Its cities, their industries and resources, being a sketch of the discovery and development of the great iron ore beds of the North, situated within portions of the States of Michigan and Wisconsin south of Lake Superior: submitted as a hand-book for the information of those seeking a profitable field for labor and investment
Chapter V
Florence
--Nursey, Walter, R., The Menominee Iron Range, Milwaukee, Swain & Tate Co. 1891
|
CHAPTER V THE TOWN OF FLORENCE, WISCONSIN The traveller taking the morning - Chicago & Northwestern - train, which passes Iron Mountain at eleven, reaches Florence in ample time to take a constitutional and "do" Central Avenue before repairing to his hotel for his mid-day meal. On the way to Florence, which is thirteen miles north-west of Iron Mountain, and at an additional elevation of 158 feet, you pass through a park country, diversified by stretches of forest, whose tall hardwood and tamarack trees, wave their October crests golden as tassels of ripe wheat, over the mirrored bosoms of countless lakes which spread their bare breasts iridescent as a peacock's tail, with the loud reflections of flaming woods. Four miles out and you cross the Menominee river and enter Wisconsin, and also upon a stretch of idyllic scenery. At Spread Eagle Lakes, half way between the two towns, you get a glimpse of the celebrated wastes of water remarkable for the fish which frequent their silent pools, the charming diversity of their shore line, and for the reason that people of note in the world of finance and fashion, make annual pilgrimages hither, attracted by its righteous reputation. Here is a summer hotel kept by Mr. Chainey, whose steam-launch connects with the trains, and who equips camping parties with boats and other necessary paraphernalia. Five miles further and you reach Commonwealth, where in obedience to the demand of the miners, a village has sprung up alongside the ore-bed which is responsible for its nomenclature. The attractions of Commonwealth are not apparent to the traveller. They rest beneath the surface. Practically, it is an adjunct of Florence, from which it is only one mile distant. Up to this latter point your way has been parallel with and in places but a few yards distant from the line of the Escanaba, Iron Mountain and Western railway, built by the Schlesingers, and sold to the C. & N. W. people. As yet, it is ironed only as far as Lake Antoine. One mile further and you swing into the spur track and pull up alongside the station platform and within pistol shot of deep Fisher Lake. We know the origin of this town's baptism. Stroll with me up its main thoroughfare, and listen to the brief tale of its endeavor. In October, 1873, as previously related, Mr. H. D. Fisher of Menasha, discovered the mine, which is located on the N. ½ of N. E. ¼ Sec. 20, T. 40, R. 18. This was first known as the "Spread Eagle." The property then acquired also included S. E. ¼ and N. W. of N. E. ½. of Secs. 21, 40, 18. Subsequently Messrs. Hagerman and Van Dyke secured by purchase a three-quarter interest in the property. In March, 1880, Mr. Fisher laid out the town site, and the same month placed a bunch of lots upon the market. "We'll put 'em in at government prices," said the "man from Menasha," "$100 for the ordinary lots, and $150 for the corners. Who wants 'em?" It would be nearer the mark to say, who didn't want them, for in sixty days Mr. Fisher had sold $60,000 worth of his realty. The population at that time was about 50 people. Originally part of the counties of Marinette and Oconto, a new county was created through this patriarch's efforts in 1882, of which Florence of course, is the county seat, and through the donation on the part of this progressive promoter, of 50 town lots for churches, school, and other humanitarian purposes, the news of its competing adolesence spread through the land. Amongst the earliest migrants to reach its aptitudes was Mr. William Noyes, who opened the first grocery on the south side of the old trail, who was followed by Mr. Chris. C. Olin, Mr. A. E. Guensburg, Mr. J. W. Molloy , Mr. Kneebone and others. The first two opened up extensive trading establishments almost simultaneously on opposite sides of the Main street, the latter confining himself characteristic of a man and the conditions of the times; he hauled all his stock in trade from Quinnesec, over horribly bad trails, and considered three kegs of nails a full cargo. Originally located at the corner of Central avenue, he peddled