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 1874, Wilcox & Morgan re-organized under the name of The S. N. Wilcox Lumbering Co. The capital stock was $225,000. The firm consisted of Sextus N. Wilcox, Lester C. Morgan, Fred Ramsey, Fredrick V. Newell, and John S. Beaumont.

Another reorganization took place in 1878. The name was now changed to The S. N. Wilcox Lumber Co. Lester C. Morgan and John S. Beaumont retired from the firm and their places were taken by Henry A. Root and George F. Wilcox. The concern had camps this year in White Cloud and on section 3, Everett. D. Smith operated a camp for the company two-and-a-half miles from White Cloud.

In 1881 great gloom was cast over White Cloud when the company tore down its steam mill and removed it to Whitehall. It still retained the waterpower mill. In June, S. N. Wilcox was drowned in Lake Superior.

In 1882, they sold the waterpower mill to Fred Ramsey. They had 6,000,000 feet of logs skidded this year in February and put 17,000,000 feet in the river for their mill at Whitehall. J. M. Popple was in charge of the company's interests on White River.

in 1884, a pine tree, considered to be the finest tree ever taken from this part of the pine region, was cut at the Wilcox camp near White Cloud. The tree made seven logs, each sixteen feet long, running from 840 feet of 1,849 feet each, with a total of 10,050 feet.

In 1885, the company put 15,000,000 feet of logs in the river to be sent to Whitehall. These were cut in Monroe township. Tn 1887, the company was assessed $1,500 on the timbered land in section 28, Monroe. This

is the last record found of lumbering operation of the Wilcox concern in Newaygo county although they owned much cut-over land for some years afterward. J. Alley & Co. was composed of James, George and Charles T. Alley and George M. Smith. This concern had been in the lumbering business at Hornellsville, N.Y. They built their mill about a mile down the river from the Wilcox & Morgan mill. It was a water-power mill. The mill the next year was operated for the Alley concern by Proctor & Co. This year, John W. Ohrenberger went from Muskegon to become foreman of the mill. The mill increased its shinglemaking capacity this year. It also had a contract to cut 2,200,000 feet of square timber for the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. In 1879, J. Alley & Company's "lower camp" was in operation. In 1880, William M. Davenport, who had worked for the Alleys at Hornellsville, came to Alleyton and took over the Alley store.

In January 1881, the firm of J. Alley & Co. dissolved. The property in the immediate vacinity of Alleyton, including the mill, was taken over by Alley, Proctor & Davenport. James and Charles Alley retained the Whitehall property and all the pine belonging to the firm except that around Alleyton.

On August 17, a fire destroyed the entire business section of Alleyton and nearly every building on the west side of the railroad track. A total of 47 buildings were burned. The loss amounted to between $40,000 and $50,000, with but very little insurance. By September 14, seven new buildings had been started. Among these were a large hotel and T. McDonnell's big saloon, the second story being used for a hall. George Alley, resident manager of Alley, Proctor & Davenport, worked hard to rebuild the village. He died on Jan. 2, 1882, without seeing his efforts accomplished.

This same year Proctor & Davenport put 8,000,000 feet of logs from near Aetna in White River for J. Alley & Co. Proctor & Davenport were operating the mill in 1884. By 1885, the firm had become William Davenport & Co. This year they cut 4,000,000 feet of lumber. This is the last authentic record of the mill the author has been able to find. James Alley died in Detroit in 1887.

In its palmy days, Alleyton had a reputation equal to any lumbering town in the country. With more saloons than any other one kind of business, they were often not only the scenes of revelry, but of bloodshed as well. Louis Fuller, who was then a lad of 17, told the author that a dancing party was in progress in the hall over McDonnell's saloon, when a stranger entered the saloon below, shot another man there, escaped, and was never apprehended. His victim was taken to the Big Rapids hospital, where he died the next day. He also remembered a fistfight in the street near this saloon when one lumberjack bit off his opponent's ear and spit it out.

A well-known character around town was "Lame Bob." He was in Sherman's saloon when a riverman entered and told the crowd assembled there that a free-for-all fight was in progress at McDonnell's saloon. These were so common that nobody thought it worth while to go over but "Lame Bob." He told the group that he was going over to get a ticket to the show. In a few minutes he returned with a black eye and bleeding nose. The men asked him if he got his ticket and he replied, "Yes, and I got punched, too."

Another story of Alleyton's lumber days is as follows: One night a group of rivermen got partly intoxicated and became noisy. Two of their number were arrested and put in jail. The jail was a small building built of planks laid on top of each other and spiked. When the other rivermen heard that their companions were in jail, they took their peavies and went to the building. They told the men inside to be careful as they were going to turn the building over. This they did and then pulled out the floor and liberated their companions. They then rolled the building over and over to the river and dumped it in, saying they did not want anything like that around.

Herbert Shippy jobbed for Staples & Covell, of Whitehall, for 22 years and put many millions of feet of logs in the river at the rollways close to where the old jail mentioned was located. Later, Shippy went west and remained for some years. He returned to Alleyton in 1952 and lived in the old Dr. Trask house, then one of only two or three houses left in Alleyton. These have now all disappeared.

The third big mill built in 1873 was that of the Ives Lumber Co. at Hungerford. This concern was capitalized at $300,000. The members of the firm were Col. Stewart Ives, George B. Ives and Chauncy Ives, of Big Rapids, and Clifford Smith, of Buffalo, N.Y. Finla Pawling was millwright of the new mill. A news item of the next year said the mill was operating to capacity. In 1876, the mill was assessed at $15,000. The mill was operated by John Torrent in 1878 and by a man named Blair in 1879. In 1880, Charles H. Hackley operated it. Martin Holland, who had been working here, left in 1880 and went with the West Michigan Lumber Co. at Woodville. A news item of 1881 said Ives & Porter had cleared Hungerford lake of logs and A. D. Rose, of Big Rapids, would soon start to ship the lumber.

In 1882, Ives built a narrow-gauge railroad into his pine north of Hungerford. He used six cars and an engine, which drawed 12,000 to 15,000 feet of logs to a load and made 15 trips a day. Ami Jakeway came this year as superintendent of lumber and yards. In 1883, the planing mill was the only part of the mill operating. In February of 1884, a party of Ohio lumber dealers visited the Ives mill. Here they saw a modern gang mill, planing mill and shingle mill.

Taking the party of lumber dealers into the woods, Ives selected a large white pine tree to be cut down. After the tree was chosen, four men attacked it with axes and saws. In two minutes it was cut and on the ground. In four minutes more, it was cut into four logs, containing 848 feet, and was loaded on the log train. The train made the run of two and a half miles to the Ives mill in four minutes. The logs were dumped into the lake and carried up into the mill on an endless chain. It took seven and a half minutes to cut logs into lumber for use.

Thus, in Mr. Ives' demonstration, it required twenty-one and one-half minutes from the time the axe hit the tree until it was cut into lumber, edged and trimmed and loaded on the car. The butt of the log was said to be between 24 and 26 inches in diameter on the stump.

The mill closed its business in 1887. N. H. Vincent bought the sawmill. I. M. Weston, administrator of the estate, sold the planing mill to outside parties who dismantled it and shipped it away. H. H. Hawley bought the shingle mill and cut 90,000 shingles a day. J. W. Rutherford bought the store. In 1888, R. G. Peters bought the saw mill from Vincent and dismantled it. I. M. Weston, as administrator of the estate, was assessed $400 for what buildings were left.

In 1888, Hawley's shingle mill put in 7,000,000 feet of logs, all of which were to be manufactured into shingles. Hawley sold the mill in 1889 to Isaac Stevens, who moved it to section 36, Goodwell Township.

An interesting incident occurred in 1877 in connection with the operation of the Ives mill. In that year, Chas. S. Osborn, who later became governor of Michigan, ran away from his home in Indiana and came to Newaygo county. Running away from home had been a favorite pastime with Osborn. He was 17 years old at the time he came to Newaygo County. Some years ago, Gov. Osborn gave the author the story, which reads as follows:

"My longest runaway absence was when I went into the wild Michigan lumber woods in Newaygo County near the present village of Hungerford. I spent a winter in the camps as a cookee and chore boy. In the spring I worked in the saw mill and shingle mill. That winter I got a terrible thrashing. There was a boastful fellow in camp named Jason Grimsby. No one knew whether he would fight, but from his tell he could lick his weight in wild cats and then some.

"Some of the woodsmen had families in near about shacks and there were several boys about my age. We made up our minds that Jason was a coward. Our plan to try him out was to waylay him at night and while not hurting him, we were to leap on him and tousle him about pretty lively. Good idea, but it didn't work, and to this day we have no correct measure of Jason although he got one of me.

"I was a sort of leader. Perhaps I was the biggest boy. Anyhow, Jason came beating it along a trail swinging a candle lantern and whistling. I made a jump for him. There were five of us boys, two on one side of the trail and three on the other.

"All I know is that every one of them ran away and Jason mopped up the earth with me. The lantern went out at once and it took Jason some time in the dark to tell when he had pounded me enough. I tried to accuse him of attacking me, but while my attitude confused him a little, it did no good. From that time to this I have depended more upon myself than others and have more carefully considered undertakings.

"I went back to Indiana with quite a sum of money saved up, amounting to near one hundred dollars. I had walked most of the way to Michigan, and I earned good wages in savings by walking most of the way back, over two hundred miles."

During 1873, according to Hotchkiss' History of Lumbering in the Northwest, along the line of the Muskegon & Big Rapids R. R., there were four mills at Fremont Center, three at Woodville, and one each at Alleyton, Morgan's Station, Hungerford, Wooster and Norwich. The year given must be in error. This was probably true a year or two later but not in 1873.

It was in 1873 that John Torrent, of Muskegon, invented the "bull chain" to draw logs up into a sawmill from a pond. This was an endless chain to which "dogs" were attached. It carried the logs in an endless procession into the mill. This invention was adopted by all large mills having storage ponds for logs.

During the winter of 1873-74, Ryerson, Hills & Co. put 10,000,000 feet of logs in the Muskegon and the Newaygo Company put in a few.

The coming of the railroads changed the character of the lumbering operations considerably. The first lumberman cut nothing but first-class pine. This was made mostly into lumber. A few of the larger mills were also equipped to make shingles. At this time then standard shingles were 18 inches long and 1/4 of an inch thick at the butt. They were made of white pine only. The first loggers cut logs only in the wintertime when the snow was deep. As a result, the stump left was several feet high. This contained some of the best timber in the tree but it was lost.

Before the days of the railroad, the logs were placed in the streams and floated to the mills where they were practically all made into lumber rather than shingles. When the railroad came, it was easy to establish camps and put in portable shingle mills from which the shingles could be hauled to the railroads for shipping. These mills now followed up the old wine cuttings. Their owners bought stump lands left by the first loggers and cut the old pine stumps. Many of these would make two or three good shingle bolts. When they were clearing up the olds stumps, if any suitable cedar was growing on the lands, they made this also into shingles. It was not long until the standard length of shingles was reduced to 16 inches. This reduced size saved waste of pine stumpage.

The lumbering in Newaygo County started in the southern part and moved northward. Where the timber was reasonably close to the streams, the northern part of the county was open to the early lumberman. When the railroads were established, they also started in the south and moved northward year by year. In the interior of the county, much of the original pine was not cut until the railroad reached it.

Following up the cutting of this pine were many small shingle mills. Toward the end of the 70's and the early 80's they were to be found everywhere, clearing up after the log cutters had taken out the lumber timber. They might work only a year or two in any one location and then move to another job. While most of these were small, their production in the aggregate was large and they deserve mention for helping to make use of the timber that would otherwise by wasted. They also made it easier for the farmers to clear up the timbered lands for farming purposes.

The lumbering industry received some important accessions in 1874. At Fremont Center, two mills were established, those of James Gibson and Merchant & Hungerford. Gibson's mill cut staves and heading as well as lumber. In 1875, the dry kiln burned. In 1880, the mill was listed in a directory of Fremont business enterprises. In 1881, Charles Brewster was killed in the mill. The next year the stave sheds burned with a loss of $6,000. This fire was very spectacular. A call was sent to Muskegon for aid and in less than an hour after sending the call, a fire engine mounted on a flat car arrived and was playing a hose on the flames. In 1883, the mill became known as The Fremont Stave Co. The mill was listed among Fremont's industries in 1884. It is not known just when the mill ceased operations but it was around 1890.

The Merchant & Hungerford mill was located where the Lang pickle plant is now located. It was listed in the directories of Fremont of 1880 and 1884. During the latter year, the mill burned but the large amount of lumber near was saved by the efficiency of the Fremont fire department. During the 90's, the author was around the mill quite a bit. The mill had a large circular saw. However, it was not large enough to cut some of the big red oaks that came in. The author saw them split some of the logs in four parts by inserting a dynamite cartridge in a crack in the center of each end of the logs. During its last years, it did only custom work.

It was idle a few years and then Ralph Grilley, in 1897, bought the machinery and moved it to Maple Range in Oceana county, where it burned in 1900. During its palmy days at Fremont, the mill was one of the village's leading industries.

Fremont Center received another industry this year, which utilized a forest product. This was the tannery of D. Gerber and Sons, composed of Daniel Gerber and his sons, Joseph and Corneluis. In 1876, J. Andrew Gerber, another son, became a member of the firm. From its opening until it was sold to the Michigan Tanning & Extract Co. in 1907, it was in constant operation in good times and bad. It furnished the principal industry of Fremont for all these years, making this town one of the most prosperous in the country. Not only did it furnish labor for many Fremont residents, but it also, as long as lumbering lasted, furnished a ready market for hemlock bark and work for a number of men and teams drawing the bark to Fremont. The author well remembers the long string of teams that passed his home on Stewart street all winter long drawing sleighs on which the bark was piled high.

Frank B. Jones built a shingle mill three miles south of Newaygo where the Chesebro & McArdle mill had been and James Herron built one on the flats below the lower bridge at Newaygo.

Two years later, C. F. and Alanson Phillips purchased the Jones mill. This is the last record. Herron moved his mill to section 22, Everett Township, near Twin Lakes, in 1876. It ceased operations in 1883.

John Gilbert built a shingle mill at what is called Gilbert's Siding on the line of the railroad from Newaygo to Morgan's Station. It operated only a few years.

At Ashland City, B. H. Adams & Co. built a sawmill and Alonzo Thayer a shingle mill. How long the Adams mill operated is not known to the author. The Thayer mill was operated in 1887 by A. Thayer & Son. The next year Frank and Hiram Thayer took it over. This is the last record found.

Ensley Township had three new mills this year. Mallory & Stacey had one on section 26; Jerry Rudes built a shingle mill for A. Pangborn on section 28; and White & Cook built a saw mill and shingle mill on the shore of Taylor Lake, section 33.

The next year, 1875, Shepherd Frost took over the Mallory & Stacey mill. Frost moved it in 1878 to McBride's, Michigan. When built, the Pangborn mill had a capacity of 35,000 shingles daily. The last record of operation is 1879. The White & Cook mill was called the Steuben Mills. It operated 11 hours a day, the daily cut being 30,000 to 60,000 feet of lumber, 25,000 to 35,000 shingles, and 20,000 lath. Just how long this concern operated at this time is not known, but by 1878 it had removed the machinery. In July of that year, Oliver Taylor of Cedar Springs put other machinery into the mill frame. The next year the firm became O. & M. Taylor. In 1882, John V. Crandall bought the machinery and moved it to his mill in Kent county, just across the line from his home on section 35, Ensley. In 1884, White & Cook placed machinery in the mill and operated it again. There was a considerable little village around the mill in its best days. One of the old mill buildings, the store, is still extant, having been remodeled into a residence.

During the year of 1874, some other items of lumbering interest occured. S. D. Bonner became manager of the Newaygo Company's mill. The Pennoyer Creek Improvement Co. demanded the creek for the purpose of running logs down it. The dam raised Pickeral Lake about three feet. John F. Symington took a logging job for William Addis near Little Brooks Lake. D. Wyatt, Newaygo, with Adams & Lord, Chicago, bought 1,000 acres of pineland from the F. & P. M. Railroad Company on the south branch of the Pere Marquette River.

The Grand Rapids, Newaygo and Lake Shore railroad was completed to Morgan's Station in September, 1875. This was celebrated by an excursion from Grand Rapids to Big Rapids by way of Newaygo and Morgan. The mail route from Newaygo to Hesperia was now discontinued and a new route established from Morgan to Hesperia by way of Aetna and Denver.

Chris F. Roedel came to Morgan's Station this year and started a general store. He died the same year and his son, Phil Roedel, succeeded to the business. This store became the chief outfitting place for lumber camps further north and enjoyed a large business for several years.

Several new mills were established during the year. John Banfield built one at Ashland City. There is no further record of it. Baird & Farnham built one on section 35, Ensley. In 1879, the firm name was A. Farnham. Nothing further is known of it. Wenzel Brothers built one on section 16, Ensley. In 1879, this mill was operated by Joseph Wenzel. The next year the firm name was Poland & Wenzel. The last record of this mill at this location is 1880 but this firm later had shingle mills in other locations. It was likely a portable mill and moved from place to place.

John Cooper built a mill at the west end of Fremont lake, often called the Lake Switch mill. In 1878, the mill was taken over by John Gibson. The atlas of 1880 shows the mill as owned by A. Stevenson. It ceased operations somewhere around 1890. The author, when a boy, found good rock bass fishing where the old slabs from the mill had sunk.

Phillips Brothers built a shingle mill 2 1/2 miles north of Newaygo in June and in September it burned down. Colin Price had a mill on section 28, Norwich, which operated only one year.

Elisha Barton built a waterpower saw and flourmill on section 32, Troy Township, on Freeman creek. This was the only flourmill for miles and it did a flourishing business. In 1876, Barton sold all of section 32, including the sawmill and flourmill, to Abner and Adaliza Burrington. M. E. Burrington operated the mills. The land was covered with heavy pine timber. Edwin N. Jones bought the flourmill in 1882. The next year J. A. Todd operated it. E. B. Burrington now operated the sawmill. Burrington sold the mill to Matthews & Chappel in 1888. In 1891, the firm name had changed to O. & A. Chappel. This is the last record found.

In December, D. P. Clay bought the Blaisdell property north of Newaygo, including the waterpower on Pennoyer creek, and started to build a dam and mill. In March 1876, the machinery was installed. Early in April it was cutting lumber. Late in the month he built another dam for a shingle mill. A newspaper item in 1878 says the mill was a lively place. In August, 1882, Clay shipped 50 cars of lumber from this mill. In 1884, John Grawn sawed a log here that made 1,916 feet of lumber. In 1890, the Convers Manufacturing Co., who had taken over all the Clay properties, repaired the mill and started operations but it burned down two days later.

J. W. Carr & Co. had a sawmill on section 33, Ensley, close to the old Cook & White mill. This is the only record of the Carr mill.

Bracy & Clark established a planing mill at Alleyton. It burned in 1878 and was rebuilt, being shown in the atlas of 1880. Just how long it remained in operation is not known to the author.

At Hungerford, Charles Coffy was jobbing for some lumber concern. Tibbals & Cannon were assessed for pine timber, and Charles R. Barstow for hardwood timber.

Wyman & Buswell, of Grand Haven, had several lumber camps in Ensley Township. John Symington had a logging job on White River and K. Barry one on Pennoyer creek. Henry Barton put 20,000,000 feet of logs in the Muskegon and Ransom Swain put 6,000,000 feet in White River. Daniel Wyatt, Newaygo, retired from his partnership with Adams & Lord.

The Centennial Exhibition was held at Philadelphia in 1876. Among the improvements for lumbering shown there was an "improved bandsaw." In the 80's this new rig appeared in the Lake states.

Many new mills appeared this year, most of them small. M. Moses built a tub and pail factory on Brooks creek in Newaygo which began operating in the fall. It employed 30 men. In November it was 10,000 behind in its orders. Just how long it operated is not known.

Gat & Bill Reeves had a sawmill at Woodville. Stephen Bitely built a mill on the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 35, Ensley. These two mills are recorded only the one year, the same section where A. W. Pangborn had a saw mill. The Lockyear, Lockerby & Co. had a shingle mill on section 28, Ensley, on the same section where A. W. Pangborn had a sawmill. The Lockerby operated until 1888, when it was removed to section 11, Everett.

Edward Phillips and Clarence Barton had a shingle mill on Kimball lake on section 2 of what became Garfield Township. It was assessed at $1,500.

Robert C. Wallace arrived in the county and began extensive lumbering operations for Wyman & Buswell in the southern part of the county. Calvin F. Barnes lumbered on White river near Aetna. Theodore Taylor also had a camp on White River.

Michael Turcotte settled on section 30, Beaver. He had only $5.00 when he arrived. He immediately engaged in logging for E. L. Gray at $1.50 per thousand feet. He became well-to-do and cleared up one of the finest farms in the county. He later built a saw mill and did a big business cutting lumber on contract for other concerns as well as for himself. It ceased operations in 1905. The story is told that Turcotte kept a flock of goats and one day, employees were amazed to find the entire flock lying on top of the mill which they had reached by way of a low shed attached to it.

Alonzo Yates and William Barton also had camps in Beaver. A man named Hill, one named Nichols and E. R. Swain had camps near Hesperia. The editor of the Newaygo Republican visited the camp of Ryerson, Hills & Co, between Newaygo and Fremont, of which Hank Jacobs was foreman.

