The Central School building was erected in 1882 with an initial enrollment of 76 students. It was replaced by the new Junior High building in 1931
During the fall of 1924, the Manistique Women’s Club sponsored an essay contest at the Central School concerning the early history of Manistique. They hoped to kindle an interest in local history among the community’s young people. The Pioneer Historical Society had just been organized a year earlier, so there was little written material available for research. But the students had an even better source of information to draw upon—the pioneers themselves. Many of Manistique’s earliest settlers were still alive and residing in the area. The essays that the students produced are a treasure trove of information, but leave us wishing for even more. The winning essays were read before a school assembly at the Central School and were later published in the local paper as follows:
OUR COMMUNITY LONG AGO
By Mary Elizabeth Forshar, Grade 8A
When Manistique was founded in 1864, the part that was settled was near the river, This settled part reached down to the present site of the Park Hotel. There was no settlement across the river, and only eight families lived on this side where the Berry Chemical Plant now stands. The village consisted of a post office in a store of about 20 feet by 30 feet, two stables, eight houses, a boarding house, a small mill and a blacksmith shop.
Across the river they had what they called a “float bridge.” This was a large raft, or a very large scow, that was built of timber and rough boards. After the frame was made they put planks on, and so made what they called a float bridge. They built a tramway and kind of a frame on the float bridge so they could run the hand-cars across it. They carried the lumber on these hand-cars from one side of the river to the other. After a while they made it stronger, so they could drive a team of horses across it. In the winter they tied this bridge to posts on the island, which was in the middle of the river, so that in the spring when the ice came down the river the float bridge would not float away with the current.
On the other side of the river was the cemetery the early settlers used. Later they changed and used the present cemetery, Lakeview.
The different families that settled here were: Mr. Dean, who was the superintendent of Manistique; Mr. Kirkpatrick, who was the millwright; Mr. Ramsdell, the boarding house manager; Mr. Bishop, filer in the mill; Mr. Whalen, caretaker of the barns; Mr. McAffe, assistant millwright, Mr. Brassel, the blacksmith.
The settlers had roads made of edgings and then the sawdust was put on top of the edgings so when the rains came the sawdust soaked down and made roads suitable for wagons.
Their boats were what we would call a schooner-rigged scow. Their first method of loading lumber on the boats that came from Chicago was first to load the lumber onto a smaller scow and have a tug tow it out to the anchorage. Sometimes they had to wait for three days to load the boat because the lake was so rough. Captain Lane from Chicago was the captain of this boat [schooner Express], and many times he brought supplies like sugar, flour, bacon, ham and salted meats, and sometimes potatoes, and always tea or coffee from Chicago. Two cows supplied the community with milk.
At first they held no town meetings, but after their first election of officers they held their own meetings regularly, and carried on their meetings much as we carry on our township meetings of today.
THE EARLY HISTORY OF MANISTIQUE
By Dorothy Follo
The early history of the first white settlers of Manistique or Schoolcraft County goes back to the ‘50s.
Mr. Dean was the superintendent of Manistique. He came from Racine, Wisconsin, in 1868. His home stood where there is a tree down by the slip now.
The McAfee family came in 1870 from lower Michigan. Mr. McAfee was the millwright for many years. Mrs. Jennie Mutart is the daughter of Mr. McAfee. She has been here 54 years, September 8.
Mr. Kirkpatrick came from Wisconsin in 1868. Mr. Ramsdell and the Bishops came from Wisconsin in 1869.
The first store was built in 1864. It was built about 100 yards from the old tramway. The store was upstairs, and the downstairs was used as a warehouse. The boats would come up the slip and unload their cargo in the warehouse of the store.
The boarding house stood where the present Berry Chemical Plant now stands. It was built in 1866.
The first court house was built in 1880. It was a dwelling place to begin with, so they got some brick and made one of the smaller rooms for a vault. Some of the bricks are to be seen of it yet. There were three rooms, two small and one large. Our first county clerk was Mr. Costello. The officials sent for him to come here and be the county clerk. He served for two years and was then elected sheriff.
The first school house was built in 1872. It was located on the northwest end of the triangle in front of the present Park Hotel. Before this was built, school was held for a few months at a time in one of the homes of the settlers. It is now the home of Fred Scott on Michigan Avenue.
The docks are all made up of slabs and sawdust hauled there from the mills.
The roller curtain factory was built in 1885. It was located near the east pier. The company wouldn’t furnish any timber, so they tore down the factory and sent the machinery away.
Manistique was formerly called Epsport, but it was later changed to Manistique.
No. 104 Arbutus Avenue was the first drug store. It was owned by Elmer Orr.
There have been three mills where the ruins of the mill is now. The Stack Lumber Company is the fourth mill.
The first fire hall was built in 1886 or 1887. The same building is used today for a junk store by Mr. Isackson.
It may be of interest for you to know that the Central School in which we are this day studying and reciting, was built in 1882. It was then considered a beautiful school building.
The Chicago Lumbering Company of Michigan was organized in 1863 by Chicago men, when Manistique consisted of only a few houses and the Indians still felt they would always own the country. The [New York] men assumed control in 1872. The people who had interest in the company are: Abijah Weston, A. J. Fox, B. S. Colwell, Wm. Colwell, M. H. Quick. George Orr was camp foreman and later was a stockholder in the company. The “old mill” was built in 1876 and in 1883 the Weston Lumber Company was organized. This was the commencement of “industrial Manistique.”
The population of Manistique in 1850 was 16; then in 1860 it was 78.