Looking Back
St. Ignace News March 10, 1885
The latest with the girls in this city, is “Crazy patch work.”
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No trains on the G. R. & I arrived at Mackinaw City yesterday, owing to snow drifts along the line.
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The D. M. & M. snow plow was ordered out yesterday. The express train due here last night has not yet arrived and there is not telegraph communication above Palms station.
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The timbers for the foundation to the new roller rink are being drawn on the ground and men are at work hewing them into shape.
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The new bell for the city hall, supplied by Stellwagen & Kynech, arrived last Friday. A tower is to be built and the bell placed in position as soon as practicable.
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Conductor Sims is limping around like a veteran of the war of 1812 with a sore foot. One of his men having dropped a heavy crowbar, with the sharp end downward, on the unfortunate member.
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On Saturday last, Mr. Agrell made a magnificent view of State st. from the News office to the People's store. It is as fine a piece of photography as we have yet seen. Copies will be ready for sale the last of this week.
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Last Sunday afternoon L. P. Trempe and Hon. G. W. Brown, of the Soo, left here for their home so as to be sure and get there in time to vote. Yesterday noon they were met about half way by the stage, with their pony up to it s neck in a snow drift, using language too high strung for publication. Probably they have got through by this time, one day late.
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The all absorbing topic now seems to be the post office question. Several petitions have been circulated and some of our citizens have been accommodating enough to sign them all. Daley claims to have the start of the whole crowd, having sent in his petition several weeks ago. He is not a bit stuck up over his success and good luck, however, but is still selling onions below cost, hourly expecting a telegram announcing his appointment.
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Wolves in the upper peninsula are making sad havoc with the deer.
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Saloon-keepers of Escanaba have resolved to “boycott” every business man and merchant who owns stock in the roller skating rink.
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The Senate took up the prohibition question Feb. 28. After a long debate on the resolution a motion to adopt it and thus submit a constitutional amendment to the people, was defeated by the Democrats, who voted against. it.
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The steamer Minnie M., owned by the Escanaba and Lake Michigan Transportation Co., is to be placed on the route between Cheboygan and Sault Ste. Marie the coming season.
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While the Soo stage was crossing the plains yesterday, it was almost capsized by the wind.
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Last Wednesday was pay day at the Fort and several soldiers were in town the balance of the week “blowing in” their dust.
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There was a terrific storm on the Straits yesterday; it took the passenger and mail teams two hours to make the trip.
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Men commenced work to make a new road between here and Mackinaw City this morning, the old one being so badly cut up as to render it impassable in many places.
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While W. H. Taylor, of Mackinaw City was at New Orleans, he purchased two small alligators which he brought home with him; but they soon died from the severe cold of this climate. He sent them over to Charles Londraville to have them put up and a finer job of taxidermist work is seldom seen. They are 12 inches long and are prettily mounted on the supposed banks of a pond with rushes and flowers around them and look very natural. Call at Londraville's tonsorial parlor and see for yourself.
125 YEARS AGO
St. Ignace News
March 13, 1885 Bad week on dogs.
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We think that some steps should be taken at once by the authorities to try and ascertain who the guilty party is who distributed pieces of dried beef, charged with strychnine, so promiscuously along State street this week. A number of pieces found were about an inch square, each containing six to eight grains of the deadly drug. Whether these were intended for innocent children, horses, cattle or dogs, we cannot say, but so far nothing but the latter have suffered, while any or all of the above named were just as liable to. On Wednesday afternoon the writer noticed a red cow stop and smell a small dark object on the sidewalk and after driving her from it, we found it to be one of those deadly doses. . . . It would not be a hard task for any officer to trace the matter home. We have four stores in this city where this deadly drug is sold . . . Then again, but few people buy dried beef only in think slices ready for table use, while the meat used must have been bought in bulk.
••• It will soon be time to clear away this ash heaps along State street.
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We hear that Sheriff Paquin is on the alert to find out who is doing the dog poisoning in this city. The man who would destroy a dog like S. Highstone's or Jacob Snyder's, should get a small dose of the medicine himself. Just enough to make him sick.
