CRAWFORD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
MUSEUM NEWSLETTER

HERITAGE DAY 1999

The Second Annual Heritage Day to be held at the Crawford County Historical Museum will be on Saturday, August 14, 1999, from 10 am to 4 pm, the usual hours for the museum. It has been scheduled to coincide with Sidewalk Sales in the downtown area. A lot of different types of 'men's work' and 'women's work' that was typical of the olden days will be going on. Here is a chance to relive some of the things that the older generations have done and to show the younger generation how people lived many years ago and jobs that were necessary for their survival. Besides the activities there will be the 'over-the-fence' bake sale with lots of goodies and a taste of that famous Danish pastry, the aebelskiver, baked fresh on the spot. The Key Club, a high school group sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Grayling, will be serving hot dogs for one of their money-making projects. There will be an admission charge which includes all of the demonstrations and entrance to all five buildings in the museum complex and the caboose. Plan to make a day of it at this yearly event.

CRAWFORD COUNTY SCENES Several of our donators gave money in order for us to copy pictures that Mr. Vogel at Tees N Such R Us has acquired of Crawford County scenes. Because of the generosity of that store who does laser photo copies, we were able to purchase 26 copies instead of only 10 which we had originally thought we could do. They have been put in an album at the museum for our visitors to view with some comments on them. The comments are from this editor's knowledge of the places and some of you may have more information on them than I do. We sincerely thank those that sent extra donations for the pictures.

MUSEUM BOARD

Donna Carmean agreed to chairman the Heritage Day if she had plenty of help. In order to get things started, she and husband, Jim, hosted a November meeting at their home which was presided over by vice-president, Mary Jane Knibbs. Special holiday treats were served. Terry Wright and Walt Masinick were named as new board members. CENTENNIAL BOOK All copies of the First Hundred Years, Crawford County's centennial book have been sold. This was the second printing. No plans have yet been made for a third printing as some organization will have to stand the cost of the printing. Then the books can be sold to recoup their costs. Chief Peter Stephan's cannon has found a new home at the museum. During the Second Annual Heritage Day, Pete expects to start off the festivities with a big "BOOM! "History is the ship carrying living memories to the future." Sir Stephen Spender, British poet and critic. HOME OVER 100 YEARS OLD? Anyone in Grayling that has a home that is 100 years old or older, would you contact Bob Ruddy at 348-7333 now or the museum at 348-4461 after Memorial Day. MEMORIAL PLAQUE This spring several new names will be added to the Memorial Plaque: Ray & Eunice Slusser Margrethe M. Bauman Philip & Ann Moshier Einer & Hattie (Gierke) Rasmussen Peter & Helene Stephan The last newsletter omitted a name that was on the Memorial Plaque: Dr. Elmore B. Henig It should have been on the list. This editor apologizes for the error. It was an oversight as the new plaque was at the engravers when she checked the list. POLAR BEAR PATCHES Late summer at the museum brought a problem to the military building when it was discovered that someone had cut the Polar Bear patches right off the sleeves of the uniform that was enclosed in a glass case. It is sad that there are people out there who do not respect other's property. Through the expertise of two of our local business owner's, replicas have replaced the old ones. Larry Raymond of Sylvester's fashioned new patches and Cora Flowers of Pine Needles was able to replace material and the patches on the sleeves. All of this was done at no cost to the museum. Thank you, Cora and Larry!

THANK YOU MARGE AND LEROY!

Thanks go to Marge Olver and LeRoy Akers who have given much time to the museum. They have resigned from the board due to personal reasons and will be greatly missed. They have given many years of faithful service. We hope that you will come back to enjoy some of our activities. Thank you Marge and LeRoy!

INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF FRANK R. DECKROW (from the Crawford County Avalanche-February 11, 1943)

It was when a young man of nineteen in 1876 that Frank R. Deckrow came to Michigan with a party of hunters, from Maine. From Roscommon they treked to the AuSable, near Baker's Bridge near Luzerne, built a hunting camp and settled for the later summer and fall hunting. This was a wild country then. The hills were covered with tall pines, and the lowland were grassy plains or covered with Jack Pines. White pine was considered the only valuable timber at that time. Hardwood could be sold only for fire wood, which was the fate of many then presumed useless woods, gorgeous birdseye maple, ironwood and elm. Hemlock, because the lumber splintered, curled and twisted, when improperly cured, was left to rot in the woods after the bark was stripped and shipped for tanning leathers. Cut, drawn to camp and loaded on cars, hemlock brought only about $2.50 per thousand feet. Black Norway was no good. Yellow Norway was used for car sills and joists in building and brot $7 per thousand feet. Settlers bought white pine culls at $3 per thousand feet, cut the best for door and window trims and used the rest for sheathing their homes. To the north and east of Grayling a vast tract of land was sold on a white pine estimate. All other woods were thrown in as of no value. Deer were not too plentiful because of the wolves-big lanky timber wolves weighing 40 to 50 pounds. Hunting in packs and howling dismally they killed the deer, not to eat as much as for the killing, especially during the deep snows. Venison could be sold at that time and much was shipped to New York and other cities. The lynx were here-long, low gray furred cats, tufted ears and huge furry tracks. Their scream could be heard a long way and was enough to shiver any lone hunter's spine. Also they had a cry sounding like a small baby cry. Many low heavy bodied badgers roamed the hillsides and woe unto the dog that thought them fair game. They dug burrows in hillsides and moved on to dig more as small gray foxes moved in and reared their families. A gray fox hide was worth about fifty cents, the red fox from 2 to 3 dollars and the rare black fox, very valuable, brought up to $2,000.00. Owls were everywhere. Big hooters and tiny barn owls with the big screech. A few eagles came regularly nesting in the more lofty tree tops. On the island in Higgins Lake was a towering pine with a broken top, that for years was the nesting place of eagles. Ravens too were here, larger than crows, with voices like a broken cow bell-clock, click, clock, click. There were partridge and spruce hens. The later were unafraid. Scaring up a flock they would light in a tree and hunters would shoot the lower ones then those higher up and continue until the last was bagged. If the top birds were shot first and dropped down, the rest would leave. "Packing" in their flour, salt pork, brown sugar, beans and always the important tea, in pack straps fastened to their shoulder, leaving the hands free, hunters and settlers trudged long distances to isolated one room cabins to live alone. Cutting his foot while on the AuSable, Mr. Deckrow hobbled to the nearest neighbor- Isaac Ball, and traded his gun for two weeks board. Ball had a team and trucked for neighbors. Potatoes were important food when they could be brought in by teams. The old Wakeley bridge, a couple bends below the present bridge, was build by Dan Waldron from logs taken from the forty acres he bought there for only 32 dollars. Chas. Nickols bought four acres on the south side of the river, about where the Fr. Esper summer home now is for a watch. He sold it to Mr. Deckrow for a shot gun and there Mr. Deckrow built the first hunting camp on the river in their country. Mr. Nickols then built a cabin home with the lumber from the tight board railroad fence at Cheney. Tom Wakeley, a sheriff in the nineties, bought land on both sides of the river and lived there many years. Cooking in camps and building logging and tote roads were winter chores. Mr. Deckrow excelled at camp cooking and is a mighty good cook and baker. After a winter on Dead Stream west of Higgins, when snows were very deep, Mr. Deckrow walked more than twenty miles over supply and tote roads to Cheney. George Cheney had been given a fourth section of land by the railroad, as was their custom, for the purpose of starting a town or settlement, towns and railroads being necessary for the development of both. Pere Cheney was a thriving place with a hotel, the Stuart Hut general store, Jacobs saw mill and a school. In order to get the trade, Mr. Hut had built a road across the plains to a settlement near the Wakeley bridge. 