goods whilst his traveling bazaar was tediously hauled up street to its present location. May 12th, 1880, the post office was established, with H.D. Fisher in charge, he himself carrying the mail over the old tote road from picturesque Quinnesec. Florence, at this time, was noted for possessing the best "rest" house on the range, the Spread Eagle House, kept by genial Jack Armstrong. It stood on the bank above Fisher Lake, out of whose dark waters sufficient bass and pickerel could be pull out in fifteen minutes to satisfy a dozen backwoodsmen. The timber for its construction was hauled all the way from Marinette. The country was an undisturbed wilderness in the earlier days, not even a tote road, nothing but the half chopped out survey lines made by the government. But why re-draw the picture. From Waucedah up these early chronicles repeat themselves. Mining development hastened it to fruition, until to-day it presents to the investor in search of a "good thing" the following list of attractions: Florence village of to-day - it yet remains to be incorporated - comprises an area of 166 acres; the township of same name covers an area of 171,698 acres, and the county of Florence embraces a fruitful territory of 312,270 acres. Its exact location is on Sec. 21 and 28, T. 40 N., R. 18 E. The length of its streets according to County Surveyor C. S. Simpson , is eight miles, with an ordinary width of 66 feet. It is supplied with 6,800 feet of water mains, and 20 hydrants, and you can pursue your reflective peregrinations over its well kept sidewalks for four statutory miles. Besides the original Fisher location, the 1st and 2d Steele and Merrick additions, and that of Dr. Fortier The Menominee Iron Range. have been platted and attached for business and residential purposes. The water works which are situated on the lake front, consist of a Knowles pumping plant, which supplies sufficient power to throw streams of extinguishment to an altitude of 100 feet from eight hydrants at the same time. Mr. W. Noyes is Chief of Fire Department, which is outfitted with two hose carts, and 2,500 feet of hose. It has an excellent general system of waterworks, fed by the lake, which is a mile long. The town is lighted by electricity. Mr. F. R. Whittlesey is the postmaster, and handles weekly an average of 4,000 letters and 1,000 papers, etc. The population of Florence is now nearly 2,000, and the volume of its business has been estimated at $500,000 per annum. Hitherto the bulk of the business done outside of that created by the mines, has been that exacted by the careless expenditure, by the "river-driver" and the "lumber-man." When it is known that 31,000 men are employed in the handling of Wisconsin saw-logs and lumber, and nearly 10,000 animals, an idea can be reached of the extent of the commissariat and general outfitting necessary to equip such an army of pacific devastation. Of the 5,407,934 acres of merchantable standing timber in Wisconsin, Florence county contains 287,966, consisting of white and Norway pine, hemlock, cedar, maple and birch. Of the grand total of all the state, 565,000 acres is covered with many varieties of magnificent hardwood. - -I have been to some trouble as reference to the figures at the end of this chapter will show, to make a compilation of statistics bearing upon the timber resources of the states invaded by the Menominee Range. The men who drive the logs down the rising floods of these highland rivers, their co-adjutors who fell the trees and do the log-rolling in the woods, together with the remainder of the legion engaged in kindred avocations, are an absolutely distinct and certainly peculiar people. From the "lumber-baron," who is reaping the reward of his earlier rude experiences, to the hero of the "sorting-boom," the head "river-god" of the "drive," the "mule-puncher" of the tote-road, or the prince of "pine-cruisers," they are for the most part made out of the same extra No. 1 quality material, and all of whole cloth. This same compliment cannot be extended to their garments, which though decidedly picturesque, betray an element of shoddy. In their parti-colored mackinacs, the members of this Zingari coated crew, of many nationalities, largely composed of Canadian French, when they undertake, as is their not unusual custom, to paint the town scarlet, never omit to make " Rome howl," and the echoes of these frequent centenaries seldom fail to reach Florence. When the lowering tides of the Michigammie offer no opportunity