Portrait and biographical album of Gratiot county, Mich., Part 78

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman brothers
Number of Pages: 856

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Previous to the year 1850 there was only one road, or trail, in the county. It led from Maple Rapids to the Lutheran mission on Pine River, and was made by the Indians. The woods were full of game, and large quantities of furs were purchased by William McOmber, even at that early date, for the North- western Fur Company. He is yet a hale and cordial gentleman, and is engaged in active business at St. Louis. Much difficulty was experienced by the early settlers in getting their goods through the almost im-

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penetrable forests and across the marshy lowlands to 1 the site selected for their homes, One mile was con- sidered a fair day's journey through the dense forests, as the road had to be cut every foot of the way. Arnold Payne, with his family, came to what is now Fulton Township, in 1846, and his house was the most ample of all in the neighborhood. For several years it was headquarters for all new comers, and the cheerful old fireplace, with blazing logs piled high, and a well-spread table, made it a most desira- TY ble place for all to rest and refresh themselves, whether going or coming, in search of lands.

Arnold Payne's house was not the only one where strangers could be accommodated. In fact, every cabin was a hostelry where the tired stranger was made welcome and treated to the best the larder con- tained, which was very often nothing but wild meats and corn bread; game furnished the basis of the meat supply, and " jerked venison, " bear," and other savory meats graced the table of every early settler.

A brief narration of the difficulties experienced in moving a family into such a wilderness as Gratiot, will be of interest to every one, and a brief article from the pen of Rev. H. T. Barnaby, who came with his family, in company with that of Peter Hoffman, in May, 1854, presents an experience similar to that of every new comer. These gentlemen had pre- viously selected lands on section 28, in what is now North Star Township, and had cut a road from what was then known as the " New Pine River Trail," to their new home.

Their families were left at the house of Levi Smith, who was living on section 11, in Fulton Town- ship. Their goods were brought thus far with hired teams, which were dismissed at that place and the goods unloaded. Messrs. Barnaby & Hoffman pro- ceeded on foot to their claim and cleared away the brush and logs from the place where they proposed to erect their cabin. To quote his exact language : "After cutting the necessary number of logs, and splitting some 'shakes' for covering, we procured seven men, some of whom came over a distance of nine miles, by whose aid our house was raised, which was 32 feet long and 16 wide, with a partition of logs in the middle, thus making two rooms 16 feet square, one for each family.

" The next day, while Mr. Hoffman chopped a hole for convenient egress and ingress into each room,

I undertook to move two loads of the goods with our families. We made a success with one load, but when within two miles of home with the second,- our families being on this load,-the 'leeks ' upon which our cattle had been living for a few days ' played out,' and the oxen refused to go further. I sent the women and children forward on foot, and the oxen were turned loose to make another supper on 'leeks.' When it became dark the oxen were again hitched up, but after going a few rods refused to proceed further on such short rations. They were unyoked and turned loose, and I proceeded to the cabin, where a large fire was made in front of the house and beds were spread on the ground, inside. After a bountiful supper, spread upon the top of an inverted diy-goods box, we retired to rest for the first time in our new home. Such was the experience of the early pioneers of this country. Yet severe as was the toil, and great the inconveniences, most, if not all, look back to those days as the happiest of their lives."

What was known as the "Graduation Act," took effect in in August, 1854, and hundreds of men with families came flocking into the county,-many of them with barely money enough to purchase 40 acres of land at 50 cents per acre, after which purchase nothing was left for subsistence, and the whole country being a dense wilderness, without any pros- pects for raising a crop, the outlook was most discouraging. These poor people never took into consideration that food and shelter was necessary to afford subsistence ; but on they came, many of them settling at a remote distance from where provisions of any kind could be obtained, and the consequences were that many cases of real destitution occurred and much suffering ensued.

