.0^ ,0 o. "'^.A. ^^^' c/ ^^ -.V '^, ^XV^■. ■':s. .^^ :li .V^^ <' ^^ %^ ^ , \ ~ ,0 -0^^^ ^V \' -^ .^0' A. ./> -0' .-iN" -5-^ "^A K ,0 0^ ,0 o \^" o^- ^" "^^ ,-0' ,^" : ■ « A\^ -^f -\/: ^ ^^. v^^ - ^^ ^^. "^ ^> *' a ^ jj ^h V^^'^- c ^^ -,->^r-'^__. ■-, ■'''■. - '^^ ^*'" '*:. ^^^ ■■f ^ \ ■' » . %■ ■^o 0^ '' "^^ V^^ V^^ "'^> NOe< \^"-- '-c-. ^ „ ^ 1 \ " ' % x\^" 'U. ^>^ V .,v^^' "'^-. •^^ ^^' "^^ .%' ':/- n 1^,^ c^ ,-^' '5-. ^■% A^^' > '/>, ,/• ,\. o>' ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS OF MICHIGAN A STUDY OF THE SETTLEMENT OF THE LOWER PENINSULA DURING THE TERRITORIAL PERIOD 1805-1837 BY GEORGE NEWMAN FULLER, Ph. D. WYNKOOP HALLENBECK CRAWFORD CO., STATE PRINTERS LANSING, MICHIGAN, 1916 Mono:^raph Fsu TO MY UNCLE, NEWMAN A. FULLER, WHOSE GENEROSITY HAS ENABLED ME TO RENDER TO MY NATIVE STATE THIS SERVICE, THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. D. of D. JUN \ 1917 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is impossible to acknowledge adequately the debt I owe to all of those who have so generously aided me in finding and studying my sources. To my master, Professor Claude H. Van Tyne, Head of the Depart- ment of History in the University of Michigan, I wish specially to express my deep obligation for indispen- sable aid received at every stage of the work. Special acknowledgments are due to Professor Edward Ray- mond Ttirner, also of the University, for invaluable suggestions in preparing the manuscript, and to Pro- fessors Wilbur C. Abbott and Max Farrand of Yale, for assistance received in the inception of the work. It would seem almost invidious to particularize the officers and attendants of the University Library, the State Library, the Burton Library, and the city li- braries of Michigan, especially those of Detroit and Grand Rapids, who have been uniformly generous in extending privileges to facilitate these researches. The selection of the subject of this work grew out of an interest in Michigan history begun in early years and a desire to make some return to my native State for the advantages I have received from her. The work is now presented as a token of esteem for the pioneer builders of the commonwealth, and to their descendants I wish to express sincere gratitude for the encouragement that has lightened my labor. PREFACE TT has been the hope of the author to call atten- tion to the fertile field which lies at the beginning of Michigan's history as an agricultural commonwealth under American institutions. So far from being ex- haustive, this treatise is but an introduction to the subject. Many of its topics could be expanded into useful monographs. For example, the War of 1812 in relation to the Michigan frontier is here but lightly touched upon; the succeeding financial crisis — espe- cially in relation to other factors causing emigration from the eastern states — the dissemination of knowl- edge about Michigan in the East and abroad, the several land and Indian questions, the rise of lake commerce, and many other subjects equally obvious — all would yield richly to the research of the patient student. The place of the monograph will be clear in the light of previous works on Michigan. The books that have appeared hitherto are very general accounts in which economic and social factors are incidental; here, as the leading title is intended to suggest, we are concerned only with those facts which bear directly upon the beginnings of Michigan's economic and social history. And if we except the fur trade, the period of Michi- gan Territory is well within those beginnings. Before then the spirit of the French period was unfavorable VI PREFACE to the advance of agriculture. The fur trader wished the forests to stand to protect the fur-bearing animals ; the missionary wished the frontier distant to preserve his Indian converts from the influence of the white settlements; in the paternalism and militarism of that period there was little room for popular activity- through local civil institutions; and there was little immigration and permanent home-building; after more than a century of French occupation only a few hun- dred families had been planted in the whole of the southern peninsula, mainly at one point, and these families were interested principally in the fur trade. The periods of British and early American occupa- tion were not essentially different. It was the opinion of Major John Biddle, who was at the head of the Detroit Land Office during most of the Territorial period, that "as an American community, founding its prosperity upon the permanent resources of its own industry, Michigan may date its origin in 1818.^" This was an interpretation by a man of practical affairs speaking near the close of the Territorial period from the viewpoint of the tremendous impulse given to the development of agriculture, industry and commerce by the opening of public land sales at Detroit and the beginning of steam navigation on the Great Lakes. The close of Michigan's Territorial history marks also the close of a quite distinct economic period. The years preceding 1837 saw such unprecedented accelera- tion of economic growth and prosperity, and the stag- nation of all activities following the financial crisis of 1. Historical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan (Detroit, 1834), 163. PREFACE vii 1837 was so general and complete, that these years are marked off distinctly from all that followed. The author has employed the somewhat vague term "settlement" to indicate the process by which an immigrant population adjusts itself to a new environ- ment. The factors in this process, as here considered, may be gathered into four groups, which while they blend into one another, are fairly distinguishable and correspond approximately to four phases of this ad- justment. They center about (1) governmental aids, (2) immigration, (3) active pioneering and (4) institu- tional growth. The first group involves the military- protection of the frontier, the extinguishing of Indian titles, the surveying of lands, the establishment of land offices, the regulation of land sales, the organizing of cotmties and townships, and the improvement of facilities for transportation. The second group con- cerns the sources of population — why people left their old homes, why they came to Michigan, how they reached Michigan, and the qualities, habits and ideals which they brought with them. A third group relates to clearing the forest, cutting roads, breaking the lands, building homes and villages, and establishing the local institutions of community life. A fourth group deals with subsequent growth, when with immigrants still coming in great numbers, institutions began to take on a permanent character; here are noted the checks and stimuli of institutional growth and the comparative rate and amount of growth in different periods, the relative tendencies to village and city life, and the con- centration of rural population, the interaction of rural and urban growth, especially with reference to im- viii . PREFACE provements in transportation, and the distinguishing features of large centers of population. The first two chapters are introductory. Chapter I gives a general survey of the geologic and physical con- ditions which affected the economic development of the Territory as a whole. Chapter II treats the essential checks and stimuli other than these. Together they should help to unify the chapters that follow. The subsequent chapters are based mainly upon those physiographic agents which influenced the time, rate, amount and distribution of population. The part of the Territory affected by immigration before 1837 ap- pears to divide naturally on this basis into a half dozen settlement areas. First, there are the counties of Mon- roe, Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair which have many common physical features, the earliest lands to be set- tled by the French- Canadians and by settlers from eastern states. Oakland, Washtenaw and Lenawee were the first inland counties to receive immigrants and each represents a great line of immigration along which population moved to the interior, respectively north- west to the Saginaw country, west to the valleys of the Kalamazoo and Grand rivers, and to the St. Joseph country in southwestern Michigan. Each of the four river valleys, the St. Joseph, the Kalamazoo, the Sag- inaw and the Grand, make a natural area of settle- ment. The concluding chapters deal with the sources and character of the new population and present a brief resume. The author can of course claim no more for the ac- curacy of the results than is warranted by the nature of the materials with which some parts of the work have PREFACE ix had to be done. Secondary materials, and not of the best kind, have been in some cases the only possible recourse; but where used these have been carefully pointed out. It should be said of the county histories that despite their frankly commercial nature a few of them show real insight into local problems and deal with them intelligently, while others deserve special praise for fullness of detail obviously gathered pains- takingly. In another class are the pioneer reminiscences, many of which are trustworthy and useful. The habit of keeping a diary, or journal of events, common in the early days made it possible for a pioneer to refresh the memory later; many printed reminiscences profess to be an embodiment of facts set down in this manner years before. For some phases of the subject — as the nativity of settlers, the conditions of early travel and transportation, the founding of settlements, and con- temporary local opinion — this material furnishes often about all the information that is obtainable. The vol- umes of the Michigan Historical Collections are a mine of this material and have been heavily drawn upon. The early newspapers have also been used exten- sively. They contain much unconscious testimony of early conditions, especially in the advertisements, and in some aspects of the subject they are quite as valu- able for what they led immigrants to believe about Michigan or about certain localities as for the truth of their statements. Many of them were started as ad- vertising mediums to "boom" their localities and were widely circulated in the East by speculators. So far as possible the author has checked these ma- X PREFACE terials from the more reliable classes of data, as the laws, legislative journals, executive documents, court reports, censuses and accredited monographs. Refer- ences are given for all statements taken from them. The vast amount of detail from various sources which the author has examined on every point should of itself afford sufficient check to prevent serious errors. In this pioneer attempt the aim has been to be logi- cal, accurate and clear, rather than literary; the au- thor will gladly welcome criticism and correction. CONTENTS CHAPTER I Physical Conditions A. Introduction ■ • i: ' "; " ' ' IW ' I. Close relation of geology and geography to settle- ment II. Scope of treatment in this chapter B. Influences of geographic location 1 I. Latitude and longitude _ II Glacial influence on topography, dramage and soil III. Climate: interaction of the Great Lakes and the westerly winds IV. Fauna and flora V. Population and institutions VI. Commerce: the Great Lakes 2 C. Climate I. Chief agents 1. Latitude 2. Lake Michigan 3. Westerly winds 4. Topography 5. Rainfall 6. Forests II. Characteristics 1. Equable temperature . 2 Absence of extremes of temperature and ram- fall 3. Growing period prolonged III. Health 1. Diseases not favored 2. Influences correlative with climate 3. Compared with other states 4. Early unfavorable reports 5. Prevalence of "fever and ague" 6. Imprudences of settlers xii CONTENTS D. Geology 10 I. The three great epochs II. The bed rocks 1. Basin arrangement 2. Elevation 3. Importance to settlement a. Minerals 1) Minerals important to early settle- ment a) Salt (1) Constituent of soil (2) Chemical use (3) Common use (4) Importance how recog- nized (a) By government tax (b) By emphasis in early geologi- cal reports (5) Where and how found (a) Brine springs (b) Salt licks (6) Later exploitation b) Building materials (1) Clay (2) Sandstone (3) Limestone (4) Sand and gravels (5) Boulders 2) Other minerals slightly exploited a) Coal b) Gypsum 3) Mineral waters b. Relation of bed rock to soils 1) As an original source of materials 2) As affecting present distribution a) Limestone b) Sandstone c) Clay d) Mixture over the coal meas- ures CONTENTS xiii E. Soils 14 I. Formation 1. Preglacial tipheavals in northern regions 2. Glacial action II. Depth of soil III.. Fineness 1 . United States soil classification for Mich- igan IV. Distribution 1. Glacial outwash aprons 2. Lake and glacial drainage 3. Morainal deposits 4. Till plains 5. Lake clay V. General advantages of these soils 1. Variety a. Chemical composition b. Mechanical composition c. Basis for variety of flora and of rural industries 2. Comparative wannth a. Sand gains heat rapidly and loses it slowly b. Clay moderates these qualities 3. Moisture well proportioned a. Depth and clay element prevent drying out b. Porosity of sand element prevents drowning of crops c. Absence of irreclaimable marshes 4. Easy to work a. Fineness of surface soil b. Comparative freedom from stones c. Few barren outcrops d. Not too adhesive because of mix- ture of clay and sand e. Not easily washed away 5. Endurance under wasteful farming due to limestone 6. Variations, owing to predominance of sand, clay or limestone F. Topography 18 I. Resultant of two forces considered II. Relation to neighboring regions xiv CONTENTS III. Modifications 1 . By unequal resistance of bed rocks 2. By post-glacial deposits IV. Forces determining area V. The area settled before 1837 VI. The shore lands VII. Surface configuration: how favorable to agri- culture, grazing, lumbering and manufac- ture 1. The Grand-Maple-Saginaw Valley 2. The southeastern watershed 3. The interior hills • 4. The intervales 5. The northern watershed G. Rivers 22 I. General character II. Southeastern rivers 1. The Raisin 2. The Huron 3. The Clinton 4. The Saginaw 5. The St. Clair III. Central and southwestern rivers 1. The St. Joseph 2. The Kalamazoo 3. The Grand IV. Importance of these rivers to early settlement 1 . French settlements at river mouths 2. American settlers seek power sites a. Importance of water powei 3. Their search facilitated by Indian trails along the streams 4. Village sites at junction of creeks with rivers 5. Village sites at junction of streams with Indian trails 6. Early settlements in the eastern water power belt 7. Water power on the southwestern rivers 8. The importance of creeks and smaller streams 9. The regulating influence of small lakes 10. Transportation of logs and lumber a. Necessity of economy CONTENTS XV b. Area served by a single mill 0. Extent of early lumbering 1) Confined to streams 2) Average annual product d. Importance of streams to later lumbering 11. Navigation a. On the eastern rivers b. On the St. Joseph River c. On the Kalamazoo River d. On the Grand River e. Improvements of navigation H. The Great Lakes 30 I. Geological origin II. Importance for navigation 1. Extent of use by settlers 2. Natural harbors 3. Beginnings of Great Lakes commerce III. Importance of the fisheries 1. Extent of the early fishing industry 2. Early accounts of the Great Lakes fish 3. Varieties of fish 4. Extent of the early market I. The inland lakes 32 I. Origin II. Nimiber, size and depth III. The character of their environment: beauty IV. Their fish and aquatic fowls V. Attitude of the early settlers towards them J. Lake formations 34 I. Marl II. Peat III. Muck IV. Meadow V. Prairie K. Flora: the forests 35 I. As a basis of soil classification II. Relation of the forests to settlement 1. Protection to soil 2. Effect upon climate 3. Effect upon health 4. Their density an obstacle 5. Lumbering xvi CONTENTS III. Variety 1. Compared with Great Britain 2. Causes of variety 3. Lumbering a. Latitude b. River valleys c. Streams and swamps d. Uplands e. Kinds of soil IV. Density 1. Variations of soil with density 2. Relative positions of areas of different densities V. Timbers indicating fertility L. Settlement in relation to density of forest 37 I. Crops specially adapted to various densities II. Obstacles to getting first crops III. Methods of preparing for first crop IV. The easiest first crop V. Yield of the first crop VI. Comparative quickness of yield VII. Increase of yield with successive crops VIII. Cost of getting first crop IX. Attitude of settlers towards different densities M. Wild flora and fauna useful to settlers 44 N. Obnoxious fauna 45 CHAPTER II General Influences A. Effects of the War of 1812 49 I. Ill effects 1. Depopulation of the Territory 2. Destitution of the returning settlers 3. Annoyance from the Indians 4. Financial crisis II. Good effects 1. Economic distress in the East caused emigra- tion 2. Detroit's prominence attracted attention to Michigan CONTENTS xvii 3. Impulse to improvement of roads 4. Soldier-settlers 5. Lewis Cass, governor and Indian agent B. Unfavorable reports about Michigan lands 50 I. Reports of the early surveyors 1. Connection with military bounty lands 2. When and where these surveys were made 3. Probable reasons for character of the reports 4. Why inexcusable 5. Relocation of bounty lands 6. How these reports reached intending settlers II. Other reports C. Favorable reports 52 I. Cass's criticism of Tiflin's report II. The exploring expedition of 1820 III. Explorations preceding Cass IV. Reports of travelers V. Travelers' "Guides" VI. Geographies and maps VII. Newspapers and magazines VIII. Letters from settlers IX. Settlers visiting the East X. Duration of the prejudice against Michigan XI. Ultimate benefit of relocation of bounty lands D. Relations with the Indians 57 I. Cass's problem 1. Influence of British presents and French traders 2. Policy of the national government II. Cass's qualifications III. Indian treaties 1. Treaty of Greenville, 1795 2. Treaty of Detroit, 1807 3. Treaty of Saginaw, 1819 4. Treaty of Chicago, 1821 5. Treaty of Washington, 1836 6. Minor treaties IV. The Black Hawk War 1. How connected with Michigan 2. Effect on settlement xviii CONTENTS 3. Its effects complicated with those of the cholera epidemic V. Removal of the Indians E. The public lands and settlement 62 I. Importance of the land question; private claims; accurate survey II. Cass's land policy in relation to settlement III. Significance of the rectangular system of survey IV. Personal interest of surveyors in settlement V. The rate of survey VI. Establishment of land offices VII. Regulation of land sales 1. The credit system and its repeal . 2. Preemption of lands VIII. Rate of land sales an index to settlement IX. Speculation and banking X. The financial crisis of 1837 F. Improvements in transportation 69 I. Primitive conditions II. Water transportation 1. The Great Lakes a. Passenger traffic on Lake Erie b. Lake Michigan and the settlement of western Michigan 2. The Erie Canal 3. Routes and travel from the East a. Typical illustrations b. Cost of water transportation c. Immigration 4. Rivers and canals III. Land transportation 1. National military roads a. Monroe Road b. Fort Gratiot Road c. Saginaw Road d. Chicago Road e. Maumee-Jonesville Road f. La Plaissance Bay Road g. Grand River Road 2. Territorial roads a. Turnpikes b. Railroads c. Plank roads 3. Township roads CONTENTS xix G. Extension of popular government 82 I. Early abuses in government II. Cass's democratic principles III. Obstacles, and how overcome IV. Extensions of the elective franchise V. The spirit of the East in the early laws VI. County government 1. Extent of popular control 2. Significance as an index to settlement 3. Significance of the county seat for settlement VII. Township government 1. Inheritances from New York and New Eng- land 2. A school of democracy for foreigners 3. Significance as a measure of settlement H. Small educational advantages 91 I. National land grants II. Territorial legislation of 1827 III. The log schoolhouse and the "academy" IV. The "Catholepistemiad" V. Educational provisions in the state constitution of 1835 CHAPTER III The Eastern Shore A. Environment 95 I. Soil II. Drainage III. Water power IV. Timber B. Canadian-French settlements 96 I. Position II. Relation to streams III. Unhealthful environments IV. Relation to canoe navigation V. Neglect of the Huron river VI. Slight extension inland VII. Settlement areas 1. Detroit group XX CONTENTS 2. Clinton River group 3. St. Clair group 4. Raisin River group VIII. French fanns and farming 1 . Shape and size of fanns 2. Compactness of settlement 3. Fanning a. General character b. The orchard c. "Yankee" opinion d. Agricultural implements e. Conditions in the small settlements f . Conditions in the large settlements IX. Characteristics of the Michigan Canadians 1. Contemporary description 2. Lack of ambition 3. Aversion to taxes 4. Opposition to changes 5. Gaiety 6. Sociability 7. Piety and morality 8. Refinement among upper classes 9. Patriotism 10. Influence of Father Gabriel Richard X. Founding of settlements outside of Detroit 1. On Grosse Isle 2. On the E corse and the Rouge 3. On the Raisin River 4. On the St. Clair 5. On the Clinton 6. On Otter and Sandy creeks C. American settlement at Detroit 116 I. Conditions in 1803 II. Effects of fire of 1805 III. Effects of War of 1812 IV. Growth from 1812 to 1818 V. The new city plan VI. Streets VII. Roads VIII. Frontier character of life in 1818 1 . Trade 2. Manufacture 3. Lake commerce CONTENTS 4. Public utilities a. Water-supply b. Fire-protection c. Menaces to health 5. Opinion of travelers 6. Census of 1818 IX. Effects of land sales and steam navigation 1 . Immigration of eastern laborers 2. Embarrassment due to Michigan Can- adians 3. Progress of immigration 4. Extension of city boundaries 5. Census of 1823 X. Growth from 1825 to 1831 1. Opening of the Erie Canal 2. Competition with other lake ports 3. Buildings and stores 4. Increase of civic consciousness 5. Census of 1827 XL Growth from 1831 to 1834 1. Immigration of 1831 2. Black Hawk War and cholera epidemic in 1832 3. Sickness of 1834 4. Census of 1834 XII. Period of rapid growth, 1835-1837 1. Congestion of population in 1835 2. Increases of popiilation in 1835-1837 3. Stimulus to business 4. Rise in value of city lots 5. Relations with the interior 6. New demand for laborers 7. Manufactures and commerce 8. Civic improvements a. Sewerage b. Water-supply c. Fire-protection d. Street-lighting and paving e. Change in character of buildings XIII. Sources of population 1. New York and New England. 