O. P. PILLSBURY & CO., 1865 ~

Newaygo County owes its beginning to the lumbering industry. In 1836 the Indians had given up title to the lands in what is now Newaygo County and the territory was to be thrown open to white settlement. Three years before this time, Chicago had been laid out as a village and it had attracted many speculators who were anxious to invest in anything that promised big profits.

A group of these Chicago speculators was formed in 1836 to operate in lands and timber. Hiram Pierson and Henry Pennoyer headed this group. The group proposed to hold by "squatter's rights" the mouths of all the streams north of Grand River up to the Manistee until the land should come into the market, when they could then make claim to it.

They lost no time in taking possession of the proposed claims. Early in 1836 they landed at the mouth of Muskegon Lake. Here Pennoyer and two others built cabins. Other members established themselves as far up the shore as Manistee.

One division of the group, headed by Clark Knights and Augustus Pennoyer, was to discover waterpower sites where they could build a sawmill. They employed Mitchell Charleau, a French trader, to pilot them up the Muskegon River as the river was obstructed for miles with floodwood. Charleau operated a trading post for William Lasley of Muskegon, one and a half miles above what is now Croton. While Charleau did not live here continuously, he lived here part of the year and he was the only white inhabitant of the county when the Pennoyer party came.

The party stopped at what is now Newaygo. Here Augustus Pennoyer and Jack McBride established claims at the mouth of the creek, which they named Pennoyer. McBride built a cabin there and lived in it until late that fall, thus becoming the first permanent white settler in the county.

That same summer Sam Rose and Wesley White went from Ionia to Grand Rapids where they met Augustus Pennoyer. The latter hired them to work for him at Newaygo for $25 a month. They started from Grand Rapids with some other men to walk through the woods to the site of Pennoyer's claim. There was no road to follow. They lost their sense of direction and became lost in the woods. After five days they reached the Muskegon River. Thinking they were above Newaygo, they went down stream and finally arrived at Muskegon Lake. After securing some provisions, they went back up the river and finally reached their destination.

That fall, McBride sold his claim to George Walton and then made a claim to the land at the mouth of what became Brooks creek at Newaygo.

Augustus Pennoyer that fall, also, formed a partnership with Alexander Fulton, of Muskegon, called the Muskegon Lumber Co. They chose the mouth of Pennoyer creek, where the Henry Rowe Manufacturing Co. plant is now located, as a site for a sawmill. They built a small boat at Muskegon and conveyed supplies and materials up the river to the site. Thus, Newaygo, the first permanent white settlement in the county, was launched.

During this year, Martin Ryerson, who was to become an important figure in the lumbering industry, went from Grand Rapids to Muskegon and entered the employ of Joseph Troutier in the Indian trade.

The sawmill was completed on September 1, 1837, and at once started to saw lumber, the hills at Newaygo being denuded of pine for these operations. The first lumber cut was floated to Muskegon on rafts and was shipped to Chicago on board the schooner Celeste. Although Muskegon later became the lumber queen of the world, the first lumber ever shipped from it was from the Pennoyer mill. This mill shipped lumber for more than a year before the first shipment from any mill at Muskegon.

At the time the Newaygo mill started cutting lumber, there were only four other saw mills operating in western Michigan. Hathaway Brothers had one at Grand Haven, George Ketchum one below Grandville, and there was one each at Kalamazoo and St. Joseph.

The beginning of operations of the Pennoyer mill was the forerunner of the big pine lumber business that was to continue for more than sixty years and that eventually was to denude the entire Muskegon valley of the dense forests of pine that stretched from Newaygo north to the straits of Mackinac.

During this sixty years, lumbering was the chief industry of the county. Lumbering operations determined the pattern of settlement of the county. The first mills were operated by waterpower and were located on the larger streams. The logs for lumber were cut closely adjacent to the mills or to the streams on which the mills were located, being floated down to the mills. The streams at first also formed the only highways of travel and transportation of supplies.

At first, Grand Haven, and later, Muskegon, were the chief centers of supply. The lumbering operations demanded workers, and, as these steadily increased in numbers, the need for stores and other businesses of all kinds grew. Thus, before many years, Newaygo and Croton, the first local centers of supply, became comparatively populous.

As the timber adjacent to these centers became depleted, the lumbering operations pushed outward from them in all directions. Lumbering camps were established farther and farther away, making it necessary to haul the logs to the river. The old roads used for hauling these logs, became a means of travel for those who wanted to become permanent settlers and to clear up the land for agricultural purposes after the trees had been cut and removed. A great many of these people worked in the woods or mills in the winter and cleared up farms in the summer. Many a farm was paid for by working in the woods and mills or in the settlers buying timbered land and cutting and selling the timber and clearing up the land as they went.

As the number of lumbering centers increased, roads were built to connect these with each other. With this ever growing outward movement, trunk line roads were built from Grand Rapids and Muskegon so

that supplies could be hauled from these large supply centers. Thus, it was the needs of the lumbering operations that were responsible for the building of the first roads in the county.

As time went on, most of the timber within hauling distance of the river became extinguished. It then became necessary to find some other means to transport logs to the mills. The building of railroads was the answer and in 1871 this started. The builders of the railroads were mostly large lumber operators who built them on purpose for transporting logs and lumber. As in the case of wagon roads, these kept pushing farther and farther into the timbered country. By July, 1873, the Muskegon and Big Rapids railroad was completed. By the end of 1882, the Chicago and West Michigan railroad extended through the entire length of the county. Both of these lines had numerous "spurs," or branches, extending into tracts of timber.

Sam Rose and George Walton continued to cut logs and saw them at the mill and at the same time to clear up the land as they went up to June, 1839. The mill closed this month and did not resume operations until two years later.

In the fall of 1841, Augustus and Frederick Pennoyer, Sam Rose, and Hannibal Hyde formed a partnership to operate the mill. The two Pennoyers and Rose went to Chicago to buy supplies for the winter. The two Pennoyers boarded the schooner Post-Boy with their share of supplies. The boat foundered in a storm and all souls aboard were drowned. Rose secured more supplies and he and Hyde fulfilled the contract until the lease expired in 1843.

An interesting momento of these days is a contract made by Hyde and Rose on July 23, 1842, to sell to W. and N. Lay, 200,000 feet of lumber delivered at South Port, W.T. This was the early name of Kenosha, Wis. At this time Wisconsin was still a territory, hence the "W.T."

Part of the lumber was lying on the shore at Newell's Bay on Muskegon lake, while four rafts of it were on their way down the river. This first class pine lumber was delivered to Newell's Bay for $5 per 1,000 feet. Of this, $4.50 per thousand was to be paid in cash and the remainder in "goods or groceries." British money was still in use as a clause in the contract said sovereigns were to be taken at five dollars. This old contract is in the possession of Mrs. R. P. Howe, grand-daughter of Sam Rose.

When Rose & Hyde's lease expired, Hyde retired and Robert Morris took his place with Rose. They leased the mill for three years, until 1846. This is the last record found of the operation of the original mill in Newaygo county. In 1851, a record shows that the interest of Alexander Fulton in the Muskegon Lumber Co. reverted to Henry and Stephen Pennoyer.

The second mill in the county was at Muskegon Forks, as Croton was then called. Louis Charles Bohne and Herman Joachim arrived at Newaygo in the spring of 1837 but soon went up the river where they pre-empted a claim where the Muskegon and Little Muskegon rivers meet. On the day they staked their claim, John A. Brooks and John F. Stearns ap

peared and claimed the land. They finally settled their differences and formed a partnership. They then built a dam across the South Branch, or Little Muskegon.

The next spring the high backwater from the main river washed out the dam and the owners were not able to go on with their plan of building a mill. Soon after the dam went out, Brooks and Sterns left until times should be better and did not return until the next year. Joachim and Bohne had hard work to remain on their claims as they were without funds. Relatives in Philidelphia, however, aided them and enabled them to remain a few months longer. Then a Lieut. Leavenworth and a Capt. Nichols appeared at the Forks and Joachim and Bohne sold them an interest in the mill property.

The two newcomers completed the mill and dam and began sawing lumber in the spring of 1839. They operated only a few months and then abandoned the project. Brooks did not return to the Forks but sold his interest there to Stearns, and Brooks located permanently at Newaygo.

In 1839 the lands in Newaygo county came into the market. The land office was located in Ionia. In order to be there early to file their claims, a large number of claimants went there and camped out for several days before filing of the claims started. Among these were Henry, Augustus and Frederick Pennoyer, Brooks, Stearns, Joachim and Bohne. The first claim filed was for land at Muskegon Forks.

During the winter of 1840-41, the first logs ever put in the Muskegon river in Newaygo county to float down to Muskegon were put in by John A. Brooks about ten miles above Muskegon Forks.

Daniel Joslin, of Newaygo, leased the mill in 1843, shipping his products to Chicago. At the close of the year, he went to Allegan. In 1844 Bohne and Joachim sold their interests in the mill to Stearns.

In 1845 a man named George Sears made a crosscountry trip from Saginaw to the Muskegon river in search of a friend named Joe Davis. Only one man before him had ever made the trip on foot and alone through the wilderness. While the distance straight across the state was only about sixty miles, on account of detours for marshes and lakes, it took him ten days and he traveled 150 miles.

"It was on the afternoon of the ninth day," he said, "that I crossed the South Muskegon and laid a course west by north. The traveling was not bad and in less than an hour I ran on to the ruins of a camp that I knew to be the work of the Indians. It had likely been a permanent winter camp. Pausing a short time to look over the ruins, with the lonely feeling always induced by a decaying, rotting camp, I struck due west and made several miles before sundown.

"I camped on a little rill near a huge dry stub that would peel, and made the last of my meal into a johnny-cake, broiled my last slice of pork, and laid down with a notion that a ten day's tramp, where it took an average of fifteen miles to make six, ought to end on the morrow. At sunrise, I was again on foot, and after three hours of steady tramping, saw a smoky opening ahead. In five minutes I was standing

on the left bank of the Muskegon.

"And the Joe Davis camp—was it up stream or down? I decided on the latter, and started slowly down the stream keeping an eye out for signs. In less than an hour, I struck a dim logging road which led to the river, and there was a 'landing' with the usual debris of skids, loose bark, chocks and some pieces of broken boards. It did not take long to construct an efficient log raft from the dry skids and I drifted placidly down the deep, wild river, munching the last bit of Johnny-cake.

"It was late in the afternoon that I heard—blessed sound—the eager clank, clank, clank of the old-fashioned saw mill. It grew nearer and more distinct; presently I could distinguish the rumble of machinery as the carriage gigged back; then the raft rounded a gentle bend, and a mill, with its long log boardinghouse came in full sight.

"As the raft swung into the landing, the mill became silent; a brown-bearded, red-shined fellow came down to welcome me, a pair of strong hands grasped both of mine, and the voice of Joe Davis said earnestly, 'Why George, I never was so d....d glad to see a man in my life' "!

From his description, the place where he found his friend could have been none other than Muskegon Forks, or Croton, where Davis likely was employed by Stearns. Sears must have reached the Big Muskegon somewhere in Big Prairie township likely at the place where Brooks had put in logs during the winter of 1840-41.

In 1847 Stearns cut a road from the Forks to Shangle's-on Rouge river, from where there was a passable road to Grand Rapids. On December 30 of that year, postoffices were established at both Newaygo and the Forks. The name of the one at the latter place, however, was called "Stearns' Mill" and this name was official until it was changed to Croton in 1856.

Through helping his neighbors too liberally, John F. Stearns failed in business in 1849 and sold his holdings at Stearns' Mill to Daniel Ball and Wilder B. Foster of Grand Rapids. The property sold included the saw mill, several dwelling houses, blacksmith shop, boom and boom abutments, railway, etc. The author has been unable to find out what kind of railway this was.