This " Graduation Act " would have been a god- send to this county ; but three months after its pass- age a proclamation was issued that all who had purchased land under this act, should settle upon it within one year from date of their purchase or forfeit it. Could they have been allowed more time to make preparations, or had the county been settled more gradually, the surrounding country could have yielded supplies and much suffering would have been prevented; neither would the name of " Starving Gratiot," as unjust as it is offensive to the hardy pioneers, have been applied to this, one of the most

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fertile and healthful counties in the State. The en- termise and integrity of her people elicited the admiration of the inhabitants of neighboring coun- ties who cheerfully furnished aid. By this means were many of the rew comers enabled to hold their lands, and some of them are yet living who owe their all to the aid which came so providentially.

During the summer and fall of 1855, the popula- tion rapidly increased, and the woodman's ax had cleared large fields, and many improvements were seen on every hand. School-houses were erected,- rude ones, it is true, -yet many substantial educa- tions were gained in the log school-houses of that day, as attested by some of the foremost business men of the county.

Religious meetings were held in the school-houses and at private residences in different parts of the county, which were attended by an earnest and intel- ligent class of people. Rev. Elias Sower, Elder Israel Fay, Rev. Daniel Strayer, Rev. Elijah Beard and Rev. H. T. Barnaby were the first ministers to settle in the county, all of whom came in 1854.

The fall and winter of 1856 was a very eventful one in the history of this county. Many of the set- tlers had no teams, and knew but little of agriculture, thinking that all the labor necessary to raise a crop was to deposit seed in the ground. With a spade or hoe they planted corn among the logs and brush, and were surprised that their crops amounted to compar- atively nothing. Squirrels and mice being very de- structive, and the season cold, the harvest that fall was light. Provisions of all kinds became very scarce and high. The nearest mill where settlers could get their corn ground was at Matherton, in lonia County, making a journey of from 30 to 40 miles for many of the inhabitants. Many a bag of corn was carried on foot from ro to 15 miles in con- sequence of impassable roads. In fact, there were but four horses in the county, oxen furnishing about the only means of locomotion. Much of the corn- meal was ground in a coffee-mill, or grated upon a sheet-iron grater.

The forests abounded with bear, and many limbs were broken from the oak trees that they ascended in search of acorns. Scores of them were killed during the season, and Bruin contributed his share toward feeding and otherwise keeping comfortable the needy settler. Mr. Sidney S. Hastings' diary furnishes the

information that Dr. Crawford's ox team was two weeks on the road from Lansing with 500 pounds of four, and that two-thirds of the inhabitants of the county had neither flour nor meat. The same entry states that the hoofs came off the oxen which made the trip, being frozen while on the way. The roads were so bad that a new trail had to be cut most of the way.

Dr. John R. Cheesman relates with great gusto an adventure which befel him in 1856. We dislike to tell " bear stories," but the reliability of the Doctor is unquestioned, and the story carries with it quite a history, inasmuch as from the circumstance originated the figure which adorns the seal of Judge of Probate.

The good Doctor was returning from the woods where he had some men working, and while walking along discovered a huge bear ambling listlessly about. Knowing them to be comparatively harmless unless wounded, the Doctor concluded to give Bruin a " bit of a scare ;" but the sequel proved somewhat embar- rassing to him, to say the least. The bear was search- ing for stray acorns, and Dr. Cheesman concluded to slip quietly up, shy his hat at him, and see the beast put in his best licks in getting away. The first act in the farce was a success ; but the second took an unexpected turn; for the bear, instead of running away, took after the Doctor, who made good time until he espied a sapling, which had evidently grown conveniently near for his especial protection. Into this he climbed, but was scarcely out of Bruin's reach, who further vented his ill-pleasure at being disturbed in his search for a meal, by growling and gnawing at the sapling. The Doctor had faced with cheerful heart the malarious breezes of Michigan upon a diet of leeks and surface water, but this was his first experience in climbing a tree that bore no fruit, just for the fun of it. He yelled lustily for help, which soon came, and the bear was driven away.

Dr. Cheesman had ample time to ponder upon the frailties of life while taking in the scene from his ele- vated position, and mentally vowed to be moderate in his charges to those who were unfortunate enough to be " very poor," where there was no hope of mak- ing collections. From this circumstance, and to com- memorate the miraculous escape of the Doctor, who was regarded by all as a personage that could ill afford to be spared, the figure of a bear was adopted

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as the seadl of Judge of Probate, an office which Dr Cheesman filled with credit to himself and his con- stituents.

