Foster City: (Written by Archibald Patrick Farrell, August 1942-Iron Mountain News)
Foster City was named after Alonzo L. Foster, who came from Ohio in 1880. Mr. Foster was in the insurance business at the time in Ohio, but having heard much talk about the great expanse of pine timber in Upper Michigan and Wisconsin, and of how men were getting wealthy in the pine business, he became very interested.
Mr. Foster talked with some lumbermen, who recommended him to a cruiser and estimator. The latter was James McGillan, of Appleton, WI. Mr. Foster immediately returned to Ohio, to interest other men and to get backing for a company. The company was named the A.M. Harmon Company, after a wealthy member of the new organization.
Foster came north again and that fall the company purchased 80,000,000 feet of pine stumpage on the east branch of the Sturgeon River, and 38,000,000 feet on the Ford and Flat Rock Rivers. The company then let a contract to clean out the river from a point where Foster City now stands, to Brown's Lake. The drive up the Sturgeon at that time extended only to Brown's Lake.
At this time, also, the company gave a contract to Charles Pendleton and Son, to log the eighty million feet of pine; to build three dams and to improve the river from the site of the present Lehman's farm to the present site of Foster City.
Pendleton and Son began their contract in 1882 and one year later had succeeded in building three dams on the east branch of the Sturgeon; had improved the stream; built pole trails, and put in 10 million feet of logs. In the spring of 1883 the company drove five million feet of logs to Menominee, and had it sawed into lumber.
This drive, however, did not prove wholly satisfactory, because the cut lumber fell short nearly 100,000 feet. The company then decided to build a mill, and Mr. Foster, having heard that several mills in lower Michigan were about to close because of a shortage of pine, left immediately for the lower peninsula.
Foster knew very little about saw mills, but off he went, alone and courageously, to Saginaw, to interview the representatives of various companies. The White and Friant mill was on of the many belonging to these companies. Foster was advised to buy that mill and had just about closed the deal...all but paying over the money...when he was approached by the Hood and Gale Company, eager to sell its mill.
The Hood and Gale mill was much older than Friant's but was offered at a lower figure. Foster, not realizing that the Hood and Gale mill was just about worn out, immediately purchased it. Bitter feeling developed between Mr. Friant and Mr. Foster over that deal.
On February 21, 1884, the late John Emmett Nelligan arrived, bringing with him a crew of eight men, a carload of lumber and some tools, to start construction of teh town of Foster City. "Pat" Farrell was one of that crew. Pat was considered quite an old hand at the game, for he had had two years' experience working on contracts for the company.
The Town Gets Its Name:
The late P.J. Anderson, section forman at that time, built a camp and hired a cook, and the entire crew boarded at the Anderson camp. Pat and one of his chums, on the day of their arrival, cut down a small tree so that they could say--honestly--they had cut down the first tree, to build Foster City. The carpenter, Mr. White, put up a large sign, and on that sign was written, "Foster City, Michigan."
Foster arrived teh next day and, seeing the sign, gave it his hearty approval. "That," he said, "will be the name of this town--Foster City." And it has been Foster City ever since.
The First Building:
After naming the town "Foster City" the work of building a big lumber camp was begun. The spot selected for the construction of a building 34 by 61 feet was on the north side of the hill. The weather was very cold that spring, and aside from being on the north side of the hill, the building was up four feet from the ground, supported by posts, to make the foundation level.
On the second day, the crew closed the building in and covered the roof with tar paper; set up a cook range and large heating stove and built roaring fires in both. Within a few minutes, however, the snow and ice began to malt off the green lumber onto the floor, and the camp looked as though a rain storm had struck it.
On the third day the cooks, Mr. and Mrs. Stingle, and the latter's sister, arrived with a carload of supplies. By noon of that day the camp was comfortably dried out, and the next job was the building of furniture and fixtures. The carpenter and two helpers set to work and by nightfall the furniture was completed. The evening of the third day was a memorable one for Pat and the other members of the crew, because it was the first evening meal prepared and eaten in the new town of Foster City.
Where to Sleep?
