125 YEARS AGO

St. Ignace News

January 20, 1885

A single ice boat was out on the Straits to day.

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Our draymen are busy again, since the Algomah commenced transferring freight.

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To say that business is very slack with our merchants is expressing it quite mild.

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Editor Metcalf closed the Free Press office last Saturday morning and will not attempt another issue of the paper until he is quartered in a building more suited to the purpose.

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The Mackinac Lumber Co.'s new lath and shingle mill will commence operations about March 1st. Several men and teams are now employed in getting out timber, which is to be worked up into shingles. This new enterprise promises to be one of the leading industries of our city.

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An exchange says: "This being the pancake season, for the information of the ladies, we publish the following receipt for greasing the griddle: Cut a white turnip in halves and rub the griddle with it. It causes no smoke, smell, taste or adhesion, and is better than butter or grease."

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At Moran station last Friday evening about 7 o'clock, Michael Hill, brakeman on No. 8 mixed train, met with a terrible accident. It appears that the train was doing some shunting and Hill fell under the car and both his legs were run over. He was brought to Bozeau's hotel in this city the same evening and one leg was amputated. He lingered in great agony until 3:10 Saturday afternoon, when he expired. It is said that the accident was caused through a defective brake mast giving away while he was twisting it. Deceased was about 20 years of age and resides at Marquette to which place his remains were taken on Sunday. He is the same person who so narrowly escaped serious injuries by being caught by the telegraph wire which was stretched across the track into the city hall building at election time.

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No quorum of the council last night. They will meet Thursday evening.

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The steamer Algomah has been doing remarkably good work the past few days but is now laid up at her dock here again. After receiving repairs she was loaded with freight at Mackinaw City and started for this place on Friday forming, reaching here Saturday night. On Sunday morning she made another round trip and again yesterday morning. Last night she left here on arrival of the train with all passengers and baggage, expecting to have a clear course. When about half way across she found her channel blocked with ice and had to return.

At 2:30 this afternoon we learn that the steamer Algomah is being tied up here for the winter. The crew are packing up their duds preparing to leave the city. Captain Boynton will be stationed on this side and clerk J. F. K. at Mackinaw City, to engineer the transfer of freight by teams.

125 YEARS AGO

St. Ignace News

January 23, 1885

Hereafter, on Sunday, the postoffice will be open from 10 to 11 a.m.

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J. F. Keightley has been banished to Mackinaw City for the winter. He will look after the transfer at that point.

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Editor Metcalf, of the Free Press, went to Marquette Wednesday morning on business.

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It is said that the mails were brought over from Mackinaw City yesterday in 40 minutes. A short road has been made.

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We noticed a young man drop on the sidewalk with great force opposite this office yesterday afternoon. The sidewalk was not at all injured.

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Thompson, Burton & Co., a Canadian firm, are getting out board and square timber at the Cheneaux. They let here Wednesday with 30 men and four teams for the above place. It seems somewhat irregular starting camps at this time in the season, but they ought to know what they are doing, having been in the mill and timber business for a number of years. Mr. Workman, of Cheboygan, is their agent.

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Postmasters now have the authority to correct mis-directed letters if they can, and send them to their destinations instead of the dead letter office.

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Ignatins Reagon has secured the contract for furnishing Thompson, Burton & Co.'s camp with supplies this winter. A little matter of about $2,500.

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A man named Isaac Stewart presented an order for $110.00 at the M. L. Co.'s office one day this week for payment, signed J. P. Haines & C. It was at once detected as a forgery and Stewart is now in jail awaiting examination on Monday next. The party who wrote the order is also under arrest and they are both liable to suffer for their little game.

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From Newberry: The Furnace Company aid off their men last Saturday and since then we can see quite a few of our pugilists wearing very handsome goggles. On of the superior sluggers got it pretty bad and his case may prove fatal. What's the matter with the calaboose?

From Newberry: The log crop of Messrs. Louke & Son this season is 10,000,000 feet. They have commenced hauling them to the river bank.

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From Newberry: The Land Department have commenced operations towards getting out 3,000,000 of logs and have a large number of men and teams at work, about 60 of the former and 12 of the latter. Their camps are within two miles of this place. The job is let by contract to a Mr. Boullion.

