepared they feed and harness their teams; while they are at breakfast, the choppers and other workmen rise, and fill the second table. The teamsters are off to their work long be- fore daylight, and usually make one trip to the river, a distance of two miles, and back before darkness disappears. Five trips constitute the day's work, and when that is accomplished, they unhitch and do no more till the next morning, although it may be several hours before sundown.
The "men's shanty " is 26 x 36 feet in size, and one and a half stories high. It is provided with thirty-two bunks, eighteen on the first floor, and four- teen in the chamber, each designed for two men, though three can sleep in them very comfortably. They are made of boards, ranged on either side of the room, in tiers one above another, and ate pro- vided with a straw tick and blankets. The building is warmed with a large boy stove, and lighted at nights with kerosene lamps.
614
MECOSTA COUNTY.
The barn proper is 30 x 52 feet, with a stable on either side fourteen feet wide, making it 52 x 58 feet on the ground. It is made warm and comfortable, and furnishes stabling for forty horses and fourteen oxen. Near by is the granary, a small building where the grain for the teams is kept.
In another building, a blacksmith, and a worker with edge tools, sometimes called a " wood-butcher," find employment,-the latter doing the wood-work on the logging sleds, putting in axe-handles, etc., while the former does the horse-shoeing, irons the sleds, repairs broken chains, etc.
In a small building near the cook shanty, the other contractor resides, with family, and " keeps store," his stock consisting chiefly of tobacco, lumbermen's clothing and such other commodities as the hands require. A large bell, suspended on a pole, the strokes of which can be heard for two or three miles, calls the men to their meals.
A logging sleigh is an institution deserving more than a passing notice, for it never fails to attract the attention of the novice. In appearance it resembles
a cross between a pile-driver and a toll-gate. It con- sists of a pair of "bobs" with runners three inches thick and shod with steel bars three inches wide. The beams and other parts are correspondingly heavy; crosswise each sled is a beam of timber called a " bunk," seven feet in length, with a huge spike in either end to prevent the load from sliding off. They are built low and wide, the runners being from four to five feet apart, to prevent capsizing on uneven ground. On this vehicle, an ordinary pair of horses move a load of from five to fifteen logs, scal- ing from fifteen to twenty-five hundred feet, board measure, and making a load in bulk nearly or quite as large as a load of hay. To haul such loads, the roads must be in good condition, and it is well-known that the logging roads are the best in Michigan.
This description of one camp will give an idea of all camps, though of course no two are alike. This camp had turned into the river 4,500 000 feet in three months, and 1,000,000 feet more had been cut and rejected by the scaler, for some defect. The labor on this 1,000,000 feet was all lost.
Se -
MECOSTA COUNTY.
615
MISCELLANEOUS
- سـريم
HILE the people of Mecosta County have been as a rule a very orderly people, yet some black sheep are found in the best communities in the world; and accordingly there was an early sentiment in favor of erecting a county jail. .Is early as 1862 the question was seriously raised, and it was de- cided to ask the voters at the April election, 1863, to vote a tax of $1,500 for the purpose of erecting a jail. The Pioneer favor- ed the measure, and in the issue of March 19, 1863, said :
" It is well known that we have now to send what few criminals we have to the jail in Newaygo; and it is also evident to any one who has seen that structure, that it is not fit for a stable, much less a proper place in which to confine a prison- er. Some will object to the tax, on account of other taxes being high, and may think it cheaper to use the so-called jail of Newaygo than to build one of our own; but when the fact of expenses incurred in taking prisoners to Newaygo and boarding them at the Brooks House at $4 a week-as we believe has been done-is taken into consideration, we are of the opinion that to build for ourselves will be considered the better policy, be- sides showing that we are able to have at least one public building in the county.'
The proposition, however, was rejected at the elec- tion, and not seriously raised again until after the war closed. After many discussions, the Supervisors raised $1,000 in 1866, and it was decided to build a jail, if $1,500 more could be raised by special tax. . 1 proposition to this effect was submitted to the voters in 1868, and carried by a strong majority. The vote stood, 600 in favor, and 246 against, leaving a majority of 354 in favor. The townships in Osceola and Lake Counties attached to Mecosta, cast 159 votes in favor of the tax, and 19 against it, which left a clear majority of 214 for the tax in Mecosta County alone, independent of the territory attached.
