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Township History

Paris Township was named by Gregoire Des Jardins.  His birthplace was near the city of Paris, France.

Sigel Township was named to honor Gen. Franz Seigel, Civil War hero.  The "e" in the General's name was omitted.  

The Fire of 1881

September 5, 1881
    
As the fire began to sweep over Paris Township the powerful southwesterly winds met a cold front bearing even stronger northwest winds.  The slamming together of these two weather fronts affected the fire in strange ways.

Sgt. Bailey's report stated that the fires came into Paris Township at 2:20 p.m. from the west as a solid wall of flame 50 to 100 feet high.  When the northwesterly winds hit, things started to happen.  

The flames came with such speed that many people died where they stood.  (It was reported that 17 people died in a field north of the village.)¹

¹  Judge James H. Lincoln (ret.) & James L. Donahue, Fiery Trial (Historical Society of Michigan, 1984), pgs. 29-30   

William T. Bope of Bad Axe was in Parisville on that fatal Monday.  He wrote that "it grew so dark at Zinger's hotel at 12 o'clock, that they were obliged to light lamps.  To the south the sky was black, and to the north it was a reddish yellow, with a south wind.  At about 1 o'clock the wind changed and blew a hurricane from the west . . .  In every direction small fires could be seen starting up.  By half past one a solid wall of flame, for 50 to 100 feet high, was sweeping from the west over Paris (township)."²

²  Gerard Schultz, The New History of Michigan's Thumb (Library of Congress, 1964, 1969), pg. 80

The fire was at its worst in Paris Township in Huron County.  Thomas Thomson of White Rock, which was not destroyed by the fire, gave this tragic account of the destruction of this township:  "After keeping watch 48 hours, incessantly without sleep, the wind changed to the north and cleared up the smoke, and I then got a 'rig' and taking along some provisions started west, and made for the township of Paris and through that part of it that suffered the most.  It is impossible to describe to you the ravages the fire has made in this township.  I traveled miles where every farmer is burned out.  I went four miles on one road, and every building, fence, and almost every head of stock are destroyed."  Fifteen lives were lost along this stretch of road.  He met a wagon drawn by oxen.  On the wagon were three rough boxes filled with eight corpses.  A man walking behind was the only mourner, following his wife and children to the grave, they having been burned to death.  A little farther on he found another woman and five children who had burned to death in the middle of the road.  After the fire 28 families lived in four houses in Paris Township.³

 ³  Gerard Schultz, Walls of Flame (Library of Congress, 1968), pgs. 28-29   

Losses due to the Fire of 1881     

The following is a brief summary of losses in Paris & Sigel Townships due to the fire of 1881.⁴

⁴  William Bailey, Signal Service Notes - Report on The Mich. Forest Fires of 1881 (Washington, 1882), pg.13  
    Published by authority of the Secretary of War Office of chief signal officer

Paris Township⁵     

Paris is one of the early settled townships.  As long ago as 1856, Casmer Smolenski located a farm here, and began his improvements, and from that time it has been settling up rapidly.  The greater portion of the inhabitants of this township are Polanders, who are very thrifty.  It is regarded as one of the best farming sections in the county.  In the south and west portion of the township the land is hilly, while in the north and east it is flat.

The soil is clay loam.  The township is well drained by the branches of the Black and Cass Rivers, and by Elm Creek.

The people suffered fearfully from the great fires, particularly that of 1881, which swept over nearly the whole township.  They have pretty well recovered from the effects, having good homes again, and doing well.  About two-thirds of the land is now under cultivation.  There are two saw-mills and one flouring mill, which supply the home demands.

The township is provided with fine schools, which are located respectively on sections 8, 11, 21, 26 and 31.  This township was organized in 1861, when Donald Currie was chosen Supervisor, Alex. Currie, Clerk and Richard Evans, Treasurer.  It is bounded on the north by Sigel, on the east by Sherman, on the south by Sanilac County, and on the west by Bingham Township.  Parisville is the principal village, where there is a general store, kept by Wm. Engle, and a hotel by George Zinger.

A Polish school is about to be opened at this town, which will be in charge of the Sisters of the Catholic Church.  The Catholics also have a Church here, which was one of the first put up in the peninsula.  A new building 45 x 120 feet is nearly finished.  It was erected by Rev. Joseph Gratza.  There is also a Presbyterian society at Parisville.

This town has a post office, and the Port Huron & Northwestern Railroad runs across the southeast corner of the township.  

The names of the Supervisors who have served the township are given below:

⁵  Chapman Brothers, Portrait and Biographical Album of Huron County (Chicago, 1884), pg. 447

Paris Township⁶     

Back in 1856 we find Casimer Smolenski locating land in Paris township on which he erected a building for his future home.  From that time this section of the county settled rapidly.  The greater portion of the settlers were Polanders who are very thrifty.

Peter Pawlowski in recent years wrote several sketches of this township's early history for The Huron County Tribune, which no doubt are the most reliable records we have.  Therefore we quote freely from these interesting stories of pioneer days and of those who participated in the development of the township.