85 YEARS AGO

The St. Ignace Enterprise

January 22, 1925

Chippewa county will make no attempt to keep its highways open for wheel traffic in the winter on account of the expense being too great for the amount of traffic that would be benefited. The state highway department is not willing to participate in any snow removal for wheel traffic in Michigan north of a line between Grand Rapids and Bay City.

...A team outfit keeps the DeTour road open for sleigh traffic.

Word has just been received that the new V-Type snow plow ordered by the county road commissioner has been shipped form Wisconsin. At the present time the county tractor is operating with a plow and roller attached to the rear of the tractor. The new plow will be mounted in front and only the roller which is being used now will be drawn behind. It is expected that this outfit will give much better satisfaction in plowing out the roads in the spring.

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Raising Christmas trees as a farm product is the solution offered by Prof. Chittenden of Michigan Agricultural College forestry department in the problem arising from the demand that Christmas tree cutting be abandoned in order to save the state forests.

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From Mackinac Island: Arrangements are being made to flood the bay and establish a skating rink to add to the pleasure and gaiety of the young people during the winter months. At present the Island is the scene of daily skiing and sleighing parties, the hills furnishing the setting for the healthful pastime. In fact time hangs anything but heavy for Islanders during the closed season, there being something doing every minute.

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Ice conditions prevented the steamer Elva from making the run to St. Ignace Friday and Saturday. Capt. Goudreau started out Friday but after rounding the north of the Island encountered drift ice so that he was obliged to turn back. Another attempt was made Saturday without success. Sunday, thanks to the courtesy of the Mackinac Transportation Co. the Chief Wawatam broke a channel to near the dock allowing the Elva to make the trip. On Monday, she also made the round trip. Tuesday she left the Island at 8 o'clock in the morning and after battling the drifting ice fields finally docked at St. Ignace at 3 p.m. The conditions are such that she has been unable to return at this writing, Wednesday morning. The wet wind is drifting the ice onto the Island shore and the cold weather will soon make it possible to use the ice bridge.

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From Allenville: Blythe Mc- Cauley has the finest team of black matched horses that has been seen in this part of the country in years.

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From Allenville: A new distillery has started up in our township but one can't buy a drink from it as they are selling their product to the outside trade in barrel lots only.

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From Engadine: The United States Civil Service Commission has announced an examination to held at Engadine, Mich on Feb. 14, 1925 to fill the position of rural carrier at Engadine, and vacancies that may later occur on rural routes from that post office. Them salary of a rural carrier on a standard daily wagon route of 24 miles is $1,800 per annum, with an additional $30 per mile per annum for each mile or major fraction thereof in excess of 24 miles.

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From Ozark: An epidemic of sore eyes has caused an irregular attendance at school during the past two weeks.

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Painted furniture should be cleaned with rain water, as it is better not to use soap. Then go over it with a cloth on which a trace of Vaseline has been placed.

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Robert Gille is to be honored by the South Shore Ry. by having a station on the line named or him. Mr. Gille is the principal operator at the place now known as Greens, and which will be changed to Gille after February 1st.

50 YEARS AGO

The Republican-News

and St. Ignace Enterprise

January 21, 1960

"Perch Town" St. Ignace has begun its annual winter boom on Moran bay ice.

Dozens of shanties have been set out for week on the locked-in ice between the Chief and Merchandise docks.

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Two brothers from St. Clair Shores were in St. Ignace this week looking over a large block of property which they propose will be occupied by a new 100- unit motel with most modern facilities.

The men are Sam and Liberty Lentine.

The property is that section across the highway from the new Methodist church, filling the corner of the Y curve on the westerly side of US-2. It is heavily wooded.

Plans for the motel pictured a U-shaped double-decker with covered entrance on the south side of the property. The men said the $500,000 investment will include a swimming pool, children's wading pool, shuffleboard courts and other recreation facilities. A nurse will be in attendance upon motel patrons.

"We hear that another group pans a similar installation in Mackinaw City," they said. "We propose to bring a fine, modern tourist facility to St. Ignace."

The motel will be the largest in the Upper Peninsula.

