ISHPEMING — Most people in Marquette County recognize the name of K.I. Sawyer, as it was the name of our former air force base. But few people know that K.I. Sawyer, the person, lived in Ishpeming.

Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer was born in Menominee on Nov. 30, 1884. His father was Alvah Littlefield Sawyer a prominent lawyer and author of the three-volume set “The Northern Peninsula.” His maternal grandfather was Eleazer Ingalls, prominent lawyer and judge, who along with Charles B. Ingalls, founded the town of Ingalls in Menominee County. Sawyer was distantly related to author Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Unlike his father and grandfather, Sawyer did not become a lawyer, but headed to the University of Michigan and earned a degree in civil engineering in 1907. In May of 1908, he became the assistant superintendent of the Menominee County Road Commission and in October of the same year he was made the superintendent.

In 1913 he started to work for the state highway department in Lansing and in 1915 he went to work for the department’s first Upper Peninsula branch in Escanaba. He moved to Marquette County and the job of superintendent of the county highway department on Jan. 1, 1916 and remained there until his death.

Sawyer was the county highway superintendent at a time when automobiles were transitioning from a novelty to a necessity and roads had to be built to connect different communities. These roads were often built on old Native American trails and had to be cut out of the surrounding forest. While concrete was used as a road surface, it did not wear well, and Sawyer introduced the system of bituminous surface treatments. He also set picnic tables on roadsides adjacent to M-15, east of Michigamme the forerunner of a roadside park program.

“Recognized as an authority on highway work, Mr. Sawyer made many material contributions to the progress of his profession. In 1917 he placed a center line on “Dead Man’s Curve” on M-15, now US 41 and it is believed to be the first center line marking on any rural road in America. This later was described by national authorities as a most important step toward promotion of safety on highways.

The Michigan gasoline tax bill emanated from Mr. Sawyer. Although he frankly admitted he was ‘laughed out of the house of representatives’ when he first submitted a gas tax bill in 1919, he persisted in his efforts, gained support for the plan, and five years later, although denied the satisfaction of have his bill go through, saw a gas tax measure adopted by the legislature.

He assisted in forming the Michigan Association of Road Commissioners and was its first vice-president, in 1919.

In 1919, as president of the Upper Peninsula Road Builders Association, he was instrumental in promoting a 5-million-dollar bond issue for roads and started a move to get the state highway commissioners salary raised, thereby permitting the building of an efficient organization to handle the bond money.” Mining Journal, January 16, 1944

In addition to his regular job, Sawyer also served as Marquette County drain commissioner for 10 years, city chairman for the 1917 Liberty Loan drive, county chairperson of the 1918 Victory Loan drive, one of three directors of the county’s 1917-1918 food program, and superintendent of county parks.

Sawyer was elected mayor of Ishpeming for three years, 1926-1929. During his tenure in office, he had to deal with the Barnes Hecker disaster. He also developed a supplemental city water supply, instituted compensation insurance for employees and induced the city to join the Michigan Municipal League. For the residents of Ishpeming, he was perhaps best remembered for removing the ban on Sunday movies.

He was busy during the Great Depression. “As executive secretary of the county unemployment committee he helped coordinate relief activities, supervised these activities, handled their financing and assisted in promoting and directing a county road construction program of 400,000 dollars to provide relief work. He acted without pay as ERA and CWA administrator; and in 1932-1934 worked on a special committee created by Governor Brucker to improve the state’s financial condition, the Horton act being the result of this committee’s work.” Mining Journal, January 16, 1944

He was a Mason and a member of the Odd Fellows as well as the American Road Builders Association, Michigan Good Roads Federation, Michigan Association of Road Commissioners, Michigan Engineering Society, Marquette Range Engineering Club, Ishpeming Town Club, Ishpeming Industrial Association, Ishpeming Ski Club and the Ishpeming Winter Sports Club.

Sawyer died on Jan. 12, 1944, after an illness of only two weeks.

“That Mr. Sawyer was held in high esteem by a host of friends was evidenced Monday afternoon when funeral services were held in Grace Episcopal church. The edifice was filled to capacity, with many from outside the county present to pay their last respects. There were road men from every county, men who looked up to him and were appreciative of his accomplishments in the field of engineering and who were pleased to know him as a friend.” Iron Ore, January 19, 1944

Perhaps the best summation of Sawyer’s character was delivered by the Rev. C.G. Ziegler, rector of the church, when he delivered his eulogy during the funeral service.

“There are citizens without number in every community who dodge responsibility or shirk the hardships as they occur. The average mortal has a stern sense of duty when it comes to what is expected of other people, but our friend was of another sort – his stern sense of duty was accepted as a personal responsibility. Those of us who knew him, knew the stress of his many responsibilities during several critical periods of recent history, when by his devotion to duty he engineered the community out of crisis and chaos into safety.” Iron Ore, January 19, 1944