A  LITTLE

HISTORY OF BIG ROCK

PREFACE

    When I mentioned that I was going to write a history of Big Rock to my cousin, Larry Rice, he told me I was crazy. "All the people who could have told you anything are now gone," he said. Nevertheless, I decided to do a research project to see what information was available. As I lived at Big Rock between 1930 and 1951 I knew much of what went on in the 1930's and 40's. As a lad I had hiked over most of the railroad beds and visited the sites of most of the logging camps. I also got to see many of the old pre 1900 buildings before they burned or were torn down. And I still have vivid memory of the Big Rock fire of 1936 as I was almost engulfed in it. 

    It is fortunate that the Vital Records of Montmorency County survived the Courthouse fire. I found birth, marriage and death records of many of the early big Rock families in these old books. I also obtained a listing of Government Land Office sales in Michigan. Eventually I was able to find homestead and purchase records of 8 of the early lumbermen and 26 of the first settlers in the Big Rock area. I also found a 1903 plat map that shows the land ownership at this time. These sources give a good accounting of who the first settlers of Big Rock were and who lived there during the first 25 years. 

    I was fortunate to connect with Rita Remington Fiddes. She is the grand daughter of William Remington who came to Big Rock about 1882 and was prominent in the development of the community. In researching her family history Rita had collected a lot of information about early Big Rock which she kindly provided to me. I also found books on early the history of the Kneeland-Bigelow Company and of Lewiston written by Herman L Miller which provided a lot of useful information about the K-B company and about the early roads. And a history of Lewiston written by Roberta Hanna had what I believe is the most credible story of the first settlers coming to Big Rock.

    The history that I have compiled is certainly not as complete or interesting as one that could have been written 40 or 50 years ago. All the old timers have passed on and many things have disappeared or have been destroyed. However, I hope I have been able to give some idea how early Big Rock looked and what it would have been like to have lived there.

                                                                        Bruce W Badgrow

Pre-settlement Era

    The land where Big Rock was located in northern Michigan was obtained  from the Indians in the Treaty of Saginaw that was signed in 1819. The area was surveyed in the summer of 1840 and beginning in the 1850's the lumber companies became interested in the pine forests that covered much of Montmorency County. The first purchase of land in the Big Rock area was made by George L Burrows on August 20, 1868. He bought the SE1/4 of the NE1/4 of section 7 and the S1/2 of the NW1/4 of section 6, T30N R2E. George L Burrows was a partner with Amasa Rust in the Burrows and Rust Lumber Company that bought several thousand acres in Briley Township in 1868 and 1869. Other lumbermen soon followed them and the following is a list of purchases between 1870 and 1875.

    Henry Crapo, May 10 1870, the N1/2 if the SW1/4 of section 6 and the SE1/4 of the SE 1/4 of section 18.

    Luther Pratt, October 15, 1872, the NW1/4 of the SW1/4 of section 17

    Samuel Medbury, November 5, 1872, the NE 1/4 of section 6.

    Albert M Steele, January 20, 1873, the SW1/4 of the SW1/4 of section 8 and the SE1/4 of the NW1/4 of section 8.

    Henry Backus, May 20, 1873, E1/2 of the SE1/4 of section 7 and the SW1/4 of the NE1/4 of section 8.

    John K Boies, March 10, 1874, the W1/2 of the SE1/4 of section 18 and the NW1/4 of section 18.

    David Crawford, March 10 1875, the SE1/4 of the SW1/4 of section 8.

    All the above land was located in Briley Township, T30N, R2E. There is no record that any of the above purchasers ever lived on the land they bought. Although the land was purchased between 1868 and 1875 the trees were not harvested until the 1880's or 90's as there was no way of getting the logs to the sawmills. In the 1930's most of the above tracts were covered with pine stumps. There was about 1000 acres of land in the Big Rock area that was originally covered with pine forests. Most of this land was never settled on as the pines grew in light sandy soil that produced poor crops.

The First Settlers

    In the archives of the Bureau of Land Management in Springfield, Virginia there are the records of 26 of the original land owners who settled in the Big Rock area. Most of these people obtained their land by homesteading. The Homestead Act of 1862 stated that a person could obtain title to up to 160 acres. After filing a claim they had to live on the land for five years, make improvements such as clearing it for farming and then pay a $15.00 fee. 