for log-driving, or when an insufficient snow-fall makes hauling an alleged impossibility, or when any excuse or no excuse presents itself; if his head aches, and he thinks a swig of "Jim Crow" will "knock it cold;" or it doesn't ache and he aches to let it ache, and knows that Kentucky sour-mash will "take the trick;" or he longs to "buck the tiger;" or, man of many impulses - perhaps some- what negatively good - even his heart aches, why then he will cache his cant-hook and visit Florence, and there divert himself according to his mood, and to the limit of his physical manhood, and his "wad." Florence has some fine public buildings. Its court house and jail, built of cream- colored bricks, with blue limestone trimmings, and metal-shingled roof, are handsome structures and show to advantage in the open square which surrounds them. They are, The Menominee Iron Range. of course, built from designs of Architect Clancy, and costing only $21,000, grounds included, present probably better value received than do any other modern buildings in the peninsula. The registers of the public school, kept by the principal, Mr. E. D. Rounds, show a daily attendance of 306 pupils. Mr. Rounds is assisted by nine lady teachers. A library containing 600 volumes, is attached to the school house, which also contains a very fine assembly room, wherein are held divers legitimate entertainments. The School Board consists of the following gentlemen: A. K. Godshall, G. C. Youngs, Julius Boseman, Chas. La Salle , Mrs. H. Barnes, Nelson Norton and S. T. Beattie. The County Officials whose offices are located in the new court house are: Hon. Omer Hough, County Judge; Wm. Judge, Sheriff; E. W. Keyes, Treasurer; J. E. Parry, Clerk; Frank Waring, Clerk of Circuit Court; W. C. Haberkorn, Registrar of Deeds; R. Mitchell, Coroner. Mr. W. H. Clark is District Attorney, having been elected to office for 1885, 6, 7, 8 and 1891 and '92. Besides being the only resident lawyer, he operates extensively in realty. Florence is under the executive control of a Board of Supervisors, composed of the following gentlemen who are zealous in their endeavors to promote the interests of their prospering town: Chairman, Mr. Charles Loughrey; Members, Mr. Edwin Ball and Mr. J. W. Molloy; Town Clerk, Mr. Frank Waring. Mr. Loughrey is one of the oldest and shrewdest merchants in the place, and has held his office continuously since his election at the date of organization. The history of Florence is bound up with his name, as practically he is the civic father of the town, and is held in popular esteem from Quinnesec to the Gogebic. Mr. Ball is captain of the Florence mine, and as a practical mining expert is regarded as second only to Mr. The Menominee Iron Range. J. N. Porter, late general manager of the Florence, Iron River and Stambaugh mines, and holds the respect of the people. Mr. Molloy is the leading livery man of the town, and apart from his qualifications as a supervisor, he can, whilst equipping you with the breeziest road team on the range, entertain you with a string of the latest risque stories. To kindly and popular Frank Waring, the Board's trusted advisor, I am as elsewhere mentioned, under obligations. The Florence Mining News, established in 1881 and published by Mr. Geo. C. Youngs , is accepted, and with good cause, by outside mining circles, as an authority on the subject of range development, and is a material factor in the advancement of local interests. The Mining News was originally established by Mr. Atkinson in 1880, who Dr. Cook's Hunting Camp. sold his interest to Mr. Chase Osborne, now of the Sault Ste. Marie News, and Mr. J. J. Tower in 1883, who in turn disposed of the good will to Mr. Geo. Youngs, the present proprietor, in 1887. The assessable property of the town, as equalized, amounts to $771,000, and its rate of taxation lower, it is claimed, than any other town on the Menominee. At the junction of the Michigammie river with the Brule, a little over two miles distant, the waters rush over a fall of 65 feet, presenting endless power for the driving of machinery suitable for converting the utilizable trees of the forests, into pulp, and every possible kind of manufactured woodenware. The Paint river falls also are only four miles from the railway depot, and the Pine river almost at its door. These dense thickets are the ambush of all the big game animals that have their habitat in the territory. Bears, wolves and fur-bearing mammals patrol under the gloomy