[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1431-E1432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     ROGERS CITY 125TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 1, 1996

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to bring to the 
attention of the House and the entire Nation the 125th anniversary of 
Rogers City. Rogers City, found in Presque Isle County in the northeast 
corner of Michigan, will be celebrating its 125th birthday this weekend 
in conjunction with its Nautical City Festival.

[[Page E1432]]

  Rogers City's long and distinguished history began in the late 1860's 
when William B. Rogers and his partner, Albert Moliter, hired Frederick 
Denny Larke to locate and land in northern Michigan for their company. 
The expedition led Mr. Larke to a beautiful area in northern Michigan, 
known in the 1860's as Alpena County. After returning to Detroit, Mr. 
Larke organized a number of German and Polish emigrants and returned to 
Alpena County in the spring of 1869. Rogers City was incorporated in 
1877, just 2 years after the Presque Isle area broke away from Alpena 
to become its own county.
  Although Frederick Larke was responsible for leading the settlers to 
the area, Albert Moliter is more often recognized as the founder. Mr. 
Moliter was an educated man who had a lot of influence in the small 
town. He began many businesses, including a store, but was unpopular 
with his fellow citizens. The resentment toward Mr. Moliter, real or 
unreal, culminated in tragedy when an individual shot and killed him as 
he worked in his store.
  Albert Moliter was not the only educated man in Rogers City. The 
town's first two mayors were Charles Pfanneschmidt and Philip 
O'Farrell. Dr. Pfanneschmidt was one of two doctors in the area and the 
only dentist. Many other men made their marks and expanded Rogers City 
through business ventures which included Wendy's Saloon, the Kitchen 
House, Larke's Drugstore, and finally the county's courthouse.
  With all of the distinguished men in Rogers City's history, the men 
who the town was named after never set foot in the area. William Evan 
Rogers was instrumental in financing and organizing the expedition that 
led to Presque Isle County but as a prominent figure from the east 
coast he never found a desire to move to the remote land many miles 
north of Detroit.
  Surrounded by dense forests of white and Norway pine, white cedar, 
hemlock, and heavy hardwood, timber became Rogers City main industry. 
The town is located right on Lake Huron. By using its dock the town 
found an efficient way to transport the timber downstate. No railway 
went as far north as Presque Isle County and the automobile had not yet 
been introduced. The community did all of its trading by vessel.
  Eventually, too many people settled in the area. All of the trees 
were wiped out and no other industry appeared profitable in northern 
Michigan. Crawford's Quarry, later renamed Calcite, was located just 
2\1/2\ miles from Rogers City. There was fierce competition between 
these two towns especially since Quarry had attempted to become the 
county seat but Rogers City was awarded the honor. Crawford's Quarry 
lost many of its citizens and the whole city seemed to shut down.
  Suddenly, in 1910, a demand for high-calcium limestone was created. 
Calcite, formerly known as Crawford's Quarry, housed the largest 
limestone quarry in the world. Once again, Calcite was alive and 
booming. As jobs opened up more people moved to Rogers City. In 1912, 
Rogers City had a population of 600. By 1950, more that 4,000 people 
resided in the town.
  With the new industry came a renewed need for a railway that came all 
the way to Rogers City. On December 18, 1911, the residents of Rogers 
City welcomed their first train. Every citizen was waiting at the depot 
with bated breath. A huge ``Welcome'' sign hung above the tracks. When 
the train arrived the entire town broke out in cheers and laughter. One 
observer stated that the date December 18, 1911, means the same for 
Rogers City, as the date July 4, 1776, means for the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, today Rogers City is a proud community, just as it was 
on December 18, 1911, and in the spring of 1869 when it incorporated. 
This small community has stayed together through good times and bad. 
Many citizens can trace their roots back to one of the original 21 
names signed on the original petition for incorporation. It is this 
pride in their community that has kept Rogers City so strong for the 
last 125 years. On behalf of northern Michigan and the entire Nation, I 
would like to congratulate Rogers City on this, their 125th 
anniversary.

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