AUGUST BARGEHR and his wife Caroline Liedermann were from Vienna, Austria and they and baby daughter Thoma came to the Big Rock area in the spring of 1878. August Bargehr homesteaded the SW 1/4 of Section 7, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on January 30, 1885 at the Detroit Land Office. They had a daughter Anna born on October 1, 1883. Caroline Bargehr died after giving birth to twins Alfred and Caroline on October 30, 1885. Unable to care for four small children and also run his farm,  August Bargehr sold his land to Joseph Remington on July 7, 1886 and returned to Innsbruck, Austria where he died on May 12, 1912.

CHARLES MEYER was born on April 23, 1846 at Oldenburg, Germany. He arrived in the Big Rock area in the spring of 1878 with his wife Louise Knacht and baby son Hans. He homesteaded the NW 1/4 of Section 7, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on Januaary 30 1885 at the Detroit Land Office. They had a daughter Caroline born on October 5, 1881 and a son Henry Ludwig Meyer born on February 21, 1887. Charles Meyer died on July 10 , 1892 at Atlanta, Michigan. His widow then married George Cunningham on July 10, 1895.

MANLEY OTTO was born in February of 1857 in Tuscola County, Michigan and he came to the Big Rock area by 1879. He married Susanna McDonald on December 3, 1881at Otsego Lake. He homesteaded the NW 1/4 of Section 19, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on January 13, 1885 at the Detroit Land Office. Manly and Susanna Otto had sons Ernest D Otto born on December 13, 1883 and Clyde Otto born in March of 1889. By 1903 he had sold his land and he then owned his fathers homestead. It is not know when he died.

OWEN OTTO was born in New York in February of 1818 and he probably came to the Big Rock area with his son Manley. He homesteaded the NW 1/4 of Section 1, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on June 6, 1889 at the Detroit Land Office. Owen Otto served in Company H, 2nd Michigan Cavalry during the Civil war. He was still living in 1900 and his death date is unknown. 

PETER DICKMAN was born in Michigan in June of 1847 and he came to the Big Rock area by 1879. He homesteaded the NE 1/4 of Section 2, T30N, R1E and he received title to the land on January 10, 1885 at the Detroit Land Office. Peter Dickman served in Company I, 3rd Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. Peter Dickman was living with his parents, William and Julia Dickman, in 1900 and he still owned his homestead in 1903. It is not know when he died.

GEORGE KINGSLAND was born in 1856 at Grand Rapids, Michigan and he came to the Big Rock area by 1879 with his father Joseph Kingsland. George Kingsland married Sarah McDonald on December 20, 1883 at Gaylord, Michigan. He homesteaded the W 1/2 of the SW 1/4 and the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 8, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on May 20,1885 at the Detroit Land Office. George and Sarah Kingsland had sons Herbert, Elmer and Joseph. Before 1900 George Kingsland sold most of his land to Montmorency County who used it as a poor farm. He then bought the S1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 15. His father, Joseph Kingsland, who was born in New Jersey in 1810, died on December 30, 1894. It is not known when George Kingsland died. 

SETH GILLET was born in New York in 1834 and he came to Michigan by the 1860's. Seth Gillet served in Company C, 1st Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War. Seth Gillet, his wife Adeline and son Wallace came to Big Rock by 1881 and he built a hotel tha sat on a knoll on the south side of the lake. In 1885 Seth Gillet homesteaded the N 1/2 of the SW 1/4 and the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 8, T30N, R2E. However, Seth Gillet died on February 21, 1888 before he completed the 5 year residence requirement. His son Wallace apparently didn't want the land and he left the Big Rock area. Over the next 18 years many different people claimed the homestead but the government didn't issue the title until February 1906 when it was claimed by William Remington. 

CHARLES HILDERBRANT was born in New York in 1855 and he grew up in Sterling Township, Macomb County, Michigan. Charles married Mary Louisa Remington and they had a son Edwin and a daughter Eva born in Sterling Township. About 1882 they moved to the Big Rock area. Charles Hilderbrant homesteaded the NE 1/4 of Section5, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on October 18, 1888 at the Detroit Land Office. They had sons Alvin, Calvin and Reuben born at Big Rock. Charles and Louisa Hilderbrant separated in 1907 and he died on December 28. 1920 at Atlanta, Michigan. 

