The original William Mueller bakery is pictured above with William Mueller standing (far left). SCHS image from the Mike and Van Mueller collection.

     William Mueller was born in Wurttemberg, Germany on July 7, 1869 and was orphaned in early childhood. While still in his youth he was apprenticed to a baker. In 1890, when he reached the age of 21, he emigrated to the United States which he viewed as a land of freedom and opportunity. At that time the rulers of Germany pursued a policy of conquest and were often at war with their European neighbors. William applied to the German government for permission to visit his brother who was living in England.  His request was approved, but when it came time for him to return to Germany, he emigrated to America instead. Read More...

      The first Chicago Lumbering Company general store was built in the early 1870’s near the old saw mill.  The company store was the only place to purchase the basic necessities. August Klagstad remembered his mother buying denim at the company store which she used to sew jackets and overalls. The few hundred pioneer residents of Manistique depended on the store to meet their most basic needs, including their daily bread. The store was stocked with a large number of provisions in the fall to provide for the residents and camp employees during the long winter months. Then, on the bitterly cold evening of January 13, 1881, an unbelievable catastrophe occurred. The company store burned to the ground. Read More...

The new Schoolcraft County Poor House pictured here in 1909. SCHS photo

     Prior to 1891 the poor, who could not care for themselves, were totally dependent upon the kind heartedness of relatives or neighbors. That situation changed in 1892, when Schoolcraft County erected a small one-story frame building on Manistique’s west side for the care of the indigent. The home provided separate quarters for men and women, with tubs for bathing and “a good supply of water.” It lacked sewage and was poorly ventilated. Despite the home’s shortcomings, an inspector from the Michigan State Board of Corrections and Charities reported that “all was in good clean condition.” Hospital services were provided in another smaller building on the poor house grounds, with the sick being cared for by local physicians. Read More...