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Pointing to "gravel roads leading to a dead end" and "Whicher's Plat containing erroneous descriptions," Mayor Raymond J. France and City Attorney Prentiss M. Brown, Jr., at different times Monday evening urged the city council to work toward better planning for the city.

"What we need is a new map of the entire city so that property lines can be evaluated and the city can plan properly for its expansion and changes," Brown declared. "This is a big project, but one which is needed"

Alderman Robert Morin of the city planning commission agreed that for adequate planning a complete and accurate city map is required.

Brown's suggestion followed a conference with the Stanley Gierlaszynski family from Centerline who propose to purchase property next to the Chief Drive-in on Whicher's plat in the Third ward. Description of the property in question left something to be desired and Brown is endeavoring to have it cleared properly. The Gierlaszynskis plan to build a 25- unit motel on the property.

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From Les Cheneaux: The Cedarville Independent Basketball team is very proud of its new uniforms and is striving to maintain its standing in the Tri-County League, sharing honors for first place. The new uniforms are green and white and due to the support of the merchants of the Cedarville area, they are proudly moving toward the Tri-County League championship.

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Good news broke in the Eastern Upper Peninsula last week with the prospect of $60,000,000 worth of construction at the Soo.

The proposed $42 million lock to replace the shallow Poe Lock may have construction underway in April. The start of the international bridge at a cost of $18 million may start in May.

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Sea lampreys captured and destroyed at electric barriers on western Lake Michigan streams have decreased for the second consecutive year, according to a report of the Ontario, Wis., field station of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries.

Initial chemical treatment of sea lamprey infected steams both on Canadian and American shores of Lake Superior is scheduled for completion in 1960. It is very possible that selective chemical treatment of some northern Lake Michigan streams will be introduced this year. Because of this, electric barriers are gradually being discontinued in that area. It is believed that chemical treatment of infected streams will prove at least as effective as electric barriers and that it will eventually prove to be a more rapid and economical method of suppression.

At present no species of lamprey larvae have been found in streams south of Sheboygan, Wis. Approximately 45 streams and their tributaries between Sheboygan, Wis., and St. Ignace, Michigan, are known to contain larval sea lampreys.

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Three days of rain last week closed the city ice rinks at Athletic Park and the Third Ward school. Traffic on the Mackinac Bridge was kept in the east lanes to avoid ice falling from bridge cables.

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Slightly more than 76 acres were added to Straits State Park at St. Ignace last week during the conservation commission's formal January meeting. The land was offered by the highway department in exchange for easements and use permits it had earlier obtained for highway purposes on lands administered by the conservation department.

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From Mackinac Island: There is very little floating ice in the harbor so plane service is operated only from the airport.

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Only the Baraga, Brimley, McLain and Straits state parks showed a slight increase in attendance last year over 1958, according to the department of conservation. The remaining nine parks in the Upper Peninsula showed a 32 per cent decrease.

Attendance at Straits State Park at St. Ignace reached 181,045, a figure 8,675 over the total for the prior year.

A total of 6,014 camps were made in the local park, less than the 6,825 during the 1958 season. However, over the entire U. P., the number of camps more than in 1958 reached 392. Attendance in all the U. P. parks decreased 56,718 from the prior year.

30 YEARS AGO

The St. Ignace News

January 24, 1980

The widening of U.S. 2, west of St. Ignace in a $3,996,595 project that will be completed by fall 1981 has begun with storm drain installation.

The 3.7 miles of project will include building a five-lane highway with blacktop. It will have five 12-foot lanes and a 9-foot blacktop shoulder on each side. It begins a the I-75 interchange and runs westward to the Moran river.

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December Mackinac Bridge traffic and revenues set new records for that month since the opening of the bridge more than 22 years ago, but 1979 saw crossings fall off nearly 10 percent.

Traffic was up one percent in December from 101,804 crossings a year ago, to 102,859 last month.

During 1979, traffic dropped 9.7 percent under 1978 from 2,539,620 crossings to 2,293,446.

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From Naubinway-Engadine: The high level of interest and cooperation of the dog owners of the community made the Animal Clinic in Engadine January 16 the great success that it was. Polly Dean, animal control officer of West Mackinac County has set up these clinics to make it easier for owners to get their pet licenses before the due date, March 1.

