Beaverton: A Century in the Making
Subtitle: a centennial history of Beaverton, Michigan
By: compiled and edited by Robert W. Frei and the Beaverton Centennial Committee.
Contributors: Beaverton Centennial Committee (Beaverton, Mich.)
Publisher: R.W. Frei
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Beaverton, Mich
Language: eng
Number of pages: 345
Subjects: Beaverton (Mich.) -- History.; Beaverton (Mich.) -- History -- Pictorial works.
Genres: Pictorial works.
Description: A general history of the City of Beaverton, Michigan from early use and settlement to its centennial year as a city, 2003.  Includes biographical sketches of various people and the development of the community from lumbering settlement through the transition to agriculture, the oil boom, its growth as a leading manufacturer of thermoforming equipment, and through preparation for 2003 celebration of the centennial of the city.  First printing was of 1,100 copies followed by a 2nd printing the same year of another 1,000 copies with additional pages depicting events from the centennial.
Notes: Forward	1
Early Use	3
Chippewa (Ojibwa) 	3
The White Man Cometh	7
Gladwin County	7
From whence came Beaverton?	9
Tobacco Township	10
Our Experience With Pioneer Life	11
Grout Township	13
Beaverton Township	13
Poetic Prose by Harold Nunn	13
A City Is Born	16
What’s in a name?	17
Cedarville	17
Grand Forks	17
Meran	17
Beaverton	19
Building a City	18
Government	20
Mayors of the City of Beaverton:	20
Part of the Townships	21
Village Organized	21
City Chartered	21
The Industries that Built the City	21
Loggers	22
Lumbermen	26
Ross Brothers Mills	26
Seely & Hood Hoop Mill	31
Brown & Ryan Mill	32
Tonkin & Harris Mill	33
Other mills	34
Agricultural Industries	42
Beaverton Elevator	43
2nd Beaverton Elevator	44
Businesses & Trades	46
McKimmy’s Beaverton Concrete Works	46
Beaverton Security Septic	46
Chris Voleck Concrete Construction	47
Cash A. Carey - Blacksmith	47
Services & Professionals	48
Beaverton Clarion – Walter Dann	49
Doctors, Dentists, etc. 	49
Barbour, Harry A. 	49
Clifton, Arthur 	49
Gibson, R.E. 	49
Graham, William 	49
Hazen, Ettie B. 	49
Kenwendeshon	50
Mast	50
Heslop, John 	51
Pierce, Franklin 	51
Roth, William 	54
Sturge, Arthur S. 	55
Swengel, D. H. 	55
Thompson, M. E. 	55
Waltz, Robert 	55
Webber, Thomas 	55
Warren, Russel 	55
Banks		56
Beaverton Bank – Frank Niggeman	57
People’s State Bank	57
Gladwin County Bank	59
Chemical Bank	59
History	58
People	59
Market	60
Projects	61
Warren Woodside Scholarship	61
Harold A Steinke	61
Comerica Bank	62
Insurance & Real Estate	62
Enoch H. Glidden	62
Fred Woodby Agency	62
Schumacher Insurance Agency	63
Plastics – Production	68
Robinson Industries	68
Sainte-Gobain	70
Loose Plastics	70
Alma Plastics	70
Cyberplast	70
TCI	70
Advanced Engineering	71
Plastics - Machine & Equipment	72
Brown Machine	72
Lyle Development	73
Modern Machine	74
Schools	75
Beaverton Rural Agricultural Schools	75
Educators Remembered	83
Fire in the School	89
Consolidated Districts	91
History of Dundas School	91
Brush College	95
Billings District No.3	95
Churches	127
First Presbyterian	128
Community of Christ 	133
Beaverton Church of the Brethren	136
Dale United Methodist Church	140
Lyle Church	148
Church of the Daniel’s Band	149
Beaverton Church of the Nazarene	151
Church of God	153
Beaverton Baptist	154
Cedar River Chapel	156
Good Shepherd Evangelical	157
Lutheran Church	157
Amish	159
Utilities & Services	161
Post Office	161
Mail Carriers	161
The Mailman	161
Railroad	167
Dams	172
Roads	176
The Bridges of Gladwin County	180
Waterworks	191
Sewer	192
Telephone	193
