USA > Michigan > Saginaw County > The county of Saginaw, Michigan : topography, history, art folio > Part 8
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
128
and was of sufficient size to accommodate the ordinary hotel necessities of a town of ten thousand inhabitants. "No pent up Utica" contracted the powers of the speculators of that era. Inflation produced an abnormal condition of affairs through- out the country. Evidently the projectors of the changes spoken of, anticipated a large influx of travel, and settlers, and a corresponding increase of trade and commerce. They were strong in the faith of ultimate success, a quality indis- pensable to the pioneer, and men of action and ideas. One cannot study the history of the pioneer movement, however extravagent it may have been, without a feeling of admir- ation for the men of whom I have spoken, and their achieve- ments; for the energy displayed by them, the most of whom left homes in the East, of comparative ease and comfort, to take up their abode amid savage life, in a comparatively un- known country, a wilderness without roads, schools, churches, or the ordinary comforts of civilized life; to give form and semblance to the embryo town and county, to establish within its borders the elements of good government, and to mold it into such shape as would ultimately enure to the benefit and happiness of its people. Such was the mission of the pioneers of the valley, and our surroundings today attests the wisdom of their fostering care. There is not a page in the history of the pioneer life of the valley upon which is not impressed the work of the masterly minds whose names appear upon the early records referred to; prominent among them, in the active part taken in the administration of the affairs of the county, is the name of the veteran, Hiram L. Miller, who still lives in the enjoyment of the realization of his early hope of ultimate success. Throughout those records the guiding mind and hand of Mr. Miller is plainly and prominently visible.
In 1838 the huge bubble of speculation collapsed. But few banks throughout the United States survived the disaster, and those that did so, suspended specie payments. Then followed several years of broad-spread commercial and mer- cantile disaster. The business of the country was paralyzed for a long time, finding but little relief, until the passage of the bankrupt act by congress in 1842.
For several years after the collapse spoken of but very little progress was made in the valley of the Saginaw. In 1847-48 the tide of foreign emigration brought to Saginaw three colonies (if I may so designate them,) of Germans. These had, like bees, as it were, withdrawn from over crowded localities or parishes in the old country, in families and singly, and sought in the United States a new home. These colon- ists brought with them their pastors-their habits and customs. One of these colonies, under the guidance of Rev. Mr. August Craemer, settled in Frankenmuth, another in Franken- trost, with Rev. Mr. Seveir as their spiritual guide, and the third at Frankenhilf, under the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Graebner. These have proven valuable additions to the county; they have carved out of an unbroken forest hundreds of happy homes and splendid farms, all attesting their industry, thrift and perseverance.
The reverend gentlemen I have named, deserve to rank with the Jesuit Fathers who first explored' the continent, for the zeal, honesty and wisdom they exhibited in the welfare of the flocks under their care. These colonies gave to the county, the Hubingers, Kochs, Ransenbergers, Gugels, Schmidts, Gerbers, Limbergers, Friedleins and many others who have been active, prominent and useful in public affairs.
In 1848-49-50, there came to the county from the Father- land, another class of Germans, radically different in habits and thought, from the former colonists. They were men who regarded civil and religious liberty as paramount; men who had engaged heart and soul in the revolution of 1848 that convulsed Europe; men who believed that in America they could aid in building and maintaining a home for free- dom; men "whom the proud lords of other lands, through rage or fear, drove from their wasted homes."
That revolt gave us the veteran George A. Veen Vliet, the founder of the Town of Blumfield, and who for many years filled positions of honor and trust in the county. He left behind him that which to all men is of infinite worth-" a good name." It gave the county also such names as Charles Post, Bern- hard Haack, Frederick Zwerk, Louis Loeffler, Alexander Alberti, the Liskows, the Seyffardts, Morris Bros., the Roe- sers, the Beckers, the Barks, the Vassolds, Jacksons, Achards, Kuehns and the profound student and scholarly Dr. Plessner.
In 1849, two brothers, Daniel and Solomon Johnson, locat- ed at, and platted the village of Zilwaukee. They erected,
what was then and for several years after, the largest steam saw mill in the valley. Accompanying the Johnson Bros. were B. J. Fisher and other brainy, forceful men. They built up quite a village at that point. Daniel Johnson deserves more than a mere passing notice herein. He conceived the project of constructing a military pank road between this point and Mackinac, then a frontier military station. The general government, while Michigan was a territory, com- menced the construction of a road from Detroit to Mackinac, the latter place being inaccessable during the suspension of navigation, except by dog train or on foot.