At the next meeting of the Board, the Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of expending the $2,500 raised for a jail, at Big Rapids. E. O. Rose, Chair- man of the Board, John Dalziel, County Clerk, and Joseph T. Escott, Sheriff, were appointed a Building Committee, and given full power to select the site and have the jail erected. The citizens of Big Rapids, feeling well satisfied with the action of the Supervisors, manifested their exhilaration by furnish- ing them a supper at the Mason House on the eve- ning after the decision, where some 30 or more of the business men joined with them in discussing a good meal. The contract was speedily let, and the build- ing completed the same fall.
Propositions to build a court-house at Big Rapids have been voted down a number of times, the ma- jority thinking that the county seat would some time be located at or near the geographical center of the county, and hence objecting to the expense of erect- ing a court-house so near one side of the county. The county offices are at present located in the
616
MECOSTA COUNTY.
Big Rapids Opera House. At the October (1883) session of the Board of Supervisors, Mr. Escott introduced the following resolution :
Resolved, by the Board of Supervisors of Mecosta County, that the question of raising the sum of $30,000 by tax upon the taxable property of said county, to be raised in manner as follows, viz : $15,- 000 during 1884, and $15,000 during 1885, for the purpose of building a court-house and county offices in Mecosta County, be submitted to the voters of said county, at the election to be held on the first Monday of April, 1884.
The resolution was adopted by the following vote : yeas, 14; nays, 6.
A substantial county poor-house and insane asylum was erected in 1883, at Stanwood, in Me- costa Township, and in the fall it was burned down, presumably by incendiaries. The County Board of Supervisors have offered a reward of $500 for the detection of the guilty party or parties.
FOREST FIRES.
IRES in the forests of Michigan are dreaded as much as the prairie fires of Illinois and lowa once were. They come generally in the fall of the year, when dead leaves are on the ground, and are most destruct- ive after a dry season. Mecosta has suffered slightly from these fires at different times, but the days have gone by when these are very dangerous ; and as the timber is gradually cleared away, the fires are dreaded less and less.
October, 1871, was a month long to be remembered as the one which witnessed so much destruction in Chicago, and through many portions of the State of Michigan. Several localities in Mecosta County were visited, though comparatively slight damage was done. On Sunday, Oct. 8, the fire commenced spreading among the brush and down timber which covered the ground west of Sanborn and Rust's Addition to Big Rapids, and during Sunday night it crossed Mitchell Creek, and entered the brush and timber along the north side of the stream. It soon swept up within dangerous proximity to the numerous dwellings in that part of the town, which were only saved from destruction by the timely efforts of the fire department and citizens, who were called out about three o'clock in the morning. By the perse-
verance of the inhabitants, the flames were held in check till about half past two o'clock on Tuesday morning, at which time a slight shower of rain ren- dered further work unnecessary. The moisture from this little rain was completely exhausted during Wed- nesday and Thursday, and a high wind springing up Friday forenoon, the destruction of the town seemed imminent. The fire raged all along the western side of the city, in many instances in dangerous proximity to dwellings and other buildings, while a similar fire was sweeping directly toward the town from the south, on both sides of State street. Many men were endeavoring to check the progress of the flames dur- ing the forenoon, and at noon the danger seemed so great that all places of business were closed, and all the male adults ordered out with pails to prevent the fire reaching the town. A large number were en- gaged in the vicinity of Warren's Addition, but the greater portion went southward, to the farm of Isaac Griffin. This latter force were not on the ground a moment too soon, for a perfect conflagration was raging in the large amount of combustible material in the woods on the south side of Griffin's farm, from which sparks were blown entirely across the fields, setting fire to the woods on the north side, where the principal part of the timber had been cut into fire- wood. Had the flames attained headway in this lo- cality, the approach of the fire towards town would have been difficult to prevent. By dint of hard work, however, the destroying element was held in check, and no buildings were destroyed. Friday night came a moderate rain, which afforded relief.
In the county at large a few parties suffered. In Chippewa Township a house was burned belonging to a Mrs. Beck, a homestead settler, who had been at work in Big Rapids all summer to carn the money to pay for its construction. It was nearly completed, but not yet occupied. One of the most sweeping losses that happened was that of Peter Powers, who resided on a homestead in the northern part of Green Township, on the west side of the river, in the bend to the eastward of the railroad, and it occurred on the 9th. Mr. Powers lived in a shanty, near which he had completed a good log house. During the night, the fire was driven by the wind so close to his buildings that he thought they could not be saved, and he removed all his household stuff and wearing apparel into the garden,-a supposed place of
617
MECOSTA COUNTY.
safety. The new building took fire and burned; sparks from it set fire to his pile of goods, and they too were all consumed, leaving him nothing but a naked shanty, and an almost naked family, consist- ing of a wife and four children, ranging in age from four to twelve years. Mr. Powers had been engaged a part of the preceding summer and fall in getting out shingle bolts, all of which were burned. In the town of Austin, a little boy aged about four years, son of Jacob Snider, was badly burned. He was out in the woods with an elder brother, a lad of some six or seven years, where his parents were fighting fire, though some distance from them, when his pants caught fire ; and before assistance reached him, they were completely burned from his limbs, and one of his boots roasted to a crisp. Several buildings were burned in Wheatland Township.
