History of the Lake Huron Shore, 1883, H.R. Page, Chicago, IL
Bay County
CURTIS MUNGER
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CURTIS MUNGER was born in Bergen, Genesee Co., N. Y., March 20, 1820. Came to Michigan in 1840, and settled in Oakland County, where he learned the trade of cooper.
In the Fall of 1846 he, with some others, went to the Thunder Bay Island, Lake Huron, in the coopering and fishing business, catching whitefish for the Eastern market, where he remained until the latter part of November, 1848, when, with his party, he intended to take one of the down steamers from Chicago to Detroit, and return home. Several steamers passed the island, but so far off in the lake that they could not see their signals. It was getting very cold, and they had got out of provisions, so the party took turns sitting up nights keeping signal fire to hail any passing vessel to take them off. After waiting eight or ten days without any hope of relief, and to add to their suffering their provisions were all gone.
The party consisted of Curtis Munger, James Beebe, Edwin Park, and Michael Daily, who yet reside in Bay City, and W. H. Hunter and Joseph Parkerson, who have left the country.
A heavy snowstorm from the north-east set in, and what to do they did not know; to remain would be folly, as the Winter had commenced, and they were getting hungry, as they had finished their last provisions two days before. A council was held as to what should be done. Joseph Parkerson proposed they should start in their open fish boat to Lower Saginaw, as Bay City was then called, and if they could reach there he knew an old lady by the name of Mrs. McCormick, who lived in the largest house there, with whom he had lived when a boy, and whom he called mother. If they could only reach there she would take good care of them. This Mrs. McCormick was the wife of the late James McCormick, one of the first settlers of the Saginaw Valley, who died two years before, in 1846, and was the mother of the late James McCormick, and also W. R. McCormick, who still lives in Bay City.
They finally made up their minds to start for Lower Saginaw. They put six half-barrels of fish in the boat for ballast then went to the lighthouse and saw the keeper, Capt. Malden, but could get no provisions, as he was nearly out himself. He gave them one good square meal, and they started in their open boat for Lower Saginaw. None of them had ever been over the route before except Michael Daily.
The storm was blowing a hurricane from the northeast, accompanied with snow. They had to keep bailing their boat to keep her afloat, in which they took turns during the night. After much suffering they reached Point Au Gres. The wind died away, so that they were obliged to take to the oars before reaching the point. A gale sprang up from the south; they landed on the north side in the smooth water; went ashore, cut some cedars, and made a place to lay down to sleep, without anything to eat, tired and worn out.
In the morning the ice had frozen on the north side of the point, where their boat lay several rods from shore, and the wind blowing a gale from the southwest, so that it was impossible to leave. Towards night, Parkerson said he was going to have some supper. They asked him where he was going to get it. He said: I will show you. He unheaded one of the half-barrels of fish, and took an old hailing dish he had in the boat, which had a hole in the bottom., with the fish in it, and put it on the tire, but in a few seconds the water had all run out, which also extinguished the fire. He tried this several times. At last he cried out to the boys that supper was ready, but when we tried, says Mr. Munger, "to eat, we found that it was scarcely warmed through, so we ate it raw. It did not do me much good, for in a few minutes I vomited it all up.
On the second day, towards night, the wind changed to the northeast, blowing very hard, increasing every minute. They went for the boat and found her pounding on the rocks, and in a little while she would have gone to pieces. They got her off after a longtime by wading in the water; got her around the point to the south side out of danger. They now got ready to start, as the wind was fair, but the wind increased to such a gale that they were obliged to wait until morning, or until the gale went down. They laid in their boat in their wet clothes until morning. Says Mr Munger: "I never slept a wink, but nearly froze to death. When the morning came, the wind had somewhat abated; still there was a heavy sea running. They then hoisted sail, and started for the Saginaw River. When they reached the mouth, Michael Daily left them, and started for old Uncle Harvey Williams, at the mouth of the Kawkawlin River.
After proceeding up the Saginaw River two miles, they came to a little house on the side of the river, when Mr. Munger asked Parkerson who lived there, when Parkerson replied, . They had not gone far before they came to another house, when Munger again asked who lived there, when Parkerson replied, Trombley. They soon came to another, where the village of Banks now stands, when Mr. Munger says to Parkerson: This is a comfortable looking house; I guess we can get something to eat here. Who lives here? when Parkerson replied: Trombley. My Lord, says Mr. Munger, is there no one but Trombleys in this country.
They proceeded on up the river, and soon came to the house of Mother McCormicks, as Parkerson called her. This house is still standing, and is now called the Center House, on the corner of Twenty-fourth and Water Streets. Mr. Munger says: When we landed I was in my stocking feet, as my feet were so swollen by exposure that I could not get on my boots; so I say that when I first came to Bay City I was in my stocking feet; this was December 1, 1848. We were hospitably received by Mrs. McCormick, who did everything in her power to alleviate our sufferings, and whose kindness I shall never forget While here, Edwin Park and Mr. Munger took a contract for making fish barrels during the Winter after their return from Detroit, where they had to go to get their returns for their fish, which they had shipped from Thunder Bay Island. So they left Mrs. McCormick, and started for Detroit on foot.
They crossed the Saginaw River on the ice at the elbow, and started up the bank of the river over the prairie, the snow and
water two feet deep most of the way to Zilwaukee, where they stayed all night. Mr. Munger says: This was the hardest days work I ever did; I never was so tired in all my life. The next day we started for Flint early, as there was not much of a road between Flint and Saginaw at this time. We met but one person this day between Flint and Saginaw, which was the mail carrier, with an Indian pony, with the mail strapped on his back. I called the attention of my comrade, Edwin Park, to see how nicely that pony would walk a log to keep out of the mud. We arrived that night at Flint.
The next day we reached Pontiac, and the next day Detroit. After settling his business in Detroit, he returned with Edwin Park to Lower Saginaw, and made it his home with Mrs. McCormick, and went at his contract with Edwin Park, making fish barrels, he continued working at the cooperage business for about two years.
In the year 1850, Mr. Munger went into the grocery business on Water Street, between First and Second, under the name of Park & Munger, up to 1854, when Mr. Mungers brother came on, joined the firm, when they enlarged their business, and went into a general stock of dry goods, groceries, etc., under the name of Munger & Co.
In 1861 Mr. Edwin Park retired from the firm, and went into the hotel business. Their business became so large that they were obliged to build a more commodious building. They joined James Shearer in building the Shearer Block, corner of Water and Centre Streets, and moved into their new location in 1866, and commenced the exclusive business of dry goods.
This building in. a few years became too small for their increasing business. They
He then commenced the erection of the Munger Block, on the corner of Saginaw and Centre Streets, with double stores for extensive dry goods, into which they removed in 1878. In 1874 they sold out to Messrs. Cooke & Co., and retired from active business, since which time Mr. Curtis Munger, with his brother, has devoted his time to taking charge of his large real estate.
Mr. Munger has held many public offices in Bay City. He was the first president of the village council for two consecutive years. Was for two terms elected county treasurer of Bay County, and many other offices of public trust, all of which he has filled with the entire confidence of the public.
There are few men that are more identified with the growth and prosperity of Bay City than Curtis Munger, and who are so invariably respected.
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Park, Edwin
