Alpena County History

History of Alpena County

1839	Surveying - Surveyors came to the Alpena area, and had found that Thunder Bay Island was populated with a lighthouse, the lighthouse keepers and his family. The surveyors determined that the entire area of Alpena county that they had seen was worthless. And evidently, there was no one living in the area that is now the city of Alpena.

1840	ALPENA – Boundaries made and names given to 29 northern counties, one of which was called An-a-ma-kee, or “Thunder”.

1843	ALPENA – County name of An-a-ma-kee was changed to Alpena.

1843	ALPENA - Government lands in Alpena and adjoining counties were offered for sale by the U.S.

1845	ALPENA - D. D. Oliver found people beginning to settle around the river in what is now the city of Alpena.

1849-50	ALPENA - Robert Dunlap and E. Baily purchased from the U.S. lands around the mouth of the Thunder Bay River, and in 1855, they sold those lands to John Oldfield, James Lockwood, John Minor and George Fletcher. Those names now live as street names in Alpena.

1853	ALPENA – Cheboygan county was organized, and Montmorency, Presque Isle, Alpena, Oscoda and Alcona counties were attached to Cheboygan county.

1854-5	ALPENA – Land District containing what would be Alpena, Presque Isle & Cheboygan (called Thunder Bay Region and attached to Mackinac county) counties was divided for judicial purposes. Alpena county was then attached (judicially) to the Detroit District.

1854-7	ALPENA – Forested land was being sold for lumber in the area.

1855	ALPENA – First assessment of taxes was made in Alpena county. (None were collected.)

1856	ALPENA – Messrs. Fletcher, Lockwood & Breakenridge, and their Canadian parties, Messrs. Oldfield & Minor came to Alpena to name the new village and survey it. They named it “Fremont”.

1857	ALPENA – February, Legislature passed the following act: “An Act to Organize the County of Alpena, and to locate the County Seat Thereof.” Fremont became the county seat. They were to elect all the county officers.

1857	ALPENA – November. Following officers were elected to the township offices: Supervisor, James Irwin; Township Treasurer, Daniel Carter; Township Clerk, Addison Fletcher; Highway Commissioners, Daniel Carter, D. D. Oliver, James Thomas; Justices of the Peace, Russell Woodruff, D. D. Oliver, Lewis Atkins, Isaac Wilson; School Inspectors, D. D. Oliver, George Melville; Constables, James Thomas, Robert Bowman, Willis Roe; Pathmaster, William Sherman. Following officers were elected to the county offices: Sheriff, William Bowman; County Clerk, A. F. Fletcher; County Treasurer, J. K. Miller; Register of Deeds, J. K. Miller; County Surveyor, D. D. Oliver; Circuit Court Commissioner, David Plough; Coroner, A. F. Fletcher.

1858	ALPENA – First teacher, Mary L. Carter, was selected to teach in the first school in Alpena county. A post office was started, with Daniel Carter as the first postmaster. First mail arrived January 17.

1859	ALPENA - The name of the city was changed from Fremont to Alpena. During the winter of 1858-9, the first lumbering commenced in Alpena.

1860	ALPENA COUNTY – Officers were elected. State Legislature Representative, Alonzo Persons; Sheriff, John Glennie; County Clerk, D. D. Oliver; Register of Deeds, Abram Hopper; County Treasurer, David Plough; Prosecuting Attorney, Oliver Williams; Judge of Probate, D. D. Oliver; Circuit Court Commissioner, Oliver Williams; County Surveyor, D. D. Oliver; Coroners, Levi Harris, Hugh Johnson.

1860	ALPENA - A sweeping fire burned over a large district around Alpena, almost destroying the entire town.

1860	ALPENA – First Sabbath school organized; Rev. C. G. Bisbee came and became the minister.

1861	ALPENA - Some notable improvements were made in Alpena, including finishing up some buildings, making fences, making some short sidewalks.

1862	ALPENA – First Congregational Church was organized.

1862	US - Congress passed a homestead law: any person could pay a register fee and buy 160 acres of land and after 5 years, receive a patent of the land.
1862	ALPENA - A fire from the woods destroyed a new steam mill, and a number of small buildings.

1864	ALPENA – Catholic Church services began to be held, by 1870, their church had been built, being St. Bernard’s Church.

1864	ALPENA - Population: 674

1865	ALPENA – Episcopal Church was organized.

1865	ALPENA - D. D. Oliver sold lands in what would become Wilson Twp. to H. King (Hiram King), who became the first permanent farmer in the county. Oliver later sold the ‘Truax quarter section’ to N. M. Brackinreed.

1866	ALPENA – Townships of Ossineke, Alcona and Corlies were organized. The county was then composed of the townships of Alpena, Corlies, Ossineke, Alcona and Harrisville.

1866	ALPENA – Greeley & Erskine made a start at farming in that part of Alpena county now known as Greeley. They had 208 acres of land and cleared about 130 acres.

1867	ALPENA – Baptist Church was organized. The Methodist society was organized.

1867	ALPENA - Noble M. Brackinreed taught the district school, on the southwest side of the river, after J. B. Tuttle, until the Union School house was finished, when he was transferred to it, as principal teacher.

1867	OSSINEKE TWP. – Township organized and later was made the county seat of Alcona County.

1868	ALPENA – Announcement was made of a public library kept at the residence of Chas. Richardson, open to the public every Saturday.

1868	ALPENA - Townships continued to be organized, as well as surrounding counties.

1869	ALPENA – Alpena Lodge, No. 199, Free and Accepted Masons, was chartered.