i
The M i l l e r s :
Boyne's F i r s t Permanent
Settlers
One o f Boyne'8 most h i s t o r i c e v e n t s o c c u r r e d on November 14, 1856.
I n late afternoon o f t h i s day John and H a r r i e t M i l l e r landed a t Boyne C i t y . ' T h i s made t h e M i l l e r s
t h e f i r s t permanent s e t t l e r s o f Boyne.
John M i l l e r was born i n ^iroland on October 10, 1811. As a young man o f t w e n t y - t w o ,
he e m i g r a t e d t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s i n 1833. He s e t t l e d i n S a i n t Lawrence county i n
u p s t a t e New York. On December 25, .1840, h e , m a r r i e d H a r r i e t ( R u s s e l ) M i l l e r who was
born i n Canada i n 1824.
I n 1842 t h e c o u p l e were b l e s s e d w i t h a son, Hugh,"and d u r i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g year James was b o r n .
The year 1855 was an imporant one f o r t h e h i s t o r y o f our town because t h i s was t h e
year H a r r i e t M i l l e r had a s t r a n g e dream. One morning she awoke from an unusual dream
i n w h i c h she saw a hugh bear-shaped l a k e w i t h an abandoned c a b i n a t i t s f a r end.
The
M i l l e r s decided t o move westward i n search o f t h i s p l a c e .
The M i l l e r s a r r i v e d a t N o r t h p o r t , M i c h i g a n i n t h e f a l l o f 1856.
There t h e y met a
man named John S. D i x o n . They t a l k e d t o Mr. Dixon about t h e dream and he s a i d t h e r e
was a l a k e t o t h e east o f h i s town shaped l i k e a hugh bear. They accompanied him t o
t h e s e t t l e m e n t o f Pine R i v e r ( C h a r l e v o i x ) a r r i v i n g on October 16, 1856. Mrs. M i l l e r
persuaded Mr. Dixon t o t a k e t h e n t o t h e f a r end o f t h e l a k e where t h e y found t h e
abandoned "dream c a b i n " . T h i s c a b i n had been d e s e r t e d by t h e Mormons.
The M i l l e r ' s soon found unharveated p o t a t o e s t h a t t h e Mormons had p l a n t e d and used
t h e s e f o r f o o d . The c l e a r i n g once c u l t i v a t e d by t h e Mormons waa used by t h e M i l l e r ' s
for planting t h e i r crops.
A t t h i s t i m e t h e I n d i a n s i n our area were s c a t t e r e d around, so t h e M i l l e r s d i d n ' t
see another person f o r s i x weeks. I t waa l a t e r t h a t two I n d i a n s t o l d t h e M i l l e r s o f
a man named Andrew P o r t e r who l i v e d ar Bear Creek (Petoskey) and waa t h e head o f an
I n d i a n m i s s i o n . L a t e r John M i l l e r was t o work f o r P o r t e r f o r s e v e n t y - f i v e c e n t s a
day. Hugh, t h e i r o l d e s t son, worked f o r Mr. P o r t e r d u r i n g 1857 and made one hundred
and f i f t y d o l l a r s .
I t waa d u r i n g t h i s t i m e t h a t Mrs. M i l l e r went out t o get t h e cows and got l o s t i n
t h e woods. VJhen John M i l l e r a r r i v e d home he f o u n d h i s w i f e gone. He t h e n r e t u r n e d
t o Bear Creek g a t h e r i n g up a search p a r t y o f I n d i a n a . I n t h e second day of b e i n g
l o s t w i t h t h e cows, Mrs. M i l l e r waa f o u n d by t h e search p a r t y ,
John M i l l e r was soon known as "Uncle John" i n t h e community. The Boyne R i v e r was
named by him a f t e r a r i v e r he had l i v e d near i n I r e l a n d .
I n 1869 he became our p o s t master, s e t t i n g up o f f i c e i n h i s home. I n t h e same year t h e i r youngest son, James,
d i e d . He f e l l t h r o u g h t h e i c e w h i l e s k a t i n g home from v i s i t i n g h i s f i a n c e and drowraed. He was t o be m a r r i e d t h e n e x t day.
Not many people know t h a t Boyne C i t y was once d i v i d e d i n t o t h r e e v i l l a g e s ; Boyne
V i l l a g e , Bay S p r i n g s , and S p r i n g H a r b o r . John M i l l e r founded t h e v i l l a g e o f S p r i n g
Harbor. He p l a t t e d i t i n 1E76.
I t waa l o c a t e d i n N o r t h Bojone.
About one-hundred and seventeen y e a r s ago t h e s e hardy p i o n e e r s gave our town a
b e g i n n i n g . They d i d a l o t f o r our community. John M i l l e r d i e d i n 1896 a t t h e age
of e i g h t y - f i v e .
H a r r i e t passed away i n 1898.
Becky E l z i n g a