125 YEARS AGO

St. Ignace News

October 28, 1884

While Luke and Joe Marley were out in a fish boat near Detour last Friday, their boat swamped and the latter was drowned. The tug Mentor left here for the scene on Sunday forenoon and arrived back at 11 o'clock to-day, bringing Luke Marley, who is badly inured about the shoulders and legs, but will recover. From one of the persons who was on the Mentor we get the following particulars:

Early Thursday morning the two men left their camp for the fishing ground, and after lifting a small catch started back. They encountered heavy winds and their boat capsized in shallow water, when the masts and sails were broken away. They righted the boat and got in, sitting in water up to their waists. In this way they drifted about until Friday night, when their boat struck a sand bar near Gravel Island and capsized again. By this time both men were well nigh exhausted, but after great effort, Luke managed to wade to shore and pulled himself up on the beach by the aid of overhanging branches of trees. When the boat capsized the second time Joe bid his brother good bye and said they would have to part, as he was unable to help himself ashore. Joe was not seen afterwards. After Luke got on the beach he wanted a drink of water, and the sea being too heavy for him to procure it on the side of the Island he was on, he crawled on his hands and knees to the other side, a distance of about 50 rods, in which effort he thinks he bruised himself in the manner found. On Saturday morning, 48 hours after the accident, a fish boat picked him up and took him to Detour. Louis Trucky, reported lost, was not in the boat at all. It is reported that five men were drowned in the vicinity of Detour on Thursday and Friday.

•••

News reached this city this morning of the drowning of Joseph Lapine and his son, former residents at the Island, at Scott's Point on Saturday last. They went out in a small skiff to lift some herring nets and their boat swamped. Where this occurred the water was only three feet deep, but the sea was so heavy they were washed under and drowned. The bodies were recovered and brought to Mackinac Island this morning.

•••

Seney Dots, Oct. 24. The snow is six inches deep here, and still snowing hard. . . . James McDonald has succeeded in striking good water here at a depth of 108 feet, and talks of sinking another well soon. This is a work badly needed in Seney, as the citizens formerly had to use swamp water for drinking. . . . Three men arrived from Grand Marias to-day. They report the road as being in very bad condition, having to walk through water up to their knees the last four miles.

•••

Antoine Paquin, about 80 years of age, left his home in this city early Sunday afternoon for the purpose of gathering hazel nuts in the woods., intending to return in a short time. After being in the woods a little while he started for home, but having lost his way he traveled until darkness set in, when he stationed himself under a tree and stood there all night. Early yesterday morning he heard a cow bell and started in the direction from whence the sound came, which brought him out on the road leading to Point La Barb, and was on his way to that place when he was met by George Cheeseman about two miles from town, who drove him to his home. The night was disagreeable and wet, fortunately not cold, and the old man is none the worse for his little excursion.

•••

Angus J. Campbell is canvassing the city to-day to try if he can get sufficient encouragement to warrant him in building a covered skating rink for the use of our citizens the coming winter.

125 YEARS AGO

St. Ignace News

October 31, 1884

The Maud Sammons left for the Cheneaux this morning to assist in loading a schooner with cedar.

•••

John Burdette, a homesteader from near White Fish Point, who has been suffering with a sore foot for a long time, was sent to the poor farm yesterday. He has been laid up at Newberry for some time, and was brought to this city by Rev. E. S. Curry on Tuesday evening, being a resident of this county. Mr. Curry thought that the county, or our charitably inclined citizens would donate enough to pay the man's passage to the Ann Arbor Hospital, but it seems no action was taken in that direction. He is said to be a worthy man and his condition requires far better attention than he can possibly get where he now is. Will some one take a step to assist him?

90 YEARS AGO

The St. Ignace Enterprise

October 30, 1919

The board of supervisors completed their deliberations of business before them at the annual session and adjourned Friday afternoon.

One of the acts of the board was authorizing the memorial committee to erect a memorial to the soldiers and sailors who saw service in the world war at a cost not to exceed $15,000, of which $5,000 was to be paid from the 1919 tax levy. The memorial will be erected on the court house grounds according to present plans.

•••

Logging operations will be conducted on an extensive scale this fall and winter provided the necessary woodsmen can be engaged to man the camps. Wages are the highest in the history of the industry. One operator told The Press that he was paying the men in his camps $60.00 per month. This wage, of course, includes board, which is estimated at not less than one dollar a day. - Iron Mountain Press.

•••

Jimmy Brady of this city, lightweight champion of Michigan, hung another victory to his belt Friday night when he defeated Matty Gill, Canadian champ, in two rounds via the K. O. route at Grand Rapids. Gill was knocked down twice for a count of nine before he was finally put out. The Canadian scrapper suffered a lot of punishment.

••• Armistice day, November 11, will be a legal holiday in Michigan this year.

The Michigan State legislature, in its last session, declared November 11, Armistice day, in commemoration of the closing of hostilities in the great world war, and added it to the comparatively small list of such holidays, which include New Years, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, and Christmas. Many of the holidays are legally observed in other states and not so in Michigan.

