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Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== Page 8 (cont'd) Complete History of Alpena County ________________________ ALPENA IN 1858 In the latter part of November, 1858, a small schooner, the J. S. Minor, entered Thunder Bay river, having on board some twenty-five or thirty persons, among whom were Messrs. E. K. Potter, Abram Hopper, W. Stevens, and the families of Samuel Boggs and Alexander Archibald. The twenty-five or thirty persons could not have been very favorably impressed with the appearance of Alpena, at that time, and there were but few among the passengers who could have entertained the idea that the wilderness about them would, before many years, be covered with mills and buildings. Mr. Hopper says that the first building he noticed was the store of Miller, Fletcher & Co., two stories in height, (now known as the Myer's block, and since then much enlarged.) The building had just received a coat of paint, and it loomed up prominently amid the surrounding wilderness - a vanguard of civilization. Close by it, and right in the street now known as Water street, was a small frame house occupied by A. F. Fletcher, (this building has since been moved and is now occupied by Geo. Fox on Second street, near the bridge as a jewelry shop.) A little further from the river was another small building occupied by Daniel Carter. This building is now in a very delapidated condition, and can be seen in front of Wood's saloon. The three buildings mentioned to- gether with a cooper's shop that was used for a school house, and Walter Scott's old shanty, constituted all the houses in that part of Alpena city now known as the First and Second wards. The Third ward was represented by a shanty, and the six buildings formed the city of Alpena, November 19th, 1858, or, as it was then termed, the village of Fremont. We can readily believe that the newly arrived settlers and lumbermen did not require much time to look the city over, and we can easily imagine the feelings of disgust which the appearance of the prospective city must have created in their minds. As regards the clearing about the river, Mr. E. K. Potter says "There was a narrow strip chopped on each side of the river, of which chopping a small piece was cleared; this was near the river at that time, and where the buildings were located, the whole clearing not exceeding two blocks extent, on either side of the river. Where Field's drug store now --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 9 stands was then the edge of the woods." Mr. J. Kaufman tells us that the present site of Warner & Co's store was, at the time, one of the worst looking frog holes he had ever saw, and regarding the land north- westerly from the present site of Bostwick's and Potter's brick blocks, Mr. Hopper states that they were covered with a burnt slashing. At the time of Mr. Hopper's landing, the burnt slashing was covered with some six inches of snow, and the scene looked inexpressibly cheerless and uninviting. But eighteen years of unceasing industry has wrought a mighty change in the snow-covered slashing, and the spectator looking up the river, instead of a desolate burning, will see brick blocks, saw mills, stores, boarding houses, foundries and hundres of comfortable looking dwelling houses. A good idea of the wilderness about Alpena may be formed from a remark of Mr. Potter's, that many of the old settlers will recollect how the county Treasurer got lost in the woods not far from where the Congregational Church now stands, and how they turned out to hunt him up. As there were but few houses, the parties who came on the Minor ex- perienced considerable difficulty in obtaining sleeping accommodations, and we have not the least doubt but that the sleeping capacities of the few houses were considerably strained. The only store in the place was that of Miller, Fletcher & Co., and of this building Mr. Potter says: "The first store in Alpena was occupied by Miller, Fletcher & Co., and stood in the street, in front of what is now known as the Myer's block. They kept a general assortment, such as dry goods, groceries, hardware, drugs and medicines, and what could not be found in that store, would be useless to look for in Alpena or the adjoining counties. They Myers' building was completed in the fall of 1858, the first floor being used as a store house, and the second for county purposes, viz; Court room, Treasurer's office, County Clerk's and Sheriff's offices. The Court room was used for all public gatherings, church and Sabbath school, elections, ball room, etc., etc." To use one of Mark Twain's expressions, if Miller's store had been burned it would have been a serious loss to the whole community. They might have stood the loss of the drug store, one of the county offices, and the church, but if they had lost all the store departments, county offices, Court room, church and Sabbath school, ball room, etc., the loss would have been tremendous. Young and thinly settled as Alpena was, yet she boasted of a school. It was situated somewhere near Mr. Heuber's present meat market, and consisted of a board --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 10 shanty about sixteen feet square, with a shed roof. It had formerly been used for a cooper's shop, but the necessity for some place to train the young minds had forced the coopers to vacate. Miss S. Carter is entitled to the honor of having taught the first school. No American could get along without his mail, and the early settlers of Alpena were no exception to the rule, so a postoffice was started in 1858, with Daniel Carter as first postmaster. The first mail arrived January 17, 1858, and it was a very important event to the settlers then in Alpena. The postoffice was known as Fremont; afterwards at the request of the citizens the name was changed to Alpena; then to Thunder Bay, and finally to Alpena again. This name it still bears, as the postal authorities got tired of so much changing. Mr. Potter speaks of the mail as follows: "The U.S. mail was in charge of Indians and half- breeds on the route between Bay City and Sault Ste. Marie. The mail was drawn on a train by three dogs, the course being around the shore, and they drove up in front of the postoffice, kept by Daniel Carter, Esq., with as much ceremony as does the thorough-brace of the present day. The mail comes once a week in winter, and in summer the only chance for the mail to get to Alpena was in case any person from Alpena went below, when the post-master would give him an order for the mail, and the last word to a parting friend was, generally, 'don't forget the mail.' " In December, 1858, Mr. John Cole arrived in Alpena, accompanied by a number of mechanics, for the purpose of building two sawmills, one at each side of the dam, which had been