The next year Ball & Foster sold the mill to Warren Smith and Alva Fowler. They brought George Backart with them to manage the mill. In 1851 Backart bought an interest in the mill and the next year Fowler sold his interest to John A. Mills. In 1853 the mill was assessed at $6,000 and was operated by Backart and J. H. Swartwout. At this time the mill had two upright saws, a siding machine, and a lath machine. It was generally called Backart's mill.

In 1854, George Backart, Warren Smith and John A. Mills platted the village of Croton. At this time, Smith, in addition to being a partner in the mill, operated a boarding-house for the mill hands. A year or two later the boarding-house burned at noon one day, destroying the clothing and other belongings of the boarders. One particularly rough fellow became so angry at the loss of his property that when some freshly laundered clothing was delivered to him, he threw it into the fire, saying it might as well go with the rest. Later in the day, a fellow-worker asked him was he was going to sleep that night and he answered, "In hell."

In the evening, he went in bathing and was drowned in a whirl-pool, and many of the good people thought he had been a good forecaster of events if nothing more. This incident gave rise to a fiction story called "The Devil's Whirlpool," written by Jennie Harris Oliver, of Fallis, Oklahoma, which appeared in the Delineator of August 6, 1917. Mrs. Oliver summered one year at the home of David Rice at Croton and learned of the incident from Mrs. Rice, from whom the author also received the facts.

The Backart mill in 1854 was assessed at $6,150. In 1855 Franklin Smith, Bros. & Co. had a two-thirds interest in the mill, which they sold the next year to Robert P. Mitchell. The next year, 1857, Backart sold his interest to Mitchell and started to build another saw mill near by. The mill was assessed this year at $5,000, which dropped in 1859 to $2,250. Mitchell sold the mill in 1860 to Horatio Brown. The next year Brown sold it to Charles Horton. In 1862 the mill was again assessed at $5,000.

In 1868 Horton sold the machinery and water rights to William Rice. In 1881 the mill was much damaged by sand, debris, etc., when the dam went out. Rice died in 1889 and in 1890 his widow, Catherine Rice, leased the mill to Samuel Harrison. The next year she leased it to James Shevalier. This was the last year the mill was operated but the building stood until 1907 when it was torn down to make way for the dam of the Consumer's Power Co. The operation of this mill extended over a greater period than that of any other saw mill in the county, a period of 52 years.

The third saw mill in the county was built by John A. Brooks at the mouth of Brooks creek, Newaygo, in 1843. It was a double mill. In 1844 Isaac D. Merrill came from Grand Rapids and became a partner of Brooks in the operation of the mill for that year. Brooks operated the mill the next year by himself. In 1846 he leased it to Sam Rose for $1,000 a year. Rose built up an extensive business. During the winter of 1847-48 he put out more lumber than any other mill on the Muskegon River, a total of 5,000,000 feet. At this time George Walton was agent for Rose at Muskegon. Rose shipped much of his lumber to Milwaukee by a boat called the "Mitchell," owned by Thomas Davis of that city.

In 1849 Brooks was again operating the mill himself. In 1853 it was assessed at $6,000. In 1854 Brooks was elected representative in the state legislature. In that year the assessment on his mill dropped to $680. The next year the mill was purchased by John A. Brooks, Jr. and Sarrell Wood. In 1857 the mill was leased for three years to John F. Wood. It was assessed this year at $6,000. Two years later the assessment was $2,625 but all assessments had been lowered this year. In 1860 Jacob Cummer leased the mill and operated it for three and a half years. At the time he rented it, it had two mulay saws and a siding machine and was operated by an overshot wheel. It had a capacity of 12,000 feet of lumber per day. In 1862 it was assessed at $1,000.

A copy of the Newaygo Republican dated July 12, 1865, contains an announcement of an auction sale of the estate of Ebenezer Sanford. Among the various pieces of property mentioned is the old Brooks saw mill, which was not in operation at this time. In 1868 the mill was purchased by Alexander Blake. Blake failed the next year and the mill was taken over by W. L. Foster, assignee. He leased the mill to Wyatt & Mason. They remodeled it into a saw and shingle mill and operated it to capacity. They cut 30,000 shingles per day. The next year the mill was operated by Peter W. Davis, assignee.

In 1871 D. P. Clay and L. G. Randall bought the mill and that winter ran it night and day cutting timber and lumber for the railroad building from Grand Rapids to Newaygo. They sold it in 1874 to Shoemaker & Manly, who purchased machinery for a hardwood saw mill and two shingle mills. The shingle mill burned in 1875, then owned by John Manly. This is the last record of the old Brooks mill. For years afterward the old floor remained. The author remembers walking over it many times in the 90's.

Isaac D. Merrill completed his contract with Brooks at the close of 1844. The next year he went down the river to what was later called Bridgeton, then in the heart of the wilderness. At that time eight miles farther down the river was the Troutier Lake Indian village. Troutier had moved his trading post here from Muskegon four or five years previously. The only white men there were Troutier and Richard Ryerson and these were Merrill's nearest white neighbors. Mr. Merrill built a sawmill at the mouth of Sand creek and soon began cutting lumber.

In 1853 the mill was assessed at $4,500. In 1854 Merrill sold a one-third interest in the mill each to E. W. Merrill and Josiah Dona and the firm became E. W. Merrill & Co. It was assessed for taxes this year at $3,600. In 1857 E. W. Merrill was the sole owner of the mill but the next year it was again in the hands of I. D. Merrill. In 1859 the mill was assessed at $2,712.50 and in 1862 at $1,000.

Merrill installed a new turbine wheel and some other modern improvements in the mill in 1870. The mill came to an end in 1877 when the dam went out and was not rebuilt, leaving Bridgeton without a mill for the first time in 32 years. I. D. Merrill's son, Edward T. Merrill, removed the machinery from the mill and took it to Tustin, Mich. The author, when a boy, often saw the old floor of the mill, with the waters of Sand creek flowing over it.

The same year that Merrill started his mill at Bridgeton, Martin Ryerson and J. H. Knickerbocker bought the Newell saw mill at Muskegon.

John F. Gauweiler and Christopher Kaufman arrived at Muskegon Forks in 1846. They went to work for George W. Walton, who was operating a lath mill. They worked an entire year and during this time received only $20 each in cash. In 1847 they were compelled to take the mill in payment for their services.

An individual now arrived at the Forks by the name of Daniel Hammond. He arranged to buy Kaufman's interest in the mill, saying he had money in Chicago whither he proposed to go for the money and provisions. Gauweiler and Kaufman entrusted him with their money to buy clothing, but he was never heard from again. This left Gauweiler and Kaufman without funds. They found a friend, however, in John F. Stearns, and managed to pass the winter in comparative comfort.

At one time during this period, provisions were a day late in arriving. To relieve the pressure of hunger, they collected the abraded meal that scattered from the "corn cracker" and made it into cakes, but it proved worthless from the mixture of sand and dirt. A council decided to organize a hunting and fishing expedition and six of the residents of Muskegon Forks set out. The first spoils were two pigeons, which were left with Gauweiler to cook and keep for the return of the rest of the party. Gauweiler cooked the pigeons but he was so hungry he ate both of them. The others returned empty-handed. When they found what Gauweiler had done, they roundly upbraided him and went home hungry. Fortunately the next day two barrels of flour arrived and put an end to the famine.

After Kaufman's experience with the lath mill, he settled on an eighty-acre tract near the Forks, which he eventually increased to 240 acres and developed into a good farm. Gauweiler bought land, which he cleared up into a good farm. He later operated a store at the Forks.

In 1853, Gauweiler and Kaufman sold the old Walton mill site to Hugh and William Rice, who now built a grist mill on the site. This was the first gristmill on the Muskegon River. The property included four acres of land and "water rights of Backart & Swartwout's mill, pond, and dam connected with said mill, known as Muskegon Forks mill, and the right to use water sufficient to run two run of stones in a grist mill using a breast wheel, provided there is enough water to run above saw mill with two upright saws, a siding and a lath machine. Provided no water can be used unless there be enough to run the Backart mill."

By 1848 the population of the county had started to increase but most of the people arriving were connected with the lumber industry. A few settlers, however, were taking up homesteads. Jack McBride settled in what became Big Prairie township. William Davenport arrived at Newaygo and followed his business as a millwright for six years, then settled in what is now Barton township.

The next year saw a considerable influx of new settlers. Among these was William D. Decker. Decker had had an unfortunate love affair with the daughter of a Chicago lumberman. They had been engaged but something separated them. Neither ever married. Decker was a good singer and he often sang a song of the lumber woods called "John Maringo." From this he was given the nickname of John Maringo and he was more often known by it than by his real name. It was said that Marengo Prairie was named from him but it is more likely to have been named from Marengo Prairie in southern Michigan.

Maringo followed the lumber woods more than he did farming and his farm went to decay. In his old age, in 1885, he became penniless and was taken to the county infirmary. While there, his old sweetheart, hearing of his misfortune, came and visited him for two weeks, gave him a suit of clothes and some money, and extracted a promise from the keeper of the infirmary to inform her of any sickness or the death of her early sweetheart. The keeper failed to keep his promise and Maringo died in 1889 and was buried in the potter's field.

Sam Rose, in 1849, was putting in logs at Big Island, in Brooks Township. Apparently, the Brooks saw mill was the only one in operation at Newaygo during this year.

Early in the year, the state legislature authorized George W. Walton, John A. Brooks, and Isaac D. Merrill to lay out and establish a state road from the head of Muskegon lake, in the county of Ottawa, to the forks of the Muskegon river, in the county of Newaygo. This pioneer state road thus connected the three settlements on the Muskegon river, Stearns' Mill, Newaygo, and Bridgeton, with the growing settlement at Muskegon.

During the year, Joseph Troutier sold a part of lot 3, section 20, of what became Bridgeton Township, to Samuel R. Sanford and Stephen Wood. The purchasers built a steam mill on the lot. For that first mill, Sanford had to carry his saw, weighing about 45 pounds, on his back from Grand Haven to his mill, a distance of about 30 miles. An employee, who was carrying another, became exhausted near the ford at the mouth of Black (now Mona) lake, and Sanford had to take both saws and wade across, with the water up to his sholders. Lumber from his mill was floated in rafts down to Muskegon and shipped to different points.

Late that year, Sanford sold his interest to his son, Isaac R. Sanford, for $1,000.

S. R. Sanford was a great walker. He often would start out his teams at 4:00 or 4:30 in the morning for Muskegon to bring in supplies of provisions. Then, after breakfast, he set off on foot and overtook them at the "Half-Way House" where they had dinner. He continued on his way and by the time the teams arrived in Muskegon, he had the loads of goods purchased and ready to load on the wagons. After they were on the way home, he started off. For him, 25 miles was just a good evening's walk.

In 1851, several changes took place at the mill. John Frankenberger became owner of Sanford's share. Stephen Wood sold his share to Betsy Angell. Frankenberger and Betsy Angell soon sold the mill to Canton Smith. The settlement around the mill was called Damascus.

In 1853 the mill was assessed at $6,000 and the next year at $7,000. In 1856 Smith sold the mill to Alfred A. Maxim. This is the last record of this mill.

When the United States census was taken in 1850, Newaygo county had a total of 510 persons, while Oceana County, which had also been developing, had 300. The population of Newaygo County was concentrated mostly at Newaygo, Stearns' Mill, and Brdgeton

About this time John F. Stearns gave the Stearns' Mill settlement the unofficial name of Croton, from Croton Water Works near New York City, of which the topography of the place reminded him. Croton had been growing and was soon to become the headquarters of logging operations between that point and the present site of Big Rapids, then called Leonard. William S. Utley built a bridge across the Muskegon at Croton this year. Andrew T. Squier, a young man of 18 years of age, arrived at Bridgeton. He went into the lumbering business and became very successful.