FRANK W HILDERBRANT was born in New York in 1856 and he came to Sterling Township, Macomb County with his parents that same year. He moved to Big Rock by 1883 and he homesteaded the W 1/2 of the NW1/4 of Section 4, T30N, R2E. He received title to the land on October 18, 1888 at he Detroit Land Office. Frank Hilderbrant was a shoemaker for the Big Rock community. He married first Emma (Lambert) Brennan and second to Bessie Kovarick. He had no children by either wife and he died on March 8, 1921 at the hospital in Grayling, Michigan.

JOHN McCLENATHAN was born in Canada on February 2, 1833 and he came to the Big Rock area by 1883 with his wife Nancy and his sons John Jr. and George E. McClenathan. He homesteaded the NE 1/4 of Section 19, T39N, R2E and he received title to the land on October 18 at he Detroit Land Office. John McClenathan died on October 13, 1906 and his wife Nancy died on May 4, 1910 both at Big Rock. The McClenathan homestead was then bought by the Kneeland-Bigelow Company and was the site of their company farm.

GEORGE E McCLENATHAN was born in Canada in February of 1863 and he came to Big Rock with his parents by 1883. George McClenathan homesteaded the S 1/2 of the NW 1/4 and the S 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 10, T30N, R2E and he received tiltle tot he land on September 9, 1890 at the Grayling Land Office. He married Emma Remington on November 2, 1887 at Hillman and they had three children of which none survived to adulthood. His wife Emma died on January 30, 1926 at Fenton, Michigan and it is not know when George McClenathan died. 

JEREMIAH McKENZIE was born on April 16, 1842 in Canada and he came to Big Rock by 1883 with his brother Alexander. He homesteaded the SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 17, the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 20 and the N 1/2 of the NW 1/4 oof Section 21 T30N, R2E.  He received title to the land on October 18, 1888 at the Detroit Land Office. Jeremiah McKenzie served in company C, 3rd Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. Jeremiah McKenzie married Ella Powell on November 2, 1893 and they had children Minnie, Maude, Russell, Lena and Elliot. Jeremiah McKenzie died on June 9, 1913 at Big Rock. 

FRANK MONROE was born in New York in August of 1857 and he came to Big Rock by 1883. Frank Monroe homesteaded the NE 1/4 of Section 9, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on October 18, 1888. He and his wife Anne had a daughter Cynthia born on April 17, 1902. Frank Monroe still owned his homestead in 1903 and it is not known when he died. 

WILLIAM REMINGTON was born on June 13, 1860 in Macomb County and he came to Big Rock in 1882 with his parents Joseph and Mary Remington. He homesteaded he SE 1/4 of Section 8, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on October 18, 1888 at the Detroit Land Office. William Remington first married Violet Brooks on September 17, 1887 and they had a daughter Pearl born before she died on December 4, 1893. He then married May Powell on November 6, 1894. and they had sons Emory, Tracy and Joseph H. Before 1903 William Remington sold his homestead to his uncle James Remington and about 1905 he bought the land where the big rock is located. He built a store and post office building and a two story house. The house burned in 1913 and living quarters were added to the store building. William Remington died on September 6, 1931 and his wife died on June 12, 1933 both at Big Rock.

CLARENCE A RICE was born in Macomb County about 1853 and he came to Big Rock by 1883 with his wife Emma Hilderbrant and three children. He homesteaded the NW 1/4 of Section 9 and he received title to the land on March 25, 1890 at he Detroit Land Office. Clarence and Emma Rice had five more children born at Big Rock. Emma Rice died on November 7, 1912 and Clarence A Rice died on June 22, 1936 at his home in Big Rock. 

HENRY SPEISS was born in Switzerland in March of 1843 and he came to Big Rock by 1883 with his son Alexander. He homesteaded the SE 1/4 of Section 32, T31N, R2E and he received title to the land on October 18, 1888 at the Detroit Land Office. Henry Speiss married Sarah J Monroe before 1887 and he served as Justice of the Peace at Big Rock. Sarah J Speiss died on January 3, 1910 and it is not known when Henry Speiss died.