Many of the cities of the state are preparing for celebrations on Armistice day, which will, according to the announced plans, rival July 4 observances. From all sections of the state announcements have been received, which indicate that November 11 will be marked with red letters in nearly every town. Patriotic pageants, public speaking, fireworks display, airplane flights, honors to the soldiers of the world war, and social functions, will mark the celebrations.

•••

Senator Townsend recently introduced a bill under which relief is to be given Chippewa and Ottawa tribes of Michigan Indians in relation to certain long standing claims under old treaties. The secretary of the interior is favorable to sending these matters to the court of claims, the senator explained, but it is necessary to have legislation vacating the operation of the statute of limitation and permitting their reference to the court.

•••

Judge L. H. Fead of the Chippewa circuit takes a firm stand in his admission to citizenship of all aliens coming before him. At an examination of applicants in Alger county last week he bluntly asked if they were satisfied to exist under the present form of government.

"I would never admit a man to citizenship who professes belief in any of the principles enunciated by the I. W. W., the Bolsheviki or the radical red wing of Socialism," declared Judge Fead. "Neither would I admit a man of foreign birth to American citizenship whose war record is blemished. A man who evaded service in the National army by taking advantage of the alien draft clause will never blossom into citizenship in a court of mine and neither will those slackers be accepted who, while excused from army service on the grounds of essential civil occupation, failed to reasonably back up the boys who went overseas."

•••

C.W. Hubbard, superintendent, twelfth district, U. S. lighthouse service, announces the following changes in lights and buoys in the Straits o Mackinac, Lake Michigan and Green bay:

. . . Lake Michigan, northeast end, and Straits of Mackinac All iron and gas buoys will be removed between Nov. 20 and Dec. 5, 1919. . .

Each station of the above mentioned buoys will be marked with a spar buoy similarly colored and numbered.

The removal of gas buoys marking the most important stations will be delayed as long as weather conditions permit, due consideration being given to the necessity for maintaining such lighted buoys for navigation.

•••

Lower Michigan papers are already telling of the large number of hunters preparing to invade the upper peninsula at the opening of the deer season, which begins November 10.

Only 20 days hunting will be allowed men to go into the woods after deer this year. One deer may be taken by each hunter, and another is allowed under the camp license. The law has for several years prohibited the use of dogs in hunting deer. It is also illegal to kill deer in red coat or fawn in spotted coat or while the animals are in the water.

•••

"The chambers of commerce and businessmen's associations of Port Huron, Harbor Beach, Au Sable, Oscoda, Alpena, Rogers City, Cheboygan, Mackinac Island and St. Ignace have united in an urgent request to Sen. Townsend, Rep. L. R. Crampton and Rep. Frank D. Scott to secure an amendment to the LaFollette seamen's act that will permit combination passenger and freight vessels to be operated on Lake Huron after Sept. 15," says B. F. Huestis, secretary to the Board of Commerce of Harbor Beach.

"The citizens of Harbor Beach and all the ports along Lake Huron shore strongly protest against the curtailment of freight and passenger service caused by the enforcement of the Seamen's act which prevents boat lines from continuing service after August 31, or a few days later at the most.

"Our section of Michigan is greatly hampered during the months of September, October and November in getting perishable freight to market due to congestion of railroads in the movement of grain, which is large at this time, and the scarcity of cars makes it well nigh impossible for farmers to get their produce to market and a great loss thereby ensues.

"By water from Harbor Beach perishable freight can be delivered in Detroit in about 10 hours, while by rail (when cars are available) from four to six days, causing enormous loss through wastage and extra transportation charges.

"Our fishing industry which is a large factor with us is badly served both in time and money under present conditions as when the boats are running fish may be taken in the afternoon and delivered by freight the next morning, but under rail ship- ment express charges accrue and delivery is delayed for nearly 24 hours.

"We want congress to modify the seamen's act so that lake combination passenger and package freight boats can operate until winter closes the season of navigation. This type of boat cannot make money carrying freight alone and so when the summer permit expires they tie up and the wonderful agricultural region along the Lake Huron shore is left without any means of getting our potatoes and vegetables to Detroit and Cleveland and Buffalo where they are so badly needed."

•••

From Brevort: Monday morning Gideon sent Absent-Minded-Aleric out to the woods in search of a lost heifer. After being gone all day he returned with his pipe and gun but no heifer. He reported that he saw the heifer but that she was eating grass and he preferred not to disturb her.

Next morning he went again directly to the same place where he had seen her grazing but she was not there. After walking over four sections he located the heifer. She was lying down. Aleric saw that she was sleeping, and wishing not to wake her, left a note and came home, this time with only the pipe.

Early the following morning AM Aleric met the heifer coming down the road toward home. When he saw this he sat down on a big log and spent the rest of the day wondering how the heifer could read his note as he wrote it in Swede.