The fall of 1856 was a noted season in the history of this county. The summer had been very dry and hot, and the woods, which were clothed with luxuri- ant foliage, became filled with a smoke so dense that objects could scarcely be seen two rods away. Fires raged throughout this portion of the State, and much property was destroyed, as well as thousands of acres of the finest timber. We have it fiom indisputable authority that in October of that year business of any kind indoors had to be transacted by the light of a tallow dip, even at noonday. There were numerous instances of men running against deer and other wild animals while walking in the woods, and many persons suffered greatly. Cattle would not leave the houses to feed. and numbers of them died, as well as many wild animals. The ashes covered the ground in low places a depth of four or five inches, and the extremities of animals that were obliged to walk through it in search of food were blistered and burned almost to their knees. Much of the fire continued long after winter set in, and the hunter found many opportunities to warm his hands by a blazing stump when the snow lay on the ground.

Children cried for something, they knew not what. Women looked sad and discouraged; even the men conversed in subdued tones ; a general quiet reigned among all living things. When a rain came and the breeze lifted the clouds of smoke away, the deso- lation which prevailed was enough to make even the stoutest heart feel despondent. Wagon loads of dead fish floated in Pine River, and the entire country was a blackened, cheerless waste.

To all things, however, an end comes, and the spring of 1857 opened up splendidly. Large quanti- ties of maple sugar were manufactured, but it brought a small price, and provisions were very high. There was no regular market price for flour, and dealers put up prices to suit themselves. Flour was sold for $10 per barrel when the highest market quotations for wheat in this State was St per bushel. By the first of May, every bushel of wheat and corn in the whole country was disposed of, except what the farmers re- quired for their own use, and nothing could be found in the way of breadstuffs this side of Lansing or lonia. The roads were almost impassable, and the few

teams in the county were oxen; and it took a week of more to make a trip for provisions. They had no money, and it seemed as if destitution, and not pros- perity, would be their lot in life; yet they struggled bravely on.

The news of want in this and adjoining counties reached the ears of kind-hearted people in other por- tions of the State, and donations of food and provis- ions were cheerfully made which gave them renewed courage. Many of the less courageous left as soon as they could get away, but those who remained have the satisfaction of seeing their labors crowned with success; and, although " tried by fire," want and suffering, their reward is great. Gratiot County surely experienced more disaster and hardships than any other county in the State during its early settle- ment, and not until 1 860 did anything like a satisfac- tory degree of prosperity greet those who had toiled early and late to provide for their families. The only thing in common which prevailed except ex- treme poverty was good health, without which they would have been miserable indeed. In May, 1859, the Board of Supervisors appropriated $8,000 to be used, if necessary, in purchasing supplies for the peo- ple, which supplies were to be sold them on credit, if necessary, in order that their immediate wants be relieved. Mr. Ralph Ely, Supervisor from Arcada, was appointed an agent to negotiate these orders in Detroit and other places, and succeeded in doing so to the amount of $4,000.

Corn meal, rice, beans, pork, fish, etc., were sent from Detroit to various distributing points, and the supervisors of the different townships appointed as sub-agents in their distribution. Even this relief hardly kept them until harvest time, and many fami- lies lived for weeks on what they could find in the woods. Those days gave rise to the expression we have often heard, "Sawdust pudding and slippery- elm gravy." The crops of that year were very fine, with the exception of corn, which was badly injured by an early frost.

The report of Mr. Ely at the October meeting of the Board of Supervisors regarding the purchase, shipment, etc., of supplies, was satisfactory, and his vouchers, according to custom were burned, and he was discharged from further responsibility.

Mr. Lafayette Church was not so fortunate; and from the unreliability of persons who had access to

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the goods and the persons to whom they were con- signed, he was short $1 30 in footing up accounts, which amount he paid out of his own pocket. The action of the Board in thus compelling Mr. Church to pay that amount was severely censured by some, others claiming that he should have been more careful in the distribution and ought to pay it. The Board of Supervisors afterward refunded the money, as they were convinced that Mr. Church accounted with ex- actness for everything passing through his hands.