2. Virginia and Ohio 3. Negroes 4. Foreign-bom citizens 5. French-Canadians CONTENTS XIV. Education and culture 1. Prestige of city as capital of Territory 2. Culture of immigrants from the East 3. Hospitality 4. Institutions 5. Opinion of travelers D. Monroe 153 I. Situation and antecedents II. Coming of Americans III. Slowness of growth from 1817 to 1825 IV. Stimulating influences V. Contemporary opinion as to prospects VI. Rapid growth from 1835 to 1837 E. "Boom towns" 157 I. Brest II. Gibraltar III. Flat Rock IV. Brownstown V. Wyandotte F. Mt. Clemens 157 I. Compared with Monroe II. Founding and growth, 1818-1825 III. Newspaper reports IV. Early industries V. Speculation VI. Competing villages VII. Transportation and trade G. St. Clair villages 160 I. St. Clair II. Marine City III. Port Huron IV. Algonac V. Travelers' opinions H, Interior settlement 166 I. St. Clair County 1. Distribution of population 2. Influences hindering growth 3. Land sales, steam navigation and speculation 4. Lumbering and shipbuilding II. Macomb County 1 . Central physiographic influences 2. First land sales 3. Rapid settlement, 1830-1837 4. Centers of population CONTENTS xxiii III. Monroe County 1. Compared with St. Clair and Macomb 2. Slow settlement until 1822 3. Rapid settlement, 1822-1837 4. Centers of population 5. Township organization IV. Wayne County 1 . Compared with Monroe County 2. Growth of population as measured by township organization 3. Distribution of population in 1837 I. Comparative growth of counties as shown by the censuses 180 I. Rank of counties in 1820 II. Relative rank in 1830 III. Changes in 1830-34 IV. Ntmibers and distribution of population in 1837 J. Sources of population 183 I. New England II. Intermediate sources III. Nativity of prominent citizens IV. French-Canadians, Germans and Scotch CHAPTER IV The First Inland Counties A. Introduction 186 I. Effect of relative position upon the date of begin- nings II. General conditions favoring settlement III. Time and place of first settlements IV. Observations upon their order of founding 1. Precedence of settlement 2. Interval of time between beginnings at north and south 3. Dates compared with those of inland settle- ments eastward 4. Settlements in the eastern part of these counties xxiv CONTENTS B. Explanation of these observations 187 I. Differences of environment not alone sufficient to explain them 1. Water power and drainage 2. Timber and openings 3. Surface and soil 4. Natural beauty II. Sufficient explanation 1. Nearness of Oakland County to Detroit and the consequent priority of its land survey 2. Personal influence and interest of a United States siurveyor working in Oakland County 3. Opening of the first land office at Detroit, leading to explorations into the coimtry nearest to the city 4. The enterprise of Detroit men willing to risk money to promote a village near Detroit 5. The superior natural advantages of Oaldand County in "openings," water power, tim- ber, variety of soil and beauty of scenery 6. The absorption of interest in the lands of Oakland County, which were the first to be brought actively to attention 7. The availability of open land in the shore section, especially in Macomb County and in parts of Wayne 8. The relatively greater distance of the south- em part of the section from the shore, and the intervention of dense forest between the two sections III. Sources of information about southern part of sec- tion 1. French traders at site of Ypsilanti 2. United States surveyors 3. Cass expedition of 1820 4. Fishermen on Huron River 5. Hunting and exploring parties C. Beginnings in Oakland County 199 I. Influence of Clinton River: Rochester II. Influence of Saginaw Trail: Pontiac CONTENTS XXV D. Beginnings in Washtenaw County . . 201 I. Influence of Cass expedition, 1820 II. Influence of Huron River and Indian trails 1. "French claims" 2. Woodruff's Grove settlement 3. Ann Arbor: Territorial Road III. Influence of Chicago Road 1 . Ypsilanti 2. Saline E. Beginnings in Lenawee County 203 I. Influence of Raisin River 1 . Tecumseh 2. Adrian 3. Clinton II. Influence of Chicago Road F. Summary 204 G. How settlers reached this section: difhculties of transporta- tion 205 I. Rivers: attempts at river improvement II. Trails: initial road-making III. "Openings" H. Extension of frontier 2 10 I. Principal agents determining points from which frontier was extended 1. General direction from which settlers came 2. "Openings" and fertility of soil 3. Rivers: Ann Arbor, Rochester 4. Junction of two streams : Tecumseh, Adrian 5. Junction of river and trail: Pontiac, Ypsi- lanti 6. Military road: Saline, Clinton II. Extension of frontier in Oakland County, to 1824, 1824-30, 1830-34: determining influences III. Extension of the frontier in Washtenaw County, 1824-30, 1830-34: explanation IV. Extension of the frontier in Lenawee County, 1824-30, 1830-34: explanation I. Intensive settlement 217 I. Rate and amount of increase in rural population 1. In Oakland County, 1820-30, 1830-34 xxvi CONTENTS a. Areal distribution b. Village growth: Pontiac, Auburn, Rochester c. Interaction of farm and village 2. In Washtenaw County, 1824-30, 1830-34 a. Distribution b. Villages: Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Manchester c. Relation of village growth to rural de- velopment 3. In Lenawee County a. Distribution b. Villages: Tecumseh, Adrian, Clinton J. Character of population 238 I. Nativity of founders of first settlements II. Heterogeneity of sources in any given settlement III. Names of villages and townships as evidence IV. Foreign elements H. Methods of founding colonies in this section 242 I. Individual initiative of home-seekers: Rochester, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Adrian II. Initiative of well-to-do speculators: Dexter, Saline, Manchester III. Commercial partnership: Tecumseh IV. Commercial company: Pontiac L. Types of colonies 242 I. The "sawmill town": Tecumseh, Pontiac II. The "farming village": Rochester, Farmington III. The "stage station": Ypsilanti IV. The "Qviaker colony": Adrian, Farmington V. The "social settlement": experiment inBloomfield Township in Oakland County M. Education and culture 242 CONTENTS CHAPTER V St. Joseph Valley and Chicago Road A. The counties of this section 244 B. Physical characteristics 244 I. Surface II. Drainage, water power and navigation III. Lakes IV. Soil V. Forest VI. Prairies C. General survey of settlement 251 I. Beginnings of settlement 1. Cass expedition 2. Indian cessions and reservations 3. Relations of Indians and settlers 4. Influences of Carey Indian Mission 5. Influence of survey of Chicago Road 6. "Squatters" on the prairie land 7. Organization of local government II. Condition of roads and travel in this section 1. Chicago Road as an axis of settlement 2. Taverns 3. Post offices 4. Platting of villages III. Influence of St. Joseph River 1. Mills 2. Transportation IV. Checks to immigration from cholera and Black Hawk War V. Comparative growth of population in this and other sections D. Early settlement of western counties, 1822-29 252 I. Effect of western settlement on rate of growth in this section II. Counties most favored in this period III. Influence of Carey Indian Mission 1 . Founding xxviii CONTENTS 2. Early settlers in the neighborhood 3. Extension of the frontier from this center 4. Sources of immigration 5. Influence on Cass County a. Synchronous influences b. Sources of population c. Rate of early settlement 6. Influence on St. Joseph County a. Slight direct influence b. Greater influence of the survey of Chi- cago Road c. Sources of early immigration d. Northward extension of the frontier 7. Influence on beginnings in Berrien County a. Niles b. Portage Prairie c. Berrien Springs d. St. Joseph 1) Early French occupation 2) First American settlers 3) First strong impulse to settlement 8. Acceleration of settlement in the years 1827- 1829 a. Survey of lands into sections b. Beginning of land sales c. Establishment of western counties d. Organization of Cass and St. Joseph counties e. Organization of township government E. Early settlement of eastern counties, 1827-29 268 I. Hillsdale County 1. Chief influences a. Chicago Road b. Prairies c. St. Joseph River 2. First land sales 3. Influence of these centers of settlement II. Branch County 1. Chief influences similar to those in Hillsdale County 2. Ohio settlement on Bronson Prairie 3. Retarding influence of the Indians on Cold- water Prairie 4. First settlement on Cocoosh Prairie CONTENTS xxix F. Conditions of settlement in 1830 270 I. Comparative population of counties II. Distribution of population by townships G. Settlement of the section from 1830 to 1832 271 I. Blending of eastern and southern tides of immigra- tion II. Evidences of a more vigorous immigration III. Cholera epidemic and Black Hawk War H. Platting and initial growth of villages in the western coun- ties of the section, 1830-34 272 I. In St. Joseph County 1. White Pigeon 2. Centre ville 3. Mottville 4. Constantine II. In Cass County 1 . Edwardsburg 2. Cassopolis III. In Berrien County 1. Niles 2. Berrien Springs 3. St. Joseph 4. Bertrand I. Settlement of the eastern counties of the section, 1830-34 . . 278 I. In Branch County 1. The central area along the Chicago Road a. Branch Village b. Coldwater 2. Deflecting influences a. Northern settlements related to Cal- houn and Jackson coimties b. Southern settlement II. In Hillsdale County 1 . Jonesville and the Chicago Road settlements 2. Rural settlement in the Bean Creek Valley J. Settlement from 1834 to 1837 284 I. Distribution of rural population at the close of the period II. Distribution of village population 1. Hillsdale County a. Jonesville b. Hillsdale XXX CONTENTS 2. Branch County a. Coldwater b. Branch c. Mason d. Union City 3. St. Joseph County a. White Pigeon b. Mottville c. Constantine d. Three Rivers and Lockport e. Centre ville 4. Cass County a. Edwardsburg b. Cassopolis c. Whitman ville d. Geneva e. Adamsville 5. Berrien County a. Bertrand b. Niles c. Berrien Springs d. St. Joseph d. New Buffalo f . Forest settlement in the interior K. Sources of population 301 I. American sources 1. Ohio, Indiana and the Carolinas 2. "Pennsylvania-Dutch" 3. "Scotch-Irish" 4. New York and the New England States II. Foreign sources 1 . English 2. Canadians 3. Germans CONTENTS 'f'^i CHAPTER VI Kalamazoo Valley and Territorial Road A. Comparison with settlement in St. Joseph Valley 305 I. Precedence in time II. General character III. Influence of Indian trails IV. Influence of physiographic agents B. Waste surface ^^^ I. Marsh land 1. Extent, distribution and enviromiient 2. Its advantages and disadvantages to settlers a. Wild hay b. Malaria c. Impediment to transportation II. Small lakes 1. Extent, distribution and cmaronment 2. Its advantages to settlers a. Beauty b. Healthfulness c. Fish d. Means of transportation 3. Why comparatively neglected Soils I. In the river bottoms II. In the prairies 1. Characteristics of its settlement a. Relation to forest land b. Marginal settlement c. Why preferred to timbered land 2. Distribution in the section 3. The Kalamazoo prairies a. Extent and distribution b. Relation to prairies of Cass and St. Joseph counties c. Unity of earliest settlement in the two sections d. Immigration from eastern Michigan 310 xxxii CONTENTS e. Mingling of these eastern and southern currents f . Intermediate steps in immigration from New England and from states south 4. The Calhoun prairies 5. Other prairies of the seetion a. In Allegan and Van Burcn counties b. In Jackson County III. Openings and plains 1. Extent and distribution 2. Characteristics IV. Heavily timbered lands 1. Slowness of settlement 2. Varieties of timber 3. Lumbering and water power D. Centralizing agents: water power, drainage and means of communication 321 II. Rivers: general influence 1. The Kalamazoo a. General course b. Uniformity of volume c. Bottom lands 2. 3. d. Variety e. Transportation The St. Joseph The Grand 4. The Paw Paw 5. The Black 6. The Raisin and the Huron Indian trails 1. The Washtenaw Trail : relation to the Kala- mazoo River and the Territorial Road 2. Local trails: relation to roads 3. Concentration at fords : relation to first river settlements a. Kalamazoo 4. b. Jackson c. Saugatuck Agreement of Indians and whites on condi- tions for primitive settlement a. Soil b. Fish c. Fords d. Trade CONTENTS XX e. Water power f. Villages 5. Influence of the Territorial Road on choice of early river sites III. The Kalamazoo River: specific influence 1 . First river settlements a. Jackson 1) Environment 2) Geographic position 3) Personal motives of settlement b. Kalamazoo 1) Environment 2) Experiences and motives of founder c. Saugatuck 1) Probable motives of its first set- tler 2. Other river settlements: relative influence of Territorial Road and water-power a. Otsego b. Gun Plains c. Allegan d. Albion e. Marshall f. Battle Creek 3. Early mills a. Importance to settlement b. Example of slow settlement due to their absence c. Location of first mills IV. The Ten-itorial Road 1. Rural settlement a. Centralizing power of county seats b. Influence not separable from that of Kalamazoo River c. Township organization d. Land sales e. Appointments of pioneer preacher 2. Travel a. Need of the road b. Slowness of improvement c. Inconveniences and dangers d. Amount of travel e. Projected stage line f. Condition of road in 1835-37 xxxiv CONTENTS 3. Village life a. Where best exemplified b. Jackson c. Kalamazoo d. Marshall 1) Its promoters a) Sidney Ketchmn b) John D. Pierce c) Isaac E. Crary 2) Ideals 3) Actual conditions e. Other villages E . Deflecting influences 350 I. The prairie settlements II. Openings and plains III. Grazing lands IV. Power sites on tributary streams V. Chicago Road VI. Rising value and scarcity of good lands untaken along Kalamazoo River F. Interrelations of settlements 355 I. Founding II. Mills II. Mails IV. Merchandise and stores G. General retarding influences upon settlement 357 H. Comparative status of settlement in different counties be- fore 1835 359 I. Dates of first settlement II. Dates of county organization III. Relative poprdations in 1834 I. Probable local explanations of disparity of settlement. ... 361 J. Comparative status of settlement in different counties in 1837 : 362 CONTENTS XXXV CHAPTER VII The Saginaw Country A. Physical environment 364 I. Surface and soil II. Timber III. Water power, drainage and navigation IV. Minerals B . Early unfavorable reports 367 I. Influence of Indians and trappers II. Abandonment of the military post at Saginaw III. Misrepresentations by speculators IV. Later prejudices C. Counter reports 370 I. Report by Captain Price II. Reports from the Cass Expedition to Saginaw III. Journal of the "Sciawassee Exploring Company" IV. Reports in eastern newspapers • D. Relations of the furtraders to the early settlements 374 E. The founding of villages 375 I. On the Saginaw River II. On the Flint III. On the Shiawassee IV. On the Grand River Trail F. Transportation 394 I. The Saginaw Trail and Road II. The Grand River Trail and Road III. River navigation G. Early mills and milhng 398 H. The trade relations of the settlements 399 I. Speculation and the panic of 1837 400 J. Areal distribution of population 400 I. The formation of counties and townships II. The censuses of 1834 and 1837 xxxvi CONTENTS CHAPTER VIII The Grand River Region A. Extent of settlement by 1837 , 407 B. Physical environment 407 I. Surface II. Soil III. Drainage IV. Water power V. Timber VI. Openings and small prairies VII. Sites of early trading posts and settlements C. Early reports about the region 411 I. tJnited States surveyors II. Missionaries and fur traders III. Notices in gazetteers IV. Misrepresentation and neglect V. Newspaper reports revive interest VI. First serious investigations looking to the founding of villages and agricultural settlement D. Trails and roads 415 I. Northern Trail and Northern Wagon Road II. Grand River Trail and Road III. Territorial Road IV. Great Lakes and the Grand River E. The Rapids of the Grand. 421 I. Grand Rapids 1. Indian mission and the traders 2. New impulse of 1833 3. Growth from 1835 to 1837 a. Newspaper accounts b. Development of water power and be- ginnings of manufacture c. Trade d. Speculation in village lots and neigh- boring lands e. Effects of the panic of 1837 CONTENTS xxxvii f. Population in 1837 g. Early religious and educational institu- tions II. Settlements outside of Grand Rapids 1 . Grandville 2. Ada 3. Lowell F. The Ionia colonies 431 I. The Dexter colony from Rochester, N. Y., 1833 a. The founding of Ionia b. Early growth of the colony II. The new land office and the speculations of 1836-37 III. Lyons and Portland IV. Sources of first settlers G. The mouth of the Grand 436 I. First traders II. Activities of 1834-35 1. W. M. Ferry 2. Grand Haven Company III. The "starving time" IV. Status of Grand Haven in 1837 V. River settlements above Grand Haven VI. The speculations of 1836-37 1. Port Sheldon Company 2. Land buying along the Grand 3. Scantiness of settlement away from the river VII. Slight beginnings of Muskegon VIII. Sources of early settlers H. Settlements in heavily timbered land between Ionia and Territorial Road 442 I. Bellevue: openings and water power II. Charlotte: prairie III. Vermont ville colony 1. Exceptional characteristics 2 . " Rules and Regulations of the Union Colony ' ' 3. Stimulus of moral purpose 4. Sources of the settlers 5. Occupations represented 6. Obstacles to growth 7. Effects of panic of 1837 IV. Eaton Rapids: water power and heav}^ timber V. River settlements above Eaton Rapids xxxviii CONTENTS VI. Distribution of population in Eaton County in 1837 VII. Sources of early settlers I. Settlements between Grand Rapids and the Territorial Road 451 I. Comparative scantiness of settlement II. Distribution of settlement in 1837 III. Beginnings of settlement in 1836 1. The hostelry of "Yankee Lewis" 2. "The Barry County Seat Purchase," and the Hastings Company 3. Early growth of Hastings, and relations with Marshall and Kalamazoo J. Settlements on the Lookingglass and Maple rivers 460 I. Retarding influences 1. Extensive speculation 2. Active hostility of trappers and traders II. Speculations at the junction of the Lookingglass and the Prairie Rivers; Dewitt III. Wacousta and other water power settlements on the Lookingglass IV. The "Rochester Colony" at Duplain on the Maple River 1. Comparisons with the Ionia and Vermont- ville colonies 2. Articles of association 3. Influences inducing settlement V. Maple Rapids VI. German Catholics in Westphalia Township CHAPTER IX Sources and Character of Population A. Nature and importance of the subject 468 B. Washtenaw County as typical of most of southern Michi- gan " 468 C. Proportion of population from various sources based upon land patents to original purchasers 469 CONTENTS xxxix D. Proportions of population from various sources based upon birthplaces of settlers 475 E. Comparisons and results 476 F. Proportion of population based on representative citizen- ship 478 G. Qualities and ideals of the early settlers 482 I. Exaltation of the individual II. Hardiness III. Hopefulness IV. Self-confidence and self-assertiveness V. Originality and versatility VI. Initiative and leadership VIII. Domestic virtues IX. Sense of social responsibility X. Largeness of outlook XI. Eastern traditions in society; education and reli- gion CHAPTER X Conclusion A. Preliminaries to American settlement in Michigan 489 I. Causes of emigration from the East II. Michigan's invitation to settlers III. Government aids to settlement IV. Relations with the French habitans y. Checks and stimuli to settlement B. Chief causes influencing the rate of settlement 493 I. Michigan's invitation to settlers 1 . Surface 2. Soil 3. Water power and drainage 4. Springs 5. Variety and relative density of timber 6. Openings, plains and prairies 7. Natural aids to communication and trans- portation xl CONTENTS II. Checks and stimuli other than physical environ- ment 1 . Extinction of Indian titles 2. Rate at which lands came upon the market 3. Laws regulating land sales 4. The operations of speculators 5. The scarcity of a medium of exchange : banks 6. Early reports about Michigan lands and cli- mate 7. Improvements in roads and means of trans- portation 8. Malarious diseases and the cholera epi- mics 9. The Black Hawk War 10. Character of the population C. The population 496 I. Sources 1. The French hahitans 2. Settlers from the East and South 3. The English, Irish and Scotch 4. The Germans II. Chief agents determining the sources of this popula- tion 1. Position of the Territory 2. Its greater accessibility for certain elements 3. Its economic appeal 4. The economic pressure at home and abroad 5. The southern barrier of competing lands in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois III. Characteristics of the several elements 1. French hospitality and conservatism 2. Energy and enterprise of settlers from East- em states 3. General high moral tone 4. Absence of eccentric elements 5. The Indians as an aid and a hindrance D. The process of settlement 498 I. Motives influencing particular elements of the population in their choice of location 1. Ease of communication, defence and trade 2. Race affiliation 3. Influence of centers of population CONTENTS xli 4. Environment similar to that of the old home 5. Occupation II. General location of settlers from different sources where strikingly preponderant III. Chief agents influencing distribution of population E. The rate, distribution and amount of arcal settlement .... 499 I. Illustrated by the organization of counties 1 . Comparison of counties east and west of the dividing ridge 2. The shore counties vs. the first inland coun- ties 3. The Chicago Road vs. the Territorial Road 4. The Grand and Saginaw Valleys 5. The county leading in population 6. The county leading in rural population 7. The leading county on the Chicago Road 8. The leading county on the Territorial Road 9. The most backward counties II. Illustrated by population for 1834 F. The centralization of population 503 I. The Territorial capital II. Counties and villages III. Incorporated villages IV. Other villages platted G. Individuality of centers of population 503 H. Economic classes 504 PLATES xliv ^V r4/ 0) a> — c ■"j^ 0) > .0 ? i_ m ~\ ^ ■> u a» -0 c j2 ^( 00 £ CO c C_> V _ . _ a> 00 ^a .i^ ^^^ aavl OAKLAND COUNTY 1827 1833 Pontiac Oak and Bloom Field Troy Farmington Oakland Pontia c Farmingl-on West Bloomfield Bloom _Field Troy South- field 1835 1837 Groveland Oakland «- - Pon 1 / tiac Orion 1 High I land Waterford Pontiac * Avon Milford Commerce West Bloom- field Bloom- Field Troy Lyon Farmmgton South- field Groveland 664 Brandon 263 Oxford 384 Addison 343 \ 1 Rose 202 Pdinsvllle 403 Indepen dence 668 "Orion 593 Oakland 803 Highland 440 White Lake 363 Water- Ford 828 Pontiac 1700 Avon 1289 Milford 667 Commerce 747 West Bloomfield 1004 Bloomfield 1485 Troy 1439 Lyon 1051 Novi 1335 Farm in g- 1724 South- field 956 Royal Oak 825 XlTii WASHTENAW COUNTY 1827 1832 Dexter Ypsilanti Ann f> rbor 1834- Oexter -4- Sylvan -i— Sharon Lima Freedom Bridgewater V/ebster bcio Lodi Saline Norlhficid Ann Arbor Pitt York- Salem Superior Ypsilar.ti 1837 Lyndon 361 Dexter 595 Webster 832 Mofthfieid 793 Salem 1354 Sylvan 480 Lima 895 Scio 1442 AnnArbor 2^44 Superior 1378 Sharon 782 Freed cm 795 Lodi 1063 Pitt 1208 Ypsilanti 2280 Manchester 605 *^ Bridgewater "923 Saline 1130 York 1197 Augusta 559 Xlviii 1827 Tecumseh Logan Blissfield LENAWEE COUNTY 1833 Franklin f- Tecumseh Logan Blissfield 1835 Franklin Tecumseh 2 0) o <^ - ^ - o Rollin Rome Logan Raisin 3 Lenawee "5' CD l/i 3 in F airfiel i Q> Q. 1837 Woodstock 541 Cambridge 523 Franklin 989 Tecumseh 2464 2 IT tH — n o 3 Rollin 508 Rome 826 Logan 1962 Raisin 1076 Hudson ? Dover 680 Lenawte 1151 Palmyra 898 Medina 420- Seneca -431' Fairfield 203 "i — Oqden 198 xlix BERRIEN COUNTY 4834 1837 J ?aw?a^ Benton Bain- bridge 99 / Royalton / 175 / Oronoko 248 Berrien 496 /New BuFFalo Weesaw 116 *- Buchanate Niles 17? <:^ 1497 199 Berlrand ~ 1262 1834 1837 Sherwood 217- Union -260 Girard 448 > Bronson 535 Batavia 357 1 Coldwater 960 1 Quincy 569 o o I Elizabeth 177 i Ovid 209 o H Gilead ->I84 1835 Allen Fayette Moscow Wheat- land 1837 Litchfield 314 Allen 353 Reading 277 Scipio 469 Fayelle 685 Moscow 496 Somerset 441 Adams 279 Wheatland 729 Florida 156 Pittsford 550 HILLSDALE COUNTY ^_ a- >o lOCvJ r^ ^CV. ID CM m a> c ' c CO ^CVj 2 en S". m 5 CM (^ *D 2= CO 5 cu JCVJ o o . Olio _ nj o gco £ '^ 3: IS o r) *,0 0,0 -o II o 1/) -^ CM 00 <-> a a> -g 00 "^ "o > c a> o 2 CO 03 o (0 5 c O C -o - 1 . o 3= c o o " t c rtJ E m 1 S TJ tO O ^ C£) — '•o c: o lO a> ._ CTJ t: -^ ^ Q. (K 4 — o u_ 5 c c 01 a. (T> <0 CSJ 5 on la -^ c •0 E -o O) V> d) 00 s c o u. cu ^ C3 H Z C t> lO n O 00 — to 5 < < -a: I- ^ ^ o CO •JT) •< o° a: o o° o -^O woo 5cM o — Coo '-' s: I— cnCO ^ h^ c — CO O CM ^ - ._(0 vo Z- HI en 2 fc c U) l^ O CD-" o ^ OJ o c to «5 'c Q. * "K t^ 5 O z fc_ _>1 m i_ c m > •«- — -g - — 3 ou q; It) ^ Of VI a> £= o 3 o l^-« 3; -5 "2 o IT5 — -» E o z CO c2 O o en i_ c cu Ol E in o 2 :jz in 5 *> ^ — £ o en c: :t: — -> .c s: < ^ cu «3 ■- *" - ?