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Born in Fredericton, New
Brunswick, Isaac Stephenson (1829-1918) followed his interests as a
lumberman, sailor, and entrepreneur to Bangor, Maine and, later, to the
northern woods of Wisconsin. In 1858, he purchased a one-quarter interest in
the North Ludington Lumber Company in Marinette and went on to become that
community's leading citizen. He founded the Stephenson National Bank,
donated the Stephenson Public Library, developed the town's retail and
commercial district, and used his involvement in local politics as a
springboard for state and national office. Stephenson served in the
Wisconsin State Assembly (1866-1868), as a U.S. Representative from
Wisconsin (1883-1889), and also as a U.S. Senator from that same state
(1907-1915). An active participant in the "Half-Breed" faction of
Wisconsin's Republican party that supported Huagen and La Follette in their
races for the governorship, he began publishing the Free Press of Milwaukee
in 1901 as a means of conveying their reform-minded views to the public. In
the Senate, La Follette and Stephenson soon found themselves differing over
issues of patronage and efforts to eliminate graft and purify the political
process. Stephenson had little interest in a national political agenda.
Although much of his autobiography deals with his civic and political life,
its first half provides inside perspectives on many aspects of the logging
industry and life in the logging camps. There is also considerable
information on local Native American groups, especially the Menominee, and
the folklife of occupational and family groups in the rapidly developing
areas of the Upper Midwest.
PREFACE
IN undertaking to set down,
so that others may read, the recollections of my own personal experiences
during three-quarters of a century or more, it is not my purpose to trespass
upon the field either of the historian or of the commentator by attempting
to interpret the events which came directly or indirectly under my
observation.
Nor is it my purpose to point
a moral. What I have written is no more than a concise narrative of what
befell me, of the difficulties I encountered, the disappointments I suffered
and the triumphs I achieved, the fortunes and misfortunes that were dealt
out to me by my controlling destiny.
There are few men living who
have had so varied, certainly so long, a career as I. It is a far cry from
the agitation over the northeastern boundary controversy in 1839 to the
vicissitudes of latter-day politics in 1915. Many things have happened
within that spice of time. The greater portion of the country has been
transformed from a wilderness into a cultivated and settled area. Railroads
have intersected it; cities have been built; and its vitality has awakened
to the pulsations of a highly organized commercial life.
In that epoch of progress I
moved as an individual with the flowing stream, but I no less than the
others have seen something of the changes that have been wrought, the decay
of old customs and the growth of new, the succession of problems from
meeting the rigors of the wilderness to the adjustment of social and
economic relations in the complex civilization of to-day. If this viewpoint
from a lengthy perspective will enable anyone who may read to measure with
greater accuracy of vision the advantages and disadvantages of the shifting
present, I shall count what I have written as of some value.
The migration of the
lumbermen of the Maine and New Brunswick forests in the early part of the
last century the greatest center of the industry in the world - is one of
the interesting phases of the pioneer period of American history. They
blazed a way with restless energy into the timbered wilderness of
Pennsylvania, of Wisconsin and Michigan, of Minnesota, of the mountain
region of the far West and finally finally of the Pacific coast. From ocean
to ocean the tide has moved within the span of my own lifetime.
A part of that course it was
my lot to travel. I journeyed from Maine to Boston by sea, from Boston to
Albany by train, from Albany to Buffalo by canal-boat and thence over the
Great Lakes, the main thoroughfare from the expanding West, to Milwaukee
before the railroads extended beyond Buffalo and many of the great cities of
the country were more than a name. Of the early settlements along Green Bay
and the northern peninsula of Michigan struggling for foothold on the verge
of what seemed to be almost illimitable forests I have watched the growth,
and the wilderness I have seen melt away before the encroaching stretch of
farms.
My experiences were, in large
measure, the experiences of those who set the pace of achievement under
these conditions. I worked with them exploring the forests, in the logging
camps, on the rivers and at the mills, and sailed with them on Lake Michigan
as seaman, mate, and master.
Favored by circumstance, I
covered wider fields than most of them. From the time I fell under the eye
of my mother's cousin, Christopher Murray, at Murray Castle, Spring Hill,
New Brunswick, when I was four years old, it was my good fortune to attract
the attention and enjoy the confidence of many men. I came to the West as a
member of the household of Jefferson Sinclair, the greatest practical
lumberman of his time; was associated in business with William B. Ogden, at
one time mayor of Chicago, also one of the towering figures of his day; and
numbered among my friends Samuel J. Tilden and a host of other men of large
affairs - lawyers, railroad builders, bankers, manufacturers - who set the
seal of their energy upon the broadening destiny of the country,—pioneers,
no less, of their kind.
By reason, no doubt, of the
knowledge I had gained of conditions in northern Wisconsin and Michigan and
the training I had received at the hands of Mr. Sinclair, a score of offers
of employment were made to me by men who desired me to take charge of
lumbering, mining, land, and railroad-building enterprises. It is possible,
therefore, that some idea of the difficulties these men encountered and the
ordeals through which they passed may be gathered from this narrative,
although it is a purely personal one, my own story told in my own way.