ALONZO B VALENTINE was born in Lapeer County in September of 1839 and he came to Big Rock by 1883 with his son Alonzo Jr and his brother Asa Valentine. He homesteaded the SE 1/4 of Section 31, T31N, R2E and he received title to the land on October 18, 1888 at the Detroit Land Office. Alonzo B Valentine served in Company C, 10th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. Alonzo Valentine married Lucy Verbeck on February 22, 1886 as his second wife. Alonzo B Valentine was the Montmorency County Surveyor in the 1880's and 1890's. 

ELIJAH CHAMBERLAIN was born in New York in February of 1830 and he came to Big Rock by 1883 with his wife Adeline Monroe and daughter Anna. Elijah Chamberlain made a cash purchase of the SW 1/4 of Section 4, T30N, R2E on December 1, 1883 at the Detroit Land Office. Adeline Chamberlain died on September 10, 1906 and Elijah Chamberlain died on February 23, 1907 at Big Rock.

THOMAS THRUSH was born in Michigan in December of 1857 amd he came to Big Rock by 1883. He homesteaded the E 1/2 of theNW 1/4 and thehW 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 4, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on November 15, 1888 at eh Detroit Land Office. Thomas Thrush married Effie (Keywood) Knapp on Julu 13, 1904 and he committed suicide on November 9, 1904. His widow then married David Hale on August 28, 1905.

CARL DETTMAN had arrived at big Rock by 1884 and he homesteaded the NW 1/4 of Section 5, T30N, R2E. He received title to he land on November 22, 1889 at the Grayling Land Office. By 1903 he had sold the NW 1/4 of his homestead to Maurice Detman. There is no mention of Carl Detman in the Montmorency County or Census records. There is mention of a Charles Detman who was born in Austria  on December 12, 1836 and died on March 1, 1897 at big Rock. It is likely that Carl and Charles Detman are the same person. 

GEORGE W MANIER was born in Indiana on February 14, 1852 and he came to Big Rock by 1884 with his wife Ida Manes and four children. He homesteaded the NE 1/4 of Section 1, T30N, R1E and he received title to the land on November 22, 1889 at the Grayling Land Office. Ida Manier died on January 1, 1921 and George W Manier died on December 6, 1928, both at Gaylord, Michigan. 

SARAH J MONROE was born i Pennsylvania on October 22, 1831 and she came to Big Rock by 1885. She made a cash purchase of the E 1/2 of the NE 1/4, the NW 1/4 of the Nw 1/4 and the NE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 4, T30N, R2E Shortly after arriving a Big Rock she married Henry Speiss. Sarah J Speiss died on January 3, 1910 at Big Rock.  

GEORGE L MONROE and his wife Cynthia came to big Rock by 1885. He homesteaded the W 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 4, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on March 18, 1890 at the Grayling Land Office. George Monroe either died or left Big Rock before 1900 as there are no further records of him. 

JOHN RUNGE was a German immigrant who lived in New York before coming to Big Rock by 1885. He homesteaded the W 1/4 oif Section 33, T31N, R2E and he received title to the land on September 9, 1890 at teh Grayling Land Office. John Runge eigher died or left Big Rock before 1900 as there are no further records of him. 

ALBERT MILLER was born in Ohio in December of 1843 and he came to Bog Rock by 1887. He homesteaded the NW 1/4 of Section 1, T30N, R1E and he received title to the land on March 23, 1892 at the Grayling Land Office. Albert Miller married Lydia (Secrist) Barlow on /September 16, 1891. He was still living on his homestead in 1900 and it is not know when he died.

MOSES BELTZ was born in Ohio on June 13, 1840 and he came to Big Rock by 1887 with his wife Sophrana Knapp, sons William and George and daughter Izetta. He homesteaded the NW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 17 and the NE 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 18, T30N, R2E and he received title to the land on March 23, 1892 at the Grayling Land Office. Moses Beltz served in Company K, 43rd Ohio Infantry during the Civil War. Moses Beltz died on March 12, 1925 and Sophrana Beltz died on April 8, 1930 both at Big Rock.

. 