Dean issued 41 licenses and Veterinarian Susan Schwark administered a number of vaccinations.

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The spirit of athletic competition add the understanding between communities will be especially keen in the Upper Peninsula Community School Winter Games in this 1980 Olympic year.

Participants from St. Ignace have started practicing in earnest for the 12th annual games which will be February 22-24 in the twin Saults and outlying area.

This year approximately 90 students from the Straits Area Community School program will compete with students from about 26 other community school teams from throughout the Upper Peninsula and Sault, Ontario.

Last year, St. Ignace sent more than 100 students to the U.P. Winter Games in the Delta County area which hosted more than 2800 students for the weekend.

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The Straits Area Playcrafters are busy in preparation for their winter production of Woody Allen's romantic comedy, "Play It Again, Sam."

The cast includes Jim Vaughn, Judy Watson, Kathy Jackson, Judy Ryerse, Mimi Gustafson, Cheryl Schlehuber, Julie Hagen, Toby Denny, Pat Ramsey, Deanna Fennell, Joyce Waite, and Ed McNamara.

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From Mackinac Island: The City of Mackinac Island is now the owner of one-fifth of an acre of land formerly part of the Round Island Passage Light Station announces the U.S. Department of Interior's Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.

The parcel, just west of Windermere Point, is between the shore road and the board walk, and the shore line of Lake Huron on the Straits of Mackinac. The small building on the site, which once housed the control equipment foe the new lighthouse before the U. S. Coast Guard station was moved to St. Ignace, is included in the gift.

Except for being used each summer in recent ears by the Chicago Yacht Club committee for its headquarters during the Mackinac Race, it has been vacant for years. Members of the Yacht Club have helped in its upkeep, including exterior painting, in return for its use.

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From Mackinac Island: Georgiana and Albert Gustafson of St. Ignace she works at Highstone's at Mackinac Island report seeing Frank and Joan Nephew at man basketball games. The Gustafsons got into the habit of going to games when their four sons were growing up, and have continued although all their boys are grown now. The Nephew's youngest daughter, Dawn, is a junior varsity cheerleader this year.

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From Mackinaw City: A public hearing was held at the Village Hall on January 14 Monday, to receive input from the public on the possible installation of parking meters for the Village. A group of representatives from the Mackinac Organization of Businesses presented a letter expressing their negative opinions on the meters. The meeting was well attended.

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Moran-Brevort (By Sim Christensen): As you wonder around it is nice to meet people of interest. Just the other day I met Hazel McMillan, daughter of the late Millard Smith who was the author of the Gros Cap Laffer column in the Republican News. He was one of the best. When I wrote Ferry Tales we exchanged barbs back and forth about each other; they were always friendly. Not forgetting Judge J. D. Erskine that wrote the Allenville column; we had a trio battling back and forth the Judge used to write about Paul Litzner's rubber pants factory, but he never forgot to rib the Laffer and myself.

30 YEARS AGO

The Weekly Wave

January 24, 1980

Last August 28, an average of 86 cars per hour turned left onto M-134 from Meridian Road in Cedarville. If 140 per hour had made the turn, the Eastern Upper Peninsula might have seen its sixth state-operated traffic light. There are other considerations before a traffic light is installed, of course, and Cedarville didn't pass any of them.

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Experiments with buckwheat production in the Upper Peninsula during 1979 have raised the possibility for a new high-return cash crop for the area that could see a major processing and terminal facility in Sault Ste. Marie for shipment abroad.

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Special office hours have been arranged to license dogs from Clark and Marquette Townships during January. Area dog warden Robert J. Applegate will issue the required dog licenses at the Clark Township Hall in Cedarville for 2-1/2 days beginning on Monday, January 28.

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The annual winter sports event, the Les Cheneaux Winter Carnival, will be staged on Cedarville Bay on February 15, 16, and 17 coordinated by the Les Cheneaux Chamber of Commerce with participation by a wide range of area organizations.

Serving on the carnival events committee are Ken Reid, Duane Rohrer, and Bill Nelson.

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Persons are no longer required to have plan insect pest and disease free certification of house plants between Michigan and Canada.

This new exemption is based on a recently approved agreement between the United States and Canadian Departments of Agriculture.