^ c UJ o a. / 1 cr; - o a, / i to m o *- — ^ 3: fe a> en o in CO ^ =3 rt) m QJ a> ■♦■ c o -> g O 03 •o ^1 ::e i^ c o TO o tn o liii ■o ai Kl c oo •^ ro "O ro O UJ c r> ' — ' Oi — a> > ?C0 §1 * -S'l- E CO Oi > J T3 , / 0) / fsi /^ = !£> 03 /-^ ty> / o ) c I rj x^ • C o.fO s "■ -o ■ 0. "S on o-o E ^i, CT> oi 1g- O c 'c — ^ Z> 1 J" i «n 3 0* 3 H J?; M u ;>< n m CO tf 00 t» ►-5 in ^ H o as Ixix IM. SEAL OF DETROIT {Mich. Hist. Colls., XXX, 337) Ixxi SEAL OF NORTH WEST TERRITORY (Mich. Hist. Colls., XXX, 323) Ixxii GREAT SEAL OF THE TERRITORY OF MICHIGAN {Mich. Hist. Colls.. XXX, 326) ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS OF MICHIGAN CHAPTER I PHYSICAL CONDITIONS nnHE close relation between history and geography can hardly be better stated than in the words of a well-known writer, that "all historical problems ought to be studied geographically and all geographic prob- lems must be studied historically."^ In an account of the settlement of Michigan, therefore, some atten- tion must be given to those geographic and geologic forces by which the process has been partially condi- tioned. In geographic location, the most important single geographic condition, ^ Michigan is specially favored. On the south the lower peninsula reaches to latitude 4r69', on the east to longitude 82°40' -,' it is therefore a little southeast of the geographic center of the con- tinent and within range of glaciation; to this is due 1. Semiple,, Infiuences of Geographic Environment, 11. 2. mi., im. 3. Wjalliiag,, Atlas of Michigan (Detroit, 1873), cited infra as Taekabury's Atlas. The latitude of Detroit is about (the iiQatne as that of Albany and Boston. 2 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS very largely its topography, drainage and soil. Its latitude favors a climate somewhat like that of New York and New England, but so modified by the Great Lakes as to present some striking differences. Posi- tion, moreover, has been a factor in determining the fauna and flora. The population and institutions of Michigan would have been other than they are had the land been differently situated. Midway on the northern boundary of the United States, Michigan was easily reached from Canada, New York and New Eng- land, and on the south from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. The tendency of population in the United States to move westward along parallels of latitude, early strengthened in this region by Lake Erie and later by the Erie Canal, conspired to trans- plant to Michigan the traditions, institutions and ideals of New York and New England." Michigan's situa- tion within the arms of great fresh-water seas aided settlement by facilitating transportation and laying the foundations of the fishing industry, of ship building and of lake commerce. The effect of Michigan's position upon its climate is modified by the Great Lakes through the agency of the prevailing westerly winds, which equalize the tempera- ture and provide an amount of rain and snow that help to give variety to the fauna and flora, to lengthen the growing period for vegetation, and to protect the tenderer flora from the extremes of heat and cold. The resulting healthfulness, with respect to those diseases 4. An interesting result in institutional life is the Michigan town-meeting, which has the powers of the New Eng- land town-meeting, but the organization of the New York county board. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 3 which accompany extremes of temperature, has been of much consequence to settlement. It was pointed out by Alexander Winchell that these characteristics of southern Michigan climate were the distinctive features of superiority possessed by Michigan in comparison with her neighbors. ^ The relation of Lake Michigan and the "westerly winds to this climate is easily understood. The lake contains about 3,400 cubic miles of water, extending along the entire western side of the lower peninsula, with an average width of about sixty miles and a maximum depth of about a thousand feet. This great volume of water becomes a reservoir of heat comparatively constant in amount, since the water, not being as good a conductor of heat as the land, acquires its warmth slowly and slowly gives it forth. The air over the peninsula is made compara- tively uniform in temperature through the medium of evaporation into the westerly winds which blow over the lake in all seasons modifying their temperature from its waters. How great is this influence may be seen from a com- parative statement.^ Milwaukee and Grand Haven have approximately the same latitude: on November 18, 1880, when the temperature was 5 degrees Fahr. 5. Tenth Annual Report of the State Horticultural Soc. of Mich- igan (1880), 155. 6. The modifying effect of the Great Lakes is discussed by C. F. Schneider in a report on Surface Geology and Agri- cultural Conditions of the SotWhern Peninsula of Michigan made by Frank Leverett, Mich. Geol. and Biol. Survey, Publication 9, Geological Series 7 (1912), 28-32. Two plates (pp. 30, 31) show January and July mean tem- peratures from 1886 to 1911. 4 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS above freezing at Milwaukee it was 18 degrees at Grand Haven on the Michigan shore. ^ It was found that extreme cold at Grand Haven for a series of win- ters was fourteen degrees less than at Milwaukee. "^ In the number of days of growing weather, a factor very significant for the tenderer vegetation, Grand Haven has been found to gain over Milwaukee thirteen days in spring and five in autumn, a condition that is chiefly responsible for the Michigan fruit belt.^ The entire western shore of the peninsula shares in varying de- gree this comparative mildness of temperature and freedom from early frosts for a distance of from five to ten miles inland. On May 16, 1868, a frost which was destructive in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio did no damage in the Michigan fruit belt as far north as Grand Traverse Bay.^° Extreme winter weather on the southern shore of the lake at New Buffalo, Berrien County, averages about twelve degrees higher than a 7. Mich. Horticultural Soc. Rep. (1880), 158. 8. Ihid., 163. 9. Ihid., 161. See Leverett, op. cit., 39-41, for plates giving the average date of the last killing-frost in spring and the first killing-frost in autumn for a series of years, also the average length of the crop-growing season. The Detroit Gazette, March 27, 1818, comments on the very cold summer of 1816 and resultant destruction of crops; kill- ing-frosts are said to have occurred every month during the summer. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 358. The re- lation of the climate and soil of the western shore to fruit growing is well considered in the History of Berrien and Van Biiren Counties, 118-126, with references. 10. Mich. Horticultural Soc. Rep., (ISSO), 160. The Detroit Free Press, in an editorial of May 6, 1836, directed the attention of immigrants to the northern part of the State, affirming that the climate was not colder at Mackinac than in New York. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 5 little way around the shore at Chicago." These con- ditions are illustrated by the isotherms of extreme minimum and extreme maximimi temperatures, which run almost north and south along nearly the whole western shore of the peninsula.^- These contrasts hold, though to a less marked de- gree, for the interior of the peninsula. A series of records taken when the average July temperature was 68.8 degrees Fahr. at Grand Haven shows the ther- mometer averaging 72 degrees for Grand Rapids and 72.3 degrees for Ionia. ^^ The eastern shores of Michi- gan were influenced in a similar manner.^' Flora native to Ohio and central Illinois are found liberally distributed over the southern half of the peninsula. ^^ It was Winchell's judgment that the seasonal tempera- tures of Michigan, if carefully regarded, would permit its people to raise all of the products suited to the climate of Kentucky, Missouri and Northern Texas. ^^ 11. Mich. Horticultural Soc. Rep., (1880), 163. 12. Tackabury's Atlas, 46. 13. vSee Mich. Geological Survey Rep., (1901), 83-84, foraverage temperatures by months for west-central Michigan be- tween the latitudes of White Cloud and Allegan. 14. See charts of seasonal isotherms of Michigan in Tacka- bury's Atlas, 45-46, and in the sixth annual report of the State Board of Health (1878), and in the Sixth Annual Report of the State Board of Health (1878), 194, 197. Mich. Geological Rep. (1900), Part I, 101-105, gives de- tailed climatic data for Monroe County. In "The Cli- mate of Detroit" (Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 367-383) Bela Hubbard gives an excellent description of climatic condi- tions in southern Michigan, and compares them with those of New York and New England. 15. Mich. Horticultural Soc. Rep. (1880), 429. 16. Ibid., 163. See Winchell, Sparks from a Geologist's Ham- mer, 200-233, for general climatic conditions in the region of the Great Lakes; also Mark S. W. Jefferson, Geography of Michigan, 29-39. 6 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Among the additional influences affecting Michigan's cHmate are topography, rainfall and the forests. The undulating surface, presenting slightly unequal eleva- tions, operates to prevent frosts by keeping the air in motion on hillsides. A difference of a hundred feet in elevation may make a difference on a clear cold night of many degrees in temperature. ^^ If this had been understood by the early settlers of Michigan it would have led themi to choose the hillsides for their orchards instead of the lower level lands, and would have saved them many a crop of fruit. Evaporation from the sur- face of interior lakes and streams has tended to moder- ate temperature, and the forests have affected the sup- ply of moisture. The average precipitation in Michi- gan, including both rain and snow, is about thirty inches;''^ less snow than falls in the same latitude of New York and New England but more rainfall, owing to the shorter winter and longer summer.'^ These are climatic conditions that favor health. Michigan's average mean annual temperature of 46 degrees Fahr. falls within the zone of greatest health, which ranges from 45 degrees to 60 degrees. The moderate lake winds, tempering the winters, ^° are 1 7 . Resources of Michigan ( 1 893) , 42 . 18. Mich. Horticultural Soc. Rep. (1880), 429. 19. vSee for winter, summer and annual precipitation, Tacka- bury's Atlas, 49; Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1901), 83-84; Mich. State Board of Health Rep. (1878), 194; Schneider, in Michigan Geological and Biol. Survey, Pub. 9, Geol. Series 7, pp. 35, 38, 42, 43, 47. 20. There have been, of course, many exceptions to the general moderation of winter and summer. One exceedingly cold winter, with deep snows, occurred in 1842-43, when there was much suffering; roads were impassable, stock was lost, and game perished. History of Berrien and Van PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 7 unfavorable to all diseases of the lungs and mu- cous linings of throat and nose; while the same agencies, cooling the summer's heat, are unfa- vorable to all diseases common to high tempera- tures. The configuration of the surface favored the health of settlers, by insuring a complete system of lively streams flowing to the Great Lakes. Good drainage, combined with porous drift formations, in- sured an abundance of pure drinking water in numer- ous springs and wells. Michigan's pine forests, pro- ducing ozone and favoring greater purity of air by decomposing the products of decay, were early re- garded as "the western haven for consumptives," ^^ Blois says in his Gazetteer (1838), that Michigan was reported by immigrants to be healthier than central Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, -^ and adduces evidence from animals slaughtered for the Detroit market to show that animal life in Michigan was less subject to liver complaints than in Ohio by chances of seven to one.^^ He found no evidence of an original case of consump- tion among the white settlers of Michigan, but many instances of relief obtained by immigrants. ^^ 21. A. C. McLaughlin, History of Higher Education in Michigan, (Washington, 1891), \2\Mich. State Board of Health Rep. (1878), 208. 22. Blois, Gazetteer of Michigan, (New York, 1838), 126. 23. Ibid., 127. 24. Ibid., 126. The United States statistics of 1870, however, show about the same per cent of pulmonary consumption Bviren Counties (Phila., 1880), 345; Mich. Joint Docu- ments (1844), No. 52, p. 6. Curiously enough, that severe winter was preceded by three winters whose mild- ness is said to have caused much favorable comment when comparing weather conditions in Michigan with those in New England. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXI, 211. 8 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Yet in the days of early settlement, the idea was prevalent in the East that Michigan's climate was not healthful.-^ This idea was probably due, partly, to the tradition that the interior of Michigan was very swampy; but it was due more largely to reports of the actual sickness among the early settlers from malarial diseases. The pioneers themselves explained the "fever and ague" as consequent upon the natural conditions of pioneering. 26 According to their theory, the plow- ing of the land, which turned up decayed vegetation to the direct rays of the sun poisoned the air, and they noted that up to a certain point "fever and ague" spread in proportion as settlement advanced. On the other hand, as the whole of a large area became cleared up the disease tended to disappear. The disease was more often annoying than fatal, attacking settlers in the season when they most needed to be well. It was observed to come on with the spring plowing and to last until the first frost in the fall, and there were few who were not troubled with "fever and ague" at some time during that period. In 1840 in the township of Commerce, one of the best settled townships in Oak- land County, "the various dwellings within the bounds of the afflicted region were one vast series of hospi- tals"" — the white population of the county was then 25. Ibid., 125. 26. See end of this chapter for notice of the mosquito as a car- rier of disease. 27. Mich. Hist. Colls., XIV, 427. in Michigan as in central Ohio, southern New York, southern Vermont, western Massachusetts and Connec- ticut, Maryland, eastern Virginia and northern Indiana, which caused between fourteen and twenty per cent of all deaths in Michigan. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 9 23,590, and this township, then of its present size, had nearly a thousand people. ^^ Weight seemed to be given to this pioneer theory by the fact that the good natural drainage of the county favored the rapid de- crease of the disease as the county grew older and as drainage came to receive more attention from public law. Hoffman, a traveler visiting Michigan in 1833 from New York, expresses this theory. He regarded it as a wonder that a majority of the settlers should escape with their lives. He deplored the fact that the anxiety of new settlers to have a crop the first year should in- duce them to plow up in June a soil "reeking with vegetable decomposition," and allow it "to steam up for months under their very nostrils." He mentions others settling near marshes for the sake of the wild hay and drinking the water from the marsh streams or from wells into which marsh-water percolated. A law of the Territory forbade the flooding of green timber when constructing mill ponds, because it was held so pernicious to health as to affect the value of property near the pond.^^ Hoffman observes that settlers re- peatedly violated this law in their anxiety to have mills at once. The position, climate and local environment of Mich- igan influenced vitally the extent, variety and distri- bution of the forests, fruits, grasses and wild animals 28. Michigan Territorial Laws, III, 1275; U. S. Census (1840), 445. 29. Hoffman, A Winter in the West, 1, 193. For material bear- ing on the early theory of malarious diseases, see Mich. State Board of Health Rep. (1878), 209. The law re- ferred to is found in Territorial Laws, II, 690. 10 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS useful to the settlers. These were results closely bound up also with topography, drainage and soil; to present them intelligibly involves a reference to at least the larger aspects of the formation and structure of the peninsula. In Michigan's geological history the three great facts are the deposition of the pre-pleisto- cene rocks in the preglacial seas, the erosion of these and covering with the glacial drift of rock and soil, and the subsequent erosion, weathering and mixture of these materials with decayed vegetation. The bed- rocks have their most obvious significance for settle- ment in their arrangement and elevation; they govern the distribution of minerals throughout the peninsula and materially affect its topography and soil. The arrangement of the bedrocks of the southern peninsula is simple. They have been often compared to a series of basins lying one within the other, succes- sively shallower towards the one at the center. •'''' At the center of the peninsula lie the "fossil swamp- lands" of the coal basin, covering nearly a fifth of its area;'' and circling about this lie the rims of other basins varying in width and cropping out in places through the overlying soil.'- In most of the peninsula these rocks average in elevation not more than two hundred feet above the level of the surrounding lakes, reaching their highest elevation in the southern part 30. See the geological map of the lower peninsula in Mich. Geol. Survey. Rep., Ill, Part I, and in Tackabury's Atlas, 38-39. See for discussion also the fourth report of the State Geologist in Senate Document (1841), No. 16, 137. 31. Mich. Geol. Survey, Rep., VIII, 234. 32. For rock contours, see plate II, in Mich. Geol. and Biol. Survey, Pub. 9, Geol. Series 7, opposite p. 18. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 11 of the peninsula at the northern and southern ex- tremities of the southeastern divide, in the counties of Oakland and Hillsdale. ^^ Their minerals are various and widely distributed.^* Those most important for early settlement were salt and materials for buildings and roads. The use of salt in the chemical industries, for soda-ash, bitterns, etc., was not significant until a later period of settle- ment, but its common household and farm use was important, almost imperative. The necessity of salt for comfortable living is emphasized in the salt taxes of many governments, and its economic importance and supposed abundance in Michigan appears to have been a very strong influence in motivating the first Michigan geological survey expedition. ^^ Salt is commonly found in Michigan in brine wells and springs contained in the argillaceous strata, depending on the degree of subdivision; it appears in great abundance in the Saginaw country. Salt streams and salt licks were 33. Sixth Rep. Mich. Acad, of Science, 104. 34. There is a good brief discussion of the several formations with reference to their economic products in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep., IX, Part II, 13-36. 35. The first geological expedition (1837) was made into the Saginaw region to examine the salt springs, an account of which is given in Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 189-201. The larger part of Houghton's report on the brine springs of this region (1838) is in Lanman's History of Michigan, 354-363. Note the emphasis upon salt in the early State Geological reports in House Document (1839), No. 2, 39-45; House Document (1840), No. 2, (I), 18-23; ]oint Document (1841), No. 5, 235-254; House Document (1842), No. 2, 15-21; Senate Document (1843), No. 9, 402-408; see Mich. Geol. Survey Rep., Mineral Resources (1912), pp. 315-336, for bibhography of the Michigan salt in- dustry. 12 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS not uncommon, and in some cases they appear to have influenced settlement directly; a French settlement in southern Macomb County is said to have been induced by the ease of obtaining salt at the mouth of Saline creek ;36 the site of Saline in Washtenaw, on Saline River, was the site of an extensive deer-lick." Salt was not manufactured on a commercial scale in Mich- igan until much later than this period. ^^ Clay, sand and gravel, though formed and distrib- uted by glacial action, have their sources in the bed- rock. They make excellent building and road ma- terials and are almost everywhere abundant. A pure clay surface, or one in which clay is largely predom- inant, is likely to produce muddy roads and streets. Of this character were the roads leading from the eastern shore to the interior and the impediment they offered to settlement was one of the strong influences that led to the early introduction of the railway. ^^ The report that the citizens of Detroit commonly had to cross the streets in the wet season on horseback is probably no great exaggeration.'*" Heavy roads of clear sand were the opposite extreme on the western shore. The prevailing condition in the interior, how- ever, is a mixture of clay and sand, which the settlers by aid of abundant gravel could fashion into excellent thoroughfares. Sand was early used for glass manu- 36. History of Macomb County (Chicago, 1882), 142. 37. History of Washtenaw County (Chicago, 1881), 1369, 1373. 