After the Settlers Came 

    The small community of Big Rock was one of several small towns that sprang up in Montmorency County during the 1880's. Most of these towns were basically logging camps, their economies tied directly to the logging industry. When all the trees were cut and the loggers moved away the towns disappeared. Big Rock, however, was settled mainly by farmers who came to live permanently on the land. Big Rock was named after a large granite boulder that is located on the Big Rock Historical Site 5 miles west of Atlanta. 

    The first settlers are said to have arrived in 1875. There are two stories about how these settlers came to the area and both stories say that the first two to arrive were August Bargehr and Charles Meyer. One story was printed in the Montmorency County Tribune in 1967. This story says that the men came with their families and they lived in tents beside a spring. Because of their isolation they found life very difficult and they suffered hardships the first few years. Until they cleared some land and got their farms established the men had to carry in all their food supplies from the nearest store at Otsego Lake. This store was 30 miles away and was reached by following a blazed trail through the woods. The first winter, heavy snow prevented the men from making these trips and the families nearly starved to death.

    The other story is in "The Lewiston Story and Montmorency County Notes" by Roberta Hanna. This story says that Bargehr and Meyer came to Detroit in 1875 and then took the boat up to Alpena. There they hired a surveyor who brought them in to the Big Rock area. After they picked out the land they wanted they went back to Detroit and then returned to Germany. They later returned to Detroit with their families and they took the train up to Otsego lake. There they loaded their possessions on a wagon and headed east on a wagon road that ran from Otsego Lake to Alpena. They spent the winter at William Proctor's homestead that was located on the east side of what is now the Lewiston road and about 2 miles south of present day M32. During the winter the men cut a road from there to the Big Rock area and in the spring they brought their families in. This story doesn't state the year Bargehr and Meyer returned but Government Land Office records show they filed for their homesteads on October 19, 1877.

    According to "Lewiston in the Lumbering Era" by Herman L Miller, the State of Michigan began building a road from Torch Lake to Otsego Lake in 1869. When the railroad was built as far north as Otsego Lake in 1873 this road was extended east to the Montmorency/Otsego County line. This road still exists and is known as the Old State Road. Merchants in Alpena then cut a wagon road across Alpena and Montmorency Counties to connect with this road. They could then get their supplies in the winter when Lake Huron froze by having them shipped up to Otsego Lake by train and then hauled to Alpena by horse and sleigh.

    The Alpena to Otsego Lake wagon road and the road cut by Bargehr and Meyer provided access to the Big Rock area and other settlers began arriving. Peter Dickman, George Kingsland and Manley Otto are know to have arrived by 1879. Seth Gillet, Charles and Frank Hilderbrant and Joseph and William Remington had arrived by 1882. At least nine more had arrived by 1883 including Jeremiah Mckenzie, John and George McClenathen and Clarence A Rice. And 13 more had arrived by 1887 including Alonzo B Valentine, George W Manier and Moses Beltz.

    The first official mention of Big Rock was on March 22, 1882 when Seth Gillet opened a post office by that name. The exact location of this post office is unknown but from an old photo it was in a log building that looked to be on the same site as the later store. An archeological dig at the Big Rock Historical Site showed that another building may have sat on the site. However, this post office was closed and transferred to A J West's new town of Atlanta on October 2, of that year.  The first recognized town in the area was called Remington and began on May 26, 1884 when William H Remington opened a post office by that name. No traces of this town now exist but it was believed to have been near the lake. An 1884 Michigan Gazetteer shows the town had a population of 12 and consisted of a store, post office, hotel and flourmill.  William H Remington was the storekeeper and post master, Seth Gillet was the hotelkeeper and August Bargehr was the flourmill operator. Bargehr's flourmill was located beside a creek and was powered by a waterwheel. To provide more power Bargehr built a dam across the creek that created a small lake that is now know as Lake Inez. Gillet's hotel is believed to have burned in 1885 but the store near the lake was maintained until about 1894.

   The town was renamed Big Rock when Wallace Gillet opened a post office by that name on December 14, 1885. This post office was probably located in the log building near the big rock. In November 1885 Set Gillet filed for a homestead on 120 acres that included the 40 acres where the big rock and post office were located. Gillet built a log house beside the small creek that was just east of the big rock. An 1887 Michigan Gazetteer shows the population of Big Rock was now 20. Charles Meyer now had a blacksmith shop and there was now a school as C A Rice was now the school inspector.

