The camera is facing north on Stephenson Avenue in the mid-1880s in this view of the east side of the 200 block where John R. Wood built the Wood Block, which housed the newly organized First National Bank in 1888, following the collapse of the Merchants’ and Miners’ Bank. William H. Jenkins opened his hotel at the corner of South Stephenson Avenue and East Ludington Street in early November 1881. The three-story frame hotel was considered the city’s finest, rooms renting for $2 per day in 1885. The fourth building from the corner in this photograph, advertising dry goods and clothing, was probably Charles E. Parent’s store. Note the dirt streets and the board sidewalk crossing East Ludington Street. (Menominee Range Historical Museum)

IRON MOUNTAIN –The 44th installment of Menominee Range Memories, a series of articles by William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation historian, now available on the Dickinson County Library’s website, is titled “Downtown Iron Mountain — 221-233 South Stephenson Avenue” which includes the Jenkins Hotel and the Wood Block, which housed the First National Bank of Iron Mountain.

The east side of the 200 block of South Stephenson Avenue was one of the earliest developed areas in Iron Mountain’s commercial district. The Jenkins Hotel was the first structure to stand on the northeast corner of South Stephenson Avenue and East Ludington Street.

An item copied from the June 9, 1881, edition of Iron Mountain’s newspaper The Menominee Range was published in Escanaba’s The Iron Port on June 11, 1881, under “Range Items” as follows: –W.H. Jenkins will build a hotel at Iron Mountain. — Range, 9th.

In the Nov. 5, 1881, edition of The Florence Mining News, published in Florence, Marinette County, Wisconsin, progress on the Jenkins Hotel was noted as follows:

“W.H. JENKINS will, about the first of next week, open his fine new three-story hotel at Iron Mountain. It is a fine building, well finished and furnished, and reflects great credit on the enterprise of its worthy proprietor. Mr. Jenkins has had experience in the hotel business, and the traveling public may rest assured that they will find there one of the best kept houses in the country. THE MINING NEWS congratulates the Iron Mountaineers that they now have one of the best public houses on the range.”

Further mention of the Jenkins Hotel appeared in the Feb. 4, 1882, edition of The Florence Mining News as follows:

“JENKIN’S (sic) HOTEL at Iron Mountain, has got a well earned reputation all over the country. It is well arranged, neat, and excellently furnished. No wonder it is becoming such a favorite with traveling men. Mr. Jenkins and his estimable wife, withal, just know how to ‘keep a hotel,’ too.”

In mid-October, 1887, the Merchants’ and Miners’ Bank of Iron Mountain, a private concern, failed causing great concern for the residents of the young metropolis.

The First National Bank of Iron Mountain was organized on the evening of Oct. 10, 1887 following the collapse of the Merchants’ and Miners’ Bank.

The following article from the Oct. 15, 1887, edition of The Florence Mining News provides a detailed account of what happened, including a typical lengthy headline: “UNHAPPY DEPOSITORS — FAILURE OF THE BANK AT IRON MOUNTAIN – J.L. Edwards, Proprietor of the Merchants and Miners’ Bank Makes An Assignment — A Large Number of Poor People Among the Depositors — A National Bank Organized.”

The story continued:

“Great excitement existed at Iron Mountain and other towns on the range this week over the failure of the Merchants’ and Miners’ Bank of the former place. The collapse of the concern was sudden and altogether unexpected, and hundreds of depositors, the majority of whom are poor people, will probably lose nearly all of their money. The Range estimates the liabilities of the defunct institution at from $10,000 to $15,000, and says that J.L. Edwards, the proprietor, owns and has an interest in several tracts of valuable mineral lands and will probably be able to pay his debts dollar for dollar.

“It is reported, however, that the liabilities will aggregate fully $35,000. If this proves to be the case, it is extremely unlikely that the unfortunate depositors will realize more than from 25 to 50 cents on the dollar.

