Chippewa County, Michigan

New 43 Page Booklet

Early days in Chippewa County, MI, are recalled in this new 43-page booklet titled:

Chippewa County, Michigan, USA

The spiral-bound booklet includes excerpts from two hard to find sources: the 1883 History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Michigan, a Guide to the Wolverine State, a 1941 product of the WPA Writer's Program. The tri-color cover is printed on 80# card stock and protected with a vinyl sheet. The text is printed on 8.5" x 11" 60# opaque paper.

The 1883 history of Chippewa County included the history of Luce County, since Luce was a part of Menominee County until 1887. We have also included those portions of the WPA book that pertain to Luce.

Among the subjects included are: Physical features; Early History, beginning with the fort on Isle St. Joseph; Grants to the Indians; Organization of the county and early officials; Statistics; Churches; the Press; Fort Brady, with names of officers 1843-1882; Early White Settlers; Sault de Ste. Marie Canal; Sault De Ste. Marie, and other villages, including Stevensburg, Newberry, the Pickford Settlement, McMillan Settlement, Bay Mills, Detour (Point de Tour); Organization of the Village; the School; Reminiscences of Rev. Abel Bingham; Secret Societies and other interesting bits of history and trivia.

In addition to the many names mentioned throughout the booklet, there are a number of biographies. These often shed light on area businesses, churches, professions and institutions, and on the events of the day. The names include: Dr. Augustus E. Bacon, Adolph Brown, Nathan Bradley, Dr. Thomas Carter, Philetus Munson Church, Nicholas V. Gabriel, William Hiram Gardner, A. Giguere, William C. Given, Mrs. Thomas Gowan, Anna Maria Johnston, George Kemp, F.D. Lambert, Edward I. M. Lacy, Dr. Orin B. Lyon, Alexander B. McDonald, Donald M. MacKenzie, Chauncey Montgomery, Henry L. Newton, J.P. O'Brien, Dr. G.C. O'Neill, H.M. Oren, George Reynolds, Henry W. Seymour, Henry P. Smith, Capt. John Spalding, William P. Spalding, Joseph H. Steere, E.S.B. Sutton, Joseph Trempe and Louis P. Trempe.

This booklet includes 17 pages of excerpts from the WPA book, including a section on Sault Saint Marie with a map showing points of interest.  Although perhaps out of date as a tour book, these WPA guides are rich in history and trivia, such as a poem by Rudyard Kipling about his namesake towns and a tale of frozen beer at De Tour.