SOURCE: History of the upper peninsula of Michigan : containing a full account of its early settlement, its growth, development, and resources, an extended description of its iron and copper mines : also, accurate sketches of its counties, cities, towns, and villages ... biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers.
Collection: Michigan County Histories Pages 506

HORACE A. TUTTLE, general manager of the Commonwealth Iron Company, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, July 17, 1851; obtained a liberal education, and, at the age of seventeen, entered the banking house of E. J. Farmer & Co., of Cleveland; remained in the bank one year, and then entered the employ of H. B. Tuttle & Co., of the same city, commission dealers in iron ore and pig iron; remained as a clerk for three years, at the end of which time was admitted as a general partner January 1, 1873, at the age of twenty two. This co-partnership continued until the death of his father April 9, 1878. The business was carried on by the surviving partners, George H. Ely, F. L. Tuttle and H. A. Tuttle, until the fall of 1879, when F. L. Tuttle and H. A. Tuttle dissolved with Mr. Ely and succeeded to the business of the old firm, under the firm name of Tuttle & Co. The firm was in existence until January 1, 1880, when W. U. Masters was admitted to the firm, and the name changed to Tuttle, Masters & Co., which firm is now carrying on a general commission business in iron ore, pig iron, rail, copper, tin, lead, spelter and babbit metal. This firm is now doing one of the largest commission businesses in the city of Cleveland, handling property each year to the amount of between three and four million dollars; besides this immense business, the company have other interests of various kinds, prominent among which is the interest in the Commonwealth Iron Company, above mentioned. The land for the company was originally purchased by H. B. Tuttle, on minutes furnished by Col. Charles Whittlesey, of Cleveland, Ohio, who at that time was making a geological survey of this county. H. B. Tuttle associated with himself Col. Whittlesey and Mr. Harvey, of Cleveland, their interests finally passing to the sons. In 1878, Horace conceived the idea of exploring the lands, which, being agreed to by the other owners, the work was started, and, in June of that year, he came up here in company with H. D. Fisher, who was employed by them to sake charge of explorations on company lands. While carrying on this work, the ore was found on the site of the present workings. This work was carried on at an unusual cost, and to great disadvantage, as they were obliged at that time to travel or team their supplies from Menominee, Mich., ninety miles, through the woods. They were compelled to break and cut several miles of the road in order to reach the property. After the development of ore in the winter of 1876-77, this was put into a stock company of the above name, and H. A. Tuttle was chosen President of said company, and, in 1877, made a business of developing the mine. In the fall of 1877, after an expenditure of about $10,000 in developments, induced the Chicago & North-Western Railway to join them in the expense of making a preliminary survey, with a view to the extension of the Menominee River Branch, which was that year being constructed to Quinnesec. This survey was made during the winter of 1877-78, and the extension to this section of the county was begun, and finished in 1880, in the fall of which year the company shipped the first ore, which, after a trial, was found to be a very acceptable ore to the trade. In 1881, the company operations were on a large scale, and, in that year, shipped to the market 98,000 tons of ore, and up to September 1, 1882, have mined and shipped 95,000 tons; the mine is now fully equipped with machinery and buildings, and enjoys the advantage of being well situated for handling its material cheaply; it is located in the midst of a very fine farming and hard-wood country, and enjoys the reputation of being one of the largest and best managed mines of the Upper Peninsula. The company owns 3,700 acres in fee simple; the company is capitalized for $500,000, the stock of which sells at the rate of a million. The controlling interests in it are owned by F. L. Tuttle, A. H. Tuttle and H. A. Tuttle, principally by F. L. and H. A. The officers of the company are as follows: President, Alexander Nimick, of Pittsburgh, Penn.; Vice President, F. L. Tuttle, of Cleveland, Ohio; Secretary, William H. Harvey, of Cleveland, Ohio; Treasurer, F. L. Tuttle, of Cleveland, Ohio; General Manager, H. A. Tuttle, of Cleveland, Ohio. The work at the. mine is under the direction of W. E. Dickinson, who enjoys the reputation of being one of the most competent mine superintendents on the Upper Peninsula, and, for many years, was connected with the New York Mine of Ishpeming. The company is just opening up a new mine, which, at the present state of development, promises to be one of the largest bodies of ore ever found in this region. The management has this year developed another course of ore two miles west of its present workings, which is of such grade as to admit it for use in the manufacture of iron for steel purposes. This vein is from fifteen to twenty feet wide, and is developed 350 feet in length on the surface. The company are now endeavoring to get an extension to this part of the property, so as to ship this ore the coming season.