Pewamo, MI (Main Street) (1910) Contributed by Paul Petosky
The gradual progress of the line of the Detroit and
Milwaukee Railroad westward in 1857 called villages into
existence along its course wherever the chief engineer of
the road (Robert G. Higham) chose to locate stations,
Higham, having fixed a site for a depot where the village
of Pewano now stands, purchased, with Dr. W. C. Blanchard, J. 0. Blanehard, A. F. Bell, and Amos Gould, a vilage site of J. C. Blanchard, who had himself bought it of
Cuyler Deitz, Ben Mosher, and Mr. Bissell in contemplation of the location of a station there. The village tract
included the south half of section 12 and the north half of
section 13.
Upon the completion of their purchase the proprietors
proceeded to found a Village, which, at the suggestion of J,
C. Blanchard, they called Pewano. Mr. Blanehard remembered an Indian chief of that name with whom he
used to hunt and fish a good deal in the pioneer days, and
thus chose to honor him. Mr. Banchurd met Pewamo
while traveling through Canada in 1877, and the chiefs
learning then for the first time that his name had been
given to a Michigan village, was excessive in his demonstrations of delight over the fact that his memory would be
perpetuated in his ranch-loved native home of the Grand
River valley.
The village was surveyed by A. F. Bell in 1857, but the
plat was not recorded until July 25, 1859. It was described as being situated on sections 12 and 13, and commencing at the quarter-post on tho north line of section 13,
the streets being platted sixty-six feet in width. The recorded village proprietors were J. C. Blanehard and W. Z.
Blanchard, July 20, 1874. Sherwood and Loomis platted
an addition which embraced the western fifty acres of the
south half of the northeast quarter of section 13. It commenced at the centre of section 13, ran thence north twenty
chains, east twenty-five chains, south twenty chains, and west to (he place of beginning.
The pioneer trader of the place was Hiram Blanchard,
who came from Canada in the spring of 1857 and erected
a store and dwelling on the corner now covered by William
Triphagens store. At that time Daniel Shepard was living
in a log house (that stood upon the site of Mr. Taft's
house), Ben Mosher was in a log house upon the American
House lot, and Tom Robinson, a carpenter, was living in
the house which is still his home. Daniel Shepard died in
1857, his being the first death in the village. The second
trader was K. L. Morse, who, having tried unsuccessfully
to start a village of his own, called Woodville, two miles to
the eastward, on the line of the railway, carried his stock
of goods to Pewano in the spring of 1857 and erected the
factory-building now occupied by Ralph Mattison. Then
also Ira Fisher bought Benjamin Marsh's log house and
converted it into a house of entertainment, although he
never entertained many pcople therein, chiefly because the
house was too small. Later the Widow Stokes added a
frame structure to the log cabin, aud gradually there was
evolved out of the affair the American Hotel, still standing
where Ben Mother's hut stood, but just now untenanted.
In the fall of 1857, B. H. Morse built a blacksmith's
shop in the village, and hired Hugh Robertson, a Canadian,
to carry it on for him. When Robertson came to the town,
late in 1857, he found six families, all told, occupying the
site of the present village. Fisher was keeping tavern and
Morse and Blanchard were keeping stores. There were
also in tho town Town Robinson, a carpenter, Franklin
Gilbert, of the same trade, aud Cuyler Dietz, a farmer.
The spot selected for the village was an exceedingly unsuitable one, for it was in the midst of a low tract, and for
the greater part of the year roads were so bad that it was
almost imposible fur people to get to the town. This condition
of things kept trade away, and the village thrived
but feebly, with a fair promise that it would ultimately die
of inanition. For a time, however, there was considerable
done at that point in the way of supplyiug wood to the
railway company, and thus the storekeepers managed to
eke out a thin existence. When Hiram Blanehard came
to the town he was led to remark that it looked as though
it ought to be given over entirely to the control of the
frogs, who had well-nigh absolute possession.
Even up to the year 1870, Pewarno was a desolate-looking place, aud was pretty closely hemmed in by woods. It
had, however, begun to move forward as a consequence of
the improved condition of the nwls hading to it, the township having bestirred itself actively in the premises.
Morse, having failed in his mercantile enterprise, was
succeeded by Snell A. Hungerford, und in 1866, when John
Pennington came in and built the store he now occupies,
Lewis Hungerford aud Hiram Blanehard were the only
traders in the place.
