The founding of Negaunee came through the operations of the Jackson Iron Ore Company and their discoveries of iron ore in the Teal Lake region.

Interest in the mining resources of the area that is now Marquette County was awakened following the discovery of iron ore in 1844, prompting droves of people to come to Marquette County in search of mineral wealth.

In 1846, six or seven crude cabins were erected at the Jackson Mountain for the first miners who arrived. After a number of rocky years, the settlement built the Red Boarding House in 1857. Little is known about this building, but it was torn down 16 years later in 1873. The reason probably being that commerce had moved away from the mine property further down on Iron Street, and the Jackson Mine area was no longer the center of town.

Negaunee got its first steam railroad in 1857, and by the time of the Civil War, Negaunee was not only producing iron ore, but also pig iron in the Pioneer Furnace.

By 1862, the center of activity revolved around D.G. Stones’ Store, Dr. Cyr’s Store and the Red Front Grocery at the corner of Iron Street and Tobin Street.

Like the mine, many things in Negaunee bore the name Jackson. The Jackson House was the first hotel, built on the site of the Sundberg Building, which is currently an empty lot next to Barr’s Bar. It was constructed of wood, consisting of eight rooms.

The Negaunee History Museum has the guest register of the Jackson House and have discovered details from those early days. The proprietor in 1872 was E.A. Trelease. His clientele was exclusively associated with the mines and the railroads. In 1872, Sam Wells brought his trained animals to Negaunee, while Charles Thompson brought the Royal Yeddo Japanese Troupe. The register tells of the Palace Pavilion show in 1873 and the Peak and Praeger Concert Company performing on the Fourth of July in 1873.

Meals were served with each rented room. Quite often many railroad men shared a room. There were horses boarded in the barns behind the Jackson House. The register hints at the humor of the times with interesting items inserted after a guest’s name: For William Nelson “a rascal with the girls from Ishpeming.” Gus DeMay “a bloody doggone Fenceman.”

In the Feb. 12, 1881, Iron Herald, a thief stole a box of cigars from the Jackson House office. One of the cigars in the box had been loaded with nitroglycerine, and Mr. Trembath was deeply concerned about the thief’s future.

During the boom years of 1860s and 1870s, three additional boarding houses and hotels were also built. The Ogden House had a short life, it was built on the site that would be the site of the future Breitung Hotel. The Montreal House was built on Iron Street where Pellow Printing was located. It was known as a “house of ill repute.” According to the Iron Herald, many fights and swindles occurred there.

And the Quebec House was at the corner of Iron and Marquette streets, now the 1844 Store. These establishments were never first class and they supplemented their incomes with saloons and pool halls.

By 1881, R. Trembath was the owner of the Jackson House and once again commerce was moving east on Iron Street. The Kirkwood Drug Store, Sporley Hardware and Miller Brothers Grocery were now at the center of Iron Street trade.

In 1881, the Breitung House was built, a substantial brick structure. The Jackson House went down under this new competition and after a few empty years it was purchased for $3,850 in 1898 from Frank Fassbender. The purchaser was Charles Sundberg, who originally intended to erect a three-story hotel at the site, with two stores on the first floor and a hotel office and rooms to rent and dining parlors upstairs. Instead, he created a commercial building.

Old advertising lists, a jewelry store; Dr. Hornbogan, ENT; J.H Ostrander, expert optician, “Defects of vision corrected. Cross eyes straightened without the use of a knife.”

The historic Sundberg Block went through many transitions. It was a glove factory, a dress factory, a senior center, a youth center, a boxing arena, a school of dance and LaFreniere’s warehouse. But like the Jackson House, it too has been demolished.