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MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 14: JOHN LANE BUELL, MENOMINEE IRON RANGE PIONEER By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian Buell took a scientific course at the Norwich Military Institute in Norwich, Vermont. In 1857 he went to Kansas, spending a year in Leavenworth. On October 20, 1858, he was one of the first group of young men that started overland to Colorado. They arrived at Cherry Creek, the site of what became Denver, on December 20, 1858. In 1859, Buell surveyed and platted the city of Boulder, and in 1859 and 1860 worked in Central City, Colorado. He engaged in mining in Leadville, Colorado, for six months. In the fall of 1860, Buell traveled with thirty-four companions by way of Pueblo de Taos to the valley of the Rio Grande, and from there to Mesilla, New Mexico, where he was employed at the Pinos Altos mines for a few months. In the spring of 1861, Buell started for the Gulf of Mexico, traveling via El Paso and San Antonio, Texas, to Fort Davis. By this time Texas had seceded from the Union, and General David E. Twiggs had surrendered the federal troops there. Traveling by night in order to escape capture, Buell finally reached the Gulf of John Lane Buell (1835-1916) Mexico and secured passage on a vessel Founder of Quinnesec used to transport paroled soldiers. He [Menominee Range Historical Museum] landed in New York on May 2, 1861. Buell entered the commissary John Lane Buell, a pioneer explorer of department as a clerk, and in August, 1861, the Menominee Iron Range and the founder was appointed second lieutenant in the of Quinnesec, was born October 12, 1835 Fourth United States Infantry, and for a time in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, was stationed at Fort Columbus, located in Indiana. New York Harbor. Given charge of the Buell’s paternal grandfather, Salmon A. state prisoners of North Carolina, Buell took Buell, was a Revolutionary War soldier, them to Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, where who was born and reared in Burlington, he was also given charge of the state Vermont. Buell’s father, George P. Buell, prisoners of Maryland. was born in 1801 in Scipio, New York, and Among the prisoners in Buell’s charge married Ann Lane, daughter of the Hon. were James Mason and John Slidell, who Amos and Mary (Foote) Lane. Their were two Confederate diplomats removed children were Salmon A., George P. John from the British mail packet RMS Trent on Lane, Joana, Ann and Julius. November 8, 1861 by Union Captain After completing his early studies in the Charles Wilkes, commander of the USS public schools in Lawrenceburg, John Lane 1 MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 14: JOHN LANE BUELL, MENOMINEE IRON RANGE PIONEER By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian San Jacinto. These two envoys were business affairs. Therefore, Buell resigned bound for Britain and France to press the from the army after the Battle of Antietam, Confederacy’s case for diplomatic returning home to Lawrenceburg, Indiana. recognition and to lobby for possible He later served as aid-de-camp to General financial and military support. The initial John Love, who was in command of the reaction on the home front was to celebrate Indiana militia, operating against the forces the capture and rally against Britain, of John Morgan, the daring rebel leader. threatening war. However, President Entering Harvard College in 1863, Buell Abraham Lincoln and his top advisors did studied law for six months and then not want to risk war. After several tense returned to Lawrenceburg, where he weeks, the crisis was resolved when the engaged in farming until August, 1866. Lincoln administration released the envoys, On December 31, 1863, Buell married who resumed their voyage on a British Ruth Belle Ludlow, daughter of Stephen man-of-war, but failed in their goal of Ludlow, in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn achieving diplomatic recognition for the County, Indiana, her birthplace. Her Confederacy. grandfather, John Ludlow, came to the Buell remained at Fort Warren for three Northwest Territory in 1810, locating in months and then went to Washington, what was afterwards Hamilton County, and where he was appointed regimental served as first sheriff of that county. quartermaster and commissary. During Her father, Stephen Ludlow, was born General George B. McClellan’s advance he May 5, 1790, in Morris County, New Jersey, had charge of the baggage and supply train and was later a pioneer settler of of the Third Brigade. Lawrenceburg, Indiana. In 1820 he was After reaching Harrison’s Landing, Buell one of the commissioners appointed by the again joined his command and took part in legislature to select four sections of land the skirmishes which carried the stone granted by the United States as a site for bridge