Marine City High School - Mariner Yearbook (Marine City, MI)

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“Here is an instance which shows you she was a courageous woman. One day a band of Saginaw Indians, in their war paint, suddenly came into the house when every man in the settlement, save one cripple, was gone to a town miles away. They demanded whiskey, then kept in every cabin, even by men, like her father, who never drank it. She put her hand through the latch of the door where the liquor was kept, then armed herself with a broomstick, and struck stoutly all who came near. The chief said, in their tongue, which she understood, ‘Leave her to me; I’ll put her to sleep.’ This she knew meant her death, but she looked him steadily in the eye, stood firm and called to her sister outside: ‘Go and call the men,’ which strategem led the Indians, after brief consultation, to leave in haste. She knew if they found the whiskey that all of them would be murdered. This is only one of the numerous acts in which she played the part of a true heroine. She established an Academy, the first in this part of the country, in Marine City, thus pioneering in the cause of higher education as well. It is not every town that can boast of a heroine such as Emily Ward. “The Union school house was built in 1870, for $15,000, on the site of the Emily Ward private Academy and of the present high school. The first principal was George R. Whitmore. The building was 60 ft. in length by 58 ft. in width, with a total elevation from the ground to cupola of 77 ft. in three stories. The edifice was built in the form of the Greek cross, from designs by Benjamin S. Horton. The mason work was performed by Stephen Mitig of St. Clair, and the joiner work by George Langell, of Marine City. “Ship building was one of the leading industries of this time, 1870, and Marine City still holds this honor. You see boats made at the McLouth shipyard in many of the big lake ports today. “On December 14, 1874, the Marine City Stave Company was incorporated. This was a great success, and for many years a thriving industry. It was located down on the point. There was also a general store connected with the mill, where people could purchase everything from tooth-picks to furniture. Then at the foot of Main street was a lumber yard owned by Curtis and Lester. They had the ten hour working day and paid $1.00 a day for labor. Here they made the hand-hewn masts for many of the sailing vessels. “On July 22, 1882, it was revealed to the people of Marine City that they had a salt well that was second to none in the country, and unquestionably the best in Michigan at that time. There were other salt wells discovered later — the Wonsey- Davison Block and Lester-Roberts Block. The latter burned in 1907. Marine City can still boast of a salt block. It is called the Michigan and is situated in the southern part of the city. “The Reporter” was founded by Messrs. Blood and Huntoon. In 1882 the office passed into the hands of W. W. Miller. The present editor is Frank Sutton. Before the “Reporter” there was the “Gazette” in 1874, and the editor was P. D. Bissell. Later on the “Marine City Express’ was published by the St. Clair Republican — and more recently the “Independent,” published here. 7

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MARINE ON THE ST. CLAIR By Edith G. K ess el 1 left Detroit at noon for Marine City, arriving here at two in the afternoon on oh, such a sweltering day! 1 had nearly fainted from the heat twice on my way up. Leaving the interurban station and strolling south on Water street for one block, my eyes were caught by the grateful expanse of Edison Park at the foot of Washington street. Nearly suffocated with the heat, 1 went down and perched myself on a cozy bench in the shade near the river. Oh, what a change! A wonderful breeze was coming off the water, and 1 uttered a sigh of relief and said, “This is surely heaven. ” As I sat there beside the sparkling water, devouring the refreshing breeze, I was suddenly aware of another’s presence. Upon looking up I noticed a kindly- looking old man, who asked me if 1 was a stranger in town; 1 told him, yes, that I was, and I complimented him upon being so lucky as to live in this paradise of coolness and beauty. “Yes,” he replied, “it is a wonderful little place to live in, and 1 should be lost living in any other. 1 used to hear my grandfather telling stories of the country which is now Marine City. It is not so very long ago that our Marine City was just a dense forest, our paved streets mere Indian trails, our large, comfortable homes and prosperous places of business only log huts. It has been only about one hundred and twenty years since the Indians were sending flint arrows carelessly in the direction of the settlers. When you went for a stroll in those days you were kept busy dodging behind trees playing hide and seek with the little Iroquois Indians. There were about sixteen different tribes along the St. Clair; a few of them were Hurons, Algonquins and Iroquois, all of whom helped to make the pioneers excellent sharp-shooters. Hostility did not last long, however, for the settlers and Indians finally became very friendly. “There was one woman here who did a great deal to help Marine City. No doubt, you have heard of her. She was Emily Ward. She has a history attached to her name that will last as long as there is a memory of this city. Her mother died when she was ten years old. She at once took the responsibilities of house- keeping upon her little shoulders, and a greater task, that of raising her two younger sisters and a brother. Her brother, as well as everyone else, considered her above all others in knowledge, and he would, later, never enter into any project unless he consulted Emily. She had a dauntless will, a wise head, a heart true and tender, and the magnetic power of a strong personality, which gave her a large influence. “She had many proposals of marriage, and here is a true statement from her: ‘There wasn’t an old widower for miles around, whose first or second or third wife had left him with a family of ten or twelve children, and who wanted a woman to be a slave to him and a servant to his progeny, but what came over and wanted to marry me. I uniformly declined the honor, however. I really didn’t have time to get married, as I was quite busy bringing up my adopted children.’ “She had a way of making children do just what she wanted them to do. Her way of bringing up children was a homely old New England way. She believed in making children work, and she didn’t believe in what she called “gadding about.” 6

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“When a person strolls up Main street his attention is called to the Water- works building. This large red-brick edifice was built in 1884 and still stands firmly. It will be well not to visit the place right at the noon hour, because the building contains a whistle that emits the most unearthly wails as the clock on the waterworks shelf registers the hour of twelve. It also acts as a fire alarm, and then, too, at 9 o’clock at night, the time when little children should be home, it wails the doomed hour when all play must cease. “The village was now growing steadily. Then a way for quicker and better travel came when the D. U. R. was introduced. The franchise was bucked by “Old Timers,” because they didn’t want their land crossed by the intruding engine. Be- fore the D. U. R. came to Marine City the people travelled by stage coach. The roads were terrible, and many times the carriages have been mired to the hubs on Main street.” I had been listening to the talker for a couple of hours. These are only a few of the numerous and interesting things about Marine City that he told me. He asked if I would like to look the town over. I gladly accepted. We visited about every business place in town, and 1 was delighted at the air of prosperity they displayed. Of all the places I visited one of the most interesting was the Marine City High School. They had a lovely new building with all modern equip- ment and an industrious assembly of students. As we were leaving the building the funniest old rattle trap of a Ford was coming down the street. It was a 1925 model and looked as though it had been through many wars. I laughed, as it was surely a funny sight. My informant then said, “If you think that funny, 1 wish you co uld have seen the first automobile that came to Marine City. It was a one-cylinder Oldsmobile and was owned by W. F. Sauber. When it came down the street it sounded almost as bad as a threshing machine. “Speaking of Mr. Sauber,” he went on, “he was the founder of the Marine City sugar factory. It was a refining factory. The expense was so great that it closed down for awhile, only to be opened again, but the second attempt also failed.” It was now time for me to return to the city. Leaving Marine, I noticed the noble bridge spanning the swift, deep and treacherous Belle river — a structure famous for the length of time it took to build — begun in 1922, finished two years later. When asked what I think about Marine City I always answer, “It is one of the nicest little spots on earth. It is a paradise where people may live in beautiful homes, with wonderful lawns and flowers; where one may go boating, fishing and swimming and indulge in all such sports to his heart’s content.” Such is “Marine on the St. Clair.” 8 — By Edith G. Kessel.