The next year, 1851, John Chidister built the first bridge at Bridgeton, a log affair. This same year Martin Ryerson married at Muskegon Louise M. Duver- a woman of part Indian blood.

The act of legislature, which gave Newaygo County an independent organization, was passed early in the year. In order to organize the county, two townships were first erected. The eastern half of the county was called Newaygo Township and the western half, Brooks Township. James Barton was chosen supervisor for Newaygo and I. D. Merrill for Brooks.

In 1852, Big Prairie and Bridgeton townships were organized. The board of supervisors, then consisting of four members, appropriated $200 to repair the bridge at Bridgeton and $100 to repair the one at Croton. They also authorized the commissioner of highways of Bridgeton Township to build a new bridge across the Muskegon on or near the line between sections 13 and 14 of township 11 north, range 14 west.

During the year, A. B. Furman sold the Davis & Co., 4300 logs on lot 1, section 23, of what is now Garfield Township

At the April, 1853, meeting of the board of supervisors, a standard schedule for assessing property was adopted as follows: lumber, $7 per 1000 feet; logs, $2 per 1000 feet; lands for farming purposes, $1.25 an acre; improvements on farms, $2.50 per acre; pine lands, $1.25 to $5.00 an acre.

At the June meeting, $300 was appropriated to build a bridge at Bridgeton. The contract was let to David and Andrew T. Squier. It was a covered bridge and was called "The Shingle Bridge." They received $40,000 for the job, half of which was in cash and half in land scrip, which gave them the choice of many acres of pinelands at $1.25 an acre. They chose much land in Bridgeton Township and in what later became Sherman Township and on the Pere Marquette river. By 1884, D. W. Squier owned 8,000 acres of pine and farming lands and had become one of the largest operators in northern Michigan. Harrison Davenport, a carpenter, helped in building the bridge.

The board, at its September meeting, authorized Christopher Culp to build a dam across the Muskegon River near Croton on lot 2 of section 4. This was the first dam authorized across- the big Muskegon. However, Culp did not get started immediately and another dam was authorized across the river at Newaygo. This dam was started this same year and was completed before the Culp dam was built.

R. P. EASTON, 1863

During this year there were four sawmills operating in the county. According to the census records, these mills were assessed as follows: Croton mill, $6,000; Brooks mill, Newaygo, $6,000; Merrill mill, Bridgeton, $4,500; Smith mill, Maple Island, $6,000. The original mill, the Pennoyer, at Newaygo, and the old Walton lath mill at Croton had ceased to operate.

The big event of 1853, however, and one of great import to the county, was the organization of a big lumber company to take over the Pennoyer properties at Newaygo. John and Stephen Pennoyer,, heirs of Augustus Pennoyer, sold their interests to Henry Pennoyer in July and a week later Henry Pennoyer sold the property to A. B. Watson, a member of the new firm. The firm was composed of a number of enterprising lumbermen from Glens Falls, N. Y., where they had lumbered until the timber had become exhausted. They were looking for a new field of operations and chose the Newaygo area. They formed a company called the Newaygo Company and started to build the dam mentioned together with a large mill.

In addition to Watson, the company consisted of A. N. Cheney, L. L. Arms, Sarrell Wood, A. F. Orton, and Henry Orton. To simplify the transfer of the Pennoyer property, it was first sold to Watson. He soon transferred a one-sixth share to each of the others.

As almost everything required for the construction of the dam and mill had to be conveyed from Grand Rapids by teams, it gave employment to a small army of men at Newaygo and the latter place embarked on a period of prosperity.

The mill was completed in 1854. It was the largest water power mill in the state. On February 8, the two Ortons, Watson, and Wood sold their interests to Cheney and Arms, thus reducing the firm to two members.

The mill attracted many people to Newaygo and 200 persons were added to the population almost at once. Among those coming was David Jarse, who came from Glens Falls as filer in the mill. Jarse had married the widow of John Bailey, Sr., and her children made up the rest of the family. John Bailey, Jr., the seven years old, and another son, Joe Butler, later became prominent.

From this time onward, Newaygo was an important point. The old state road from Grand Rapids was built this year. Newaygo became the headquarters of the lumber business north of Grand Rapids. As lumbering operations kept extending up the Muskegon river, the trade of Newaygo increased. Its two large hotels were crowded with guests. Its merchants handled large quantities of lumbering supplies. Long trains of teams traveled the Grand Rapids and Muskegon roads and a stage line to Grand Rapids and afterward to Big Rapids, running daily, was established, while a stage ran every alternate day to Muskegon. The Newaygo post office was for several years the distributing office for the Grand Traverse region. But all this was the work of years, during which Newaygo shared the ups and downs of the lumber business.

About the time the mill was completed, John A. Brooks and Sarrell Wood platted the village. The opening previously of the Illinois and Michigan canal and the improvement of the harbor at Chicago furnished an excellent market for the pine products of the Muskegon River. Large numbers of lumbermen from Maine and northern New York had been and still were locating large bodies of pinelands on the river and its branches. The building of the new mill caused the village to grow rapidly and the pine and farming lands of the county were absorbed by settlers and speculators so fast as to indicated that the future prosperity of the village was assured.

At their April meeting this year, the board of supervisors revised the schedule for assessments as follows: lumber, $7 per 1000 feet; logs, $3 per 1000 feet; improved farm lands, $5 per acre; frame barns, $200; unimproved farming lands, $1.25 per acre; pine lands, 50 cents to $5 per acre. The Newaygo Company's new mill was assessed this year at $12,000.

Among the newcomers to Newaygo in 1855 was Charles W. Stone. He came from New York and entered the employ of the Newaygo Company as scaler. This year the Newaygo Company again saw a change in make-up. Cheney & Arms on January 8 sold to Samuel Payne a one-third interest in the Newaygo mill property and a one-sixth interest in all timbered lands owned by the company for $15,000; and to Samuel Odell and John Lawrence an undivided onethird interest in all the company's property for $30,000. The St. Mary's Falls Ship Canal Co., who had completed the building of a canal at Sault Ste. Marie, received land scrip for their pay and selected much pine land in Newaygo county.

In 1857 the Newaygo Company was going strong. That year the St. Mary's Co. published a pamphlet to interest possible purchasers of their lands. In this pamphlet they said that Newaygo's mill, with 114 saws, was the largest water power mill in Michigan. It also said that upwards of 70,000,000 feet of lumber was being shipped annually from the Muskegon River. The Newaygo Company's mill was assessed this year at $25,000.

By the next year, however, the Newaygo Company was in financial difficulties and an assignment was made. The assignee continued to operate the mill. The next year, 1859, the mill was assessed at $14,062.50 and in 1862 at $20,000. In 1864 the company built a gristmill near their sawmill. This was assessed at $2,000. In 1867, the first serious fire in the history of the county occurred and the Newaygo Company's mill burned. It was two years before it was in operation again.

It was rebuilt in 1869 at a cost of $40,000. The new mill had 100 saws driven by 10 turbine wheels. The company purchased a gas machine and lighted the big mill and yards with gas. The mill ran day and night. That year they put 15,000,000 feet of logs in the river, which cost $8 per 1000 feet. They operated a large yard of their own in Chicago. Captain Augustus Paddock had general charge of the company's mill, timber and store at Newaygo. James L. Alexander was manager of the store.

In 1870, a six-foot circular saw was installed in the mill. During the month of July, the mill cut 1,150,000 feet of lumber. The next year the Newaygo Company consisted of Eliphalet Wood, John Lawrence and Augustus Paddock. Their mill this year, according to the Newaygo Republican, had 100 saws, consisting of 2 circulars, 9 mulays, and 3 gangs. It had a capacity of 15,000,000 feet yearly.

. The company sold 16,000,000 feet of lumber in 1872 in one order to T. W. Harvey, Chicago. They cut 20,000,000 feet this year and spent $25,000 in improvements on the mill. The company sold its store to Blake & Shoemaker.

The next year the company was advertising for more help. They built a sidetrack from the railroad to their sawmill. During the year they added a planing mill to the plant. In 1874, S. D. Bonner was manager of the plant.

The Newaygo Company again became tangled in financial difficulties in 1875 and reorganization took place. A new group, headed by D. P. Clay, took over the properties of the old company. In addition to Clay, the group consisted of Luther Colby, James M. Edwards, Hugo Harbinger, John B. Graves, George H. Hobart, Albert V. Thompson, and Burnette Fulkerson The new group retained the name of the old company.

The new group did not prosper and its properties were offered for sale in 1877. D. P. Clay, a member of the firm, bought the properties individually but retained the name of the Newaygo Company. He at once began to repair the big mill and its bell to call men to work sounded for the first time in over three years. He utilized the slabs and refuse by cutting them into stove wood, which he shipped to Grand Rapids.

The next year Clay built a new three-story building 50x80 feet, designed for a planing mill, box factory, turning lathe, and repair shop. It received its power from a 100 h.p. water wheel. The mill race was extended 350 feet. He also put planing machinery in the big mill.

In 1881, a newspaper item said Clay's pail factory was operating full blast. That year Clay had a camp two miles south of Newaygo, where the Wayside Inn is now located.

The next year Clay installed a plant for lighting his mill and store with electricity.

In the meantime, in addition to the pail factory, Clay had built another sawmill. In the fall of 1884, the Newaygo Manufacturing Co. was organized with a capital of $500,000. The main stockholders were D. P. Clay, A. J. Daniels, John E. More and George H. Hobart. The new company took over all of Clay's extensive business in Newaygo as well as the Clay & Locke Co. of Grand Rapids. This same year Clay, Daniels and other Grand Rapids capitalists organized the Newaygo Furniture Co., and built a plant where the old Pennoyer mill had stood.

The furniture factory and the two Clay mills gave employment to nearly 300 men. The pail factory made some 200,000 pails during the year. John Grawn, at Clay's "Little Mill," sawed a log which made 1,916 feet of lumber. Every day no less than 15 cars of lumber were shipped from Newaygo and often many more. On March 25, 1885, the Newaygo Mfg. Co. shipped 19 cars of lumber and pails. During the year, the pail and tub factory made $60,000 worth of these articles.

In 1886, the company used between 13,000,000 and 14,000,000 feet of logs to make lumber, pails, tubs, sash, doors, blinds, boxes and other articles. The furniture factory used a million feet of lumber. During March, the company shipped 114 cars of lumber, pails and furniture to Grand Rapids.

This prosperity, however, was more apparent than real. While the Newaygo Mfg. Co. and the Newaygo Furniture Co. had been doing a seemingly prosperous business, it had been done on borrowed money. As late as early March of 1887, a newspaper item said the furniture company was selling its products without trouble. Later in the month, the Newaygo Mfg. Co. stopped advertising in the Newaygo Republican because the latter had condemned the store-order system used by the company, calling it a form of extortion.

The trouble came to head in the middle of April, when the U. S. Marshal levied on the mills and stores of the Newaygo Mfg. Co. A week later they made a similar levy on the furniture factory for eastern capitalists among whom was J. W. Converse, of Boston. At this time, the Republican gave D. P. Clay, moving spirit in the Newaygo concern, a round scoring. It told how he started operating in Newaygo by paying his employees only once each sixty days and then paying them with 30 day notes. At this time Clay did not operate a store but employees could trade at any local store. This long-time payment plan, however, made it necessary for local merchants to carry customers for five months before they could realize anything on their merchandise. The employees protested the terms of payment. Then Clay built a big store and required all his employees to trade there. They were paid entirely in store orders, never receiving any cash.