across the creek on September 16, the capital, which in June, 1820, was 1862. The following day Buell had located at Indianapolis. He was married to command of the two companies on the right Ann Porter, a daughter of John Porter. At of the line of eight companies that were seventy years of age Mr. Ludlow accepted sent across Antietam Creek to cover the position of assistant United States batteries operating in support of General surveyor, and was active in that work until Ambrose Burnside, who was making a his death at Lawrenceburg, Indiana. desperate charge on the left wing of Due to ill health, Buell decided to try an General McClellan’s army. The officer in entire change of climate, moving to charge of the land skirmishes made the Menominee, Michigan, late in 1866. There, fatal mistake of marching them up the in 1867, he put the machinery into the breastworks on the Sharpsburg Pike, and Jones Mill on the bay shore, operating the before the error could be corrected he had mill for two years. During that time he also lost thirteen of his twenty-seven men carried on general farming, published the forming the company at the right because Menominee Journal, and occasionally their position on elevated ground exposed practiced law. them to rebel fire. In the fall of 1871 Buell paid his first visit Buell’s father, then seriously ill, implored to the Menominee Iron Range with John him to come home and take charge of his Armstrong, a timber cruiser. Camping at a 2 MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 14: JOHN LANE BUELL, MENOMINEE IRON RANGE PIONEER By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian spring which was later designated as the to keep notes by Buell in 1914. Fortunately north end of Quinnesec Avenue, Buell a photocopy has survived.] strolled over the bluff to the west and Buell traveled with two employees, John discovered an outcropping of iron ore while McLeod and John Gannon or Ganyan, Armstrong was preparing dinner. [This was taking along his water spaniel “Jack”. later the Quinnesec Mine, and eventually Buell referred to McLeod as “Charley”, was known as the Devil’s Ice Box.] part Chippewa, and Ganyon and “John”, On May 20, 1873, after title to the land who was a full-blooded Chippewa. Buell was legally cleared, Buell began exploring described both men as “better than the with a crew of fifteen men on the site of the average river men in the bow with either Quinnesec Mine. On August 2 a deposit of pole or paddle.” blue ore was discovered in the southeast Noting that John understood English quarter of township thirty-nine north, range quite well but wouldn’t speak it, Buell stated thirty, which became the Quinnesec Mine. that Charley served as the interpreter. In the winter and spring of 1873-1874 Charley spoke English, French, the first consignment of ore mined on the Menominee, Chippewa and some of the Menominee Iron Range was taken by Buell Scandinavian languages. by sleigh and wagon to Menominee – about They traveled by wagon to the mouth of seventy miles in all, forty of which was over the Sturgeon River and from there on by the State Road. Fifty-three tons were birch bark canoe, except for the portages transported and smelted by the Menominee when they relied on their legs. Furnace Company and proved to be of high In addition to becoming familiar with the quality. territory, Buell’s diary indicates that hunting In 1876 Buell platted the Village of and fishing were the primary goals of this Quinnesec, consisting of forty acres of land excursion. in the NE ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 3, A portable sawmill was set up by Buell Township 39 North, Range 30 West. The in 1876, and in 1877 he built the Pioneer plat was not officially recorded at School House, a two-story frame structure Menominee, Michigan, then the county located on the south side of Paint Street. seat, until March 21, 1877. John A. The site is now a part of U.S. 2. VanCleve was the surveyor. Buell also donated land for the Catholic In 1876 Buell built the first wagon road and Methodist churches. made between Twin Falls and the New Early in 1879 Buell was planning to York Farm, and superintended the establish a newspaper at Quinnesec. construction of the iron bridges at Twin Sometime in late January Buell approached Falls and at Iron Mountain. William J. Penberthy, then foreman of the From Saturday, August 26, to Tuesday, Menominee Herald, offering him the September 7, 1876, Buell traveled from the position of editor of the new newspaper. mouth of the Menominee River north to the On his way to Chicago to purchase a Pine River, Brule River and Paint River, and press and material for a newspaper office then traveled back down the Menominee on February 24, 1879, Buell stopped in River to its mouth, keeping a diary of the Menominee, again offering the editorship to trip.

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