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This newspaper page contains 14 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
The Alma Record
Location
Alma, Michigan, United States of America
Date
Dec 03, 1908
Page
12
Station agent Reed at the PM depot has quietly aided the town by accommodating local patrons. He has held this position for several months and shows steady effort to serve the public, earning deserved recognition for his dependable, practical service.
The piece honors Riverdale of ficer F. M. Belknap, town marshal and deputy sheriff, noting his long service and unwavering alertness despite aging in the convict ranks. It reflects on his enduring presence in the community’s law and order narrative.
Maynard and Elliott are new arrivals who opened a combined woodworking and blacksmith shop this spring. Maynard oversees the woodworking and Elliott handles the blacksmithing. both hail from Howhall. The firm also manufactures items for Mrs Arthur Wyeth and reports solid demand amid a productive period.
The Cement Man Nostrandt, a fresh arrival in L Nos trandt, has purchased the 40 acre McMurphy farm just north of town. A Grand Ledge native and skilled mason, he is busy stump clearing and cleaning the property. His services are in demand and he is invested in improving his new hometown.
Riverdale, a small Michigan town of about 600, has surged with a building boom in recent years. Pioneering founders such as Mable, Bradley, and Houck laid the groundwork, then new investors fueled growth with stores, a bank, a mill, and a school. The influx of capital and residents transformed Riverdale into a thriving shipping point along the P. M. Fallroad, with more than $50,000 invested in homes and businesses over three years, marking its ascent toward prominence among regional towns.
The Riverdale post office under Postmaster W. A. Bradley since 1896 has seen business soar. Revenue from money orders reached $25,000 in the year ending July 1, 1906, with a 200 percent increase in local office business over four years, and the Riverdale Turn route remains the county’s largest with two routes. The office now occupies Bradley’s new cement building beside the bank, in large, comfortable quarters suitable for rising activity. Bradley is described as courteous and diligent, reflecting his long tenure.
The pickle station built here four years ago at a cost of 7000 dollars has proven profitable for Riverdale investors. Cucumbers thrive in local soil and sell from 75 to 140 dollars per acre. The company pours 20 to 30 thousand bushels of pickles annually and plans enlargement as production rises.
R A Hillsinger of Riverdale runs a large dry goods shoe and grocery store in Seville township. Formerly a farmer near Elwell, he bought the Houck building two years ago and, under his management, his business is growing and becoming a busy Riverdale center.
Tom Talland, longtime Riverdale resident and manager of the pickle station, arrived when the town was a small woods settlement. He has built several buildings, promoted the pickle station, and driven growth through persistent effort for Libby, McNatt & Little News.
John Walrrow has been a harness maker and shoe cobbler for over fifty years. He moved to Riverdale six years ago and is a familiar figure on Village Street. As a craftsman, he remains skilled and steady in his work today as ever.
Old Henry Tucker known as Old Henry moved to Riverdale in 159 and grew into a town favorite. A kind democratic shopkeeper, he runs a small grocery and often became the butt of boys jokes, always taking it well. He remained a generous, endearing figure whose presence brightened Riverdale life and who sent Christmas wishes for a long life.
W D Owens runs a drugstore in Riverdale since 1905 after buying Peed Hudson and moving from Stanton. He carries a full stock of medicines school supplies and sundries and has helped lay cement on Main Street. Owens and his family plan a new residence while Riverdale praises his perseverance and local uplift efforts.
L Houck and Son form a growing Riverdale firm supplying groceries shoes dry goods and stoves. Since 1903 Burl joined the firm and they moved to the Talland building this spring. They plan a 2 1/2 foot wide addition along the north side and recently built a new warehouse while L Houck expands his home. Riverdale’s prosperity centers on their business and community involvement.
Shepherd resident John G. Young opens a new jewelry store in Talland, offering up-to-date stock in jewelry and silver wares. Young promotes a bright line of items and plans to establish a local shop presence.
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