6. Affairs Of Property

  Much of the around 600 acres of land that Osborn bought in partnership with Duluth, South Shore, and Atlantic Railroad president William F. Fitch came directly from the State of Michigan. Acquiring three forties in the heart of the desired property which Osborn considered key pieces, proved to be a tangled affair. These lands, containing most of the area's notably cave openings, had been purchased from the state in 1893 by Charles D. Rood of Springfield, Massachusetts. At the time Osborn sought to acquire the land Rood's property was in the hands of timber man Isaac Whilman of Newberry. Rood, through carelessness or indifference, had given a quitclaim deed to the property at the time Whilman sought to purchase rights to the property's timber. As Whilman's quitclaim deed was unknown to Osborn, he sought to acquire the land from Rood in Massachusetts. Several exchanges of letters and two visits by Osborn to Rood in Massachusetts did not yield the property. Rood's foot dragging seemed purposeless to Osborn. Rood was stalling Osborn in an effort to reacquire clear title to what he had, apparently, previously thought to be worthless land.

Charles D. Rood.

  A frustrated Osborn learned of the Whilman deed from Henry Hoffman, the St. Ignace Attorney working for Rood in his attempt to secure a promised and paid for return of the Rood/Whilman land to the control of Rood. A complicating factor between Rood and Whilman was that parties which Rood had an earlier, expired, contracted with to do the cutting arrived unexpectedly to claim the timber Whilman had cut. Osborn acquired the cave lands from Whilman on January 14, 1900 through Newberry attorney Furman E. Dutcher.

  For the next few years, Osborn worked to find a buyer for the property. He first approached Union Carbide, which developed Hendricks Quarry west of Osborn and Fitch's lands instead of accepting Osborn's offers of limestone lands. Osborn also sought to interest several other buyers, including the new Algoma Steel and American Alkali companies being developed by Clergue. Possible deals with the Clergue conglomerate suffered when the companies went into receivership and through a reorganization in 1903. Other potential buyers were more interested in being delivered crushed and sorted stone than buying a not conveniently located quarry sitting inland and over three miles from rail transportation.

7. The Big Bang      5. The Draw Of Limestone