STARVATION.
ETTLERS in the early times occasionally suffered from the lack of the necessities of life, owing to unexpected failures in crops, be- fore they had become able to provide for such contingencies by accumulating a surplus. In the Pioneer of December 31, 1868, appeared the following notice, startling enough to the reader of to-day, but, alas! too familiar to those inured to pioneer hardships :
"Our citizens must take action at once to relieve the destitution which now prevails in the northern part of Osceola County. It is a fact that a large number of families are now subsisting on potatoes and salt, and some are not even as well off as that. These people moved into the wilderness during the past spring and summer, without means, and settled upon homesteads, and on account of the dry season the few crops put in by them were nearly ruined; hence they have scarcely anything to cat. Many of them reside several miles from neighbors, in an almost unbroken wilderness. The fact is, these help- less women and children will starre before the open- ing of spring, unless timely relief is furnished. Our Board of Supervisors should also act promptly in affording temporary relief to these poor sufferers."
" HEREOF FAIL NOT."
ARLY in July, 1872, a man was brought to Big Rapids to be committed to jail on a document of which the following is a copy, fictitious names being inserted for those in the instrument :
"State of Michigan, County of Mecosta. To any Constable of said county : In the name of the People of the State of Michigan, you are hereby com- manded to take one John Pack, or whatever his name may be, and bring and have him forthwith before me, one of the Justices of the Peace in and for said county, at my office in the village of Paris-Green, on the second day of July, 1872, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, then and there to answer a complaint made by G. Staba, for burning, in a plea of burning a building, to the damage of four hundred dollars; and after such arrest you are to notify the plaintiff there- of. Hereof fail not, but of your doings make full return according to law. Given under my hand at Paris-Green, this 2d day of July, 1872.
" JOHN DOE, J. P."
IRON-CLAD MARRIAGE CEREMONY.
OT many years ago in the history of Me- costa County, a newly elected justice of the peace who had been used to drawing wills and deeds, and little else, was called upon as his first official act to marry a couple who came into his office very hurriedly and told him their purpose. He lost no time in removing his hat, and remarked, "Hats off in the presence of the court. All being uncovered, he said, " Hold up your right hands. You, John MI-n, do solemnly swear that to the best of your knowledge and belief you take this woman ter have and ter hold for yerself, yer heirs, execkyerters, administrators and assigns for your and their use and behoof, forever?"
" I do," answered the groom.
"You, Alice E-r, take this yer man for yer hus- band, ter hev and ter hold forever; and you do fur- ther swear that you are lawfully seized in fee simple,
618
MECOSTA COUNTY.
are free from all incumbrance, and have good right to sell, bargain and convey to the said grantee, yer- self, yer heirs, administrators and assigns? "
" I do," said the bride, rather doubtfully.
" Well, John, that'll be about a dollar'n fifty cents." "Are we married? "asked the bride."
"Yes, when the fee comes in." After some fumbling it was produced and handed to the "court," who pocketed it and continued : "Know all men by these presents : that I, being in good health and of sound deposin' mind, in consideration of a dollar'n fifty cents to me in hand paid, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, do and by these presents have declared you man and wife during good behavior and until otherwise ordered by the court."
MODEL MARRIAGE CEREMONY.
HE following is an actual occurrence in Chippewa Township, in the fall of 1871, and for brevity and simplicity may well be termed a "model marriage ceremony." It is here given for the benefit of those dignitaries and officers who are authorized to marry, and also those who contemplate a similar leap in the dark :
The first preliminary was the payment of a fee of five dollars, which the Justice required in advance. He then directed them to join hands, and inquired their ages. The groom replied "sixty years; " and the bride elect blushingly admitted that she had seen fifty-six summers fade into autumn and winter. He then inquired, " Have you, or either of you, ever had a living husband or wife?" to which he received a negative answer from both. Then, addressing them, he inquired if they took each other for lawful husband and wife; and receiving affirmative answers, announced with due solemnity, "Then in the name of the Lord I pronounce you man and wife."
