Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-05-24

and as Messrs. Fletcher, Lockwood,
and Breckenridge were Republi-
cans, they, of course, were strong
Fremont men, and SO they had
brought up with them Fremont
election flag. Messrs. Minor and
Oldfield were neutral, and Mr..
Carter, a strong Democrat. AS
soon as the party had landed at
the little clearing near the mouth
of the river, they commenced max
ing preparations for raising their
Fremont flag. They cut a good
sized cedar pole, nailed the flag to
the top end of it, and then en-
deavored to raise the flagstaff and
plant it in the ground so that the
emblem of their POLITICAL faith
might wave defiantly above the
newly named village of Fremont.
The flagstaff was not very heavy,
and, if it hadn't been election time,
the party of Fremonters could
easily have set it upright; but,
somehow or other being affected
by the water they had imbibed,
they were unable to manage, so
they requested Mr.. Carter, who,
during this time had been looking
on, to help them. Mr.. Carter be-
ing a strong Democrat refused, de-
claring, "that he wasn't going to
help them to raise a Fremont flag"
and, going II little way from the
party, sat down and watched the
performance. Several times the
Fremonters succeeded in nearly
raising the pole, getting it almost
up only to have it tumble down
again, but they were determined
to succeed, and after several futile
attempts, the Fremont flag waved
proudly above their heads. This
was the first introduction of poll
tics into Alpena.
After the party had rested a lit
tie, they proceeded to survey the
village of Fremont, but so jubilant
were they with their POLITICAL sue
cess, that instead of commencing
at the section corner, they started
from the first place that suited
them, and laid out the street now
known as River street. When
they had surveyed the street a
short distance, they found it would
interfere with the mill privileges
on the south side of the river, so
they made short turn, near the
present site of Ceilings brick
block, and then proceeded with the
survey. This was the commence
ment of the first survey of Alpena,
and the greater part of what they
was covered with green
woods.
Sometime after the events just
narrated, the settlers began to be
much annoyed by the noisy howl
ings of the Indians who were camp
ed on the north side of the river.
Walter Scott, the trader, had con-
siderable whisky in his shanty,
which he used to give the Indians
IN payment for their furs, ETC., and
Is long as the Indians were able to
purchase it, they kept up a con-
slant pow-wow, bowling, whooping,
Ind raising "cain" generally. AT
asst the settlers determined to put
IN end to the cause of the disa-
yreeable annoyance, and so one
hight Mr.. Fletcher and Mr.. Trow-
bridge went over to SCOTS store
house and finding no one in it, pro-
,eeded to bore holes in the whisky
barrels and let the liquor run out.
There was considerable disturbance
next morning when the Indians
came over to get their morning bit
ters, and Scott found his whisky all
gone; but the damage could not
easily be repaired, for communica-
ion with the lower ports was very
and by the time another
supply of fire-water could have
been received, the Indians would
nave been on their way to Mackin-
NV to receive their annual gifts
rom the government. Scott, after
threatening to set the Indians on
the settlers, declared that the place
containing less than a dozen white
persons) was too thickly settled to
suit him, and so he left. Thus
ended the first whisky struggle in
second had a far worse
ending.
Mr.. A. +. Fletcher arrived in
Alnena In Anorst Ie67 ooa NJ,