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Bridgeton owes its origin to I. D. Merrill, a native of Maine. Merrill came to Michigan in 1839 settling in Grand Rapids and in 1844 he followed
an old Indian trail from Grand Rapids to Newaygo where John A. Brooks was building a saw mill.
Merrill went into partnership with Brooks for a year and then moved into the heart of the wilderness, to what was to become Bridgeton. At that time, eight miles down the Muskegon River was an Indian settlement known as "the dam", and the only white men there were fur traders named Joseph Troutier and Richard Ryerson. Merrill built a mill at the mouth of Sand Creek and began cutting timber. There was no road to Bridgeton, but John Chidister soon after cut the road to Muskegon. The state road to Newaygo was not cut until the 1860s. In 1851, John Chidister built the first bridge across the river. That same year the county was organized into two townships, Newaygo and Brooks, with Bridgeton being located in Brooks. Merrill was elected the first supervisor of Brooks. The next year Bridgeton Twp. was organized. Calvin A. Stuliff started a farm on the north side of the river in 1857 and became one of the first permanent settlers. David W. Squiers arrived in Bridgeton in 1858 and built a hotel, which he ran for twelve years. At the same time he was lumbering, selling most of his logs to Ryerson, Hills and Co., and Charles H. Hackley. At this time, Merrill also operated a ferry across the river, the log bridge built by Chidister having been destroyed by John Ball of Grand Rapids. Ball found that the bridge blocked the way of his logs floating down the river. In 1859 the state gave John A. Brooks a contract for improving the flats in the river below Maple Island and Merrill was one of the commissioners appointed by the governor to inspect the work before acceptance. In 1860, Merrill built the first store in the settlement. By this time Bridgeton had attracted others. Alfred M. Maxim built a mill on Bartron Creek. He became involved in some trouble with the Muskegon Boom Co., and his mill was taken over by Laban Putman. Andrew T. Squire built a shingle mill. David W. Squier took a contract from the state to build a new bridge. It was entirely roofed over and was call "the shingle bridge". He received $40,000 for the job, half in cash and half in land scrip, which gave him his choice of many hundreds of acres of timbered land at $1.25 per acre. He built a lumber mill near his brother Andrew's shingle mill and began his prosperous career. In 1884 he owned 8,000 acres of land and had become one of the largest operators in pine and farming lands in this part of Michigan. Associated with Dave Squier in the mill was Harrison Davenport. Davenport had only a small interest in the mill and when it burned he had little left. The Squiers bought his interest, paying him $1,500 in cash. Other men who operated in Bridgeton were John Campbell and Henry Harding. Campbell used to drive an ox team in the lumbering days. Afterward he went to Muskegon and became head sawyer in the Gow mill. Mrs. Campbell bought a ticket in the Lousiana lottery and won $18,000. With this, Campbell bought an interest in the mill which then became known as the Gow and Campbell Mill of North Muskegon. Henry Harding was also a teamster. He went to Menominee. I. D. Merrill sold his store to Joseph Troutier. After Troutier's death, Dwight Woodard, who had clerked for him, became owner. Woodard sold it to George W. Bartlett in 1880. Barlett sold it in 1883 to Robert Shippard who later sold to George Rainouard. Rainouard transferred the store to Will Rainouard and John Sharp. James M. Merrill, son of I. D. Merrill, built another store farther up the hill in 1871. This store passed through several hands, among whom were Henry Harding and cassius M. Woodard. It was idle for a long time when John Sharp rented it and operated it again. Rainouard still occupied the old building. He sold it to c. Fair and Wallace Scott in 1905. In 1915 Scott built a new store and the old building was torn down. In the meantime the first store building had burned. The old store building was the scene of three tragic deaths. Elmer Earle accidentally killed himself on the steps by discharging his gun. William Cummings was killed inside when his gun discharged as he was dragging it toward himself and Jay Scott, father of Wallace Scott, fell and was killed while tearing down the store building. Another tragic death was that of Will Shippard who was drowned in the brook above Bridgeton. At one time Bridgeton boasted of four mills, two stores, a blacksmith shop and several residences, and during the lumbering days it was one of the most important places on the Muskegon River. When the four mills were running, it was a scene of much activity. I. D. Merrill died at Bridgeton in 1883. James M. Merrill moved to Grandville. Andrew Squier moved his mill to Grant in 1872 and operated it there for years, later he moved to Grand Rapids where he died. |