125 YEARS AGO

St. Ignace News

January 18, 1885

The Publication day for the Free Press has changed again to its old day, Saturday. Thus our citizens have a home paper every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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Four below zero at 7 o'clock this a.m.

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A number of dog teams brought over a number of passengers from the Island Sunday, to attend service in the R. C. church.

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The city dogs pitch on to every dog team that passes along the street. We would like to see some of them severely fleeced by the drivers, our own included.

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We are pleased to learn that the Free Press is going to continue to live, reports to the contrary notwithstanding. If the owners of the concern were to do their share towards advancing the paper, we are certain that Editor Metcalf has both the push and ability to sail her through. We wonder that he gets out a paper at all in his present quarters.

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"The Republican thinks the News does not know what it is talking about, when it favors the scheme to make a new county, with Newberry as its county seat. Perhaps the News is figuring to be there and start a republican paper get the tax sales, etc? Mr. Bissell. -- Free Press." Perhaps, and perhaps not. Bro. Bissell will find that the News does know what it is talking about, a little later on. He should not jump at conclusions too quick. However, all the influence the Republican can bring to bear in the matter, will be no bar to the scheme.

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A second rich find of gold has been discovered between L'Anse and Michigamme.

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Gen. Peter Stagg well known to Michigan soldiers as the commander of the celebrated Custer cavalry brigade, died in Patterson, N. J., on the 26th ult. Gen. Stagg was formerly from Trenton, Wayne county.

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According to the Democrat men cannot get work at Cheboygan even for their board. We believe that is worse than here, brother, but not much.

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Hugh McLaughlin's wood delivery horse ran away on Saturday, damaging the rig so as to delay filing orders until Monday.

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By program in another column it will be seen that the place for holding the Presbyterian church concert has been changed from Brown's Hall to the Methodist Episcopal church, but the date is unchanged and it will come off tomorrow evening. Let all attend who can.

Prof. Lyons has secured the leadership of the Mackinaw Island band. They are to receive instructions every Tuesday and Friday evenings. - - St. Ignace News. This shows the good sense of the Mackinac Band, they see the wonderful progress made by our band under the professor's instructions. -- Cheboygan Democrat.

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Ed. News There has been a great deal of talk, and there seems to be considerable agitation just now by the people in and about Newberry, in regard to carving out a new county for their accommodation. If they will only ask for this county all the territory that is embraced in the range of towns known as 45, the majority of the people of Mackinac county will have but little objection, and the promoters of this new county seat will flud favor among the people of this vicinity. Of course, our people would rather retain all the territory; but we recognize the existing necessity of things, and it is of such importance that it will be useless to stand against it. This will leave a sufficient amount of territory south of the railroad for all practical purposes, and to ask anything more of this county would be unjust. The people of Newberry can defeat their cherished object by being too greedy.

A Citizen St. Ignace Jan. 12, 1885 125 YEARS AGO

St. Ignace News

January 16, 1885

Died, at St. Helena Island, on Thursday, Jan. 15th, 1885, at 3 o'clock p.m., Wilson Newton, aged 64 years.

The deceased was one of the oldest and most highly respected resident in this section.

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The Soo Democrat thinks that the Chippewa County supervisors will "kick" against parting with McMillan township to make up part of a new county.

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The G. R. & I. R. R. will ship several hundred car-loads of ice south this winter.

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There is now a good road for teams between here and the Island.

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Hereafter a stage will leave Lennon & Harrold's barn every day at 11 a.m. for Mackinac Island.

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The Manistique Pioneer, which is now semi-weekly, is to be published tri-weekly in the spring. Go it, brother Clarke, success to you.

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Mr. Campbell has done away with the use of the objectionable torches in the rink and put up lanterns in their places. Skaters appreciate the change very much.

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When the mail arrives these days, it is such a large budget that all hands at the postoffice are kept busy for from one to two hours distributing it, while a hundred or more anxious persons impatiently wait to see the wicket raise. Then there is a grand rush.

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The Algomah has been repaired and lays at the dock at Mackinaw City, waiting a favorable chance to come across. We understand she has been loaded with freight. We think this freight should be teamed over Looking Back

now; but we presume that is because we have been waiting several days for a lot of stock which is possibly aboard of her.

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The A. D. M. & M, engine had to remain on the turn-table all last night owing to want of sufficient men to assist in turning her.