The oath administered before provisions could be obtained which were sent for distribution, was "iron- clad " in its meaning, but some even then took ad- vantage of the opportunity to procure that to which they were not justly entitled. Printed blanks were furnished which were filled out with the names of different articles needed, the number in family, and amount of provision then on hand and of what kind. The applicant then subscribed the following oath :

"I, John Doe, do solemnly swear that I am the head of the family above mentioned, and have only provisions enough to last - days, neither have I the means of procuring any except in this manner : so help me God."

In 1857, a flouring mill was built at Alma, which was a great convenience to the settlers in this county, as the wheat crop was an excellent one, and those who had known only corn bread and potatoes for so long could indulge in the luxury of wheat bread at every meal.

In the winter of 1857, Robert Sutton, a printer, came to Ithaca; a meeting was held at the old court- house by a number of the citizens, and it was deter- mined to have a paper, Messrs. W. W. Comstock, Franklin Miller and others taking quite an active part in making arrangements for establishing the same at an early date. In the spring of 1858, Messrs. Sutton & S. M. Miller purchased a printing press and office at Owosso, and moved it to Ithaca in May. The paper was called the Gratiot News, and was edited by Franklin Miller, the first Prosecuting Attor- ney of this county, for six months, when the material was purchased by W. W. Comstock, and changed from a neutral to a Republican paper.

The Supervisors must have been a rather noisy set of men during the year 1856, for the official record shows that I. C. Knapp presented a bill to that august body in which he demanded compensation " for broken

bedsteads and unnecessary confusion." The bill was referred to the Committee on Claims and was paid, perhaps out of their own pockets.

The question that demanded first consideration was the opening of the thoroughfares through the dense forests. Hardly a ray of sunshine could reach the ground, and the clay soil was never dry. There was a bridge across Maple River at the place called Maple Rapids, from which an Indian trail extended to the Lutheran mission, on Pine River, and this afforded the only route for transit between the two places. This was afterward widened by Joseph Clapp, of Pine River, until teams could pass over it. This was known as the " Old Trail," over which most of the pioneer families came. Ralph Ely, soon after his ar- rival in the county, opened up a road from Alma to Maple Rapids. The third was a branch of the " Old Trail," diverging from it on section 32 in Fulton Township, passing through that, North Star and Ham- ilton Townships. For many years these were the only roads leading out of the county, and they were in many places almost impassable.

The Legislature by special act in 1866 and 1867, provided aid for the construction of State roads to Saginaw and St. John's, and roads in other localities were nicely graded and well bridged. Gratiot Coun- ty has within her boundaries as many miles of excel- lent roads as can be found in the same area any where in which gravel cannot be obtained.

While most of the pioneers were men of brawn and muscle, among them was occasionally found one who was an inveterate coward. Rev. Barnaby relates an incident where a fellow by the name of Shively fig- ured, which is ludicrous, to say the least. Shively was afraid, not only of getting lost, but of being at- tacked by bears while working in the woods. The ground was covered with a light snow, and Shively had gone to the woods to chop, taking, as was his custom, his gun for protection in case a bear should be unwary enough to come within sight. Mr. Bar- naby lived near where Shively was working, and the family were, on the day in question, somewhat alarm- ed to see Shively coming across the clearing at the top of his speed, without hat or gun and his long hair streaming in the wind. Bursting into the house, he told in spasmodic utterances that he had shot at a very large bear, which had then attacked him, when he threw down his gun and climbed a tree, that the

GRATIOT COUNTY.

bear passed, and he had come for help to dispatch him.

Starting for the scene of encounter, they found the bear (a small cub) lying dead near the tree that Shively had tried to climb, but which in reality was only a small sapling, around which he had thrown his arms and legs and taken a seat in the snow in- stead of climbing at all. Fear in this instance made him feel as if he had climbed a tree, although his would have been an unpleasant position had a bear actually attacked him.