Late in April, D. D. Erwin, of Muskegon, was appointed receiver of both concerns. He continued the operation of the business but changed the system of paying employees so they could trade at the company store for what they wanted and receive the balance of their wages in cash. By November the company, under the new management again started to advertise in the Republican. That year William Gardner was operating the Hess Lake camp of the company.

In 1888, D. L. Sriven purchased the company's pail and tub factory and kept it in operation. In 1889 the Converse Mfg. Co., headed by James W. Converse, took over all property of the former Newaygo Mfg. Co., the Newaygo Furniture Co., and the pail and tub factory of D. L. Stiven. I. C. Smith was general manager of the company's interests. J. R. Harrison was manager of the big store. D. L. Stiven became superintendent of the plants but later in the year resigned and Thomas H. Cook took it over.

The Converse concern started to operate the planing mill and pail and tub factory in February and soon had the old saw mill converted into a shingle mill. They built a "furnace" to burn edgings and other refuse from the mills. They repaired the other saw mill to make lumber. This started operating in April and the furniture factory soon followed. I. C. Smith invented a patent folding bed and this was one of the products of the furniture factory. The company was soon rushed with business. They moved the offices of all departments to the big store building. In September, the company was incorporated. Newaygo had started on a new period of prosperity.

The next year the company laid a pipe from the big dam across the Muskegon to their factory in order to get more power than the dam on the Pennoyer afforded. They doubled the capacity of the red mill. They repaired the "Little Mill" and started operations there but it burned down two days after starting. C. C. Comstock, of Grand Rapids, started a suit against the company, claiming they secured the Newaygo Mfg. Co. assets by fraud.

In 1891, the Converse company's mill cut 40,900 feet of lumber in one day with their brand new saw mill. They built an addition to the furniture factory 48x112 feet.

The general offices of the company were moved from Grand Rapids to Newaygo in 1892. In April the carvers in the furniture factory went on strike and most of them left town. They struck because the company employed a foreman who had been expelled from the Union. Their places were filled, the superintendent saying that the company would run its own business and that no recognition would be given to the Union although union wages would be paid and no discrimination would be made between union and non-union employees.

J. W. Converse, president of the company, died in 1894. During the winter of 1894-95, E. R. Sailor cut the pine east of Brooks lake for the company and put it in the river over a tram road. The furniture factory at this time was operating eleven hours a day.

C. C. Converse was made president of the concern in 1895. The factory was rushed with orders and employed 200 men.

The prosperity of the company, however, did not continue. In 1897 the company offered the waterpower of both the Muskegon River and Pennoyer creek, together with 22 dwelling houses, for $25,000. Their planing mill was running. A short time later A. A. Hemily rented the planing mill and he and George Rosenberg operated a lumberyard in connection.

In 1898, while the Converse Company was preparing to leave Newaygo, the prospective establishment of a cement plant on the Converse property buoyed up the spirit there. During this year, Charles Kernan operated the company's gristmill.

D. L. Stiven, in March of 1899, bought the Converse Company's property. By the middle of May, the welcome sound of the bell called the men to work at the Converse Company's yards for the first time within two years. They began tearing down old buildings to make room for the massive steel and iron structure, which was to cover five acres of ground. Thus perished the last remnants of the big sawmill at Newaygo.

The year that the Newaygo Company's mill starting operating, 1854, the mills assessed in the county were as follows: Merrill mill, $3,600; Canton Smith mill, $7,000; Backart mill, $6,150; Brooks mill, $680; and Newaygo Company's mill, $12,000.

This year Daniel Bigelow built a combined saw and gristmill on Bigelow creek close to the Newaygo Croton road. It was assessed this year at $2,000.

In 1856, Amos P. Bigelow became associated with Daniel Bigelow in the mill. In 1857 the mill was assessed at $2,000 and in 1859 at $1,125. In 1863, Jesse Maze leased the mill for a period of three years.

In 1876, H. H. Wood, who had become owner of the mill, placed a turbine wheel in it. The atlas of 1880 shows the mill. In 1890, Jerome T. Carpenter was operating a lath mill in the old building and also made small stands. In 1901, the building was still standing but was in a dilapidated state. Within a few years, it disappeared. The remains of the old dam may still be seen. The pond above the dam was a favorite place for baptisms. Rev. W. D. Kelly baptized many persons there.

In 1855, the first big scale immigration north of Newaygo began. Settlers took up land from Newaygo as far north as White River. Among the first were Daniel Weaver and Wilkes L. Stuart. They came in the fall of 1854 and selected lands from where Fremont now is east to Elm Corners. The next spring they broug their families. When they arrived at the new home, they found about five acres chopped around "the old home" across the road from the present Fremont high school. Where the business part of Fremont is now located was a hemlock swamp. South an unbroken forest reached to the Muskegon river, west to Lake Michigan twenty-seven miles, and north eighty miles to Grand Traverse bay. Nothing but bears, deer, wolves, lynx and wildcats inhabited the region.

The board of supervisors now composed of five members by the addition of Ashland Township again revised their schedule of assessment. In the new setup, logs were assessed at $2.50 per 1000 feet; lath, $1 per 1000; shingles, $1.50 per 1000; square timbers, $4 per 1000 feet; frame barns 30 to 40 feet in length, $200; number 1 horses, $300 per span; number 1 oxen, $100 per pair; number 1 cows, $25.

During the summer, Daniel Weaver built a water power saw mill on Darling creek at the north edge of what is now the city of Fremont. The three Dickinson brothers, Philip, John, and Wallace built the dam for Weaver. The mill had a seven-foot horizontal flutter wheel with the crank at the end of the shaft. The saw hung in a heavy frame (a sash saw) and went up and down lazily. The dam soon went out and the owner's cash was out, too, but he borrowed a thousand dollars and rebuilt the dam. The original pine, which stood where most of the present city of Fremont is located, was felled and cut into lumber. In the spring of 1856, Weaver sold 100,000 feet of lumber in Newaygo at $22 a thousand feet and he paid the debt off before it was due. When the slashing where the timber had been cut was burned the next summer, the flames could be seen and the crackle heard for miles away.

In 1856, Weaver offered a prize of a load of lumber to the first settler to cut a passable road from White river to his mill. N. D. Macombe cut a road from his place on section 27, Denver, to the mill and thus won the prize.

Weaver sold the mill in 1857 to Isaac Banker and Andrew and Henry Darling. The mill was assessed at $1,500 this year. Two years later it was assessed at $843.75. Andrew Darling and Isaac Banker sold their interests in the mill to Henry and Thomas B. Darling in 1861. This year the mill was assessed at $200. The mill burned in 1863 with a loss of $1000 and William P. Clark, a carpenter and millwright came to rebuild the mill and remained here. In 1865, James H. Darling became sole owner of the mill. Darling & Reynolds succeeded James H. Darling in 1869 and in 1872 James H. Darling again became sole owner. The mill was listed among Fremont's industries in 1884. Official statistics of 1885 show the mill cut 200,000 feet of lumber in that year. In 1888, the mill was sold to Joseph B. Jewell.

Just when the mill ceased operations is not known to the author but it was in the latter 90's. The author well remembers the old mill as it formed a favorite attraction for him as it did other boys, for many years. He piled wood one summer vacation at the mill. The mill at this time had a turbine wheel and a mulay saw. The saw was up right and looked like an overgrown crosscut saw. The mill had a "bull wheel" which was used to draw logs up from the pond to the mill. There was not enough power to operate the saw and the "bull wheel" at the same time so the saw would be closed down and a few logs hauled up. Then the saw was started and operated until the logs were all sawed. Then the process was repeated. The old mill cut only about 6,000 feet of lumber a day but the author has seen the yard piled full of lumber.

Long after the mill ceased to operate, the old building remained a fine place for the boys to change clothes when swimming in the pond. One of the old sills is still visible below the waters of the creek. The city of Fremont purchased the property several years ago and drained the pond. Some of their artesian wells supplying water for the city are located on the property.

The Weaver mill was only one of three saw mills built in 1855. Mace Gay, acting as president of the Union Lumber Co. of Elm Grove built a mill on lot 6, section 14, Bridgeton Township. Christopher Culp built one on lot 2, section 4, Croton Township.

The Gay mill was built at the mouth of Bartron creek. The next year Gay divided the shares of the Union Lumber Co. as follows: William H. Pingree, 1-8; Frederick Page, 1-8; Laban Putman, 1-8; Daniel R. Wilson, 1-8; Benjamin Waters, 1-8; Isaac W. Jones, 1-8; Arthur Gay, 1-4. The name of the concern was changed to

Pingree & Co. The mill was assessed at $12,000 this year. In 1857, Pingree, Page & Co. succeeded Pingree & Co. In 1859, the mill was assessed at $3,375. The next year Laban Putman became manager of the mill. In 1862, it was assessed at $2,000. In 1865, the mill was purchased by A. A. Maxim. Maxim ran the mill until 1869 and closed it when he built another mill near by.

In 1856, Soloman Godfrey bought an interest in the Culp mill. The next year John F. Snow bought the mill. It was assessed this year at $4,000. In 1860 A. P. Bigelow ran the mill. This is the last record of its operation. The settlement around the mill is still called Snowtown. It is near the present site of the Hardy dam. In 1856 the board of supervisors passed resolutions for the building of roads from Newaygo to White River, from Newaygo to

Croton, and from Croton to Culp & Godfrey's mill. It also provided for the building of a bridge at Croton

John A. Brooks was successful in getting the state legislature to appropriate funds for improving the Muskegon River to make it navigable. A small steamer plied the river from Muskegon to Newaygo. Charles H. Hackley, who later became very wealthy in the lumbering business, scaled logs in a camp near

The sawmills operating in 1856 were those of Merrill, Brooks, Mitchell, Culp, Bigelow, Gay, Newaygo Company and E. H. Utley. The Utley mill was built this year. It was located on section 12, Everett, at Utley's Corners. The products of this mill were in great demand and many of the pioneer houses of that neighborhood were built with lumber from this mill. The first frame house in Big Rapids and many other buildings there were also built with lumber from here. The mill was assessed in 1857 at $1,800, in 1859 at $1,012.50 and in 1862 at $400. The mill was sold in 1864 to Henry Utley. This is the last record of its operation.

By the time assessments were made on the mills in 1857, the A. B. Furman and John Borden mills had been built. The author has been unable to find out where Furman's mill was located. It was assessed this year at $2,000 and in 1859 at $1,125. This is the last record of the mill. Borden's mill was assessed this year at $1,900. No record of its operation again is evident until 1865, when it was assessed for $600. The last record is in 1869, when it was assessed at $1,000.

The other mills assessed in 1857 were: Culp's $4,000; Utley's, $1,800; Weaver's, $1,500; Newaygo Company's, $25,000; Brooks', $6,000; Merrill's, $5,000; Gay's, $6,000; Backart'sBigelow's $5,000; Bigelow's $2,000.

In 1858, D. W. Squier, who had been living in Eggleston Township, Muskegon County, moved to Bridgeton and took up permanent residence there. He kept a hotel and also followed the lumbering business, selling most of his logs to Ryerson & Morris and to J. H. Hackley & Co. His home at Bridgeton cost $12,000 and was the finest in the county.

Three new saw mills were built this year. Michael Kriger built a waterpower mill on Crockery creek on the southeast quarter of section 34, Ashland Township. A man named Porter built a small mill on the southeast quarter of section 10, Bridgeton J. C. Hubbard built a steam mill but the author has been unable to find where it was located.

The Kriger mill was assessed at $750 in 1859. Austin Stone bought the mill in 1869. In 1873, Austin Stone sold it to Thomas Shirts and Sylvester Stone. Two years later Austin Stone again had the mill. This is the last record of its operation.