   As more families with children came into the area the need for a church and a school arose. On August 16, 1887 Clarence A Rice and his wife Emma, Joseph Remington and his wife Mary and Sarah J (Monroe) Speiss met at the C A Rice home and the Big Rock  Church was formed. Also about 1887 the Burrows and Rust Lumber Company donated 2 acres of land to be used as a school ground and a small log school that held 7 pupils was built. It was later replaced by a larger frame building that held 30 pupils.  A frame building was built across the road from the post office that was used as a Grange hall and community building. Dances, suppers and community meetings were held there. In 1896 the small frame Big Rock Church that sat on the hill just east of the big rock was completed. The little village was now complete. Big Rock was not a true village with closely grouped houses but was a spread out rural community with the nucleus at the site of the store, school and church. Most of the people who lived at the Manier Road settlements, the west side of Kellyville and the Baker Road settlements got their mail at the Big Rock post office, attended the Big Rock Church and considered themselves Big Rock residents.

    William H Remington became postmaster again on November 29. 1889. An 1893 Michigan Gazetteer shows Big Rock, population now 30, as a thriving community with a post office, general store, blacksmith shop, sawmill, lumberyard, church and school. There was a three times weekly stagecoach service to Atlanta and Gaylord. The gazetteer shows William Remington as postmaster and general store owner and Levi Decker was the lumber merchant, Moses Beltz, James Remington and Clarence A Rice were Justices of the Peace. Eber Monroe was the school teacher and Alonzo B Valentine was the County Surveyor. The small steam powered sawmill was located just east of the creek and the big rock.  Ashbel P Monroe became postmaster on December 13, 1893 and his post office was located at his house  that sat on top of the hill just west of the big rock. Jesse D Rogers became postmaster on January 6, 1896. As the 1903 plat map shows that he owned the 40 acres where the big rock was located, his post office was likely in the old log building.

    On May 19, 1904 William H Remington became postmaster for the third time and about this time he bought the big rock site. The old log post office was torn down and a larger frame post office and store building was built. He also built a two story house behind the store and a big red barn near the creek. The house burned in 1913 and living quarters were then built onto the west side of store. Most of the houses built by the first settlers were probably small log houses. But once the sawmill was brought in lumber was readily available and larger frame buildings began to be built.  In 1890 a two story house was built on the Manier homestead and another two story house went up on the Meyer homestead. In the 1890's Clarence A Rice built a two story house on his homestead and James Remington built a large Victorian style house across the road. 

    Three other schools were built in the Big Rock area to accommodate the scattered population. The Kellyville school was two mile north east of the store and served the people in that area. The McKenzie school was two miles southeast and served the people who lived along what is now Baker Road. From the 1880's to the 1930's there were three different school buildings on the Manier Road. The first was just west of the Manier homestead. When it burned a second school was built one half mile west. This school apparently burned and a third school was built across the road from where the first school sat. Another notable building near Big Rock was the County Poor Farm house. In the 1890's George Kingsland sold most of his homestead to Montmorency County and a large three story house and a large barn were built. The inmates worked the farm to pay for their keep.

    Telephone service was available at Big Rock by the early 1900's as a photo of the store taken about 1912 shows a telephone pole just east of the building. In this early telephone service all the phones were connected together in a party line. Listening in was a common practice and, needless to say, no one had any secrets in those days. On September 30, 1920 the Big Rock post office was closed and all mail deliveries were made from the Atlanta post office. By the 1920's automobiles became a common mode of transportation at Big Rock. An auto repair shop was built across the road from the store by Joseph H Remington and a gasoline pump was installed in front of the store. The auto shop closed about 1935 and the building was then used as a feed store and storage building.

    If you mentioned hearing chugging railway engines and train whistles at Big Rock to an modern resident they would think you had stayed out in the hot sun too long. Yet the people of Big Rock were familiar with the sights and sounds of trains passing through during much of the first 50 years. There were two railroad lines built into the Big Rock area. The first was a narrow gauge line that was built by the lumber companies in the 1880's or 1890's to haul out the pine timber. This railroad came down from the north, from an area near Valentine Lake. Some evidence of it could be seen in the 1940's but no traces of this line now exist.  