38. Not until 1860, and not profitably until much later; but in these deposits there was the possibility, now reaHzed, of supplying one-fourth of the sale in the United States. Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1901), 135. 39. See Lenawee County, in chapter IV, this volume. 40. See Detroit, in chapter III, this volume. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 13 facture at Monroe and Alt. Clemens; and brick, though apparently not of the best quality, was early made at Detroit. Sandstone, from which the clays, sands and gravels are mainly derived is distributed in two wide rims, one immediately about the coal measures, the source of the beds along Sandstone creek in Jackson County ;^^ a second in a much wider circle furnished the quarries at Jonesville, Napoleon, Battle Creek and Marshall.*^ A thin rim of carbonaceous limestone circles between these sandstone areas, but its outcrops are very limited. Ledges of this rock form the rapids at Grand Rapids.'*^ The principal limestone area is the wide rim outcropping in Monroe and Wayne counties; it forms the rapids in the Raisin at Monroe and the beds of many rivers.^^ The boulders, of glacial origin, have in late years been much used for building. Coal and gypsum were but slightly exploited in the early period of settlement and hence, though today they are of very great importance, they can properly receive here only passing notice. Lying under a cloak of glacial and lake deposits, the coal basin covers a central area of about seven thousand square miles, estimated to contain some eight billion tons of coal.'*^ The extensive gypsum beds of Kent County form the 41. Lanman, History of Michigan, 348-351. 42. Blois, Gazetteer (New York, 1839), 39. 44. Blois, Gazetteer, 292; Mich. House Doc. (1840), No. 5, p. 42. 45. Blois, 349. 46. Mich. Geol. Siirvey Rep. (1901), 127. For the mode of occurrence and quality of Michigan coal, see Ibid., VIII, Part II, (nine plates and colored map showing area of deposit); also Smith, Mineral Resources (1912), 257-303. 14 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS important plaster industry near Grand Rapids.''^ Mineral springs were early observed; one of sulphu- reted hydrogen in Monroe County is said to have fur- nished enough power to run a small mill/^ The three principal soil types of the peninsula are determined by the relative predominance of sand, clay, and lime."^ The rims of bedrock have by various agencies, principally those of glacial and water action, given their own character to the soils immediately above them, especially where they have come com- paratively close to the surface. The outer rim of limestone underlying the eastern shore lands helps to give a distinctly calcareous soil to Wayne and Monroe counties. ^"^ The sandstone under the southeastern watershed and the western shore may be partly re- sponsible for the sandy pine-bearing soil of Oakland, also of Saginaw and Ottawa counties, and of the northern part of the peninsula. ^^ Corresponding to the mixed rocks of the coal measures there is a cor- responding variety in the soil.^-. The composition of the soil may be regarded from the point of view either of its mechanical or its chemi- cal composition. Its mechanical composition is due largely to forces released by glacial action. In its chemical composition the bed rocks have a large share. 47. See "Michigan and the Plaster Industry," in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. IX, Part II, (twenty-nine plates). 48. Blois, Gazetteer, 45, 232; Houghton's report, in Lanman's Michigan, 364-365. 49. Winchell, Soils and Sub-soils, 75. 50. Lanman, Michigan, 351; Winchell, Soils and Sub-soils, 79. 51. Winchell, Soils and Sub-soils, 78. 52. Ibid., 76. The counties affected by each of these forma- tions can be seen on the map in Tackabury's Atlas, 38-39. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 15 The requisites to the fertihty of the soil, while partly organic, are largely inorganic. The great bulk of it is composed of mineral substances derived from rock formations, '"^ and of these the rocks of the southern peninsula furnished a large proprotion of all but the alumina and potash, ^^ which were derived from the mica and feldspar in the pre-Cambrian formations. Much of the sand came from the latter source — the quartzites, granites, syenites, and gneissoid rocks of re- gions north of the peninsula — traceable even to rocks as far north as Hudson Bay. The transporting agents were the ancient continental glaciers. While there appears to be little agreement as to the cause, advance and retreat of these great ice masses, geologists concur as to the fact of the pheno- menon, and that it affected in varying degree all of the northern continents. ^^ As they advanced, scouring and grinding the rocks of the lower peninsula, the soil products were thoroughly mixed and spread in vary- ing thickness over a surface worn down and smoothed. The thickness of these glacial deposits average about three hundred feet. The greatest depth is not known. 53. Silica, alumina, lime, magnesia, oxide of iron, oxide of magnesia, potash, soda, chlorine, sulphuric acid, car- bonic acid. 54. Resources of Michigan (Lansing, 1893), 40. 55. For theories of the advance and cause of the ice age, see Lane, "The Surface Geology of Michigan," in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1907), 98-101. There is a good out- line for the southern part of the peninsula in Leverett, "Glacial Geology of Southeastern Michigan," in U. S. Geol Survey (1899), Monograph XXXVIII, 339-379, 386-406, 432-450. A good brief bibliography of the glacial history and deposits of Michigan is given by Leverett in the Sixth Rep. Mich. Acad, oj Science (1904), 100-110. 16 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Deep well borings have penetrated sixteen hundred feet and it is thought probable that they may reach an ex- treme depth of two thousand feet.^"^ It would be expect- ed from what has been said of the greatest elevation of the bed rocks, the soil would be thinnest on the glacial moraines, and that is found to be true; for example, in parts of Jackson and Hillsdale counties." The fineness of these soils, their mechanical composi- tion, is due obviously to forces introduced by glacial action, varying with the degree to which the rocks were broken up; and to the same agencies is due their mechanical distribution. The United States Bureau of Soil's scheme of soil classification for Michigan, based on mechanical composition, shows twenty varieties of soil varying from fine clay to the coarsest gravel, and the Michigan geological survey for 1907 has mapped the distribution of these under six principal groups. ^'^ 56. Mich Geol. Survey Rep. (1907), 101. 57. Sio(^th Rep. Mich. Acad, of Science, 103, 104. A special study has been made of soil depths in Monroe County, in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep., VII, 192 (Contains contour map of various depths). The average thickness of the drift in the lower peninsula is about 300 feet. See Leverett's discussion in Mich. Geol. and Biol. Survey, Pub. 9, Geol. Series 7 (1912), 19-20. 58. For brief description of the soils of the State and their adaptibility to agriculture, see Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1907), 115-119. Accompanying this is a soil map of the State prepared by J. F. Nellist (in pocket), based upon the twenty fine-soil divisions made by the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau of Soils. The latter ser- vice has prepared soil maps of the vicinities of Owosso, Allegan, Alma, Pontiac, Saginaw and Cass counties. On this map, the glacial outwash aprons (represented by bright yellow) indicate the better class of sandy lands, fine sandy soils resulting directly from glacial over-wash or deposited in glacial lakes. They are widely distrib- PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 17 The general advantages of these soils are many and important. Some of them will be already apparent. Their great variety in both chemical amd mechanical composition and the comparatively wide distribution of most of them, laid the basis for a wide range of flora and of rural industries. The wide distribution uted but are most extensive in the south and west of the peninsula and along the crest of the southeastern divide above the bed-rock sandstone. The poorer sandy lands (light yellow), due mainly to glacial drainage, are found over the sandstone beds along the shore of Lake Michigan, also in narrow bands through the heavy clay along the eastern shore and around the head of Saginaw Bay. The soils of greatest extent are those of morainal origin. Both of the morainal soils cover a somewhat rolling and stony surface. That in which clay pre- dominates (solid red) is distributed mainly in wide bands which mark the successive projections of the Sag- inaw and Huron ice lobes into the interior. The soil of similar character (stippled red) in which sand predom- inates is of looser texture and covers wide areas over the southern and central portions of the peninsula. The till plains (blue) have more clay than the morainal soils and cover a less hilly, or even level, surface, lying be- tween the moraines. They are a fine sandy clay and cover portions of the southern limestone areas, but they are most abundant between the moraines southwest of Saginaw Bay. Along the eastern shore, covering a large part of Monroe, Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair counties and reaching inland from Saginaw Bay far south into Shiawassee County, is a stiff lake clay (green) represent- ing the ancient glacial lake bottom over limestone areas. This is one of the most fertile soils of the peninsula, and was the first with which settlers from the East came in contact. Its heavy forests of ash and elm seriously checked its settlement. See also map (new edition of Lane's map of 1907) of a somewhat more minute classi- fication, in Mich. Geol. and Biol. Survey, Pub. 9, Geol. Series 7 (1912), opposite p. 12. Detailed data is given in the same volume (pp. 87-140), by counties, arranged alphabetically, sho^ving area, swamp and lake sections, and the predominant soils in each township. 3 18 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS and abundant proportions of sand, which gains heat rapidly, gives warmth to the soil, moderated by the presence of clay. Mositure is well proportioned. The porosity of the sand prevents the drowning of crops, and the depth of the soil together with the clay keeps it from drying out. There is little irreclaimable marsh- land. In general the soil is easy to work, for the assorting action of glacial lakes left the finer materials on the surface. With a few exceptions it is not stony like New England soil, and there are few barrens due to outcrops. The mixture of clay and sand makes a soil not too adhesive for the plow, and one not easily washed full of gullies. The limestone areas are spe- cially fortified against deterioration through wasteful farming, and in many places there is an abundance of natural fertilizers. Important to these soils is their drainage and their water supply, which depends largely upon the topog- raphy of the peninsula. The striking similarity be- tween certain topographic features of the whole of the surrounding region suggests a common origin in some force that operated more widely than in Michigan only. A common feature is seen, for instance, in the general direction of the axis of the Saginaw River and Bay, the St. Lawrence River and Gulf, the Maumee River and the Bay and the Fox River and Green Bay. This long ago observed by Alexander Winchell was designated by him the "diagonal system" in the topog- raphy of this region. The axes appear to have been determined by the direction in which the ice lobes were projected, in combination with the strike, or angle, of PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 19 the strata over which they passed. ^^ Where the bed- rocks were sufficiently consoHdated to offer effective resistance to the force of the ice, the diagonal direc- tion of the surface features suffered modification; for example, the Michigan shore of Lake Michigan now runs approximately north and south. Along part of the eastern shore the underlying trend caused con- jointly by these forces has been concealed by post- glacial deposits; the St. Clair and Detroit rivers run- ning over these southward cause the peninsula in this part to have a nearly uniform width. By the original position of the ice lobes, by the depth of the great lake basins and by the gradual recession of the glacial waters, the peninsula was left with an area large enough to insure a variety of settlement and a pioneer period of long duration. Roughly, the pen- insula has an area of two hundred by three hundred miles, with the longer axis north and south. «" That portion of it which lies south of the latitude of the head of Saginaw Bay, which alone received settlers by 1837, about equals the combined areas of Vermont, Massa- chusetts and Connecticut. «• The average width of this part of the peninsula is about one hundred and ninety 59. See Winchell's formula for the relation of the glacial and stratigraphic forces in the topography of the region, in Tackabury's Atlas, 14, and a more extended discussion in Amer. Jour, of Science, 3rd ser., VI, 36-40. The "diagonal system" in Monroe County is discussed in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep., VII, 118. 60. The extreme length of the lower peninsula is 277.09 miles; the extreme width is 197.057 miles. (Tackabury's Atlas, 9). 61. Montcalm County was organized in 1850 {Session Laws, 121), with a population of about nine hundred {U. S. Census, 1850, 893). 20 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS miles, and the relation of this wide area to settlement is seen in the comparatively late organization of county and township government on the western shore. The character of the shore lands is such as to have given countenance to unfavorable reports about the interior; at least in that respect they were a retarding influence upon settlement.''^ These lands present three well marked differences. The southeastern shore is low, and comparatively level for a distance inland of from five to twenty-five miles ; on the north and north- east of the peninsula outcrops of bedrock give the coast an abrupt and forbidding appearance; on the western shores, low lines of wind-blown sand dunes rising in places two and three hundred feet high suggest a sterile back country.*'^ The surface of the peninsula, especially of the south- ern part, lends itself easily to agriculture, grazing, lumbering and manufacture. This again is due to the action of the waters of the melting ice lobes, eroding and distributing the drift materials, determining the undulations of the surface and the courses of the prin- cipal streams. The topographical result for agricul- ture is the almost total absence of the inconveniently steep hillsides so characteristic of portions of New England and eastern New York. Yet the surface has 62. Oaldand County was organized in 1820, Van Buren in 1837. 63. Blois, Gazetteer, 49; Detroit Gazette, Jnne 23, 1820. 64. Lanman, Michigan, 363. The conical cliff of white sand south of Grand Traverse Bay, known as Sleeping^ Bear, has a height of over three hundred feet. Blois, Gazetteer, ■ 363. vSee also Jefferson, Geography of Michigan, p. 23, fig. 11, showing the dunes on Lake Michigan. Mention will be made of the encroachments of these sands in con- nection with deforestation. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 21 sufficient elevations to insure lively streams for drain- age and water power, and among them intervene large areas of level or slightly undulating land.^'^ The largest plain of the peninsula, the Grand -Maple - Saginaw valley, extending across it diagonally from the head of Saginaw Bay to Lake Michigan may have been scoured out, if not produced, by the ice mass of the Saginaw lobe." One of the early state improve- ment schemes was to re-connect the two lakes across this depression by a canal. ''^ The portion of the peninsula south of this central plain is divided also into two watersheds by the south- eastern morainal elevation noted above. ^^ This reaches its greatest height, over seven hundred feet above lake level, in Oakland and Hillsdale counties i^" from this prin- cipal ridge irregular lines of small rounded hills run west- ward, in the intervals of which lie valleys with small 66. A map of contour lines is given in Tackabury's Atlas, opposite p. 10, which was prepared from some six thou- sand elevations measured in running levels for railroad and canal surveys. A line is drawn for every fifty feet of elevation. Few differences appear in the more recent map accompanying the Mich. Geol. Survey Rep., for 1907. See, also plate V, opposite p. 24, in Mich. Geol. and Biol. Survey, Pub. 9, Geol. Series 7. 67. See for history of the Great Lakes, American Geologist, XIV, 289-301. Diagrams of the retiring ice lobes, and of the lakes in front of them are given in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1907), 124-131. 68. Blois, Gazetteer, 83. The highest point of the plain, a moraine in Gratiot County, was only seventy-two feet above lake level. 69. For fuller discussion, see chapter IV on the first inland counties, and Leverett, in Mich. Geol. and Biol. Survey, Pub. 9, Geol. Series 7 (1912), p. 18. 70. Sixth Rep. Mich. Acad, of Science, 104. 22 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS streams. ^1 The position of this ridge so near to the eastern shore makes the eastern watershed somewhat abrupt, and its streams in parts of their courses are correspondingly short and rapid. The current of the Raisin, for example, while profiting by this for water power, is said to have been early considered too rapid for navigation. ^2 Qn the other hand, the long gentle western watershed had sufficient incline for good water power, and all of its principal streams were originally navigated by small craft. ^' Northward from the central plain lies a second prin- cipal elevation conforming to the general diagonal sys- tem of the peninsula. This is higher than the southern one, averaging about seven hundred feet, reaching its extreme height of 1120 feet above lake level in Osceola county.^"* The topography and soil of the peninsula and the manner of their formation caused the general char- 71. A table of elevations for these summits is given in Tacka- bur^^'s Atlas, 12. 72. A contour map of Monroe County, giving a line for every ten feet of elevation, forms the frontispiece in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep., VII. 73. A graphic comparison of elevations in the southern part of the peninsula is seen in profiles of several railway beds shown in the Mich. State Board of Health Rep. (1878) — Det. & Mil. R. R., 179; Mich. Cent. R. R., 181; Lake Shore and Mich. Southern R. R., 185. 74. Sixth Rep. Mich. Acad, of Science, 103. The relation be- tween the northern and southern divides and the central depression is shown clearly by the profile of the bed of the old Saginaw and Mackinac division of the Mich. Cent. R. R., lying through Jackson, Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee, Saginaw, Bay, Roscommon and Otsego counties, in Mich. State Board of Health Rep. (1878), 181. See also profile of the Flint and Pere Marquette, Ibid., 179. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 23 acter of the rivers and streams. " Compared with other rivers of the United States they are small, but they are numerous, and measured by the windings of their courses they are of great length. They have numer- ous branches, and the branchlets of these in turn make a network of small water courses of great value for drainage, stock and distribution of water power. The abundant supply of water to these streams is due to generous rainfall, porosity of soil, and the many in- terior lakes. The sinuosity of courses, the gentleness of current and the evenness of volume are due to the same causes combined with an undulating surface. At many points ledges of bedrock cause rapids, though these in general do not occur near enough to the lakes to prevent navigation inland for small boats up to the settlements made at the power sites, as at Grand Rapids and Allegan. The mouths of many of the rivers furnished to settlers good natural harbors. The principal rivers of the eastern watershed are the Raisin, the Huron, the Clinton, and the Saginaw, and their branches. Raisin River, though one of the most rapid streams of the peninsula, has the most winding course of all. In a direct line from its source in the moraine in Hillsdale County to its mouth in Lake Erie it is but sixty miles; by its windings it measures one hundred and thirty miles. The rapidity of its descent and its long meanderings distribute widely many excellent power sites, while its high banks and 75. For a good brief description of the leading features of the drainage system of the lower peninsula, see Leverett, in Mich. Geol. and Biol. Survey, Pub. 9, Geol. Series 7, pp. 24-27. 24 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS limestone bed make for both beauty and utility. ^^ Huron River has a less rapid descent and hence a more moderate current than the Raisin. The com- parative sinuosity of its course may be judged from its ninety miles of windings over a direct distance about the same as that measured by the Raisin. It shares two characteristics of the rivers rising in the southern divide — the presence of numerous small lakes and creeks at and near their heads, and the receipt of the bulk of their waters in the upper part of their courses, characteristics which make strongly icr an even supply of water power." Clinton River rises in the numerous small lakes of the Oakland County moraine, and though only fifty miles long it gives valuable power at many sites. Twenty miles of the lower course, from Mt. Clemens to Rochester, was originally navigable for small boats ;^* the removal of the bars at this river mouth, as well as at the mouth of the Raisin, was the earliest harbor improvement, opening these rivers for large boats to Mt. Clemens and Monroe. The thirty miles of Saginaw River is really a drowned valley. This river is therefore comparatively sluggish, and though navigable, having a depth of from twenty to thirty feet, it gives little power. ^^ Bvit its many branches — the Cass, the Tittabawassee, the Chippewa, the Flint, and the Thread — are lively streams furnish- 76. Blois, Gazetteer, 349. 77. Ibid., 303. 78. Ihid., 264. 79. Ibid., 355-356. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 25 ing power in abundance. On the latter branch were built the first mills of this region.