John Bullman had a camp on section 32, Norwich. In Monroe Township, Jacob Boldman had one on section 30. Hiram Lull had one on the same section and Gibbs, Fales & Butler had one on section 5.

Danaher & Malendy had a camp on section 31 of what became Lilley Township. Heald, Avery & Co. had one five miles from Alleyton. A man named Hill had a bark camp near Field's Station.

Charles M. Darrah put 3,000,000 feet of logs in at Austin for the Newaygo Company. Messrs. Merrick, Fowler & Esseltyn got out 100,000 feet of square timber on Four Mile creek below Newaygo to be shipped to England.

William Kimbell took the job of breaking rollways on the Pennoyer. Roberts & Hull made an ice road from their camp in Grant Township to the river, which was kept up by nightly sprinkling.

In January a tree fell on one of the shanties of Everett Douglas causing it to catch on fire.

"Michigan and its Resources," a book published this year, said: "There are 26 saw mills in Newaygo county, 14 steam, 10 water-power and 2 not reported. These employ 435 persons. They involved an investment of $276,000 and sawed 30,608,000 feet of lumber worth $406,950. There were 7 shingle mills in the county, with an investment of $32,500 and their products were worth $99,000."

In an attempt to identify these mills, the author had found 14 steam saw mills and 12 waterpower ones, with one whose mode of power is not known. It is possible that the editor of the book missed some of the mills, or it is possible that some existing mills were not operating the year the book was published. The author's list is as follows: steam saw mills-W. F. Carpenter, C. R. Twitchell, J. W. Carr & Co., and Stephen Bitely, all of Ensley, with Bitley having two mills; A. T. Squier, Grant Station; K. Mulder, James Gibson, Merchant & Hungerford, and Lake Switch mill, all of Fremont Center; Martin & Doud, Dayton; S. N. Wilcox Lumbering Co., Morgan's Station; Ives Lumber Co., Hungerford; and the Reeves mill, Woodville. Water-power mills-J. Alley & Co., Alleyton; Newaygo Company, Newaygo; William Rice and George Backart, Croton; I. D. Merrill, Bridgeton; Daniel Bigelow, Brooks township; Darling mill and Jones & Allgire, Fremont Center; Stanley mill and W. A. Anderson, Aetna; A. G. Meade, Sheridan Center; and the Harrington mill, Denver; the saw mill not reporting the kind of power was likely the John F. Wood mill, Newaygo. The seven shingle mills were likely the A. W. Pangborn, Wetzel Brothers, Baird & Farnham and Shepherd Frost mills of Ensley; the Freeman S. Matthews mill, Newaygo; the S. N. Wilcox mill, Morgan's Station; and the James Herron mill, Everett township.

In July 1877, the high bridge at Bridgeton burned. The contract for a new bridge was let to James M. Sharp of Ashland.

In September the Croton dam went out with a damage of $1,000. It was at once rebuilt by George Backart.

Hesperia was still hopeful of securing a railroad and it citizens subscribed several thousand dollars toward the construction of one. Like others, it failed to materialize. In the fall, surveying began to extend the Grand Rapids, Newaygo and Lake Shore railroad to Baldwin.

In June the Newaygo Republican gave the names of industries and business places in Newaygo. Among these, it said there was one sash and door factory, one tub and pail factory employing 30 men, and one saw mill employing 20 men and one large saw mill employing 75 men when in operation but not operating because of the low price of lumber.

When the S. N. Wilcox Lumbering Co. at Morgan's Station was reorganized this year and Lester C. Morgan retired from the firm, he and his son, James L. Morgan, formed the Morgan Lumber Co., and built a water-power mill on White river at the northeast corner of Morgan's Station, which name was changed to White Cloud this year. In 1883, the firm was incorporated with a capital stock of $20,000. The incorporators were James L., Lester C., Mary J. and Helen W. Morgan. In 1884 the company was cutting 20,000 feet of lumber per day. It is likely the mill closed in 1890 as this was the last year it was assessed, the value this year being $1,000. In 1891 the Fort Wayne Lumber Co. had lumber at Morgan's yard and in 1893 Christian Pfeiffle had lumber there. Lester C. Morgan died at his home in Muskegon in 1892. In 1897 James B. Hazleton bought the sawmill and water power and added a planer. In later years, other concerns utilized the waterpower at the site for various purposes. In 1942 the old turbine mill wheel was raised from its position in the bed of the river and donated to the government as old iron.

Charles Merriam and Isaac Cassidy built a sawmill at County Line station, now Brunswick, just over the line in Muskegon County. The mill burned after a few years and a larger one was erected. Cassidy had sold his interest soon after the first mill was built to Merriam's brother, John. John later sold his interest to Mack Gallette. Emil Kempf was buying logs for the concern in 1887. It ceased operations about 1897. The building later became a produce warehouse. It is still standing.

E. W. Ewing had a sawmill on section 6, Norwich. The atlas of 1880 shows the mill belonging to B. L. Ewing. In 1881 the mill was moved to Osceola County.

George W. Bolton built a steam sawmill, planing mill and gristmill on section 6, Beaver. Bolton said at this time there were 10,000,000 feet of pine within three miles of the mill and much hardwood. The mill is shown in the atlas of 1880 as the Crystal Springs mill. The building was a peculiar one, the Bolton residence being attached to the planing mill and this to the sawmill. There were rooms over the planing mill for the help. The mill burned in 1889. Alonzo DeLong and Ora Clary, who roomed over the mill, lost their lives in the fire.

Other mills operating in 1877, which are shown on the records for only one year are: a shingle mill near Newaygo by Meyers & Smith; a mill on section 4, Barton, by Martin Compton, in which Amos Whipple received a broken jaw while placing a belt on a pulley; and a shingle mill on section 16, Norwich, by S. S. Gray on lands belonging to C. R. Barstow. R. Baker built a sawmill on section 28, Grant, which was assessed this year at $600. In 1879 it was owned by Baker Brothers. The last record of its operation is 1880.

Ryerson, Hills & Co. purchased a large tract of pineland from Sam Rose, northwest of Newaygo. They also owned large tracts around Crystal, Long and Pickeral lakes, which they proposed to cut soon. Avery & Murphy, of Detroit, bought 3000 acres of pinelands in Beaver Township for $85,000.

In May, the logs in Muskegon and White rivers were hung up for lack of water and in September those in Beaver creek were held up for the same reason.

William Kimbell took the job of hauling to the river the logs cut on Pennoyer creek the past winter for Kelly, Wood & Co. In October E. R. Swain contracted to put in 15,000,000 feet of logs for Heald, Avery & Co.

A man named Dunham had a camp somewhere near Newaygo. John D. Gowell had a camp on section 5, Beaver, this year and the next. Roberts & Hull were operating a camp on sections 7 and 8, Grant Township.

The author has in his possession the daybook for this year of Drs. Nate and McNabb at Fremont. In it several trios are mentioned to Alleyton where Dr. Nate attended a sick man at the Alley boarding house, the cost per trip being $8. Several trips to Vet Stanley, lumberman at Aetna, are also mentioned, each call all being charged at $5.

At this time, hemlock was used for only its bark. A newspaper item in July said: "It takes 50 hemlock trees to make a cord of bark. The timber left is practically worthless."

In 1878 the Muskegon & Big Rapids railroad consolidated with the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore railroad under the name of Chicago & West Michigan railroad. The stations on the Grand Rapids, Newaygo and Lake Shore railroad in Newaygo county were County Line, Ashland City, Grant Station, Newaygo, Croton Switch and White Cloud. Hesperia and Alleyton were trying to secure a narrow gauge railroad to connect the two points. Both Hesperia and Fremont Center were trying to induce the Detroit, Lansing & Northern railroad to extend its lines to the two villages.

The Sheridan tannery in February produced 35,730 pieces of finished leather and employed 25 men. This concern purchased 10,000 cords of hemlock bark this year.

During the year, W. N. Cartier & Co. built a shingle mill on section 32, Barton township; H. Anderson had a portable mill on section 35, Dayton; A. E. Upton was operating a mill on Second lake north of Fremont Center which had been built by a man named Wyatt; "Russ" Rice had a shingle mill on Crockery lake on section 29, Grant township.

W. N. Cartier & Co. became Cartier & Runyon in 1879. The last record of this mill was in 1881. There are no further records of the Russ Rice, H. Anderson and Second Lake Mills. However, the floor of the second lake mill remained until in the late 90's and formed a convenient place for offshore fishing.

The Watrous mill was two miles east of Ashland City. It started operation in May. It was at first intended to be temporary to cut the logs left over from the previous winter's logging operations. However, Watrous bought considerable more timber and so continued the mill. Because the roads were so poor, a plank road was built from the mill to the station at Ashland City. During August, 40 men and 12 horse teams was busy hauling log over the road to be shipped to C. C. Comstock, Grand Rapids. The camp was a half-mile south of the mill. The mill had a capacity of 40,000 feet of lumber and 60,000 shingles per day. There were 35 men working in the mill. In December machinery was put in the mill to make pails. The lumber mill shut down for the season but the two shingle machines were running day and night.

By the next year, the mill was making staves also, and William Graham came to take charge of the saw, shingle and stave mills. The mill buildings are shown in the atlas of 1880, along with another one on section 1, Grant Township, belonging to the firm. In 1881, Watrous assigned the mills to his son. The mills now employed 200 men. In August C. C. Comstock purchased the mill property, including the mills on both section 1 and section 29. In 1882, the mills were torn down and the machinery moved to Grand Rapids.

Much logging took place in 1878. Finlayson Brothers had a large lot of logs ready for sawing near Fremont, likely at the H. Anderson mill. Hills & Co. had a camp on what later became the John Allen farm north of Fremont. Charles R. Barstow was assessed for hardwood timber in Norwich Township and Edwin Cannon and O. A. Clark were jobbing in the same township. H. E. Wilcox and Daniel Wyatt each had a camp on section 13, Troy Township. M. Turcotte was assessed for lumber on section 21, Troy. Stratton & Babcock were logging about a mile from Alleyton. George H. Stratton had a 7,000,000 feet job on White River. D. Smith had a camp for the Wilcox Lumber Co. 2 1/2 miles from White Cloud. John Westbrook had a camp in the White River country. John Symington was superintendent of the White River drive this year. Wyman & Buswell were logging extensively on sections 8 and 17, Ensley.

In July about 450,000 feet of logs belonging to Heald, Avery & Co. burned on section 20, Monroe. These had been cut by John Symington the winter previous. Ferry Brothers lost about 2,000 logs by fire on the Lull job.

There was some agitation about securing a match factory for Fremont Center. Charles Nason, son of C. F. Nason, was killed at Ashland City when a car of lumber fell on him. At Newaygo, the sash and blind factory of L. S. Skinner was destroyed by fire.

Ryerson, Hills & Co. built a road from the Sam Rose place to the river, using ties placed close together. This concern had much timbered land around Crystal and Long lakes. The nearest railroad station was Worcester Hill. When they started lumbering off the timber in this section, they loaded their logs at Worcester Station and shipped them to Muskegon. But after a time the railroad raised the freight rates to a point that was prohibitive and they began looking for some other way to get their logs to their mill.

They built a logging railroad of their own, with spurs in all directions into their timber. One spur went to Long Lake and all the logs adjacent to this were hauled and dumped into the lake. A series of dams was built in the outlet to this lake and by means of these old dams may still be seen-one on the Moses Bell farm, and the other just south of the main road leading east from Fremont. The main track of the logging road led to Pickeral Lake and the roundhouse was located there. Kimbell Lake and Pickeral lake have only a short channel between and so the logs all eventually reached Pickeral lake. From there, the lumber company planned to run the logs down Pennoyer creek into the Muskegon at Newaygo, but a newobstacle arose. D. P. Clay had a mill on the Pennoyer. He was also one of the heavy stockholders in theGrand Rapids, Newaygo and Lake Shore railroad, whose tracks crossed the Muskegon just below where the Pennoyer empties.

Clay claimed that the logs coming down the creek endangered both his mill and the abutments to the railroad bridge and he succeeded in preventing Ryerson, Hills & Co. from using the creek. So they were compelled in 1878 to build another railroad from the part of Pickeral lake nearest Newaygo to the -Muskegon below the railroad bridge. William Kimbell had charge of this job.

The logs were now dumped into the upper end of Pickerel lake from Ryerson's main railroad, were formed into rafts, and these were towed to the railroad at the lower end of the lake by means of an engine mounted on a flat boat. William Kimbell also had charge of the towing. The logs were pulled out of the lake, loaded on logging cars and hauled two miles to the Muskegon and dumped at a large rollway. The remains of the old logging railroad grade may be seen in entering Newaygo from the Fremont road.

After the Ryerson concern built their logging railroad, Worcester station was removed a mile west to the present Wooster and the spelling of the name changed. For a time a sidetrack called "Ryerson" remained at the old place but that long since has been abandoned.

The year of 1879 showed much activity in all lines of lumbering operations. This includes the building of several new mills. The largest of these was the mill of the West Michigan Lumber Co. at Woodville. E. B. Wright was general superintendent and James Corsaut was foreman in the mill. The owners were mostly investors who had stock in the Chicago & West Michigan railroad. The mill employed 350 men when in full swing. It was assessed for $1,100 in 1879 for the mill and $8,690 personal, likely logs, timber and logging railway equipment. It had a capacity of 69,000 feet of lumber per day.

In addition to the mill, there was a big office, a boardinghouse, and a hotel. It employed men with families and built many houses for their accomodation. All these buildings were painted red and gave the town a unique appearance. One or two of the old houses still remain on which a faint trace of the red paint is still visible.

In 1880 Martin Holland came from Hungerford and started working for the company. In 1881 Holland was

sent by the West Michigan company from Woodville to Diamond Lake. The company had started the year before to build a mill there but the building operations were exceedingly slow. Holland speeded up the operations and the mill was soon built. Like the Woodville settlement, the company preferred men with families and so the village had many houses and a large population. To facilitate operations, Lincoln township was formed and the company's bookkeeper, James L. Alexander, was elected supervisor. He was also appointed postmaster. The company also built a large store. The mill employed 150 men and had a capacity of 88,000 of lumber daily. During the month of August, the company shipped 491 cars of lumber, more than 4,000,000 feet.

Bronson was engineer at the mill. He moved to Bronson, Idaho, where he became superintendent of the Winton Lumber Co. Don Fleming moved to Boyne City, Michigan, and had a furniture store there. Charles L. Jones ran the company's store part of the time and the boardinghouse part of the time. He was there for ten years, from 1881 to 1891. Later, he was in the mercantile business at Ashland Center.

The company's Diamond lake store was a large affair, 36x70 feet. George Burns and William Whittaker worked in the store at various times. Alexander was afterward bookkeeper for Carbine & McCallum at Hesperia. George Burns moved to Fremont and started a sawmill there. William Whittaker had a farm near Fremont. Carl Tutzka operated the boardinghouse a short time. He moved to Hesperia. William Gurd, W. R. Twing and Tom Kelly worked in the mill. They afterward bought farms nearby.

Soon after building the Diamond lake mill the company built another large mill two miles north at Park City. Winfield Brewer was manager of the mill. Dell Lovejoy was bookkeeper and he also operated the company's store for a time. Later he became a prosperous businessman at Seattle, Washington.

The company also had a large camp at the north end of the lake. The property was afterward cleared up into a farm where cattle and sheep were raised on an extensive scale. A beautiful mansion was built on the farm and it became known over the country as the West Michigan farm.

At first the mill at Diamond Lake had only a circular saw. But after five or six years a gang saw was added and a large burner was constructed to take care of the waste products of the mill. This company also had a

A newspaper item of March 15, 1882, said the West Michigan Lumber Co. was cutting 250,000 feet of lumber daily in its three mills at Woodville, Diamond Lake and Park City. It employed 500 men and 80 horses. The Woodville mill was supplied by a railroad five miles long. Some logs were trucked in for 1 1/2 miles over a tram road lined with lumber piles. In February 1882, more than 300 cars of lumber were shipped. The company furnished 3,000,000 feet of lumber for an elevator in Cincinnati. In 1881 they had sawed 41,000,000 feet of lumber and in 1882 they cut 50,000,000 feet in addition to 10,000,000 lath.

At this time they were carrying a stock of $2,500 in each of their stores at Woodville and Diamond Lake. George C. Kimbell, general manager of the C. & W. M. railroad, was president of the company. H. Park was treasurer, and E. B. Wright was general superintendent. The general offices were located at Muskegon but an office was maintained at Woodville where Mr. Wright was assisted by E. H. Rogers, salesman and assistant superintendent and by E. C. Grosbeck, bookkeeper.

A newspaper item in October said the Diamond Lake mill in 1 1/2 hours with 1 circular saw cut 121,193 feet of lumber.

In 1884 the company donated two carloads of lumber toward building a new Congregational church at Newaygo. This year the Woodville and Diamond Lake mill were each cutting 60,000 feet of lumber a day and the Park City mill was cutting 50,000 feet. The combined daily output of shingles at the three mills was 160,000. In March the Diamond Lake mill had 15,000,000 feet of logs ready to cut into lumber.

The next year the company leased the Mecosta branch of the C. & W. M. railroad, with engine and cars, and drawed logs from Goodwell Township to stock the Woodville mill. It built a stave mill to work up its hardwood timber. This year the mills at Woodville and Diamond Lake cut 18,000,000 feet of lumber.

In 1886 the company purchased the general store of John W. Hewett at Woodville. The next year the store, warehouse and icehouse of the company at Diamond Lake burned. In 1889, the company had a mill on section 23, Monroe Township, where it cut staves and heading. This same year the Woodville mill, along with their store, yards, etc., was lighted with electric lights, an innovation for mills in Newaygo County. In 1890 the Woodville mill was running day and night. The company had a big camp on section 19, Norwich, where they loaded logs on their own railroad. This year the company completed its cut at Park City and the mill was dismantled and moved away. The railroad discontinued the station and moved the depot to Brookings. All that remains of Park City is a few holes in the ground where the homes in the village stood and the bed of the big engine, which operated the mill. The company was logging on sections 3 and 14 of what became Merrill Township.

It was while the mill was running at Park City that a tragedy occurred a few miles away. Two miles southwest of Otia was Buckhorn. This had had a shingle mill in 1879 but this had been moved away and the place would not be remembered except for a murder that occurred there. Joseph Bowman, a bachelor, lived in a small cabin there. H. E. Waterman and Cass Seymour, of Hesperia, had been selling sewing machines to settlers in the vicinity. They stopped at the old man's cabin and asked to stay all night. He would not let them, saying he had no feed for their horses. They were compelled to go three miles further on to Park City.

While eating breakfast the next morning, the news came that Bowman had been killed during the night. He had been to Big Rapids that day and sold something and the two men who killed him thought he had brought the money home with him. As a matter of fact, he had deposited all but $5.00 of it in a Big Rapids bank, and the $5.00 is all they got except a life sentence to Jackson prison. Ever since, the place has been called "The Dead Man's Crossing."

In 1891 the Woodville mill set a record of sawing 186,553 feet of lumber, 54,000 shingles and 34,800 lath in one day. A fire this year at Woodville did considerable damage.

The Woodville mill ceased operations in 1892. It had run constantly for 13 years. During the next two years the lumber in the yards was all shipped out. The company sold its big store at Woodville to A. V. Young. All the other property was sold to Martin Holland. He opened a store in the old office building. He sold the houses to various people and many of them were torn down or moved away. He wrecked the old mill building and the timbers in it were bought by the Fremont Canning Co. in 1901 and used in the construction of its factory.

In 1893 the company was assessed for logs on section 25, Beaver. In 1894 the big mill at Diamond Lake ceased operations, the last of the three big mills of the West Michigan Lumber Co. to go out of business. Martin Holland purchased the mill, yards, and other property in the village. He kept them only a few months and sold them to Samuel V. Yoder. Yoder soon sold them to his son-in-law, M. A. Schmucker. Schmucker operated the store until it burned in 1907. The beautiful farm was sold to J. J. Shutterly. It has now passed through several hands. The mansion still retains some of its magnificence.

In 1879, also, Stephen Bitely moved his shingle mill from section 27, Ensley to section 15, Ensley. This mill had a capacity of 40,000 shingles daily and employed 13 men. It was assessed at $1,500 in 1881, which is the last record. Bitely built another mill in 1879, a saw mill and shingle mill, on section 24, Ensley, on Baptist lake. It was assessed in 1880 at $5,150. It employed 26 men and cut 40,000 feet of lumber daily. Both the mill on section 15 and the one on section 24 are shown in the atlas of 1880. In 1882 Bitely opened a new store at his Baptist Lake mill. In May of this year the mill was cutting from 40,000 to 48,000 feet of lumber a day. Bitely had 2,000,000 feet of logs in the lake and operated a tram road from the north side of the lake to his pine timber. Daniel Coffman operated the Baptist lake mill and Thomas Oliver operated a camp for him on section 23, Ensley. In 1884 the Baptist lake mill was running day and night on shingles. This year Daniel Bitely operated the mill for Stephen Bitely until everything was cleared up here. Bitely also operated a mill this year on the John Wright farm on section 26, Ensley.

Smaller mills built in 1879 include those of Baker & Murray shingle mill, section 14, Norwich; D. Y. Reichert and Wetzel Bros. & Reichert, each a shingle mill on section 20, Norwich; S. B. St. Clair, shingle mill, section 12, Norwich; R. W. Turnbull, saw and shingle mill, section 14, Norwich; William H. Kellogg, mill on section 26, Merrill; W. H. Coon, small mill on section 13, Ensley; and Charles Johnson, shingle mill on section 21, Ensley.

