[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 91 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1433]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VILLAGE OF CURTIS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 30, 2005

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a community in my 
district that is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a village. On 
Sunday, July 3, 2005, the residents of the village of Curtis, Michigan, 
will host a parade to honor their history that 100 years ago began with 
the establishment of a post office. The official Centennial Celebration 
will take place September 2nd through 4th.
  Local historians have documented evidence of human civilization in 
the area dating back more than 13,000 years. Explanations suggest that 
native tribes moved with the gradual northern movement of the glaciers 
that sculpted the region and helped structure the forest and copper 
rich area, now known as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Excavation 
sites dating back as early as 3500 B.C., show evidence that seven spots 
were used to extract copper.
  As time went on, Native American Indian tribes visited Curtis as a 
favorite camping site while early historical references indicate 
explorers traversed nearby waterways in search of resources and western 
passages from the 1600s to the late 1800s. However, settlement and 
population growth began in 1881 when the Detroit, Mackinac and 
Marquette Railroad was built bringing lumber workers to the area. A 
township board was elected in 1887 to locally govern Portage Township 
with just over 150 people residing in its borders.
  In 1905, the Manistique Railroad that ran from Grand Marais to Seney 
and Germfask was extended to Curtis and a post office was established. 
The first postmaster facilitating the operation was Mark Howard Miller. 
A sawmill started by Jesse Sherbrook later that year in Saw-wa-qua-to-
beach on South Manistique Lake gave the town the resources they needed 
to establish itself.
  What began as a town of roughly 75 people, Curtis and the surrounding 
township now make up approximately 1,000 residents. Through the years, 
this close knit community has thrived as the tourist, fishing and 
logging industries have flourished in the area. Nestled between the two 
beautiful, large, pristine Manistique Lakes, the people of Curtis have 
grown to be nothing short of a family. Many of the names of original 
settlers can still be found among the rosters of the 13 civic and 
fraternal organizations including the Lions, Fireworks Committee, 
Ladies Aid, The Fish Coop, and the Curtis Community Arts Council. 
Curtis's four churches, library, school, medical clinic, post office, 
bank and public housing facility make the town completely self-
sufficient and an attraction for families and businesses looking to 
move into an All-American community.
  The history of Curtis contains many interesting facts and figures as 
well as tales of its growth as an area inhabited for over 1,000 years 
by early mankind. As a small town tucked between waterways and engulfed 
in thick forests in the middle of Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula, 
the people of Curtis were able to build their community with their own 
resources and based on their own value driven standards to create an 
amazing town. Mr. Speaker, I ask the United States House of 
Representatives to join me in congratulating the village of Curtis and 
its residents on their first 100 years and in wishing them well through 
the next century.

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