Porter's mill was assessed at $900 in 1859 and at $500 in 1862. In 1863 the mill was operated by Z. Mizner Miller, Smith & Co. operated it in '67. Two years later John and Zerah Mizner sold their timbered lands in Brigeton to Miller, Parks & Sutphen for $4,000. In 1871 the firm became Miller, Parks & Co. The last record of its operation was in 1873.

Hubbard's mill was assessed at $900 in 1859 and $400 in 1862. No further operation has been recorded.

An item of some moment to lumbermen in Newaygo County as well as to lumbermen everywhere else occurred in 1858. Previous to this, the most universally used tool used by lumbermen and rivermen was the "cant dog." This was made like the present canthook except the "dog" or hook was attached to the staff in such a way that it moved both up and down and sideways. It was not only clumsy to use but dangerous. In 1858, Joseph Peavy, a lumberman in Maine, invented what has since been called a "peavy." In his invention the "dog" could move up and down but not sideways. In addition, he placed a "point," or "spike," similar to those used on pike poles in the end of the staff, making it much easier to hold a log. This tool came into immediate use all over the country where lumbering was carried on. Peavy later invented the hay-baler. Now a regular commercial practice to bale hay, the baler was invented on purpose so more hay could be drawn on a load to the lumber camps, so none of it would be lost on the brush-lined roads, or lost by turning over, as many a load did, on the rough logging roads, and for more convenience in loading and unloading.

At the June 1859, meeting of the board of supervisors, an ordinance respecting the navigation of the Muskegon River was passed. At the October meeting, a state road from Big Prairie to the village of Leonard Big Rapids) was authorized.

In the fall, Governor Moses Wisner and other state officials came to Newaygo and went down the river by boat to inspect the improvements carried on under the direction of John A. Brooks at the "flats" in the river below Maple Island. The committee was warm in its praise of the way Brooks had conducted the job.

By this year, the four mills of 1853 had grown to thirteen. These were listed and assessed as follows: Mitchell's, $2,250; Utley's, $1,012.50; Furman's, $1,125; Brooks', $2,625; Gay's (Pingree, Page & Co.), $3,375; Kriger's, $750; Backart'sm, $2,712.50; Weaver's (Banker & Darling), $843.75; Newaygo Company's, $14,062.50; Merrill's, $2,712.50; Hubbard's, $900; Bigelow's, $1,125; Porter's, $900.

During this year also, Charles T. Hills, who had been clerk for Ryerson & Morris at Muskegon, became bookkeeper. Later, in 1865, he purchased the interest of Morris and the new firm now organized consisted of Martin Ryerson, Hills, Henry H. Getty, and Ezra Stevens under the name of Ryerson,, Hills & Co.

Sometime between 1859 and 1865 while Hills was bookkeeper, Ryerson & Morris were operating a camp in the neighborhood of Maple Island. They made arrangements to secure the winter supplies for the camp from Joseph Troutier's trading post at the island.

Troutier could not read or write words although he knew English figures. He kept all his books by a picture system. For a board bill, he drawed a picture of a man with a knife and fork in his hands and then made a straight mark after it for each meal. For a cheese, he drew a circle and for a grindstone a circle with a square in the middle. Troutier always prided himself on his accuracy.

In the spring that Ryerson's camp broke up, Hills went to make a settlement with Troutier. In one of the accounts, he found a circle in the bill. He said to Troutier, "What is that? " ""Zat? Zat? " replied Troutier, "viny zat mus'' be vun cheese." "Oh no, Troutier, you are mistaken," replied Hills, "We never feed our men cheese in the lumber camps." "Viny Meestaire Hills, zat mus' be vun sheese. I nevaire make a meestake an' zat is my mark for sheese."

Mr. Hills scratched his head and proceeded with the examination of the accounts. Finally he said, "Well, Troutier, I've caught you in a mistake this time. We bought something that you don't have charged." "Viny, vat is zat?" excitedly inquired Troutier. "It was a grindstone," said Hills. "Out, zat's eet, zat's Bet," said Troutier "Zat was zee vun sheese. I forgot to put zee hole in zee middle."

Another well-authenticated story about Troutier has to do with his bear trap.

A thief several times raised a window of the trading post and stole money from a drawer just below the window. At last Troutier sat up one night, turned out the lights, and waited with a small broadaxe in his hand. When the thief opened the window and placed his hands on the sill, Troutier cut off the fingers of one hand with his axe. It developed that the thief was a lumberjack working at a camp nearby. He got back to the camp and told the others that he had lost the fingers in a bear trap. When the story was told to Troutier of a man's having lost his fingers in a bear trap, Troutier exclaimed, "Out, Oui, zat is so. I got zat trap, zat fingers, too."

It was in 1859 that the author's maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. A. A. David settled in what became Sherman Township. His mother's name was Florence M. David. She was seven years old when they made the trip from Branch county to Sherman in covered wagons. When she reached maturity, she taught school in several pioneer schools, one of which was at the "dam" as Maple Island was then called. While here, she became well acquainted with Troutier and his system of picture writing.

The board of supervisors in 1860 approved the building of the Newaygo and Northport state road, beginning in Ashland Township, and of the Lamont and Newaygo state road.

During this year, in addition to the mills listed for 1859, Simeon Daggett built a mill on section 13, Croton township; Thomas B. Stanley secured a permit for a dam across White river on section 30, of what later became Lincoln township, the location of what was called Pinchtown, a mile north of Aetna; and Fairchild and Storm built a shingle mill near Hess lake. Daggett's mill and the Fairchild & Storm mill were only temporary affairs and operated only one season.

The Stanley mill was at first operated by Stanley but later he leased it to several others. George Clark operated it in 1869, Simons & Anderson in 1870, Sylvester Stanley and C. M. Briggs in 1871, and C. M. Briggs and Edgar Johnson in 1872, it was again operated by Stanley & Briggs. In 1879, it was operated by Doud, Barnes & Co. Two years later C. A. Stone operated the mill. In 1883, W. A. Anderson was operating the mill, along with his own mill at Pinchtown. This is the last record of the Stanley mill.

Simeon Daggett was quite a prominent logger in the Croton country. A story involving him was told to the author some years ago by Tom Gordon. Gordon had worked around Croton in 1852 and again in 1856 and later. He knew all the old lumbermen and had a very good memory. In his old age, he lived in Grand Rapids and it was there the author became acquainted with him. Mr. Gordon asked the author to go with him on a trip along the Muskegon between Newaygo and Croton to show him some of the spots with which he had been familiar many years before. We started in on the Carmichael flats and went down stream. The old man, then 102 years old, was as spry as a kitten. After we started in, the author found that the old man knew the country better than he did himself. He had a story to fit every spot along the river, most of which have been forgotten because they were not recorded at the time. He showed me the Indian spring at the foot of the bluff beyond the High Rollway. He got a decided pleasure in relocating where the old buildings had stood on Little Sherrar Prairie. All day long we went up and down the bluffs of the Muskegon. He tired me out, and I only a little over half his age, yet he said at the end of the trip that he was not tired.

In the spring, when the camps broke up, Muskegon was the Mecca for most of the lumbermen. Gordon was sitting in the barroom of the Forest House there one evening and heard a conversation, which he related to me at the end of our trip along the Muskegon.

He said: "Close by where I sat, Sim Daggett was trying to buy a couple of loads of hay from Ben Scranton. Scranton was saying, 'I ain't got much hay this hay and he's never seen it, either. I got the money an' went and got the flour and started home. It was Kinda late when I got there, but Mary was up waiti' and when she see I had the flour, she hustled around and got the griddle out and stuffed the fireplace with chips she had all in and soon had a roarin' fire an' in no time, she had somethin' to eat, an' I was mightly glad of it too. Now I got the hay and the money both."

GOW MAYO & CO., 1884

'I'll-give-you-six-dollars-a-load-for-the-hay-an'-ifthat-ain't-enought-I'II-give-you-eight.' hurriedly offered Sim.

"Between coughing and spitting, Scranton nodded his head agreeably and as soon as he could, he said cheerfully, 'The hay is yours, Sim. I allus heard you were a good feller for bargains.'

"I had arrived at a spot where the psychological effect seemed centered in a strange and foreign confusion. My impression was not as liberal as it might have been. That man Sim--I'Il-give-you-six-dollarsan'-if-it-ain't-enough,-I'Il-give-you-eight. A bargain is right--a bargain for Scranton."

The Federal census of 1860 showed 6 saw mills reporting with a capital invested of $42,500, employing 86 men and producing products worth $85,550. There were 2 shingle mills with a capital invested of $2,250, with 7 men employed and products worth $9,000. Many of the smaller mills did not report.

The Civil War began in 1861 and it slowed up lumbering operations to a considerable extent. During the year, Edgar L. Gray, Newaygo, bid off some state road contracts. Among these was a road running from the northern line of Newaygo county, to within eight miles of Grand Rapids; a road from Newaygo to the northwestern corner of the county; and a road from Newaygo to Bridgeton.

William A. Hoskins started to build a dam across White River at what later became Hesperia but did not complete it. At Croton, George Backart converted his sawmill into a flourmill.

In 1862, the saw mills of the county and their assessments were as follows: Horton's, $5,000; Newaygo Company's, $20,000; Maze's (Bigelow's) combined saw and flour mill, $1,200; Brooks', $1,000; Orton's steam saw mill, $500; Utley's steam saw mill, $400; Hubbard's steam saw mill, $400; Darling's, $200; Merrill's, $1,000; Porter's, $500; Gay's, $2,000. The author has been unable to find the location of Orton's mill. It ceased operations in 1865.

The next year, 1863, the mills operating were the same as in 1862, but, in many cases, the assessments on them had been greatly increased.

In the early days of log driving, each individual owner had to get his logs down the river and sorted as best he could. In 1860 Ashley B. Furman and George Arms took the job of rafting, and towing the logs to the various mills. When they took over this task, they agreed to deliver the logs at 35 cents a thousand for the first two years, with a reduction of 1 per cent per annum until the rate reached 30 cents. But the Civil War came on, wages went up to $3 a day, and during the second year the business was conducted at a loss. The business was now relinquished to Ryerson & Morris. George Arms had adopted a new way of rafting year. I just cut on the Nelson marsh an' the ten-acre lot up on the forty, and 'twarn't very good.'

" 'You-ken-spare-me-a-couple-loads, can't you?' demanded Sim.

" 'No, I gotta let Mike Turney have what I got.'

" 'W-hy?' queried Sim, eager to get the hay.

" 'You see, it's like this,' explained Scranton. 'I gotta let Turney have it, cause one day I had to have some money. I was jest plain busted. I didn't have a cent, not a penny to my name. Mary, you know Mary, Sim? She got on her high boss jest cause we didn't have any flour in the house, and she says to me, '

Scranton." Immediately I knowed somethin' was goin' to happen, cause when she says 'Mr. Scranton,' there always does somethin' happen; when she says 'Ben' everythin' is all right. Sometimes she says 'Bennie,' then I know I ought to have some money.

" 'But that day she says 'Mr. Scranton' in a fierce voice, an' I says, "Yes," like I was sorry about somethin' and again she says, "You'd better speak!"an' I says, "Well, what is it?" an' she says, "Didn't I tell you last night there wasn't any flour in this house? An' here you sit, you lazy dog!"

" 'When I started to tell her I didn't have any money, she yelled, "Shut up, or I'll brain you with this stick of wood." An' she done it, too. Mary is generally as good as her word. "You git yourself out of here and rustle some flour. You've always got terbaccer--you kin always find money for terbaccer an' we go without flour." And shakin' her finger toward the door, she yelled, "Ben Scranton, there's a hole the carpenter made and you git through it and don't you dare to show your grizzly old mug here again without some flour. Git yourself out of here and don't you dare to come back without that flour."