The cooks, and the crew all had a wonderful supper, but then another problem developed--where to sleep? They had the floor, but no bunks. The cooks were not only lucky, but wise; they had brought their own bedding. Fortunately there were several bales of excelsior and some blankets in the camp, so it was decided to take the excelsior and make beds on the floor, which was still rather damp and very cold. And there they slept, or tried to.
According to Pat (and he has sworn that this is not just another typical logging camp tale) the chore boy sounded the usual call early the next morning: "Roll out!" Most of the men slowly stretched their aching, frost-bitten bones and rolled out, but, believe it or not, three of the crew couldn't bet up at all. Their hair was frozen to the wall, where they had lain all night. Blocks of wood were heated on the stove and placed at the heads of the three men. It was a slow process, and all three were late for breakfast, but they finally got them free.
After breakfast, Mr. Nelligan said: "Well boys, I noticed some of you were late for breakfast this morning, and I don't want it to happen again." The boys tried to explain, but Mr. Nelligan said: "All right, cut your hair off, and you won't have that trouble. Otherwise, we'll have to have the chore boy call you half an hour earlier."
Andrew Engelson, one of the crew, replied: "Mr. Nelligan, you don't have to cut my hair off. I'll never get frozen to the wall." Engelson's head was as bald as a billiard ball. That broke up the argument.
Two Bunk Houses:
The crew than built two large bunk houses, each 32 by 48 feet. One was named the "Michigan House." The camp crew rapidly increased and by March 1 there were 60 men at work, clearing away the timber and laying the foundation for teh dam and mill. A large building which included the general store, post office and telegraph office, was built on the same site where the Foster City store now stands.
April 1 saw quite a change in the woods. Much of the timber in the interior had been cut, leaving a large clearing. However, the cutting operation itself was not satisfactory. They were unable to cut on both sides of the mill. To remedy this, another boiler was installed, which helped considerably.
Just at this time the fireman quit his job and a call went out to Escanaba for a new man. The very next day he arrived. On first sight of him Mr. Foster decided he was not the man for the job, because he was quite slim and only five feet six inches tall.
The man said, "I have come to fire for the mill." Mr. Foster advised him to return to Escanaba, telling him he could never stand the work. The fellow seemed to know better. He replied: "My name is Joseph Lapine. I have a recommendation from the last company I worked for and I would like to try this job." He was determined, and he got the job.
Later, Dennis Mahar, a Civil War veteran and employed as engineer at the mill, commended Lapine's work, and the meeting of these two men ripened into a deep friendship.
Mahar and Lapine not only remained fast friends at the camp, but spent much of their time planning improvements for it. They discussed engines and exchanged opinions on how many they should set up and operated. They also carefully checked over the mill itself and found that much of it had been set up wrong. Mr. Benson, the foreman, gave them permission to make whatever changes they wished, and gave them the extra help they required. From that time on the mill ran much better, and there was very little trouble.
At about that time, however, Engineer Mahar was called away because of the death of a relative and Mr. Lapine was in charge until the mill closed in November of that year, for the winter.
In The Spring:
When the warm spring days of 1884 came, the work of building a cook house, a sleeping house, and eight new dwellings was undertaken, and quickly completed. A small school house, 16X24 feet, was also built and a teacher placed in charge. Miss Alice McGillen, the first station agent at Foster City.
Many of the older residents of Foster City undoubtedly recall the circumstances of Miss McGillen's tragic and untimely death. Three young women: Miss A. Farrell, of Norway; Miss McCabe, of DePere, WI; and Miss McGillen lost their lives when they were carried over the Sturgeon Falls.
About November 15, 1884, the mill closed again and all the single men left for the woods. there was an atmosphere of prosperity in the town. The company began to ship lumber and a splendid little community was established. However, the optimism of that day was to undergo a surprising and sudden change.
A New Logging Company:
Pat and several young men companions started for camp and upon their arrival in Metropolitan were told that a new logging company was about to be started near Sagola. Early that fall the White and Friant Company had purchased 16 million feet of pine stumpage and started the work of building camps on the land that is now known as Lehman's farm, about eight miles east of Sagola.
