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    Lake County: 1871-1960
    Lake County: 1871-1960
    Lake County: 1871-1960
    Ebook196 pages1 hour

    Lake County: 1871-1960

    By Lake County Historical Society

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    About this ebook

    Native Americans roamed the beautiful lands of northern Michigan for many years, leaving a legacy of mature forests, clear waters, and plentiful game. By 1871, waves of immigrants were arriving from Europe, as well as Union soldiers after the Civil War. These pioneers brought with them the tools, know-how, and determination to transform the wild land into an economy based on the timber, railroads, and farming. Schools, churches, businesses, and tourism blossomed. The county's 156 lakes and 46 trout streams offered pristine settings for swimming, boating, hunting, and fishing. Resorts, sporting clubs, and cottage colonies sprang up to meet the needs of seasonal visitors. Early fishing guide and hotelier Andrew J. Bradford, financiers Curtis W. MacPhail and Robert J. Smith, philanthropist Martin Johnson, and others nurtured the growth of the communities. The Civilian Conservation Corps replanted the forests and built roads, the African American resort of Idlewild showcased black entertainers, and Raymond W. Overholzer built Shrine of the Pines, all promoting the county's development.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateNov 9, 2009
    ISBN9781439621011
    Lake County: 1871-1960
    Author

    Lake County Historical Society

    These pioneers left behind a wealth of history through their photographs, personal documents, and stories. The Lake County Historical Society, with support of local organizations, museums, and individuals, offers a collection that celebrates the county's rich heritage.

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      Book preview

      Lake County - Lake County Historical Society

      history.

      INTRODUCTION

      For thousands of years, the Potawatomi, Chippewa, and Ottawa tribes occupied the lands known as northwestern lower Michigan. They called themselves Anishinabek, the first people. Their footprints were light ones. In 1763–1764, Alexander Henry, English colonist, fur trader, and explorer, traveled through west Michigan and crossed what is now Lake County. The Homestead Act of 1862, enacted during the Civil War, provided that an adult citizen who had never borne arms against the United States could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. In 1863, Lorenzo Conklin settled in section 34 of Chase Township in Lake County and became the first pioneer to start a new life here. Union soldiers were some of the earliest to come. In the southwest corner of the county, 12 families of Union soldiers, including Charles Carr and Benjamin Barnett, staked their claims. More veterans settled in Chase and Luther on the east side of the county.

      In Europe dreams of religious freedom, new job opportunities, and a climate in northern Michigan that reminded them of their homeland drew more families to this pristine land. In 1877, immigrants such as Jesse and Sarah Bradford moved from England and settled in Baldwin with their 11 offspring. They stayed to raise 15 children to adulthood.

      Lake County, first named Aischum County in honor of a Potawatomi chief, was formally organized in 1871. Early surveyors recorded that Lake County had vast tracts of virgin white pine. As a result, logging and railroad companies crisscrossed the land making a checkerboard of the county. For three decades the timber industry boomed. Lumber camps were small villages with the sawmill, stores, horse barns, woodworking shops, and a blacksmith. After the lumber companies cut the pine forests and moved on, new centers of commerce and industry blossomed. Not all of them were destined to endure. Following the discovery of marl deposits in North Lake, south of Baldwin, Fredrick Farnsworth, a Detroit banker and investor, dreamed of building a metropolis to rival any in the state of Michigan. By 1905, there were 400 settlers in Marlborough (Marlboro), 200 of them employed in the cement plant built on the west shore of North Lake. The village boomed. Marlborough became a town of class with an opera house, streetlights, school, post office, mercantile, and an 88-room hotel. Just as loggers ran out of white pine to cut, Marlborough ran out of marl. By 1910, Marlborough was bankrupt, its buildings torn down, and the cement plant in rubble. The immigrants left to find their fortunes elsewhere. Haunting ruins still remain in this ghost town covered by moss and scrub trees.

      A dream of a different nature was born in 1912. Four white couples, Erastus and Adelbert Branch, and their wives Flora and Isabelle, along with Wilbur and Mayme Lemon, and Alvin and Modolin Wright, purchased 2,700 acres around Idlewild Lake. They developed it as a resort community without prejudice toward African Americans in a time when segregation was the norm. The Idlewild Resort Company featured desirable lakefront properties, hotels, and a clubhouse. The resort became a safe and tranquil place for blacks. Chicago surgeon Dr. Daniel Williams built a cottage there. In later years, celebrity performers came and a vibrant nightlife grew and prospered. The popularity of the area reached a peak in the 1950s. Famous singers Della Reese and Ella Fitzgerald appeared in the Flamingo and Paradise Clubs. Heavyweight boxer Joe Louis had a training camp in Idlewild. Today a new cultural center showcases the resurgence of Idlewild, as it prepares for its 100th anniversary.

      Other businesses, such as the Lake-Osceola State Bank, remain deeply rooted in the community. Founded in 1908 as the Lake County Bank, partners Curtis W. MacPhail and Elias L. Cole hired a young man named Robert J. Smith as their first bank employee in Baldwin. Today Smith’s descendants still manage this fine establishment.

      In 1889, a Christian visionary named Martin Gustave Johnson constructed a simple log cabin on Big Bass Lake. Living the life of a recluse, he farmed the land, painted landscapes, celebrated nature, and photographed it all with his hand-built large-format camera. In thanks to the Chicago Hyde Park YMCA for providing him shelter in prior years, he donated his land in northern Lake County to the YMCA to build a summer camp for boys. His home is now a museum located at Skinner Park in Irons.

      Another artist named Raymond Overholzer came to Lake County from Ohio and built a hunter’s cabin on the Pere Marquette River. He filled this cabin with white pine stumps and roots salvaged from fields and rivers. He crafted them into tables, chairs, and beds unlike anything ever seen. Today the Shrine of the Pines sits on the bank of the Pere Marquette River as a rustic furniture museum.

      These are but a few of the stories embedded in our history. Many thousands of men, women, and children have contributed their hard labor, their visions, and their talents to a county that took in people from all walks of life. More than 60 settlements have been identified by members of the Lake County Historical Society over the years. Although many of the towns have vanished, the county seat of Baldwin remains. Named for Michigan’s governor Henry Baldwin in 1872, today Baldwin is home to a variety of stores, gas stations, churches, schools, a bank, and a remodeled courthouse.

      By 1950, Lake County had earned a well-deserved reputation as both a premier residential and vacation spot. A total of 156 lakes and 46 trout streams, along with the resurgent forests planted by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930s, enhance the scenic beauty of the area. Frequent encounters with wildlife delight the naturalist. Numerous private clubs, resorts, motels, restaurants, and sport shops cater to tourists and sportsmen.

      Since 1983, the Lake County Historical Society has collected historical documents, stories, photographs, and other memorabilia. Using it as a base of information, the authors have endeavored to accurately relate the history of Lake County. Stories change as time passes and memories fade. To the best of our knowledge, the historical information and personal recollections related in this book have been faithfully represented.

      With a copy of the book in hand, prepare to relax and enjoy the journey through Lake County’s history as illustrated and described in the following chapters.

      One

      EARLY DAYS

      In 1840, when the county was named Aischum County, Henry David Thoreau’s Concord, Massachusetts, had been an incorporated village for over two centuries. History does not tell the name of

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