The Baker & Murray, William H. Kellogg, and W. H. Coon mills were recorded for only one year. The two Reichert mills, the St. Clair mill, the R. W. Turnbull mill, and the Charles Johnson mill are shown in the atlas of 1880. There was a strike at Wetzel Brothers mill in 1881. In 1882 the mill was moved to Horsehead lake. The D. Y. Reichert mill burned in 1883. The St. Clair mill burned in 1881. The Turnbull mill ceased operations in 1884. The Charles Johnson mill was assessed at $550 when built in 1879. In 1880 it was taken over by Oberholtzer & Brinkman and assessed at $900. The next year it was owned by James Oberholtzer, which is the last record.

Lumber camps had increased to such an extent in 1879 that it was difficult to keep track of all of them. A partial list of new camps for that year include those of Blackman & Banks, section 16, Sherman, where they lumbered for L. G. Mason, and another set near Hesperia; D. P. Clay's camp on section 13, Ashland; Wyman & Buswell, section 16, Ensley; Wyman & French, section 20, Ensley; Ryerson, Hills & Co., section 32, Sheridan; Alley & Graves, near White Cloud; J. Alley & Company's lower camp near Alleyton; and Edward Cannon, Cannon & Beaumont, and O. A. Clark on section 16, Norwich.

The Newaygo County Booming Co. was formed this year, with a capital stock of $10,000. The incorporators were A. V. Thompson, Burnett Fulkerson, John P. Woods, S. D. Bonner, William H. Fetch, and George H. Hobart.

In 1880, the population of Newaygo County, according to the Federal census had more than doubled since 1870, having increased from 7,294 to 14,770. The principal settlements, all of which depended more or less upon the lumbering and allied industries, were Ashland City, with 190 population; Clay's camp near Newaygo, 40; Newaygo, 1,097; Croton, 118; Fremont Center, 902; Alleyton, 464; Grant Station, 90; White Cloud, 440.

According to reports made in the census, there were 41 lumber mills in the county, worth $643,600, employing 572 men and turning out annual products of $1,334,586.

M. Carpenter built a sawmill on section 33, Croton. Albert R. Mudget came to Croton this year and bought a half interest in the Carpenter mill. Within a year or two, he bought the remaining interest. In 1884, it was cutting 20,000 feet of lumber daily. In 1886 he moved the machinery in the mill to a saw mill north of White Cloud on section 16, Wilcox.

A. A. Smith built a mill on section 9, Ensley. It was assessed at $900. The mill burned to the ground in 1881.

In Dayton Township, E. B. Balch and J. R. Dudley were each assessed for a mill on section 22, on Devils' Lake. This is the only appearance of Balch's name in the records. In 1881, J. R. Dudley had become Dudley & Son and Walter Pumfrey was operating the mill for them. In 1882 it was operated by Kinde & Dudley. The mill was assessed in 1890 at $750. In 1892 the mill was operated by a Mr. Hilton, who had been at Woodville. The mill ceased operations within a year or two after this. The site of the mill is still disclosed today by the existence of slabs and short logs.

In Sherman Township, E. Francisco had a shingle mill on lot 10, near Robinson Lake. It was assessed at $1,000. The next year Francisco was succeeded by Wetzel & Brassfield. This is the last record.

David George had a mill on section 32, Norwich, on Brush Lake. It consisted of sawmill, shingle mill and stave mill. The next year the mill was assessed to L. T. Kinney. In 1884 the mill, along with much lumber, went up in smoke, with a loss of $50,000.

Kinney lived at Grand Rapids and was sheriff of Kent county part of the time that he operated the mill.

Stories were told that he brought prisoners to the mill and made them work out their sentences. He was a commanding figure in this section. He was a large man and rode a good-looking horse. He always wore a belt with a big revolver at either hide. His camps had the name of being the toughest of any in the country. He was fond of horses, several of which he kept for racing and he built a half-mile racing-track around one of his camps.

An eyewitness says that one night a gang of Kinney's men got on a train at White Cloud to go to Woodville. They were all drunk and began a free-for-all fight in the smoking car. Men were being hurled over the backs of the seats, when the brakeman knocked down two or three of the leaders and dragged them into the baggage car. When the train reached Field's, the conductor put the whole outfit off the train.

A favorite story regarding Kinney is that he charged every man who worked for him a certain amount for tobacco whether he got it or not. One employee remonstrated, saying that he did not use tobacco and had not gotten any. Kinney told him that was his own fault-it was there for him and charged it to him just the same.

Kinney had a pet goat that disappeared one day and he suspected a man named Simpson of stealing it. Going to Simpson's house, he began in search of it. Simpson let him go through the house but told him his wife was very sick and could not be disturbed. Kinney did not find the goat and, knowing that Simpson was a thief, finally told him he would have to disturb his wife. Pulling her out of bed, he found the slaughtered goat under the mattress.

Among those working for Kinney was an Indian, Pean Puckinobino, who lived at Fremont. Oxen were raised at the camp to draw logs and one day one of them died. Pean was selected to draw the carcass into the woods and bury it. On the way he met a couple of men who asked him what he was going to do with the dead ox. Pean replied, "Take she to Fremont, sell she for beef."

Other mills built in 1880 were those of Barnett & Gray, section 1, Wilcox; Bickhart & Son, section 17, Norwich; L. T. Kinney, section 21, Norwich; J. B. Beaumont, section 16, Norwich; and Tom J. Sheridan, section 17, Norwich.

There is only this year's record of the Barnett & Gray mill. Bickhart & Son's mill was on land belonging to Barnhart & Judson and the next year the mill was assessed to them. This is the last record of the mill. The mill of L. T. Kinney burned in 1882. In 1884, a newspaper item said that the mill of J. B. Beaumont at Hungerford (section 16, Norwich) was doing a large and increasing business. In 1885, the Beaumont mill cut 5,000,000 feet of lumber according to government statistics. This is the last record the author has been able to find of the Beaumont mill. No other record was found of the Sheridan mill.

In 1880, among the camps operating were those of the West Michigan Lumber Co., section 35, Croton; D. S. Benson, section 8, Norwich; D. P. Clay, section 13, Grant; Wyman & Buhwell in Grant; Edward Cannon, Beaumont & Cannon and Comstock & Dunning, 37 section 16, Norwich; Heald, Murphy & Crepin, section 2, Denver; Benjamin Candee, one each on section 16 and section 27, Beaver; Thorn & Barkeet, section 9, Troy; George Wyatt, section 25, Troy; and Williams & Maus, section 29, Troy. Ryerson Hills & Co. were assessed $5,000 at Newaygo, likely for railroad, rollway and logs. They also had camps this year on section 16, Sherman, and section 14, Goodwell.

The atlas of 1880 shows 55 mills on the maps of the various townships. These mills are as follows: Ensley, Joseph Wenzel, section 16; Charles Johnson, section 21; W. F. Carpenter, section 25; A. Pangborn, section 28; O. & M. Taylor, section 33; S. Bitely, one each on section 24 and 27. Croton, P. L. R. Fiske, section 33; William Rice, section 8. Brooks, H. H. Wood, section 17, D. P. Clay, section 18 (Pennoyer creek). Newaygo village, Freeman S. Matthews and D. P. Clay. Norwich, B. L. Ewing, section 6; S. B. St. Clair, section 12; R. W. Turnbull, section 14; Barnhart & Judson, section 17; Wetzel Bros., and Wetzel Bros. & Reichert, section 20; David George, section 32; Stewart Ives, section 15 (Hungerford); Barton, Cartier & Runyon, section 32. Grant, Baker Brothers, section 28; H. S. Watrous, one each on section 1 and 29. Everett, James Herron, section 32; James Alley & Co., Alleyton; Bracy & Clark, Alleyton. Wilcox, Barnett & Gray, section 1; S. N. Wilcox Lumber Co., White Cloud; Monroe, Osterhout, Fox Co., section 23 (Foxville); West Michigan Lumber Co., Woodville; William H. Kellogg, section 26. Ashland, A. T. Squier,

Grant Station; a mill at Ashland City, likely the Salisbury mill. Sherman, E. Francisco, section 10; Bradford & Gerber, section 15. Lincoln, J. L. Morgan, section 25 (Blacksmith Lake); Doud & Barnes, and W. A. Anderson, section 30 (Aetna). Sheridan, A. Stevenson, section 3; A. G. Meade, section 22; Gerber tannery, K. Mulder and Hiram Jones, Fremont. Dayton, J. R. Dudley & Son, section 22; Mrs. William Martin, section 29; Merchant & Hungerford, James Gibson and Darling & Cook, Fremont. Denver, Perry Mansfield, section 22; G. D. Webster and H. F. Cushman, Hesperia. Beaver, George W. Bolton, section 6, Troy; M. E. Burrington, section 32.

Early in 1881 the Grand Rapids, Newaygo and Lake Shore railroad was sold to the Chicago & West Michigan railroad and thus all railroads in the county were brought under one management. The railroad pushed farther and farther north of White Cloud. By November 29, it had been completed to Blue Lake on section 32 of what became Lilley Township.

One large saw mill and several smaller ones were built this year. Hartt & Horning, operating for Osterhout, Fox & Co. of Grand Rapids, built a mill on section 23, Monroe, a short distance from Woodville. The mill settlement was called Foxville. A spur from the main railroad at Woodville ran out to the mill. This mill operated several years with an annual average product of 1,000,000 feet of lumber and 10,000,000 shingles. In January of the next year it burned with a loss of $10,000. It was rebuilt in 1883. In 1884 the daily cut of lumber was 30,000 feet. Official statistics for 1885 show it cut 1,000,000 feet of lumber that year. It ceased operations in 1887.

Grosvenor & Brewer built a small mill on the east end of Blue lake on section 32, Lilley township. The mill settlement was called at first Walkup City. It was the terminus of the Chicago & West Michigan railroad. The village site was surveyed by Thad Waters. Grosvenor & Brewer did not long retain the mill and it was sold to Babcock Brothers & Phillips. Considerable trouble arose in 1882 over the mill property. There were 40,000,000 feet of pine timber tributary to the mill, which Walkup, Fisher & Co. had bought from D. H. Waters. Adolph Lietelt had a mortgage on the mill and on much of the standing timber. He foreclosed the mortgage. He was assessed $12,000 for his interest and Walkup, Patterson & Co. $9,000. In April Lietelt started to tear the machinery out of the mill but he was stopped by court process. A new company, The West Troy Lumber Co., was now formed, with Thomas Walkup as president, which took over the property. The village name was changed to West Troy. The new company built a large mill containing two sets of circular saws having a capacity of 90,000 feet a day. The mill employed about 150 men in the mill and many more in the woods nearby. The Chicago & West Michigan railroad established a telegraph office here in July.

The firm did not succeed very well and in 1883 the mill was sold at an auction sale. H. E. Cartier & Co., Ludington, sent a representative there to bid on the property. He arrived on the train the evening before carrying a black satchel and dressed as a woodsman. He remained at the mill boardinghouse that night, throwing the old satchel into a corner. When the bidding started the next day, he bid on the property. Onlookers were amazed to see him open the old satchel and count out the purchase price in cash. The new owner had camps on sections 23 and 33 of which became Lilley Township and hauled logs to the mill by both railroad and sleigh.

In 1884 West Troy had 60 buildings and 45 families. L. S. Baker purchased the mill and village property in November of this year for $100,000. In the official statistics of 1885, Baker had 500,000 feet of lumber on hand at the end of the year.

In 1886 the mill was taken over by Anderson & Griffin. The sellers guaranteed there would be 13,000,000 feet of pine on the property. For any shortage, the new concern was to receive a rebate of $3.50 per thousand feet. The purchase price was $45,000, of which $5,000 was to be paid down and the balance on mortgage.

The mill burned in May 1886. They at once rebuilt it. In 1887 their large barn burned. At this time they were putting many logs into Blue Lake by railroad. In 1888 Anderson & Griffin brought suit against L. S. Baker, George F. Stearns and the Northern National Bank of Big Rapids showing a shortage of 6,861,915 feet of lumber. During this year, Dow Walgamott, present supervisor of Lilley, worked in the mill. This year Anderson & Griffin became Anderson & Foster. In 1889 the late Ann Christensen, of Bitley, was one of the four cooks at the mill boardinghouse. In 1892 the suit of Anderson & Griffin was decided in favor of the plaintiffs. This is the last record of the mill. Today one can still see where the streets of the village were cut through the woods. A few slabs in the old dock on Blue Lake are visible. The old railroad bed is also still visible.

Among the smaller mills built in 1881 were a shingle mill of Wetzell Brothers on section 9, Goodwell; a mill of Thomas Carnes, section 4, Ensley; a shingle mill of Curtis & Fry at Newaygo; and one of Teachout & Stevens on section 10, Barton. The first three mentioned are recorded only this one year. Curtis & Fry's shingle mill was on the site of the old L. S. Skinner sash and door factory. The Teachout & Stevens mill blew up this year but was rebuilt and the next year was moved by Teachout & Norton to section 14, Barton. It is recorded only one year there. In addition to these mills, George Sellinger was operating a mill on section 20, Norwich, at Lumberton. The mill burned in 1884 with a loss of $9,000.

During this year, the Pickeral lake camp of Ryerson, Hills & Co. was very active. The loaders, where the logs were taken out of the lake and loaded on cars, loaded 10 cars in 15 minutes. A total of 180 cars of logs was put in the Muskegon river each day.

William Graham, of Grant, leased the old Moses tub factory on Brooks creek to start to manufacture a patented clothes reel.

Charles Gregory commenced a three-years' contract of shipping bark from Ashland City. N. B. Clark resigned his position as salesman at D. Gerber & Sons, Fremont Center, and began buying bark.

Heald, Murphy & Crepin did an extensive logging business. They started three camps in Beaver Township of which D. O. Sibley, Henry Rivait, and Phinton McKeen were foremen. They put 10,000,000 feet of logs in Martin's creek, which they renamed Heald's creek. The logs were hauled 2 1/2 miles. Ned Skinner was bookkeeper and scaler.

Among the other camps started this year were those of Myron Abel, section 25, Ensley; Peter Hanson, section 19, Goodwell; Ryerson, Hills & Co., section 27, Sherman (Long Lake); Lentze Brothers, section 32, Troy; E. R. Sailor, one near Newaygo; one of a man named Cook in Denver; by a man named Weir in Monroe; and one of a man named Weston near White Cloud. The latter was lumbering for Smith & Field's of Whitehall. David S. Benson was assessed for timber on section 8, Norwich.

In November there were 150,000,000 feet of logs in a solid jam above Orton's piers, a mile above Newaygo. These were part of the drive of that year-a drive made famous by the greatest fight of rivermen in the history of Michigan lumbering.

There had always been a keen rivalry between river drivers of the Saginaw and Muskegon valleys. Each river had its "best man" and each year these met in personal combat to settle the unofficial championship. For the most part, these bouts attracted only focal and temporary attention. However, this year, the affray became part of lumbering history that will be remembered as long as lumbering is carried on.

The year before, a man named John Driscoll was working on the drive on the Tittabawasee River, a branch of the Saginaw. Although a young man, his hair was as white as snow and he had received the nickname of "Silver Jack." He was quiet and unobtrusive. He was a staunch Catholic and a bully working on the drive started to malign his religion. Silver Jack warned the blusterer, but the latter, believing Driscoll was afraid, continued to wisecrack and criticize. It finally resulted in a terrific rough-andtumble fight, with kicking, gouging, biting and punching.

This bout gave rise to a poem, which was well known to Newaygo county river men, as follows:

SILVER JACK

I was on the drive in '80,

On the drive with Silver Jack,

Which the same is now in Jackson,

And ain't soon expected back.

And there was a fellow 'mongst us

By the name of Bobby Waite;

Kind of cute and smart and cunning,

Guess he was a graduate.

He could talk on any subject

From the Bible down to Hoyle,

An' his words flowed out so easy,

Just as smooth and slick as oil.

He was what they call a skeptic,

An' he loved to sit and weave

Hifalutin' words together,

Tellin' what he didn't believe.

One day, while waitin' for a flood,

We was all a sittin' round,

Smokin' Nigger head tobacco

An' hearin' Bob expound.

He said Hell was all humbug

An' he showed as plain as day

That the Bible was a fable

An' we lowed it look that way.

Miracles and such like

Were too rank for him to stand,

An' as for Him they called the Savior,

He was just a common man.

"You're a liar!" someone shouted,

"An' you've got to take it back! "

An' everybody started,

'Twas the voice of Silver Jack.

An' he cracked his fists together

An' he stripped his duds an' cried,

" 'Twas in that religion That my mother lived and died;

"An though I haven't always Used the Lord exactly right, When I hear a chump abuse him, He's got to eat his words or fight."

Now Bob he was no coward An' he spoke up brave an' free, "Put up your dukes and fight, my lad, You'll find no flies on me."

They fought for forty minutes While the boys would whoop an' cheer: An' Jack spit up a tooth or two An' Bobby lost an ear.

But at last Jack got him under, An' he slugged him once or twist, An' straightway Bob admitted The divinity of Christ.

But Jack kept reasonin' with him Till the poor cuss gave a yell An' lowed he'd been mistaken In his views concernin' hell.

Then the fierce encounter ended An' they riz up from the ground, An' someone brought a bottle out An' kindly passed it round.

An' we drank to Jack's religion In a sort of solemn way But the spread of infidelity Was checked in camp that day.

The news of this encounter spread and Silver Jack attained a reputation as a fighter. The next year Jack worked on the Muskegon River. This year a man by the name of Angus Bronson worked on the Tit-tabawasee river and became the fighting idol of the river men there, some of whom told him of Silver Jack's prowess. Nothing would do but Bronson and Silver Jack must have it out.

So, when the Muskegon drive had reached Evart, Bronson appeared on the scene. He began hunting for Silver Jack. The news traveled and somebody found Silver Jack in a saloon and told him a stranger was hunting for him. The silver-haired lumberman put down his glass and said, "I ain't afraid of no man-nor of the Devil! Let him come! " and went on with his drink.

Among the crowd that had gathered in the saloon was a barefoot boy twelve years of age. He had a hard time dodging the calked boots of the rivermen, but he wanted to see the scrap and finally climbed up on the bar. The boy was John S. Torrey, who later became a lumberman. The fight made a great impression upon the boy, as it did on everyone else there and he often told the story, which is as follows:

The stranger stopped within a few feet of the bar. He wore the best of clothes—Stetson hat, tailor-made wool trousers, slagged at the knee, and a pair of very expensive calked boots with long tight tops to the knees. A two-buckle strap supported the boots at the top and the instep was high arched and steel stiffened.

Each French heel bore five calks and the thick soles were studded with 50 calks.

After giving us plenty of time to feast our eyes on his clothes, he asked sharply, in a clear voice in which there was no trace of fear:

"Is Silver Jack in the room?"

Silver Jack stepped out into the little cirle that had been formed in front of the bar.

"I am Silver Jack."

"My name is Bronson, Angus Bronson. I'm from the Tittabawasee river. I've heard you're the best man on Muskegon waters, and I've come to see how good a man you are."

Silver Jack eyed Bronson for a moment and then answered him with almost a tinge of regret in his tone:

"Bronson, I'm not looking for trouble, but you have come so far I'll accommodate you."

At once there was a milling and pushing about the crowded room as the husky River Hogs formed their famous circle from which no man ever escaped until there had been a victory. The circle formed, the room became still as death.

Silver Jack and Bronson stepped out into the circle. I noticed that both were fine-featured, so fine that there was a suggestion of the feminine. They were evenly matched in weight and height, and each weighed about 185 pounds. Each was about 28 years old. Silver Jack's hair was white, Bronson's black.

Turning in the circle, Bronson asked if he had a friend in the house that would see that he had a square deal. A dozen voices rose to assure him, but all were silenced by a wave of Silver Jack's hand.

"I'll see you get a square deal, Bronson," said Silver Jack as he held out his hand. "We fight fair here."

Those River Hogs, thirsting for a fight, yet eager to see their champion win, knew what Silver Jack meant. They knew that he had pledged his word to Bronson that no one would interfere. They recognized Silver Jack as their leader and woe to the man who double-crossed him or helped him in any way, no matter how the fight was going.

Bronson and Silver shed their wool mackinaws, opened their shirts so their muscled chests were bare, and rolled up their sleeves. Every eye held upon the two as they squared away, facing each other for a moment.

Bronson led the first blow struck in a fight that went down in history of the lumberjack days in northern Michigan as the best and hardest scrap ever fought by two river drivers

Silver Jack played the defensive for a while. Bronson pushed the fight hard, but failed to do much damage. The room was plumb full of hush except for the heavy breathing of the two and the thud of fists on quivering flesh.

Then Silver Jack met Bronson with a rain of blows in the face. Bronson retaliated. Both were fighting hard now, striving to get in smashing blows, taking as well as giving with little effort at defense, standing toe to toe. For Bronson, victory meant carrying the title of the best man back to the Tittabawasee River and Saginaw valley; to Silver, victory meant keeping the title for the Big Muskegon.

They were breathing harder now. Bronson had realized he was up against the real thing. Silver Jack, with a faint but determined smile twisting his lips, scored with a hard right hand and followed with a smashing left to the jaw. Bronson clinched for a moment to shake the fog out of his eyes and then sprang back on the defensive now.