arches of its pines, whilst the less combative but more curious deer frequent the clearings, into which the woodman's axe has invited the sunshine. Unchecked pot hunting under lax The laws was formally indulged in. In one year alone, Mr. Wm. Noyes shipped to outside markets venison worth $6,000. Stringent legislation and alert game guardians now place a check on indiscriminate slaughter. At the present time the only open month in Wisconsin for deer shooting is November; in Michigan it is October; hence from bank to bank of the Brule and the Menominee - the separating state boundaries - the wily hunter rafts his quarry to suit the emergency. Deer stalkers from all quarters congregate in these Wisconsin woods, for the climate, scenery and sport is without equal. For a season or two past Dr. A. J. Cook, of Cleveland, and a party of kindred spirits who have together hunted deer for many years and in many places, have chosen Florence county as their stamping ground. " Our party never looks for profit," writes the doctor, "and we never look for fur bearing animals, we simply enjoy an outing and yield for a few short weeks to a hereditary desire for the 'chase,' but the law which prevents a man from taking his game home, after permitting him to shoot it, and so deprives him of the opportunity of exhibition and distribution, robs him of half the pleasure." The difficulties of framing acceptable protective legislation is apparent. I introduce of view of Dr. Cook's camp, taken from life; it makes a characteristic hunting scene. Starting with the left hand figure the following are the names of these hardy exponents of woodcraft: Henry Carter, Ernest Peck, Harry E. Cook--the German chef--Charles McDermott (front) guide, John Beavis (rear), Jas. H. Peck, George Barnes, Dr. Albert J. Cook, and Charles Doolittle. The county adjacent to Florence is a bed of concealed mineral, and explorations are constantly in progress. Capt. Jas. Tobin, who first opened up the Commonwealth, has recently developed the Mayflower, two and one-half miles southeast of Florence; O. C. Davidson, F. R. Whittlesey, J. E. Parry, W. A. Curry, G. M. Keyes, F. Waring and P. McGovern, being interested. Wm. Noyes and others at the Buckeye on the W. ½ of S. E. ¼ of Sec. 33, T. 40, R. 18, have from a 96-foot shaft drifted into a first class showing. On the S. E. ½ of Sec. 25, T. 40, R. 17, the Baird Mining Co., composed of the Guensberg Bros., M. St. Peter, of Iron River, and A. Lustfield, of Crystal Falls, have, after sinking 65 feet, produced a stock pile of 300 tons of black magnetic ore, analyzing 64 metallic iron. The country is alive with such instances but the discoverers as a rule, endeavor to keep their operations a close secret. No statistics in answer to my request have been furnished by the officers of either the Commonwealth or Florence mines. The officers of the latter are: Pres. Jno. Scott, N. Y.; Superintendent, S. T. Beattie; Captain, E. Ball. Last year it employed 580 men, and produced from its five shafts 213,570 tons of non-Bessemer brown hematite, giving 61 per cent, of iron. Its total production since the date of first shipment in 1880, is 960,065 tons. The royalty now paid by the operators is 24 cents on every ton of ore 124 The Menominee Iron Range. over 15,000 mined, and 40 cents on a minimum output. A three-fourths interest in the Florence was sold last year for $350,000 cash to the Schlesinger Syndicate. The Commonwealth mine produced last year 116,786 tons. In 1880, the first year of operation it produced 9,643 tons. Its total to date is 717,344. Otto C. Davidson is Superintendent. Facts of interest and worth knowing, in connection with the timber product of the United States. - Compiled from official sources, with especial reference to the states of Michigan and Wisconsin, and the Menominee Iron Range: In 1890 the number of Mills, Factories, etc., in Michigan was 1,957--Wisconsin was 863 Capital invested in Michigan 8111,302,797--Wisconsin 84,586,623 Average number of Hands employed in Michigan 44,000--Wisconsin 31,000 Wages paid in Michigan $12,813,335--Wisconsin 8,813,188 Total value of Products and Re-manufactures in Michigan $68,141,189--Wisconsin 49,547,410 The town of Menominee ranks second in the six principal lumber producing cities of the Northwestern States. In 1880 it ranked sixth, showing a total value of $1,294,834; to-day its value of mill products is placed at $4,208,689. The product of its sister city of Marinette, on the opposite side of