Source: The Mining Journal
Marquette, Mi.
Jan. 26, 1889 Saturday

Through The Homestead Country

At the present time there are a large number of nomesteaders
on the MH&O and Brule River Indemnity lands in Ongonagon and
Gogebic counties and a representative of the Mining Journal
made a visit to the principal "homestead"* stations along the
DSS&A the fore part of this week to see how the boys were en-
during the somewhat long siege to which they have been subject-
ed through circumstances over which there was no control. He
was glad to find the majority of them living like Turks and in
high hopes, and the balance, fat, ragged and sassy.

The first and most important homestead station on this route
is at Military Road in section 22, 47-29, Bruce's Crossing P. 0.
The station is also known as St. Collins. The first name was
derived from the fact that the old military road crosses the
railway at that point - eighteen miles from Watersmeet and fif-
teen miles from Rockland. The last derived its name from the
operator, Mr. St. Collins, who was the first who held down that
position on the road near this place, the name Bruce's Crossing
is because Mr. D. M. Bruce, an old Ontonagonite, first moved
out there, ouilt two of three houses, opened a little store
and saloon and secured a postoffice in his name. In this it
may be well to state that in connection with the store and post-
office, Mr. J. W. Foster acts in the capacity of agent for the
American Express company. Here is also a hotel, a log house,
but well furnished and well kept by Mrs. McFarlane, a Saginaw
lady, who located a homestead there in October last. Her
nephew, Nr. J. W. Burns, also a homesteader, and who lately
brought from Saginaw a bride, is general manager of the place
and the writer takes this opportunity of expressing his thanks
for the kind treatment and good bed and board during his stay
at Bruce's Crossing. The next important place at the Crossing
is W. 0. Foard's store, a short distance above the Military road,
a former townsman of Marquette, who has put up a large build-
ing on his homestead and has for sale all goods that a home-
steader needs. Mr. Foard now has a couple of men at work clear-
ing land on his homestead and is fast becoming a solid citizen
of the principal station of the homesteaders. Martin Foard,
the genial brother of W. C., is located on a homestead near
Matchwood, ten miles west of Military Road and attended to the
store business while Will was in Marquette last week. He took
it upon himself to do a little bulletin advertising for the
store in the absence of his brother and a daily paper, and
When W. C. returned the other day he found six or eight box
covers nailed te a hemlock log, on which were painted in good
sized letters, a list of about everything that was to be found
in the store; but when Will looked over the novel advertise-
ment and found an exceptionally large board -

* HOMESTEAD-RAISED SAUERKRAUT *
IMPORTED WILDCATS

AND
* JERKED RABBITS ON HEMIOCK™*

   

 
pe 2 Through the Homestead Country - Jan. 26, 1889

he kicked, and Martin flew out on the nearest snow shoe trail for
35, 48-40. He has not been heard of since, except by a note to
"Scotty" to send him a quart of syrup to palm off on Sam Kaufman,
dr. for New England rum. The station agent and operator at Mil-
itary Road is young Mr. Nickerson, e brother of Fred Nickerson,
who holds.a position in the DSS&A auditor's office in Marquette.
Dick Chynoweth, of Rockland, sends a2 daily stage from his place to
Watersmeet, carrying the U. S. mail; also passengers. At this
season of the year all express and freight for Rockland is also
loaded here. The passengers and freight from Ontonagon are land-
ed at Matchwood, where a line is operated by Ferguson & Dunbar.

Three miles above Military Road is a railroad station known as
O'Brien. This is also a hangout for homesteaders. It is the heart
of the pine belt, and Thomas Nester has a large store, warehouse
and several lumber stations with Mr. D. B. Henly as chief clerk,
ticket agent, telegraph operator, and John Nester, the youngest
son of the millionaire lumberman, as general superintendent of
logging operations in charge. Here, as at Bruce's Crossing, the
homesteaders are confident and a good many of them have already
made application for final proof. Here to, and also at Hardwood,
a large number of whole families may be seen. 5S. Kinney, a for-
mer newspaper partner of the writer; Bob Fuller; Will Hendricks;
D. J. Norton, Joe Dorman and a hundred others, the latest man of
family in that section being Frank Van Schaick, may be mention-
ed in this connection. The life of station O'Brien, however, is
in the immense lumbering operations of Thomas Nestor. He has
five camps employing 350 men and 53 teams. Camp No. l.is in
charge of Dan Golden; No. 2, W. H. Young; No. 3, John Mahan,
(Rollaway Jack); No. 4 Peter Cameron; No. 5, Dominick Cameron.
The camps are located all the way from one mile-and a half to
eight miles from the road, and the majority of the 40,000,000
feet which they expect to put in during the winter will be bank-
ed on the Ontonagon river. Up to Saturday night, nearly
11,000,000 feet of logs nad been banked. Mr. Nester also has
a large quantity of pine lands close to the railroad, the timber
from whieh will be cut and shipped by rail during the summer
months.

At Matchwood, eight miles west of O'Brien, the Diamond Match
company have large lumbering operations in full blast, anda
good hotel is run by Mr. and Mrs. Smoke. This is also an-
other head-center for home-steaders, and the stage from Onton-
agon unloads its contents, all of which makes business for the
place.

The homesteaders and other up this way are all crying for a
daily mail service on the DSS&A and from present indications
everything looks favorable to the first of February for the
date of that much needed accommodation.

NBBSKA

M&N RR.

Diemond Match Co.

Thomas Nester

Stations - Bruce's Crossing - Matchwood - Military Road
O'Brien - Rockland - St. Collins

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