Silver began boring in, smashing in, crushing, pounding. He had measured his man and Bronson was too weak now to stop that rain of blows. An hour and a half passed, an hour and a half of fast reddening fists and bodies, and then Bronson, scarcely able to whisper, said, "Enough."

Even the hardened Old River Hogs were glad to see that fight end. They pulled Bronson to his trembling feet. He was a wreck. Someone wiped his face with a bar towel.

He hung limply there until Silver Jack came, then he straightened and stuck out his hand; Silver grasped it.

"Silver, you're the best man I ever met!" the challenger croaked through his puffed lips.

Silver Jack laid his hand on Bronson's sholder and he smiled as he said simply, "Bronson, you're the best man I ever met! "

Angus Bronson left in a few days for the Saginaw valley, a whipped man, but greatly admired, for we saw no disgrace in the loss of a fight like that he put up against Silver Jack. Silver left at the same time to join the drive at Hersey, still holding the title of the best man in northern Michigan.

The two marched down the street together that last day, arm in arm, singing the old familiar river song, "Muskrat Under the Sweeper." They parted friends.

From that day to this, wherever lumbering is going on in the United States, the story of Silver Jack's fight is told.

Silver Jack made some enemies in the Saginaw valley because of his whipping of their idol. In 1882, some of them got him drunk and put $2.50 and a .38 calibre revolver in his pocket. They next told Saginaw police that Silver Jack had held them up and robbed them. Being under the influence of liquor, he did not know what to say when he sobered up and the court sent him to Jackson prison for a five-year period.

This unjust sentence embittered Silver Jack and he cared but little what he did. He followed up lumbering on the Muskegon and other rivers. At one time he was working for William Heron, foreman for a logging company on the Muskegon. His company was having trouble in getting their logs down the river after they were cut and ready to drive. The year before their logs were tied up on the banks of the river. This rival lumbering company's foreman and bully was known as "Jack McGovern." William Heron's lumber company appealed to Heron for some solution of the trouble. Heron advised them to hire Silver Jack, John Dricoll, who, he claimed, would take care of the bully of the competing company. Heron was sent to look up and tender the river driving job to Silver Jack, who accepted the position.

It was not long after the drive started that the two men clashed. Silver Jack and Jack McGovern fought to a draw. The fight lasted nearly an hour. Mr. Heron said that the two men were weaving around on the ground, clutching and clawing at each other, when they both broke holds and sprang to their feet. Silver Jack seemed to have some hidden accession of strength and fury. He caught McGovern in a merciless powerful uppercut on the jaw and the bully collapsed. Silver Jack stepped back to wait for his antagonist to recover and arise to his feet. In a few minutes he recovered and stood up, holding out his right hand. He said, "I want to shake hands with you. I believe we can work together." Mr. Heron said that for three years both companies put out their entire cut of timber and there was no more trouble.

Silver Jack followed the lumbering to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, ending at L'Anse. He died in the Ottowa Hotel there on April 1, 1895.

After his time, several others claimed to be "Silver Jack," but the real "Silver Jack" was John Driscoll. His name and fame made lumbering history for the Muskegon valley.

It was in the fall of 1881 and the spring of 1882 that a serious strike occured at Muskegon, which had its reverberations in Newaygo county. Feeling the supply of timber was inexhaustible, and realizing that sawing lumber was a seasonal occupation, Muskegon's mills were all cutting day and night to supply the demands of the market. Consequently men worked 11 or 12 hours a day.

The men working for the boom company and in the mills began agitating for shorter hours and better wages. On October 9, they held a meeting and were urged by three Muskegon lawyers, Levi Beardsley, F. W. Cook, and Nelson DeLong, to support a "10 hours or no sawdust" movement. The next day nearly every mill of the forty or more on Muskegon Lake was shut down.

The affair dragged on, neither side giving in. Some acts of violence were done by the strikers and state militia were called out. Toward the end of the month, the militia went home. At this time, 16 mills were operating 10 hours a day, 7 were operating 11 hours a day and the remainder had been closed down. The strike waned, only to be revived in the following spring.

The strike was now bitterer than ever but no more effective than before. At the end of eight weeks, the men returned to the mills on June 1 on an 11-hour schedule, having lost approximately $250,000 in wages. The lumber companies had suffered a loss of $1,800,000. The strike resulted in no advantage to the strikers and caused only suffering and misunderstanding. During the strike, the slogan "Ten Hours or No Sawdust" was a familiar sight on placards carried in parades and attached to the strikers' shanties.

In 1882 the Chicago and West Michigan railroad kept pushing their railroad north and by the end of the year had extended it to beyond the northern boundary of the county. The extension opened up valuable lumbering territory.

Many new saw mills were built this year. Ganson & Campbell built one at Lumberton, which cut 100,000 feet each day and night shift. The mill burned in 1884 in a fire that made a clean sweep of all mills and lumberyards at Lumberton. The next year the Chicago & West Michigan closed its station there.

P. L. R. Fiske had a mill at "Gangleville" in Croton Township. A Mr. Salisbury had a saw, planing and shingle mill at Ashland City. A man named Cook had a sawmill on section 10 and Frank Samis had one on section 11, Barton. Lyman T. Kinney had a mill on section 29, Ensley and a man named Stonehouse had one somewhere in the same township. Benson & Newman had a mill on section 17, Norwich and Walworth & Reed one on section 24, Norwich. Benjamin Whitney erected a shingle mill near Volmey to cut shingles for E. L. Gray. Erwin Francisco had a shingle mill on section 5, Lincoln. All of these mills are recorded only one year except that of Whitney, which operated through 1885.

Fred Ramsey succeeded to part of the mill property of The S. N. Wilcox Lumber Co. at White Cloud. The mill burned soon after but was immediately rebuilt. A newspaper item of 1884 said that the Fred Ramsey mill was turning out a large quantity of first class lumber. The offical statistics of 1885 credits Ramsey's cut that year as 4,000,000 feet. Ramsey died the same year and the mill was discontinued.

Heman Childs built a shingle mill at Fremont near the Merchant & Hungerford saw mill, which he sold the same year to Richard Ryerson. It was listed among the industries of Fremont in 1884. The last record of its operations is 1886. A few years later it was used as a potash factory.

H. G. O'Brien built a shingle mill on Benton Lake west of Otia. In 1886 he sold it to A. D. Ayres. The next year Ayres sold it to James E. McElwee. In 1888 it burned with a loss of $2,000. The products of the Benton Lake mill were transported on a narrow gauge railroad to Otia. William Riffle was an engineer on this railroad. One night several of the employees became intoxicated stole the locomotive and started for Otia. They got on a grade between two hills when the oil in the engine gave out and burned out the bearings. They had to abandon it there and it was several days before the company got it in running order again.

One evening a stranger appeared at the mill camp and asked for a job. Being told that they did not need anybody, he walked just outside of the settlement and sat down on a log. Some of the mill hands saw him there about dusk. The next morning his body was found beside the log where he had committed suicide. His body was buried on the property that later became the farm of C. E. Fish.

When the lumbering was over, much of the land was returned to the state for taxes. W. Hollands bought a large tract from the state, which he sold later to C. E. Fish, of Chicago. Mr. Fish raised the deadheads from the lake and had a portable mill come in and cut them into lumber. He secured 584,000 feet of lumber in this way. He built all the buildings on his place with this lumber and sold the remainder.

Fred Fitzsimmons built a sawmill on section 33, Sherman. Fitzsimmons was killed in the mill in 1891 and the mill ceased operations. The author's father, L. D. Spooner, was scaling at the mill at the time of the accident.

Hudson & Earl had a shingle mill on section 4, Ensley and M. S. Lockerby had one on section 9, Ensley. Hudson & Earl finished their cut in 1884, while Lockerby's mill was still running full blast. Lockerby finished his job on section 9 in 1885 and moved the mill to section 4. This is the last record.

Joseph Baillargeon built a steam hoop mill for making a coil hoop on which he had a patent on section 5, Sheridan. In 1883 he moved it to section 8, where Reeman now stands. His mill employed 9 men and turned out from 7,000 to 10,000 hoops a day. Later he added a sawmill and feed mill.

William A. Boyd built a steam sawmill at what became Reeman. It had a capacity of 12,000 feet a day. In 1883 the firm became Boyd & McQueen. In 1884 McQueen sold his interest to Frank W. Reed and the firm became Boyd & Reed. Boyd also sold his interest to Reed. The mill burned in 1898. John Boyd, brother of William A. Boyd, was a timber expert and finally went into business for himself. At one time he had 1,000,000 feet of logs in at Reed's mill.

The Newaygo Chair Co. was organized with the following stockholders: Lyman Guinnip, H. D. Guinnip, E. L. Gray, J. F. A. Raider, John H. Simmons, A. V. Thompson, C. C. Kritzer, S. D. Thompson, Wm. D. Fuller and H. J. Orton. It was capitalized at

$25,000. They erected a building on the millrace near the pail factory. The plant employed 40 to 50 hands. The factory was listed among Newaygo's industries in 1884, which is the last record of its operation.

A group of lumbermen who owned pine lands in the northern part of the county built a narrow-gauge railroad from Crapo and Paris into their holdings. Messrs. Church, Moon, Crosby, Nichols and Palmer were in the operating group. They had 70,000,000 feet of pine to cut along the railroad as well as much hemlock.

Sam Mena built a logging railroad in Lincoln Township seven miles long. He purchased a locomotive, cars and track in October. He was lumbering for Ferry, Dowling & Co.

C. D. Dowling concentrated his lumbering operations in Lincoln Township this year. He put 15,000,000 feet of logs in White River, the entire cut of his purchase from John P. Cook.

Many mills burned during the year. These included the mills of Hartt & Horning at Foxville; Fred Ramsey's at White Cloud; Barrett & Gray's and L. T. Kinneys at Lumberton; the shingle mill and hoop factory of Baker Brothers in Grant township; and the stave sheds at Gibson's mill in Fremont. At Gibson's, five fire engines and crews from Muskegon and Woodville kept the fire from the mill.

Smith & Field had a camp on section 11, Wilcox and Lyman T. Kinney was lumbering on the same section. Heald, Murphy & Crepin had a camp on section 33 and George W. Roby one on section 23, Beaver. C. C. Comstock had one on sections 32 and 33, Grant. Ryerson, Hills & Co. had one on section 33, Everett. Buswell & Carnes had one on section 17, Ensley. Robert Moon had one on section 21 and Stimson & Fay one on section 9, Goodwell.

Moon's camp consisted of an upper and lower camp. At the upper camp, on section 21, were the men and cook shanties. At first the logs were transported to the Muskegon on a truck road made of hewed logs. This road ran through sections 21, 22, 27, 34 and 35 to the river. The first improvement was made when they put in a tram road made of wooden rails. They loaded the cars and fastened them together on Snub Hill. They started the train down the hill with two brakemen. They took the cars that way for a mile to the lower camp. There the cars were separated and a horse hitched to each and hauled from there to the river. Later the tram roads were taken up and light steel rails were put in place of the wooden rails. At this time the new camp was started on section 22. The road ran through section 27 and joined the old road. Then a Lima engine was put on. This engine had an upright boiler and gears on one side. Robert Moon sold his interest to Cody & Addis.

There were several other large assessments in the county this year, which undoubtly were for some branch of the lumbering industry, but which are not specifically designated on the records. Among these are Edwin Byler, section 33, Croton, $9,120 and Nathan Backus & Co., on the same section for $1,600.

D. K. Pearson was assessed $50,000 for the timber on the entire section 9, Wilcox. Thayer Lumber Co. was assessed for green pine on section 30, Norwich. A. H. Petrie was assessed $2,180 for lumber on section 13, Barton. There were several other assessments that were likely for logs or lumber. These include John Symington, section 36, Monroe.

In August there were 50,000 logs high and dry on the flats down the river from Newaygo, which had to be put into the river again with teams.

The winter of 1882-1883 was one of the largest in the lumbering business since the industry started in the county. C. D. Dowling, Montague, let several large jobs. D. H. Kimbellput 25,000,000 feet in White River; Simon Barnhard put in 1,000,000 feet; Patterson & Britton put in 2,500,000 feet; John Kane put in 2,500,000 feet. Sam Mena, with his railroad, contracted with Ferry, Dowling & Co. to put in the main White River 30,000,000 feet in three years from Lincoln and Beaver townships. Hiram LuTl, of Eastmanville, who had logged for many years for Ferry Brothers, put 8,000,000 feet in the main White River. This closed out the interest of the firm on White River.

Job Reynolds, operating in Martin's creek for Heald, Murphy & Crepin, contracted to put in 15,000,000 feet over a period of three years. Proctor & Davenport put in 8,000,000 feet from near Aetna for J. Alley & Co. John Atwood, Fremont, logged for Staples & Covell at the head of White River on section 16, Everett Township, putting in 4,000,000 feet. Staples & Covell operated a camp of their own north of Aetna with "Billy" Rogers as foreman. Smith & Fields put in 5,000,000 feet in Beaver Township.

The biggest event in the lumbering industry in 1883 was the building of the G. W. Crawford mill at what is now Brohman, by J. M. Gibbs of White Cloud, superintendent for Crawford, who had his principal place of business at Big Rapids. Fred Gibbs, son of J. M. Gibbs, later told of the building the mill as follows: "Myself, 36 men, and several pairs of horses and four yoke of oxen started for what is now called Brohman, then called Woods North, or Dingman's Crossing, to build camps and a lumber mill, my father being manager. We landed at the place at seven o' clock in the morning of May 6,1883. The first chip flew from Al Amith's axe and I picked it up and sent it to Mrs. G. W. Crawford. As time went on, trees were cut into logs, land cleared, shacks built, a boardinghouse, men's shanties and store, blacksmith shop, barn and lumber mill were built. We commenced to cut lumber August 22, 1883. By that time there were 150 people living there and a lively place it was. Down at Dingman's Crossing (a half mile from the mill) old uncle (Jarnet) Dingman had a hotel and a ballroom and he could fiddle. Oh, boy, we used to have some fine times."

The elder Gibbs named the place Otia, which was his daughter's name.

Otia Lake now called Moonbeam Lake, on which Crawford's mill was built, was a dry swamp when Gibbs went there to locate the mill. A short distance away was two small lakes, Spring Lake and Middle Lake. Gibbs made a channel from Middle Lake into this dry swamp and converted it into a lake, which he called Otia Lake. A short spur ran into the yards here from the main railroad. The next year the mill burned along with 5,000,000 feet of lumber and nearly all the other buildings of the company. These were rebuilt and continued in operation until 1890. Fred Gibbs left there in 1888.

Other new mills built in 1883 were those of Dennis Delano, section 16, Ensley; Henry McDonald, section 14, Dayton; F. F. Featherstone, section 3, Everett; J. M. McQuistian, section 28, Grant; Robert Martin, section 23, Goodwell; Wetzell Brothers, section 14, Norwich; Wetzell Brothers, section 22, Monroe; Isaac Tompkins, section 34, Norwich; E. C. Burrell, section 36, Everett; D. W. Patterson, section 29, Wilcox; Cassuis Galbraith, section 28, Sherman; and Fred Nay, section 16, Sherman.

The Delano mill was owned by Delano & Reed in 1884. This was a large shingle mill. Their workshop and stables burned in April of 1884. The next year George F. Cook bought the mill and resold it to Isaac Stryker. This is the last record of the mill. By 1887, the McQuistian mill had been moved to section 27, Grant. It was unroofed by a storm in 1890. McQuistian also had a mill on section 16, Grant, in 1888, which he moved to section 29 in 1891. Fred Nay operated his mill through 1885. Isaac Tompkins continued to operate his mill until 1899.

Although Norton & Co. had a considerable establishment on section 8, Norwich, consisting of a mill lumber yard and shingle sheds, they are recorded only one year and the same is true of all the remaining mills mentioned.

Peter Jeannot took over the job started by Sam Mena in Lincoln Township for the Ferry interests. Selby & Nixon had a logging job on section 29, Beaver.

At this time Robert Shiffert, Henry Harding and John Campbell were each lumbering around Bridgeton in a small way. Harding later went to Menominee, Michigan and built a shingle mill. He bought considerable timbered land in northern Wisconsin covered with mixed timber. He logged this off, selling logs suitable for lumber to other concerns and sawing the shingle timber himself. Still later he went to the State of Washington and engaged in the lumbering business there.

John Campbell later became head sawyer in the Gow mill at North Muskegon. While there Mrs. Campbell won $18,000 in the Louisiana lottery. With it, Mr. Campbell bought an interest in the mill, which now became Gow & Campbell.

Brydges, Snell & Co. were assessed for standing pine on section 14, Norwich; C. J. Hood for lumber on section 29, Barton; and Palmer, Nichols & Co. for camps and timber on section 7, Barton.

The lumbering industry was represented by several other assessments this year, including: Carpenter, Hall & Miller and Cass, Morrison & Gale, both on section 20, Norwich; Frank Bedell, section 36, Norwich; Richard Nite, section 32, Barton; K. C. Spaulding, section 29, Ashland; and D. P. Clay, section 20, Grant.

I. D. Merrill, pioneer lumberman at Bridgeton, died in December 1883. His name is perpetuated in Merrill Township.

The year of 1884 was a big one in the lumbering industry. While lumbering was still the most important industry in the county, the agricultural interests were rapidly developing. There were this year 1,770 farms in the county, with an average improved acreage of 43 1/2 acres.

A Portrait and Biographical Album of Newaygo County was published this year by Chapman Brothers, Chicago. This is the only history of the county published, to date. While it contains a considerable number of errors, it is a valuable work and forms the basis of historical research of the county.

This book gives lists of the various industries and business firms in the various villages of the county. At this time at Newaygo, the Newaygo Manufacturing Co. was operating a pail and tub factory employing 30 hands and shipping out daily 575 pails to Grand Rapids and Chicago; a planing mill employing 20 hands; and two large saw mills and a lumber yard employing 80 hands. The Newaygo Chair Co. was also flourishing.

Hesperia had the sawmills of G. D. Webster, O. A. Rowland and A. B. Biglow. Alleyton had the Proctor & Davenport mill. White Cloud had the Morgan Lumber Co. Fremont had the tannery of D. Gerber & Sons. The stave mill of James Gibson, the saw mills of Darling & Cook, Merchant & Hungerford, James Gibson, Kornelius Mulder and H. Jones; the handle factory of H. Jones; the heading mill of P. S. Castle; and the shingle mills of Richard A. Ryerson, James Gibson and P. S. Castle.

The Castle shingle and heading mills were located on land now belonging to Gerber Products Co. There is only this one year's record of these mills.

R. N. Lloyd and W. F. Pumfrey built a planing mill this year adjacent to the Castle mill. It operated this year and the next. The author has a proposed contract made by Lloyd & Pumfrey dated at Grand Rapids September 8, 1884 with Edwin Pine, representative of Greenlee Bros. of Chicago for the purchase of a selffeed saw table and siding attachment. The contract was given to the author by Claude T. Lloyd, son of R. N. Lloyd. The property where the Castle and Lloyd & Pumfrey mills were located was taken over by the Fremont Furniture Co. in 1890, and eventually became the property of Gerber Products Co.

Another large mill was built in 1884-that of Francis Lilley and George E. Sisson, operating under the name of Sisson & Lilley. This enterprising firm had been operating a large mill at Grand Haven for several years. They built their new mill on Pettibone Lake, section 24 of what became Lilley Township. A railroad station on the Chicago & West Michigan, two miles west of the mill was established and was called Lilley Junction and later just Lilley. A spur railroad ran out from Lilley to the mill. The village at the mill was called Sisson.

The company had 30,000 acres of timbered land in the vicinity and they built a railroad 8 miles long through this timber. Their average production per year from 1888 to 1898 was 25,000,000 feet of lumber and 15,000,000 shingles. The firm was incorporated for $300,000. George Long was also a member of the firm. According to the Newaygo Tribune, their operations in 1884 were the most extensive of any concern in the county.

In 1885 official statistics give the production of the Sisson & Lilley mill as 12,416,339 feet of lumber. This year W. G. Watson & Co. were assessed $45,000 for lumber at the mill. In 1836 the firm built a planing mill and new car shops. They purchased 12 new logging cars and a locomotive. They built three miles of standard gauge track into a tract of pine. In 1887 there was much activity at the mill. In May they built an addition to their boardinghouse. In June their shingle mill burned with a loss of $6,000, but it was immediately rebuilt. At this time they employed 275 hands. Their sawmill had a circular saw and a gang of 42 saws. They had 2 shingle machines in their shingle mill. In their planing mill, they dressed siding, flooring, etc. All piece stuff was cut to uniformity. Their village had a population of 500 and boasted a public hall. They cultivated 500 acres of land. The year previous their store did a business of $30,000.

In 1892 their planing mill burned. The sawmill operated until 1898. When they had completed their cut, D. L. Stiven, of Newaygo bought many of the buildings, tore them down, and shipped the lumber to Marl lake where it was used by the Newaygo Portland Cement Co. in the construction of buildings for their cement manufacturing project. In 1900 Wilson & Gregory, of Hesperia, bought the dock and the deadheads in Pettibone lake. They established a lath mill and cut old slabs from the dock into lath. They shipped the logs and much lumber from the dock to Grand Rapids.