the river in Wisconsin, is valued at $2,420,891. The consumption of timber at these two points, in 1890, was 450,000,000 feet. Lumbering establishments in these places yet own about 4,000,000,000 feet of standing timber. - A sufficient supply for another decade. In the woods of Michigan 9,240 animals are employed in logging, etc. ; in Wisconsin the number is 9,936. In Michigan there are 101, and in Wisconsin there are 45 establishments engaged in the following industries, viz.: The manufacture of handles, chair-stock, etc., tubs, pails, churns, miscellaneous wooden ware, hoops, paving blocks, hubs, spokes, wagon stock, agricultural implements, etc., with an aggregate business valued at $2,924,809 and $2,206,024 respectively. Not one cent's worth of these necessaries are manufactured in the towns of the Menominee Range. Who will come and experiment for one tithe even of the local trade now begging for local manufactures? In Michigan the number of establishments using water power exclusively is 138; in Wisconsin 137. During the decade ended May 31, 1890, it is estimated that in Michigan 69,867 acres of timber were burned over by forest fires, and in Wisconsin 46,341, killing an estimated 344,925,000 feet (board measure) of standing timber. In Michigan 279 miles of logging railways are operated; in Wisconsin 100 miles. The estimated area of merchantable timber lands in all Michigan to-day is 4,040,343 acres. Of 700,000 acres of Forest in Iron county, tributary to Crystal Falls, 450,000 acres is covered with merchantable timber. The merchantable timber of Wisconsin covers an area of 5,407,934 acres. Of this Florence county contains 287,966 acres out of an area of 307,806 acres of forest land, and tributary to the town of Florence Michigan contains about 2,602,565 acres of pine land, white and Norway (standing timber); 218,486 of hemlock; 91,067 of cedar, 413,545 of various soft woods; 10,025 of oak; 81,299 of beech, birch and maple; 1,238 of ash; 35,199 of elm and 586,919 acres of various hard woods. Wisconsin contains about 4,194,308 acres of pine land, white and Norway (standing timber); 126,658 of hemlock; 14.100 of cedar; 607,476 of various soft woods; 20,195 of oak; 9,960 of beech, birch and maple, 1680 of elm, and 433,557 acres of various hard woods. The huge crucible of wealth formed by the valley of the Menominee Range, is boiling over with the profitable essence of trade, who will come with the ladle of industry and grow rich on even the skimmings of its present waste? FLORENCE, WISCONSIN It is the County Seat of Florence County. It has a population of 2000. It has a Weekly Newspaper. Ten years ago it was practically a forest; to-day it is lighted by Electricity, has a well-equipped Fire Brigade and has a good system of Water Works. It has 8,000 yards of Sidewalk. It has a High School, costing $10,000. It has three District Schools. It has one Presbyterian Church, one English Methodist, one Swedish Methodist, one Lutheran, and one Roman Catholic Church. The yearly Retail Trade of Florence is estimated at $1,000,000. It has a Theatre and an Opera House. Its Assessable Property, as equalized, amounts to $771,000. Its rate per cent, in Taxations is the lowest of any town in the Menominee Range. It has one of the largest Mines in the Menominee Range, within one-quarter of a mile from the village. Its facilities for Water Powers cannot be excelled. It has thousands of acres of Mineral Lands yet unexplored. Options can be obtained on these lands at a Reasonable Royalty for the purpose of exploring for mineral. It offers Inducements to manufacturers for erection of Factories, etc. It is within two miles from the Commonwealth Mine, one of the leading shippers on the Range. It has several very promising explorations within four miles of the Village. It is near the mouth of the Paint, Pine, Brule and Michigammie Rivers, where all the principal Log Driving is carried on. Its Insurance rate is from one to five per cent., the leading board Insurance Companies being represented. CHAS. LOUGHREY, EDWIN BALL, J. W. MOLLOY , Board of Supervisors. FRANK WARING, Town Clerk. FLORENCE BUSINESS DIRECTORY CLASSIFIED LIST OF ADVERTISERS. Attorney - Clark, Wm. H. Bank--State Bank of Florence, E. E. Wilcox, Cash'r. Butcher - Kneebone, R. J. Civil Engineer - Simpson, Chas. S. Dry Goods - Guensburg, A. E. & E. General Merchants - Noyes, W. W. Olin, C. C. Smith & Loughrey. Livery - Molloy, J. W. |
This Web Page Created with PageBreeze Free HTML Editor / Web Hosting