" 'W-a-a-l,' inquired Sim, as he shifted from one foot to the other--he plainly wasn't interested in family quarrels, and I was seeing family life from an angle entirely foreign to the Gordon regime.

" 'Mary was mad,' continued Scranton. 'Her red hair was standin' straight up and her mouth had that look, you know, like she wanted to bite somethin' an' cause I didn't move right away, she came over by me fightin' like, with her fists doubled up, an' screamed, "Git out of here, Ben Scranton, an' git some flour."

" 'W-a-a-l,' again said Sim, stretching his long angular arms above his head. 'An' you see how it was, I had to do or say somethin' so I says to her, "How am I to git flour when I ain't got any money?" "I don't care how you git it," she snapped, "but you git it, you lazy dog, and that mighty sudden." She stomped after me to the door and slammed it shut behind me. Just naturally I come right down here to this saloon and stood around for awhile, then I'd set around awhile, then once in a while someone would treat the house an' I'd be in on that, of course.

" 'W-a-a-l, Mr. Scranton,' broke in Sim, but Scranton kept right on explaining. 'Finally I see Dave Squier comin' an' I thought of all his cows and horses an' I says to him, "Mr. Squier, don't you want to buy a couple loads of good hay cheap? I gotta couple loads I'll sell for six dollars a Load--that'd be $12 all told and you better take them while I got them." I sold him the logs, which affected a great saving of time and labor. He devised the plan of using log pens and sorting the logs in the current as they passed.

J. H. MORRIS, 1880

In February of 1864, the legislature enacted a new law concerning booming companies. Immediately steps were taken in Muskegon to create an organization conforming with the new requirements. A stock company was formed which purchased the tugboats, pile driver and booms lately owned by George Arms. The new company, called the Muskegon Booming Co., was established March 9, 1864. The incorporators were Chauncy Davis, Robert H. Foss, Charles D. Nelson, Martin Ryerson, George R. Roberts, R. P. Easton, Joseph H. Hackley, S. N. Wilcox, H. Beidler, J. H. Swan, Gideon Truesdell, O. P. Pillsbury, Samuel A. Brown, Tunis Ryerson, Lyman G. Mason and T. J. Rand.

The Muskegon Booming Co. was an important factor in the growth and conduct of the lumber industry in Newaygo County until the latter part of the nineteenth century.

The Booming Company got its first experience in the spring of 1864, when about 100,000,000 feet of logs were put in the Muskegon and its tributaries and floated to the mills along its bands and at its mouth.

During this year and the next, three side-wheel steamers from 55 to 65 feet long and 3 feet deep plied the river from Muskegon to Newaygo. There were also several lumber scows, each 18x105 feet. These were floated down with forest products and towed back light.

There was but little going on in the lumbering industry immediately after the Civil War. In 1866, Daniel Weaver, the founder of Fremont Center, sold all his holdings there, moved to what is now Hesperia, and platted the village. Weaver went to Hillsdale and induced John P. Cook, of that place, to go into partnership with him at Hesperia, where they built a store and a sawmill. They invested $20,000 in the store and goods and $11,000 in the mill, logs and lands. The store was the present Alonzo Wright store and the mill was a steam mill located near the present powerhouse.

The mill did not last long. The next spring the machinery was moved to Montague and placed in Charles Cook & Company's mill at that place.

Another mill was built in 1866, a shingle mill. It was built by George H. Hess on lot 1, section 31, Brooks township, on the shore of Hess lake. The next year it was operated by Howe & Knapp and was assessed at $1,000. In 1868 it was valued at $4,000 and was operated by Gutenny, Parker & Co. In February 1869, Hess sold the mill and his pinelands to Mary Baldwin for $10,000. The mill burned to the ground in JULY.

Also, in 1866, the Newaygo Manufacturing Co. was organized to manufacture a patented bed bottom. The capital stock was $10,000. The stockholders were D. P. Glazier, J. H. Standish, William D. Fuller, C. N. Alvord, John W. Rochester, Shepherd Tabbitts, Martin F. Ranier, Edgar L. Gray, Justus C. Hubbard, and F. B. Duffy. Evidently the firm did not prosper as nothing further is known about it.

By 1866, Jacob Cummer, who had operated the Brooks' mills in Newaygo and the Rice Flourmill at Croton, had saved $1,500. He invested this money as a silent partner with Higbee and Mitchell, prominent Croton log jobbers, in pinelands bought from the St. Mary's Falls Ship Canal Co. During the next four years they cut from 10,000,000 feet to 15,000,000 feet of logs per year. Many of these were sold to Beidler and to Hackley and McGordon, both of Muskegon. Cummer went to Cedar Springs in 1868 and to Morley in 1869, where, the next year he took over a sawmill. In 1876 he went to Cadillac where he became one of Michigan's greatest lumber operators.

The year of 1867 saw a great pick-up in lumbering operations. However, the largest mill in the county that at Newaygo was destroyed by fire, the first serious fire in the county. It was two years before it was in operation again. A considerable number of new mills appeared on the assessment rolls.

Bruce and Young were operating a sawmill on section 30, of what became Lincoln Township. It it likely this mill was the Stanley mill, John Mansfield had a mill on section 29, Lincoln. The last record of this mill is the next year, when Miles Mansfield had a half interest in the mill. Cynthia Harrington was operating a mill on section 22, Denver. Just when it was built is not known, but likely it had been built since the assessments of the previous year. It was a water powered mill located near the mouth of a creek entering White River and named Harrington creek from Eliphalet Harrington, owner of the land on which it stood. The creek was later called Martin's creek. In 1870, McDaniels and Hollenbeck were operating the mill. C. D. Hollenbeck operated it in 1872, Miles Mansfield in 1875 and Andrew Mansfield in 1879. In 1880, Perry Mansfield bought the mill and farm property.

GOW & CAMPBELL, 1902

Heald, Murphy and Crepin, a large lumbering concern of Whitehall, had bought thousands of acres of timbered lands tributary to Harrington creek, which they expected to use to float the logs to the river. In 1881, they started three camps in Beaver Township. They put 10,000,000 feet of logs in the creek, which they re-named Heald's creek. The logs were hauled 2 1/2 miles. Ned Skinner was bookkeeper and scaler.

When the company attempted to drive the logs down the creek the next spring, they found Perry Mansfield had bought the Rooke flour mill and dam at Denver village and that he refused to let the logs through the dam unless paid for it. Rather than pay Mansfield's price, the firm bought the property from him. They then encountered another obstacle at Mansfield's mill further down the creek. They threatened to chop Mansfield's dam out, but Mansfield stood firm and they were compelled to pay for the privilege.

Mansfield sold the machinery in the flourmill to Amos Bigelow, who moved it into his mill at Hesperia. Mansfield operated the sawmill up into the early years of the present century until a big flood not only wrecked the mill but changed the course of the creek, leaving the mill site high and dry. Today, where the old mulay saw chewed its way slowly through the big pines and hemlocks, only a few remains are left and these are so hidden by underbrush that unless one knows where to look, they would not be discovered. Where the logs that were sent down the stream jumped off the end of the sluiceway was a hole fifty feet deep. Today this has all been filled by sand brought down by later floods, and alders twenty-foot high growing on the spot. The author a few years ago retrieved the old mulay saw from the ruins and now has it in his collection of historical relics.

Another mill built in 1867 was that of Jacob Bickhart on section 25, Ensley Township, on Ingersoll Lake. W. F. Carpenter bought the property in 1868. He formed a firm known as W. F. Carpenter and Company and went to Charlotte, Eaton Co., in 1869 and opened a lumber yard, from which place he sold most of the lumber produced at his Ensley mill. He closed out his partership and business at Charlotte in 1871 and returned to live permanently in Ensley. In 1879 he erected a fine residence and two large barns from lumber cut at his mill. One of these barns was said by Governor Jerome to be the finest structure of its kind in the state. He operated the mill until 1880.

Henry Darling also built a mill in 1867. It was a waterpower mill located on Darling creek near its mouth. It was on the farm owned by the Henry Rozema estate. In 1869 James H. Darling was associated with Henry Darling in the mill. In 1870 the mill burned with a loss of $5,000. Henry Darling now went to Kansas and James H. Darling rebuilt the mill. In 1872, the firm was Misner, Darling & Co. In 1873, they sold the mill to Jones & Allgire. They installed machinery for making broom handles and canthook handles. They also installed a 40 h.p. steam engine to make lumber and lath. In 1874, they opened a lumberyard at Elkhart, Ind. In 1876, the handle factory was running with a full crew. In 1878, Hiram Jones became sole owner of the mill. Jones is listed in the Fremont directory of 1880 as a handle manufacturer. This is the last record of the mill. The skeleton of the mill remained for many years. The old dam is still visible from the Fremont Lake road.

In May, the contract was let for stumping and grading a state road 20 feet wide from Newaygo to Bridgeton. The population of Croton had grown to about 400 and that of Newaygo to about 1000. Croton was incorporated this year.

The railroad agitation went on steadily and in August another meeting was held of the Grand Rapids & Muskegon Railroad Co. Augustus Paddock and W. D. Fuller acted as commissioners from Newaygo county, which subscribed about $15,000. It was proposed that villages and townships which would be benefited by the railroad be taxed to help in building it. This proposition was later found to be illegal.

In the meantime, another railroad, the Lansing, Ionia and Pentwater Railroad had been projected. It was to go by way of Greenville, Croton, Newaygo and Hesperia to Pentwater. It never materialized.

Still another railroad, designed to enter Newaygo County, was started in Grand Rapids, called the Grand Rapids & Lake Shore Railroad.

While the other railroads had been trying to get started, the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad had been built by July 30 as far as Cedar Springs. This was only sixteen miles from Newaygo and at once became the delivery point for freight coming into Newaygo, the freight being hauled in by teams.

The board of supervisors set the schedule of assessments for pine lands this year as follows: within 1 mile of river, $15 to $20 an acre; between 1 and 2 miles, $10 to $15; between 2 and 3 miles, $7 to $10; between 3 and 4 miles, $6 to $8; over 4 miles, discretionary.

At Newaygo this year, there were three plants operating, which were driven by waterpower on Brooks' creek. These were the Wyatt & Mason saw and shingle mill and the Kritzer flour mill driven from the Kritzer dam and a sash and door factory, which had a dam above the Kritzer dam, from which the water works now gets its power. Croton this year had a sawmill, Rice's, with a capacity of 4,000,000 feet of lumber per year and two good flourmills.

Wagner Brothers built a shingle mill in Ensley Township. Harrington & Enkenberger built a sawmill on section 29, Ashland. William A. Anderson built a sawmill and flourmill at Pinchtown. A. G. Meade built a sawmill near Sheridan Center on section 22. A. A. Maxim had a sawmill on lot 8 at Bridgeton. A man named Pierce had built a shingle mill not very far from the Hess shingle mill. It burned down in September.

There is no further record of the Wagner Brothers, Pierce and Harrington & Enkenberger mills. The Maxim mill operated until 1873. The old building remained for some years after and Louis Ruprecht, supervisor of Bridgeton, thinks it was torn down about 1890.

