The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-09-22
Correspondence Of the True Northerner.
LOCAL HISTORY.
ReSng RecOIiecfiOns and "reminiscences
Of the Early Settlers.


from this product, in state of nature
the township takes its name. The first
settlers had not the most distant idea OF
agriculture, and their only way to OBJ
tain supplies was by the "hand to mouth"
process of making load of pine shingles
and hauling them to Paw Paw, in ex
change. Quite unlike tracts of land in
the east, covered with pine timber, the
soil is productive loan, and now the
second generation who find farming a
pleasant and profitable business do not
feel disposed to reproach the level plains
for their original product, the dense and
dark pine; neither do they say that the
more man owns of it, the poorer he is
as we often hear said of similar tracts
in other localities. We have heard al.
most as much romance and song, found
ed upon the "deep green pine" as upon
the "deep aud dark blue ocean," but
neither of them effected the hearts or
lives of our rough pioneers. The lofty
trees might "wave," =" or Sigh" or "moan"
in the trough wind or "gentlc breeze.
but there was no poetry in them all
combined. From their standpoint util-
ity was their only worth, and how much
lumber and how many shingles will
they make ? on exchange for bread and
whiskey determined their value to the
temporary comers to this new country,
The permanent settlers were men of
quite another stamp, Of whom Charles
M. Morrill, now Of Lawton. was one.
When the township was organized, in
1919, there were but twenty five voters
polled, and the first election of town of
6ccrs resulted in the choice of Mr.. Nor.
rill for Supervisor, Dewitt G. Lockman
Town Clerk and Aaron S. Dyckman.
Treasurer. Pine Grove was set off from
Almena the first division of the old
township of "Clinch" being between
Almena and Waverly At the same
time that Pine Grove was taken from
Almena, Bloomingdale was set off from
Waverly, which was the final subdivi.
sion of the twelve miles square town.
ship of Cliuch About this time a
stranger travelling near the Base Line.
asked one of the settlers what town he
lived in. His reply was that it used to
be "Cliuch," but since they cut it all to
pieces he did not know what town he
did live in
Settlers came INTO the township of
Pine Grove very slowly. -Four years
after its organization there were but
twenty.eight voters, though some of the
first settlers had no doubt left. In 1918
Mr.. Wise made permanent location
here with his family, which numbered
at least four sons, who are among the
leading business men of the place.
Their starting point was at the Pine
Grove Mills now called, two miles south
of the Station Within the last twelve
years there has been four steam saw
mills consumed by fire ii the town
two of them owned by Everest and
Wise, and two by Mr.. Clement, Their
united losses, amounted to so, 1000 and
not one of the four had any insurance.
The last one of these fires occurred
very recently, and resulted in the loss of
at least $1,000 to Everest & Wise.
Though disheartened, they are by no
means discouraged, and they are already
trying to repair damages as much as
possible, by building a new mill which
will be in running order before the win.
ter sets in. One alive firm is OF more ad
vantage to an embryo town trying to strug.
gle into life than twenty dead and
alive men, Like barnacles that fasten
themselves to the stately ships side,
they obstruct every wheel of progress,
but thanks to good Providence, they
are somewhat evenly distributed and
every town has few of them to drag
along, in their efforts to improve. The
new Rail Road between Kalamazoo and
South Haven has brought out much
latent energy in Pine Grove, as we'll as
in other townships along its borders.
At the Pine Grove Station, where there
were but two old dwellings, two years
ago,-and one of those has since been
demolished there are now about twcn.
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