History of Muskegon County, Michigan: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers.

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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.

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The annual election, 183 voters present, resulted as follows:
For president, A. Mears by 67 votes, H. E. Staples 55, I. M. Weston 48, P. I. Hedges 13. For recorder, Fred Norman 97 to 54 for
C. P. Nearpass and 35 for B. F. Reed. For treasurer, M. B. Covell
111 votes, C. E. Covell 44, E. M. Ruggles 27. For trustees, H. E.
Staples, R. W. Norris, W. F. Nufer, W. Flinn, O. T. Oleson.
1881.
A. Mears elected president by 110 to 60 for }I. E. Staples; F.
Norman, recorder; M. B. Covell, treasurer; J. A. Sholander, G. J.
Moog, A. Carleton, J. W. Ocobock and E. D. Thompson, trustees.
1882.
At the last village election on May 1, there were two tickets in
the field headed respectively Prohibition and Temperance, and Industrial. The former ticket prevailed by about 217 to 115 votes.
The officers elect are: A. T. Linderman, President; F. Norman,
Recorder; M. B. Covell, Treasurer (by unanimous vote); Trustees,
W. A. Phelps, L. Richards, C. I. Peterson and John Bell. Many
ladies took a deep interest in the election, furnishing refreshments
of a temperance character.
LUMBER PROSPECTS FOR 1882.
The great business of Whitehall and Montague, and in fact all
around White Lake, is lumbering, of which we have given statistics
under the heading, " Lumbering, " in the general history of the county. As for this season the prospects were never so bright; there is
no strike, nor is there likely to be, and Captain Dalton, the oldest
lumberman on the Lake, states the White River log crop for this
year will be over 140,000,000 feet, of which 86,000,000 feet are on
the River. There are fully 15,000,000 feet of old logs left over
which, with the amount expected, would make 155,000,000 feet.
LAWYERS.
The lawyers of Whitehall have been first Duane Thompson,
in 1865; W. H. Parks, from 1864 to 1872; poor Henry Slater,
1870, a gifted and popular man, who was unfortunately drowned at
Muskegon in the fall of 1881; next D. G. Scroggs, 1868; A. C.
Elsworth, 1871; P. I. Hedges, at one time postmaster, and first
telegraph operator, removed to Danville, N. Y., in 1882; then came
H. L. Delano, now of Muskegbn; R. L. Rice, 1875; D. C. Huffman, 1877; Loraine Ashman, 1880; and Mr. Edwin I. Smith
(Smith & Cook) Muskegon Co.
DOCTORS.
The first doctor was J. A. Wheeler, 1865, removed to Grand
Rapids in 1881; Dr. C. Mizner, now of North Muskegon, 1865; A.
W. Squier, 1866; W. L. Montane, 1866; J. McKinnon (died in
Whitehall), Drs. Marvin, Gaylor, Johnson, Carr, Wooldridge,
Cooper.
BRICKYARD.
It is surprising, considering the large amount of clay that can
be found in the vicinity of Whitehall, and the good prices offered
for bricks, that none have attempted to establish a yard until the
spring of 1882, when E. M. Ruggles and John Vanderheyden have
taken up the business in Whitehall on the bank of the river, having had to purchase a number of houses and lots to get the clay.
They are putting in mDachinery capable of turning out 100,000 bricks
a day, but will not make more than 30,000 at first.
The practical man of the firm is JOHN VANDERHEYDEN, who has
had sixteen years' experience in the business, in Detroit, Chicago,

and for the last nine years as foreman for Brown & Clark, making
10,000,000 bricks annually, having often 130 men under his control. He is originally from Ann Arbor.
R. W. Norris is just laying the foundation of a new brick block
20x80, two stories and basement, on Colby St., next to the European

House. A. Mears proposes to build (a fine block, corner of Mears
Avenue and Colby St.
There is just being completed at Whitehall a neat new railway
station, not far from that which was burned in August, 1881. The
building was urgently required. Mr. Charles Otis is the present
station agent.
TAXES.
The rate for a number of years past has not varied far from
four per cent on the assessed value, which would be probably about
two per cent on the asking price of property. In 1881 the rate, on
account of the increase in State and school taxes, was about
five per cent onl the assessed value, but as in three years the school
bonds now out amounting to $7,500 will be paid off, the rate for
school taxes will not exceed one per cent. This will allow village
improvements to go on without adding to the burdens of the people.
GREAT FIRE OF 1881.
Like all wooden built and lumbering towns, Whitehall, which
had hitherto escaped a great fire, had its day of wrath on the night
of Saturday, 30th of July. About 2 p. m., the night watchman at
Linderman's shingle mill observed flames in the direction of Sturtevant's livery stable and promptly sounded the alarm. Quickly
the citizens with terror dumb, rallied to the conflict, with all the
force at their command. The Montague boys with Charley Dodge at
their head, soon put in an appearance and for eleven hours fought
the fire. They took the side near the lake, being stationed back of
Slocum's block, and did good service in checking the fire in a block
of old buildings at the foot of Colby St. They secured and richly
deserved a vote of thanks for their efforts. The Whitehall engine
was stationed at Staples & Covell's mill dock, under the leadership
of Chief H. E. Staples, assisted by Engineer F. A. Hinman: The
fire burned fiercely away all the wooden buildings on both sides of
Colby St., including Slocum's brick block up to Covell's brick
block on the north, and Baker's brick drug store on the south, a
space of about five acres in the heart of the village being completely
swept out of existence. The loss was $150,000, 'the insurance
about $54,000, which being mainly in the hands of H. D. Johnston,
insurance agent, was, as usual, rapidly and satisfactorily adjusted.
The origin of the fire is a mystery; it was thought to have commenced in Sturtevant's livery or in Hinman & McElroy's furniture
store. But the fire was first seen in the rear of Wynne's variety
store in the same block. Sturtevant's loss was very heavy as he
was not insured, and he lost eleven fine horses, besides many carriages, &c., out of the best equipped livery stable in the county.
The furniture store, WVynne's variety store, M. B. Covell's large
store, the meat market, Slocum's block, with Phelan's clothing.
store, Johnston's office, and the Mears House were lost. The
flames consumed the wooded' railway tunnel across Colby Street
and down Thompson Street, and attacked the Foster's block, the
busiest hive of industry in town, forming a lofty pyramid of fire.
In this block were K. F. Morse's hardware store, the post office,
with Hon. C. C, Thompson's real estate office, and we may mention
that by his vigilance everything was saved belonging to the post office. In the same block were Riley's barber shop, Ruggles' drug
store, Phelan's clothing store, a vacant store and restaurant. In
the second store were Elsworth's law office, that of Squire Reed,
Cunningham's dental rooms, Dr. Adams' office, and the apartments
of the Foster family; on the third story was the opera hall. The

next to succumb was Mr. Tripp's house, and Covell's barn, and
Klett's harness shop. In the meantime destruction was proceeding
on the west side, and also the south, consuming the Cosmopolitan
Hotel, B. O'Connell's two buildings, L. Bratz's clothing store, Seabold's boot and shoe building, M. Bragenham's saloon, Hanson's

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