commenced that season. One of the mills was for Lockwood & Minor, and the other for Geo. N. Fletcher. The timber was got out and framed, but the mill of Lockwood & Minor was not put up until several years afterwards, while the timber for Mr. Fletcher's mill was burned in one of the fires that afflicted Alpena. During the winter of 1858-59, the first lumbering commenced in Alpena, Messrs. Archibald & Murray having a contract to put in the river one million feet, more or less, of logs for Lockwood & Minor. The logs were taken from T.31.N.R.6.E., and the contract price was about $2 per thousand feet. Men's wages were from $14 to $16 per month, they agreeing to stay until the drive was down. Mr. E. K. Potter's business was to scale and mark the logs at the landing, and he thus had the honor of scaling the first log, as well as that of measuring the first cargo of lumber that left Alpena, which was in the latter part of the summer of 1859. The honor of cutting the first log belongs to Mr. Sam'l --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 10 Boggs, while that of drawing it is claimed by three different parties, William Stevens, Albert Merrill, and W. Steples. Henry Doyle had a hand in sawing the first log. - The schooner Meridian, Captain Flood, carried the first lumber from Alpena. In the spring of 1859, Messrs. Smith & Chamberlain commenced the erection of the first steam saw mill in Alpena, and by the latter part of August, in the same year, the mill was in operation, and the business of sawing lumber first commenced. The mill of Smith & Chamberlain stood on the site now occupied by Folkerts & Butterfield's saw mill. The mill was burned down in the spring of 1864, and the present mill erected in its place during the same year. Up to 1859 the communication between Alpena and the lower ports had been by means of an occassional sail boat or trading schooner, or by means of the upper lake steamboats. By the latter conveyance a person would be landed on Thunder Bay island, and then he would have to engage some fisherman to take him to Alpena by means of a sail boat. But the business of Alpena had increased to such an extent, and so many supplies were needed for the support of the inhabitants, and for mill operations, that the steamer Forest Queen found it profitable to make occassional trips to Alpena. The same cause induced the owners of the steamer Columbia to place her on the line between Alpena and Bay City, making regular trips. The Columbia being a small boat, was able to land her passengers and freight on the dock inside the river, while the Forest Queen, on account of the bar at the mouth of the river, was compelled to lay outside, the passengers and freight being landed by means of lighters, boats, etc. We have been unable to ascertain the date of the first arrival of the above boats. The Columbia kept on the line for some time, when she was replaced by the steamer Huron, the latter making occassional trips. Mr. Casey, of the Columbia's officials, relates the following laughable incident, which will show the value that was attached to the fair sex by the people "on the shore" in those days: At one of the ports between Bay City and Alpena, they took on board the only pretty girl in the place - the lady in question being about to leave. The people of the town where she had been staying were so distressed at the loss of their valuable prize, they they hung all the flags they possessed at half-mast, in token of their sorrow at the sad event. The Fremont fever being over, the people of Alpena wisely determined to change the name of the place from Fremont to Alpena. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 12 This was accomplished by the following act of Legislature: AN ACT to change the name of the village of Fremont, in the county of Alpena. SECTION 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact, That the name of vil- lage of Fremont, in the county of Alpena, State of Michigan, be and the same is hereby changed to Alpena. SEC. 2. This act shall take effect im- mediately. Approved February 29th, 1859. In May, 1860, the first public gathering of the Alpena folks for pleasure, took place, and a very agreeable time passed. All the inhabitants were present. Mr. G. F. Lewis, in his history of Alpena, says: "In July, 1860, Lockwood & Minor commenced to build the steam saw mill, called the Island Mill, completed and started it running with one circular saw, two days short of six weeks from the time the first blow was struck. Lockwood and Minor, commenced to build another new steam saw mill in 1862, and had the frame up, when a fire which had been started in the woods, spread into and through the town on the 4th of July, burning this and a greater part of the buildings of every character in the settlement. This mill was rebuilt however, and started in October following, running one circular saw and a siding mill." The population of Alpena county in 1860, according to State official reports, was 290, and in 1861 the number of acres assessed 237,832.02. This includes the unorganized counties of Alcona, Otsego, Montmorency and Presque Isle, attached to Alpena for municipal purposes. At the township meeting held April 2nd, 1860, the following motion was passed: "Also voted and carried, that twenty-five dollars be apportioned out of the school funds for library purposes." From this small commencement our public library has grown until now there are nearly fourteen hundred volumns in the library. The ALPENA WEEKLY ARGUS of May 31, 1876, thus speaks of the contrast between the state of affairs eighteen years ago and at present: What a difference between our mail carrying facilities now and eighteen years ago. In 1858 it was all chance as to receiving of mail, and in the win- ter season it was conveyed by Indians with dogs, while in the summer it was received occassionally - just as some of the citizens visited Bay City - and was brought up by sail-boats. But what a change? Now we are supplied with a daily mail both summer and winter, - in winter by stage, and during the sum- mer season by a line of steamers which ply between Alpena and Bay City. The population of the county was but a few souls, and could be called, by naming each individual, in the space of five min- utes, yet now the inhabitants of the city and county will reach about eight thou- sand and we may say that all have pro- fited by their settlement in this locality. Even the settler who only five years ago attempted to cultivate land in this county, with not a dollar to commence with, now finds himself the possessor of many (some hundreds) acres of fertile lands which yield abundant crops every season, and return him a handsome revenue. Truly a marked difference and improvement in the short space of eight- een years. ===========================================================================