In 1867 the village received its first resident physician,
and in 1868 Helm & Mattern established a wagon - and
carriage-manufactory, which they carried on with more or
less success until 1875, when the business was discontinued.
Up to 1870 there had been neither saw-mill nor grist-
mill at Pewamo. In that year Rico & Hilliker built the
present grist-mill, with two run of stone. Previous to
1870 lumber was obtained at Gee's saw-mill, on Stony
Creek, aud grists carried to Matherton, Hubbardston, or
Lyons. After passing through various proprietorships the
mill fell to the possession of Hugh Robertson in October,
1870, and he still carries it on.
In 1869 O. W. Holley established a stave-factory at
Pewamo and did a large business for several years, but
latterly the factory had been idle.
The first physician resident in Powamo, already referred
to, was Dr. Lafayette Jones, who came in 1867 and remained until 1876. Meanwhile, Dr. William H. Chaddock
came to the town in 1868 from Clinton County, and since
that time has been continuously in practice at Pewamo.
Other physicians flitted across the surface of local history,
but tarried only briefly and left scarcely an impression.
Among these were Drs. Herman, Outwater, Ward, May,
and Carpenter. The physicians besides Dr. Chaddock now
in practice in the village are Drs. George B. Gregory and
Dennis Sudderlin.
THE POST OFFICE
Hiram Blanchard, Pewamo's second merchant and first
station-agent as well as express-agent, was appointed postmaster in 1857, when Pewamo was established as a postoffice, and continued in the office until 1870. John Belts,
his successor, was in possession but a little while, and Feb.
15, 1871, John Pennington, tho present incumbent, was
appointed. Pewamo has been s money-order office since
August, 1871. Three mails are received and forwarded
daily by railroad, and one by stage.
NEWSPAPER
Pewamo has a newspaper called the Plaindealerr, a small
journal of sixteen columns, published weekly on Thursdays
by Charles H. Ward. The paper was first issued by Miles
& Tefft, at Muir, Oct. 12, 1877, and called the Miur Plaindealer. Being shortly persuaded to transfer the publication to Pewamo, they made the change after issuing four
numbers, and Nov. 9, 1877, put forward the first number
of the Pewamo Plaindealer. Dec. 7, 1877, Charles H.
Ward, who had all along been engaged on the paper, bought
the interest of Miles, and Oct. 1, 1878, bought out Tefft.
Since then Ward has been in sole control. The Plaindealer
is now, as it always has been, independent in politics, and
bright with home news.
Pewamo village contains now a population of three hundred and fifty, and, besides being the centre of considerable
mercantile trade, is a good wheat-shipping point. Mills &
Greenwood and Henry Hitchcock & Co. have capacious
wheat-houses, and ship from Pewamo station an aggregate
of about one thousand car-loads of wheat annually, or three
hundred and filly-five thousand bushels. Tho railway business is in charge of D. M. Howie, who has been station-
agent since 1370. At this point, moreover, freight is
received for the villages of Hubbardston, Mulhertoo, Carson City, Kim Hall, and Bloomer.
The business interests at Pewamo include the general
stores of Freeman & Taft, John Pennington, Kalph Madison, Coon &. Henderson, the grocery-stores of Wm. Triphagen and John Ludwick, the drug-store of John Triphagen,
and the hardware-store of C. B. Somen.
The legal profession is represented by Moses Bartow,
who has been practicing law at the village since May, 1879.
Pewamo had no lawyer until 1374, when two young persons uumed Cum wings aud Button descended upon the
town and alleged that they had come to peddle law for the
benefit of stricken humanity. Cuminings, who lived in
Dallas township aud claimed to have practiced there, was
said to have graduated as a backwoods lawyer in somo portion of rural New York, and, with the legal lore obtainable
in such an experience, turned himself loose in Michigan.
His partner and friend Button was about as high up in the
Blackktoniau scale as he was, and it is said that when either
attempted the framing of a legal document he came to grief,
as a rule, although instances have been cited where success
crowned their protracted and labored efforts. Although
they never essayed a loftier legal flight than sufficed to
reach the office of a justice of the peace, they succeeded
so badly that after a years trial they confessed their mission
a dismal failure and gave up the ghost.
Source:
History of Ionia and Montclam coutnies michigan By John S. Schenck 1881
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