had a different way of going deer hunting than the people of today. The railroads mentioned in this letter
are: Detroit & Milwaukee; Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw; and the Flint & Pere Marquette.
Greenbush, Dec. 4th, 1871
Editor Independent: - Some three weeks since, I in company with Mr. Daniel Ridenor and daughter, who
were about to visit some friends in Isabella county, started for the north - west township in said county.
Thinking we might find some deer that wanted to be shot, we took our "shooting irons" along that we might
be prepared to accommodate all such that might come our way. We left St. Johns, the liveliest town of its
D. & M. R.R. for Owosso, from thence to Saginaw by the
J. L. & S. R.R. I have often wondered why they called this
place Saginaw, but my wonderment subsided when I gazed
upon the formation of the country in which the cities are
located. I at once saw the "pint." Owing to a big Sag and
the [g] nawing disposition of the early settlers, they called
it Saginaw. Not withstanding the peculiar manner in which it
derived its name, the whole Valley is noted for its wealth,
enterprise and prosperity. Its people consume a large
quantity of our county's productions yearly, the benefits of
which are readily conceived. Salt and lumber are the
principle enriching productions. We left the Valley by the
F. & P. M. R.R. at 9:15 a.m., and traveled about sixty miles
northwest. The country, until you come into the pine and
hemlocks. looks fine and promising. The fire in the country,
as well as our own, made sad havoc, destroying timber and
consuming fences for miles along our route. The F. & P. M.
R.R. is in tip-top order, and we learned, is doing a good
a good hotel, conducted by a gentlemanly and obliging man, and I regret that I cannot give his name. All
trains stop here for meals and refreshments. From hear we took "shank's horses" and wound our way six
miles through the gigantic pines, and it was then we began to look for bears and feel the comfort and
safety which a good gun afford. We did not find a living object that desired to try the effects of Clinton
county bullets, so we spent out time viewing the country, which, from all appearances, promises much for
the future. We arrived at our place of destination just before sundown, and on the following morning the hunt
commenced. I am like the boy that went ducking and fell overboard - I got into the dense forest and had a
lively time in hunting my way out. On the hunt I am good, but on the find I am "nix;" however, I got as much
as the rest of the party. We saw plenty of tracks, and those which looked most promising to us, was our
own, when directed toward home. We called upon Mr. Toobs, Fords, Lutson, and Gaumer, formerly of this
township, and found them in a happy, thriving and flourishing condition. The lumbering business in the pine
woods is unusually exciting this season and from $30 to $40 per month is being offered for good hands.
Uncle Jake.
Diller lived on 80 acres in sections 31 & 32 in Greenbush township north of St. Johns.
from the D. & M. days, to the Grand Trunk's Northerns. In the diesel era, Grand Trunk's GP 9s to Central
Michigans GP-38s.
I remember when in the summer of 1975 we all went over to the Krepps road grade crossing and watched
the Freedom Train go storming by on its way over to Ada. I played hooky from work that morning. The kids
and I would ride our bikes over to Krepps road grade crossing and watch the 7:00 pm freight go west for
Muskegon with seventy five cars for the ferry to Milwaukee. We put a lot of coins on the track for that train. I
remember the three Grand Trunk GP-9s struggling with their freight train east bound from the Maple river
towards Pewamo. There is quite a grade there from the river east to M-21. This stretch of track over
Stoney Creek, which is M.P. 115.94, was the scene of some excitement back in 1873 when there was a
big smash up just west of there. When I was working in the Pewamo telephone office, everything was
dropped to watch the "Trunk" switch the elevator there. Towards the end the "Trunk" and the C.M.
switched a lot of lumber at Central Michigan Lumber at St. Johns, which made for some good railroading.
Another exciting moment was the day Dort and I met the Saturday freight on the C. M. at Pewamo and
video taped his run through St. Johns and on to Durand.
Those were the days and now they are just memories.
Merritt B. Scharnweber
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