Electricity	193
Supplying the Need	196
Ross Bros. Mercantile Co. 	197
Louis Himelhoch	198
William H. Herendeen	200
M. Robt. Morris 	201
H. Hunter Hardware & Harness 	201
A. T. Brown Jr.	203
Mitchell’s Grocery	211
Beaverton Pharmacy	212
Agin’s 5c to $1.00 Store	213
Lane’s Gas Station	214
Adolph Presidio - Presidio Ford	215
James Methner	223
W. H. Hall & Son Lumber Company	230
Community Building	232
Oberloier Studios	235
Pumpkin Farm	236
Lodgings	224
Services	229
Other Businesses	229
1895 Business Listing	230
1917 Business Listing	230
1903 Business Listing	236
1904 Business Listing	239
Organizations	238
Lions Club	239
FFA	242
4-H	242
National Honor Society	245
Miss Beaverton Pageant	245
Tobacco River Muzzle Loaders	250
Townsend Club	251
American Legion	253
Veteran Listing	262
Stories	
The Big Bang	265
Fire! Fire! – February 1912	272
Ice Storm - 1922 	275
Herendeen Building	278
Threshing Around . . .	279
The Threshers are Coming......	280
The Children Tell the Story	282
Quarantine	282
Frank Wixom’s Lumberjack Picnics 	282
Lumbering in Tobacco Township	283
Collapse of the Dale Bridge	287
LP Gas Explosion	288
Tornado Hits Beaverton Area	288
Aided by Neighbors	289
Tornado Statistics	289
Saturdays in Beaverton	289
The Card Room	290
Some People Never Learn:	291
The Story of Roy Nunn	291
Buried Treasure at Knox	291
Remembering the 30s & 40s	291
Horses in World War 1	292
Streetscapes – 2000 - 2002	293
Biographies and Family Histories	294
Ross Brothers - Beaverton’s First Family	294
Ivan and Helen Agin	294
Bernard Allen	295
Henry Andrist family	295
Charles M. Andrist	295
Samuel Asch family 	296
Charles Brown	296
Gaylord Brown	296
The A. L. Brubaker Family	297
E. Maude Budge	298
Loraine Budge – First Miss Michigan	298
Laurin J. Budge 	298
James Burgess	299
Ransom W. Burgess	299
Grace Burr	299
Ada Campbell	299
Ova Carpenter	299
Earl F. Colbeck	299
Herman Herm Colbeck	299
George Crawford family 	300
Crockett family	300
David Crowell	301
Reuben & Martha Crowell family	301
Danielak Family	302
Kenneth and Rose Davis Family	302
Dow – Harris – Knox – Rich – McKimmy	302
Evans Family – A.C.P. Evans	303
Russell Farling	303
Sherm Smith Fassett Family	303
John Fitzgerald	304
Aunt Ellen Fraser 	304
Jerry and Maril Geer Family	305
The Govitz Family	305
Jacob Kenneth Grant Family	306
Floyd Hall 1895-1972	307
George C. & Margaret Hooper Family	307
Effa Hunter (pronounced Effie)	307
Joe Hunter	307
Sylvia Hunter	307
Jerome I. Kintner family	308
“Crazy” John Kister	308
William Lang	308
Maxwell Family	309
Willis & Sadie (Lytle) McCulloch family	310
William McKenna	311
Cecil McKellar	311
Royal Bird McKibbin	311
Rev. Perry McKimmy	313
Merle and Laura McKimmy 	313
Leon F. Methner	314
Mishler and Stern Families 	314
David B. Mote	314
Frank Niggeman	315
Maude Niggeman	315
Wayne B. Page	315
Demp Paxton	316
Lee Perry	316
Adolph Presidio	316
Hattie Fry Ross	316
Leo Campbell Ross	316
Virginia Myers Ross	316
Walter Ross	317
John Willis Schrock	317
Laura Wilbur Scott	318
Emery “Em” Sharp	318
Shock Family	318
William Snyder Family	318
William H. and Luella Snyder	319
Phillips & Staley families	319
Mary Stockton	319
George Swift	319
Ben Tarzwell	319
Robert Tarzwell	320
Henry J. Taylor	320
James Fuhrman Tremain Family	320
Archie & Amina (Crowell) Van Dyke	321
Vallender Family	321
Justus Eugene ‘Jess’ Wagner Family	321
Wagner Brothers Farm	323
Whitmer Family	324
John & Flossie Whitmer	325
Eldon Witkovsky	325
Darrell Wood	325
Fred and Helen Woodby	326
Earl Woodruff Sr. family	326
H. Stuart Woodward	326
William Young	326
Austin A. Zimmerman	326
4th of July 2003	327
Centennial Committee	328