Whether a comparison of the
present manner of living with that which prevailed in those early days would
point the way to reforms I doubt much. Changing standards offer a cloak for
lapses from hard-and-fast rules of conduct, and the judgments of one
generation are held not to apply in another. None the less the necessity
which confronted these hewers of wood and drawers of water was a wholesome
stimulant. The long days of hard work bred sturdy, if not facile, character
a lesson which no age is too advanced in wisdom to learn.
In this time of social and
economic readjustment it might be well to remember that their achievement
was due to industry and thrift and that the opportunity which looms large in
retrospect was less apparent in their immediate environment than that which
the future now seems to hold.
Too often, as I see it, the
background of toil and struggle is left to hazy outline while the results of
their labors are blazoned forth in vivid colors. Accordingly is the measure
of their compensation exaggerated and the extent of their effort minimized.
What allurement did the prospect of an isolated wilderness possess for those
who turned their faces westward? The prairies stretched for almost countless
miles to regions unmapped and unexplored. The pine forests had no bounds.
With such abundance mere possession availed nothing. The only wealth to be
obtained was wrested from them by grinding labor; and these men labored from
dawn to twilight, valorous, undaunted, and unafraid.
I have seen this period of
construction pass and the chief function of government change, for the
moment at least, from the stimulation to the regulation of effort. In the
cycle of progress and growth of a country so blessed with abundance as ours,
this, no doubt, is necessary. Adroitness has in too many cases been made to
serve the purposes of toil. But in the light of the philosophy of my own
experience I should choose my steps carefully lest I put upon honest effort
an unnecessary burden or take from it its just reward. Progressivism and
reform are a resonant shibboleth. I should demand from those who cry it
other credentials than a loud voice.
Whether, when viewed from the
perspective of a hundred years hence, it will be observed that greater
progress was made in the earlier years of the nineteenth century than in the
earlier years of the twentieth, I shall not presume to predict. I only hope
that progress has been made, is being made, and will continue to be made
without let or hindrance and that the problems of life will be met and
solved as they arise, to the happiness and contentment of human kind. ISAAC
STEPHENSON.
Chapter I
My great-grandfather, Andrew Stephenson, emigrates from Scotland to Ireland
and becomes owner of farm and flax- mill in Raphoe, Donegal County - Robert
Stephenson, my grandfather, in charge of property - The Ulster Wood - My
father, Isaac Stephenson, born in 1790 - Difficulties in Ireland—My father
sails in 1809 for America - Life in New Brunswick - Takes charge of Loyalist
estates Colonel Allen The Murrays and Spring Hill - Colonel Wilmot Father
marries Elizabeth Watson - Colonel Miles and my birth-place, Maugerville
Residence at Hartland, Nevers estate, and Greenfield
Chapter II
Life along the St. John - Farming, lumbering, and vessel building - Home
life and time schools "Frolics" - The Aroostook War Beginnings of the
lumbering industry - Masts for the Royal Navy - Ton timber Disappearance of
the forests -Necessity for husbanding resources
Chapter III
Beginning of my lumbering career in 1840 Camp on the Shiktehawk - Routine of
the logging camps - Difficulties of contractors - Family removes to
Aroostook County, Maine - Conditions in Aroostook and Yankee operations -
Jefferson Sinclair, Napoleon of Maine lum bering industry - Use of oxen iii
logging - Lou drive down the St. John River in 1844 - Journey to Bangor over
old stage route
Chapter IV
Departure with Sinclairs for Milwaukee in 1845 - Journey from Bangor to
Boston and Albany - Discomforts of railway travel - Inland voyage over Erie
Canal - We encounter storms on Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan - Milwaukee
seventy years ago - Difficulties of pioneering
Chapter V
Mr. Sinclair takes up lumbering and farming in Wisconsin - School in
Milwaukee - Plowing on the prairie - The Lovejoys -Traffic on the Janesville
road-Lodging houses - Lead wagons from Galena fields - Hauling flour - "Ague
and chill fever" epidemics - Logging at Escanaba - Lumbering north of Green
Bay - Conditions on the northern peninsula of Michigan - Carrying mails in
the wilderness - Timber cruising
Chapter VI
Early lumbering methods in vogue along Green Bay - Invasion of the Maine
lumbermen - Introduction of sawed shingles - Marketing lumber at Chicago and
Milwaukee - Masting on the Great Lakes - Life in the logging camps - Tea
drinking - Log driving on the Escanaba - Locating timber lands - Offering
of public lands for sale in 1848 - Trip to the "Soo" -First entry of pine
lands on the Menominee River - Meager returns for lumbering
Chapter VII
The problem of transporting lumber - Great Lakes neglected by federal
government - Dangerous voyages - Inaccessibility of Green Bay region -
Experiences as a sailor before the mast - I ship as mate - I purchase
interest in schooner Cleopatra and become captain - Development of shipping