The White and Friant Company had a comparatively small crew and about a million feet of logs in the river. The A.M. Harmon Company of Foster City had three million feet in the Headquarter pond and four million feet in the Upper pond. The White and Friant logs were between the Upper and Headquarter pond, which was owned by the Harmon Company. The latter company also had about two million feet of logs in Foster City pond. This was all the pond would hold even though the logs were stored as closely as possible, leaving a 24-foot channel through the pond, as required by law.
The Harmon Company then began to drive its three million feet of logs down from the Headquarter pond. That drive filled the river from bank to bank, within three miles of Foster City, leaving no channel. Meanwhile, the White and Friant Company began its drive of one million logs down onto the Harmon River, and demanded a channel through. This placed the Harmon Company in a difficult spot.
Rumors flew thick and fast, one stating that the White and Friant Company was hiring all the drivers they could find and were going to drive all the logs in the river through to the Menominee River. This report met with great indignation at Foster City and as a result all the Harmon Company office and discuss the situation. Archie Farrell sat in on that conference and Breen Township accepts his account as history.
Results of the meeting were both gratifying and interesting. To solve the problem, much serious thinking had to be done, and every possible angle was reviewed in an effort to halt the White and Friant Company from its reported plan. It was finally decided that a spur track be built into the river, and a wrecker obtained from the railroad company to hoist the logs onto flat cars, run them to Foster City, and deck them there.
The question still remaining was: "When will White and Friant make their drive? Would there be time for the Harmon Company to build the spur and "snake out" the logs?" They would have to work fast, but most of all they had to hold White and Friant until the plan could go into operation.
Log War Starts on Ford River:
It was decided, after a lengthy conference of all the veteran employees who met in the company office, that several of the Harmon men would seek employment with White and Friant, and try to determine just when they intended to make the big drive. Consequently, several of the men went over to White and Friant and offered to work on the drive for a dollar a day and board.
One or two of the men, as prearranged, inquired when the drive would begin, and they were told it would be started on the following Thursday! After gettting the necessary information, these men left the White and Friant office, saying they would report at the Ford River for the drive.
Instead of going to the Ford River, where the drive was to begin, the men hiked right back to Foster City and told what they had learned.
Meanwhile, the railroad company had begun sinking the piling for the spur over which the Harmon Company planned to take its logs out of the river.
Here, then, was another critical problem. At least 30 days would be required to complete the spur and remove the logs to make a channel for White and Friant, but their drive was scheduled to start the following Thursday! Some quick thinking and quick action were in order.
Foster and Nelligan to Menominee
On Monday of that week, Mr. Foster and Mr. Nelligan went to Menominee (Breen Township was at that time part of Menominee County) and after some great effort, during which they presented the case in detail, they furnished bond of $10,000 and obtained an injunction to restrain White and Friant from molesting any boom of logs, or in any manner disturbing or damaging any property of the Harmon Company, for a period of thirty days.
A special train was also provided at Menominee to transport the Menominee County sheriff and two deputies to Foster City to enforce the injunction. They arrived at 5 a.m. Thursday, the day of the White and Friant drive. It had been a hectic night for the Harmon crew, who expected the drive to start at any moment. some didn't sleep at all, and others were up before daybreak, waiting fro the train.
Log War Enters Foster City!
It was a moment of tense excitement when, at 5 a.m., the train rounded the curve and pulled into the depot. The conductor jumped off and jokingly asked if breakfast was ready. Mr. Nelligan, the foreman, advised the conductor to run the train up to the "Y". "You must want to be ready to make a quick get-away if trouble starts," Nelligan told the conductor.
"We're not running away from any trouble," the conductor replied. however, since discretion was the better part of valor at a critical time like that, the conductor was finally persuaded ato move up to the "Y" and turn the train around. Then, at 6 a.m. everybody --the Harmon crew and the trainmen--had a good breakfast.
Promptly at 6:30 things began to happen. The White and Friant crew was sighted coming rapidly across the bridge west to Foster City. They looked like they were ready for business and came well-prepared. The 100 or more men in the gang carried axes, cant hooks, peaveys, pike-poles, chains, ropes, and every item of equipment needed for the drive.