William David, who lived eight miles east of Lilley, worked for the lumber company. At one time he drew his check and cashed it in the Lilley Saloon. He had noticed a seedy-looking individual watching him as he cashed his check. He started walking towards home and discovered the seedy-looking individual following him. He soon got around a curve in the railroad track where he was out of sight. Parallel to the railroad with a strip of brush between was a corduroy wagonroad. When he got out of sight around the curve, he hastily removed his shoes, put his money in one of them, and started to run down the courduroy. In this way he eluded his pursuer and arrived home safely.

Many small mills were added to the ever-growing list of mills in 1884. J. H. Simmons, Newaygo and J. J. Williams, Grand Rapids, formed a partnership and built a mill in Wilcox township south of Woodville where they had a two or three year's cut of fine pine and hemlock timber. Just how long they operated is not known. However, in 1889 they were assessed $1,400 in Wilcox township. This may have been for the mill or for logs, lumber, or standing timber.

In Ensley Township, J. J. Johnson had a new lath mill and Morton, Lewis & Co. had a sawmill on section 20. E. S. Meade Grant on the G. M. Alger place. Ransom Eckles had a mill on section 6, Everett. Charles Gregory & Co. built a mill on section 6, Grant, on the C. M. Alger place. Ransom Eckels had a mill on section 8, Croton. Richard Walton had one on section 21, Denver; Burnside & Clippinger one on section 8, Norwich; Samuel Thompson one on section 14, Norwich; and Philo Bowerman one on section 24 of what became Merrill. John F. Wood had a shingle mill at Newaygo.

The above mills were listed for only one year. From now on there will be many mills of this type mentioned. They show a trend that is explainable by the fact that most of these operated in timber that had been once cut over by other concerns. These mills were of the portable type and cut over one tract of timber one year and some other tract the next. Many of them did not cut their own timber but cut for timber owners who had no mills of their own.

A few other mills built this year were more permanent. One of these was the mill of H. M Harroun at McLane, or McLane's Siding, in Wilcox township. Harroun sold the mill to John J. Williams in 1887. It was operated by Williams for several years.

Burton & Meyerh built a shingle mill on section 28, Lincoln. The next year they moved it to section 21, Lincoln. In 1886 they moved it back to section 28, which is its last record.

The three mills at Hungerford, those of Stewart Ives, J. B. Beaumont, and W. A. Hendryx were doing a large and increasing business this year. Their mill properties extended a distance of over three miles in length and they had a stock of $300,000 of lumber on hand.

Fire took a great toll of mills and lumber this year. At Lumberton the fire made a clean sweep. It took the mill of George Sellinger with a loss of $9,000; the mill of Ganson & Campbell with the lumberyard of Cass, Morrison & Gale, with a loss of 1,000,000 feet of lumber valued at $16,000. At Hungerford the Ives planing mill burned with a loss of $8,000. The lumberyard of Ware & Tucker at Woodville perished with 1,000,000 feet of lumber worth $7,000. L. T. Kinney's mill at Brush Lake south of Woodville went up in smoke with a loss of $50,000. The Crawford mill at Otia, about 5,000,000 feet of lumber and nearly all the buildings there burned. The lumber village of McLane's Siding north of White Cloud burned, leaving only a few shanties. The Merchant & Hungerford mill at Fremont burned but the large amount of lumber near the mill was saved. The boardinghouse of S. Bitely at Baptist Lake burned.

L. T. Kinney bought the machinery from the burned Sellinger mill and moved it to section 23, Goodwell. This is the only record of this mill of Kinney's.

William Blythe operated camps on sections 10 and 14 of what became Lilley Township this year and the next. Joshua Stitt had a camp on section 13 and Montgomery & Giddings one on section 12 of the same township. James Foley had a camp on section 18, Home. Samuel Cole, section 8, Norwich, had a railroad jobbing camp. Hiram Lull had a camp on section 30 and one on section 33. Wilcox, Heald, Murphy & Crepin's big drive of 24,000,000 feet came safely out of Martin's creek into White River.

Henry Jacobs, woods superintendent for Ryerson, Hills & Co. built a set of camps on Long Lake near Wooster. Soon after George Rupp found the skeleton of a man in a burning hollow tree at the camp. Many of the bones had been destroyed by the fire. There was nothing to indicate how long it had been there or how it came to be there.

Briggs & Co., section 17, Norwich, and Thayer Lumber Co., section 27, Norwich, were assessed for pine timber.

Many other assessments this year indicated some phase of the lumbering industry. The following were quite likely for lumber: Dudley & Son, section 28, Lincoln; Hiram Lull, White Cloud; J. E. McElwee, section 32, Merrill; and H. B. Smith & Co., section 32, Troy. Assessments likely for mills or camps were: William M. Pixley, section 20, Everett; Hurlburt & Butts, section 16, Lincoln; John Helmer, section 7, Norwich; and L. H. Brainard, section 36, Merrill.

William Conover was killed at S. J. Murphy's camp, Denver. William Chandler dropped dead in July in Rowland's mill, Hesperia. This mill burned in 1909.

Ephriam King, keeper of the boomhouse near Bridgeton, died in August. The boom was about a half a mile above Bridgeton. It kept the logs going down the river to Muskegon confined. Old residents say the river was often full of logs for fourteen miles, from the boom up to Newaygo. William Lancasted, who worked on the river, later lived for years at the south end of the boom. The north end of the boom was on the farm of the late Secretary of State, Orville Atwood. On this farm may be seen short pieces of steel cable projecting from large trees on the bank of the river but nearly grown over. These are the remains of the old boom cables, which had to be very strongly anchored to stand the severe strain against them.

It was necessary to confine the logs this way except at certain stated times because all the lumber and shingles produced at Bridgeton were loaded on scows and floated to Muskegon for shipment, and floating logs in the river would prevent this or make it extremely dangerous.

The year of 1885 also showed a great deal of activity in lumbering. Many mills were built. The biggest of these was that of Stephen Bitely, a combined lumber and shingle mill on section 27, Lilley Township. A considerable village, called Bitely, soon gathered around the mill. Bitely had camps on sections 28 and 25. Jerome Bitely became manager of the sawmill and Albert Curtis of the shingle mill.

Bitely established a precedent in lumbering practice. It was the usual custom in the wintertime, on account of the deep snows, to cut the trees high. Bitely decided to eliminate the waste of cutting pine this way. He ordered his loggers not to cut the trees more than 12 to 14 inches from the ground. His men refused to bend their back or get down on their knees to cut the timber. He discharged those who would not obey orders and eventually had a crew, which would do, as he wanted. His camps were known as the places where one had to pray in order to have a job cutting logs.

Bitely's town was a model lumber town, complete with general store, church, schoolhouse and depot.

The mill cut 2,160,000 feet of lumber during its first year. In 1887 Bitely sold his store and farm at Bitely to Robert Neil. He then sold the mill to Morton, Lewis & Co., but closed a deal with them for a four-year logging contract. Sid Painter, now of Fremont, worked for Bitely the winter of 1887-88. They had a tract of standing pine on section 22, Lilley. In 1888 they sold the mill to A. D. Martin. The mill burned in 1890 but was rebuilt and operated through 1892.

Baird & Sellinger built a considerable mill on section 19, Barton. In 1886 the firm became Samuel H. Baird & Co. The mill cut 50,000 feet of lumber a day. This is the last record.

Rumsey Lumber Co. had a mill and camp on the same section as Baird & Sellinger and C. J. Colby had one on section 1, Barton. This is the only year these mills are recorded.

Morton, Lewis & Co. built a mill on section 11, Everett, to cut the D. K. Pearson pine. In 1889 they had a shingle mill on the same section.

Barnhart & Judson had a good mill on section 20, Norwich. A. D. Martin had a heading mill on section 20, Ensley, at the same place where Morton Lewis & Co. had their sawmill. Smith & Field had a mill on section 9, Wilcox. Phillips & Co. had a mill on section 22, Everett. A man named Wiley had a mill in Croton Township near Mitchell's Prairie. A Mr. Stanchfield, of Ludington, had a shingle mill, camp and store on section 23, Lilley. Archie Knowles had a shingle mill in Goodwell. Each of these mills were recorded for the year of 1885 only.

L. T. Kinney had a mill on section 12, Wilcox, which lasted until 1888. W. O. Overton had a shingle mill on section 8, Norwich, the same section where Burnside & Clippinger had a mill the previous year.

It burned in 1887. Thomas J. Sheridan had a mill on section 18, Goodwell. In 1887 Sheridan had extensive shingle sheds and a lumberyard at Field's Station on section 11, Wilcox. In 1889 Charles Sheridan took over the mill in Goodwell and in 1890 he took over the lumber yard and shingle sheds at Field's. In 1891 Sheridan sold the entire holdings to Morehouse & Bullman. The next year this firm became Reynolds & Bullman. The office of this concern burned in 1893. In 1895 their camp on section 18 was wiped out by fire, including the mill, store and stock, fifteen shanties and 3,000,000 feet of logs. James Moore, in 1892, had a sawmill on section 18 where he cut hardwood and hemlock for Reynolds & Bullman.

Another 1885 project was a hoop mill on section 6, Grant, started by S. Dresser & Co. The next year Sylvester Dresser was sole owner.

In White Cloud Wyman & Benedict built a planing mill and box factory. In 1890 the factory was operated by C. R. Wyman. A fire this year destroyed 50,000 feet of lumber for Wyman and Champion & Hayward. In August of this year the planing and shingle mills were running day and night. In 1891 C. R. Wyman made an assignment of the planing mill to Walter Van Slyke, of Grand Haven. In 1895 the plant burned.

C. G. Alley & Co., Whitehall, purchased 23,000,000 feet of standing pine at the head of White River for $77,000 and Hovey & McCracken, Muskegon, purchased from Ryerson, Hills & Getty 60,000,000 feet for $300,000.

Some other assessments made this year, likely for camps, lumber, or logs, were: Hurlburt & Butts and Phillips & Co., Everett; E. P. Ferry & Co., and Phillips & Gardner, Lincoln; Joseph Cass, section 26, Barton; A. E. Cartier, section 18, and E. L. Gray, section 32, Lilley.

W. G. Watson & Co. was assessed $45,000 for lumber on section 24, Lilley, likely at the Sisson & Lilley mill.

Don J. Leathers sold to the West Michigan Lumber Co. a fine tract of pine for $50,000, estimated to contain 15,000,000 feet.

Robert Neil put 12,000,000 feet of logs in the Pool on White River, where he was lumbering for Smith & Field.

The 1885 drive on White River by the White River Boom & Log Co. was 84,194,680 feet. In addition, 20,000,000 feet were delivered by rail to the S. N. Wilcox Lumber Co. at Whitehall. The Wilcox concern put 15,000,000 feet in in Monroe Township to be cut at

Whitehall and Smith & Field put in 12,000,000 feet to be cut at their Whitehall mill.

Statistics for the year show lumber cut in Newaygo county by the larger mills to be as follows: Stewart Ives, Hungerford, 20,000,000 feet; West Michigan Lumber Company's two mills at Woodville and Diamond lake, 18,000,000 feet; Sisson & Lilley, Lilley, 12,416,339 feet; J. B. Beaumont, Hungerford, 5,000,000 feet; Smith & Field, Field's, 5,000,000 feet; William Davenport & Co., Alleyton, 4,000,000; Stephen Bitely, Bitely, 2,160,000 feet; Hartt & Horning, Foxville, 1,000,000 feet; A. T. Squire, Grant Station, 1,000,000 feet; Fremont Stave Co., Fremont, 1,000,000 feet; K. Mulder, Fremont, 300,000 feet; Darling & Cook, Fremont, 200,000 feet; L. S. Baker, West Troy, had 500,000 feet on hand at the end of the year. The S. N. Wilcox Lumber Co. is credited with 5,500,000 feet and Fred Ramsey, White Cloud, with 4,000,000 feet. It is likely that the Wilcox company had their lumber cut at Ramsey's mill as they had moved their own mill to Whitehall in 1881.

In February, 1885, a newspaper reporter for the Muskegon Chronicle accompanied a group of Muskegon business men who made an inspection of the Ryerson, Hills & Co. camp at Worcester Hill, near a place called Jacobsville, named for Henry Jacobs, woods superintendent. The reporter was driven in a sleigh to camp No. 3, a distance of six miles from the headquarters. After a hearty lumberjack breakfast, a trip around the camp began.

"Charles Littike is foreman of camp number 3, with a gang of 75 men under him," says the Chronicle account. "Situated near the main shanty is the company's store and office presided over by William C. Steketee, who also does the scaling and bookkeeping.

"This is a trim building of logs, but very convenient, where a stock suitable to the tastes of the workmen is kept. The epicurean artist is Wenzel Metzger, who is assisted by two helpers. He makes bread, cake and pie every day and prepares all the food.

"In addition, there was a barn boss, a blacksmith and a carpenter

"The men's shanty is about 18 feet high, 66 feet long and 22 feet wide. A large cast iron stove stands in the center and throws out an enormous heat. Running lengthwise of the shanty are two rows of bunks in which the men sleep. There are also benches for them to sit on. Their time is spent evenings in relating stories and anecdotes, mending clothes and smoking pipes.

"At nine o'clock the chore boy passes through and extinguishes all the lights, the signal for retiring. Saturday nights the boys are not asked to retire until ten. They do not tolerate a man who snores and should one appear, woe unto him.

"The duty of awakening the camp also falls to the chore boy. The men arise, the drivers feed their horses and then prepare for breakfast. At daylight the procession of teams starts for the scene of operations and work begins. At this camp, 16 span of horses and six teams of oxen are used

"It is about a mile and a half from the shanty to where the pine is now being cut. One man notches a tree, and two others cut it down. It is then cut into proper lengths. The 'brush monkeys' make a road to the logs and the skidders roll the logs upon skids ready for hauling.

"After they are scaled, they are then loaded onto sleighs and driven to Marl lake, about two and a half miles, where the large rollways are. Here is another gang of men and they unload the logs in a remarkably short time and afterwards roll them into the lake. An average load for one team is 10 to 16 logs. The largest load this winter was 36 logs.

"As the places where the chopping, sawing and skidding is done are a long distance from the shanties, a large tent is erected at each, where the laborers have steaming hot pork beans, potatoes, coffee and bread brought to them during the day. When the word 'dinner' is heard, there is a general stampede for the tent and it does one's heart good to observe the way the meal is relished by the woodsmen."

Following a tour of camp number 3, the reporter visited another Ryerson camp, Camp Jacobs.

"Camp Jacobs is under the foremanship of Isaac Johnson," says the account, "who has 70 men to look ~ after. Conrad Kampschmidt is bookkeeper, scaler L- and storekeeper. The cook is Cornelius Rohan who has two assistants. He quietly informed me that he baked only 29 large loaves of bread every day.

"The logging is done about two and a half miles from this camp and the logs are hauled to Long lake and banked only about two blocks away from the shanty. Near the shanties is a large farm owned by Ryerson, Hills & Co. About 140 acres of this land is cleared and 92 acres of it are in wheat."

In December, the editor of the Newaygo Republican visited the Long Lake camp. He gives an account of it in the December 9 issue of the paper as follows: "Ryerson, Hills & Co. operate a farm in connection with the camp in charge of a superintendent at the farmhouse. A windmill supplies water, which is piped to the different buildings. The shanties are 'ordinary' except that they are large enough to accommodate 100 men. There is a cook's shanty, men's wash room and a combined store and office. The buildings are of logs in good repair and comfortable. There were 80 men in camp, but the arrival of snow will greatly increase the force with teamsters and others required to load and haul logs. A new barn 50x130 has been completed. It is 22 feet to the eaves and has a hip-back roof, providing room for an immense amount of hay. The loft is kept under lock and only one man has the key. Oats are kept on the second floor in granaries and are run through a fanning mill before being fed. There are about 200 acres cleared and under cultivation. The company has sold off much stump land at low figures and on long time paper and beautiful and prolific farms are replacing the forest waste. The menu on this visit consisted of pork and beans, boiled beef, pork, potatoes, onions and pie and cake. Clean linens rules. The twelve towels in the washroom are changed after each meal and a bath, shave, and clean underclothes at least once a week is the strict rule for every man."

At this time the railroad from White Cloud to Big Rapids was studded with lumber towns. They were so close together that it was a common saying that when a train stopped, the engine would be in town and the caboose in another. The first station out of White Cloud was McLane, where H. M. Harroun built a mill. Then came Field's Station, where Smith & Field had a mill. This place lasted some time and passenger trains made it a regular stop. For many years after the lumbering had passed out, it was a tourist stop for fishermen who reached the Pool in White River from it.

Swain's Crossing was next. D. T. Swain had a side track put in here for loading logs. Afterward, T. B. Gray built a small mill here. Hayes' Siding, the next stop, boasted a saw and shingle mill. Traverse Road Station, now Woodville was next. Beyond Woodville were Lumberton and Norwich. Lumberton had several mills but Norwich was only a log-loading station. Hungerford, the site of Capt. Ives' big mill, was next and then Turnbull's Siding, where R. W. Turnbull had a mill.

While the established mills were very active in 1886, there were only a few new ones started this year and these were mostly small ones. Cassuis Gabraith had one on section 7, Garfield; a man named Fluence had one in Ensley; Bellamy Brothers had one somewhere near Fremont; Pumfrey & Koyl started a sash, door and blind factory at Fremont; and W. J. Kinne Co. started a patent nail key factory at the same place on land now owned by Gerber Products Co. In May the heading division of the latter was making 18,000 to 20,000 heads daily from elm and basswood. None of these mills and factories has a record of more than one year.

Moore & Decker built a mill on section 36, Colfax, Oceana County, just across the line from section 31, Troy. In January of 1888 it was running day and night. It ceased operations that year. Poland & Wenzel moved their mill from section 12 to section 21, Monroe. The next year they moved it to section 15, Monroe. In 1888, they moved it to section 26, Monroe. This is its last record. Teachout & Moore operated a mill on section 8, Norwich. They finished their job and ceased operations in 1888. L. S. Baker had a mill on section 14, Norwich. In 1888 the firm was called Baker Lumber Co. This is the last record.

Palmer & Nichols, Barton Township, ran a train every day over their logging railroad carrying logs and lumber. The main drive in the Muskegon River this year consisted of 500,000,000 feet. About 15,000,000 feet of logs were put in the Muskegon this year by Ryerson, Hills & Co. from the Pickeral lake camps at the rate of 300,000 feet per day. Their logging train made 18 trips per day. This concern also put in 20,000,000 feet at Paris, over the Palmer & Nichols railroad.

The Cohassett Lumber Co., Muskegon, bought a big tract of pine in Barton Township. C. F. Nelson bought 2,360 acres of pine for $225,000, estimated to cut 50,000,000 feet. It was in Home and Lilley townships. Morton, Lewis & Co. had a tract of standing pine on section 22, Lilley and Wood & Thayer one on section 27, Lilley. Thomas D. Stimson had a farm and much timber on section 36, Barton.

William Gardner was operating the Newaygo Manufacturing Company's camp at Hess lake this year. The railroad from the lake to the river was taken up. M. V. Harding was superintendent of the Petrie Lumber Company's business at Bridgeton. Wyman & Buswell were operating a camp on section 17, Ensley. A man named Sparks had a camp on Sand creek. Charles Peets had a rollway four miles below Bridgeton. Joseph Stitt had a camp on section 10,

Troy and Michael Turcotte one on section 4, Troy. E. R. Sailor had a camp on section 21, Brooks, where he was lumbering for D. P. Clay. William Blythe had a camp on section 10, Lilley. Staples & Covell had a camp on section 10, Robert Neil one on section 15, and E. H. Rogers one on section 8, Lincoln. William Reily and sons Harry and Ned started lumbering in West Ashland where they had a camp and store.

There were a number of assessments this year that were likely for some branch of the lumbering industry but which are not specifically stated in the records. These include: Samuel St. Clair, section 29, Barton; W. W. Demming, section 27, Home; Monson Brothers, section 31, Lilley; Joyce & Hoogstraat, section 1, Troy; and C. M. Roedel, section 36, Merrill.

William Trimble was killed in Clark's mill, four miles north of Holton. A man named Falls was killed while drawing shingles from Fluence's mill, Ensley. Stewart Ives, pioneer lumberman at Hungerford died this year.

An important invention of logging equipment was made this year by Horace Butters, of Ludington. It was called "Butters' Patent Skidding and Loading Machine." This was a complicated and truly gigantic rig for the time. It consisted of two tall spar trees, guyed with ropes, and a trolley strung between the spars. Over this trolley a carriage was pulled by a line from a steam donkey engine. It lifted logs out of the brush and yanked them quickly to one of the spars where another donkey engine loaded them on the railroad cars.

This invention came too late to be extensively used in Newaygo county. The only concern where a steam skidder was mentioned was the West Michigan Lumber Co. at their Diamond lake mill. However, the steam skidder and loader became standard equipment in the big lumbering operations in the west.

Lee Weaver, Hesperia, told the story about the egg suppers held by the rivermen at Hesperia about this year. J. O. Brown operated the village hotel, the Forest House. The hotel was so crowded that rivermen lay all over the floors with nothing but blankets over them. A frequent sport there was to have an egg supper. They secured a wash boiler, which they placed on the long box stove in the lobby of the hotel. The stores did not close until a late hour and they would go to Lee's grandfather's store where Lee clerked and get several dozen eggs which they boiled. Liquid refreshments were also indulged in and the house was frequently the scene of much noise, which the proprietor could not quell.

