Totem Pole Tales- Forest Township schools- The Gregg School Submitted by Nute Chapman From Onaway Outlook October 11, 2013

   CAPTION: STUDENTS AT THE GREGG SCHOOL.  Unfortunately we do not have the names of the students.  This school was
located on the west side of Black River Road across from the driveway that went to the Mix cabins on the Black River.


   As we sort through our many pages and notes to school history we would like to give credit to the late Mary
(Ennes) Lyon for the history of Forest Township schools.

   Mary worked with Mr. Ellis Olson, a teacher and historian from Cheboygan.  In the next few articles we will 
cover some of the Forest Township schools.  
  
   Forest Township is geographically located in the southeast part of Cheboygan County.  Because of its
proximity to Onaway, it is natural that it has become part of the Onaway public school system, which is in
Presque Isle County.  It is therefore included in the history of the Onaway area schools.

   A brief history of the formation of Forest Township shows us that schools actually began before the
township was formally organized as a governmental unit.

   We are indebted to the late commissioner E. W. Baker, 1853-1903, who compiled a history of the school
districts of Cheboygan County, and to Mr. Ellis Olsen, a teacher and historian of Cheboygan who graciously
provided this information.

   Oct. 12, 1886 the county board detached towns 38N R1E and 34N R1E from Ellis Township and formed the 
township of Forest.  The first election was held in April 1887 at the Mitchell schoolhouse and David 
Bowen was elected supervisor.  The name was given by Mrs. Gregg.

   The men wished to call it Zelda in honor of Mrs. Gregg, that being her Christian name, but she declined
the honor and asked to have the township called "Forest" because of the many miles of almost unbroken 
forest of pine and hardwood.

   District No. 1 of Forest Township Union Schools was first known as the Gregg School.  Later it was sometimes
referred to as the Post School and then in its final location was called the Buzzell School.

   District No. 2 was the Mitchell School.  This may have been referred to as the Welch School or Sabin
School during different periods of its history.  District No. 3 was the Draper School; District No. 4, 
the Tower School; District No. 5, the Hyde School; District No. 6, the LaFond School, which in later 
years was called the Wickersham School.

   Some of the names we find of students from the Gregg School are Florence Erratt, Glen Lyons, Fred Lyons,
Jack Allen, Dale Lyons, Sumner Lyons, Bob McManemy, the Post children and the Comstock family.

   
   
 -From The Onaway Outlook, October 11, 2013, p. 3.  


  
Retyped by J. Anderson.