St. Louis Area Historical Society

St. Louis Area Historical Society The St. Louis Area Historical Society is located in Gratiot County, Michigan. View our original website here:

The Society was founded in 1996 and has been a part of the community since it's founding. Our Original Website: http://sites.rootsweb.com/~mislahs

ST LOUIS TRIVIA - Anyone seen this photo? Have any idea when it may have been taken? Players look young enough to be s...
08/31/2026

ST LOUIS TRIVIA - Anyone seen this photo? Have any idea when it may have been taken? Players look young enough to be school team. Is that the coach seated? Pretty dapper looking fellow.

08/29/2026

ST LOUIS TRIVIA – As soon as the settlement of Pine River was surveyed, a square block—No. 48---was set aside by Joseph Clapp to be used as a park in perpetuity. If ever it was abandoned as a park, it was to revert to the Clapp heirs.
Little was done to the square for years. A plank jail was built there, but the rest pf of it re-mained vacant. In 1875 it was described as unfenced, unshaded, unseeded, and unorna-mented, except for the jail, which was located on the northwest corner.
In 1876, in conjunction with the nation’s Centennial, citizens decided to beautify their unattractive park. They put an oak fence around it, and planted 100 trees, mainly around the periphery.
In 1877 an unfortunate incident occurred at the jail. A young man named George Lott had been put in jail overnight by Sheriff George Patch. That night the jail caught fire, and Lott burned with the jail. No one seemed to know how the fire started, or at least no one re-vealed the cause if it were known.
The park with its charming stone fountain was the “traditional” park for years. Two 10-pounder field cannon that flanked the stone fountain were victims of the scrap-iron drives during World War II. Early on, City Park was designated the center of the Lower Peninsula, and a granite marker was installer to proclaim this feature.
In the 1990s the park received benches, picnic tables, and playground equipment, re-flecting the changing needs of the community. In the 1990s a charming gazebo was built and donated by the Christians Caring for Community.
Clapp Park for many years was decorated with large, red, illuminated bells each Christ-mas.

ST LOUIS TRIVA-Lumbering and salt wells brought men of wealth into town, as well as promoters of early Michigan Railroad...
08/24/2026

ST LOUIS TRIVA-Lumbering and salt wells brought men of wealth into town, as well as promoters of early Michigan Railroads. Col John E Elwell, railroad investor and a native of Sweden, came to Saint Louis in 1883 and built the magnificent mansion on Delaware now owned by Collen and Tim Boyer.
But probably the event which really sparked the town's growth was the decision of Henry L Holcomb and his business partner to prospect for a salt well. Holcomb had bought the portion of the village previously owned by founder Joseph Clapp, and he was eager to build the community.
When the men drilled for a salt well they struck a vein of mineral water which gave a continuous flow and soon was discovered to have healing powers.

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Mill street looking north with Holcomb Opera House, with the cupula, in the background. Picture about 1940

08/22/2026

ST LOUIS TRIVIA - From the outset, industry was a motivating force in Saint Louis, beginning with its wealth of timber harvest. Joseph Clapp selected his homestead land with the object of building a lumbering industry, and in short order he had a sawmill built to process his trees into finished lumbr.
Henry L Holcomb built multiple industrial projects. He was one of the early lumber barons on a large scale. The basement of his mansion on West Center Avenue was said to be equipped to prepare meals for his crew of lumberjacks.
Holcomb built the first kilns at the brickyard on West Washington Avenue, probably before 1800, and his famous Holcomb Opera House was constructed from bricks of his own manufacture. He had a heavy interest in early salt well drillings, which resulted in discovery of Magnetic Mineral Water.

08/21/2026

ST LOUIS TRIVIA- Early school records are almost nonexistent. So Dr. Stiles Kennedy, who served on the early St. Louis school board, took it upon himself to interview teachers, parents, students and anyone in the community who remembered education in the early days. A record he did find directed that a school district be established in Pine River. So, a district was created in the south east corner of the township in 1855. The first teacher was Martha Woodin and the 2nd Mrs. Elias Smith, Joseph Clapp’s sister-in-law.
Two years later in 1857 a frame school was built on the site of the present high school which cost $300. At the time this was part of Bethany township. A school census showed that there were 73 potential students but when the first semester started there were 20 students in attendance. The school census included several Indian names so it appears the Bethany Mission residences were included.
Because of increased school population a new school was built at Tyrell and Delaware in 1868. One of the first teachers was Willard Tucker who had 70 students between the ages of 4 and 20. But by 1874 the new school was over crowed. But it took 5 years of discussion and it was 1879 before there was agreement to build again. The site chosen was where the first frame school stood, just south of the river.

ST LOUIS TRIVIA - picture of the State champs 1952
08/19/2026

ST LOUIS TRIVIA - picture of the State champs 1952

08/19/2026

CANCELLED - Program scheduled for Tues Aug 25 - Billy Gruett and the Witness Tree. Hope to reschedule next summer

08/18/2026

ST LOUIS TRIVIA - in the 1952 Michigan High School Class C state basketball championship game St. Louis HS defeated Algonac HS by a score of 53 34. The team was coached by Sherm Olmstead. Star player was Fred Corbus who scored 30 points in the final game, setting a tournament single-game scoring record at the time.

08/18/2026

St LOUIS TRIVIA - There was no Mill St bridge, there was no Main St bridge. There were two settlements, Pine River north of the River and St. Louis to the south. Joseph Clapp, from Ohio, brought not only his new bride, Matilda Smith, but also her brothers, Elias and Seaman and settled to the north in 1854. Clapp purchased large tracts of land and paid Elias with land rather than cash.
John Cheesman moved his family from Hamilton township in 1860 to St. Louis. They settled to the south and had the land platted and the area was called St. Louis. Cheesman, a doctor, established a general store and practiced medicine. His two daughters, Laura married a minister Rev Nelson and Jesse, Samuel Vliet.
In 1891, with the merger of Pine River and St. Louis, the city of St. Louis was created and incorporated.

08/16/2026

ST LOUIS TRIVIA - Jim Northrup, a graduate of St Louis HS was born in Breckenridge MI. He played five sports at Alma College, football, basketball, golf, ran track and of course baseball. Northrup spent four years in the minors playing for Duluth-Superior Dukes, Decatur Commodores, Tennessee Smokies, and Syracuse Chiefs. His "only idol" was Ted Williams who played left field for the Boston Red Sox

Address

110 E Crawford Street
Saint Louis, MI
48880

Opening Hours

1pm - 3pm

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