On one of these occasions, Lee and Lew Fuller, both boys, were invited to the egg supper. Lew was quite young but was tall and very agile. He sat in a chair in front of a window. He kicked one foot up over his head and out went a pane of glass. Up came the other foot and another pane went out. Lew was later a gentlemanly banker at White Cloud.

Another sport of the river drivers was to sack a store, driving out the proprietor and helping themselves to whatever they wanted. One night they formed such a project on Daniel Weaver's store. One of the men, overhearing the plans, came into the store, told Weaver, and advised him to close the store. Ezra Spaulding, a farmer, was in the store at the time and after the men went out, he asked Weaver if he was going to close. "No," said Weaver, "I usually run my own business." "Well," said Spaulding, "I'll stay and help you. "

Spaulding was a husky man and quite a boxer. Within a short time, six rivermen came in and, as was their custom, started an argument. In about two minutes Spaulding had them piled cries-cross on the floor. In a few minutes more arrived. Spaulding met them at the door. They looked in and saw their companions on the floor and their ringleader, a big bully, stuck his head in the door. He met Spaulding's fist and went down. This took the wind out of the sails of the rest. Spaulding dragged the fallen ones outside and their companions finally got them to their feet and they all left a little wiser.

In 1893 a fire destroyed 12,000,000 feet of lumber, worth $200,000, belonging to William Peter of Columbiaville. One horse, the barn, and six freight cars were burned but the mill was saved. The last log at the mill was sawed in July, 1896. The mill had cutmany millions of feed of lumber for Peter. But few pine trees were now left in Newaygo county. The company had some of the lumber left at Keno and some of| the buildings. In 1899 the company became bankrupt, and the Peninsular Trust Co., Grand Rapids, was appointed receiver. Their assets at Keno this year were only $800. A few years ago the old barn and the office building were still standing.

Hartt & Horning in 1887 also operated a small mill on section 13 of what became Merrill township at Otia. There is only one year's record of this mill.

Other mills of which 1887 is the only record are those of C. F. Nason, section 11, Lilley; F. Baker, section 23, Monroe; Nathan Wiley, section 32, Goodwell; and Adelbert Martin, shingle mill, section 20, Monroe, on Blue lake.

Wetzel & Co. had a mill on section 5, Wilcox, which operated until 1889. Oliver Mudge & Co. built a mill on section 6, Beaver, which operated through 1888. Knowles & Carpenter had a mill on section 2, Goodwell. The next year it was operated by W. F.Carpenter & Son. It then ceased operations.

William Davenport had a shingle mill on section 10, Sherman, which lasted until 1890. Morehouse & Parks built a mill on section 8, Home. The next year they sold it to Dudley & Myers. This mill is shown in the atlas of 1900. The mill ceased operations soon after.

H. Lehnen had a mill on section 15, Barton. The next year he moved it to section 9, Home. In 1894 he moved it to section 3, Barton. It is shown in the 1900 atlas. Mr. Lehnen died in 1903 and the mill then ceased operating.

A. Thayer & Son had a mill at Ashland City. In 1888 Frank and Hiram Thayer succeeded to the mill. In 1890 they moved it to Aetna.

Col. N. H. Vincent took over the Ives mill at Hungerford. He was assessed $6,000 for it this year. The next year R. G. Peters bought the mill and dismantled it.

During 1887 M. L. Kinney, who had been lumbering at Otia, disposed of his interests there. At Grant Station, J. W. Brown added a planing mill to his feed mill.

Many lumbering jobs were carried on this year. Robert Neil took a job cutting 16,000,000 and Joseph Stitt one of 3,000,000 feet on section 12, Lilley, during the winter. James Foley had a large job on section 18, Home, which he finished and then moved camp and men to section 5, Merrill. Henry Pettit started cutting a tract on section 3, Ensley, for Ryerson, Hills & Co. This company also started cutting the last pine forest in Bridgeton. M. V. Harding completed a lumbering job for the Petrie Lumber Co. near Bridgeton, and then he and O. S. Ackley started lumbering off a tract in Ashland for McLaughlin, of Muskegon. The Petrie Company began lumbering their pine on section 12, Ensley. Their mill was about a mile east in Montcalm County. John Bullman took a job to cut and deliver to the railroad 5,000,000 feet for Hovey & McCracken. F. A. Basford had a big job of putting cedar in Pickeral Creek. He camped in the Roby camps on section 25, Beaver. James Flynn was logging on section 4, Troy, hauling his logs 16 miles by rail. The Michigan Shingle Co. extended their tram road across the state road near Tim Eddy's tract of pine and was using 80 men to cut their timber. Blythe & Merriam had a camp on section 10, Lilley.

E. H. Rogers ran a camp on section 8, Lincoln, for Dudley, Myers & Burton, and Peter Bowles ran one on the same section for P. Hobler. Sands & Maxwell had a camp on section 19, Beaver. William Gardner was operating the Hess lake camp for the Newaygo Manufacturing Co. S. J. Cody had a camp on section 22, Goodwell. Tom Stimson built a railroad through his pine to Lilley Junction. Emil Kempf was buying logs for the Merriam mill at Dash. Stearns & Co. were assessed in Wilcox this year for lumber and shingles.

Many logs were put in Brooks Creek, Sheridan Township. There were already 3,000,000 feet there put in the year before. D. W. Squire was lumbering heavily here this year. Louis Graves put about 8,000,000 feet of hemlock in. Wisler & Layman were operating a camp on the creek and John Miller was hauling supplies for it.

There were many assessments this year (1887) which were likely for camps, mills, logs, lumber, shingles, etc., but which were not specified. These include: Theodore Gray, Denver, $220; C. M. Roedel, section 36, Merrill, $300; S. N. Wilcox Lumber Co., section 28, Monroe, $1,500; John Simmons, Wilcox, $400; and M. Morrison, section 31, Lilley, $500.

A recent letter to the author from William Smart, Grand Rapids, gives a good insight into the life of a lumberman in following up the industry from place to place as long as lumbering lasted. While only a part on the contents refer to the year of 1887, the remainder being both before and after that year, this seems to be as good a place as any to introduce the information given as any. Mr. Smart says: "I came to the U.S.A. in November, 1881, with my uncle, George Phillips. We came from Scotland. We worked the first winter for Covell Brothers at their camp four miles west of Hesperia. Their mill was at Whitehall. We put the logs into the north branch of White River. We finished that job in 1882. We then went up in Leavitt township, Oceana County, and built camps in a big tract of pine and cleared a right-of-way for a railroad to the north branch of White River. Our foreman at both these camps was Bill Gregson.

Robert Neil, of Grant, was our foreman. We put the logs into White River below Hesperia.

"The summer of '88 I worked on White River with the Rossiter boys and many others. The foreman was Gus Dempky. We called him "Dutch Gus." They called me "Scotch Billie." Hesperia boys who worked there were Fred Beatty, Jim Fleming, Billie Maze, Theo. Sturtevant, George and Jim Phillips, and John Gustavson.

"The fall of '88 I worked in the camp but Alex McKinley of Grant was foreman.

"The fall of '89 I began working for the West Michigan Lumber Co. at Diamond Lake. They hauled logs by a narrow gauge railway to the mill. The camp foreman was Pat Tighe."

By 1888 it was evident that the day of the big lumber mill had passed and the pine was nearly depleted. Many small saw and shingle mills kept springing up. The sawmills began cutting hardwood extensively and the shingle mills were clearing up the stumps and the pine trees that were not good enough for lumber.

Among the new mills started this year were those of Gustave Nordberg, section 24, Lilley; Felix Eastman, two miles south of Field's Station; Gleason & Lentz, section 7, Beaver; Plumb & Co., section 24, Wilcox; E. Lockerby, section 11, Everett; Phil Roedel, section 1, Everett; Myers & Burton, section 9, Wilcox; Matthews & Chappel, section 6, Beaver; J. J. Williams, section 15, Wilcox; Sam Parker, Oak Grove; C. C. Terwillegar, Oak Grove; Albert B. Wells, Barton; E. L. Phillips, Wilcox; L. Shayer, Grant; James Herron, section 4, Brooks; Sisson & Lilley, section 6, Monroe; Clark & Hardy, section 27, Monroe; Phelps Lumber Co., section 28, Monroe; and Ryerson, David & Cole's hardwood mill in Troy.

Several of the above mills are recorded for 1888 only. These are Gustave Nordberg, Myers & Burton, E. L. Phillips, L. Shayer, Sisson & Lilley, Clark & Hardy, Phelps Lumber Co., Sam Parker, C. C. Terwillegar, and Ryerson, Davis & Cole. The Parker and Terwillegar mills cut ties as well as lumber. Henry Pettit started to stock the Parker mill with oak logs in February but bought the Terwillegar mill in September. A newspaper item of December 20 said that business at the hardwood mill of Ryerson, Davis & Cole had been finished and that it took longer to build the mill and get ready to cut than it did to do the cutting.

Felix Eastman sold his mill to A. R. Morehouse in 1890. In 1893 Morehouse sold it to Parks Brothers. They sold it to W. C. Barrett & Co. in 1895. It was assessed for $5,000 this year, including the mill and shingles. This is the last record.

Gleason & Lentz operated for a year when James Gleason arrived in the county and bought Lentz's interest in the mill. The firm now became Charles and James Gleason. It ran through 1892.

Plumb & Co. operated their mill through 1890. E. Lockerby operated his mill on section 11, Everett, until 1889, when he moved it to section 34, Home, where he operated both a saw mill and shingle mill until they burned it in 1896.

Phil Roedel operated his shingle mill on section 1, Everett, until 1890. Matthews & Chappel became H. R. Chappel in 1891 and the mill ceased operations this year.

J. J. Williams' mill at Field's Station, section 15, Wilcox, was operating in 1892, when Nufer Cedar Co., Whitehall, was assessed for $1,000 for personal property at the Williams yards, likely lumber or shingles. The last year Williams was assessed in 1895. The mill of Albert B. Wells burned in 1890.

The Michigan Shingle Co., Muskegon, moved its Ensley camp 1 1/2 miles east to the bank of Conover Lake. It extended its tram road for a mile. It cut its last body of pine, 375 acres of the Taylor tract. This timber was delivered to Tamarack creek on wheels. A Mr. Smith was foreman of the camp.

Ryerson, Hills & Co. had 33,000,000 feet of logs banked on the Muskegon from Missaukee, Clare, Osceola, Montcalm, and Newaygo counties. About 2,500,000 feet of this was hemlock, 500,000 feet was Norway pine and the remainder White pine. This company lumbered the last pine in Ensley this year. This year, also, it had a camp two miles down the river from Newaygo.

At their Pickerel lake camp, a tragedy occured. The camp cook was a German Pole by the name of Wenzel Metzger. He had a particularly ugly disposition. One morning some of the men were waiting for breakfast and one threw a boot that hit the cook shanty door. Matzka came out with a long butcher knife hidden under his apron. He asked who threw the boot and Johnnie Puff answered that he threw it. The cook walked up to him and without saying anything plunged the knife into Puff's body. He died a few minutes later. The men were so dazed that the cook got away. He gave himself up, however, at Newaygo. He received a sentence of ten years.

It was about this time that Henry ("Hank") Smith had a lawsuit with the Muskegon Booming Co. Smith had a fine farm in the Muskegon Valley at Maple Island. Because the waters of the river were held back by log jams, Mr. Smith's farm was flooded several times and litigation resulted. Smith's lawyer asked him to show evidence of the normal fertility of this land, whereupon he showed the court and jury a bundle of Timothy hay five feet in length. Then his attorney asked him what kind of crops were produced since his land had been flooded. Slowly and impressively, Smith, who was a big man, pulled a handful of tiny mud turtles from his pocket and, without a smile, held them up before the jury amid the laughter of the assemblage. Smith won his case.

Henry Jacobs, superintendent of the Ryerson camps in Newaygo County died this year and David Bagley succeeded him.

Alex Dunlap had a camp 1/4 mile northwest of Bitely, where he logged for Montgomery, Champagne & Co., of Muskegon, the logs being shipped by rail. Sid Painter, now of Fremont, worked for Dunlap the summer of 1888.

The engineer on the Cody & Addis railroad in Goodwell, drawing logs for Hovey & McCracken, stepped off his engine for an instant and failed to get back. The engine started and ran wild for five miles, piling up engine, cars and logs with much damage.

The Petrie Lumber Co. had a camp in Ensley. A man named McWilliams had one near Lilley. Charles Nichols had one on section 19, Beaver, putting his logs in Beaver creek. The Thayer Lumber Co. had one on section 28, Lilley. Watrous & Basford had a store and camp on section 26, Beaver. E. R. Sailor had a camp on section 5, Grant, hauling the logs across Hess Lake on the ice and putting them in the river near the High Rollways.

William Jones was assessed on section 36 and Torrent & McLaughlin on section 28, Monroe, for pine timber. There were several other assessments this year, no doubt of which were connected with the lumbering industry. It is likely that the following were for lumber: Charles G. Alley Co., section 23, Lilley, $2,000; Cory & Cadwell, section 23, Lilley, $2,000; Cory & Cadwell, section 9, Home, $1,000; Ware & Tucker, section 11, Lilley, $11,000; Winchester & Daniels, Everett, were assessed for $3,000 for shingles, bought from several mills. The assessment of Myers, Dudley & Burton, section 8, Lincoln, was likely for a mill.

The following were likely for logs: T. D. Stimson, section 11, Home, $12,000 and section 36, Barton, $2,270; Michigan Shingle Co., section 13, Ensley,

$1,200. The assessment of D. Gerber & Sons, section 24, Sheridan, was likely for both logs and hemlock bark.

Other assessments were as follows: Blythe & Merriam, section 14, Lilley; J. F. Clark, section 26, Barton; Lucien Ballantyne, section 15, Lincoln; Smith & Ross, section 34, Lincoln; J. R. Dudley & Son, section 8, Lincoln; Sylvester Dresser, section 11, Lincoln; Jacob A. Brown, section 11, Lincoln; Martin & Feezel, section 25, Lincoln; William Jones, section 7, Sheridan; G. F. Stearns & Co., section 23, Merrill; Ware & Tucker, section 1, Monroe; J. B. Hendrick, Wilcox; and John Simmons, Wilcox.

During the year, in addition to Henry Jacobs, three other lumbermen died. They were H. M. Harroun, Hiram Jones and A. B. Watson.

The biggest drive on the Muskegon was this year. It was made up of 700,000,000 feet. The superintendent was Charles M. Darrah. He employed 250 to 300 hands.

Activities of the booming company started early in the spring. As soon as the river opened up, a crew of men was sent to work finishing the drive of the previous year from Maple Island or Sand Creek to the sorting grounds. A second group started driving the river from Snowtown piers, now Hardy Dam, in May, while the rear drive began at Houghton Lake in April or as soon as the ice in the river showed signs of breaking up.

The crew starting at Houghton Lake might be quite small. As the crew worked its way downstream, the number of logs increased and more men were added to the force. In average years, at Big Rapids the crew for the rear drive might comprise 70 men; from Rodgers bridge to Croton, the number would be 80; and from Croton to Muskegon, 120. When the drive had been brought down the river as far as possible, the rivermen were paid off. They usually received $1.50 a day if they stayed with the drive until it was finished. If they quit before that time, wages were only $1.25. The drive generally ended at Sand Creek or Maple Island, from where a solid mass of logs extended to the sorting pens at the head of Muskegon Lake. Tom Aiken, of Newaygo, was usually one of the rivermen who made the entire trip down the river.

A great many of the river drivers were single men and when they were paid off, went to Muskegon to "blow in" what money they had. The saloons and bawdyhouses flourished while the rivermen were in town. The "Sawdust Flats" was a part of the city made by a fill of sawdust. On it were six solid blocks of bawdyhouses. Keen-nosed loggers claimed they could smell Muskegon booze as far up river as Big Rapids, fifty miles away, and said they detected the first erotic wiffs of Sawdust Flat's perfume at Newaygo, half as far.

The year 1889 saw the establishment of the last big mill to be started in Newaygo County. This mill was that of the Brookings Lumber Co., on Crooked Lake,. A spur track ran to the mill from a new station called Brookings on the main line of the Chicago & West Michigan railroad. The new mill was thoroughly modern, with both circular and band saws and lighted by electricity.

A boarding house, school, store and post office were built to accomodate the village, which sprang up. The site was extremely beautiful. The village was built right on the banks of the lake, which had a fine sandy shore.

The abstract of title of the property shows that it was bought from the United States government by the Ward interests of Detroit. It was transferred to Thomas R. Lyon, agent for the Ward estate, for a consideration of $200,000. Although there is no record before 1889 that the land was assessed in either Beaver or Monroe townships, the original townships in which it was located, the abstract shows it was sold by Lyon to Hovey & McCracken for $380,000 in 1884. This concern formed the Brookings Lumber Co., to cut and market the timber.

The year the mill was built the property was assessed for $10,000 in Beaver but no assessment appears in Monroe. In 1891 it was assessed for $3,320 in Monroe and $28,400 in Beaver. This was the last assessment. The mill had run for nearly three years until it finished its cut. The planing mill continued to operate until the lumber had been dressed.

The history of this old lumber town is practically the same as the other lumber towns similarly situated. In the heart of the pine country, for a few years it was the scene of industry, and then, when the big trees had been converted into lumber and shipped away, it was abandoned as worthless and went back to the state for non-payment of taxes. It was finally purchased by George W. Bosman, who attempted to establish a farm and stock ranch. It did not prove successful and it was then bought by Branch Brothers, real estate dealers at White Cloud. They sold it to M. E. Auther, of Cleveland, and A. E. Wright of Chicago, who established a summer resort here for colored people. They platted the land into lots and named the project Woodland Park and the lake Woodland lake. After Nature repaired the damage done by saw and axe, the property here became valuable.

When the new owners started to tear down the old mill boardinghouse by taking off the siding, they found the sheeting to be of white pine boards, free from knots and in the best of condition. So they went no further with the wrecking, but rebuilt the outside and added a large wing, the whole forming the Royal Breeze hotel.

The site of the old mill is marked by a depression in the ground containing a few blackened and charred timbers to remind the present resorter of the former industry. The old loading dock is also visible in front of the hotel, where a few slabs still project from the moss-covered shore. Through the woods in several places may be seen the railroad grades used for hauling the timber to the lake.

An interesting story of the lumbering period was told to the author a few years ago by Dick Ferris. He had a farm a few miles to the west and south of Brookings and a man named Nichols was living on it. One day Nichols went to White Cloud for supplies. He where he had put it on a paying basis after the company had had a lot of trouble with labor, mismanagement, drinking of employees, etc. When he came to the camp, he found the same conditions. He started in on one Monday morning with fifty men and by Saturday night he had gotten rid of all but five of them. That Saturday night many of those discharged got drunk and started to raid the camp. Rosenberg and the few men he had left heard them coming and lay for them with shotguns. When they appeared, they fired the guns in the air. The mob took to the woods and there was no more trouble. Rosenberg then hired a new crew.

Thomas D. Stimson sold his logging railroad in Barton Township to the G. R. & I. railroad.

C. G. Dufort & Brothers of Bay City came to Oak Grove and purchased oak timber, which they hewed for ship timbers.

Michael Kinney had a big job cutting ties on section 16, Ensley. He employed a dozen teams by hauling 20,000 ties to Howard City and 10,000 to Grant Station. John Kinney had a logging job on section 18, Ensley.

E. R. Sailor moved his camp to section 4, Grant, where he cut the timber for the Converse Company.

G. F. Stearns was assessed for hardwood timber on section 23, Monroe; Julius Houseman for lumber on section 32, Troy; and Alex Runnels for the same on section 6, Beaver. William Jones, section 27, Monroe and William Peter, section 11, Monroe, were assessed for pine timber.

As usual, there were many assessments this year that indicate lumbering activities, but the records fail to tell just what activities were represented by them. The following likely represented lumber, which had been cut at various mills: Morton, Lewis & Co., $3,700 at White Cloud, $8,200 on section 27, Lilley, and $300 on section 24, Lilley; Crosby & Collins, $2,000 on section 20, Merrill and $300 on Otia; Ryerson & Davis and C. H. Stanton on section 4, Lilley; and Charles Cadwell, $1,700 on section 9, Home and $1,700 on section 13, Lilley. Nufer Cedar Co. was assessed $2,000 on section 3, Everett, for cedar logs.

Other assessments included: Wagner & Follman, section 14, Norwich; Smith & Field, Wilcox; Eberhard & Mast, Bridgeton; John Simmons, Wilcox; Williams & Simmons, Wilcox; Shevalier & Bowen, Bridgeton; Charles Phelps, section 25, Barton; Thomas D. Stimson, sections 27, 33 and 36, Barton; Nufer, Johnson & Co., section 11, Lilley; Beattie & Bushaw, section 25, Lincoln; Sylvester Dresser, section 11, Lincoln; Christian Pfeiffle, section 11, Lincoln; S. S. Wilcox, section 26, Lincoln; Watrous & Basford, section 26, Troy; J. F. Clark, D. F. Comstock and Hinton & Rector all on section 26, Barton.

Joseph Heald, of Heald, Murphy & Crepin, died in January.

In 1890 the C. & W. MM railroad began a new survey between Otia and Baldwin to straighten the road. Having been built originally to serve lumber mills, it was naturally very crooked. One of the big changes was eliminating the big bend to the west to the village of West Troy. When straightened, the road ran almost straight north from Otia. They moved the depot building from Park City to Brookings.

