A
Short History of Alger County
A Monument,
consisting of a bronze bust of Russell A. Alger mounted on a stone pedestal,
on the grounds of the William G. Mather High School, Elm Avenue and
Chocolay Street, Munising. It was erected in June, 1909, with funds
provided by the heirs of Alger and by the Board of Education of the
Munising Township Schools. The inscription reads:
Feb. 27, 1836
- Jan. 24, 1907. Brevet Major General, U. S. V., Governor of Michigan,
Secretary of War, U. S. Senator, for whom this county was named.
[Russell Alexander
Alger was born in Ohio in 1836. He settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
in 1859, and upon the outbreak of the Civil War became captain of Company
C of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry when it was organized in the summer of 1861.
He subsequently became major of this regiment, lieutenant colonel of the
6th Michigan Cavalry, and colonel of the 5th Michigan Cavalry. He resigned
from the service on September 20, 1864. He was brevetted brigadier general
and major general of United States Volunteers for gallant and meritorious
services during the war. In 1866, Alger established a residence in Detroit
where he resided the rest of his life. He became a leading lumberman and
also one of the most prominent Republican politicians of his day. He served
as governor of Michigan 1885-86, secretary of war, 1897-99, and United
States senator from Michigan from 1902 to his death in 1907. Messages
of the Governors of Michigan, edited by George N. Fuller, 3:517-20 (Lansing,
1927).
1943 - In a major flip-flop of highway designations, the routings of M-28
and M-94 are
switched west of Munising. M-28, which formerly ran southwest, then west
from the
Munising area through Forest Lake and Chatham to US-41, then north along
with US-41
to Harvey is rerouted along the former M- 178 (which is removed) into
downtown
Munising, then west along the former route of M-94 along the Lake Superior
shoreline to
US-41 at Harvey. M-94 is rerouted south from Munising along the ex-M-178
for a mile,
then southwest and west along the former M-28 through Chatham to end at
US-41 three
miles south of Skandia.
1959 - The 14-mile loop of M-94 north of M-28 between Shingleton and Munising
is
removed from the state highway system and M-94 is rerouted concurrently
with M-28
from Shingleton west through Wetmore to the junction of M-94 two miles
south of
downtown Munising. Also, a BUS M-28 routing is added through the downtowns
of
Negaunee and Ishpeming. With the exception of the 13-mile leg of M-28
between
Wakefield and the Wisconsin state line, the last 10 miles of gravel- surfaced
highway on
the rest of M-28 is paved.
