The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1879-04-17

"gang,' Of saws, which will saw an en-
tire log into boards at once, or with its
buzzlng ''circular" SAWS, whirling
! through hundred miles of logs II day.
/ Suffice it to say.t that the force or mon
required to run mill, varying I'm num-
ber from ten to hundred, will need
another force to provide for their food
and lodging. Some of the men will
have families, and will build houses
for them: the others must he furnish
ed with boarding place. The supplies
OF this incipient community, their bread
and butter, salt and sugar, calico and
crockery, hardware, drugs and station
ary, will be conveniently found at the
general store" which will be surely
established In the neighborhood. The
! stw-mill will be very near Il railroad,
| or ut the mouth ofsOme river for, while
logs are carried many miles by horse
or OK power, or "driven" down the riv-
ers, lumber is seldom transported cx-
cept by railroads or lake vessels. So
our hamlet is made u "station" on the
railroad, trains stop for passengers, a
freight depot Is built, a side track laid,
and a platform put up to load lumber
from, and the town begins to stretch
itself.
Snow comes the time which decides
the future of the place. Ii the supply
of pine becomes exhausted, and the
country has not had time to be well
settled with farmers, the life of the
town is gone. But the abundance of
timber may give constant employment
not only to one mill, but to several, and
in that case the business and size OF the
town is also augmented. "A hotel will
soon show its front, and stores and shops
will announce to the traveller that AL
pena, or Reed City, or Big Rapids, is u
thriving village. All the varied rela-
tions of civilized society present them
selves. Courts of justice and religious
societies are organized In the course of
time. A newspaper in and for that To-
cality is started by the time the place
has two hundred inhabitants. Politics,
with the usual accompaniment of of
iice-seekers, "rings," and bluster, are
indigenous, and spring up at the first
chance to cast vote. The parties own
ing the land have it surveyed into
streets and blocks, dividing the blocks
into lots, generally 90 feet by 100, and
sell these parcels to the wOrkmen.
Home ties are thus formed, which tend
to make the settlement permanent.
"W lille the mills are Keeping up the
vigor of the town, the incoming farm
ers are adding another source of
strength. Land is cheap; the Govern
mcnt land Is yiUcR to actual settlers
100 acres to anyone who will occupy
the tract for five years. Land owned
by various corporations may he had for
ten dollars and less per acre. With
these and other inducements, the farm
ers arc fast filling up this virgin coun-
tr hn fAf hni
gives employment to merchants In the
towns.
"If the time ever comes when the
lumber interest becomes small or dies
out, the needs Of II large rural popula-
ton will keep Tic wheels Of trade i'm
motion.
"There are about 2O0 Of these towns
which have sprung up within 30 years.
lt is probable that some have reached
their climax, and will grow but little
hereafter. Others have but started in
their history, being but the promise of
what they will be at the beginning of
the next generation. The lake towns,
in general, seem to be stable. 1t is,
perhaps, too early TO judge with con-
iidcnce in regard to the railroad vii
lagos. On the Grand Rapids and Indi-
ANA road, between Grand Rapids
and Petoskey, distance of 200
miles, there are so stations, an average
Of one to each four miles. This simply
means so many places where saw-miils
are I'm operation. At least twenty of
these towns have SO tenacious hold
of life that they would survive the loss
of the lumber trade; the rest would like
~ go down. The very latest and new.
est village is Edmore, which has grown
from nothing to village of 800 within
six months.