A few new mills were built this year, all of them small ones. Tibbitts & Plowman built one on section 2, Wilcox at a settlement called McGinty. It blew up in December, killing William Lowe and Parma Seaman, employees.

Phil M. Roedel, who had a shingle mill on section 1, Everett, built another one on section 16, Everett. It operated through 1894. Samuel F. Raub had a shingle mill on section 27, Monroe, this year and the next. Pat Erickson built a mill on section 11, Home, which ran through 1892.

Boerman & Co. built a sawmill on section 5, Sherman. A man was killed in the mill in 1895. In 1901 DeLong Brothers put a lath mill in the building. In 1902 Boerman's mill was operating and the DeLong lath mill operated part of the year and then ceased operations. Boerman's mill continued until 1913.

A. J. Provin, G. R. Playter and Thomas Bucas each had a mill on section 21, Ensley. Provin operated for only one season. Playter operated two years. Bucas sold his mill in 1891 to E. J. Milligan, which is the last record.

Cole & Woodmansee built a shingle mill on section 32, Norwich, to operate a three-year job. The firm soon became Cole & Coats. The mill operated through 1893. They also had a shingle mill on section 14, Norwich. This mill was moved in 1893 to Horsehead Lake.

D. W. Squier & Son were assessed for several descriptions of land in Sheridan Township. The elder Squier died in January. The son, F. W. Squier, built a shingle mill on Brooks Creek on section 22. It burned the same year but was rebuilt. In 1891, another fire destroyed a lot of logs for Squier, but the mill was saved. In 1892 the mill and shingles were assessed at $4,500. The last assessement was in 1895.

Clark & Hardy had a mill on section 29, Barton. It received a railroad in 1891 when the C. & W. M. railroad extended the line north of Keno. It operated through 1897.

H. H. Hawley built a mill on section 21, Wilcox. In 1892 W. C. Barrett & Co. and Parks Brothers were assessed for lumber at Hawley's mill. This is the last record.

Phelps Lumber Co. had a mill on section 23, Home. It burned in 1895. It was also on the extension of the railroad north of Keno.

Burns & Koyl built a saw mill at Fremont on land now occupied by Gerber Products Co. Koyl sold his interest the next year to Walter Pumfrey and the firm became Burns & Pumfrey. The firm became George Burns & Son in 1893. It is shown in the atlas of 1900. The mill operated through 1906 when it was torn down to make room for the Fremont Canning Co., now Gerber Products Co.

Other mills built in 1890 and listed for only one year were: Samuel F. Raub, shingle mill, section 27, Monroe; Fletcher & Wantz, shingle mill, section 7, Wilcox; Herdon & Perry, section 36, Goodwell; and Judson Freyer, section 1, Dayton. Jerome T. Carpenter operated a lath mill in the old Bigelow mill on Bigelow creek. John Ady, Jr., was hurt in his father's mill at Sitka. The mill burned in 1892. A fire at Sitka destroyed 150,000 shingles belonging to Mills Bros., of Holton.

In addition to the mills built in 1890, the Fremont Furniture Co. was organized with local capital. Joseph Gerber was president and Harlan J. Dudley secretary. They converted the old Pumfrey mill into a factory. The first order consisted of 3,700 beds from a firm in Burlington, Iowa. In 1893, W. N. Towner, superintendent, said the building was too small as the plant was doing a business of $50,000 a year. In 1896 the firm reorganized as the Fremont Manufacturing Co. The company could not compete with the cities having more favorable shipping facilities and it soon closed. The building was shown in the atlas of 1900 although the last assessment was in 1896.

The winter had been an open one and many loggers did not get their logs hauled to the river. William Heaton built a tram road for E. R. Sailor from east of Hess and Brooks Lakes to the Muskegon River near the High Rollways. Sailor was lumbering for the Converse Company.

M. V. Harding also built a tram road two and a half miles long to the river.

Ryerson, Davis & Cole shipped nearly a million feet of hardwood lumber during the month of June.

The Michigan Barrel Co. purchased the D. J. Leathers land in Ensley and lumbered it off, putting the logs in Rogue River. Richard English was foreman of the job.

C. Godderham lumbered on the Frank Salisbury place in Ashland. Capt. McLeod finished a lumbering Job in Grant. The R. G. Macfie Co., Grand Haven, had a camp in Denver. Conover & Co. had a lot of logs on sections 17 and 24, Everett. Cornelius Kilhane had a camp on section 4, Merrill. H. J. Dudley and Ryerson, Davis & Cole has shingles on section 15, Sherman, the old banking ground at Old Wooster, which had been sawed at the Davenport mill. Macfie & Son had oak lumber on this same section.

Many assessments were made in the lumbering industry, but the records do not reveal just what for. These include the following: Lincoln township, H. J. Dudley, section 22; John Owen, section 21; George Mills; Charles Beattie; Charles Voorhees; Mansfield & Son; and Chamberlain Mfg. Co.

In Wilcox township there were Ana Burton & Co.; Wagoner Bros. Lumber Co.; L. T. Kinney; A. C. Beaver (Ford Wayne Lumber Co.); and John H. Simmons, section 8.

Those in Merrill township were Norman D. Haynes, section 10; West Michigan Lumber Co., sections 3 and 14; and Hovey & McCracken.

Monroe Township had G. F. Stearns & Co., section 14, and Ware & Bennett, section 11. Home Township had C. C. Follmer, sections 11 and 23. Lilley Township had Nufer, VanKuren & Co., section 23 and Danaher & Malendy, section 34.

Others were Curby & Son, section 26, Sherman and Joseph Smith, section 21, Denver.

Lumbermen dying during the year were D. W. Squier and Sullivan Armstrong in January, Daniel Weaver in September, and John A. Brooks, then living in Grand Rapids, in November.

In 1891 the Chicago & West Michigan railroad extended its Keno branch north by way of Col. N. H. Vincent's and Thomas McDuffie's mills to the Clark & Hary mill at the center of section 29, Barton. They also built a branch to the mill of Phelps Lumber Co., section 23, Home.

The lumbering business was decreasing rapidly. Col. N. H. Vincent built a mill on section 31, Barton. In January of 1892, Col. Vincent was accidently killed and the mill ceased operations. Thomas McDuffie built a mill on section 1, Monroe. He finished his lumbering in 1895.

Ralph Grilly started a small mill on section 6, Bridgeton, on the Ransom Squier place near Sitka. The next year he moved it to Long Lake, where he cut the oak on the Ryerson, Hills & Co. farm for Ryerson & Kempf, Fremont. L. D. Spooner did the scaling. When this job was completed later in the year, Grilly moved the mill five miles east of Fremont, in Sherman Township. In 1894 he moved the mill to a place near Otia. This is the last record of this particular mill.

J. B. Carter had a mill on section 20, Sherman. The next year he moved it to section 11, Dayton. In 1894 he moved it to section 2, Dayton. In 1897 he moved it to section 3, Barton. This is the last record.

English & Rounds had a mill on section 7, Ensley. Martin L. Sweet had one on section 1, Beaver. Frey Brothers had a mill in Ensley where they were cutting lath. These three mills operated only one year.

Fire did much damage this year. L. T. Kinney's mill near Field's burned with a loss of $8,000. Langford & Jernstadt's mill on section 34, Norwich, burned. Hovey & McCracken lost 6,000,000 feet of logs by fire. F. W. Squier lost a lot of logs at his mill in Sheridan Township but the mill was saved. Considerable damage was done at Hungerford and at Woodville by fire. Casper's mill at Hayes Siding burned but was rebuilt.

Alex J. McKinley put 1,000,000 feet of hemlock logs on a one and one-fourth mile haul in 10 days with 12 teams at the Hesperia camp of Staples & Covell.

Ryerson, Hills & Co. were nearly through lumbering. They sold their big mill in Muskegon this year. They were also finishing their work at Pickerel Lake. Their assessment on section 27, Sherman, fell from $30,432 the past year to $800 this year. Moses Bell was the engineer on their railroad, which carried the logs to Pickerel lake.

Prince Jibson, who later lived in Fremont, worked at the "Shanties Camp" as it was called where the logs were taken out of the lake and loaded on cars for the river at Newaygo. The camp on section 27, Sherman, on Long Lake, was known as camp number 1. It was also called "headquarters" camp because it was not far from Wooster, to which station their supplies were shipped by train. Henry Jacobs was general superintendent of the operations of all the camps until his death in 1888, when David Bagley succeeded him. Charles Letticke was foreman of camp number 3 and Joe Cornwall was foreman of the Long Lake farm.

Prince Jibson was one of eight men who loaded the logs on the train at "Shanties Camp" at the south end of Pickerel lake. The logs were drawn up on an endless chain from the lake and the eight men loaded 12 cars and made 18 trips a day to the river, a total of 216 cars a day. The other seven men on this job were Lewis Schoolmaster, Oren Mayo, Mike Stecker, Charles Hansen, Charles Johnson, James Rameau and Steve Aiken.

One day Rameau and Jibson laid off and made a trip to Muskegon and returned to the log deck at the creek shanties. As the day was not finished, the two men rode the train to Newaygo. The other men gave their canthooks to Rameau and Jibson to unload the 12 cars, which took them just 10 minutes. Jibson said they did not have any time to take a nap while unloading.

When the lumbering was over several of Ryerson, Hills & Company's employees bought cut-over lands in Sherman township, which they cleared up into good farms. Among these were Moses Bell, Timothy Blake and Ben and John Deuling. Bell bought a tract of land through which the outlet to Long lake flows. On the land was one of the company's dams. Years later, Bell liked to walk down to the ruins of the old dam, sit down, and muse about the old days.

While he was engineer on the logging road, he made a small model of an improved type of logging locomotive. He attached it to the steam pipes in the cab of his engine. He had rather crude tools to work with and was trying to get better ones to perfect his model when somebody stole his idea. Moses became discouraged and buried his model in a "Swede hole" along the logging road. Some years later he tried to find it but was not successful.

There were numerous assessments in 1891. Parker & Dove had lumber on section 20, Norwich, in Goodwell, and at Field's. Macfie, Son & Co., of Grand Haven, had lumber at Fremont and in Goodwell. Welch Lumber Co. had lumber and logs in Ensley. Fort Wayne Lumber Co. had lumber at Morgan's yard in White Cloud, Morton, Lewis & Co. had lumber at Field's. Orlo McDonald had lumber and shingles on section 1, Beaver.

In the following assessments, the type of property is not mentioned, but all were likely connected with the lumbering industry:

In Beaver township, Butters & Peters Salt & Lumber Co., section 7; J. B. Pumfrey on section 1; and Ryerson, Davis & Cole on section 29, in what became Merrill. Norman D. Haynes on section 10, Cornelius Kilhane on section 12, and William Sweet on section 7. In Home, Hartt & Horning on section 22 and Edward Keets on section 27. In what became Lilley, A. E. Cashier on section 10, Dudley & Myers on section 24; William Lovelace on section 22; Montgomery, Champagne & Co. on sections 27 and 34; Morton, Lewis & Co. on section 27; and Ryerson, Davis & Cole on section 16. In Monroe, Morton, Lewis & Co. on section 11; Phelps Lumber Co. on section 27; and William Jones on section 27. In Lincoln, Brad Patterson on section 20. In Sheridan, Charles Smith on section 6, and in Sherman, Wheeler Brothers on section 20.

Two old lumbermen died this year, H. J. Orton in March and Sam Rose in May. Henry Gaa murdered his wife at the Stiles camp in Lilley.

But few new mills were started in 1892 and these| were very small ones. Richard E. Oxford built one on section 14, Monroe. The author saw it in 1899. It is shown in the atlas of 1900. It ceased running about this time.

John D. Gowell built one on section 15, Beaver. The next year he moved it to section 16, Denver. In 1894 the concern became Gowell & Woodworth and they moved the mill to section 14, Beaver. In 1896 Gowell became sole owner again. This is the last record.

Frank W. Squier built a shingle mill near Dickinson, on section 31, Ashland. It cut 50,000 shingles a day. Later a saw mill was added. In 1895 the mill cut 1,000 cords of wood which was hauled to Bailey for shipment. In 1896 Squier added a planing mill. At this time he was shipping 26,000 feet of lumber daily. The mill is shown in the atlas of 1900. The mill was operated for several years after the turn of the century. This was the last place in the county where the author saw the "big wheels" for hauling logs in operation. Elwin J. Stone, Fremont, nephew of Squier, has some of the old daybooks of the Squier store where the mill employees traded.

All the other new mills this year were only one-year stands. They included: the James Muir tie mill on section 27, Ensley; the Clarence Burton mill on section 33, Beaver; the S. W. Parker mill on section 20, Norwich; the Robert Kempf mill near Sitka; the Thompson & Davis mill at Croton; the Parker & Dove saw mill on section 3, Goodwell; the W. E. Fulkerson saw mill at White Cloud; and the Union tie mill north of Ensley Center.

Ryerson, Hills & Co. sold their remaining mill in Muskegon this year after completing their lumbering operations in Sherman and Garfield townships. They gave each of the eight old employees 80 acres of good farming land on section 36, Sherman.

C. G. Alley & Co., who had closed operations at White Cloud, decided to renew their operations on a large scale. They reserved their waterfront and mill to be used later in some other branch of manufacturing.

One large camp was established in Croton Township. The D. H. Waters tract of timber there was sold to Hovey & McCracken of Muskegon. Darrah & Cornell took the job of cutting the timber, which was put into Tamarack creek. They put in 75,000 feet per day during the winter, employing 100 men, a number of teams and a narrow gauge railroad that was 1 1/2 miles long.

Joe Zerlaut had a camp near Sitka. E. R. Sailor had a camp on Bigelow creek on section 9, Brooks, where he lumbered for the Converse Co. He built a tram road from the timber to the river.

C. F. Nason had a camp north and east of Bitely where he cut pine, hemlock and cedar. The pine and hemlock were cut into lumber at Sisson & Lilley's mill. The cedar was hauled by tram road to Bitely.

M. L. Sweet, H. J. Dudley and Ryerson & Cole were assessed for lumber on section 1, Beaver. Dennis Bros., Dudley & Co., and Barrett & Co. were assessed for timbered lands on section 18, Goodwell. W. C. Barrett, lumber dealers of Grand Rapids, were assessed for lumber at the Hawley and J. J. Williams mills in Wilcox.

Assessments made this year in the lumbering industry, but for what specific purpose is not known, were: in Monroe, Durley & Eichenberger on section 1, William Peter, H. J. Dudley, Dudley & Eichenberger, Maxwell Lumber Co., Morton, Lewis & Co., and Phelps Lumber Co., all on section 11; Hartt & Horning, section 12; John Rutherford, Beacon Lumber Co., and Baker Lumber Co., all on section 16; and L. T. Kinney on section 34. In Everett, H. J. Dudley on section 28; Ryerson & Kempf on section 29, and William Davenport and H. J. Dudley on section 20. In Lilley, Crane & Van Deuzen and William Lovelace on section 22; John Fields on section 23, Morton, Lewis & Co. on section 27, and E. L. Gray on section 32. In Merrill, C. Kilhane on section 12 and C. F. Nason on section 24. In Troy, Benjamin Neal on section 26. In Wilcox, Parks Brothers at Hawley's mill, Nufer Cedar Co. at J. J. William's yard, and H. J. Dudley and David Henry at Field's. In Dever, Fred Mansfield on section 9, and in Bridgeton, Osborn & Wellman on section 2.

Two lumbermen died this year. Lester C. Morgan, identified with the lumbering industry at White Cloud for many years, died at his home in Muskegon in August. Col. N. H. Vincent was accidentally killed in January.

In 1893 came a general financial depression. Lumbering activities over the county nearly ceased. Never in the history of the county up to this time had there been so many men out of work.

Chet Johnson built a mill at Ensley Center. Chubb & Johnson, operating for J. H. Simmons, had a mill near White Cloud. Lyman T. Kinney had a mill on section 2, Wilcox. These three mills operated only one year.

Samuel Raub had a shingle mill on section 16, Monroe, which ceased operations in 1895. C. S. Doud had a shingle mill on section 3, Merrill, which operated through 1898. Richard Horan had a shingle mill on section 15, Sherman. In 1894 the firm became Conover & Horan and they moved their mill to Everett township where they ceased operations after a year. James Shevalier had a tie mill near Croton. In 1894 he moved the mill to a point near Ranch Lake near Grant, where he cut 16,000 ties. The next year he moved the mill to Big Prairie. In 1896 he had the mill in Ensley. In 1897 he contracted with the G. R. & I. railroad to furnish the ties for the road from Morley to Cedar Springs. He also became agent for the Grand Rapids Bark & Lumber Co.

Hovey & McCracken were forced to abandon their railroad in Croton township during the winter as the snow was so deep the locomotive could not get through. This made additional hauling by team necessary.

John F. Byers was given a contract by the Muskegon Booming Co. to remove deadheads from Muskegon river. They estimated there would be at least a million feet.

James Bills hauled 4,200 feet of hardwood lumber to Newaygo in one load.

Alex Jones had a big lumber job for Ryerson, Davis & Cole. The West Michigan Lumber Co. was assessed for logs on section 25, Beaver. Stearns & Streight had a camp on section 24, Troy.

The following assessments were likely all made for some branch of lumbering but are not specified on the records: J. T. Reynolds & Co., and G. Tillotson on section 1 and Darling & Smith on section 15, Beaver. J. E. Cunningham on section 21; William Overton on section 11, and Northcott & Wilson on section 35, Home; Willard Syers on section 13, Merrill; Trudge Brothers, section 15, Sherman; G. Tillotson.

J. W. Brown, Grant, leased the site of the A. T. Squier mill, which had gone out of business and moved his saw mill and planing mill there. In 1899 the mill was leased to James Shevalier, who added a lumber yard.

Billy Williams lumbered for the Michigan Barrel Co., on sections 21 and 27, Grant, this year and the next.

Hovey & McCracken completed their lumbering job in Croton Township. They sold their railroad to Minneapolis parties, who removed it at once.

E. R. Sailor cut the pine east of Brooks Lake and put it in the river over the tram road. He was lumbering for the Converse Mfg. Co. during the winter of 1894-95.

Assessments connected with the lumbering business, but which branch is not known, were as follows: Don J. Leathers, Grant, $800; Jibson Brothers, section 2, Bridgeton, $465; A. J. Thick, section 9, Merrill, $500; Northcott & Wilson, section 35, Home; and Byron & Brown, section 10, Home.

The lumbering business picked up some in 1895. A disastrous fire in July, however, destroyed considerable property. The Phelps Lumber Company's mill, Bickley's mill, Giddings' boardinghouse and a lot of shanties around Keno were destroyed. The hotel at Lumberton burned. Reynolds & Bullman's camp on section 18, Goodwell, along with the shingle mill, store and stock, 15 shanties, and 3,000,000 feet of logs were wiped out. Stephen Cosper's mill burned. C. R. Wyman's box factory at White Cloud burned.

C. H. Porter and George Thompson had a mill on section 1, Denver, on the Billy O'Brien place. The next year Porter moved the mill to section 14, Denver, on the Fred Mansfield farm. In 1899 he moved the mill to section 4, Denver. In 1901 he moved it to Lincoln Township for a short stand and then to section 4, Dayton, on the Brad Patterson place. In 1904 he moved it to section 16, Denver.

Neal Terwillegar had a mill in Ensley Township, which he-sold to A. W. Frey. The next year Frey increased the capacity of the mill and started making potato crates. This is the last record. Johnson & Tannewitz had a tie mill, which operated this year and the next in Ensley. F. M. & W. J. Pike had a mill in South Garfield. In 1897 they were sawing the logs from the Ranier place.

Other mills that operated this year but not longer were those of Briggs, Weston & Co., section 9, Sherman, where they cut hardwood lumber for Splitstone & Baars; George Skellington on section 16, Goodwell, where he cut 15,000 to 16,000 feet per day for T. V. Gray & Son; a tie mill of David Collins on section 22, Everett; and a shingle mill of Charley Raiser on section 9, Sherman.

Keno was a busy place until the fire mentioned. Every house was occupied. Moses Bell was running the locomotive on the logging railroad. Mrs. Whitman, of Newaygo, was running the boardinghouse.

The Thayer Lumber Co. had about 20,000,000 feet of pine still standing in Norwich. This was enough for a two-year job. They put a large crew of men cutting its

A new booming company was formed in Muskegon and considerable trouble arose between it and the Muskegon Booming Co. The latter concern took out its, last drive this year. It started at Evart. The drive utilized only one float and 21 men where in previous years it took 200 men or more. Part of the drive consisted of 400,000 feet of deadhead.

Moses Cole had a camp on section 12, Garfield There was much activity at Billy Williams' loggin job in Grant township. He used 17 teams drawing logs and 5 teams drawing ties. He shipped a total 2,000,000 feet of logs, more than 300 carloads.

Tom Collins had a lumbering job in South Garfield E. R. Sailor had a camp near Brooks lake. He was assessed Edgaror Rath & Cartier on section 29, Troy.

The Converse Company had logs on section 20, Everett, and Burt Douglass and brothers had lumber on section 22, Everett.

Assessments made for some branch of the lumbering industry were as follows: Beaver, Danaher & Malendy, section 17, $2,800 and Martin Sweet, section 18, $1,500; Barton, Darling & Jackson, section 3, $3,000 and E. H. Merritt, section 4, $400; Monroe, Grand Rapids Bed Slat Co., section 1, $2,500, Hartt & Horning, section 5, $500, Northern Hotel Co., section 11, $300 and Youngblood & Veeve, section 11, $500, Merrill, Darling & Smith, section 3, $300.