1877 saw many settlers surrounding Pere Cheney, clearing for and building homes. The Gus O'Dells, Silsbys, Johnsons, Hazards, Perrys, and Julius Richardsons, Moons, Culvers, Goodales, McIntyres, Ostranders, Parkers, John Wilcox, Wilsons and the Henry Funcks. Laur build a second saw mill; Conley a store and Sewells a hotel. Many built good homes-frame two story buildings with from six to ten rooms; varnished and polished wood trimming and good floors and walls of smooth gleaming white plaster, and they were well painted. Those were homes that one could well be proud of today. The first crops on the plains lands were good and so continued until quack grass came and the natural plant food in the soil ran out. A number of Cheneyites walked to Grayling in '77 to attend an afternoon caucus. Grayling voters outnumbered them, "gobbeled" all the offices and gave Cheney but one constable. Miffed, they walked the railroad ties back home and held an evening caucus. They gave Grayling but one constable and, as Cheney had the most voters on election day, their ticket was elected. The railroad went only to Gaylord until about 1880. The winter of '77 -'78 was open. There was no snow for getting out the logs. To save the white pine, logs were rossed, rolled down and the top side cut with axes to loosen the bark, thus letting in water and arresting spoilage by worms. Many huge decks of logs were lost or rescued by hand. Oxen and big wheels brought them from the swamps. Spiked skids, built to sleigh height, helped the loading by hand and with oxen. The Metcalfs settled south of Cheney and Mr. Deckrow married Miss Eleanore Metcalf. They built their first home in Cheney and in 1880 moved to Grayling, cleared the jack pine from the lot and built a home where the Philip Moran home now is. Railroad, now Cedar, was the main street. Side walks were of planks laid across 4 by 4's and when a walk was repaired or moved youngsters scrambled for treasures lost down the cracks. Many of our readers remember the old names. The Mike Hartwick hotel; John Hadley the first postmaster; John Cowell, first deputy, as he was a young fellow who could sleep in the post office and take care of things. Hadley was busy with real estate business. David London was the first sheriff, Joe Jones the first deputy, lived in the sheriff residence the first two years, John Hum and Park Forbes, carpenters. Del Taylor too. Their building stands with the best today. Wm Masters. His wife, to make him keep a promise to go to church if he had the clothes, made him a real suit by hand. Mrs. Paisley was the "best-dressed lady." What gorgeous dresses she had. Boarding houses and saloons. The Sanderson hotel, Babbit shoe shop, he made 'em and they wore well. Kelly, the gun smith. Doc Travers drugs and furniture. The present town hall was the first frame school. Goodale with a portable mill cut the lumber. Dr. Palmer build the first planing mill where from slabs and culls, planks for the walks were cut. Wells were needed. Getting together wrenches and dies Mr. Deckrow started driving the shallow wells in town. Camps needed deeper wells. With a better outfit with which real horse power was used. Dobbin went round and round as the drills went down and down, from 20 to 200 feet. Mr. Deckrow purchased the first gas engine used here and his fame as a well driller went farther and farther. Gaylord, Mio, Lewiston, Johannesburg, Kalkaska, Petoskey. For years he was kept busy pipe fitting and putting the first steam fittings in all the public buildings and homes. Wells and wind mills for farmers also were in big demand. Money? Not always. Many a good cow paid for a well. Mr. Deckrow's has been a busy good life. Always looking ahead seeing the need of the new things; his was the first grain binder in Maple Forest township, and he had an interest in the first threshing machine outfit with a steam engine. He served as supervisor of Maple Forest township in 1890 to 1900. NOTE--To skeptics who find it hard to believe there was a Cheney, Mr. Deckrow can show an excursion ticket from Cheney to Grayling to the dedication of the first court house. (This last 'note' was at the end of the article in the Crawford Avalanche.) MORE MEMORIES (By Frank R. Deckrow) The first depot here was built where the present one now stands but was later moved and rebuilt, and is now the present freight house. The first railroad agent here was Hiram Lamport, and he handled express and telegraph. Maude Robinson was the first white child born in the county, Maude is older than Nettie. The first lumberman to locate here was James C. Goodell, who brought a small portable steam sawmill which was located near where the new pump house now stands, and cut the first lumber in town. Ed. Note--Every effort has been made to copy these articles exactly as they were printed. We will continue 'More Memories' in the October issue. The second part has no date in my aunt's scrapbook, but we presume it was done shortly after the first one.