The property, on which the pond for Meade's mill was located, was bought from Daniel Ashcraft. It was on section 15, Sheridan, and the deed included the rights to overflow all the land necessary to raise the water to 10 feet high with a dam across the stream (Brooks creek) near or on the south line of section 15. In 1880, Meade added a flourmill to the sawmill. In 1882, A. G. Meade's son, E. S. Meade, took over the mill. C. A. Meade was operating it in 1890. The next year the Meade brothers (E. S. and G. A.) were running their sawmill day and night and they engaged a miller from Holland to operate the flourmill. The next year the sawmill was still going strong. In 1895 the dam went out and a steam engine was installed in the mill. There were more logs in the yard than had ever been there before at one time. The county atlas of 1900 shows the mill. This is the last record the author has been able to find of the mill. He remembers the mill well as, when a boy in the 90's, he visited the mill several times with his uncle, O. A. David, who went there to have his grist ground and where he has seen the yard full of lumber.

William A. Anderson built a combined sawmill and flourmill at Pinchtown (Aetna). The sawmill was assessed this year at $500 and the flourmill at $1,000. In 1875, Anderson was operating a shingle mill along with the other mills. In 1881 he leased the flourmill to J. W. Shannon. In 1883, he was operating the Stanley mill as well as his own mill. After the formation of the White River Log & Boom Co. of Whitehall, Anderson had frequent litigation with them over their rights on the river. Anderson would not give in to them and in 1886 they paid him $30,000 and he moved out, leaving the flourmill and sawmill to decay. He moved to Fremont and built the Crescent Flouring Mills.

It was during the residence of Anderson at Aetna that an incident happened which old lumberjacks liked to tell. Wash O'Brien was foreman of a logdriving crew on the river and his brother, Billy, was straw boss. A certain man, whom we will call Baker, had pestered Wash for a job as a driver but Wash did not want him, as he was inexperienced. But Baker insisted and Wash would make some excuse and send him home, telling him to come some other time, hoping he would get tired and quit coming.

When Wash saw it was of no use, he told Billy to give him a job "packing jams." Baker started to work. At the end of this first day, Billy, urged on by the other drivers, thought to have some fun with Baker. Billy said to Baker, "Now, Baker, seeing you have started to work, why not buy a pint and treat the boys?" "I would if I had the money," was Baker's answer. "Borrow it from Pond," said Billy. So Barker borrowed a dollar from Pond, the storekeeper. Whisky was 50 cents a pint. "Better let me buy the pint," said Billy. So Baker gave Billy the dollar and he went to Barnes' store, where liquor was sold. When he came out, he had, not a pint, but a quart. "Baker, I am sorry," said Billy, "but they didn't have any pint bottles and I had to take a quart." They made Baker believe he had to go up the river a ways to a jam, urged him to make a stump speech while in an intoxicated condition, and then sent him home, telling him that his services were no longer required.

Heald & Co. had a large camp on section 8, Sherman, during the year of 1869.

Another event of much interest to lumbermen occured. This was the invention of the "rigger," a device used to turn logs over for sawing. This work previously had been done by hand. In "History of Lumbering in the Northwest" by Hotchkiss, one page says the invention was made by Alex Rodgers while the next page says Esau Torrent was the inventor. The probability is that both men worked on it and that Rodgers manufactured them as he had a big machine shop and did most of the machine work for the Muskegon mills. Esau Torrent had a mill in Muskegon at the time.

In the spring of 1870, the Michigan Supreme Court decided that the people could not be taxed to build railroads. This effectively killed all efforts to build the proposed Grand Rapids & Muskegon railroad. The citizens of Newaygo then turned their attention to the Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore railroad, an enterprise fostered by D. P. Clay of Grand Rapids to further his extensive lumbering interests around Newaygo.

The building of this railroad was finally successful. In the meantime, there had been considerable interest in building a railroad from Muskegon to Big Rapids. Meetings were held at several places along the proposed line, when the unexpected Supreme Court decision blasted the hopes of its promoters for the time being. Lewis Martin, of Denver, wrote an article for the Newaygo Republican stressing the need of a railroad through Denver. He said it should run from Whitehall to Big Rapids.

In July, the steamer Newaygo began making trips from Newaygo to Muskegon. It was commanded by Capt. L. D. Warn and owned by Capt. Andrews.

Meanwhile the lumbering interest was advancing rapidly. James Kinney, an old resident of Ensley, told the author that Ensley township had 10 shingle mills and 4 saw mills in operation at this time.

The Newaygo Company put in a six-foot circular saw in their mill and during the month of July cut 1,150,000 feet of lumber. The circular saw had been invented about 1850 but the Newaygo Company was the first to install a saw of this type in Newaygo County. From now on, it gained favor rapidly.

A timber raft of 900 feet in length belonging to Charles Seaman went over the Newaygo dam and broke into pieces.

A farmer from Beaver hauled a load of hoops to Newaygo, a distance of about 25 miles, for Lyman & Higbee hoop buyers.

John Grawn came to Newaygo this year and engaged in rafting for the Newaygo Company. From this time on, for many years, he was actively engaged in the lumbering business for this company and for D. P. Clay, who succeeded to the Newaygo Company's business. Finla Pawling came to what became Hungerford and lumbered for Capt. Ives, two years later going to Woodville for the West Michigan Lumber Co.

Three new saw mills were built during the year. George W. Bolton and N. D. Macomber built a steam sawmill on section 27, Denver. The editor of the Newaygo Republican, in making a swing around the county, found it operating in 1871. Assessed for $1,000 in 1870, two years later it was assessed at $600. This is the last record.

John Brinley built a mill and hotel on section 36, Ensley, which were assessed at $650. The mill was sold to Arnold Wilcox & Co. in 1871. C. R. Twitchell bought it in 1874. In 1880, Twitchell moved it to Whitefish in Montcalm County.

Andrew T. Squier built a shingle mill at Bridgeton on section 18, just east of the present Wallace Scott store. It was assessed at $1,000. It burned soon after being built. Squier immediately rebuilt it, hauling lumber from Newaygo for the purpose. It cut from 30,000 to 50,000 shingles a day and employed 11 men. The next year it was operating when the editor of the Newaygo Republican visited Bridgeton. It burned again in 1872. Squier did not rebuild it this time but transferred his operations to what soon became Grant Station.

At Hesperia, Webster & Hawk were operating a saw and planing mill and were planning on building a flourmill the next year.

The winter of 1870-71 was an "open" winter. This made it a hard one for loggers. By an "open" winter is meant one in which there is little snow. Loggers had to depend on the snow to furnish them a means of hauling their logs to the river. Many jobbers were unable to get their logs in according to contract. This resulted in their financial failure. At this time Johnson Burgess had 5,000,000 feet of logs on skids in the woods six miles from the Muskegon River. Another logging jobber, William Ladner, operating in the same locality in Goodwell Township, was in the same predicament. These men, in order to fulfull their contracts and save a failure, built a tram road from their skids to the river. A tram road is one with wooden rails and the loaded cars were drawn by horses. These men were jobbing for Ryerson, Hills & Co.

By May of 1871, the supporters of the Grand Rapids, Newaygo & LakeShore railroad had succeeded in raising $125,000 to build the road. Ground was broken on July 27 in Grand Rapids and the construction of the road was pushed ahead rapidly. D. P. Clay was elected president. In November, G. D. Graves, a contractor, started to clear the grade from Newaygo three miles south. Clay formed a partnership with L. G. Randall under the name of D. P. Clay & Co., and bought the old Brooks' mill. They repaired the mill and ran it night and day cutting timber and lumber for the new railroad.

In the meantime, surveyors surveyed the route of a railroad to run from Hart to Newaygo through Hesperia and Fremont Center.

In April, both the steamers Newaygo, Capt. Andrews, and North Star, Capt. Parks, began regular trips from Newaygo to Muskegon. Capt. Andrews announced in July that he would have a new boat to put on a daily run and that he would build a dock at Newaygo. An item of August 16 said that the Newaygo and North Star had more freight than they could carry.

The editor of the Newaygo Republican made a trip around the county early in the year and reported on the various business enterprises found in each locality. The saw mills mentioned as being in operation at the time of his visit were the Bolten & Macomber mill at Spencer's Corners, the McDaniels & Hollenbeck mill near Denver, the mills of W. A. Anderson and Stanley & Briggs at Aetna and the shingle mill of A. T. Squier and the saw mill of I. D. Merrill at Bridgeton.

During October, there were many forest fires. On October 9, the smoke was so dense around Newaygo that the sun could scarcely be seen. It penetrated dwellings and places of business so that it was almost impossible to transact business of any kind; the wind blew a gale all day and the dust, in addition to the smoke, made it very unpleasant. Rumors of fire and destruction of property were heard from all sides and the excitement was so intense that almost all work was at a standstill. In Newaygo, all expected a conflagation. Toward evening it became known that Wyatt's shanties and 150 cords of shingle bolts belong ing to I. D. Merrill had been destroyed.

But it was only when night came that the true state of affairs could be seen distinctly, and it was evident to all that the fire was rapidly approaching the village, and unless its progress could be stayed, a fearful destruction of property and perhaps loss of life must ensue.

At midnight the bells were ringing, and the citizens turned out almost en masse, and commenced battling the fire, but without perceptible effect; and it appeered so near the dwelling of David Jarse that his household goods were removed. About two o'clock the rain commenced to fall and by daylight the fire was nearly subdued. At one time it was within thirty rods of Kritzer's gristmill.

At Fremont Center a hard fight was made. All around the village, the fences were torn down and the ground plowed. Several buildings, among them three residences, were destroyed. Fifty men were fighting at Darling's mill all one night and with difficulty saved the mill. During this time a young deer, chased out of the woods by the fire, took refuge in the John Delamater yard. At Denver the fire did much damage

and in many other sections of the county there were close escapes from danger.

The only new mill reported this year was the shingle mill of Freeman S. Matthews at Newaygo. It was a water power mill built on Brooks creek above the present water works, making the third dam on this short creek. It was assessed this year at $600. The last record of its operation was in 1879, when it was assessed at $300. In 1881, Lewis Martin started a carding mill in the building.

By this time, the Newaygo Company had two circular saws, nine mulays and three gangs.

The dry kiln at Tyler & Skinner's sash and door factory at Newaygo burned but was rebuilt. A new product manufactured by this firm was milk safes.

The Rogers logging barn about 18 miles up the river from Newaygo burned.

C. H. McCormick & Bro., reaper manufacturers of Chicago, advertised in The Newaygo Republican for white ash, white oak, whitewood, rock elm, basswood and pine logs for lumber.

A man was killed at Peterson's camp on White River and another, John C. Benet, on a load of logs from Brown's camp.

During this year, many individuals and firms took up timbered lands in the county. Among these were: S. N. Wilcox; Jacob Beidler; Wilcox & Parsons; J. & H. Beidler; George R. Roberts & Co.; A. B. Long & Sons; R. E. Wood; Welsh, Heald & Co.; Joel Parker; Matthews & Phillips; Hornellsville Lumber Co.; Wilcox & Morgan; D. W. Squier; Ryerson, Hills & Co.; A. B. Watson; and A. B. Knapp. S. N. Wilcox bought between 15,000 and 20,000 acres all at one time. Aaron Swain, of Big Prairie, was his agent.

These concerns were either big lumbering concerns getting ready to make a grand onslaught on the magnificent pine forests of the county, or speculators who purchased the lands with the intentions of selling them to lumbering concerns at a big profit. The big lumbering era was about to start. Within two or three years, the railroads would be built and then lumbering on a grand scale was due to begin.

During the winter of 1871-72, James and Patrick Kinney put 2,000,000 feet of logs in Tamarack creek from section 4, Ensley Township.

The Muskegon & Big Rapids railroad became rejuvenated and its president, L. G. Mason, of Muskegon, visited New York and made arrangements with the management of the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore railroad, which had built a railroad and was operating as far as Pentwater, to consolidate with that concern, subject to the approval of the stockholders. This was eagerly given and the construction of the road from both ends began. It reached Fremont Center before the end of 1872.