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From the Harbor Springs Independent: - “Among the other improvements to be made at the “Resort” on Mackinac Island, is the establishment of a system of water works for the benefit of the cottagers. An engine house will be erected at the foot of Lover';s Leap, and water taken from the spring near the Devil's Kitchen. It is also proposed to erect an elevator, using the water works engine for motive power. As the bluff is 150 feet high at this point, most anyone would pay a dime rather than climb the long stairs which now lead to the Devil's Kitchen.”
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A number of persons have had muzzles made for their dogs.
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Capt. Boynton received a letter this morning to the effect that it is a settle fact that the Minnie M. of the Escanaba and Lake Michigan Transportation Co.'s line will run the coming season on the Cheboygan, St. Ignace and Soo route in connection with the Messenger, giving us a boat daily each way. The Minnie M. is said to be a very fine boat, but one year old.
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We would favor the destruction of all the curs in this city, but the way poison has been scattered around this week on our public street should not be tolerated. Let the council pass a by-law by which no person can keep a dog without paying a license. Each person paying such license to be supplied with a tag, the same to be attached to the dogs collar, and any dog found running at large without such a tag, let the city marshal be authorized to shoot it for one noticeable feature in the dogs of this city is, that the “curs” do not eat poisoned meat, while the better class of dogs do.
80 YEARS AGO
St. Ignace Enterprise
March 13, 1930
R. Lund of Cheboygan returned from Lansing last week brining back with him a contract for putting another deck on the state auto ferry Mackinaw City. The state highway department has had the matter of adding another deck to both the state auto ferries, Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, under consideration for some tie, but finally decided to install the improvement upon but one of the boats this year, and then perhaps the other one will be so equipped as soon as a new dock is built at St. Ignace, and the one at Mackinaw City undergoes a lot of changes. The plans for the additional deck on the Mackinaw City does not provide an elevator lift as was installed on the bigger ferry last year, but provides for loading the cars onto this top deck with a ramp to be built from the docks, and the cars will climb onto the upper deck on their own power.
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Tree men are in the Luce count jail and another is under observation in the Newberry state hospital following liquor raids by Sheriff John Turnbull and state police Saturday.
The raids were an outgrowth of a liquor party participated in by four boys who later stole an automobile and, according to Sheriff Turnbull, other arrests may follow. Five hundred bottles of home brew beer, a quantity of moonshine and three gallons of alcohol were said to have been taken as evidence.
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One of the new rules of driving which motorists this year are expected to strictly observe is that of reporting accidents to the nearest police officer.
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A “robot” airplane pilot is called “Macaviator.” It shortens the term “mechanical aviator” and gives the impression that it is a canny member of society perhaps entitled even to wear the kilties.
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Nine contestants from three High Schools; Brimley, Hulbert and Trout lake met at Hulbert Friday night, March 7th, in an oratorical contest, in which Hulbert won two places; Roy Lovegrove (whose declaration “Acres of Diamonds” won third place) and Mildred Ball, whose subject was “The Wheels of Time,” are from Ozark, while Grace Herte of Trout Lake gave “The Last Loaf.”
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From Allenville: Robt. Gillie lost one of his lumber horses by too much pulpwood this week. " Toney Pasharkarnis lost one of the bet horses in this township this week by inflammation of the bowels. " Art got permission from President Hoover to kill that bear that stole his pig, so Art says watch out bear.
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From Cedarville: Rev. Reynders is driving a Chevrolet coach which he has bought thru the Litzner agency in St. Ignace.
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From Rexton: The sixth grade made some very good posters on water supply showing how water may be made impure.
The biology class are going to make posters as soon as they get supplies for them. Each one will make six.
The third grade have completed booklets on plant growth.
The second grade made a very pretty Dutch village in their sand tables.
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Many Michigan people will be surprised to learn that the Upper Peninsula is larger than the combined area of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware.
Te distance from Ironwood, the western gateway, to Sault Ste. Marie on the east, is 335 miles. From Menominee at the southern tip of the peninsula to Cooper Harbor and Fort Wilkins, at the end of the Keweenaw peninsula, the distance is 250 miles.
It is several miles father from Detroit to Little Girl's Point, on the shore of Lake Superior in Gogebic County, than from Detroit to New York City.
50 YEARS AGO
The Republican-News
and St. Ignace Enterprise
March 10, 1960
Two fishing parties of St. Ignace men spent last weekend in the wilds of Canada.