on the lakes - Early trips up Green Bay rivers - Introduction of tugs
Chapter VIII
Lack of efficient lumbermen and migration from East - I take charge of
logging camps - Logging by contract- Offer of half interest in Ford River
property-Trip to Maine in 1851 - Camps on the Marquette trail - Development
of northern peninsula of Michigan and discovery of mines - Lack of doctors,
lawyers, and preachers - Travel through my canips Plank road projected from
Negaunee to Marquette - Pinch of famine at Marquette in 1852
Chapter IX
Prosperity of the early fifties - High cost of living - Beginning of work on
the canal at the "Soo" -"King" Strang and the Mormon colony on Beaver
Island - Production of timber for breakwater at Chicago - Establishment of
camps on the Menominee River - Cholera epidemic in the Middle West - Narrow
escape from the disease - Extensive logging operations at Masonville
Chapter X
Responsibilities of camp management - Experiences in medicine and surgery -
Adjusting disputes - Lack of machinists - I leave Mr. Sinclair -
Negotiations for purchase of interest in Masonville property - Changes in
Sinclair and Wells company - Death of Mr. Sinclair - Panic of 1857 -
Purchase of interest in N. Ludington Company at Marinette
Chapter XI
Marinette in the early fifties—Queen Marinette—Menomninec River becomes
greatest timber producing center in time world - Difficulties due to panic
of 1857 - Disappearance of forests and growth of farms - Vicissitudes of
travel on Green Bay - Diversions of early lumbering villages
Chapter XII
Scarcity of politicians in early lumbering settlements - The Congressional
Globe - Early recollections of politics - Distributing ballots in Chicago in
1856 - Experiences as supervisor and justice of the peace - An Indian
wedding - Campaign of 1860 - Beginning of the Civil War - Furnishing
recruits - Assassination of Lincoln - Fear of Indian massacre
Chapter XIII
Business revival after panic and Civil War - Development of Menominee River
region and creation of boom company - William B. Ogden and Samuel J. Tilden
- I become manager of Peshtigo company - Erection of woodenware
manufacturing plant - Establishment of barge lines for transporting lumber -
Origin of signal for tows - Construction of Sturgeon Bay canal - Adoption of
cedar for railroad ties
Chapter XIV
Difficulties at Peshtigo - Extension of the Northwestern railroad northward
from Green Bay-Forest fires- The great fire of 1871 - Destruction of
Peshtigo with loss of eleven hundred lives - Relief work - Antics of fire -
Horrors of holocaust - Conflagration at Chicago - Distributing supplies and
rebuilding of village - Resumption of lumbering - Difficulties of
reconstruction
Chapter XV
Early experiences in politics - Election to the Assembly in 1863 -
Revocation of the Oconto River grant - Candidacy for House of
Representatives - Maneuvers of political leaders - Election to Congress -
Campaign of 1884 in interest of Spooner - Re-election of Sawyer in 1886 -
Withdrawal from political field - Efforts in behalf of Henry C. Payne -
Election of Quarles to Senate
Chapter XVI
Experiences in Congress-Friendship with Democratic leaders - A conference
with President Arthur Congressional economy - The Navy - Interest in river
and harbor improvement - Possibilities of waterway development -
Disappearance of business men from public life
Chapter XVII
Organization of the Half-breed faction in Wisconsin and election of La
Follette as Governor - Railroad doniination of politics - Financing the La
Follette campaign - Nomination and election of La Follette - Establishment
of the Free Press as the Half-breed organ - Eastern corporations enter
Wisconsin fight - La Follette's proposal that I run for Senate - Half-breed
emissaries - Early reforms accomplished by legislature
Chapter XVIII
Half-breeds successful in 1902 and 1904 - Demoralization of Stalwarts -
Rifts in the reform party and early defeats - Setback in Third
Congressional district - Fight over election of successor to Senator Quarles
-Half-breeds pick La Follette for Senate his apparent reluctance to leave
Wisconsin - Lieutenant-Governor Davidson picked for slaughter - Another
Half-breed defeat - Campaign for unexpired term of Senator Spooner - Discord
among the reform leaders - My election to the Senate
Chapter XIX
Early events in senatorial career - Failure to arrive at working agreement
with La Follette over patronage - Requests for aid for La Follette
presidential campaign - Convention of 1908 - The La Follette Platform -
Nomination of Taft - The senatorial campaign of 1908 - Announcement of my
candidacy
Chapter XX
Difficulties of primary campaign - Hostility of the La Follette organization
-
Setting up an organization and
obstacles encountered Tactics of opposition Election and repudiation of
primary by La Follette forces Investigation by state legislature - Standards
of propriety in campaign expenditures Vindication by investigating committee
- Investigation by United States Senate - Retirement from politics
Chapter XXI
Changes in social fabric and customs in three-quarters of a century -
Adaptability of human nature - Hardships of old not measure of happiness -
Demand for luxuries and growing extravagance - The high cost of living -
Surplus of doctors and demand for drugs - Lawyers - Dangers from excess of
professional men - Work and sleep - Time and progress |