But they met with sudden disappointment. Upon their arrival, their foreman, John Enright, was pointed out to the sheriff, who said to him: "Are you John Enright, foreman of this crew?" Enright replied: "Yes, but I am not the superintendent. Mr. Rowe Miller is the superintendent, and he will be here in a few minutes, on a hand-car."
Sure enough, a few moments later, Mr. Miller arrive on the hand-car. The sheriff, taking immediate and efficient charge, proceeded to ask all the necessary questions of Mr. Miller, and then demanded not only Miller's attention, but the undivided attention of every member of the White and Friant crew.
The sheriff then read the injunction to them and informed them that he expected them to respect the law, and that he was about to deputize 18 men who would guard the property night and day. The deputies, the sheriff said, were to be instructed that if they were disturbed by prowlers or trespassers around the boom, the "visitors" would be asked to halt. If they did not halt, the deputies would shoot to kill!
With the deputies sworn in and ready for action, the sheriff walked to the coach of the special train and came back with six 44-caliber rifles, which he handed to six deputies, with instructions to go to the log boom and remain there for eight hours, until they were relieved by other deputies. The sheriff also ordered the deputies to post notices along the roadway to the point where the boom and side-track were situated, about 30 rods west of the spot where the railroad water tank now stands at Hardwood. Some of the old piling still stands there.
Superintendent Miller Ordered Off Train:
When the special train was about to leave Foster City that morning, Mr. Miller had boarded it as a passenger. Mr. Foster immediately called the conductor's attention to the fact that Miller was aboard, and that he (Miller) was not to remain on the train.
The conductor, Richard Roberts (father-in-law of the late Mr. McClain, who was superintendent of the I Stephenson Company at Wells), said: "All right, off he comes."
Pat and a few of the newly-sworn deputies, anxious to see the fun and to take part in it, if necessary, followed the conductor aboard the train. "Little Dick," as the conductor was called, walked into the coach and told Mr. Miller that he was not to ride on the special train.
Miller asked: "Doesn't this train belong to the railroad company?" The conductor answered: "No, it belongs tot he A.M. Harmon Company until it reaches Escanaba, and Mr. Foster, the superintendent of that company, has ordered me to put you off."
"Well," Miller replied, "I don't know that I will get off." This stirred one of the new deputies, Charlie Johnson. Charlie was not little fellow--he stood six feet, three inches and weighed 215 pounds. He stepped up to Miller and said: "Mr. Miller, you may not know whether you'll get off, but I know you will--so move and move fast."
Miller became terribly aroused and began to abuse the conductor. Mr. Nelligan told Miller that the conductor was obeying orders and that if he still felt displeased he would advise him to quarrel with someone his own size. Mr. Roberts, the conductor, didn't appreciate the protection from Nelligan and said, "Mr. Nelligan, you had no business butting in."
At the point both Nelligan and Enright, the White-Friant foreman, were ready for a good fight, both had removed their coats, and just at that interested moment, two men stepped between them. Mr. Miller was advised, for the last time, to take his hand-car and return home, or wait for the afternoon train. Mr. Enright also received instructions - to take his crew back and, as soon as the logs were out of the river and a channel made through, he would be notified.
The entire crew was very much disappointed to see the makings of a good fight ruined, but that's the way it ended.
In about 15 days a channel was cleared through the Harmon logs for the White and Friant Drive. (That same spring the Harmon Company hired a millwright by the name of Dan Kiser, who, with the assistance of Lapine and White, put the mill in first class condition. A building program was again started, and the company completed several dwellings, a school, and a large sleeping and cook house.)
Summer of 1885
About August 15, 1885, practically all teh logs had been sawed into lumber. Mr. Nelligan thought it about time to go up the river and chick the water in the dams.
To his surprise he found the dams nearly full, and made plans to start the drive at once. He hired all the drivers he could find at Metropolitan, and started off with them the next day. When the men arrived at the bridge they found the water at record level and overflowing the river banks. (The "Metropolitan" in the account is the town now known as Felch, Michigan.