Looking Back: From page 19
One group consisting of Charles and Albert Gustafson, Donald Goudreau and Ed Yshinski, chose Elliott Lake for their trip, but the lake didn't respond so they brought home no fish. Their quarters, however, were more comfortable than were found by the other party, which went 20 minutes by plane north to Deschamp lake.
In the second party were Ted Roetman, James Stone, George DeKeyser, John Donnelly, Dr. A. D. McKinnon and Rundle Hunter. This sextet outfitted themselves with sleeping bags and gear and found a roughly built cabin with board siding. They used a tarpaulin to make a roof. From there they went on the lake fishing and had very good luck.
“After we had all the fish we could eat while there we brought home 51 nice trout,” said Roetman.
It was 20 below zero Sunday morning.
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Jack Ryerse, chairman of the city recreation committee, announces that tonight, Thursday, will be the last night for use of the ice rink at Athletic Park. The first ad Third ward rinks are already closed. Ryerse said that this is the best season the rinks ever had, from both standpoints of attendance and quality of ice.
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Fob. G. Mennen Williams announced last week that he will not run for governor of Michigan for a seventh term.
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Telephone service in the Pickford area will be expanded and improved as separate projects in a $160,00 program, announced by Earl Lankheet Northern Division manager for General Telephone, and will get under way in the near future.
“In addition to the improvements slated for Pickford customers, General Telephone will spend approximately $54,000 to establish initial radio-telephone service to Drummond Island by means of transmitter towers to be located at DeTour and on the Island.
General Telephone recently purchased the phone system from the Taylor family.
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Approximately 50 parents of children attending the Third ward school packed the council cambers at the city hall last week for a hearing on a citizens' petition filed for the purpose of controlling traffic in the vicinity of the ward's elementary school.
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Michigan's deer herd will emerge from the winter in relatively good shape, provided it doesn't encounter a dose of severe weather comparable to that of last March.
If generally mild conditions continue, only a small fraction of the herd's 500,000 to 600,000 deer will die from starvation, Conservation Department men estimate. During last winter's bitter assault of snow and freezing temperatures, 16,000 whitetails were wasted in the woods from starvation, according to a minimum estimate.
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James Massaway, operator of the Hub Restaurant, has purchased the Bert Beaveridge property on the corner of US-2 and Church St. Mr. Beaveridge will clear away the present buildings because Mr. Massaway bought only the property, 134-foot frontage and 190 feet deep.
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A testimonial dinner was held in honor of the “Most Outstanding Citizen of Les Cheneaux for 1959.” Taken completely by surprise was Joseph A. Hanish, who was entertained on Mar. 5 at Torsky's resort.
George Anderson headed the committee arranging the testimonial and he was master of ceremonies. Assisting on the committee were G. H. Hamel, D. M. Cozzes and George A. Anderson.
Mr. Hanish came to Les Cheneaux in August of 1953 and purchased property on Reif's point
30 YEARS AGO
The St. Ignace News
March 13, 1980
Plans for an outdoor track at LaSalle High School were rejuvenated by the St. Ignace Schools Board of Education meeting o Monday evening at LaSalle library.
The revival of the track was spurred by David Walker as he suggested that since the board is asking for a renewal of the 2.5 mills from the electorate, the board should put everything back in the building and site plan that had been promised to voters when the 2.5 mills were voted originally. The track, he said, is one of two things not completed from the original funding.
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The Old Mission site in downtown St. Ignace was unanimously recommended for placement on the National Register of Historic Places by a state review board in Lansing Tuesday morning, March 11, to open the way for funding planned development of the site.
The review board of the Michigan Department of State's History Division, unanimously recommended placement of the site on the National Register of Historic Places after a brief hearing during which Robert Sposito, president of the Michilimackinac Historical Society in St. Ignace, and State Representative Charles Varnum (RManistique) testified. State Senator Mitch Irwin (D-Sault Ste. Marie) also attended the hearing.
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At its March 4 meeting, the Garfield Township Board gave final approval to the 16 lot plat of the Lakeview Subdivision at Millecoquin Lake.
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From Mackinaw City: Village president for Mackinaw City is Ron Wallin, who received 171 votes. Paul Desy received 149.
The election brought out 352 voters out of a registration of 470.
Trustees elected are Robert Heilman, 248, Earl Vendt, 231, Jack Matthews, 226.