Even the above, however, has been excelled in brevity. A Methodist minister, of a jovial dispo- sition, knowing that the couple applying to him de- sired a short ceremony, accommodated them by omitting all accessory forms and simply bidding the
parties to stand up and saying, "I pronounce you husband and wife. "
POPULATION OF MECOSTA COUNTY.
TRUE index to the rapid growth of Me- costa County is the increase in the popula- tion as indicated by the census. The county which had in 1859 about 1,000 inhabitants, has now perhaps 16,000. The census of 1880 credited the county with 13,973, as follows :
Atna Township, including part of Morley 894
Morley, part of .
.221
Austin Township 833
Big Rapids Township 549
Big Rapids City. 3,552
First Ward. .601
Second Ward
.710
Third Ward .
1,110
Fourth Ward
. 561
Fifth Ward.
.570
Chippewa Township. 445
Colfax Township 669 ( Deerfield Township, including part of Morley. 1,093 Morley, part of. .78
Fork Township
343
Grant Township. 307
Green Township, including l'aris
1,132
Paris
.155
Hinton Township, including Altona and Syl- vester 986
Altona
85
Sylvester .55
Martiny Township 192
Mecosta Township, including Stanwood.
613
Stanwood.
I46
Millbrook Township, including Millbrook.
706
Millbrook.
242
Morton Township, including Mecosta 471
Mecosta.
189
Sheridan Township.
207
Wheatland Township
Total,
13,973
MECOSTA COUNTY.
ASSESSED AND EQUALIZED VALUATION.
ASSESSED VALUATION.
EQUALIZED VALUATION.
TOWNS & WARDS.
RE :. 11 ..
TOTALS.
PERSONAL.
TOTALS.
.Fina
$167.510
$44.970
$212,480
$147.510
$44.970
$192.480
Austin
149,617
26,411
167,028
240,617
26,411
267,028
Big Rapids
270,680
42,110
312,790
270,680
42,110
312,790
First Ward.
296,375
129,630
426,005
316,375
129,630
446,005
Second Ward
329,280
191,910
521,190
429,200
191,910
621,190
Third Ward
210,630
141,400
358,030
201,630
141.400
343,030
Fourth Ward.
152,350
21,960
174,310
152,350
21,950
174,310
Fifth Ward ..
91.385
27,800
119,185
131,325
27.800
159.185
Chippewa ..
203,480
73,200
276.680
35.3.480
73,200
126,650
Colfax.
188,822
1,020
189,842
263,822
1,020
264,842
Deerfield .
158,485
11.595
170,080
288,485
11.595
300,080
Fork
118,877
3,918
122.795
118,877
3,918
122.795
Grant
170,918
9,189
180.107
230,918
9.189
240,107
Green .
305.351
73,325
$38,676
345.351
73+325
118,676
Hinton
270,850
31.448
302,298
270,550
31,448
302,298
Martiny
310,958
13,520
324,478
410,958
13.520
424.478
Mecosta
175,130
17,905
195.035
175,130
ly 905
195,035
Millbrook
287,207
77.541
364.748
487,207
77.541
564.748
Worton
154.780
102,900
257,680
154.780
102,90 )
257,685
Sheridan ..
202,369
16.770
219,139
187.369
16,770
204.139
Wheatland ..
335.312
88.902
424,214
335.312
88,902
424,214
Grand Totals. ..
$4,607.366
$1,149.424
$5,756.790
$5.512,366
$1,149.424
$6,661.740
TOWNS & WARDS.
STATE.
COUNTY.
rowx.
SCHOOL.
HIGHWAY.
BRIDGE.
.Austin ..
305 60
1.002 10
550 00
1,032 00
Big Rapids.
857 97
1.178 50
200 00
750 00
$150 00
First Wurd
510 45
1.673 70
5,120 68
3.773 23
379 31
8189 65
Second Hand.
710 95
2,331 05
7.204 15
5.308 43
533 64
266 82
Third Ward ..
392 58
1.287 25
4.134 15
3.046 20
612 16
153 12
Fourth Word.
199 37
654 20
1,044 14
1.432 55
360 02
72 00
Fifth Word.
182 17
507 10
1,275 00
939 53
236 12
47 28
Chippera.
188 35
1,601 30
250 00
2,005 00
250 00
culture
308 10
908 85
350 00
1.58 00
250 00
Deerfield.
343 48
1,126 25
300 00
1,027 19
250 00
208 00
Pork.
140 52
100 95
250 00
1.040 00
95 00
75 00
firent ..
274 80
001 05
350 00
1.164 00)
Green. .
