Remembering Our Ancestors Through Genealogy

A History of Iron County Michigan by Jack Hill Published in 1955, "A History of Iron County Michgan" gives the history and other interesting facts about this Upper Peninsula county. The book was originally printed in two columns. In order to improve the readability of the pages on a web browser it was converted to single column by combining every two original lines. With this exception the transcription was done without changes or corrections. Chapter 13 - Iron River Township

Chapter XIII   IRON RIVER TOWNSHIP      The township of Iron River was created during the month of May in the year 1882. At this time, the Board of Supervisors of Mar- quette county appointed John J. Sipschen, H. A. Stanley, Elisha Morgan and R. L. Selden as inspectors of an election to be held on May 29. Two days prior to the election, Messrs. Sipschen, Stanley and Morgan convened at the home of Mr. Selden but finding the latter absent, repaired to the office of D. C. McKinnon in the village where they proceeded with the organization. Mr. Sipschen was duly chosen chairman and Dr. A. J. Rosenberry was selected clerk, Following the administration of oaths, the books were opened for the registration of voters.    At the election held two days later the following officers were elected. D. I. Lay, supervisor, Alba Forsyth, clerk, Alex Quirt, trea- surer, John J. Sipschen and William Selden, school inspectors, Manville B. Waite, highway commissioner, James Innes, J. J. Sipschen, John Morrison and John B. Weimer, justices and Charles Colwell, Thomas Webb. Al Cummings and Ely Gilman, con- stables.    Before entering upon the duties of their offices, D. I. Lay, the supervisor, Alba Forsyth the clerk, and J. B. Weimer were compelled to make the long journey by horse and wagon to Quin- nesec for the purpose of taking   HISTORY OF IRON COUNTY, MICHIGAN     71   their oaths of office before Hugh McLaughlin, the nearest official qualified to administer oaths.    At the first meeting of the board held on July 22, Alex Quirt tendered his resignation as treasurer and R. L. Selden was chosen to fill the vacancy. Other business transacted included the appoint- ment of a committee composed of Supervisor Lay and Justices Weimer and Innes to meet the township board of Ely Township at Humbold for the purpose of auditing accounts, the establish- ment of the compensation of the Commissioner of Highways at $3 per day when wholly employed and the adoption of a resolution to ask for bids on the construction of a jail in Block 27.    The lot number however was omitted in the record. The struc- ture was completed in a matter of eighteen days by J. M. Deering, the contractor, at a cost of $487. Provision was also made at this first meeting to provide for township headquarters with the rental of space in the Alba Forsyth building on Lot 9 of Block 17 at a cost of $10 per month.    On the thirteenth day of August, Supervisor Lay tendered his resignation and at a meeting held the following day, Donald C. Mac- Kinnon was appointed to fill the vacancy. The vacancy caused by the refusal of William Selden to serve as school inspector was also filled by the appointment of Dr. Frank L. Bond.    While there is no record of an election in the year 1883, the in- cumbent board closed its books on March 30, and a new board consisting of J. J. Sipschen, supervisor, Thomas Flanagan, clerk, and Justices John F. Minckler and Alex Quirt entered into of- fice with the meeting of April 10. At this meeting, Dr. F. L. Bond was appointed health commissioner.    During this year the district became alive with activity. Lumber- ing operations had begun in the area and the Iron River was teem- ing with pine logs on their way to the mills. The first organized road construction was also inaugurated. Mining activity was in- creased for the recently completed railroad had provided the needed outlet for the ore.    Some idea regarding the flow of money during this period may be gained from the number of liquor dispensers bonds approved by the board, which totalled ten for the year and increased to sixteen in 1884. The township board also was active for the business meetings were held in June on the eleventh, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty- eighth, and twenty-ninth.    In the month of August, the burial grounds were established north of the village. Among the main roads constructed were the Nanaimo mine and Chicagoan lake mine roads. The latter was a sizeable undertaking which cost an average of $1,480 per mile. Reading from the record, "the Lake Chicagoan Mine road was to commence on the southwest corner of section 24, thence northwest by east to section 19. thence due east to southeast corner of section 21, thence southeast to a point known as Lake Chicagoan Mine."    The specifications of the road called for a cleared width of four rods, turnpike width of twentytwo feet with ditches of twelve inch depth and culverts and corduroy where necessary. The work was completed during the late summer and autumn, one mile sections being allotted to each bidder. The contractors were in order of construction, John Sackerson, James Delong, David Le- roy, E. A. Kendley and Frank Jackson, the latter being awarded the last two miles near the mine.    