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There is an Indian in the city from Bruce Mines, Ontario, who claims to be a rapid skater and has won many two-mile races. Mr. Campbell expects to have him at the rink Saturday evening.

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Our people are beginning to get used to irregular mails now and are glad to get them at any time.

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J. F. Keightley is going to have views made of certain land on Mackinac Island. Agrell will be the artist.

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From Newberry: There are some complaints that our drug store is doing too much business in a certain way, but grumblers are plenty in every village.

50 YEARS AGO

The Republican-News

and St. Ignace Enterprise

January 14, 1960

The Republican-News this week installed a new automatic printing press which almost doubles its printing plant capacity.

Designed by nationally known engineer, the new automatic is regarded as a production machine vital in the "small" job printing plant. It replaces a slow "hand-fed" press and will be able to produce printed material three times as fast as the old press.

Versatile, the press will handle everything from business cards and letterheads to colored brochures and commercial advertising pieces.

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The near-zero cold wave during the fore part of last week moderated Wednesday afternoon and gave way that night to a blizzard from the east which on Thursday deposited six inches of snow in drifts throughout the Straits country and Eastern Upper Peninsula.

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Bruce Kingsley Patrick, a lifelong resident of Cedarville, died Friday at his home at the age of 74.

Born in Cedarville on December 15, 1885, he was a member of a family which pioneered in Les Cheneaux. Mr. Patrick was a retired general contractor. In later years he was a guide for fishermen and hunters.

He had been know for his colorful stories of past years in Les Cheneaux.

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Mackinac County's board of supervisors wound up their mid-winter session last Friday after hearing architects from Cheboygan discuss the proposed medical care facility.

John Lahaie, president of the Upper Peninsula tourist association, and Kenneth Dorman, secretary, appeared before the board to report on progress of the association in promoting tourist activity.

Lahaie said that the association will have advertising of winter sports through March this year, reaching 35 per cent of the population of the nation. He added that 68 percent of the inquiries received by the association regarding accommodations in the U.P. come from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Mackinac County in October had appropriated $3,000 for the finance of the new association.

A question asking why Mackinac county, member of the tri-county health unit, is assessed $9,000 annually while Schoolcraft county in a bi- County health unit pays only $7,000 was referred to the tri-county heath committee consisting of Suprs. Watts, Therrien and Crisler.

Suprs. Watts, Miller, Crisler, Cottle and Prout, members of the county road committee, reported that the condition of gravel roads in the county is excellent. They recommended that the road commission work out a system in order to use more funds each year for construction. They recommended a 50 percent maintenance and 50 percent construction schedule, if possible.

. . . Supr. Lindberg's resolution, supported by Supr. Wattts, was passed. It asked that the state create a new highway between Mills' corner on US-2 north, westerly to old US-2 north of Brevort.

. . . They also adopted a resolution urging the state legislature to enact or adopt a policy of permitting counties to have "home rule" in respect to open or closed any deer season. It also asked that the bow and arrow deer season be outlawed.

A resolution proposed by Supr. James F. Miller and supported by Supr. Fred Boucha, will honor Prentiss M. Brown of St. Ignace, former U. S. Senator and present chairman of the Mackinac Bridge Authority.

The resolution calls for the placing of an honorary plaque along with other plaques on the main floor of the court house. It received unanimous endorsement.

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Glenn W. Law announced this week that he has purchased the old Highstone building and proposes to open a drug store there.

Mr. Law, alderman from the fourth ward, Mackinac Straits hospital administrator, and registered pharmacist, has engaged Roy A. Carlson, local building contractor, to remodel the Highstone store.

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Two women representing Extension activities in Mackinac county will attend a two-day conference at Marquette on January 14-15.

Representing Home Extension groups will be Mrs. Henry B. Cheeseman of St. Ignace, county chairman. Mrs. Clifford Smith of Hessel will represent the county 4-H club program. Mrs. Smith is also recording secretary of the U. P. 4-H council.

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A hearing on the appointment of court commissioners for the condemnation of 10 parcels of land over which the inter-state by-pass of St. Ignace is to be located will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, in the court room at the court house in St. Ignace.

Highway Commissioner John C. Mackie has filed a petition asking for the appointment of three commissioners to consider the proposition. Judge Edward H. Fenlon will hear the petition which asserts that the highway department has been unable to agree with the parties interested in the lands as owners or otherwise as to the damages to be paid as compensation for taking over the lands.