479 15
1,57 1 15
200 00
2,296 00
150 00
250 00
345 97
1,134 45
525 00
2207 61
250 00
Martiny ..
485 80
1,592 95
350 00
756 21
Merustr ..
223 20
732 00
200 000)
1.371 86
200 00
Millbrook.
616 35
2.119 80
350 00
15 18 25
Morton.
294 90
OCT 05
500 00
1,000 27
300 00
Sheridan.
233 62
766 10
850 00
1039 80
300 57
Whentheend .
485 50
1,501 80
500 00
1.78 66
150 00
Total.
87.524 05
25.000 00
E give in the following table an exhibition,
in a condensed form, of the taxes spread
upon the rolls of the respective townships of
the county, and the wards of the city of Big Rapids, for the year 1884, as determined by the Board of Supervisors, at their session in
8220 30
8722 80
$ 400 00
$2.214 54
TAXATION.
619
VALUATION OF PROPERTY IN MECOSTA COUNTY.
SUMMARY of the present wealth of Me- costa County may be seen from the follow- ing table of the assessed and equalized valua-
tion of property by townships and wards, the figures of which were determined by the Board
of Supervisors of the county at the regular October session of 1883. This portrays in undeniable figures the present wealth of the county :
October, 1883:
1
MECOSTA COUNTY.
620
TOWNSHIPS.
ÆTNA TOWNSHIP.
HIS Township, occupying the ............... southwest corner of Mecosta County, is numbered thirteen north, range ten west, Con- gressional survey, and is bounded on the north by Me- costa Township, on the east by Deerfield Township, on the south by Montcalm County, and on the west by Newaygo County. It is watered by both the Mus- kegon, which crosses the northwest corner, and Little Muskegon, cross- ing the southeastern corner. It contains also Ryerson Creek and Brockway Creek, flowing into the Muskegon, and Big Creek, with its tributaries, West Branch and Clear Creek, flowing into the Little Muskegon. The town- ship contains several small lakes, among which are Davis Lake, Briar Patch Lake and Brady Lake. The greater part of the village of Morley lies in Ætna Township. The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad runs through sections thirteen, twenty-four, twenty- five and thirty-six.
.Etna was the eighth township organized in Me- costa County, its first election occurring Oct. 10, 1865. Its first Supervisor was Frederick R. Luther. The first white settler was William Brockway, who located on section twenty-nine. The first birth was that of Ira P'. Mitchell, son of William G. and Mary A. Mitchell. The first death was that of Platt Mitchell, in April, 1855. The first couple married were Fred.
-
Matthews and Mary Howe, by Clark D. Green, Jus- tice of the Peace, in June, 1864. The first frame building was a dwelling erected by Clark D. Green, in 1868. The first mill was a portable saw-mill put up by A. B. Bunn, in 1869. The first school-house was a log building erected on section ten, in 1860. The first school was taught by Rachel Whitzel, in 1861. The first store was opened by John Butler, in 1869. The first post-office, Morley, was established in 1869.
Etna Township shows remarkably steady and rapid increase of population. In 1870, at the first census after its organization, Ætna had already a population of 385. The State census of 1874 gave 557, and the last census, in 1880, showed a total of 894. In 1874, it had 722 acres of improved land, and in 1881 in had 1,221 acres. In 1866 the equal- ized valuation of its real and personal estate was $27,078. Its present valuation is $192,480. The total vote in November, 1882, was 231.
MORLEY.
The village of Morley owes its existence to the construction of the G. R. & I. railroad. The first settlers on the village plat were Charles Lawson, Nelson Pike, M. Swanger, George H. Ward, Hiram Bryant, Allen Chapin, Rodney Elmer and Harvey Winas, all of whom came in the summer or fall of 1869. The post-office was established the same fall, and Frank P. Bodwell was appointed the first Post- master. The present Postmaster is D. C. King.
The population of the village increased very fast,
621
MECOSTI COUNTY.
and in one year had become 328, by the actual count of M. Swanger, who took a census in the fall of 1870. This showed a sufficient population to warrant the incorporation of the village, which was ordered by the County Board of Supervisors the same fall. The first officers elected were : Michael Swanger, Presi- dent : A. Chapin, Clerk; H. Daniels, Treasurer. In 1883 Morley was incoporated by the Legislature, and the following officers were chosen : George H. Ward, President; W. H. Richmond, Clerk ; George H Force, John Pierdon, William Hugh, Sen., M. T. Nethaway, William T. Jones and John Hanson, Trustees.
The population of the village is now between 500 and 600. The following is the list of business men and firms now in Morley :
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.