    The second was a standard gauge line that was built by the Michigan Central Railroad to haul out the hardwood logs cut by the Kneeland-Bigelow Company.  This line came north from Lewiston to Gaylanta Lake and then down the K-B Valley to the K-B store. It then looped south around the hills southwest of Big Rock and then came north, crossing the main road just east of the church. There was a Y 1/4 mile north of the store where the trains could be turned around. A spur line branched off south of the K-B farm and ran north, crossing the road 1/2 mile south of the C C Rice farm and ended at a big banking ground. Another spur ran south from the K-B store and along the west side of McCormack Lake. There was another Y just north of the K-B store. There was also a spur that ran east to just south of the Baker farm. These railroads were used mainly for hauling logs and people had to go to Lewiston for passenger service. However, the conductor would let some Big Rock people ride in the caboose at times. After the hardwood logging ended the trains stopped running and the rails were pulled up in the 1930's. The last train whistle echoed over Big Rock in the summer of 1934.  

    Although pine logging operations provided an early boost to the economy of the community of Big Rock, it was the hardwood logging by the Kneeland-Bigelow Company that had the biggest effect. By 1900 almost all of the pine timber had been cut but there were was still a large amount of hardwood timber in the Big Rock area. The Kneeland-Bigelow Company was formed in 1902 and began buying up the hardwood land. The 1903 plat map shows that the company owned large tracts of land to the west and southwest of Big Rock. (A complete history of the Kneeland-Bigelow Company and their operations is in "Lumbering in Early Twentieth Century Michigan" by Herman L Miller). The Kneeland-Bigelow Company set up their headquarters and company store 3 miles southwest of Big Rock and this area was known as Bigelow or K-B. A number of logging camps were set up in the Big Rock area. To gain extra income many of the Big Rock farmers worked at the logging camps during the winter. Most of the hardwood logs cut in the Big Rock area were hauled by train to the Kneeland-Bigelow lumber mills in Bay City.

    To feed all the lumberjacks working in the logging camps, the Kneeland-Bigelow Company established a farm in the Big Rock area where they raised Aberdeen Angus beef cattle. It was said that the K-B loggers were the best fed lumberjacks in all of Northern Michigan. Kneeland-Bigelow bought the old John McClenathen homestead where the main farm buildings were located. In 1920 they built a huge barn that was the second largest in Michigan. The farm also included the S1/2 of section 13 and the north 1/2 of section 24, T30N, R1E in Vienna Township. These areas were large fields where hay was grown to feed the beef cattle in the winter. In the summer the cattle foraged over the hills southwest of Big Rock.

    In 1929 the Kneeland-Bigelow Company shut down all their logging and farming operations. However they retained ownership of large tracts of land until the 1970's. With the end of the logging operations the economy of Big Rock fell into a decline. The Great Depression of the 1930's made things even worse. Although most of the Big Rock farmers were a able to ride out the depression, making ends meet was hard. A photo of the Big Rock Church taken in 1936 shows the building to be run down and in need of a coat of paint. The Big Rock area schools were closed about 1930 and the children were then bussed to Atlanta. The Big Rock school burned in the summer of 1935 and all the other school buildings were torn down or moved. The McKenzie school building was used as a community building for Big Rock for a while and was later moved to the Montmorency County Fairgrounds. The old grange hall was torn down about 1933 and the salvaged lumber was used to build a new house on the Beltz homestead. In the summer of 1937 the machinery and boiler of the old sawmill was moved to the hollow at the north side of the lake by Hans Meyer. Hans said he would like to fire up the old mill but he died before the second growth timber got big enough for saw logs. The mill sat there for a number of years gathering rust and was finally sold as scrap iron.

