History of the upper peninsula of Michigan : containing a full account of its early settlement, its growth, development, and resources, an extended description of its iron and copper mines : also, accurate sketches of its counties, cities, towns, and villages ... biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers.

HOUGHTON COUNTY.

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cock Township, 1,258; Hancock Village, 1,783; Portage
Township, increased by Webster and Huron in 1875, 2,863;
Quincy Township, 1,490, and Schoolcraft Township, 2,645,
or a total of 22,473, including 24 Indians and half-breeds.
MILITARY STATISTICS.
The aggregate expenditures of Houghton County for war
purposes, up to 1866, was $39,152.71. The amount expended from 1861 to 18,67. for the relief of soldiers' fami
lies, was $8,419, exclusive of private contributions.
The Soldiers' and Sailors' Association met at Lake Linden in June, 1882. The address of welcome was delivered
by Mr. E. Brule. The banquet was a superb affair. The
hall was decorated in a most artistic manner, and the tables
were loaded with the choicest delicacies. From the opening to the close of the exercises, the most complete order
reigned. The following officers were elected for the year
1881-82: President, James Ross; Vice Presidents, William
Goodale, John Amesse, Mathias Mertes, Henry Wilkins;
Commander, W. B. Wright; Adjutant, G. R. Shelden;
Secretary, Charles Smith; Treasurer, Graham Pope; Surgeon, Dr. Tidemann; Orator, Rev. John Hamilton; Executive Committee, Houghton. R. R. Goodell, Joseph Haas;
Hancock, A. J. Scott, John Began; Calumet, J. N. Cox,
E. G. Brown; Lake Linden, Peter Critchen. W. J. Smith;
Keweenaw County, Stephen Cocking, W. B. Wright
Eighty-one members answered at the roll-call, and seven
new names were added.
Houghton County contributed to the military regiments
of Michigan in the war of the rebellion, from 1861 to 1865,
460 men. Of these, 310 enlisted previous to September
19, 1863; 150 served three years, 13 re-enlisted as veterans, while the others served for shorter terms, or were discharged for disability or other causes.
Houghton County has, within a few years, achieved
great prosperity through its immense production of mineral wealth, which soon became the basis of other industries,
all contributing to its development until to-day it stands
unrivaled in the extent and value of its resources. It has
the natural resources for still greater development, until it
becomes equal, if not already, to any in the State in
wealth.
ROAD AND WATER WAYS.
Nature has done more than human effort for Houghton
County in the creation of ways for transportation. It created the great chain of lakes which almost connect the Atlantic with the Pacific through their great river connections, and thus afford unlimited means for the transportation
of the vast mineral, agricultural and manufactured products
of the country to the marts of consumption. Thus it is
that Houghton County is favorably located, having, as it
does, one of nature's highways passing through it-Portage
Lake. This Lake, with its water connections, Portage
River, five miles long from its entry into Lake Superior at
Keweenaw Bay to its connection with its namesake, thence
through Portage Lake in a northwesterly direction across
Keweenaw Point to Lake Superior again, the last two miles
of which being through the Lake Superior and Portage
Lake Ship Canal, which is 100 feet wide and fourteen feet
deep. The General Government gave to this company,
prior to 1868, a subsidy of 20,000 acres of land, and in
1869, it made it another grant of 20,000 acres. Other subsequent land grants were made, until the company now hold
450,000 acres in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Bonds
were issued, secured by this land grant, and money obtained
to prosecute the work, which was commenced in 1868,

R:jAl and completed in 1873, at a cost of about $2,500,000.

Under the first management, the enterprise was bankrupted,
and passed into the hands of a Receiver, by whom it was
completed. In 1874, the canal, thus completed, together
with its subsidies, was sold by the Receiver to Alvin P.
Mann and other gentlemen, and the present company, Lake
Superior Ship Canal, Railway and Iron Company, was organized at Detroit. James Prior, of Houghton, Mich., is
the Superintendent in charge of the canal. The annual
income from this canal is some $8,000. By this route
through Keweenaw Point, lake vessels, making Houghton,
Hancock and other inland points, are saved a hundred
miles of distance in their course to the upper lake regions.
Portage River, five miles in length, has also been improved,
by the straightening, widening and, deepening of its
course.
The upper lake lines of transportation which have contributed benefits to Houghton County and productive interests are the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior Transportation Company, owned by the Leopold Brothers, which
they established eighteen years ago, in a moderate way,
beginning with only two propellers, the Norman and Ontonagon. This may almost be called the pioneer line,
which has grown to large proportions since it was consolidated with the Lake Superior Pioneer Line of A. T. Spencer in the autumn of 1879. This company now own the
fine lake propellers, Peerless, Hurd, City of Duluth, the
Manistee, and other lesser crafts. This line is owned by
A. F. and Samuel F. Leopold, Joseph Austrian, A. T. and
C. F. A. Spencer, all of Chicago. John Trelease is their
general agent at Hancock. The Leopolds and Austrian
were, before their removal to Chicago, prosperous merchants in Hancock.
The Lake Superior Transit Company also have a line of
fine and excellent steamers plying between Buffalo and Duluth by way of the upper lakes-the China, Japan, India,
Arctic, Empire State, Badger State, St. Louis, Winslow,
Nyack and Arizona, all of which stop at Houghton and
Hancock except the latter. This company also have an
office on the dock at Hancock, with J. C. Thompson as
their agent.
The fine mail steamer Ivanhoe makes her daily trips,
except Sundays, between Hancock and L'Anse, and carries
the mail, passengers and express matter. She is owned by
R. M. Hoar and T. W. Edwards. The management of the
boat throughout is of the best, and has a carrying capacity
of 177 tons.
As illustrative of the travel on the L'Anse and Houghton route, during the months of May and June, 1882, there
passed up on the Ivanhoe 1,521 passengers, and 1,543 were
carried down.
The engine of the Ivanhoe has quite a history connected
with it. It was originally built for "Boss " Tweed, in the
days of his prosperity, by David Bell, of.Buffalo, who had
a contract from Tweed to build for the New York river
police service a cigar-shaped boat, after the pattern of a
Mr. Wyman, of Baltimore, and one of the best upright engines was put into it. When completed and placed on trial
on a rough sea, it was found that she could not be kept
right side up while using this engine. It was accordingly
taken out, an oscillating engine pul in its place, and the
Wyman boat run around to New York and accepted. It
now occurred to Mr. Bell to construct a boat of his own
model to fit the engine he had on hand, and the Ivanhoe,
an iron hull, was built and run out of Buffalo for about two
years as an excursion boat.
At this time, James Bendry, in consideration for ced

ing to the Marquette, Houghton & Ontonagon Railroad the