^" The rivers of the western watershed that were most important to settlement in this period were the St. Joseph, the Kalamazoo and the Grand. ^^ These have much in common. The sources of their main branches lie close together, in that portion of the southeastern moraine which gives rise to the Raisin and the Huron. From here their courses rapidly diverge, enclosing two pieces of land roughly triangular in shape, which have their bases abutting on Lake Michigan. Their mouths on that shore are a considerable distance apart. That of the Kalamazoo is forty-one miles north of the mouth of the St. Joseph, and twenty-nine miles south of that of the Grand. All are serpentine, measuring along their windings more than double the direct distance from source to mouth, and their branches minutely sub-divide over wide basins. The Grand drains in the central plain an area co-extensive with the larger por- tion of the coal measures. They have comparatively uniform currents, though in the wet season they gen- erally increase in volume; the St. Joseph rises in places from four to six feet. The increase of power at these times causes them to erode their banks at the turnings, and often to deposit, as at Niles, sufficient debris to 80. Attention will be given later to St. Clair River and its branches, and to the smaller streams flowing into the eastern shore water, which were many and very im- portant to settlement. See the study of St. Clair River and delta in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep., IX, 1-25, (Maps and diagrams). 81. Blois, Gazetteer, 294, 306, 367. There is a good brief out- line of the river system of western Michigan in the American Geologist, 1, 143-146. 26 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS obstruct navigation. ^2 Except in a few places erosion has worn deep their beds, making high banks which protect the neighboring lands from freshets. Mill sites are plentiful and navigation is possible for a con- siderable distance inland. Excepting for sand-bars, the width and depth made these river mouths originally excellent harbors. The mouth of the St. Joseph, for instance, was originally a quarter of a mile wide and from nine to fourteen feet deep. The advantages of these waterways to early settle- ment were many and obvious. Except at Detroit, the early French settlements were at the river mouths and along the lower courses of the rivers and streams flow- ing into the eastern water front. The American set- tlers, going up these streams in search of open land and mill sites, were aided in their search by the Indian trails along the banks of the largest streams.- The aid of water power in cutting lumber was much needed in the early days when it was costly and difficult to trans- port steam machinery inland, and when sawed lumber was much in demand by an ever increasing number of home-builders. The "saw-mill town" was hkely to have at an early time its grist mill, distillery and tan- nery because of the same supply of cheap power. Water power was often most easily obtained at the junction of a creek with the main stream, or at a bend in the river where a dam could be easily made and a rapid fall be secured by cutting across the neck of the projecting land — as at Dexter, Tecumseh or Adrian. A ford in the river, marked often by the crossing of an Indian trail, or by a junction of such trails, offered ad- 82. Lanman, Michigan, 375. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 27 vantages for transportation in addition to power — as at Jackson, Kalamazoo and Pontiac. Ledges of rocks in the river formed rapids and made excellent power sites — as at Grand Rapids, Allegan and Monroe. It will be observed that east of the southeastern divide, settlements were very early made at Rochester, Pontiac, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Tecumseh and Adrian. ^^ The situation of these in a line almost parallel with the shore and about half way between the shore and the crest of the divide was not fortuitous, but marked the presence of a water power belt.^^ Some emphasis should be placed upon the extent to which the small creeks gave water power, a distinct factor in the ex- tension of the frontier away from the principal streams. They were especially useful in the vicinity of the eastern highland, since their power, which depended upon their fall, was there in many cases very great; for example, Pettibone Creek, a diminutive stream in Oakland County with a fall of about a hundred feet in eight miles, furnishes at various village sites a total of two hundred horsepower. ^^ Their utility for drainage and the watering of stock gains importance from their minute subdivision — like the Rouge, a small branch of the Detroit river which drains an estimated area of three hundred and sixty square miles. ^^ Most of these 83. There is a good brief statement of the water power of southern Michigan in the Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1901), 126. A more detailed study is contained in the Water Supply Papers, Nos. 30, 48, 49 of the U . S. Geol. Survey. See also the discussion for the southern tier of counties in Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1903), 73-83 (Maps). 84. Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1901), 126. 85. Resources of Michigan (1893), 90. 86. Ibid., 90. 28 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS streams are fed by springs and lakes which regulate their volume and hence their efficiency. Clinton River in Oakland County is fed by a chain of lakes." The economical transportation of logs and lumber by water has always been an item of great value in the settlement of Michigan. It was specially so in the early days when economy in all things was a necessity. Easy transportation extended the service of one mill on a stream to all the settlements below, and the tributaries above a mill extended the availability of timber to their farthest reach. The cost of hauling logs overland confined early lumbering to their banks, leaving the intervening tracts to the day of the rail- road; yet the amount of timber that could be easily reached by water was large, and much lumber was exported. At Allegan four million feet of lumber was cut in 1839 and rafted to Lake Michigan down the Kalamazoo River. ^^ In the same year three million feet of lumber was rafted for shipment from Grand Rapids to Grand Haven. ^^ Even after the railroad appeared, river transportation was used wherever pos- sible and saved many millions of dollars to the lumber industry. River navigation and canal building naturally re- ceived much attention in the days when overland travel meant principally the wagon and the stagecoach. It 87. Ibid., 91. Artesian wells have been used for power to run hydraulic rams, and like the springs, furnish a perpetual supply of drinking water for house and stock. For artesian well areas, springs and non-flowing wells, see Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1903), 47-72; also the Ann Arbor Folio, prepared by the U. S. Geol. Survey. 88. Lanman, Michigan, 368. 89. Ibid., 367. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 29 has been noted that several of the rivers of Michigan were by nature fitted for navigation to some distance inland, but little success was met in trying to navigate the eastern rivers. The current of the Raisin appears to have been considered too rapid, except near the mouth. The Huron was used by the first settlers of Washtenaw county for poleboats, and at one time the citizens of ,Ypsilanti made an unsuccessful experiment with a large boat of that type to run between there and the lake. 90 The Clinton was navigable for small boats from Mt. Clemens to Rochester; the vicinity of this river was the site of the most active attempt to build state canals. 31 Of the western rivers the Grand was the most promis- ing for navigation. 9- The Kalamazoo had a gentle cur- rent, but enough volume to enable large boats to reach Allegan; in the wet season they could go up as far as Kalamazoo. 9^ The St. Joseph was ordinarily navig- able for small steamboats to Niles, and by poleboats from there to Three Rivers. ^^ The Grand is said to have been navigable for small boats two hundred and forty of its two hundred and seventy miles of length ;3^ in the season of 1836 there were on the Grand River four boats of the tonnage and construction of the Erie Canal boats, in addition to a class of smaller boats of 90. See chapter IV, on the First Inland Counties. 91. Blois, Gazetteer, 82. 92. For water power and navigabihty of the Grand, the Kala- mazoo and the St. Joseph rivers, see the reports of surveyors to the State Commissioners of Internal Im- provement, in Lanman's Michigan, 366-383. 93. Ibid., 368. 94. Ibid., 372. 95. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 121. 30 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS from ten to fifteen tons burden ;^^ in 1839 a steamboat of three and one-half feet draft made daily trips be- tween Grand Haven and Grand Rapids, and two more boats of the same class were added before 1840." The Great Lakes were valuable complements of the river system of Michigan for transportation, commerce and fisheries. These great basins, comprising together more than one-half of the fresh water of the globe were, if not entirely produced, widened, deepened and filled by glacial action. ^^ It was most significant for the later settlement of Michigan that the position of the head of Lake Michigan should have brought within such easy reach from Michigan a point fitted to become the great central market of the Middle West — the site of Chicago. The combined action of lake and river made possible very good harbors in the drowned valleys of the river mouths, some of which needed but little improvement to make them immediately effective for settlement; the mouth of Grand River originally admitted vessels of twelve feet draft. ^^ The small lakes along the western shore at river mouths are drowned valleys and many of them have been made into good harbors by cutting through the sandbars that hem them in from the lake.'o" Har- bor improvements were early made at the mouths of 96. Lanman, Michigan, 367. 97. Ibid., 367. 98. The origin of the basins is discussed in the Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. Lond., XLVI, 523-533. See for a bibliography of the Great Lakes, G. C. Russell, Lakes of North America, 96-104. 99. Blois, Gazetteer, 294. 100. Lanman, Michigan, 370. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 31 the Clinton and the Raisin. ^"1 As early as 1818 steam transportation began on Lake Erie from Buffalo to Detroit; in 1834 a boat built and launched at Monroe is said to have begun regular trips to Buffalo.^"' Im- migrants are said to have been brought to the western shore of Michigan by way of the lakes as early as 1830 and this route became the common way of transport- ing goods to "the western part of the peninsula.^"'' Shipbuilding was fostered by the needs of growing settlement and became early an important industry at Detroit, Monroe, Mt. Clemens and St. Clair. i"* While the fish of the Great Lakes did not become of commercial importance until the decade 1830-40, the early settlers placed a high value upon them.^°^ The Jesuits and travelers of very early days noted the abundance and variety of these fish, and they are mentioned with emphasis in an English emigrant's guidebook of 1820.^"*^ The most favored fish seem to have been the whitefish, the sturgeon, the lake trout, the bass, the pickerel and the herring. ^"^ Among the French the autumn fishing season for whitefish was one of much pleasure and excitement, the whitefish being specially valued for its fine flavor.^"* Not least im- 101. See chapter III, on Monroe. 102. Ibid. 103. See chapters V and VI on the St. Joseph and Kalamazoo valleys. 104. See chapter III, this volume. 105. Resources of Michigan (1893), 176. 106. A Geographical, Historical, Commercial and Agricultural View oj the United States, etc., Lond., 1820, p. 695. 107. The varieties most commonly known to the early settlers were the sturgeon, whitefish, trout, pickerel, pike, perch, herring, bass, etc., (Blois, Gazetteer, 55). 108. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 361. 32 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS portant for settlement was the distribution of many varieties of lake fish inland by means of the rivers and streams. The sturgeon, which came up the rivers to spawn in the early spring, were caught in large num- bers i^"^ they were no small addition to a settler's larder, averaging in weight about seventy pounds j^^" of the smaller fish, the lake-trout averaged from ten to twenty pounds. The rapid increase in settlement be- ginning about 1830, and the demand for fish by neigh- boring states, attracted the attention of capitalists to the Great Lakes fisheries, among others the American Fur Company, who employed chiefly the French-Can- adians. ^^^ It is estimated that in 1830 eight thousand barrels of fish, valued at forty thousand dollars, were put on the market. ^^^ ^j^e rapid growth of the indus- try is seen in the thirteen thousand five hundred barrels, valued at one hundred and twenty -five thou- sand dollars, marketed in 1837. Three-fourths of the entire amount was shipped to Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania . ^ ^^ The inland lakes, so characteristic of Michigan topography except on the eastern shore lands, were useful to settlers for their fish and game. In some places they furnished water for stock, and facilities for transportation and liunbering. Like the Great Lakes, these were of glacial origin, being depressions in the surface filled with water from the melting ice. The 109. Lanman, Michigan, 264. 110. Blois, Gazetteer, 56. 111. Lanman, Michigan, 264; Blois, Gazetteer, SI . 112. Blois, Gazetteer, 56; Detroit Journal and Michigan Adver- tiser, December 15, 1830. 113. Blois, Gazetteer, 57. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 33 extent and wide distribution of these bodies of water in Michigan has given rise to the idea of reclaiming the fertile soils which they cover. They vary in size from one acre to a thousand acres, and in some places they are so close together that several can be seen from one point of view. They are most numerous where the surface is most irregular, as along the southeastern divide; in Oakland County there are some four hun- dred of them. Numbering in the peninsula about five thousand, they cover several thousand square miles. In general they are quite deep and have gravelly bot- toms; where they are fed by springs their waters are cool and transparent. Bass, pike, pickerel, perch, sun- fish and blue gills are common to most of them,!^'* and they are the resort of a variety of aquatic fowls. Rem- iniscenses of settlers abound in descriptions of their beauty. With these advantages, besides affording in- exhaustible pure water for stock, one of these lakes made a valuable appendage to a settler's farm. To quote an extract from a settler's letter i^^^ "No part of the country is more healthy than the vicinity of these lakes, and emigrants who are not haunted with vain fears and prejudices respecting their tendency to pro- duce ague and fever always seek to locate by the side of them." However, it is commonly reported by travelers in the early days that comparatively few people settled on their banks, finding location sites of greater economic advantage on a stream, a traveled highway or on open land. 114. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXI, 265. 115. Detroit Free Press, October 6, 1831. 5 34 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS These lakes are by many thousands less numerous now than in the period when they were formed. Na- tural drainage, evaporation, wave action and vegetation have filled in many of them, which survive as marshes, peat bogs, meadows and small prairies. The lake de- posits are economically very important for settlement. Marl has many uses, among others that of a natural fertilizer. Peat, which "represents an advanced stage of swamp with drainage partly established, "^^^ was not significant for settlement when timber was abun- dant. Muck land, a preliminary stage of peat, ex- emplified in the original state of the present celery beds near Kalamazoo, makes very productive land when drained; meadow land, like that originally in south- eastern Jackson County, represents a condition of poor drainage rather than a soil composition. In the small prairies, most of which are in south- western Michigan, settlers found many attractions, and these lands exercised in that region a very decided in- fluence upon early settlement. In origin and nature these little islets in the original forest were the same with the great prairies south and west of them. Their soil represents the deposits of glacial lakes which were drained perhaps as early as the recession of the glacial waters. Their lake origin is witnessed by abundant shells, and by the thickness of decayed vegetation. The treeless character of these areas was due partly to natural causes, and partly to the Indians. The grass early got the start of trees because of the agencies which supplied its first seeds — birds, wind and water, which 116. Adich. Gcol. Survey Rep. (1907), 112. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 35 could convey only the lighter seeds ;i^^ later, the Indians fired these grass-lands annually, as well as the forests, to improve their hunting-grounds by decoying the deer to the tender new growths. "» In marked contrast to these open prairies were the forest lands, whose relation to settlement was definite both in respect of their timber and their soils. In some places the removal of the forest has made very em- phatic its value as a protection to the soil ; as at Grand Haven, where the encroachment of the sand, made incoherent by deforestation, has in late years become a serious menace. The wind, given a free passage, carries the loose sand far inland and overlays the pro- ductive soils with it. The results of this show plainly in the slower settlement of western Ottawa County as compared with that of portions of the western shore where the dunes are less prominent. ^^^ On the other hand, settlement was in places variously impeded by the density of the forest. Washing away of the soil, which in mountainous countries has frequently fol- lowed deforestation, is provided against in this pen- insula by the comparatively level surface. In past times the forest has been the most important source of the organic properties of the soil, for a great majority of Michigan trees are deciduous. The effect of the forest upon the supply of moisture and hence upon climate, drainage and health, has been remarked fre- 117. Winchell, Soils and Subsoils, 85. 118. Blois, Gazetteer, 26; Detroit Gazette, Nov. 8, 1825. 119. See a discussion of this difficiilty in Mich. Pomological Soc. Rep. (1875). 36 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS quently;i2o directly, the himber industry has affected population by drawing to Michigan capital and men from lumbering states in the East; in later settlement, lumbering in the softwood belt was chiefly responsible for the large accessions of Canadians. Lumbering on this scale, however, was not an influence upon settle- ment before 1850, at about which time there began that systematic exploitation of timber in the Grand and Saginaw valleys that has been a strong influence in building up larger centers of population and in- dustry there. Lumbering and manufacturing in Mich- igan have been externally influenced by the position of Michigan near to the great grain producing section with its wide markets for agricultural machinery and furniture. The extent of this market may be meas- ured by the reported production in 1881 of enough lumber to build handsome dwellings for a city of a million people. The variety of Michigan trees was almost as great a stimulus to settlement as their abundance. It has been estimated that the trees native to Michigan's soils have a variety nine times greater than those native to the soils of Great Britain ;i2i no part of the United States was originally more favored. This wealth of forest was due mainly to superior range in climate and soils. 122 Roughly, the forests appear to 120. Semple, American History and its Geographic Conditions (Boston, 1903), 331, 354. Resources of Michigan (1883), 17. 121. Mich. Pomological Soc. Rep. (1875), 244. See Ibid., p. 238, for a list of the most common trees. A more complete list is given in Resources of Michigan (1883), 67. 122. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXII, 354. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 37 have presented but two strongly marked divisions, one north and another south of the parallel of 43° of lati- tude. The pine and soft woods were north, the hard woods south. 12^ Within these limits the minor dif- ferentia were the river valleys, the streams and swamps, and the uplands, which w^ere chiefly a matter of the kinds of soil. There appears to be a quite definite relation between variety of timber and the kinds of soil supporting it. As above observed, the hard wood belt lies largely south of the latitude of 43°; that is, in the region dis- tinctly characterized by glacial moraines. North of that parallel there are great areas of sandy lands, and there the pine and soft woods predominate. There are a few exceptions to the occurrence of pine south of that line, but these are mainly on sandy lands, as in Oakland County, and in southwestern Michigan where pine ex- tends down quite to the Indiana line.^24 Qf the hard woods, while originally a given variety was found fairly well distributed it was of course likely to be specially abundant on the soil most favorable to it. Beech, oak, hickory and sugar-maple were found most abundant on soils containing much lime and clay.^" 'pj^g j^g_ chanical composition of the soil also affected forest dis- tribution. The oaks were originally the most abundant hard woods, corresponding to the most common soils. The burr-oak plains were largely glacial outwash aprons, with much lime in their composition, more gravelly and sandy than the oak-openings. Scrub -oak 123. Mich. Hortictiltural Soc. Rep. (1880), 429-430. 124. Ibid., 429; Tackabury's Atlas, 19. 125. Winchell, Soils and Sub-soils, 80. 38 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS was most abundant over the poorer quality of sands; as the lake sands, or those from glacial drainage. Oak flourished, in general, over the gravelly or sandy loams and clays, the typical soils of the hardwood belt. Beech and maple were plentiful on the more clayey portions of these soils, and on the till plains. Ash and elm abounded on the stiff lake clay of the shore lands. The relation of timber to soil furnished the settler with an additional and fairly reliable index to the character of lands. ^^e jj^g experience with similar soils in his old home enabled him to judge fairly well of their adaptation to crops. Burr-oak was early held to in- dicate one of the best of soils for wheat, and the burr- oak plains were next in favor after the prairies. Oc- casionally a mistake was made, as with the highly pro- ductive bright yellow loam of the openings covered with hickory, which had the appearance of being sterile.^" Lanman says this soil was excellent for wheat. ^^s Set- tlers looked also askance at the sandy soil of the pine land. ^29 In general, the heavily timbered land was held not to be so congenial to wheat, and was not warm 126. The relation of soil to timber as here given is from personal information from Professor Leverett. 