In 1896, Hesperia, which had tried for many years to secure a railroad without success, became thrilled when representatives of the Butters & Peters lumber concern of Ludington. arrived and interested the people of the community in a proposed new railroad from Ludington to Howard City through Hesperia.

After inducing landowners to give the right of way, they finally built a narrow gauge railroad as far as Maple Range, six miles west of Hesperia, where they had a tract of hardwood timber. That was as near Hesperia as the railroad ever got. After their timber was removed, they tore up the road.

The lumbering business was augmented this year by the addition of several small mills. J. W. Rutherford had one at Hungerford. It burned in 1898. T. V. Gray had a mill on section 35, Monroe, at Hayes Siding. It operated two years. R. S. English built a mill on section 32, Grant, where he cut 2,000,000 feet of lumber for C. C. Comstock. In 1898 he moved the mill to section 33, Grant. In 1900 he completed his cut and moved the mill to Lake City.

Charles Gleason had a mill at Lilley, which he moved to Volney to cut his lumber and ties. It ceased operations in 1901. Gustave Nordberg had a mill on section 3, Barton. In 1898 moved it to section 4, Barton. It is shown in the atlas of 1900, which was the last year it was assessed.

Frank M. Gillett bought the mulay saw and other equipment in the old Burrington mill on section 32, Troy, which had been idle for several years, adapted it to steam power, and erected a mill on section 8, Denver. The next year he bought another mill with a circular saw and built it across the road on section 7. With this in 1899 he cut a considerable amount of lumber for the Alaska Refrigerator Co., of Muskegon Heights. It is shown in the atlas of 1900. In 1902 it was operating on the D. M. Jones place on section 9, Denver, which is the last record.

Mills that operated in 1896 only were those of Philo Bowerman shingle mill near Otia; F. M. Pike, Van Sycle Lake; George Thompson, Denver; E. Lockery, Otia; and George Thompson, Otia.

Assessments likely for some part of the lumbering business were: Sheridan, Roelof Brookhuis, section 4, $1,000; Monroe, Valentine Clark, section 14, $600 and G. F. Stearns, section 16, $200; Merrill, Danaher & Malendy, section 10, $10,000, George Buel, section 24, $300 and Fiefield & Merthen, section 24, $600, Norwich, Frank Bedell, section 36, $450; Ashland, Grand Rapids Refrigerator Co., $600; Denver, William Kimes, section 1, $130 and Freyer Brothers, section 34, $400.

The Thayer Lumber Co. was assessed $9,395 on section 21, Norwich, for logs. David Collins was assessed $200 in Ensley for lumber and ties. Emil Kempf was assessed for cordwood on section 15, Sherman.

Alonzo Yates was lumbering for Rath & Cartier. L. T. Kinney, prominent lumberman for many years, died in April.

In 1897 the hopes of Hesperia were kindled anew by a proposed electric railroad line from Ludington to Hart through Hesperia. The Newaygo Republican stated this railroad should continue through Fremont, White Cloud and Newaygo to Cedar Springs. It never materialized.

This year Newaygo county had 2,665 acres of standing pine and 2,221 acres of standing hemlock, according to Hotchkiss' History of the Lumber and Forest Industry of the Northwest.

Johnson, Tannewitz & Co. had a new lumber and tie mill on section 8, Big Prairie. John Archer had a mill at Volney. A man named Waters had a mill in Ensley. These mills were recorded for only one year.

Freyer Brothers had a mill on section 32, Denver, which they moved the next year to section 5, Denver.

A. A. Hemily rented the planing mill of the Converse Company and he and George Rosenberg operated a lumberyard in connection. The next year Ed Kennicott became a partner of Hemily in a new plant they built near the depot at Newaygo for planing, matching and making doors and windows. They ran a lumberyard in connection. Later in the year they added a sawmill. In 1902 Hemily and Kennicott dissolved partnership, Kennicott continuing the business. The mill burned in 1906.

In January 1903, Hemily established a planing mill and lumberyard. In 1913 Robert and Philip Hemily, sons of A. A. Hemily, joined the firm and it became A. A. Hemily & Co. Within a year or so, they changed the firm name to Hemily Lumber Co. This concern is still intact, is still doing business and has the same old planer functioning as good as ever (1946).

A newspaper item in April said that six eels got into the water wheel at the William Matthews shingle mill in Newaygo and caused a delay in operations. This is the first mentioned of the Matthews mill since 1881, when Lewis Martin had his carding mill in the building. From all the years from then on, including the year 1897, it does not appear on the assessment roll.

The drive this year consisted of 4,000,000 feet as against 33,000 feet the year before. Thomas Coughlin was superintendent.

John Torrent bought all the logs marked on the Muskegon River, which means this gave him ownership to all the deadheads in the river.

Dale Brothers, of Grand Rapids, had a large amount of excelsior bolts at Newaygo.

Bense & Black, section 9, Barton, were assessed for timber. Calvin E. Brown, section 3, Merrill, and Alfred Baker, section 10, Merrill, were assessed for buildings.

Other assessments for which no specific purpose was given in the records were: J. B. Delbridge, section 26, Lilley, $500; John P. Hendrickson, section 27, Sherman, $200; C. P. Klooster, section 19, Beaver, $180.

N. B. Clark, who had been prominent in the bark business, was murdered in Milwaukee in May. J. B. Jewell, proprietor of the Jewell mill at Fremont, also died this year.

The only lumbering mills newly built in 1898 were those of Grand Rapids Bark & Lumber Co., Newaygo; F. J. Johnson, section 6, Denver; Schmucker Bros., section 13, Lincoln, on the site of the old West Michigan Lumber Company's mill; and Herman Allers' shingle mill on section 28, Home.

The mills of the Grand Rapids Bark & Lumber Co., and of F. J. Johnson were recorded for only one year. Johnson sawed lumber and ties for Joseph Tannewitz. The Herman Alters mill operated this year and the next.

The mill assessed to Schmucker Brothers in 1898 had the next year become the property of Mrs. M. D. Schmucker & Co. It burned in September 1899, with a loss of 30,000 feet of lumber. In October, F. S. Smith purchased the Pike saw mill which stood near the depot at Newaygo and which had been used by Hemily & Kennicott the winter before, and moved it to Diamond lake to saw deadheads left by the West Michigan Lumber Co. These had been raised during the summer by M. D. Schmucker, who went into partnership with Smith. During 1900 a lath mill was added. In December they dissolved partnership, Schmucker retaining the mill. Schmucker operated it in 1901 when he cut 300,000 feet of lumber for Lane & Son, Chicago. This is the last record.

C. C. Terwillegar had a logging camp near Oak Grove and Mike Kinney had one in Ensley. The Alaska Refrigerator Co. was assessed for lumber on section 8, Sheridan.

The assessments made for purposes unknown to the author were: W. S. Tucker, section 9, Barton, $800, and C. Steadman, section 24, Beaver, $300.

Botsford & Lentz, Newaygo, were dealing in hoops.

An interesting item in connection with the West Michigan Lumber Company's yard and M. D. Schmucker came to light in 1924. By this time nearly thirty years had elapsed since the West Michigan finished its cut at Diamond lake. In this year Mr. Schmucker was in a restaurant in Grand Rapids one day. Here he met an acquaintance who asked him how things were at Diamond lake. He answered "All Right." An old Swede who was eating there overheard the conversation and asked Schmucker "Be you from Diamond Lake?" Schmucker answered,"Yes." "Diamond lake by White Cloud?" persisted the Swede. "Yes," answered Schmucker.

"Vell," said the Swede, "I used to work in the lumber yards there. We piled many holes in the swamp full of what was then cull lumber but what would be good lumber now, for the foundation of the lumber piles."

Schmucker inquired what part of the yards it was, and on returning home, proceeded to investigate. With a pike pole he prodded around through the moss and weeds that covered everything. In this way, he uncovered about 40,000 feet of lumber in two weeks. Later he uncovered much more. He built several cottages on the lake and a barn on the farm from the lumber found.

The lumber was mostly under water and had to be taken out by fishing methods. While under water it remained as bright as the day it was put in, the blue crayon marks put on by workmen being still very bright. On exposure to the air, however, the lumber turned dark colored.

In 1899 a resolution was passed by the board of supervisors requiring all claimants to sunken logs in the Muskegon river to remove them, starting within six months, or the sheriff would move them and sell them to the highest bidder.

The Newaygo Improvement Co. was formed this year to induce industries to locate at Newaygo. They built a plant for power and lighting. They built a new dam on Pennoyer creek for the use of the furniture factory, which they hoped to get located there. The company also built a sawmill on the site of Clay's "Little Mill" on the Pennoyer. They had bought several tracts of timbered land, including one from David Collins at Otia. They equipped the mill to saw lumber, lath and shingles. They also bought the deadheads near the upper bridge at Newaygo and removed them with a steam skidder. The next year they started a lath mill in the old furniture factory in January and in May bought the large lath mill of J. M. Seymour and M. M. Brown, which had been built in the fall of 1899 where the Standard Oil Company bulk plant is now located. Both the sawmill and the furniture factory are shown in the atlas of 1900. When these ceased operations is not known by the author.

C. C. Terwillegar erected a mill on the flats near the furniture factory to saw lumber and timber for the new dam being built by the Newaygo Portland Cement Co., and for other purposes. The Newaygo Improvement Co. took out many deadheads above the bridge in 1900 and these were sawed in this mill. In November of this year, Terwillegar moved the mill to Croton, where he had an extensive job.

Joseph Tannewitz had a small mill on section 32, Croton. Willie, son of Tannewitz, was killed in this mill this year.

Archie Bedell had a small mill on section 25, Norwich.

Alex G. Runnels, former sheriff, became agent of Danaher & Malendy, a prominent lumbering concern, in trying to colonize the thousands of acres of cutover lands of the company. Runnels located at Lilley and bought the store there. He had a large ranch of his own here.

C. F. Nason built a mill on section 3, Lilley, during the winter of 1899-1900. He named the place Jewell. Mr. Nason died in 1900 just before the mill was completed. O. L. Heath of Grand Rapids was appointed administrator of the estate. He completed the mill and cut much of the timber. In 1904 Heath sold the property to Reuben Bloomer of Grand Rapids. In 1906 Bloomer sold it to John J. Alderson, of Chicago. Alderson at once repaired the mill and finished cutting all the-remaining timber. He named the place Alderson. For a short time, Alderson was a busy place.

Michael Turcotte had a camp on section 9, Beaver. Thompson-Bunnell Lumber Co., Grand Rapids, was assessed for lumber on section 24, Monroe. Stiles Lumber Co. had lumber, shingles and wood on section 26, Home. Holliday Lumber Co. had lumber at Ashland and Grant. R. Bondrayer, section 13, Lincoln, was assessed $1,000 but the records fail to say for what purpose.

In 1900 the board of supervisors passed a resolution to require fish chutes put in the Perry Mansfield dam on Martin's creek, Denver.

Several new mills were operated this year as follows: E. B. Ponitous, section 3, Monroe; James Wells, section 28, Beaver; James Ballantyne, section 12, Monroe; Kostin & Stickney, near Plumville in Ensley; James Shevalier, Ensley; Henry Forwood, section 34, Goodwell; B. J. King, section 2, Croton. A man named Hall at Bitely; Leroy Hunt, section 5, Denver; and O. T. Letcher, section 25, Beaver.

Of all these mills, there is a record of more than one year for only one mill, the Forwood mill. A newspaper item in 1901 said this mill had sawed enough lumber for a store, cook shanty and barn but had no roof. The mill was operating in 1902, which is the last record.

Wilson & Gregory, of Hesperia, bought the dock at the Old village of Sisson and the deadheads in Pettibone Lake. They established a lath mill and cut the old slabs in the dock into lath. They shipped the logs secured to Grand Rapids.

The Consumers Ice Co. purchased what was left of the old West Michigan Lumber Company's mill at Diamond Lake, tore it down and piled up the lumber.

The Crescent Manufacturing Co., Muskegon, had a big job cutting logs near Maple Island.

Butters & Peters, who had a quantity of logs at George Thompson's mill on section 20, Beaver, were hauling them to Walkerville.

The atlas of 1900 shows the following mills: F. W. Squier, Dickinson; a tie mill at Ashland City; Meade's mill, Sheridan; Dudley & Myers, Home; L. B. (Mrs. Wm.) Martin, section 29, Dayton; William Shorter, section 17, Big Prairie; the Schmucker mill and the old West Michigan mill building at Diamond lake; F. M. Gillett's mill, section 7, Denver; Chubb's mill, section 6, Wilcox; O. T. Letcher, section 25, Beaver; James Wells, lath mill, section 28, Beaver; E. B. Pontious, section 3, Merrill; R. E. Oxford, section 14, Monroe; H. Lehnen, section 3, Barton; Gustave Nordberg, section 4, Barton; A. Yates, section 19, Troy; D. L. Stiveny's lath mill, Newaygo; Newaygo Improvement Company's saw mill, Pennoyer creek; Hemily & Kennicott's planing mill, Newaygo; K. Mulder, Burns & Son, and Fremont Mfg. Co., at Fremont.

gelding, Hall & Co., gelding, were assessed $550 on section 2, Croton, for basket timber.

Other assessments were as follows: William Hughart, Jr., section 15, Croton, $150; Joseph Smith, section 21, Denver, $475; Lucy J. Angell, section 23, Denver, $400; A. T. Squier, section 24, Ashland, $9,835; Grand Rapids Veneer Co., Ashland, $745; Minerva Forwood, section 2, Lincoln, $250; Martha Coleman, section 14, Bridgeton, $850; John Olson, section 17, Bridgeton, $550.

From now on, there were many portable mills—too many to keep track of. Most of these did not remain long in one place, but a few did custom work and remained as long as there was anything to cut. In 1901 Fred Daenzer had a mill at Robinson lake, Sherman township, which operated for several years.

Elmer French had a crew cutting shingles at his mill at Big Ben, section 11, Big Prairie. A. Shotwell was lumbering in Troy.

The Pennoyer creek dam went out. The drive this year was made up of 37,000,000 feet.

In 1902 the board of supervisors granted a permit for the construction of a dam at Bridgeton by the Muskegon River Water Power Co., but the dam was never built.

The drive this year consisted of 20,000,000 feet.

A new lumbering concern called the David Lumber Co. was organized. It was made up of David Collins and Archie David, the latter of Grand Rapids, C. C. Terwillegar and W. S. Barton. It was capitalized at $6,000.

In March of 1903, D. L. Stiven organized the University Box Co., with office in Grand Rapids and factory at Newaygo. William Clement and E. O. Ellis of Traverse City, along with Stiven, comprised the firm. Stiven removed the machinery from the "Little Mill" and installed machinery for making a new kind of berry box. This is the only record found.

Another concern, the Jepson Systems Co., started a plant in the furniture factory at Newaygo. It failed the next year and was taken over by W. J. Bell. This is the last information available.

In Troy Township this year the mills of A. Yates, Cook Brothers, Olds & Smith, and E. Walker cut considerable lumber. Olds & Smith cut shingles for Norris & Bode at their mill on section 28. W. J. Bulson had a lath mill in Troy, also. Cook Brothers mill burned in 1907. The E. Walker mill ceased operations in 1918.

Deaths this year included two lumbermen—James

H. Darling, of Fremont, and H. Lehnen, of Barton.

In 1904, M. J. Culp, of White Cloud, had a mill on the C. M. Alger farm in Grant Township. Aaron Tilman had a small mill a half-mile north of Hawkins.

There were two drives on the river this year, with about 9,000,000 feet in each.

Jacob Cummer, early lumberman at Croton, died this year.

The Newaygo Package Co. was organized to make crates for fruits, potatoes, etc. E. M. Averill was president. In April, 1905, the company was reorganized. The directors were W. J. Bell, M. F. Hatch, E. O. Shaw and E. J. Hartman of Newaygo and John Bowson, J. F. Gable and Leo Caro of Grand Rapids. It did not last very long.

Henry Rowe started a woodworking plant in the old furniture factory at Newaygo, which is still operating (1946).

Billingsley Brothers were operating a mill in Barton Township. Chupp Brothers had a mill on section 7, Goodwell. The Dudley & Daniels Lumber Co. changed its name to Dudley Lumber Co. The Turcotte and Yates mills in Beaver ceased operations. Sanford Brown lumberman and businessman of Newaygo, died.

Since 1905 there has been more or less lumbering done on a small scale by portable mills. Much timber that was too small when the land was first lumbered off was lumbered by these small mills. Where much of the pine timber had been, oaks succeeded. When these were were large enough, they were cut into railroad ties. Cutting ties was an important industry for some thirty years.

In 1931, Orlie Briggs started a mill at White Cloud, which is still in operation (1946). In 1941 this mill cut 1,200,000 feet of lumber. For the four previous years, it had hit the million mark each year. In 1941, there were as many as sixty employees on the Briggs payroll. In 1942, there were 38, including mill hands, woodsmen, carpenters, truckers, and office crew. That year the company furnished the government 2,300 white pine 4x4's, eight feet long, squared on one end and tapered at the other for use as fence posts for an aircraft factory in Ohio.

The sawmill and planing mill occupy about 5,000 square feet of floor space. The cabinet shop and drying shed have about 2,500 square feet and the garage and drying shed, combined, have about 2,000 square feet. The mill and yards cover 10 village lots. In 1942 there were about 500,000 feet of lumber in the yard. About two-thirds of this was pine while the rest was oak, ash, elm, beech, maple, basswood and poplar.

In 1943 there were several mills in operation. The largest of these was the Briggs Lumber Co. Others were Stanley Forwood, Route 3, White Cloud; Grant Crate Mill, Grant; Herbert Scott, Bridgeton; Stanley Purcell, Newaygo; Thomas Spence, Newaygo; Jack E. Underwood, Bitely; Scott Bridges, Route 2, White Cloud; Charles D. Harrison, Sand Lake; Lloyd Murphy, Troy; and Gerald Spencer, Route 2, Newaygo.

During this year forest rangers, searching for mature hardwoods for war uses, found a giant white oak on a farm lot east of Fremont. The foresters estimated that the tree had 2,300 board feet and would cut three 16-foot logs. It measured approximately 4 feet through the trunk breast high.

After the big lumbering was over, many of the streams used by the lumbermen for driving logs became excellent fishing streams for trout. Some individuals and clubs in later years bought lands on these streams and fenced them in, shutting the public out. In 1943 the supreme court of Michigan reversed a decision written by circuit judges Earl C. Pugsley, Fremont, Evans and Herman Dehnke, in the conservation department's suit to force William C. Taggart, of Big Rapids, to remove obstacles from the Little South branch of the Pere Marquette river. The supreme court reaffirmed the principle laid' down years ago in Collins, Gebhatr case, holding that stream that could float logs in the spring was navigable and that "defendant's ownership of the bed; is subject to the public right of fishing thereon." Taggart was ordered to remove barriers and deep cuts at the borders of his property, which had been installed to keep fishermen from reaching the stream.

Thus, the practice of lumbermen in floating logs down the streams in the early day lumbering has been of great value in preserving to the public today the right of fishing these streams.

Another benefit that has lasted until today from the practice of daming the streams for power to operate mills, is seen in such projects as the one at White Cloud where the city hydroelectric plant utilized the old Wilcox Lumber Company's mill pond and mill race for operating the plant.

In addition to the mills listed in 1943, in 1944 Guy Gleason had a mill on section 5, in 1945 on section 6, and in 1946 on section 22, Denver. In late years, many attempts have been made and are still being made to reforest certain areas with white pine. While some success has been attained, there will never be anything like the original pine forests of Newaygo County. These and the old pine camps are gone forever. To those who have seen them in all their glory, this seems an irreparable loss. The thoughts of one of these men are well expressed in the following poem:

I stood by the ruins of an old pine camp, As the sun was sinking low, And it carried me back to the old lumberjack And the scenes of long ago.

When the world was young, and the blood ran free Through the veins of men as they used to be, And the cheery ring of the axe and saw Was heard from the Soo to Mackinaw:

When the rivermen gathered hundreds strong To bring down the drive with a laugh and song. Those were the days of our fathers' time, Days gone forever, days of the pine.

And as I stood musing idly there, A mysterious change seemed to fill the air, As though time turned back from its onward flight To give me a glimpse of the past that night.

For lo, as from a touch of Aladdin's lamp, There rose again the old pine camp, And in all its grandeur it stood once more Mid the towering pines as in days of yore.

And like fireflies dancing here and there Lanterns were bobbing everywhere. While voices strange, but strong and clear Came from the bunkhouse standing near.

Trembling and eager, I crept to the door, To view if I might the old crowd once more, And there were Rory, Mike and Alex Duchene And scores of others you would know by name.

All laughing and talking by the firelight's glow While someone was singing in a voice soft and low Of a lad who gave his life where the white waters whirl To "Break the Jam on Gerry's Rocks" and win the heart of a girl.

Then a mist seemed to fall before my eyes, like a

curtain at a play,

The scene was changed in a moment; gone was the

yesterday,

And there mid the shadows cold and damp

I stood alone once more by the old pine camp.

Yes, Rory, Mike, and Alex Duchene Had all filed back in the past again, Where you and I must follow in time Like the sturdy men who cut the pine.