The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1921-08-26
Continued from Last Week)

Continued from Last week.
There was one event that had great
influence in the development OF Bar
aga county, and that was the ruling
OF the Secretary Of the Interior, de-
claring lands in the twenty mile limit
of the M. H. & o. Railway land grant
homestead land, and setting October
10, 1887, as the date that filings could
be made at the u. s. Land Office at
Marquette. 1t is matter of record
that Congress granted to the Mar
quette and Ontonagon Railroad on the
3rd day Of jane, 1856, every odd Sec
ton of land within six miles of the
road. Some of the land within the
six mile limit had already been pur-
chased by mining companies, so the
Government withdrew from the mar
ket all Government land for fifteen
miles on each side Of the proposed
railroad. This would give the rail-
road company permission to select
their six odd sections at any point
within fifteen miles. On March 3,
1865, four additional sections OF land
with the limit extended to twenty
miles on each side of the road was
granted. Thus was the amount OF
land withdrawn from settlement in
creased by this subsequent legisla-
ton. For this consideration the M.
H. & o. Railroad and its successors
bound themselves to build a railroad
to certain points, including one from
L'Anse to Ontcnagon, but failing to
complete the road fromo these two
latter points within the time re-
quired, Congress passed an act on
March 2, 1889, declaring that so much
of the original land conditioned on
the construction of road from
L'Anse to Ontonagon was forfeited,
since the terms had not been fulfilled
by the railroad company. This threw
open to settlement large tracts OF
land, consisting Of many thousands
of acres of valuable pine and hard
wood lands in Baraga, Houghtpn and
Ontonagon counties. Manv Of the
residents, myself included, filed home
stead entries on these lands, and in
those days were known as pine home
steaders. The three men who per-
haps did more than any others to Sc
cure land for actual settlers were
Philip R. MsKernan, Thos. Brady and
Philip Voetsch, all residents at that
time Of L'Anse.
During this penod railrcad con-
struction was under way pretty well
over the entire peninsula. The Du-
luth Sooth Shore was building from
Nestoria to Duluth, and from 500
Junction to Sault Ste. Marie. The
Milwaukee and Northern built into
Champion. The Chicago and North
western was doing considerable work
in Iron and Gogebic counties, while
the Chicago. Milwaukee and st. Paul
extended their road through Sidnaw
into Ontonagon.
1t was while engaged as bookkeep-
er for Rooney and O'Reilly on the
section Of the South Shore that they
were building between Sidnaw and
Kenton that an interesting episode
in my life occurrer. These contract
ors, hailing from New York City, had
imported from Italy large gang Of
Italian laborers. 1t happened that q
willy competitor had inveigled them
into forsaking the Rooney-O Reilly
camp for another up the line. We
had sixteen hired teams, and not 9
man to shovel. In his extremity
Rooney turned to me and inquired il
could not hire some men in Baraga
/ replied that l might be able to picl
up about ten or Twelve men. H,
promised me one dollars for, every
man that landed on the job. in ad
dition to my regular salary, ant
would give me his saddle horse t,
ride into Baraga. / started at fou
o'clock in the morning, and had jus
put my horse in the livery stable
when the noon train came through
going to Calumet. / bought min
ing Journal" and the first thing saw
was the heading: Calumet and Hec
la on Fire" This was my opportun
ity. / jumped right on the train an
went through to Calumet. AL worl
was suspended in the Calumet an
Hecla and the shafts were bein
sealed. Now it just happened tha
that week several hundred Swede
had ccme over from Sweden to wor
in the Calumet and Hecla mine.
had some hand bills posted all owe
town: 1.-TWO hundred men wanted q
Baraga for railroad work. Goo
wages" Then ! went back to the he
tel and sat down.
In little while they began to com
in ercups with an interpreter, and
succeeded in hiring one hundred me