127. Blois, Gazetteer, 24. There appears to have been some prej- udice against the oak-openings; for example, see Detroit Gazette for September 1, 1820. An editorial in the Gazette for August 2, 1822, says that "Oak-openings are supposed by some to be destitute of a thick growth of timber by reason of the poverty or of some peculiar properties of the soil," and the editor corrects this view. But the Detroit Free Press of September 22, 1831, says of the burr-oak openings that they are preferred to prairies, being like those in the Genesee country in western New York. 128. Lanman, Michigan, 323. 129. Blois, Gazetteer, 23. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 39 enough for corn, but was known to produce excellent crops of hay, oats and potatoes. ^^^ These limitations combined with the obstacles to clearing, caused this land to be settled slowly. The best soils were supposed to lie under a covering of black-walnut, whitewood, ash, buckeye, and sugar-maple; while the poorer land, char- acterized by a grayish sand over blue clay, was indexed by much soft-maple and some varieties of beech. ^^^ The relative density of the forest was to the early settler a matter to consider seriously, if only from the point of view of the relative difficulties of getting a paying first crop. Blois in his Gazetteer, w^hich bears marks of being intended largely for the use of immi- grants, makes this the basis of his soil classification, — pine lands, timbered lands, openings, plains and prairies, ^^2 ^nd the more legitimiately in that, as just observed, the qualities of soil did vary with the den- sity of timber. Density of growth in the hardwood belt appears to have been governed by the amount of moisture. The heavily timbered lands lay along the rivers and streams, especially where the ground was low and wet ; while the openings, which covered the greater part of the hard- wood belt, lay along the elevations between the water- courses. One explanation of this distribution appears to be the protection which the greater moisture af- forded against the annual fires set by the Indians to burn the underbrush. ^^s 130. Ibid., 24. 131. Lanman, Michigan, 322. 132. Blois, Gazetteer, 22. 133. Ibid., 130. 40 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The soils which favored greatest density among the hardwoods were the clays on the till plains and along the lake shores. Some areas of till plain very defi- nitely affected settlement through their density of forest, as in the southern parts of Lenawee and Hills- dale Counties. •^^'^ Heavy forests of ash and elm orig- inally skirted the eastern shores for many miles in- land/^^ and in Wayne and Monroe counties formed a decided barrier to immigration. It has been observed that the parallel of 43° dividing the hardwood from the softwood belt, marked an increase in density of forest that seriously impeded the northward extension of the frontier i'^*^ and it seems certain that in 1838 little was known of the region north of the Grand River, i" The relation of settlement to density of forest and to the soils thus indicated, may be seen in the actual pro- cess of getting a first crop. One of the chief obstacles on the heavily timbered land was the necessity of first cutting off the timber, which was not only hard to cut, but according to reports some of it, like the giant white- wood, "positively refused to burn";!^^ and after it was cut and burned the stumps remained, with roots deep down in the porous soil. In the openings the timber and stump problem was reduced. There the trees were often so far apart as to permit teams to drive easily miles in any direction. A characteristic of Michigan 134. See infra chapters on the "First Inland Counties" and "The St. Joseph Valley." 135. Blois, Gazetteer, 39. 136. Semple, Amer. Hist., 153. See map showing relative den- sity of forest in Sixth Ann. Rep. State Board oj Health (1878), 190. 137. Blois, Gazetteer, 22. 138. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 148-150. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 41 forests due to porosity of soil was the absence of fallen trees, which greatly aided the settlement of the open- ings. But there was the grub problem, especially where the openings, as was often the case, bordered on dense forest. This was due probably to the cessation of the annual Indian fires. Whereas it took ordinarily three yokes of oxen to break the soil of the openings, these "grub lots" required six yokes, and sometimes it was necessary to hitch a yoke to the back of the plow to pull it out of difficulty. i''^ The burr-oak plains could be easily broken when there were no grubs, but they often had the disadvantage of too little timber for fencing and building. These plains were of great beauty and appealed strongly to the early settlers, whose reminiscences abound with praises of them ; they are frequently described as looking like cultivated orchards. I-"' The great difficulty with the prairies was the total absence of timber; sometimes there was a scarcity of good water; and the network of wire-like grass roots made the soil very difficult to break. With these disadvantages it should be mentioned that the soil was sometimes too adhesive to scour the plow, and that it was known to produce smut in the wheat; moreover, the winter crops were unprotected from bleak winds. But despite these disadvantages, which seem material, the prairies were preferred by the set- tlers who came in from Indiana and Ohio where they were used to similar conditions. The timber problem was partially solved by building on the forested 139. Lanman, Michigan, 254, 324. 140. C. F. Hoffman, A Winter in the West (New York, 1835), I, 183. 42 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS margin. The exceeding richness of the soil and its freedom from grubs and stones was held to compensate for the initial difficulty of breaking it, and the first crops raised could usually find a market in the settle- m^ents on the neighboring plains and openings. The methods of preparing fcr the first crop are in- volved in what has been said of the initial difficulties. Cutting and burning in the thick timiber, girdling in the openings and plains, fcnned the first step. Timber for fencing and building was of course reserved. The usual breaking time was in June and July. On the prairies, little or no cultivation was required after the seed was planted in the turned soil. But the easiest first crop was to be gotten in the timbered land, where it was not too dense. This was generally considered the best adventure for the settler with bare ax and hoe; he had only to scratch the ground with the hoe for either corn or wheat, though the yield of both was somewhat slighter than in the other soils. ^^^ The yield of first crops varied considerably. Corn produced forty bushels to the acre for the first crop from timbered land, the prairies yielding fifty bushels. '^^ The bottom lands along the streams produced a greater yield of corn than the timbered uplands. ^^^ On the openings, the first season would yield twelve bushels of wheat to the acre.^*'* The comparative increase was marked in the yields of successive crops. The prairies yielded as high as eighty bushels of corn, and on the whole they produced the largest average crops of any 141. Lanman, Michigan, 322; Blois, Gazetteer, 27. 142. Lanman, Michigan, 322; Blois, Gazetteer, 25. 1 13. Lanman, Michigan, 323. 144. Ibid., 323. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 43 of the soils. ^■'^ The calcareous soil of the openings in- creased its crops as it was cultivated. !•*" In compara- tive quickness of yield the timbered land was nearly two weeks earlier than the openings. ^^^ The cost of getting the first crop if a settler wished to pay for it, naturally varied with the difficulties of clearing, fencing and cultivating. Reports vary. To clear and fence timbered land is said to have cost from ten to fifteen dollars per acre; of openings, from ten to twelve dollars to clear and plant. ^•'^ Burr-oak plains and prairies, if timber were near, cost about ten dollars per acre to break and fence. ^-^^ Another report places the cost of clearing, fencing, plowing, harrowing and seed- ing the plains at eight dollars per acre.^^" The same authority reports that "every first crop paid the entire expense of each improvement" on these plains, and ventures the advice to settlers that it were better to pay ten dollars per acre for plains if timber is plentiful than one dollar per acre for timbered land. Blois says that most crops, especially corn, could be raised to perfection in Michigan with often one-half of the labor and expense necessary in the East, especially in New England. I'^i In favor of Michigan forest lands, after the country became known, it was commonly held that they had an advantage over similar New York lands in 145. Blois, Gazetteer, 25. 146. Ibid., 24. 147. Lanman, Michigan, 322. 148. Lanman, Michigan, 254, 322, 323; Blois, Gazetteer, 27. 149. Lanman, Michigan, 325. 150. Blois, Gazetteer, 418. This report came from Jackson County, apparently about 1837-38. 151. Blois, Gazetteer, 37. 44 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS that they did not wear out one generation of settlers in becoming subdued to cuhivation. The cost of subduing the land was often largely re- paid by the natural products useful to the settlers. The forests yielded timber for fencing and building, and later for manufacturing. Potash was a valuable by-product from the clearing, i^- The luxurious wild grasses — ^bluejoint, equal to timothy, redtop and wild rye — furnished abundant feed for stock. ^^^ Fruits, ber- ries, and nuts grew wild in profusion. There were wild cherries, apples, plums and pears, cranberries, currents, gooseberries, huckleberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and wild grapes ;i'^* strawberries are said to have been so plentiful in some parts of the openings that the cows came home with their hoofs bespattered with the juice of the berry. ^^^ The luxurious growths of wild grapes along the banks of the Raisin gave that river its name. Hickory nuts, walnuts, butternuts and hazelnuts may be mentioned, though minor luxuries. Sugar was furnished by the sugar-maple, and honey by the wild bees; swarms of wild bees were so numerous that bee-hunting was made a business b^/ some at the proper season. ^^^ In 1835 there was taken from one 152. Lanman Michigan, 322; Detroit Gazette, May 17, 1822. 153. Lanman, Michigan, 324; Blois, Gazetteer, 26; Rep. State Board of Agriculture (1875), 287-300, gives an account of grass and forage plants. There are 139 species of grasses and 176 species of sedges indigenous to Michigan. Mich. Horticultural Soc. Rep. (1880), 432. 154. Blois, Gazetteer, 36. 155. See Branch County in chapter IV, on the St. Joseph Valley; also Swan, Journal of a Trip to Michigan in 1841 (Roches- ter, 1904), 16, 19, 27, 28, 30; Harriet Martineau, Society in America (London, 1837), I, 320-327. 156. Blois, Gazetteer, 35. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS • 45 tree, a large whitewood, a hundred pounds of honey ;^" a stimulating drink was made from honey, well-known to pioneers. 1^^ The animals helpful to settlers were many. Wild game abounded almost at the settler's door. The deer, the bear, the rabbit, the hare and the squirrel were very numerous. Deerskin and bearskin afforded ma- terial for clothing, along with the fur of the beaver, the otter, the muskrat, the minl<:, the martin, the fisher and the raccoon. All these were saleable; martin furs early sold on the market for from one to two dollars apiece. ^^^ Of the forest game fowls, there were the partridge, quail, woodcock, grouse, pigeon and wild turkey. ^^° Aquatic game fowls are said to have literally covered the in- land lakes at certain seasons, the duck and the goose being most prized. Migratory song birds gave charm to life in the forest. It is true that some species of flora and fauna were drawbacks to the settlers. This was specially true of some of the fauna. Some animals were a serious men- ace to stock, poultry and crops. The squeal of a pig frequently meant the presence of the black bear, whose capture gave rise to favorite pioneer stories. The howl- ing of the wolf dismayed many a newly arrived immi- grant belated in the forest. Wildcats were not pleasant acquaintances, but they were less numerous in the southern than in the northern part of the peninsula. 157. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 507. 158. Ibid., 507. 159. Ibid., VIII, 258; see D. Goss, History of Grand Rapids (Chi- cago, 1906), I, 56-57, for the early prices of furs there. 160. Blois, Gazetteer, 34. 46 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Crops, especially corn, frequently siiifered from the cutworm, the squirrel and the blackbird.^" The mosquito was a lively pest, and the carrier of disease. Rare stories are told about them by pioneers, almost equaling the bear stories in number and size. One settler after describing the Indians records his memory of the mosquito. He says: "Another native of the woods was the blood-thirsty savages — the mosquitoes. They were the most trouble- some of all the animals that infested the woods . . . They would light upon your nose and suffer you to kill them; while they died like a martyr at the stake. Their attacks were heralded by a flourish of trumpets or long trombones, when they would come down upon you in squads and hordes, ad infinitum. A settler re- lates his attempt to go through a belt of heavy tim- bered land, but ere he had advanced twenty rods, he was so beset with these bloodthirsty imps that after giving them battle with a bush for a while, he was com- pelled to beat a retreat, badly demoralized. "^^^ Mosquitoes infested especially low wet places, the vicinity of marshes and streams, the moist forest and newly plowed land. It is as the carrier of disease that the mosquito has its main significance for settlement, and the accounts left by settlers, even by pioneer doctors, show that its function in this respect was not understood. As above explained, malaria was univer- sally attributed to the decay of vegetation caused by turning the soil. The greater assurance was felt in this as the correct cause on account of the greater pre- 161. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 365; IX, 126. 162. Ibid., V, 251. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 47 valence of the disease in the plowing season and its gradual disappearance as the country became settled. Very probably, the turning of the cool moist soil to the surface especially in the vicinity of the marshes, was one of the conditions of the increase of mosquitoes in the neighborhood. Michigan afforded conditions for all types of settlers. There was abundant opportunity for capital, but there was opportunity for the poor man. It was this opportu- nity that made Michigan appeal especially to the small farmers and the "hired hands" in New York and New England, who with gun, ax and team, 'driving with their families overland, making their clearings in the forest or the openings, were ultimately to give to Michigan its strong prosperous middle-class of farmers. The gen- eral spirit of settlement was one of satisfaction, as re- flected in a toast given at Ann Arbor in 1831 at a Fourth of July celebration, "The Territory of Michigan, the Yankee's land of promise, flowing with milk and honey. "^''^ Yet undoubtedly this picture could be too easily colored. Hardships were many, even with all the ad- vantages provided by nature ; and to each rule of the general beneficence there were many exceptions. As one pioneer records: "There was the failure of seed corn, and messengers sent the long journey to Ohio to obtain a further su]^ ply ; there were late spring frosts cutting down the corn flat with the ground; there were excessive cold and snow in winter, floods and heat in the summer, a want of the 163. Michigan Pcl'txal Science Asscc'ation, PiihUcatioy.s, IV, 523. 48 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS simplest medicines, of mills to grind grain for food, of salt to preserve their meat, while there was an abun- dance of malarial diseases to break down their strength, of pestiferous wild animals to destroy their flocks, and rumors of Indian horrors and Indian wars, to keep them fearful in daytime and awake at night. One who truly weighs the courage and fortitude with which these men, women and children met the dangers and hard- ships of their pioneer life will hardly after attribute to the soldier a^^monoply of those qualities. "i""*. 164. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 630. CHAPTER II General Influences /^NE of the most important influences in the settle- ment of Michigan Territory was the war of 1812. Its effects were both good and ill ; temporarily it was a serious drawback. Fear of the Indians practically de- populated the territory during the war, and the settlers returning found their homes in ruins. ^ The scarcity of money was a serious embarrassment both to business and to intending settlers; the general stagnation of business is said to have resembled that which followed the crisis of 1837 1^ the Detroit Gazette of August 9, 1822, contains a typical example of thp many com- plaints against the continued scarcity of money and the low price of grain. On the other hand, one good effect of the war was to attract attention to Michigan through the prominent part taken by Detroit. It made evident the military need of better roads, ^ and led directly to the first improvements connecting Detroit with the Ohio valley. Again, many soldiers from Ohio, Ken- 1. W. L. G. Smith, Life and times of Lewis Cass, 107 ; fournal of the Legislative Council, 1826, p. 6; American State Papers: Military Affairs, I, 510; Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, April 4, 1832, giving a report of a select com- mittee of Congress on the losses of Michigan during the war. 2. Mich. Hist. Colls., I., 381. 3. News of the Battle of Tippecanoe on the Wabash just before the outbreak of the war, November 7, 1811, was not re- ceived at Detroit until a month later. American State Papers: Indian Affairs, 1, 780. 7 50 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS tucky, Pennsylvania, and Virginia who had fought on the Michigan frontier remained in the Territory as set- tlers and wrote to friends in the East about the oppor- tunities afforded;^ one of these was Lewis Cass, who as governor of Michigan Territory from 1813 to 1831 used his great energies to promote its settlement.^ An indirect result of the War of 1812 was the un- favorable report, widely circulated, about Michigan lands. In 1815 Edward Tiffin, surveyor general for the Northwest, reported to the National Government that there "would not be more than one acre out of a hun- dred, if there would be one out of a thousand that would, in any case, admit of cultivation;" for, he said, "the intermediate space between the swamps and lakes, which is probably nearly one half of the country, is, with a very few exceptions, a poor barren, sandy land, on which scarcely any vegetation grows, except very small scrubby oaks."^ The purpose of the survey upon which this report was based was to promote the early disposition of the Michigan bounty lands authorized by Congress for compensation to the soldiers of the war.'^ The surveyors may have been influenced, at least in- 4. F. J. Turner, "The colonization of the West, 1820-1830," in American Historical Review, XI, 307; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIII, 482. 5. A. C. McLaughlin, Lewis Cass (Boston, 1891), 127-129; J. H. Lanman, Michigan, 236. 6. American State Papers: Public Lands, III, 164-165. 7. Statutes at Large, 1, 728-730. For the relation of Cass to this survey, see McLaughlin, Lewis Cass, 94-95; A. C. McLaughlin, "The Influence of Governor Cass on the Development of the Northwest" in American Historical Association, Papers, III, 315; T. M. Cooley, Michigan (Boston, 1885), 193. For newspaper characterization of the Tiffin report, see an editorial in the Detroit Gazette for July 24, 1818. GENERAL INFLUENCES 51 directly, by the unfavorable report made by Monroe to Jefferson prior to the organization of the Northwest Territory, who after reconnoitering in parts of the Northwest wrote: "A great part of the Territory is miserably poor, especially that near the Lakes Michi- gan and Erie. . . The districts, therefore, within which these fall will never contain a sufficient number of inhabitants to entitle them to membership in the confederacy."^ As a result of the Tiffin report President Madison re- commended to Congress, that since the lands in Michi- gan were covered with swamps and lakes or were other- wise so unfit for cultivation that only a small propor- tion could be applied to the intended grants, other lands should be designated to take the place of Michi- gan's proportion of the military bounty lands ;3 accord- ingly, three-fo\u:ths of that amount were ordered to be surveyed in the rival state of Illinois. i*' The Govern- ment's disfavor towards Michigan lands doubtless be- came widely known, as the newspapers of the day em- phasized the doings of Congress, and many eastern people were then specially anxious to know about the West. School geographies contained maps with the words 'Tnterminable Swamp" across the interior of Michigan. 11 Morse's Geography, which was considered an authority and was widely used, featured this idea until a late period. ^^ Morse's Traveller' s Guide repre- 8. J. Monroe, Writings (S. M. Hamilton, ed.— New York, 1898) I, 117. 9. Special message of February 6, 1816. 10. Statutes at Large, III, 332. 11. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 381 ; XXII, 542. 12. Cooley, Michigan, 192-193. 52 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS sented sand hills "extending into the interior as far as the dividing ridge . . . sometimes crowned with a few stunted trees, and a scanty vegetation, but gen- erally bare, anid thrown by the wind into a thousand fantastic shapes." ^^^ The immediate effects upon settlement were of course unfavorable. The traveler William Darby, writing from Detroit in August, 1818, says that during more than a month in which he had been traveling between Geneva (New York) and Detroit, he had seen hundreds going west, but "not one in fifty with the intention of settling in Michigan Territory." ^^ For the time being the tide of immigration turned aside 'from Michigan with its "interminable swamp" and "sand hills" and favored Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. One of the earliest and strongest influences to coun- teract these reports was the Lewis Cass expedition of 1820. Cass warmly critised the Tiffin report, writing to the Government that the lands of Michigan had been "grossly misrepresented" 15 Upon his motion new sur- veys were begun in the vicinity of Detroit in 1816 and public sales were opened for the surveyed portion in 1818. In the same year an exploring party apparently under his auspices dispelled illusions about the country back of Detroit. 1'^ In 1819 national aid was secured for an extended examination of the soil, minerals, and In- 13. J. Morse, Traveller s Gtiide (New Haven, 1826), 169. 