March 3, 2004
Lesser known area pioneers focus of lecture
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Ever hear of Michael or Elizabeth Gay? Lewis Miller?
Maybe not, but surely many people have heard of Rev. Peter Dougherty, the first white man in the area, or Horace Boardman, the namesake of a river, road and lake. The other names, while a little more obscure, are no less important in the mind of Bob Wilson.
Wilson took about 50 area residents through a tour of these historic Traverse City figures Thursday evening, delving into the details of the lives of these five people who impacted the area more than 150 years ago. Sponsored by the Grand Traverse Pioneer and Historical Society, Wilson's lecture encapsulated their personal histories and public contributions.
An avid amateur historian, Wilson relishes the telling facts that bring the past to life.
"I've really enjoyed doing these biographies because fascinating things happened back then and it just makes history come alive," said Wilson, a native of the area. "I'm not a historian, local history is more of a hobby I've enjoyed."
Wilson's interest was ignited by a history teacher at the former Traverse City Senior High School who made dry facts and dates sparkle with detail. When he left the area in 1954, he pursued the history of every place he and his wife, Joy, have lived, including communities around the country as well as Cologne, Germany.
Since becoming involved in the Grand Traverse Pioneer and Historical Society 11 years ago, Wilson has compiled nearly 200 biographies of local figures. These bios range in length but all have led him on an exacting journey.
"A lot has been done on Perry Hannah, so I wanted to look at lesser luminaries," Wilson said. "The Internet is a great resource for research, people put up pieces here and pieces there, it's just like putting a puzzle together."
Starting with Dougherty, Wilson sketched out his young life and the vocation that brought him to Mackinac Island in 1838. From there, he established a mission for Native Americans on the Old Mission Peninsula. Dougherty learned the Ojibwa language and became an advocate for this community when many only wanted their land and to remove them from it.
"He felt for the people he was going to help," said Wilson, who read a letter Dougherty wrote back to his church in New York detailing the inequitable treatment of Native Americans.
By 1847, the same year Captain Harry Boardman and his son, Horace, arrived in the region, the mission was becoming established. Three years later, the community had 40 log homes, a church and school.
Just two years after that, the community was abandoned as white settlers demanded the land. Dougherty purchased land near the current town of Omena and established New Mission. He remained for 20 years until relocating to Wisconsin, his home until he died in 1894.
"The Native Americans loved him, they had a name for him: Little Beaver," Wilson said.
Wilson also detailed the lives of Michael and Elizabeth Gay, two early pioneers. Elizabeth came to the area with Michael as a young wife in 1847 when she was just 16 or 17 years old. She arrived with a baby and was one of only two white women in the area. Her second child, a daughter named Matilda, was the first white child born in the area.
Fluent in French and an enterprising woman, Elizabeth was respected and trusted by the Native Americans. Although she was terribly homesick, often sitting on the river bank and weeping for hours, she persevered. Wilson recounted a story of her resourcefulness.
"The winter of 1847 was on its way and her husband went to the Manitou Island trading post to get supplies," he said. "He forgot about shoes for the three women and brought only two ladies' left shoes. Elizabeth approached the mill runner and got a spare belt and fashioned shoes out of that for all the women. They made it through the winter."