In Cheboygan County, we see nature’s beauty everywhere, every day.

With our rolling gentle hills, inland lakes, and rivers to the views of the Straits of Mackinac, Mackinac Island and Mackinac Bridge, and on to our majestic forests and farms, we are truly blessed to live in “God’s Country.”

Long known as “Black River Country,” the area around Black Lake and the Black River are among the most delightful natural features of our county. To drive along either side of the river and lake is a beautiful, almost spiritual, experience.

One of the first families to settle in the area, Cuthbert and Ester (Enos/Enault) LaFreniere, moved with their four children from Quebec into the wild forests of the Black River. Cuthbert was a sawmill specialist.

They arrived between 1866 (when their daughter Exilda (Zilda) was born in Quebec) and 1869 (when Nelson, their fifth child, was born in Benton Township).

It was in this lovely country that another pioneer family, Medard “Fred” and Marie Scholastique (Lamarre) Roberts arrived from Quebec around 1872. The Roberts brought their 10 children with them.

Tragically, Marie died of burns in 1879 after her clothing caught fire. Medard later lived with his daughter, Matilda (Roberts) LaPorte.

Medard and Marie had a son, Mitchell. He was 11 when they arrived. When he turned 18 in 1880, he went to work in the local shingle mill with his father and Uncle Eli.

Zilda Lafreniere and Mitchell met a few years later and married in Cheboygan Nov. 7, 1887.

After their marriage, Mitchell continued working in a sawmill, while Zilda worked as a cook in the logging camps.

Like many families in Alverno, Mitchell and Zilda were active in St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

Over the next 17 years, Mitchell and Zilda had five children, William, Arthur, Stella, Frederick and Pearl.

• William married Esther Baier. They managed the Roberts’ store at Mullet Lake for many years.
• Arthur married Elizabeth Phillips. He was employed as a dredge boat captain until he retired in 1957. Their son, Lawrence (Larry), ran the City Barber Shop in Cheboygan.
• Estella and Pearl married James S. Henry and Joseph Keller, respectively, and both couples moved to Detroit.
• Fred married Irene Trudeau. They raised four children in the area.

They were farmers. He also was the hydro-electric operator at the Black River dam for 25 years, until he retired in 1966. The dam was opened in 1905.

In 1904, Mitchell and Zilda purchased a combination grocery store and residence in Alverno from Alex Sova, another early settler. They owned the store for 16 years.

In 1946, they sold their farm and moved into the city of Cheboygan.

Now that spring is here, consider taking a ride through “Black River Country” to soak up the scenery and history all around you.

A great place to start is the St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery and Mausoleum. The cemetery is the final resting place for many longtime area families.

It is easy to get there. From the M-27 and M-33 junction, head south on M-33 toward Onaway. In about five miles, turn left onto Orchard Beach Road and continue about two miles until you cross S. River Road. You will see the St. Francis Cemetery on the left.

The mausoleum is constructed of colorful cobblestones from neighboring fields. If you walk around the cemetery, you will see the names and tombstones of many of the families that settled nearby and worshiped at the church.

Once you have checked out the cemetery, continue driving southeast on Orchard Beach Road. You will hit a stop sign at Lower Mograin Road. Turn left to cross the bridge over the Black River. After crossing, immediately turn right back onto Orchard Beach.

At Alverno, turn right onto North River Road.

As you drive along, you can see the meandering Black River to the right. Soon you will see Kensington Road. Turn right on Kensington to the Alverno Dam. The Black River is much wider here because the dam holds it back.

On a tragic note, on May 7,1919, three brothers, Rev. H. Albert A. Dequoy, pastor of St. Francis Church in Alverno, Rev. Charles H. Dequoy, pastor of St. Ann Church in Alpena, and Alfred Dequoy, a druggist from Alpena, were out fishing and having an afternoon of fun near the dam until their boat capsized and threw them in the water. The three brothers drowned, while two other priests were rescued.