14. W. Darby, A Tour from the City of New-York to Detroit in the Michigan Territory. . . 1818 (New York, 1819), 200. 15. McLaughlin, "Influence of Cass on the Development of the Northwest," 347. 16. See an article in the Detroit Gazette for July 18, 1823, refer- ring to the exploration of 1818 in the rear of Detroit, at- tributing the enterprise largely to the interest of Cass. GENERAL INFLUENCES 53 dian conditions over a route of some five thousand miles through the interior, accompHshed in 1820.^^ The result gave to men vitally connected with the government of the Territory and influential with the National Government a first-hand knowledge of the region where the Tiffin surveyors were supposed to have worked, and impressed upon them more firmly a lesson of the War of 1812, the need of a national mili- tary road between Detroit and Chicago. Since the ex- pedition was made partly under national auspices, its report had a semiofficial character; the interest which it excited is indicated by the sale within thirty days of the entire edition of Schoolcraft's Summary Narrative published in 1821 at Albany, which is said to have found its way to Europe. ^^ Accounts of travel through Michigan preceding Cass's expedition were on the whole too general to have much influence with settlers, yet there were some exceptions. Estwick Evans wrote in his Pedestrious Tour in 1818: 'Tn travelling more than four thousand 17. Smith, Life and Times of Lewis Cass, contains much of the preliminary correspondence with Calhoun, then secretary of war, about the expedition. The official journal of the expedition kept by James Duane Doty, secretary of the Territorial legislature of Michigan, is contained in Wis- consin Historical Collections, XIII, 163 et seq. See also Henry R. Schoolcraft's Summary Narrative of an Explora- tory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River in 1820 (Albany, 1821). Good brief accounts may be found in McLaughlin's Lewis Cass, 115-119; J. V. Campbell, Outlines of the Political History of Michigan (Detroit, . 1876} , 400-404 ; W. T. Young, Sketch of the Life and Public Services of General Lewis Cass (Detroit, 1852), 85-88; Detroit Gazette, May 26, 1820. 18. Outlines of the Life and Character of General Lewis Cass (Albany, 1848), 24. 54 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS miles, in the western parts of the United States, I met no tract of country which, upon the whole, impressed my mind so favorably as the Michigan Territory. . . The soil of the territory is generally fertile, and a con- siderable proportion of it is very rich."^^ Of "Travels" before 1837 the most important for the correction of false impressions about Michigan were those of Mc- Kenney, Hoffman, and Martineau. Some of the early guidebooks for travelers and settlers were very favor- able to Michigan. An important one of these was by Samuel R. Brown, published at Auburn, New York, in 1817; in 1820 there appeared in London an anonymous Guide for English emigrants to A merica obviously based upon it. 20 Newspaper articles favorable to Michigan early found their way through the eastern press. For example, the 19. E. Evans, Pedestrious Tour, 119, quoted from R. G. Thwaites, Early Western Travels (Cleveland, 1904-1907), VIII, 220. Evans' work was published at Concord, New Hampshire, in 1819. 20. The English Guide gives to Ohio thirty-five pages, to Indiana nineteen, to Michigan ten, and to Illinois nine. Com- pare pages 688, 689, 694 respectively with pages 155, 156-157, and 165 in S. R. Brown, The Western Gazetteer (Auburn, 1817). See also J. Melish's A Geographical description of the United States (Philadelphia, 1818), 137, where the climate is described as "temperate and healthy" and the soil "generally rich and fertile." The ignorance of the interior is revealed by the statement that "in the center, the land is high, from whence there is a descent in all directions;" and an equal poverty of knowledge is revealed in the articles in the Detroit Gazette prior to 1820, which, while they try to favor the lands, are limited in descriptive matter to those close to the eastern shore. See for another instance the ntunbers of November 21, 1817, May 7 and 14, November 26, and December 3, 1819. GENERAL INFLUENCES 55 New York Spectator is quoted in the Detroit Gazette of March 21, 1823, as saying in regard to the belief that Michigan offered favorable opportunities to emigrants: "Perhaps no stronger argument can be urged in support of this belief than merely to state the fact that a barrel of potashes, flour, or other produce can be transported from Detroit to Buffalo with as little expense through Lake Erie as a like quantity can be transported by land in the western part of this state to the canal from places which lie twenty-five or thirty miles from the canal route." -^ The motive which actuated at least some New York papers is seen in the following quota- tion from the Buffalo Journal (1825) : When it is con- sidered that all the fruits of that vast region are to reach the sea coast by Lake Erie and the New York Canal (the junction of whose waters is formed in our village) and that the corresponding returns of goods are to reach their destination by the same route, we. may naturally be supposed to look with some degree of rapture on the present growth and increasing popula- tion of Michigan." 22 By about 1825 the effects of the Tiffin report in the East had begun to wane. That year is marked by the appearance of John Farmer's maps and gazetteers of Michigan, published at Detroit, which it is said had by 1830 reached a demand in the local markets of Boston, Providence, Hartford, New York, Baltimore, Phila- delphia, Washington, Albany, Rochester, Buffalo, 21. See other quotations in the Detroit Gazette for May 4, 1821; June 7, 1822; July 18, 1823; and September 19, 1823. 22. Quoted in the Detroit Gazette, September 20, 1825. 56 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Cleveland, and Erie, that could hardly be supplied. ^^ Many copies of the Detroit Gazette, founded at De- troit in 1817, had found their way to the East.^^ Other counter-influences were letters from successful pioneers, published in eastern papers, reports made by settlers revisiting their old homes in the East, the circulars of land speculators, and not least the later reports of the United States surveyors and their personal interest in promoting settlement. New editions of Morse's Geog- raphy were favorable to Michigan. -^ There is evidence in shipments of flour from Michigan to the East as early as 1833 and in the increase of population shown by the censuses of 1830, 1834, and 1837 that by the date of Michigan's admission to the Union the popular opinion about her lands had been fairly reversed. 23. S. Famier, History of Detroit and Michigan (Detroit, 1890), I, 335, 698. There is a photograph of the John Farmer map of 1826 m Mich. Hist. Colls., vol. XXXVIII, op- posite p. 636. A little while before appeared Orange Risdon's map, a copy of which is in the same volume, opposite p. 635. Risdon published much of his data, obtained by travel in the Territory in 1823, in several eastern newspapers, according to the Detroit Gazette, January 16, 1824. Another map of about this time was made by Philu E. Judd, of which a copy is in the same volume opposite p. 634. The making of these maps is indicative of the new impulse to immigration which came about the time of the opening of the Erie Canal. 24. Other Detroit newspapers of the period were the Michigan Herald, the Courier, the Journal and Courier, the North- western Journal, the Free Press, the Daily Advertiser, and the Journal and Michigan Advertiser. For a list of Mich- igan newspapers for this period with critical comment see Farmer, History of Detroit, I, 670-677. An account of the Detroit Gazette is given on pp. 671-672. The issue of the Detroit Gazette for November 21, 1823, states that six copies are sent weekly to subscribers in Washington. 25. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 480-481. GENERAL INFLUENCES 57 Along with the unfavorable reports about lands had gone ill-tidings of the continued Indian depredations. The massacres at the River Raisin and at Fort Dearborn had impressed especially the minds of women and child- ren, and in 1832 the Black Hawk war caused rumors of a possible invasion of Michigan and of a rising of the Indians. 26 It would be true to human nature to sup- pose that these fears and desires would often cause the head of a family to hesitate about emigrating to Michigan; but in reality the spirit of the Michigan In- dians was cowed by the American success in the recent war, and their ferocity had largely burned out. The Detroit Gazette attempted to allay fears by setting forth the groundlessness of the prevalent anticipations of re- newed Indian hostilities." The relation of the National Government with the Michigan Indians was complicated by several things: by their dissatisfaction with the treaty of 1807, by their recent alliance with the British against the Americans, and by the belief of the Indians in the power and gen- erosity of the British because of the continued distribu- 26. Ihid. 27. See editorial for April 3, 1818; also a good general descrip- tion of ■ the character and condition of the Indians of eastern Michigan, by a comtemporary, in the Gazette, February 8, 1822. For relations of the settlers and the Indians, see Harriet Martineau, Society in America, I, 329; II, 25. Detroit Gazette, May 29, 1818, June 11, 1819; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 655-658; report of the sur- veyors of the Chicago Road, Detroit Gazette, March 18 and 25, 1825. For the civil status of the Indian and his relation to the states of the Union, see decisions cited in T. Donaldson's Public Domain (Washington, 1881), 240. 58 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS tion of large quantities of presents among them;-^ in 1829 sixty tons of presents were distributed in which the Michigan Indians shared. ^^ This pohcy appears to have been followed as late as 1839, in attempts to de- feat the American treaties with the Indians. ^'^ The sit- uation required a government agent of great patience and tact who thoroughly understood the Indian char- acter and who should have a genuine sympathetic in- terest. Lewis Cass possessed these qualifications in a marked degree, and in his capacity as Indian agent he rendered exceptional services to the settlement of Mich- igan, negotiating a score of treaties. ^^ The Indian title to the lower peninsula was with slight exceptions extinguished by four treaties, those of 1807, 1819, 1821, and 1836. The so-called treaty of Detroit (1807) ceded southeastern Michigan, west as far as the principal meridian and north as far as a line running from a point on the western boundary of the present Shiawassee County northeasterly to White 28. See a statement by Cass to the Secretary of War, October 21, 1820, in Schoolcraft's Summary Narrative, 280. The Indians are represented as generally friendly, but less so as the point of contact with the British is approached. See accounts of their visits to Maiden in the Detroit Gazette, November 21, 1823; August 2, 1825. The latter con- tains a long editorial on the policy of the British. 29. McLaughlin, "Influence of Cass on the Development of the Northwest", 323. 30. McLaughlin, Lewis Cass, 108, 110. 31. Smith, Life and times of Lewis Cass, 128-130; American Statd Papers: Indian Affairs, II, 224; Schoolcraft, Summary Narrative, 79-80; R. B. Ross and G. B. Catlin, Landmarks of Detroit (Detroit, 1898); L. M. Mathews, Expansion of New England {Boston, 1909), 231; Bureau of American Ethnology, Eighteenth Annual Report, pt. 2, passim. GENERAL INFLUENCES 59 Rock on Lake Huron. 3- In 1819 the treaty of Saginaw ceded a large part of central Michigan including the re- mainder of the Saginaw region and extending as far north as the headwaters of the Thunder Bay River. ^^ Practically all the land still remaining south of Grand River was ceded by the treaty of Chicago in 1821/^ and nearly all remaining north of it by the treaty of Washington in 1836.^5 In these treaties numerous small pieces of land were reserved to the Indian tribes and some grants were made to individuals of Indian descent. 36 The reservations were ceded as settlement pressed upon them, and the tribal Indians were re- moved to western reservations about 1840." 32. Ibid., 674. Prior to this time there had been in the hands of the Government only a narrow strip six miles wide along the water front, extending from the Raisin to the vicinity of Lake St. Clair, which was ceded in 1795. Ibid. 654. 33. The southern boundary of the cession extended west from the prime meridian to the vicinity of Kalamazoo. Bur- eau of American Ethnology, Eighteenth Annual Report, pt. 2, 698. 34. Ibid., 702. 35. Ibid., 756. For the principal minor treaties affecting the lower peninsula, see ibid., 699, 740, 764, and the Ameri- can State Papers: Indian Affairs, II, 72, 131, 677. The former contains colored plates showing the areas of the different cessions. There is a fairly accurate map show- ing the four larger cessions in Mich. Hist. Colls., vol. XXVI, opposite p. 275. 36. Bureau of American Ethnology, Eighteenth Annual Report, pt. 2, 702; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 291. 37. See report of Henry R. Schoolcraft, Acting Superintendent of Indian Affairs, on the removal of the Indians from Michigan, in Michigan Joint Document (1841), No. 1, pp. 61-86. The question of removal was advocated by Isaac McCoy, of the Baptist mission near Niles, from the time white settlement began to encroach upon the mission. See his statement of the motives of removal in his History of the Baptist Indian Missions (Washington, 1840), 265, 60 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The most serious check upon settlement due to the Indians since the War of 1812 came from an uprising of the Sacs and Foxes under Black Hawk in 1832. ^^ The Indians had just passed over the Chicago Trail home- ward bound from Maiden, where they had received their annual presents from the British, among other things arms and ammunition. The circumstances sug- gested to Michigan settlers that as a natural maneuver the Indians would retreat along the Chicago Road into Canada for a safer base of operations, in which case there might be expected depredations along the road, and possibly an uprising of the Potawatomi. Memories of Indian horrors spread panic, especially among the women and children. Travel on the road fell off rapidly and intending settlers turned to Ohio.^'-* A let- ter from a militia leader written in 1832 from White Pigeon in St. Joseph County, says: "The injury done to this part of the Territory by the exaggerated reports of danger from the hostile bands of Indians will not be cured for two years to come, and the unnecessary movements of our militia are calculated to spread far and near this alarm," Michigan militia were mustered at Niles but they did not leave Michigan; Black Hawk was defeated and captured by the United States troops 38. There is a brief, judicial account of the Black Hawk war in Magazine of Western History, 5. 39. Mich. Hist. Colls., VI 239; XVIII, 606; XXX, 456. H. P. Collin, A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record oj Branch County, Michigan (Chicago, 1906), 27, 29. 321, 323. See also an article by Lewis Cass on removal of Indians, in the North American Review for January, 1830 (XXX, 62-121). GENERAL INFLUENCES 61 before he reached Chicago, when the resistance of his followers collapsed/'' But the results of this outbreak for the settlement of Michigan were not wholly bad. Accounts of the "war" in newspapers, pamphlets, and books called attention to the country occupied by the Sac and Fox Indians westward from Michigan, and the summary way in which the National Government demonstrated its con- trol of the Indians gave to intending settlers, renewed assurance — especially to foreigners, whose imaginations had exaggerated the danger from the Indians. ^^ The influence of the Black Hawk war is not easy to separate from that of the cholera epidemic of the same year. It was probably the cholera as much as fear of the Indians that checked travel on the Chicago Road.''^ A large part of the troops under Scott which were sent against Black Hawk died of cholera in and about De- troit; others, panic stricken, deserted; it is estimated that half of the entire force died.^^ The ravages else- where in Michigan seem to have been equally severe. Many settlements established armed guards, allowing no one to pass in or out; fences were built across the roads from Detroit and travelers were halted at the point of the gun.'*'* 40. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 234, 235. 41. H. F. Thomas, History of Allegan County (Chicago, 1907), 31. 42. Collin, History of Branch County, 30. There was a repeti- tion of the epidemic in 1834, making a combination of influences that was felt even after 1835. These epidemics spread westward from Asia, reaching Michigan through Canada. 43. Campbell, Political History of Michigan, 440. 44. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 169; Farmer, History of Detroit, I, 49; Ross and Catlin, Landmarks of Detroit, 380-382; Detroit Free Press, July 19, 1832. 62 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS A very important task of the National Government in the interests of settlement,, for which the extinction of Indian titles and the military protection of the fron- tier were preliminary, was the survey and sale of lands. Cass had accompanied his criticism of the Tiffin survey with urgent advice to the Government for an immediate surveying of lands in the vicinity of Detroit and the establishing of a land office as soon as the surveys should advance far enough. A petition, circulated at his instance and signed by prominent men in the Terri- tory in 1818, secured the Government's attention, and public sales were opened in that year.''^ By 1818 two years of work on the new surveys had made practically all the land in the present eastern shore counties ready for the market ;^^ by 1821 more than two and a quarter millions of acres had been surveyed ; and a decade later the survey was completed for about ten million acres 45 Smith, Life and times of Lewis Cass, 113; McLaughlin, "In- fluence of Cass on the Development of the Northwest," 318; McLaughhn, Lewis Cass, 96. For phases of the land question prior to 1818, see American State Papers: Public Lands, I, 248, 267-269, 282. 46. For brief descriptions of the rectangular system of survey in Michigan, see Tackabury's Atlas, 6-7; Blois, Gazetteer, 65-70. Besides its obvious importance in enabling set- tlers to 'ocate their lands, this system had significance for local government. The base line in Michigan follows along the northern boundary of Wayne County due west and forms the boundary between counties throughout its entire length. At distances of twenty-four miles on each side, other parallels form similar boundaries throughout most of their length. Eastern and western county boundaries are formed by meridians running at right angles, in many cases making counties almost exact squares. Similarly, parallels and meridians divide the counties into squares of six miles on a side, forming "Government townships," which in most cases have be- GENERAL INFLUENCES 63 of the seventeen and a half iiiilHon that had been ceded to the Government.*^ As the surveys advanced and more land was ready for the market, new land offices were established; at Monroe in 1823, at White Pigeon in 1831, at Kalama- zoo in 1834, and at Flint and Ionia in 1836. The first represents a movemxcnt of population into the country of the Raisin River Valley, the second out along the Chicago Road, the third along the Territorial Road, the fourth into the Saginaw Valley, the fifth into the Grand River region. "^ The opening of the land office at Kalamazoo in 1834 marks the beginning of a new period in the settlement of western Michigan. ^^ The laws regulating the sales of land in Michigan be- fore 1820 were not conducive to the best interests of settlement. The claims of the squatter were not only not recognized, but his land and improvements were legally liable to forfeiture.^" The settler of small means was at a decided disadvantage, since the lands were sold only in comparatively large parcels and at auction to 47. American State Papers: Public Lands, III, 533 ; Historical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan (Detroit, 1834), 165. The field notes of the surveyors, deposited at Lansing in 1857 upon the completion of the survey of Michigan, are of first importance for early physiographic conditions. 48. For jurisdiction see Blois, Gazetteer, 71-73; Detroit Gazette, July 18, 1823; Risdon's map of Michigan (1825). 49. Mich. Hist. Colls., XVIII, 612. 50. Magazine of Western History, VI, 397. come units for township governments. This result was secured by the policy of following the township lines in establishing the original areas for township government, however unequal these areas, which makes easier the use of the organization of township government to measure, in a general way, comparative rates of settlement in different areas. 64 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the highest bidder. The fact that land could be bought on credit encouraged speculation, and the best land would tend to go into the hands of a few men of large actual or prospective means. The family man of small means with intention to settle was not likely to speculate even on credit, since his death or the defer- ment of payments for other reasons would forfeit both lands and improvements. He was more likely to wait his chance at the expiration of the given term of sale when the unsold lands would be put on the market at two dollars an acre, fifty cents at the time of entry and the balance in one, two, and three years, with interest. ^^ In order to avoid the cost and difficulties of collecting arrears, to check speculation, to open the best land on equal terms to all, to avoid the poor man's having to forfeit lands for deferred payments and to enable him to buy in small parcels, the credit system was by act of Congress (1820) to be discontinued i^^ qW lands were to 51. Donaldson, Public Domain, 203-205; History of Oakland County (Philadelphia, 1876), 130; Detroit Gazette, May 8, 1818. 