The department claims the necessity of improving and relocating the state trunkline known as US-2 in Moran township in the City of St. Ignace.

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The national Parks Service has approved the proposed transfer to the state of an historic lighthouse about 250 yards east of the Mackinac Bridge.

However, the final transfer depends on approval of the General Services Administration reported Eugene T. Petersen the Mackinac Island State Park commission's director of historical projects.

Peterson said the commission proposed to develop the lighthouse as an historic shrine in connection with plans to restore Fort Michilimackinac into a major tourist attraction.

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Grover C. Denny of Dare, Va., project superintendent for Merritt- Chapman & Scott during construction of the Mackinac Bridge, died last Saturday after a lingering illness. He was 67 years of age.

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Steel columns and beams for the Moral Re-Armament television studio on Mackinac Island have been moving across from St. Ignace to the island in freezing weather as ice threatened to lock the two harbors.

First of 20 cars of steel was unloaded in St. Ignace Friday and transferred to the motorship, Beaver, a flat-topped, self-propelled barge, which in four years has moved 25,000 tons of material to the Island for MRA buildings

Six hundred tons of steel is the last major building material immediately needed for the new studio. In spite of the backlog or orders created by the steel strike, this job was given top priority by the U. S. Steel company to make possible delivery of the entire order during January.

The Beaver was busy Monday traveling back and forth keeping a path open through the increasing ice which threatened to halt her passage.

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The "Little City on Ice" south of Cedarville on Muskie bay, seems to be mushrooming overnight. Shanties, shacks and buildings of many descriptions, sizes and colors, are being moved daily to this picturesque fishing scene. Spearing, now in season, is being practiced by many sportsmen. Good catches of pike and perch are reported. They are being caught and speared most any time of day. Government bay is also the local of fishermen who report excellent catches. Shanties may be rented and bait purchased on the ice. As a final, deluxe service, a Hessel businessman plans to sell coffee and sandwiches to the fishermen.

30 YEARS AGO

The St. Ignace News

January 17, 1980

From Les Cheneaux: The tenth annual Winter Carnival Queen Contest is underway with seven high schoolers now signed up as contestants, said a carnival spokesman. Tees competing for the regal status of Carnival Queen are five from Cedarville, one from Pickford and one from Goetzville.

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The residents of four Mackinac County government units, the city of St. Ignace, Moran, Brevort, and St. Ignace Townships, can assure continuance of the Mackinac Straits Hospital in St. Ignace for a small levy that will cost the average house owner the price of only a can of pop a week.

That's how Larry Rubin sums up the issue before property owners who will decide at the polls February 5 whether they want to keep their hospital going.

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What was expected to be final preliminary approval by the Mackinac Island City Council of a subdivision development of scenic acreage surrounding the Tudor manor of Stonecliffe, turned out to be, instead, a clamor of protest against the development form letter writers and from a representative of the Mackinac Island Preservation Society.

The final approval of last Wednesday night's (January 9) meeting didn't come off as the agenda suggested it would, action being deferred until the completion by the state of an environmental impact study and reception of a legal opinion from a special designated city attorney, Joel Dowley, of Lansing, Michigan.

Mayor Margaret Doud read some of the letters of protest that have been streaming into her, and the mounting campaign touched off news reports, an editorial in an urban newspaper, television comments, all baffling city council members and Island residents.

James J. Bogan, vice-president of the preservation society, which is engineering the campaign, . . . was present at the meeting to accent the protests sent by mail, arguing that final approval by the city of the development plans for 18 acres comprised of 38 lots would set precedent for extending the plans to the rest of the acreage, largest privately owned parcel on the island. The protesters also argue that the projected development would tax the city's waste and sewage facilities and would tax the Island's solid waste disposal facility, that it would destroy the Island's natural beauty and that the additional summer population would add to the Island's already congested traffic problems.

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Beautifying the St. Ignace lake shore from the Wawatam dock to the northwest part of Moran Bay has long been under discussion in St. Ignace. It was boosted by a creative plan drawn by Fern W. Barrett, engineer, owner of shoreline property on Moran Bay. Following Barrett's plank published in The St. Ignace News about four ears ago, a citizen's committee was organized, and the preliminary study materialized for the City of St. Ignace and the DNR.