Meanwhile the Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore railroad, sponsored by D. P. Clay and Associates, reached the county first. It had reached Sparta on May 15. At this time, A. T. Squier was building his sawmill where Grant is now located as the railroad approached nearer and nearer. Squier made a wager with Clay that his mill whistle would herald the beginning of operations of his mill before Clay's locomotive whistle would blow at the station on its first trip. For a long time, the result was in doubt, but Squier won by a few hours' time. The first passenger train to Newaygo reached that village on September 11. More than 300 Grand Rapids citizens were on the train to celebrate its entry into Newaygo. The village hotels, restaurants and homes were thrown open to the visitors. W. D. Fuller, T. B. Church, William H. Wells and others made speeches.

The Squier mill at Grant Station was an important addition to Ashland Township. It had a capacity of 20,000 feet of lumber and 30,000 shingles per day. In 1874 it was assessed at $2,000 and in 1881 at $1,000. Statistics for 1885 show the mill cut 1,000,000 feet of lumber that year. Just when the mill went out of business is unknown. In 1894, J. W. Brown leased the site and moved his saw mill and planing mill there. It was leased to James Shevalier in 1899. After the turn of the century, it became the property of Hemingsen & Son.

Stephen Bitely arrived in Ensley Township this year and built a shingle mill on section 27. The assessment the next year, 1873, was $600. The last record is in 1879, when it was assessed at $1,000.

Two other mills were built in Ensley in 1872. J. G. Clark built a mill on section 34 and Frank Phillips one on section 28. This is the only record of the Phillips mill. Baird & Farnham succeeded to the Clark mill inl873, when it was assessed at $900. In 1879, A. Farnham owned the mill. This is the last record.

It is possible that the D. W. Squier mill at Bridgeton was built in 1872, or it may have been later. Several old settlers have told the author that Harrison Davenport built the mill in the 60's and sold it to Squier and that the latter traded pine lands on the Pere Marquette for the mill and owned it when it burned in 1876. The author can find no record that Davenport ever built or owned the mill. It is not likely that it was built in the 60's. The editor of the Newaygo Republican, who visited Bridgeton in 1870 and again in 1871, mentions the A. T. Squier and I. D. Merrill mills and D. W. Squier's fine farm but not mill. Further, when the A. T. Squier mill burned in 1870, A. T. hauled lumber from Newaygo with which to rebuild it, which would be unlikely if the D. W. Squier mill were in operation. The only authentic date the author can find for the D. W. Squier mill is 1876, when it burned.

George Backart and William Rice received a permit from the board of supervisors to build a new dam across the Little Muskegon at Croton to operate two gristmills and a sawmill.

Wilcox & Morgan began to make preparations at what is now White Cloud to go into the lumbering business on a large scale. J. M. Gibbs moved from Big Prairie to the scene of operations as foreman of the lumbering activities. He built a fine residence, the first within the present village of White Cloud. A lumber camp was established within the present limits of the village and lands were cleared for the building of a mill. In November, all the horses in the camp were afflicted with the patent distemper. The company built a large store on North Street. It was later occupied by M. D. Hayward as an implement store. S. N. Wilcox put 35,000,000 feet of logs into the White and Muskegon rivers.

J. Alley & Co. were not far behind. They established themselves across the river from Morgan's Station, the first name of White Cloud, and started the settlement, which soon became the village of Alleyton. They sent a large crew to establish camps and clear the land preparatory to building a mill.

In "An Outline in General Forestry," the author, Joseph S. Illick, makes the statement that railroad logging for Michigan was conceived at the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876 and that five years after the first logging railroad was completed in Michigan there were 71 logging railroads in Michigan and 5 in Wisconsin. From this statement, it seems that the Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore railroad jumped the gun on those who "conceived" the idea at Philadelphia by at least four years.

Wonderly & Co. bought a large tract of timberland in Ashland township. They contracted with the new railroad to move 8,000,000 feet of logs to Grand Rapids. They had a long sidetrack just south of Ashland City, were the logs were loaded.

J. A. Griffin, of Grand Rapids, bought a half-intrest in the sash and door factory at Newaygo and the new firm of Skinner & Griffin enlarged the building.

In November, two rafts of lumber of the Newaygo Company were frozen in the river on the flats half way to Muskegon. By December, the drive was between Croton and Newaygo. It contained 30,000,000 feet of logs. In addition, another 70,000,000 feet that did not get out in the spring drive due to low water were hung up along the river. The logs in both the Little Muskegon and White rivers were hung up.

Wm. Douglas was killed in a rollway three miles below Newaygo; a man was killed in a similar accident at Bridgeton; another was killed at Bradley's rollways; and still another was killed at Eddy's lumber camp.

Augus McDonald, operating a logging camp on Beaver creek, cut a tree, which had five logs measuring 7,800 feet. William A. Anderson, Aetna, reported a big load of seven logs scaling 6,424 feet, at Cone & Green's camp on White river.

G. R. Roberts & Co. had a camp five miles south of Newaygo and Smith & Alley had one on White River.

During the winter of 1872, 9,000,000 feet of logs were shipped to Grand Rapids over the new railroad at the rate of 100,000 feet a day. Most of these were shipped from Wonderly's camp at Ashland City, two miles south of Grant Station. These were the first log trains in Michigan.

In "An Outline in General Forestry," the author Joseph S. Illick, makes the statement that railroad logging for Michigan was conceived at the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876 and that five years after the first logging railroad was completed in Michigan there were 71 logging railroads in Michigan and 5 in Wisconsin. From this statement, it seems that the Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore railroad jumped the gun on those who "conceived" the idea at Philadelphia by at least four years.

The introduction of the logging railroad changed lumbering methods. It made possible the lumbering of areas that could not be reached from the streams and also made possible the cutting of hardwoods that could not be floated.

It was not long after the railroad reached Newaygo that logging railroads penetrated every part of Newaygo County. Not only were these railroads a boon to the lumbering industry but they also opened up formerly inaccessible territory to permanent settlement after the timber had been cut.

During this winter, Henry Barton put 3,000,000 feet of logs in the Muskegon, with an average of 2,000 feet to a load and a haul of six miles.

Meanwhile at this time, 1873, events were shaping up for the lumbering industry of the northern part of the county. The Muskegon & Big Rapids railroad was completed this year and in July regular trains began operating. The completion of the road was celebrated by a big excursion from Big Rapids to Muskegon. The stations on the line in Newaygo County were Fremont Center, Alleyton, Morgan's Station, Woodville, Norwich and Hungerford.

The railroad opened up big possibilities. It was estimated there were 1,000,000,000 feet of pine timber within five miles of the railroad. Morgan's Station and Alleyton were getting established as seats of the lumbering industry. Alleyton at this time had the start in size and elegance of buildings. It was planned to extend the

Grand Rapids, Newaygo and Lake Shore railroad as far as White river before the coming of the winter.

Lumber prices were better in Newaygo than in Chicago. Number one pine brought $9 a thousand feet in Newaygo against $8.50 in Chicago and shingles $3.25 per thousands in Newaygo against $3 in Chicago. The Newaygo Company advertised for more help. They built a sidetrack from the railroad to their mill. During the year, they added a planing mill to their plant. Their boarding house partially burned in August.

Symington & Bradley cut and skidded on the railroad south of Newaygo 10,000,000 feet of logs for Paddock & Jones. In February, the shanties of Wonderly & Co. near Ashland City burned.

In June, the drive hands on the Muskegon attempted to cut the dam of Backart and Rice at Croton one night. They were discovered by Mrs. Backart. She awakened her husband who secured help and drove them away.

Nathan Chapman was killed at J. H. Simmons' rollway. Philip Weaver sold his interests at Fremont Center to the Empire Company, of Muskegon, who now platted the village. Weaver went to Hesperia to operate the sawmill of his father.

Many new mills were built this year. These included the mills of Kornelius Mulder at Fremont Center; William Barhite, Driggs & Roberts and M. B. Peters in Ensley township; Martin A. Doud in Dayton; A. M. Fisher at Wooster; Sidebotham & Kincaid in Everett; John Steinbrenner at Croton; Chesebro & McArdle in Grant township; John Hill, section 21, Beaver; John F. Wood, Newaygo; G. D. Webster at Hesperia; Wilcox & Morgan at Morgan's Station; J. Alley & Co. at Alleyton; and the Ives Lumber Co. at Hungerford.

Mulder's mill was at first a shingle and planing mill. On one Saturday in 1874, Garrup Zuidema, sawyer in the shingle mill, cut 30,000 shingles. In 1878, Mr. Mulder installed complete sawmill equipment. The mill burned in 1881 with a loss of $8,000 and no insurance. It was at once rebuilt. In 1885, the mill cut 300,000 feet of lumber according to government statistics. The Newaygo county atlas of 1900 shows the mill. It was sold in 1906 to the Fremont Lumber & Fuel Co.

Barhite's mill was on section 32, Ensley. It was assessed at $600 in 1875, which is the last record. The Driggs & Roberts mill was on the southeast corner of section 34, Ensley. It was assessed at $800 in 1873 and $500 in 1874, which is the last record. The M. B. Peters mill was on section 23, Ensley. It was assessed at $2,500. The next year Peters sold the mill to John Banfield. It was assessed at $2,000 this year. A news item of 1875 says that Mr. Cook got back the saw mill property for M. B. Peters which he sold while ill and insane for a mere pittance. It burned soon after.

William Martin and Jason Doud built a steam mill on section 29, Dayton. By 1878 Martin had become sole owner. The county atlas of 1880 shows the mill as belonging to Mrs. William Martin. It also appeared in the atlas of 1900 under the same ownership. It lasted for several years after the turn of the century.

The author has but one record of the Fisher shingle mill at Wooster. Frank Hart, Sr., well-known liveryman at Fremont for many years, worked in the mill this year.

Greenberry Sidenbotham and George Kincaid's saw mill was on section 11, Everett. It burned in July, 1874, with a loss of $4,000.

Steinbrenner's steam shingle mill cut about 20,000 shingles daily. J. F. Gauweiler bought the mill the next year and moved it to Bill's lake, where he had a contract to cut shingles for the Newaygo Company. He cut 25,000 a day. In May of 1875, Gauweiler sold 1,200,000 shingles to a Grand Rapids firm. The next month he sold the mill to Alexander Blake. This is the last record found of the mill.

Chesebro & McArdle's shingle mill was on section 8, Grant Township. It operated only one season.

John F. Wood's shingle mill was running day and night in 1874. The next year he sold it to D. P. Clay. The last record of its operation is in 1881.

John Hill's mill on section 21, Beaver, operated only one year.

G. D. Webster came to Hesperia in the fall of 1873 and started a sawmill. The next year a news item said the mill was running full blast, with about a halfmillion feet of logs in the yard and more coming in. This mill cut lumber and lath and also had machinery for making pumps. In 1884 the dam went out but was repaired and the mill was operating again in January 1885. The mill was in Oceana County and just when it ceased operations is not known by the author but was likely in the 90's.

Sanford Brown planned on building a shingle mill with a capacity of 30,000 shingles a day at Newaygo but no record has been found of its being built.

In addition to all these small mills, the building this year of the three large mills of Wilcox & Morgan, J. Alley & Co., and the Ives Lumber Co., was what gave the lumbering industry its greatest impetus.

The Wilcox and Alley concerns received their permits to build dams across the White river on the same day, Oct. 16, 1873. The dams and mills of both were rushed to completion. The big mill of Wilcox & Morgan was a steam mill, however. James Milne, a millwright, helped build this mill. It was located on the site of the present ice house in White Cloud. The next year they built a waterpower mill to operate two shingle machines and a planer. It stood where the White Cloud hydroelectric plant is now located.

In December 18