That road was built by the government as far as Pine Run, in Genesee County. At the time when the territory emerged from its semi chrysalis condition, and assumed state- hood, the United States abandoned the road. Johnson's idea was to complete this abandoned work, by constructing a plank road on the lines of the original survey, and associating other gentlemen with him, sought to obtain from the United States a grant of lands to aid in its construction; the government to have the free use of it for any and all purposes. For two or more years, Johnson endeavored to secure the passage of an act of congress, in aid of his project, and for two consecu- tive sessions, a law for that purpose passed the lower house, but failed in the senate. In this effort, Johnson and his friends expended large sums of money, which involved them in financial ruin. As a matter of history, this application of Johnson's was the second of its kind of any importance, since the organization of the United States Government. The first was an appropriation for the construction of the Cumberland Road, so called, passed by congress during General Jackson's administration, and was vetoed by him, and thus failed to become a law.
Johnson, at the time he was making this effort, was called by many of his neighbors, a visionary, the word crank not then having been coined. The difficulty he met with, was · that, he was in advance of public opinion. But a few years elapsed after Johnson's effort, before enormous raids were made upon the public domain for purposes less commendable than that of Johnson's. Looking backward to the time I mention, it seems to the writer that of the men resident in the valley in the early fifties, two men stand out prominently, as far-sighted, public-spirited men, men devoted to the interests of the valley, viz .: Norman Little and Daniel Johnson, and to-day, there seem to be none to do reverence to the mem- ory of either. I may very properly add the fact that the Johnsons, in 1849, purchased a printing press, and published in the interest of the valley, a newspaper known as the "Spirit of the Times," for nearly four years, and gratuitously distributed it broadcast throughout the country. It was maintained by them until the said failure.
A considerable draw-back to the opening up and devolop- ment of the western states, arose from the hostility of the government in an early day (and as late as 1850,) to aid in the improvement of the great western chain of water ways. The theory prevailed among the statesmen of that early time, that it was unconstitutional to appropriate the public funds to the improvement of the navigation of any water way, except those that were subject to the ebb and flow of the tides.
I recall an incident of 1850, illustrative of that theory. The citizens of Saginaw memorialized congress for an appro- priation to improve the navigation of the Saginaw River, by deepning the channel at its mouth. The petition was for- warded to senator General Cass, with the request that he aid in the matter. Its receipt was duly acknowledged by the general, who, in reply, promised to do all that he constitution- ally could to aid the matter. Nothing was then done in that direction. As the west grew into manhood, it demanded and obtained a different constitutional construction on that sub- ject.
In 1849, Mr. Norman Little re-appeared at Saginaw; he having enlisted the late Jesse Hoyt in the enterprise of developing the resources of the valley, resulting in the laying out of and building up of East Saginaw. A plank road to Flint was one of its earliest improvements, followed by the erection of a large grist mill (still standing), saw mills, ware- houses, docks, etc., etc.
Mr. Little was a person of great foresight. The latent wealth of the valley, its productive soil and its grand forests of timber, had attracted him here in the former years, the de- velopment of which was suspended by the financial crisis of 1837-38. So great was his confidence in the possibilities which would follow development that he returned again to
his first love, so to speak. I recall the fact of crossing the river from the West Side with Mr. Little, at the site of the present Bristol street bridge, and walking down on the mid- dle ground from that point to the site of said grist mill in February, 1850. The walk lay through an almost unbroken forest. In my journey from Detroit to Saginaw, in January of that year, I was not pleased with the appearance of the County of Saginaw. It was a wet, open winter, and the pas- sage from Flint to. Saginaw was made in a huge uncomfort- able wagon, sometime through water and deep mud; a con- siderable of the way between Saginaw and Pine Run over corduroy roads. The whole country about Saginaw seemed to me to be a vast swamp and did not impress me favorably. In my walk with Mr. Little, I spoke of the impression made upon me, and of my doubts respecting the future of Saginaw. Mr. Little drew from his pocket Farmer's map of Michigan, spread it out upon a fallen tree, and pointed to the various rivers rising on all sides in the interior. Those rivers, said Mr. Little, in substance, are all tributary to Saginaw. When the great wealth of valuable timber growing adjacent to said streams shall be brought to Saginaw, when the salt and coal underlying the valley, and agriculture shall be developed and become important factors in the business of the valley, then you will know that my confidence in the ultimate growth of the valley is not misplaced. These rivers, like the ancient roads, "all lead to Rome," and if you live the ordinary life of man, you will see this valley occupied by a hundred thousand people. Prophetic vision, I then thought Mr. Little's idea that of a speculative enthusiast. Time has demonstrated the wisdom of his prediction.
