Olds, Millard D.

Millard D. (M.D.) Olds was born on March 10, 1860 in Hartford (Mich.). He moved to Cheboygan (Mich.) in 1892 where he built his own stave mill. He then bought and sold timber and timberlands. In 1904 Olds bought the Clark & Nelson Sawmill, which operated until 1916. He then bought the Cheboygan Lumber Co., including the McArthur Dock, renaming it the Olds Lumber Co. His steamboats included the Schoolcraft and River Queen. In 1908 Olds built his own railroad, the Cheboygan-Presque Isle Line Railroad Co. to remove burned timber on land purchased from Pfister-Vogel Leather Co. He owned vast quantities of land in Mich. and Ore., as well as apartment buildings in Detroit, a sugar company in Ohio, and an orange grove and poultry farm in Calif. Olds eventually bought out a number of other related business. He also owned a wood and coal delivery business which operateed 1907-1964. On Oct. 23, 1885, Olds married Leora C. Williams, with whom he had five children, three of whom lived to adulthood: Mrs. Florence Buhrman, Mrs. Blanche Bernheisel, and Mrs. Gertrude Schupp. Olds died in Grayling on Sept. 8, 1935. The mooring of the U.S. Coast Guard [ice] cutter Mackinaw in Cheboygan was dedicated in his honor on June 16, 2000.

From the description of Papers, 1855-2000. (Clarke Historical Library). WorldCat record id: 46368532