Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2026 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== USGenNet Data Repository Notice: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ============================================================================= Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. ============================================================================= Muskegon Weekly Chronicle Thursday, 15 June, 1899 The Pioneer Days MRS. FANNY SHEPHERD, 34 E. Muskegon avenue, came here 52 years ago and like MRS. WOODBURY, tells many interesting tales of early social and domestic life. She says: "In April, '47, I came here. I wasn't quite 17 at the time. My father was here four years before. He was a millwright and that was his business. There were but four mills here when we came and he had built three of them. One was Green's on Green's Creek, another on Ruddiman's Creek belonged to STRANNER, (a Scotchman), and another was MARTIN RYERSON'S. The one he didn't build was the Baird and Bean mill on Bear Lake. The last work he did was for S. and E. W. MERRILL on Sand Creek in '51. "There was no Muskegon here then. There were six white families and 300 or 400 half-breed families and they com- prised the village. "During our first three years here we lived on Black Lake. My father sold out a fine farm and considerable property in Illinois, where we came from, to move to Muskegon and build his mill on Black Lake. We were doing well and my father considered himself prospering when one day we wouldn't have given ten cents for all we owned. The dam had broken and destroyed everything - didn't leave one stick on another where the mill had been. We lost everything. Father died not long after. "In the fall of '50 we came into town and mother took the Lasley mill boarding house. There was a time when mother owned from Terrace street to the Lumberman's bank. She put up a boarding house on those lots. Then she bought this house I am living in now and came here. There was a time when I had a speaking acquaintance with every man, woman and child here, but I can't say that now. "Yes, we used to have donation parties. What did we take? Why we used to take all kinds of provisions, quilts and such things. Preacher PRATT, the first Methodist minister who had a donation party, had everything from hogs to bar- rels of flour. Provisions and money weren't of much account and every one was just as generous as could be. When a case of destitution was discovered there would come a rap at the door and a basket would be dropped and they would never know whom it came from. MAJOR DAVIS was very generous and used to send loads of wood and such things. "Once, I remember, there was a Sunday school picnic dinner in the basement of the church. A lot of people came over on a boat ride from Grand Haven. CAPT. RAND was marshal of the day. If there was one biscuit sent for the dinner there were six bushels. It seemed as if everybody had sent biscuit. Mother sent over some and a cake. I sent the biscuits back. She didn't know who did it and was just as provoked as she could be. "I attended the first service ever held in St. Mary's old church. There were no windows there then - they were just sheethed up. People sat on boards across blocks. It was way out in the woods. Why, where the Dennis Smith block and Methodist church are, we used to come and pick huckleberries. The first schoolhouse was built where the Dennis Smith block now stands. The town had a meeting over it and one man was so disgusted, he stamped his feet and cried 'What, stick the school house way out in the woods! You might just as well send the children to Black Lake.' MISS McINTYRE and MRS. S. H. STEVENS taught in the first school house. The building was finally moved across the streetand sold to GOV. HOLT. Then they built a new school house on the Hackley school grounds which was in later years sold to L. G. MASON for a residence. "Yes, we used to have dances. Here is one of the old invitations of 33 years ago, which I came across the other day. "These invitations were sent to each of the gentlemen and he sent it to you when he asked you. Girls didn't have to stay at home in those days for lack of escorts. We always had beaux to take us when we went and a great deal of rivalry among the men. We did put on quite a bit of style for those days. The RYERSON girls, the BOYD girls and myself were the young ladies at the parties. We would get together and dress alike. One New Year's party, I remember we wore book-muslin dresses, low neck and short sleeves, black silk aprons and black silk mits to the el- bow. I remember one winter a party went to Whitehall, where we took our thin frocks with us. There were two sleigh loads. It was bitter cold. We kept on our thick dresses the cold was so terrible and the snow drifted right in under the seats in the ballroom. There was a great big stove but they had to keep it red hot. "Father used to send to Chicago twice a year for groceries and he used to get a whole piece of calico and we all had our dresses alike from the same piece. People couldn't get much of a variety here and those who did buy their dresses here would almost be sure to meet an Indian on the street with a shirt of the same calico. I thought a great deal of the Indians. They were very grateful and if anyone did them a good turn they couldn't show that person enough attention in bringing presents of fruit, a big fish or a quarter of venison. Very likely they would bring you a mocoque of berries. Don't you know mocoque? It was made of birch bark and kind of oval shaped. It held from half a bushel to three-quarters and they used to put berries in them and tie them up in their blankets and put them on their backs. "The Indians used to go to Grand Haven to get paid. I have seen over 300 camped down where the old Foss mill was. Many's the time I've seen our house full of them." [Transcriber's Note: Her maiden name was WITHERELL, daughter of Joel C. and Julia Ann WITHERELL. Sand Creek is now known as Bridgeton.] ===============================================================================