“At last accounts Edwards was said to be in Chicago, where he went to endeavor to raise money on his lands in order to meet his obligations.

“Richard White, who runs butcher shops in this city (Florence) and at Iron Mountain, was among the heaviest losers. He is said to have lost $2,600. The day before the failure Mr. White purchased a draft for $1,400 on a Chicago bank, and the money was not forwarded. Rundle Brothers, the well-known Iron Mountain hardware dealers, also lost a considerable sum.

“The bank was originally started at Norway by Chas. L. Anderson, who afterwards moved it to Iron Mountain, and a year or two ago sold out to Edwards. The Green Bay Advocate says that a suspicion is expressed that the latter has skipped to Canada with the available funds. The assignment was made to J.S. Shafer.

“Iron Mountain, like many other towns, has had enough of irresponsible private banking institutions, and hereafter the people of that enterprising burg will do business only with national banks.

“The First National Bank of Iron Mountain was organized last Monday evening, with the following incorporators: A.F. Wright, Quinnesec; John Perkins, F. Copeland, D.F. Mullens, B.W. Jones, E.S. Roberts, Vulcan; John R. Wood, Appleton, Wis.; Oliver Evans, A.D. Moore, H. McLaughlin, Wm. Oliver, W.S. Laing, R.P. Tuten, E.P. Foster, J.T. Jones, G.T. Corning, E.J. Ingram, C.E. Parent, H.E. Pearse, Iron Mountain; J.B. Maas, Samuel Mitchell, Edward Lobb, Negaunee.

“Mr. Evans is a son-in-law of H.D. Fisher, of this city (Florence), and the other gentlemen are well and favorably known in Florence. The board of directors is composed of John R. Wood, A.F. Wright, H.E. Pearce, Oliver Evans, John Perkins, Wm. Oliver, W.S. Laing, C.E. Parent and Samuel Mitchell.

“The officers of the new bank are as follows: John R. Wood, president; A.F. Wright, vice-president; H.E. Pearse, cashier; Oliver Evans, assistant cashier.

“The capital stock is $50,000. The bank will probably be ready for business by the first of November. A national bank is needed in Florence, but until one is organized, many of the local business men will most likely patronize the new concern at Iron Mountain.”

In the “Local Brevities” column in the Oct. 29, 1887, edition of The Florence Mining News it was noted: “THE NEW National Bank at Iron Mountain will be ready for business on Tuesday next.”

The First National Bank of Iron Mountain first opened its doors on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 1887.

John R. Wood, a pioneer mining man on the Marquette, Menominee and Gogebic Iron Ranges in the Upper Peninsula, came to Iron Mountain at its inception in 1878, opening the Cornell Mine. Wood also developed what became the Cundy Mine in Quinnesec and was one of the organizers of the Sagola Lumber Company.

Wood, as one of the organizers and first president of the First National Bank of Iron Mountain, decided to construct a two-story brick business block on the northeast corner of South Stephenson Avenue and East Ludington Street.

In early February 1888, Wood purchased the Jenkins Hotel. Desiring only the property, Wood moved the hotel to the west side of Iron Mountain Street across from the present Dickinson County Library in June 1888.

A sale to Peter Ouderkirk, who planned to re-open the hotel as the Metropolitan House, was pending when the hotel burned to the ground on July 5, 1888.

Although Ouderkirk had moved a considerable amount of furniture into the hotel building, the property hadn’t changed hands because Wood still had to link the two parts of the building together. As neither man was insured, both lost heavily. The fire was thought to have been caused by a Fourth of July rocket.

The following account appeared in the July 7, 1888, edition of The Florence Mining News under the headline “The Old Jenkins House Burned”:

“Considerable excitement was occasioned in Florence Thursday morning over a rumor that two or three blocks in the business portion of Iron Mountain had been destroyed by fire. Happily, the report proved to have been unfounded. A fire, however, was discovered in the Metropolitan Hotel, formerly the Jenkins House, at 3 o’clock Thursday morning, but the flames had gained such headway that it was impossible to save the building. The structure had recently been moved in sections to its late site, and two of the sections had not been joined, leaving a space of about six inches at the top. It is thought a rocket fell in there and started the fire.