Opposition was encountered however, in the payment for this work when the Iron River Company, operators of the Iron River Mine, (later known as the Stambaugh or Riverton Mine) secured a restraining injunction against the township in the Marquette Circuit court. On March 8, 1834, the matter was amicably settled by the payment of $500 by the township to the company, to cov- er costs incurred in the suit and   72     HISTORY OF IRON COUNTY, MICHIGAN   further litigation was dropped. Additional balm was offered in a rebate of $700 for alleged over assessment of the mine property.    In the month of August, the township was divided into two road districts. The boundaries of district No. 2 were defined as com- mencing at the southwest corner of section 24, T 43 R 35, thence due east to Crystal Falls township, and from said corner of Sec- tion 24, south to the state line.    In the spring elections of 1884, W. T. Carpenter was elected super- visor, Thomas Flanagan was reelected clerk and John F. Minckler and LaFayette McQuown served as justices for the year.    During this year, a road was constructed by John Nash to the cemetery to provide a suitable road thereto, thus also improv- ing the unfinished section to the western terminus of the Chicagoan Lake Mine road. The road connecting the two villages of Iron River and Stambaugh was also built during the summer. The work was done by Patrick R. Vail at a cost of $1,147. The site of this road is now East Genesee and Lay Streets.    The members of the early township board were repeatedly beset with difficulties arising from the taxation of the larger land and mining interests. This year they were faced with a lawsuit involv- ing $978 for alleged illegal assessment of the Military Road grant lands by the heirs of James C. Ayer. Litigation in this case was avoided by the payment of $500 to Frederick F. Ayer and others as trustees of the estate.    The year of 1885 was one of extensive road construction. This was touched off by the motion of Justice McQuown, "that Clarence McDermott be hired to look up a system of roads tapping all the towns in the township." Consequently the Paint River road to the village currently known as Gibbs City was surveyed and three miles of the road completed. As a result of the ensuing tax collection difficulties however, the balance of this road was completed piece- meal and did not reach the Paint River until 1890. Among the other roads constructed were the Trout Lake road and the road to the Iron River Furnace. Action was also taken on the Ice Lake road when a survey was conducted of same by Young Campbell.    All these expenditures for roads did not meet with the approval of the large land owners. Beginning in the year 1886, the Lake Superior Ship Canal, Iron and Railway Company and others, re- fused to pay the taxes levied against their extensive holdings within the township. This placed the township officers in an awk- ward position for several years in meeting current expenses and paying for costly litigation without adequate revenue.    The following resolution of Justice McQuown adopted on March 2, expresses a somewhat bitter attitude on the matter. "Whereas the Lake Superior Ship Canal, Iron and Railway Company has associated with themselves all the heavy taxpayers of the township of Iron River for the express purpose of defrauding the township of its just taxes due from said companies for the year 1885; and whereas the township board has issued township orders payable Feb. 1, 1886 in anticipation that said taxes would have been paid on or before that time, and as the aforesaid companies have paid no taxes, there is no money in the township treasury to pay such orders, Resolved therefor that all outstanding orders may be pre- sented to the Township Board and surrendered and cancelled and new orders issued in their stead bearing seven per cent interest from date of new issue."    The main issue in the ensuing litigation centered on the taxa- tion of lands in remote areas for highway purposes. Most of these lands were at the moment in the possession of the large companies which chose to construct the trails essential to their needs at their own expense and refused to recognize the township levy for the purposes. This action had the ef-   HISTORY OF IRON COUNTY, MICHIGAN     73   feet of discouraging settlement expansion and the net result was a general retardment of township development.    On March 28, 1889, the firm of W. C. Cook & Brothers were paid the sum of $1,500 for the construction of a road in townships 43 and 44, Range 36. This road was used mainly by the Cooks Broth- ers company in their current logging operations and extended from the railroad at a point currently known as Lindahl's Spur to the headwaters of Cooks Run.    The Township of Stambaugh also reimbursed the company at this time for that sectinn of road lying within that township. Reim- bursement to the Cooks Brothers by Iron River Township was made with the understanding that an equal amount would be de- ducted from the monies due to the proposed new township of hem- lock, when and if such township was set apart and organized. This new township became a reality four years later and was named Atkinson in honor of H. M. Atkinson of the Metropolitan Lumber Company.