Tag Archives: George Nicholson

George Nicholson and the White Marble Lime Company

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Blasting preparation at the WML company quarry in Manistique. Photo courtesy Gulliver Historical Society, Leon Nicholson collection.

     The son of Irish immigrants, pioneer Manistique industrialist George Nicholson was born on February 8, 1852 in Hartford, Wisconsin. As a young man, Nicholson attended business school in Appleton, Wisconsin. His first venture into the world of commerce came in Graysville, Wisconsin, where he operated a general merchandise store. After relocating to Chilton, Wisconsin, he opened a clothing and dry goods store and also had interest in a grain elevator.

     Nicholson married Elizabeth Gray of Harrison, Wisconsin, on Christmas day, 1876. It was in the early 1880s that Nicholson entered the lime business, becoming a partner in the Western Lime and Cement Company, growing in experience and expertise in this specialized field. During the winter of 1888, Nicholson explored the length of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula on snowshoes looking for dolomite formations, before crossing Green Bay to Fayette and Garden in the Upper Peninsula. Read More...

WWI Remembrance – The Home Front

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     With America’s entry into World War I in April of 1917, life changed dramatically for citizens across the country, including those living in Schoolcraft County. A series of sweeping war regulations were established by the administration of Woodrow Wilson regarding food, fuel, the financing of the war effort, the treatment of “enemy aliens” and the stifling of dissent.

     The United States Food Administration sought to conserve foods such as beef, pork and wheat through voluntary action. Staples like sugar and flour were rationed. George Nicholson, of the White Marble Lime Company, was appointed as local food administrator. Monday, Wednesday and one meal daily were designated as wheatless. Tuesday and one meal daily was to be meatless. Saturday was porkless. The edicts from the Food Administration were published weekly in the Pioneer Tribune, with compliance being achieved through social pressure. Every family was expected to prominently display the Food Administration emblem in their home. Read More...