At this time there were not half a dozen lumber mills upon the river, or in the county. There was no profit in lumbering. I cannot recall a single manufacturer of lumber that did not find that business unprofitable. There was no market for cull lumber- commons sold for $4.50 per M feet, and the two or three grades of uppers from $9 to $II. The waste about the mills had to be carted away and burned. Fortunately a new era in the development of the lumber trade commenced in 1854-55. Improvements in the machinery for manufacturing lumber was introduced; lines of water and land transportation inaugurated, and an improvement in the. market value of lumber had taken place. Added to these
favorable changes, a new life was infused into the business of the valley, by the advent and settlement therein of enterpris- · ing, courageous, thorough business men, public spirited, gen- erous and forceful, possessing the necessary capital for the development of its industries. Among them were A. W. Wright, Ubel A. Brockway, the brothers Timothy and David H. Jerome, Thomas Merrill, Frank Sears, Myron Butman, Joseph T. Burnham, the brothers David, Amaza, John and Ezra Rust, the brothers Hess, Michael Jeffers, Jefferson Bundy, Eleazer J. Ring, Newell Barnard, James Hill, Buck- hout, Curtis, Bartow and others whose names I do not recall.
The political, social, moral and business structure which the pioneers of the valley had before then reared, though in somewhat infantile proportions, was the deep laid foundation upon which the new comers reared a magnificent super- structure, and the foundations thus laid, stands an imperish- able monument to the prudence, foresight and wisdom,of the early pioneers.
The wonderful progress made during the decade ending 1860, in the business of the valley, attests the energy and business qualities of the people of the county. The records to which I have referred conclusively establish that fact."
SALT.
In 1859 the first salt well was sunk in the valley, under the auspices of Dr. Lathrop, William L. Webber and other's at East Saginaw, followed in the same year by the sinking of a well, and establishing a salt manufacturing company in the City of Saginaw, as the west side of the present city was then called. The effect produced by the development of the saline interests in the valley, had a marvelous effect upon the lumber trade. Manufacturers of lumber, by uniting the mak- ing of salt with the lumber business, for the first time found a means of utilizing their surplus refuse material as a fuel for the manufacture for salt, thus and thereby enhancing the profit of both branches of industry.
The following table, for which I am indebted to Geo. W. Hill, Esq., the able salt inspector of the district, shows the wonderful development of the salt industry of the county and valley :
1
VIEWS OF THE SAGINAW COURIER-HERALD.
ST. LORENZ'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, FRANKENMUTH.
SAGINAW
SAGINAW STEAM LAUNDRY, OLDEST LAUNDRY ON WEST SIDE. ALL WORK FIRST CLASS. NO. 311 N. HAMILTON STREET. 'PHONE 929. C. C. BUTTS, PROP'R.
RES. AND PORTRAITS OF MR. AND MRS. GEO. H. SCHREMS, JAMES TOWNSHIP.
RES. AND PORTRAITS OF MR. AND MRS. JOHN DIEDRICH, JAMES TOWNSHIP.
-
RES. OF H. B. ALLEN, SWAN CREEK TOWNSHIP.
H. S. SIEBEL, JEWELER, 116 N. HAMILTON STREET, W. S.
HOTEL SYMES, J. T. SYMES, PROPRIETOR, ST. CHARLES, MICH.
129
1860-The amount put in the county was. . 4,000 bbls.
1870-
450,000 "
1871
529,682,878
1872 ..
602,118,980
I873.
619,877,02I
1874.
573,632,77I
1875.
581,558,273
1876.
583,950,77I
1877.
640,166,231
1878.
574,162,757
1879
7.36,106,000
1880.
873,047,73I
1881
976,320,317
1882
1,011,274,605
1883
938,675,078
1884
978,497,853
1885:
728,498,22I
1886
798,826,224
1887.
783,661,265
I888
880,669,440
I889
851,823,133
1890.
815,054,465
1851. .
92,000,000
1852.
90,000,000
1853 ..
96,000,000
- 1854 . .
100,000,000
1855. . .
100,000,000
1856 ..
110,000,000
1857 ..
113,700,000
1858 ..
106,500,000
1859.
122,750,000
1860.