Mr. Pawlowski says:  "In the year 1854 three Polish families emigrated to Huron County from Canada.  They were John Woytlewicz⁷, Ambrose Chuknowski and Anthony Slavick.  These early settlers were men of great courage and determination and soon demonstrated this in reclaiming the marshy land which under their careful and painstaking mode of cultivation rapidly became very productive soil.  In the year 1855 Mr. Pawlowski's father, Stephen Pawlowski, landed at Forestville, Sanilac County, with some tools and provisions which he had to carry on his back., fording streams, crossing marshes and going around swamps which he could not cross, to make the first improvement on his farm.  Returning back to Canada and speaking of felling the trees he said he had only "cut a hole in the sky".  A year later he returned with his wife, but she like many others of the pioneers' wives had to remain alone in the woods for months in the winters while the husbands worked in the lumber camps.  At such times Mrs. Pawlowski carried her supplies on her back from Forestville, a distance of 18 miles.  Another pioneer was John Pyonk, who walked 100 miles to get his cook stove.  He took it apart at Forestville and carried it home one piece at a time.

Miss Binenza *, now Mrs. Charles Worchock, quite a frail girl at the time, made over 60 18-mile trips for supplies for her parents and later for herself.  Some of the fruit trees in Mr. Pawlowski's orchard were brought in on her back.  This orchard is the oldest one in Paris.

The forest abounded with all kinds of game.  Deer were very plentiful.  When Mr. S. Pawlowski was building his second log house, John Woytlewicz shot a deer from the building they were working on.  Often they had to get up at night to scare the deer away from destroying the crops.  There were hundreds of wolves and almost any night one could hear them howling in the dark, deep forests.

The first mail was brought into Paris from Forestville.  Eight years later a turn pike was built to Cato, now Charleston, and later to Minden.  In 1869 a grist mill was built which relieved the housewives, as most of the grinding before that time was done with a 100-pound stone.  In 1874 a saw mill was built by Susalla Bros. at Parisville, and this helped the men out.  Before this they sawed the lumber by hand.

Paris township was organized in 1861 with Donald Curry as supervisor.  Stephen Pawlowski's farm was valued at $100 at that date.  The forest fires of '71 and '81 destroyed the timber and half of the settlement.  It wiped out an entire family except the father, who was absent.  James Shaw came to this township in the early sixties.  He lived in Paris at the time of the Polish rebellion against conscription in 1863 and his home was visited by the U.S. troops.

⁶  Florence McKinnon Gwinn, Pioneer History of Huron County Michigan (Huron County Pioneer and Historical Society, 1922), pgs. 33-35

⁷  I believe this is the father of Susan Woytalowicz who married Leonard Oborski - parents of Leo Oborski   

* The name is Antonnia Bureiza   

Sigel Township⁸    

Some time prior to 1864, this township was organized.  On account of the destruction of the records by the fires, the date of its organization and the election of officers cannot be ascertained definitely enough for history.  It was first settled about the year 1859, by Fred Jurges, Joseph Lakowski and Waterhouse Whitelam, who located farms.  It has not developed or increased in population in proportion to the other townships.

The land is flat, with the exception of a portion in the western part.  The soil is sand an clay mixed.  Running through the township from north to south is the east branch of Willow Creek.  The fire of 1871 passed over the whole township; that of 1881 burned the northern portion.  The largest yield of wheat as reported is fifty-three bushels per acre; the average yield is fifteen bushels.  Fruits have not been much cultivated, but would do well.  The original timber was the hard-woods, pine, cedar and hemlock.  There are three schools in the township, located on sections 24, 22 and 7.  There are two Lutheran Churches in the township.

The nearest  port is Sand Beach, and the nearest railroad station is Bad Axe.

There is one saw-mill and a general store.

Sigel Township in number is 16 north, of range 14 east, and is bounded on the north by Bloomfield, on the east by Sand Beach, on the south by Paris, and the west by Verona Township.

The following named supervisors have represented the township:

⁸  Chapman Brothers, Portrait and Biographical Album of Huron County (Chicago, 1884), pgs. 466-467

Sigel Township⁹     

Directly west of Sand Beach township lies that of Sigel.  It was organized some time prior to 1864 with Watson Robinson as the first supervisor on the records.  He took up 80 acres of land under the homestead act that same year.  In the fire of '81 all of his buildings and crops were destroyed.  He found himself the morning after the fire without a hat or shoes and practically destitute of clothing of any kind.  With his accustomed energy and enterprise he began at once to rebuild and repair as far as possible the damage done by the fire.

The first settlers in this township were Fred Jurgess, Joseph Lakowski and Waterhouse Whitelam, who came in 1859.  Samuel Williams was another pioneer in this section of the county.  In the early lumbering days he had worked for Pack, Woods & Co., at Harbor Beach and later at Port Crescent.  He moved on to his farm in Sigel soon after the fire of '71 and by diligence and hard labor transformed this piece of land from the wilderness that it was in 1874 to the modern country home of the present day.

The land in this township is flat except in the western part.  The soil is sand and clay mixed.  This section did not develop or increase in population in proportion to other townships.  The three early schools were located on sections 24, 22 and 7.  The Lutherans were the first to establish churches here.

Running through the township is the east branch of Willow Creek.  The fire of '71 passed over the entire township and that of '81 burned the northern part.  The original timber was pine, cedar, hemlock and hard wood.  Bad Axe was the nearest railway station and the nearest port, Sand Beach, now Harbor Beach.

⁹  Florence McKinnon Gwinn, Pioneer History of Huron County Michigan (Huron County Pioneer and Historical Society, 1922), pgs. 75-76

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