    The history of the Big Rock store nearly ended in the summer of 1936 when a big fire swept through the community. The fire started in a field 1/4 mile west of the store and quickly engulfed W D Rice's barn. Hundreds of burning shingles from the barn roof were blown eastward by the strong wind setting fire to the back of the store, the barn and the shed that housed the sawmill. Burning shingles from the Big Rock barn added to the windblown firestorm and fires were set as far east as Atlanta. By forming a bucket brigade, store owner Emory Remington and several neighbors saved the store building. Fire crews arrived from the Michigan Department of Conservation and they were able to put out the fires and prevent them from spreading into the woods. Luckily the fire stayed on the south side of M-32 and the Big Rock Church survived without a smudge. It was also fortunate that the fire consumed mostly outbuildings and fields and no one was killed or seriously injured. The fire burned a cabin just south of the store but the elderly couple living there managed to get out. By 1937 business had got so bad that Emory Remington sold the store and left the area. This ended the Remington family's prominent associations with Big Rock that lasted for 55 years. The store was purchased by Charles Harrison and he ran it about 10 years and then sold it to Harvey Basch. 

    In the 1940's electric power finally came to Big Rock. Prior to this time the people used kerosene lamps and lanterns for light and most household and farm chores were done by hand. Even a radio was an expensive luxury as they had to be powered by expensive batteries. In the 1930's some people installed wind powered generators called "Windchargers" on top of their houses which provided enough power for a few light bulbs. When the winds were calm it was back to the kerosene lamps. Some people also installed gasoline powered generators that provided a more reliable but still limited source of electricity. About 1942 the Presque Isle Electric Co-Op in Onaway built power lines through the area and the store, church and most homes were connected in the next few years. 

    Traces of the logging industry, long a part of the community, have now all but disappeared. The sites of the logging camps and the routes of the railroads are now overgrown with trees and brush and are very difficult to find. The buildings in the logging camps had disappeared by the 1930's. The many acres of pine stumps that marked the location of the groves of big pine trees that stood in the Big Rock area in 1875 have now rotted back into the earth. However, some of these areas have been replanted to pines and are now growing pine forests. The site of the K-B farmstead and several other farm fields have also been planted with pines. Many of the houses and barns built by the early settlers are now gone and almost all of the small farms are no longer worked. A few old buildings have been preserved at the Montmorency County Fairgrounds. One is a small frame house that was built in 1882 by Asa C Smith across the road from the C C Rice farmhouse. The other is the McKenzie school that sat 2 miles southeast of Big Rock. It was moved to the fairgrounds in 1984.

    Several prominent buildings that survived the Depression were torn down in the !940's, 50's and 60's. The Alex Speiss house was torn down  about 1940 and the James Remington house about 1960. The big Kneeland-Bigelow barn and the other farm buildings were torn down about 1950. An old two story building and the remains of a log building that both sat in the hollow at the north side of the lake were torn down in the late 1940's. The two story building was an early Meyer house and the log building may have been William Remington's first store. Another old building sat beside the road near the Meyer house. Charles Meyer and later Hans Meyer used this building for a blacksmith shop from about 1887 to the 1940's. It was torn down in the 1950's. The County Poor Farm was closed in 1942 and about 1945 Joseph and Alma Mouch bought 87 acres on the east side of the property. They converted the large house into a bar and restaurant that was know as Mouch Acres. They sold the business about 1955 and it was then known as 7 Acres. The old Poor Farm house burned about 1970 and the area where the farm buildings sat is now a gravel and cement plant. 

    The Clarence A Rice house and the Wilfred D Rice house still stand and are maintained in good condition. The W D Rice house is notable as it sits on the land that Burrows and Rust bought in 1868 and is the oldest privately owned land in the Big Rock area. The old Meyer house and the Manier house still stand. The Manier house is notable as  a member of the Manier family still lives there. It has been fully restored and inside it looks very much the way it did in the around 1900. The first modern house, as it was wired for electricity and had indoor plumbing, was built by Clarence and Ruth Rice in 1938. The barn on the property was built in 1902. Both still stand 1 mile west of where the Big Rock store once was. The old auto repair shop and feed store burned around 1960 and the store was closed for good in 1964. The old store building burned on April 7, 1964. The area where the store once stood, including the "Big Rock" was dedicated as a State Historical site on May 25, 1991. This site is 5 miles west of Atlanta on the south side of M-32. Almost all of what was once old Big Rock had now disappeared into the past. One other pre 1900 building still standing is the Big Rock Congregational Church. The church has been enlarged and modified over the years but the original frame building is part of the present structure. Only the original landmark, the big rock that was discovered by the early timber scouts, remains unchanged.