125,000,000
1861.
120,000,000
1862.
128,000,000
1863 ..
133,580,000
1864.
215,000,000
1865. ..
250,639,340
1866.
349,767,344
1867.
423,963,190
I868.
451,395,225
1869 ..
523,500,830
1870 .. .
576,626,606
Lumber Cut,
Year.
Feet.
1880-
. 1, 121, 176 "
1890 --
. 1,006,854 "
Prior to the enactment of the state inspection law in 1869, there was manufactured within the state 3,283,037 barrels of salt. Since then the aggregate number of barrels manufac- tured within the state is 70,798,173. The increase by decades was as follows:
.1869
561,288 bbls.
1876
2,058,040 "
1889
. 3,866,228 «
LUMBER.
To Mr. E. Cowles, of the Courier-Herald, I am indebted for the following tabulated statement of the manufacture of lumber from the log, by the mills on Saginaw river.
Lumber Cut,
Year.
Feet.
In the past few years the coal deposits underlying the sur- face of the valley have been rapidly developed, notably the Sebewaing mines, under the energetic and prudent manage- ment of Mr. Webber. The decadence of the timber trade, owing to the denuding of the forests of pine timber, has ne- cessitated the introduction of other manufacturing industries, which are rapidly filling the breach made in the volume of trade and manufactured by the decline of the manufacture of lumber.
In the preparation of this brief history of the county, the writer may possibly be regarded as expressing a too roseate view of the pioneers of the valley, and of its rapid growth. It may be that to the writer "distance has lent enchantment to the view," or more correctly speaking, to the retrospect. It may be, that the favorable impressions the pioneers of the valley made upon him in the early days, grows stronger with age. He has endeavored to keep within the limits of the
actual, the truthful, "extenuating nothing, nor setting down aught in malice." It is indeed a pleasure to contemplate, at this distance of time, the men who were the life and soul of the early history of the county. These men were more or less dependent upon each other for their well being. There were no religious or social distinctions; each one regarded it a duty he owed to his compeers to aid and assist each other; the word of each was regarded as a written obligation; they were one people in the broadest sense of that expression, and "like kindred drops, all mingled into one."
The writer has lived to see this valley emerge from its primeval condition, to witness the development of its resour- ces, and to-day, it stands forth clothed in the beauty of mag- nificent farms, of myriads of delightful and happy homes, dotted with churches and school houses, enriched and beauti- fied by its numerous charitable institutions - the embryo village of 1850, developed into a city of grand porportions, and to know that the prediction of Norman Little has been more than verified.
Since writing the foregoing the venerable Hiram L. Miller has gone to his eternal rest, in obedience to the summons of somber winged Azrael. His head, white with the frosts of age, lies pillowed beneath the verdant sod of the valley he so loved.
"After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well." He has left be- hind him an unwritten history of a life of honesty, purity and usefulness, beautified with the graces of a christian life.
. The annals of the city, county and state bear witness to, and attest his sterling honesty, his untiring industry exerted in the interest of the people with whom he so long sojourned. Beyond, and infinitely above all this, there dwells in the hearts of those who knew his worth and his virtues, the remembrance of a life unblemished, a career devoted to the best interests :- the happiness of humanity. Verily it is true that
"Only the ashes of the just, smell sweet, and blossom in the dust."
Saginaw, May 26th, 1896.
SCHOOLS OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
By Principal W. W. WARNER, of Hoyt School, Saginaw, East Side.
Education is power. So is money. So is electricity. Each is energy in a different form and in a varying degree. Men who put coal into a furnace in order to produce steam in the boiler, and then use the steam to run an engine that generates electricity, have in the electricity a higher form of energy than was in the coal. The electricity, however, was latent in the coal.
The commonwealth of Michigan, at an early day, con- verted a portion of its public lands into money, a part of that money goes for educational purposes. The state has in the education of its citizens a higher form of energy than was in the money or in the land.
The educational system of Michigan was latent in its public lands. "Josh Billings" once said "that the farmer is the noblest work of God ;" this was wit. Drop one word, change another, and you have in the witticism of Henry A. Shaw the highest truth the ages teach. "Man is the noblest work of God." But man is not God's noblest work unless God has the co-operation of man himself in developing his three fold nature, his mental, moral and physi- cal life. To train this three fold nature is the function of the school. To train for noble manhood and womanhood is the ideal of the school. The highest form of energy the state can have is the good citizen. Saginaw County bears no small part in this great work. The early history of Saginaw schools is not separated from an account of the origin of the primary school fund and the history of the free public schools of the state.