“John R. Wood had sold the property to P. Ouderkirk, to be transferred as soon as the building was in shape for occupancy. Mr. Wood’s loss is $7,000, and Mr. Ouderkirk’s $2,000, the latter being on furniture. No insurance.”

The building encompassing 221-233 South Stephenson Ave. was known originally as Wood’s Block when constructed in 1888. Various business places were housed at 221, 225 and 229 South Stephenson Ave. As the First National Bank grew, those addresses were gradually incorporated into the bank proper.

In the “RAMBLINGS: IRON MOUNTAIN” column in the Dec. 15, 1888, edition of Norway’s The Current, the following was noted: “The Wood block is the busiest place in town.”

Vandalism occurred in early Iron Mountain, as evidenced by an article published under the headline “Wantonness” in the Aug. 22, 1889, edition of The Menominee Range, as follows:

“Some smart Aleck, who apparently is the possessor of a cheap diamond ring, has been amusing himself by cutting the plate glass in the store fronts of John R. Wood’s block. A circle is cut in one of the lights of glass in the bank building, and a straight cut made nearly across the plates in Ingram’s and Wright’s stores, and also in C.E. Parent’s store. Possibly the perpetrator of this vandalism is not aware that the injured glass is worth hundreds of dollars, but if he is discovered he will be likely to find out the value of plate glass of the size and quality of those he has thus nearly destroyed.”

Under the headline “Festive Burglars” in the Feb. 16, 1893 edition of Iron Mountain’s The Range-Tribune, the following article was published:

“The tailoring and gent’s (gentlemen’s) furnishing goods establishment of J.R. Johnston, in the Wood block, was entered by burglars last Saturday night and a quantity of clothing stolen. An entrance was effected by smashing the glass in the back door. There was no clue to the thieves, but on Sunday afternoon, at the Chicago & North-Western depot, Chief of Police Clements overhauled a woodsman who was acting in a suspicious manner and found in his bag two coats, two pairs of pantaloons and one vest, all of which had been stolen from Mr. Johnston’s stock. The fellow gave his name as Charles Tonkins and stated that he had purchased the goods from another. Soon after, at the place where Tonkins had been boarding, John Shields and George Tebo (sic — Theibault) were arrested. The former had one of the missing coats in is possession and the latter a pair of pants. Both claim to have purchased the goods from Tonkins, and did so in the presence of witnesses. All three were locked up, however, but on Monday Shields and Tebo were released upon furnishing bonds for their appearance. The examination will take place next Monday before Justice Bergeron.”

The Iron Mountain Press noted the sale of the Wood Block in its Nov. 4, 1897, edition under the headline “BUSINESS BLOCK SOLD — John R. Wood’s Interest in the First National Bank Block Sold to Hoose & Co.” as follows:

“At an early hour yesterday morning The Press was in possession of information to the effect that John R. Wood had sold his interest in the First National Bank building to Jay W. Hoose and Edward W. Eaton. Mr. Hoose returned on the morning train from Appleton, where he had been conferring with Mr. Wood, and in an interview with The Press confirmed the report. Mr. Hoose says the consideration was $20,000. The property transferred consists of the three stores on Stephenson avenue with the eleven offices above and the building occupied by Brauns & Van and the city council rooms. There is a mortgage for $10,000 on the property, which Hoose & Eaton assume. A number of applications for the vacant stores on Stephenson avenue have already been filed. Hoose & Eaton will not move their meat market to the building as has been reported, but will remain at the old stand.”

(NOTE: At the time of the purchase Hoose & Eaton ran a meat market at 203 South Stephenson Ave.)

End of Part I