While still at the bridge they were told by some river-drivers from Ford River that White and Friant's men had opened the middle dam, pulled up both gates and locked them. In addition, the drivers said, they had built a house over the gets of the dam. To verify this, Nelligan and two others went tot he dam, found the gates locked and a board house over the gates. They also found two men in charge of the gates--John Keeley and Mr. Bristle. The latter told Nelligan that he and Keeley had orders from White and Friant to open the dam because the water was damaging their timber in the pond.
Nelligan said: "The White and Friant Company has no timber around this pond." The two men then gave out the surprising information that White and Friant owned that very forty of land, and all the timber on it.
Trouble Again for Harmon Company:
Mr. Nelligan, accompanied by Pat and other members of the crew, returned to Metropolitan, and there they met Mr. Foster and Mr. McGillen. A serious discussion of the problem was held, and Mr. Foster was very angry. Mr. McGillen reminded him that he (Mr. Foster) had been advised by John McGinnes, superintendent of the Ford River Company, to buy the land on which the dams were situated an to get a charter of the river, stating that the company would then have the right to collect toll from other parties driving logs on the streams, on the basis of money spent to build dams and improve the river.
Mr. Foster said: "Yes, I have been wrong. But now what am I going to do? I should have taken the advice of my good friends. Now I see my mistake."
Mr. Foster and Mr. McGillen drove across to Norway and continued the trip through to Menominee that night. Pat and the old crew members returned to Foster City and Mr. Nelligan settled with the new men he had hired for the drive."
Nothing more happened until the next morning, at about 10 o'clock, when Mr. Nelligan instructed two men --Pat and a man named Flannigan--to leave their work, get their dinners, and prepare to take the train that day for Metropolitan. ("Flannigan " in his story is Lawrence Flannigan, a partner in the firm known as Flannigan--Nelligan, and later as the Fence River Logging Company. Their office was in Metropolitan.)
When Flannigan and Pat got on the train, they were surprised to find that they were not the only passengers. They found Mr. Foster, Mr. McGillen, the sheriff and two deputies aboard, returning from Menominee. When the train arrived at Metropolitan, the passengers mentioned herein were transported by horse and buggy to the dam.. Arriving there, the sheriff served papers on Bristle and Keeley, and instructed Flannigan and Pat to tear down the board house which White and Friant had built of the gates.
The house--30 by 4 feet--was soon reduced to boards. Instead of saving the lumber, they had been instructed to throw it over the dam. They did that, and within 10 minutes there was no sign of the house. Flannigan and Pat were then sworn in as deputies, to watch the dam until there was water enough to make the drive.
Pat published no further stories about the early feuds between the A.M. Harmon and White-Friant companies although, he added, there was much more of it. He mentions later quarrels over the handling of water and logs, "But," he concluded, "This is as far as I've gone with it." We are thankful for the account that was published. However, Pat did add a few notes to his story, and they are an interesting addition. The notes follow:
Morgan Company Buys Interest:
Things went along nicely for about two years. Finally the Morgan Company, of Oshkosh, bought an interest in the town, and purchased 60 million feet of pine timber. Mr. R. W. Pierce, former Breen Township supervisor, was later named superintendent of the mill.
About that time, also, the social side of the little town of Foster City had developed considerably. A number of families had moved in, and during the winter there were dances and toboggan rides.
Shortly before the Morgan Company bought an interest in the town, a man by the name of Collins, who was buying Birdseye maple, came to Foster City, and Pat was sent out with him to show him the timber. They were gone three days on that trip, and they marked the timber that would be needed. Collins instructed Pat about how it was to be cut and loaded.
The the trip was over, Collins asked Pat how much maple syrup the Harmon Company was making each year. Pat said there was none being made. Collins was very much surprised and said: "Why, the company could make from $7,000 to $10,000 a year if the proper outfit was put in."
Sugar Camp Started:
Collins talked to Foster about it and told him he would send a man up to look at the maple grove. This man, Collins said, would install the syrup cookers free of charge, until the first proceeds were obtained from the sale of syrup. Mr. Foster told Collins to go ahead with the plan. In October, 1887, the man came in, looked over the syrup bushy, and said it was the best he had ever seen. He closed a contract with the company, and laid out the roads and the location of the plant. During the first week of November the plant was installed, first week of November the plant was installed, ready for spring, and it proved a great success.