•••

From Mackinac Island: Capt. Walter G. Marshall has retired as lightkeeper after being in the service for 40 years. His first assignment as keeper was at Detour where he spent 12 years. For 17 years he was in charge of the light at Spectacle Reef and for the past 10 years has been stationed at Windmill Point and lower lake St. Clair lights. The fall months at Spectacle reef made up in part for the monotony of other seasons. Storms shook the tower and for two or three weeks weather prevented the launching of the boat to make shore. At the end of the season with the light closed for the winter it was often necessary to chop trough six feet of ice before the tower door might be opened and the keeper and his men taken off in the tender.

50 YEARS AGO

The Republican-News

and St. Ignace Enterprise

October 29, 1959

Bishop Marshall R. Reid of Detroit will be here Sunday to set the cornerstone in the new Methodist church. He will be assisted at the ceremony by the Rev. Ivan O. Gronser of Marquette, former local pastor and now district superintendent.

•••

Glenn Law, hospital administrator, has informed the hospital board that he has received the C. C. Eby memorial plaque.

It is made of bronze and is similar to the other plaques that were authorized by the board to honor citizens making substantial contributions to the hospital.

The plaque will be placed on the door of a semi-private room, Law said.

••• Northern Michigan got a real taste of winter last Sunday when snow fell generally everywhere except St. Ignace. Marquette and L'Anse got from 8 to 10 inches. It snowed over most o the UP. But St. Ignace didn't' have enough to cover the ground, yet just out by Castle Rock the trees were plastered white. A Saturday storm near Marquette downed phone lines and caused floods.

•••

The Odd Fellows hall, a building that is a landmark on the St. Ignace waterfront located between Dock No. 1 and the new McGregor Shell station, has been sold to make room for waterfront improvement and parking area.

Purchaser is the McGregor Oil Co., which recently expanded operations on the shore side of State street. Removal of the building will clear the entire area between the new station and the state dock.

Odd Fellows, who had occupied the two-story building for nearly a half century, have purchased the "new" school building at Rabbits' Back and will hold their first meeting there on Nov. 10. Occupying the first floor of the State St. building to be moved was the youth center, inactive since last spring.

The old building has quite a history as a meeting place. At one time the Ku Klux Klan held a meeting there. Organization of the Bull Moose party in St. Ignace was conducted in the hall which of late years has been a favorite for family and public dinners as well as of several women's organizations.

•••

Michigan's first hunting season on Hungarian partridges has been termed "most disappointing" by conservation department game men.

Only one kill was reported as rainy weather put a decided damper on hunting pressure during most of the modest October 12-15 season in Chippewa county.

In referring to the near-absence of hunter kill, department game men said there probably weren't enough hunters afield to even flush the birds. The "hunkie" population in Chippewa county is estimated at 400.

The short experimental season was introduced to study the birds' reaction to hunting pressure. Game men felt the restricted season would not harm the bird's population.

30 YEARS AGO The St. Ignace News

The Weekly Wave

November 1, 1979

A change in the tariff (rules and procedures) for intermediate carriers of two major Canadian railroads has resulted in a one-third drop in traffic on the Michigan Northern Railroad line from Mackinaw City to Grand Rapids which is served by the Chief Wawatam.

Traffic across the Straits of Mackinac has dropped to three days per week from five days per week in the past two weeks because traffic on the railroad has slowed down, according to Captain Graham.

•••

Work on the Mission House is continuing, having stopped during busy summer months, and the work crews from Fort Mackinac are now concentrating on the south face of the East Wing.

From Mackinac Island: The building, built as a school for Indian children from all over the Great Lakes back in 1825, later served as a hotel, home for island families, and then part of the headquarters of the Moral ReArmament organization. It was given to the State of Michigan by Rex Humbard before the Akron, Ohio, evangelist sold the college property on Mackinac Island to the Inn on Mackinac. It has since become part of the Mackinac Island State Par Commission property, and is being restored, using State Park employees when they are not necessary for other tasks.

•••

From Mackinaw City: The Michigan State Highway Tourist Information Center along I-75 is enlarging parking facilities for large RV's and trucks. The information center is one of the busiest in the state and was opened in 1959.

•••

Nancy Campbell of the Mackinaw Garden Club has announced that entries for the name of the new park along Nicolet Street must be submitted by November 1.

•••

The local crusade to keep the Mackinac Straits Hospital going continues to bring in financial support as gifts from residents in the area.

The total cash in hand from the gifts is $21,507.88. The total pledges, including cash, comes to $26,377.56.

•••

A new year-around restaurant will open in Cedarville on Wednesday, November 7, as a family enterprise for Les Cheneaux residents. Jan (Floyd J.) Miller, who has a home on Island 8 will welcome guests at The Channel Marker on Hodeck Street, at the site where Patrick's Restaurant once operated.

Garvie Holland, who dazzled diners at Garvie's Restaurant in Hessel for years, will be chef at the new establishment.