11 Facts About James Ludington

James Ludington obtained a sawmill in the village of Pere Marquette.

James Ludington sold his interest to the lumber company for a large sum of money and became wealthy.

James Ludington was born in Carmel, New York on April 18,1827.

In 1854, James Ludington was involved in a scandal after he filed for the purchase of unsold school land from the state of Wisconsin that was believed to contain some 70,000 acres.

James Ludington platted 360 acres of the land around Pere Marquette in 1867 and sold lots to individuals, developing the town.

Also at that time James Ludington founded the first newspaper in the village, the Mason County Record.

The sawmill that James Ludington acquired developed into an independent entity, called the Pere Marquette Lumber Company, which operated and managed the sawmill and The Big Store.

On July 24,1869, James Ludington sold his interests to the company for half a million dollars, making him wealthy.

James Ludington used a portion of this money to develop the village.

James Ludington lived in New York state as a boy and in Wisconsin as an adult, but never lived in James Ludington, Michigan, the town named after him.

James Ludington died on April 1,1891, in his residence at Plankinton House Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was to be buried at Carmel.