THE FOUNDATION .- About ten years after the Declaration of Independence, or four years before Washington became
President of the United States under the new constitution, the Congress of the Confederation passed an ordinance upon which the educational superstructure of Michigan has been reared. This was entitled "An ordinance for ascertaining the mode of disposing of the lands in the Western Terri- tory." By its provisions lot numbered sixteen of every town- ship was reserved for the maintenance of the public schools within such township.
Two years later the now famous "Ordinance of 1787" was passed by the same, congress. It furnished a. body of laws for the government.of the Northwest Territory, and among other things declared that "religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall always be encouraged." The germinal thoughts, which took root under the ordinances referred to, are still growing and expand- ing after more than a century of progress. We can trace these ideas in the laws of our state, in the institutions of our commonwealth and in the schools of our county. For as the branch is but a part of the vine, and grows in harmony with the law that develops the main stem, so are the schools of Saginaw County a branch of the comprehensive system of the state, and they are organized and have been developed according to the common plan. Judge Cooley has fitly said that the founders of a commonwealth soon pass away, but in their aims and purposes they build themselves into the struc- ture they create and give to it a character and an individualty that become dominant in the mature life of the state. In no case is this more clearly seen than in the instance in the foun- ders of our common school system in Michigan. The story
of how the plan originated and grew is an interesting one. Some fifty years ago, on a hill north of where the court house at Marshall now.stands, two men might have been seen one pleasant afternoon sitting on a log and deeply engaged in conversation. This was while , Michigan was yet a territory and the country. was practically a wilderness. One of these men was soon to represent the new state of Michigan in con- gress, the other was to become the founder of the free school system in the state. The first was General Isaac E. Crary, a graduate of an eastern college and a warm friend of educa- tion; the other was John D. Pierce, a graduate of Brown, who had been sent out in 1831 by the congregationalists as a home missionary. The two.men were neighbors and in the conversation referred to, were discussing Cousin's report of the Prussian educational system. The subject of education was to them a theme of special interest, for the legislative council had authorized the calling of a convention to form a state constitution, and fixed upon May, 1835, for it to assem- ble at Detroit. General Crary was to go to the convention, and he and his missionary neighbor were very desirous that a right start should be made in the matter of state education. So they had informed themselves, so far as the books of that day enabled them to do so, upon what was being done in Prussia and other countries.
The ordinance of 1787 had dedicated to "freedom, intel- ligence and morality" the great states of the northwest, and in pursuance of these objects had set aside lands for school purposes in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Experience in these states had shown that it was one thing to make a grant and quite a different matter' to have the grant wisely handled, and
130
the proceeds derived from it effectively used to accomplish the desired ends. On the admission of these states the six- teenth section had been donated to the township, and had been disposed of by the township for the support of schools within its borders, but in most cases these sections had been so managed by the township authorities as to be of little worth to the cause of education. In some townships the sec- tion would be of great value, but would be bid in at an early day by a settler for a mere song. In other townships the section would be of little or no value and could not be dis- posed of at any price. In one township a section might sell for $31,000 (one section in this state actually did sell for that amount) in the next township the reserved section might not be worth as many cents. There was no equality in this sys- tem. Seeing the wastefulness and inequality of this system it was deemed essential by General Crary and Mr. Pierce to. devise a different plan for the disposal of these lands when Michigan should be admitted as a state. As the two men discussed the matter that afternoon, they were agreed in thinking that the outlines of the Prussian system might pro- fitably be followed here. They agreed that education ought to be a state affair and be cared for by an independent department of the state government. In the light of the experience of other states they were also of the opinion that the lands, granted by the general government for school purposes, should be granted directly to the state as trustee, instead of being given to the township as had heretofore been the practice when new states were admitted. Just how this could be done was not clearly seen by them at that time, for they knew that precedent is a mighty factor in drafting bills as well as in judicial decisions. The time for the constitu- tional convention, spoken of above, at last came and General Crary, as one of the delegates, went to Detroit. Just how it came about that he was appointed chairman of the committee on education cannot now be determined, but we know he was thus appointed, that he drew up an article on the subject of education, that he reported the same to the convention, that it was adopted and that it became the law of the state. This report provided for the appointment of an office, the like of which no other state in the union at that time had, viz .: A Superintendent of Public Instruction. This office was to be appointed on nomination by the governor and joint vote of the two houses of the legislature.
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.