William McOmber relates the story of killing the largest wildcat ever seen in the county, and gives it as his first remembrance of fear at sight of any wild beast. Himself and Nau-ge-sic, a son of the chief, were going from the Indian mission to Maple Rapids in 18.19, and had stopped for the night at a bark shan- ty half way between the two places, the trip being a two-days' journey. This shanty had been built for occupancy during these journeys, and frying-pans, etc., were left there to save transportation. A large tree had blown over, lodging in the fork of another one standing in front of the shanty, which tree forms an important part of the story.

After eating supper, Nau-ge-sic crawled (as was the custom of Indians) to the further corner of the shanty, and, rolling himself up in a blanket, went to sleep. Mr. McOmber hung up a piece of a blanket at the door, or end of the shanty, although it lacked consid- erable of covering the aperture. He had to sleep near the opening, and awakened during the night, but was horrified to see a huge wild-cat perched upon the tree which leaned across the space in front of the wigwam. Its eyes looked like two stars as they twinkled in evident satisfaction at the prospect of a savory meal, and its tail moved nervously from side to side as it surveyed the sleeping men. The moon shone brightly and its body, outlined against the leafy background, made it an excellent mark for the sportsman's rifle. Stealthily teaching for his gun, Mr. McOmber took deliberate aim and fired. With a wild yell, the beast fell from the tree pierced through the heart. It was a thrilling experience, to say the least ; for the wild-cat lay within ten feet of Mr. Mc- Omber and was evidently preparing to spring upon him. These animals were quite savage, and would attack either man or beast when hungry.

"Surprise parties " were very frequent at an early

clay. It was no uncommon thing for a number of young folks (and older people, too) to walk five or six miles on a winter night to attend a dance, or enjoy an evening at a "candy pulling." The invariable rule was to take an ox team along to carry those who were too tired to walk home. More happiness was enjoyed in those days than can be imagined in this age of æstheticism. Refreshments were always pro- vided by the ladies when attending a dancing party or other social affair, consisting mainly of hulled corn, johnnycakes and dried apples, or pumpkin and warm sugar. Mrs. Ben. Crawford related her experience at a dance which she, with many others, attended near this village at an early day, in which the above mentioned articles constituted the bill of fare. The party was given at Simeon Taylor's, and Henry Feaster was the musician. Dressed in their calico, the ladies felt as aristocratic as do the belles of the ball-room to-day, decked in their most expensive toilets.

The pioneers were minus the luxurious sandals now considered indispensable in " pirouetting " on a waxed floor, but their heavy brogans kept good time to the " Arkansaw Traveler" and "Fisher's Hornpipe," as the rough puncheon floors vibrated with the rhythmic motion of their supple limbs, while the manly voice of the prompter rang out "Balance all," "Swing your partner." " Pound sand," etc.

Mrs. Elijah Curtis, one of the pioneers of Hamil- ton Township, gives a graphic account how she and her family came into Gratiot County. The picture will call up many familiar scenes to those who erected the first log cabins in the forest :

" We arrived on a Saturday night at Allen Curtis' place, and enjoyed a night's rest among friends and relatives. We were using a hired team, and were anxious to get to our claim ; so we ventured to break the Sabbath, and started bright and early for our place, seven miles distant. For the whole distance, the men had to go ahead of the team and break a road through the ice and snow. Darkness came on as we came in sight of our destination. Taking some joints of stove-pipe on our backs, my daughter and I picked our way to the log cabin, which had appar- ently been used for shelter by cattle and other ani- mals for several years. But we made the best dis- position of ourselves we could for the night. During

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the evening it commenced to rain, and my husband asked, 'What will we do with the horses? ' 'Oh, bring them right into the house,' I said; 'we can keep them here.' So they were brought in, and the first night in our new home was thus spent, with seven or eight people scattered around on one side of the fire-place and two horses on the other."

One of the first couples married by Benjamin Crawford, after his election as Justice of the Peace, paid their fee in dried corn, dried pumpkin and tur- nips. Money was " the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen." Coon, deer and bear skins, as well as shaved shingles, were legal tender for everything except taxes.

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Portrait and biographical album of Gratiot county, Mich., Part 78

Author: Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman brothers Number of Pages: 856

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman brothers
Number of Pages: 856