Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-08-02

on the Cass river near the village of
Caro-. After operating successfully
for several years, in 1889 he formed
a partnership with AIessrs Payne &
Miller, and bought the big mill and
redtted il with The best machinery
that could be procured and prose
cuted the business with great energy
and success. In 1862 the firm dis
solved and was succeeded by that of
4. w. Wright * Co., the company
being j. II. Pearson of Chicago, who
supervised their large lumber yard
in that city. I'm 1871 Mr.. Pearson
retired from the firm, Mr.. Wright
then extended his operations by es-
tablishing the firm of Wright Wells
IL Co. at Wright's lake, Otsego coun
ty. In connection with their lum-
bcring interests in 1867 MessrS
Wright ~ Pearson established n
lumberman's wholesale supply store
at Saginaw associating with them
selves Messrs Northup & Wells.
In the year following Mr..
Northup retired from the firm and
Mr.. +. {. Stone took his place and
from that date the business has been
conducted in the name of Wells,
Stone 81 Co. In 1871 Mr.. Wright
bought Mr.. Pearson's interest aud he
retired from the firm.
This firm became widely known
by its probity and success, and ex-
tended its already large business by
the purchase of thirty thousand
acres of pine land in Roscommon,
Gladwin and Clare counties. They
established a numbering plant, built
thirty two miles of railroad, equipped
the same with three locomotives and
other necessary rolling stock and cul-
tivated a thousand acre farm. In
1882 the a. w. Wright lumber com.
pany was organized and incorporated
with capital of one million and a
half of dollars, with \. w. Wright
president; Chas. w. Wells vice presi-
dent; +. G. Stone treasurer; w. r..
Knowlton secretary and w. II.
Wright mill superintendent. The
firm Of Wells, Stone Il Co. with all
their lands, railroads and lumber in
terests and also the firms of a. w.
Wright IL Co. and Wright 81 Knowl-
ton at Saginaw comprising saw mill,
salt block, planning mill and lumber
yards, were all merged into this cor
poration. The numbering operations
of this corporation in all the above
named counties, embrace the cutting
and rafting Of logs to their own mills
to the amount of forty millions per
year. IL addition to the business of
this corporation, Mr.. Wright's or
ganizing genius and managing capaci-
ty are seen in the operations of the
firm of Wright ~ Ketchum carried
on exclusively in numbering in the
counties of Gladwin and Midland
where they put in forty millions of
logs per year with force OF four hun
dred men. Mr.. Wright's agricultur-
al tastes formed in his native Yer
mont form an agreeable element in
his character and have found prac-
teal expression in his love of i'm
provement and in his keen appreci-
alton of fine farms with their beau
tiful landscapes of meadows, grains,
fruits and forests. Early in his
Michigan life he cultivated a large
farm in Genessee county where his
family enjoyed the pleasures of rural
life amid the pleasant surroundings
of the farm. At the present time he
has extensive grazing lands in Texas,
Dakota and Montana, devoted to
raising fine herds of sheep, cattle and
horses. His delight in improve
ments and his interest in intelligent
and profitable progress is well shown
in the village of Alma where he has
spent large sums OF money in i'm
provements not simply for his own
advantage but in such manner as to
conduce very largely to the material
prosperity Of the Village and sur
rounding country. Mr.. Wright has
chosen this village which he has so
highly favored as his home, where
surrounded by a grateful people who
fully appreciate his liberality he is
cni0ying'the rich rewards of an ac-
tive and eminently successful bust
ness life. Mention should be made Of
Mr.. Wright's general business inter
ests as illustrating his breath of visi-
on and capacity for managing large
enterprises. His fortune had It's rise
and growth in numbering but it has
reached out in nearly every field of
legitimate, practical and profitable
employment OF capital.
The Tittabawassce boom company
Incorporated in 1864, used a large
amount of capital in handling its
sixty millions feet OF logs per year
and owes much Of It's success to Mr.
Wrights business capacity and ex-
perience as one Of its incorporates
and directors and for many years It's
highest officer. ia 1868 the Saginaw
and ST. Louis plank road was built
tr