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History of Stalwart
People first came to Stalwart around 1880. The first five settlers and their families were Richard Hanna, John Scott, Phillip Waybrant, R. G. Crawford, and John Johnson. They got farms by homesteading them. When there were enough settlers to organize a community, the people decided to set up a post office. The first names chosen were either Lincoln or Garfield, but there were already destinations with such names in Michigan, so the Post Office Department suggested Stalwart and that was the name they kept.
There is believed to have been a post office before 1890, but no record has been kept. The first recorded postmaster was John McKenzie in 1890 through 1894. Thomas Fargrave was next from 1894 to 1900. Then his son, Thomas Rothwell, bought and kept it until 1925. In 1925 Chester Crawford became postmaster. In 1946 his son, James C. Crawford, took over and is the present postmaster. A grocery store has always been operated along with the post office. William Tolberth opened the first gas station in Stalwart when he was postmaster.
Other places of business in Stalwart were a blacksmith shop at what is now the cornet of M-48 and the Bill Crawford farm. John McKenzie was the owner in 1888 before he had the post office. George Henry had a blacksmith shop on the opposite side of the road from 1909 to 1920.
A sawmill was run by steam and owned by Alfred Cotton near Robert O'Brien's before 1900. In 1900 Mr. Cotton moved his mill to Diamond Springs corner. James Storey had a shingle mill on the other side of the Springs.
Al Tripp had a sawmill in Sand Ridge in 1913. In 1940 James Storey started another shingle mill and saw mill on the East Branch of the Munuscong River, two miles east of Diamond Springs.
Russell Sims opened a gas station in 1935, later adding a grocery section. In 1956 he sold it to Mason Storey, who later sold it to John Williams.
Stalwart School
Around 1898 the children of Stalwart first went to the Stalwart District school located on the Tripp farm about one mile south of Diamond Springs Corner. This school was later called the Tripp School.
In those days the children and teacher had to walk to and from school, but now transportation is provided for them. They did not have school nine months of the year as we do now. School started around the 15th of April and ended the last of June, then started again in September and ending in the latter part of November when the cold weather set in.
In 1899 the country was divided into Townships, so the children of Stalwart and Raber Township had classes above the old post office in Stalwart. Mr. Edward Brown was the teacher there at that time. Meanwhile a new school was being built by Robert Kinghorn. This school was a frame building 24' x 30'. It was completed in time for school to open in September of 1900 and classes were held there the full nine months.
Some of the families sending their children to this school were the Forgraves, Martins, Crawfords, O'Neils, Kinghorns, and Halls. Edith Sprig, Mr. Holt and Mrs. Maltas were some of the teachers that taught in the Stalwart School. Their salaries were about $30 a month.
In 1941 it was decided to sell the old school house and buy a larger one from Cedarville and have it moved to the present location about a quarter mile south of the Stalwart post office. Bernice Crawford, Robert Beacom, and R. B. Crawford were the teachers for eight years, followed by Mrs. Ford Bawks. The Stalwart School was closed in 1956 and the students transported to the new Raber School and then to Pickford.
Church Histories Pickford Presbyterian Church
The Benton Presbyterian Church was organized May 10, 1883, by the Rev. T. D. Davis. Four years later the Benton Church was disbanded and by order of the Presbytery of Lake Superior, its membership was transferred to the Pickford Presbyterian Church. Rev. H. Condy was the first Moderator of the Session and the first minister was Rev. M. A. Alleyn.
The first record of the erection of a church building states "the cornerstone of the new church was laid July 16, 1902. This edifice was dedicated December 12, 1902 and known as the First Presbyterian Church. The building was destroyed by fire in February, 1939.
Construction work on the present building began August 1, 1939 and finished on September 13, 1939. On December 3, 1939, the first worship services were held in the new church. The new pastor, Rev. Frank R. Mease, was installed December 12, 1939. In December, 1959, the First Presbyterian Church was changed to the United Presbyterian Church.
In October 1951, Rev. John Neuenschwander became pastor and served for 15 years. The present pastor, Rev. J. Robert Walter, came in 1967.
In 1967 the Mackinac Yoked Parish was set up with Pickford, Rudyard, DeTour, Stalwart, and Dafter as member churches. This was done to enable the smaller churches to remain open and active with the help of the larger churches. Rev. J. Robert Walter arrived in July, 1967, to act as pastor of the Pickford Presbyterian Church. In September of 1967, Rev. Frank A. Venn came to be pastor of the Rudyard Presbyterian Church and an Associate Pastor of the Yoked Parish. Rev. William C. Wartes came in October 1968, to be pastor of the DeTour Union Church and to be the other Associate Pastor of the Yoked Parish. The three ministers rotate among the churches of the Yoked Parish. The three ministers rotate among the churches of the Parish, so that worship services are held in each church each Sunday morning.
The Pickford Presbyterian Church now has 343 members as compared with the 78 members of 1931. The church was remodeled and enlarged in 1962 and a Building Fund is now being accumulated to build a new manse.
Pastors who have served since 1888:
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1888 - Rev. M. A. Alleyn
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1889 - Rev. Joseph M. Holt
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1895 - Rev. V. L. Grabiel
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1896 - Rev. William Walker
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1900 - Rev. John Drummond
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1902 - Rev. J. G. Jewell
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1903 - Rev. W. A. MacMinn
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1905 - Rev. D. J. McLeod
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1907 - Rev. William Best
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1913 - Rev. W. O. Nagle
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1914 - Rev. A. Condy
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1916 - Rev. J. W. Bond
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1917 - Rev. R. L. Preston
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1922 - Rev. Wm. McFadden
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1923 - Rev. Simon Hocking
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1930 - Rev. A. Kuman
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1934 - Rev. C. O. Churchill
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1937 - Rev. Frank R. Neff, Jr.
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1939 - Rev.`Frank R. Mease
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1947 - Rev. Gervais Zonatti
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1951 - Rev. John Neuenschwander
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1967 - Rev. J. Robert Walter
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