Thereafter, each spring great numbers of people would come in from Menominee and Escanaba by special train, to participate in the syrup harvest. They would be met at the train and taken to the sugar bush.
There they would have a grand feast, with all the maple syrup they could eat, and afterward dance until early morning. The special train always carried back from $500 to $800 worth of syrup each trip, so that these gatherings proved highly successful, socially and financially. In addition, the company had contracts for just about all the syrup it could produce. Aside from the sprical trains, many visitors came each day during the harvest to watch the operation.
This ends his published accounts.
Archibald P. Farrell
(Breen Township Pioneer)
Archie Farrell (as he was known far and wide) was, according to his printed obituary, born at Flatlands, Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada. He came to Hardwood in 1880, the same year that Alonzo L. Foster first visited this region and entered into negotiations fro the development of what later became Foster City. Mr. Farrell was a member of the first crew of lumbermen who went into Foster City area at the start of the venture.
The are now comprising Dickinson County was then part of Menominee, Iron, and Marquette Counties. Breen Township was in Menominee County.
Archie Farrell devoted most of his life to the lumber industry. He began his woods career at Foster City when he was just seventeen years old! He began with the A.M. Harmon Lumber Company as dam-builder, cruiser, and foreman and continued in that capacity until 1887. He was then twenty-four years old and was appointed woods superintendent. He remained in that position even after the Harmon interests were sold to the Morgan Lumber Company of Oshkosh, WI.
Continuing as superintendent until 1903, Archie Farrell entered the lumber business for himself.
Connections with Mill at Hardwood:
After seven years he sold out to the A. Spies Cedar Company of Menominee and Archie Farrell was retained as superintendent.
It was in these picturesque days of the earliest lumbering operations in this region that Archie "drove" the Sturgeon River and its branches for six years, employing crews of from 200 to 300 men a year. They were rough, tough river men of the old school, and Archie knew countless stories about them. It has been said that he could well have written the story of that period, for he was in and of it--heart and soul.
Held Many Public Offices:
During these same years Archie Farrell held many Breen Township offices, and the boisterous elections of those days were a story in themselves. These experiences, too, Archie Farrell often recalled with a smile. "They were great days--we will never see them again, " he used to say.
Elected four times as Breen Township Supervisor, he was one of the first County Road Commissioners named when the Dickinson County system was organized in 1891. He was also chairmen of the former County Poor Commission for eight years.
In 1918 he was elected sheriff for Dickinson County, one of the only two men ever elected to that office who was not a resident of Iron Mountain. Farrell served four years (two terms) which was the limit in those days. Purchasing a home in Itron Mountain, he then entered the real estate business.
In 1927 he was named City Assessor and continued with that until his death in 1944.
Archie Farrell was a charter member of both the Knights of Columbus and Elks, and was made honorary life member of the Knights of Columbus only a few months before his death. Up to his last days he remained actively interested in local politics.
When he left the office of sheriff, he purchased a home at 306 East B Street in Iron Mountain and lived there up to the time he was admitted to the hospital a few days before his death.
However, long before 1922, when he moved permanently into Iron Mountain, he had already become a legend in industrial, agricultural, and political affairs in Dickinson County.
At the time of his death at 1:45 a.m. Wednesday, June 7, 1944 at the General Hospital in Iron Mountain, Archie Farrell was 81 years old and had been classed as one of the most widely known pioneer residents of the entire district.
His children, Marian (Mrs. Carl Guelff of Detroit); Charles, of Lansing; and Lewellyn of Escanaba, were called to their father's bedside several days earlier and were with him when he died. A fourth child, Ruth, who was Archie Farrell's firstborn, died in 1913.
Archibald Farrell was married on May 12, 1891 in St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Oconto, Wisconsin, to Charlotte Bagley of Oconto Falls. The couple celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in Iron Mountain in 1941. they were devout Roman Catholics.
When A. P. Farrell died, he was survived by his wife as well as his children, and also by two sisters, Mrs. Alice Cootware of Milwaukee and Miss Isabel Farrell of Chicago, and by a brother, Hugh, of Milwaukee. Six grandchildren also survived at the time of his death.
Burial was in the Foster City Cemetary.