Townships and Communities

The Funny Story of how Zilwaukee got its Name

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Stories, Townships and Communities

In 1835 Dr. Daniel H. Fitzhugh visited the prairie area along the Saginaw river north of East Saginaw. He fell in love with the area and purchased a tract of land about where the Consumer’s Energy plant is north of the bridge. A few years later in 1848 the Johnson brothers, Daniel and Soloman, came to the Saginaw valley from New York and built a sawmill south of the Doctor Fitzhugh’s property. The village grew with a boarding house and several other businesses as the brothers laid down a plank road to the city of East Saginaw with lumber from their mill. In 1854 Zilwaukee Towship was formed and as the story goes, according to several sources I have found, the brothers named the village Zilwaukee with the hopes it would confuse immigrants coming into New York thinking they are going to Milwaukee. I am not sure if their scheme to attract immigrants ever panned out but Zilwaukee is still around and has a big beautiful bridge too, but that’s a post for a different day.

P.S. I like how my computer tries to auto correct Zilwaukee to Milwaukee

I will be at the Kempton Elementary spring bazaar on March 11th selling t-shirts, I hope you will stop by and say hi. If you can’t make it to the bazaar, you can also order shirts HERE

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The Forgotten Town of Frost

Nothing remains today of the old town of Frost in Thomas Township, on the Swan Creek at the intersection of Frost and Lone roads, a mile and a half west of the Tittibawassee River. in the late 1800’s Frost was a thriving community with several stores a blacksmith shop and a post office. Looking at the old plot maps, it shows a J.S. Frost as a land owner, and I can only assume that is where the name of the town came from. John Shepherd, a local storekeeper, became the first postmaster in April of 1880. The post office eventually closed in 1907.

Since the town was located on the Swan Creek, I am thinking it started as a lumberjack town floating logs down to the Tittibawassee river. After the timber was gone it became an agricultural town. The railroad ran from Saginaw to Alma along what is now M46 and towns like Paines ( which you can see my post HERE) got a train station, and the towns like Frost were bypassed by the railroad and slowly died off without having the prosperity the railroad brings.

I took a trip out to where Frost Road crosses the Swan Creek, and near there, on Lone Road, stands a magnificent green barn. It was probably built after the town was gone, but it’s what I found when I went there.

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The Saint of Saint Charles

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in People, Townships and Communities

I always assumed St Charles was named after a religious saint, but like a lot of things I think, I was wrong and actually the town was named for a really nice guy that started the community.

In 1848 Charles S. Kimberly had made a land purchase from the U. S. government which was to play a major role in the development of St. Charles. In 1849 Hiram Davis was the first settler in the area along the Bad River and He built the first home and helped cut a road through to Chesaning enabling more settlers to move into the area. Kimberly built a store and began business in the settlement even though he did not live at the settlement at the time but he did live in the village from 1863 to 1868. Charles Kimberley was a compassionate and caring man that did a lot to further the community, and out of respect and love for him, the people decided to name their town St. Charles.

st-charles-depot — The old railroad depot in St Charles

The Township was organized in 1853, the same year a big log hotel was built. The first location on Beaver Creek was not suitable for the town, due to high water, and another plotting was made west of Beaver Creek at the north branch of the Bad River. The village was incorporated in 1869

During the late 1800’s several saw mills were in operation in St. Charles until the timber in the are was cut and the mills began to close. Well driller, Alonzo Adams, found coal underground and Many families moved to St. Charles during the mining era. Making it one of the largest coal producing regions in the state from 1914 to 1920. and the last coal mine in the state was the Swan Creek Mine in St Charles which closed in 1949. you can read my post about the old coal mine at Hartly Outdoor Education Center HERE

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A 150 years of Carrollton and Where My Story Begins

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Townships and Communities

Carrollton was a great place to grow up in during the 70’s and 80’s, the school was small, but everyone knew everyone, and my friends and I would ride our bicycles all around the township, and hang out together long before there was social media. I spent a lot of time at 7-11 jamming quarters into the Galaga machine. During the fall months there was the smell of sugar beets. Yeah I know, it did not smell all that great, but it brings back memories when I get a whiff of the beets in Bay City.

Michigan Sugar Co., Saginaw, Mich. — Michigan Sugar Co. in Carrollton in the early 1900’s

Carrollton’s beginings go back to 1835 when a Dr Carroll started purchasing land in the area, and in 1864 the village wass given a post office and the town named after him. The township was organized under authority given by the Board of Supervisors, Jan. 4, 1866. In the early days of Carrollton, many saw mills and salt works were constructed along the banks of the Saginaw River. In 1871 W.B. Mershon built a saw mill in Carrollton, and that is where my story begins. My Great grandfather on my dads side immigrated from Poland to the United States at the turn of the century. After entering the country at Ellis Island, he had a friend or relative, that worked for Mershon, and he got him a job working at the sawmill. My grandmother told me she grew up in a house on Carroltton Road near Bruce’s Bar, but the house was torn down to make the loop for the exit off 675. My grandfather was born in 1910 and grew up in a house on N. Michigan near the railroad tracks.

After my parents, got married they bought their first house in Carrollton not far from where my grandparents grew up. Shortly after in 1970 that was when I was born and grew up in Carrollton and going to school there. I even got my first job working in Carrollton at Ray’s Food Fair if anyone remember’s those before there was Mejier’s Thrifty Acres.

This weekend is the big 150^th celebration, unfortunately I have stuff going on and can’t make it, but if you want to go, you can find out more the website HERE or the facbook page HERE

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