52. Statutes at Large, III, 566. See a monograph by Enierich, on "The Credit System and the Public Domain," in Vanderbilt Southern Historical Society, Publications, No. 3, quoted by Mr. Turner in "The Colonization of the West," in American Historical Review, XI, 313, n. 2. The Detroit Gazette of September 24, 1819, hints at a condition which may have stimulated the repeal of the credit system. A writer, signing himself "Franklin" sug- gests that the immense indebtedness of the people of the West to the Government for the land, due to the credit system, may form cause for separation from the Union to escape the debt ; especially if the people are shown that the original states had no right to the land, and that the West is eminently fitted for independence. GENERAL INFLUENCES 65 be sold at $1.25 the acre, and in parcels as small as eighty acres. It still remained to give legal protection to the squat- ter. The squatter was the extreme advance guard of set- tlement whose services often took the keen edge from the hardships of later comers accustomed to the settled life of an old community. In a rude way, by a custom that had the effect of law, the squatters instituted a degree of self -protection. A settler who would dis- regard the right of a squatter to purchase his claim when it came on the market would soon find it un- pleasant to stay in the community. ^^ g^t the specu- lator was not easily made amendable to this custom and often took advantage of his immunity to beat the squatter out of a home. Congressional attention to this abuse began effectively with the preemption act of 1830.^4 It would be expected, under the influence of the Erie Canal, the acceleration of steam navigation on Lake Erie, and the survey of the Chicago Road, that sales would rapidly increase from 1825 to 1830. What took place was quite the opposite ;^5 the sales at the Detroit 53. Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 424; L. H. Glover, A Twentieth Cen- tury History oj Cass County, Michigan (Chicago, 1906), 107. 54. Donaldson, Public Domain, 214, 215. There is a brief treat- ment of "The national preemption system," in Magazine of Western History, VI, 396-399. 55. The amounts of sale for the whole Territory from 1830-1834 were: 1831: 252,211.44 acres; 1832: 316,081.89 acres; 1833: 447,780.17 acres; 1834: 351,951.32 acres. {Ameri- can State Papers: Public Lands, VI, 628; VII, 329-330.) The Detroit Gazette of June 20, 1826, attributes the fall- ing off in amount of purchases in 1826 to hard times in 9 66 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS land office may be taken as typical. In 1820 there were sold at that office 2,860 acres; sales ran rapidly up from 7,444 acres in 1821 to 20,068 in 1822; the increase continued until in 1825 they reached 92,332 acres. From this point there was a steady falling off until 1830, when 70,441 acres were sold. But with a sud- den impulse sales mounted in the following year to 217,943 acres. Then, probably under the influence of the Black Hawk war and the epidemics of cholera in 1832 and 1834, there was a gradual decline. But again, in 1835 sales suddenly leaped to 405,331 acres, and in 1836 to nearly one and a half million acres. ^^ In the year 1835-36 Michigan shared in a phenomenon of increased land sales that was national in extent. The largest total of sales was made in Michigan." This seems plausibly explained by the comparatively small amount of land remaining unsold in the older areas, and by the comparatively slight knowledge of lands farther west ; also by the stage of Michigan's settlement, her lands being accessible with comparative ease and well enough known to be properly valued. ^^ There was undoubtedly a large element of specula- tion in these purchases even before 1835. According to 56. Blois, Gazetteer, 74; J. P. MacCabe, Directory of the City of Detroit (Detroit, 1837), 86. The amount of sales given by Blois for 1833 is obviously a typographical error. 57. Donaldson, Ptiblic Domain, 215, 216; R. Adams, "Agricul- ture in Michigan," in Michigan Political Science Associa- tion, Publications, III, 173. 58. Ibid. 55. Con. the East, which made it difficult for intending emigrants to convert their produce and property into ready money. A retardation of immigration due to this cause was antic- ipated in the same paper May 23, 1826. GENERAL INFLUENCES 67 an apparently authoritative account speculation had reached only "a gentle breeze" in 1834, but increased "to a gale in 1835, to a storm in 1836, to a change of wind and an adverse tornado in 1837."^^ A serious financial crisis as a result of Jackson's financial policy appears to have been anticipated in Michigan as early as 1833. "We regret to find," says the editor of the Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, November 27, "that a general feeling of apprehension is felt and ex- pressed by the city papers, of serious embarrassment in the money market." Other editorial protests and prophecies followed.^'' But money, in bank notes," be- came as plentiful as "strawberries in June"^^ and every- body continued to seem prosperous. Banks were chartered at all the principal centers of settlement and increased in number rapidly after the general banking law of 1837.^^ Under this law, which among other things provided "that whenever any person or persons, resident of this State, shall be desirous of establishing a bank, such person or persons shall be at liberty to meet without interruption, open books and subscribe to the capital stock of such bank," much unscrupulous swindling appears to have taken place. Many banks whose promoters had little or no intention of redeem- 59. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 174. 60. For example, the Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, April 9, 1834; the Detroit Journal and Courier, Septem- ber 12, 1835. 61. See description of the "financial zoology" of the time — wild cat, red dog, etc. — in Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 190; and His- tory of Hillsdale County (Philadelphia, 1880), 41. 62. See Harriet Martineau's experience, Jime, 1836, in Society in America, I, 327. 63. Session Laws, 1838, p. 24. 68 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS ing their notes were^ set up at points difficult to reach or to find; capital was often not paid in; notes were issued in gross excess; security was frequently poor, or not furnished; and the bank inspectors were imposed upon by all sorts of trickery. '^■^ The crisis was precipitated in the East by the issue of Jackson's specie circular on July 11, 1836, and the effect was not long in reaching Michigan. The Detroit Daily Advertiser of October 15 observes that "the banks of Detroit do not discount the best paper which is offered. This has been the case for several months past." Pub- lic officers were authorized by the circular to receive only coin ; bank notes therefore would not buy Govern- ment land. But the real crisis came when Michigan banks in 1837 began to suspend specie payments''^ ^^d rapidly to fail. Bank notes became so valueless that in grim humor some investors who but a little while be- fore were supposedly rich used them for wall paper. ^^ Land became a drug on the market and panic prices prevailed." The laboring and farming classes appear to have been the heaviest losers, not having the means to keep abreast of news regarding the condition of the 64. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 160. See also ibid., XXXII, 254; Magazine of Western History, III, 202; Cooley, Mich- igan, 268-269; Ross and Catlin, Landmarks of Detroit, 439. 65. H. M. Utley and B. M. Cutcheon, Michigan as Province, Territory and State (New York, 1906), III, 88. 66. According to tradition, Louis Campau of Grand Rapids papered the cupola of his house with them saying: "If you won't circulate, you shall stay still." Mich. Hist. Colls., XXX, 294. See also ibid., XXII, 547. 67. Ibid., XXXVIII, 368-369; History of Hillsdale County (Phila., 1879), 42. GENERAL INFLUENCES ' 69 banks. '^^ But the crisis was not an unmixed evil for settlement. The immense speculations and immigra- tions of the period, stimulated by easy money, had brought great numbers of settlers before the crash came who still remained to aid the new State to recover from disaster, and to help build a prosperous common- wealth. Even more striking than land sales as illustrating the rate of settlement in Michigan are the very rapid changes that were made in the means of transporta- tion, both from the East to Michigan and from the lake shores to the interior. A period within a dozen years witnessed a transformation from the birchbark canoe to steam navigation on the Great lakes, and from the Indian trail to the railroad. *^*^ While such changes were partly a cause of settlement they were largely the re- sult of the demands of settlement, actual as well as prospective.'^^ 68. Michigan as Province, Territory and State, III, 105; Cooley, Michigan, 272-273. 69. Mich. Hist. Colls., IX, 165. 70. There is a good general survey of the early improvements of transportation in Michigan in R. Adams, "Agriculture in Michigan," in Michigan Political Science Association, Publications, III, 177-183. The Detroit Gazette of April 9, .1824, laments the small interest in road building, affirming that roads are improved only where absolutely necessary, and only enough there to make them barely passable. For use of the canoe on Michigan waters see Magazine of Western History, XI, 389, 390; Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 125. See J. L. Ringwalt, Development of transportation Systems in the United States (Philadelphia, 1888), 5-15 for the early systems of water transportation. For the French Canadian pony cart and ox team see Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 383-384; XXII, 487; Magazine of Western History, VI, 391. 70 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The navigation of the Great Lakes by steam marked a new era in the settlement of Michigan. Significant was it that the first steamboat from Buffalo arrived at Detroit in 1818, in the year of opening public land sales there. According to the Detroit Gazette for June 2 and 23, 1820, the usual time from Buffalo to Detroit was two and a half days and the fare fifteen dollars; the fare from Detroit to Mackinac was twenty dollars. The trip could be made from Boston to Detroit in fifteen days. The Gazette of May 8, 1818, states the cost of transporting goods from Albany to Detroit as four dollars and a half per hundred weight. In 1825-26 there came a sudden impulse apparently due to the opening of the Erie Canal, when the number of steam- ers on Lake Erie increased from one to six.^^ In 1836 ninety steamers are said to have arrived at Detroit in May bearing settlers to Michigan and the West.''^ The growth of steamboat travel may be measured by the number of passengers. The first trip of Walk-in-the Water in 1818 brought to Detroit twenty -nine passeng- ers; the Superior, which took her place after she was wrecked in 1821, brought ninety-four passengers ' in 1822;" in 1830 from April 1 to May 12 twenty-four hundred intending settlers were landed at Detroit ;^^ in the following year in one week in May steamboat ar- 71. Farmer, History of Detroit, I, 909. Another account gives three for 1827. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXV, 273. There is a good treatment of navigation on Lake Erie before 1829in^'6i£/., IV, 79. 72. Farmer, History of Detroit, I, 909. 73. Ibid. 74. Detroit Journal, May 12, 1830, quoted in Michigan Political Science Association, Publications, IV, 521. 05' ;= PiO X TTfS S- So 2, •^ ^ P3--. a > 2 ■" f T3a2 ■£. ^. ■^i ?; -■3^ *^ H f^ U. ffi ~ o ^ R =•? S H • jS Undoubtedly the success of the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad from Adrian to Toledo, giving the interior an outlet in that direction and ap- pearing to endanger the commercial interests of De- troit, did much to hasten the work on the St. Joseph Road. 11' When it was taken over by the State in 1837, nearly one hundred and seventeen thousand dollars had been expended on it; for which there had been done thirteen miles of grading and most of the clearing and grubbing between Detroit and Ypsilanti.n- Contem- porary appreciation of the importance of this road is shown by its completion to Ypsilanti in 1836. n^ To be sure, these first roads in Michigan were very primitive— strap-railed and operated by horse power. The first locomotive in 1837 on the Erie and Kalama- zoo road between Adrian and Toledo was compara- nO Michigan House Documents, 1837, No. 9, p. 2; and No. 9 (B), 29, 31. See description of the route in the Detroit Journal and Courier, July 8, 1835. This was the be- ginning of the later Michigan Central Railroad. 111. See editorials in the Detroit Daily Advertiser of July 26, August 12, and November 28, 1836. 112. Michigan House Documents, 1837, No. 9, p. 9. See for the projected system of internal improvements. Session Laws, 1837, pp. 130-133; House Journal, 1837, pp. 11-14, 114; House Documents, 1837, No. 9, p. 1. For an expression of the popular sentiment see constitutional sanction in Michigan Legislative Manual, 1837, p. 45, art. 13, sec. 3. 113. For an account of the festivities celebrating the arrival of the first train at Ypsilanti, see Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXV, 394. A copy of the invitation issued by the commission of internal improvements to Mr. Ball to "take a seat in the cars" on this first trip is contained in ihid., XXXVIII, 101. For the Southern Railroad from Monroe west- ward on the line of the later Michigan Southern Rail- road, see Michigan House Documents, 1837, No. 9, pp. • 4-7; for the Northern Railroad, see ihid., 13-16. 11 y 82 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS tively a toy;ii^ the train on this Hne appears to have been fairly typical. The first passenger coach, called the "Pleasure Car," was top-heavy and always jumping the track. Passenger trains had an engine and one coach, which carried about twenty persons. The seats were benches along the sides of the coach; the door was on the side; there were no steps, the coaches being low and accessible from the ground. Later on,, double- decker coaches were introduced; the upper deck, for women, was furnished with sheepskin-covered seats while the lower deck, for the men, had only wooden seats ; these cars could carry sixteen passengers on each deck. The first engines v/ere about twenty horse power, and six cars made a good-sized freight train ; the freight cars held only about two tons. The first train crews consisted of a fireman and an engineer; the fuel was wood taken from the forests en route; water for the engine was procured from the ditches. ^^^ A word should be said about the government of the Territory as an influence on settlement, though not much can be said of it as an asset in this relation. The opportunity for abuses, practically with immunity, were abundant, the powers of the government being ill- defined and the officials distant from Washington with 114. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 232, 236; Farmer, History of Detroit, I, 893. 115. Descriptions adapted from Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 495-496. See Michigan House Documents, 1837, No. 9 (A), 14-15, for a description of the process of building one of these primitive roads. A picture of the first train over the road from Detroit to Dearborn is given in Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 516, and of the Erie and Kalamazoo train in ibid., XXXVIII, opposite p. 494. 'r-T ^rf-4gr-fe>' -^^i*a^^g.^,^ FIRST RAILROAD TRAIN IN THE WEST (Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 494) This train reacheii Adrian from Port Lawrence (Toledo) Nov. 2. 1836, over the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad, a strap-railed line which was commenced in 1833 and com- pleted in 1836. See p. 81. GENERAL INFLUENCES 83 only themselves to report their conduct. Legislative, executive, and judicial powers were vested practically in the same persons, a small junto of four composed of the governor and three judges; rarely were they in agreement ; many are the accounts of their frequent and bitter broils. Many were the protests from the peo- ple ;^^^ it is said that the citizens of Detroit were so disgusted with this misrule that they refused to vote for councilmen after the first election in 1806. Fre- quently the people expressed their indignation through grand juries. ^^^ In* 1809 by this means they petitioned Congress for a change in the form of government, asking for an elective legislature and a delegate to Congress; but that body busily engaged with the foreign affairs preceding the War of 1812, gave little heed; not until the close of that conflict was a larger share in local government secured. ^^^ The movement for a change in the form of the Terri- torial government was strongly advocated in the De- troit Gazette with the purpose of "encouraging immi- gration, inducing settlement and developing the re- sources of the Territory." The increased expense would be an investment sure of rich returns, argued "Cincinnatus" in that paper for November 21, 1817, advocating change to a form "more congenial to the principles and feeling of the American people." "The government of this Territory, in its formation, is des- potic — as it exists at present, it is anarchy," declared 116. Ross and Catlin, Landmarks of Detroit, 283. 117. Ibid., 288, 290-291. 118. Ihid., 289. 84 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS another. 113 Governor Cass, thoroughly democratic, de- sired complete popular rule to be consummated for the Territory as rapidly as the will of the people should permit; 120 but the French, suffering from the ravages of war, hated nothing so much as taxes and had not the feeling for popular government characteristic of the "Yankee" immigrants. It was apparently the strength of their vote in 1818 that defeated the attempt to effect a change to the second grade of Territorial government, i-^i The Territory first elected a delegate to Congress in 1819, when it was provided that all white males who had resided in Michigan one year prior to the date of election and who paid a Territorial or county tax might vote at the election. i^-s The second important change was in 1823 when the Legislative Council was estab- lished, in the election of whose members the people were given a partial voice. 1^3 The complaints against the Territorial officials published in the Detroit Gazette preceding this change make an almost continuous series 119. October 28. See also the Detroit Gazette of 1817 for Octo- ber 10, November 28, December 5, 12, 26, and January 2, 1818, for a series of articles on the misrule of the Gover- nor and Judges, signed "Rousseau." A writer in the issue of December 19, 1817, regrets the influence such writings must have on immigration. In the issue for January 13, 1818, a strong editorial sets forth the ad- vantages of the second grade of Territorial government. 120. Journal of the Legislative Council, 1824, p. 8; ibid., 1826, pp. 5-6. 121. Detroit Gazette, October 2, 1818; Camj^bell, Political History of Michigan, 391; Smith, Life and Times of Lewis Cass, 113. 122. Statutes at Large, III, 482; Detroit Gazette, May 28, 1819. 123. Statutes at Large, III, 769. GENERAL INFLUENCES 85 of articles and editorials. ^24 jj^ fact, they are con- tinuous from its founding in 1817. These writings quoted in the eastern papers were detrimental, to the immigration at least of those who were particular about living under good government. The New York Com- mercial Advertiser, quoted in the Detroit Gazette of De- cember 27, 1822, declares that ''Michigan is the worst governed State or Territory in the Union if half is true that has been published in the last three or four years and never contradicted. "^^^ In 1827 Congress provided for the complete popular election of the Legislative Council, subject to a check by the governor's veto and to congressional approval. ^2** The Territorial govern- ment thus inaugurated continued until the election of State officers in 1836. The agitation for a change to State government be- gan actively about 1831. An editorial in the Detroit Gazette for October 8, 1824, had prophesied that in view of the present progress of settlement, Michigan 124. The editorials first became trenchant in 1820. See a criti- cism of the editorial silence on abuses, in the Gazette for August 11, 1820, followed August 25 by an editorial de- mand that an account be made by the treasurer of the Territory, of the expenditure of public money during the last five years. 125. Judge Woodward was the center of the attack on the Judges ; see the severe and specific arraignment in the Gazette for November 1 and 8, 1822; he published his defense in eastern papers, which led the Gazette to say that he ap- peared more desirous of being thought clean at Washing- ton than in Michigan. 126. Statutes at Large, 4, 200. The Detroit Gazette of June 18, 1824, contains very favorable comment on the recent work of the Legislative Council, publishing from this time forth the proceedings and laws of the Council and the speeches of the Governor. 86 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS woiild be eligible for statehood in 1826. But progress was not quite so rapid. The Detroit Free Press of September 8, 1831, forcast a sufficient population "in a year or so" ; in 1832 a vote taken on the issue though favorable was small, and Congress declined to consider it. 127 As in 1818 and 1823 the French-Canadians' fear of increase in taxes again ftirnished the strength of the negative vote.^^s "Yhe small size of the favorable ma- jority indicated probably less a lack of interest on the part of eastern settlers than the distraction of atten- tion from it by the cholera epidemic and the rumors of Indian uprisings. Regarding the franchise it is worthy of note that for this occasion it was extended beyond the qualified electors to all males of age excepting In- dians and Negroes. 129 Increasing numbers in 1833-34 again revived the agitation for statehood and symptoms appeared of the attitude Michigan was to take in the later conflict over admission. "Even if congress omits to act in the case," says the editor of the Detroit Joicrnal and Michi- gan Advertiser, October 29, 1834, "and appear to de- cline admitting her into the Union as a boon, we shall probably soon have proof that she may demand it as a right. "13" A census taken in 1834 revealed a popula- 127. Detroit Free Press, October 18, 1832; Detroit Courier, March 13, 1833; Ross and Catlin, Landmarks of Detroit, 376. 128. Detroit Free Press, October 11, 1832; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXII, 484; XXVIII, 171. 129. Campbell, Political History of Michigan, 435. 130. See other editorial discussions in the same paper for^Novem- ber 5, 12, 19, 26, December 4., etc., 1834, and frequently from then forward. GENERAL INFLUENCES 87 tion of 87,278."^ In 1835 a State constitution was adopted, a complete State government was elected, and Michigan claimed under the Ordinance of 1787 to be a State, awaiting only congressional action on its right to admission into the Union. The popular senti- ment in favor of State government is reflected in the vote of six to one for the adoption of the new constitu- tion in 1835, and as settlement increased in 1835-36 mainly from New York and New England the sentiment for statehood brought from the older states grew stronger in Michigan. For over a year, however, Michigan continued to be technically a Territory, at least not a State in the Union, though its people lived under the new constitution, i^'^ The constitution ad- opted may fairly be taken to express the general feel- ing of the people regarding popular rights. Among other things it required that a voter must be a white male above twenty-one years of age, a citizen or resi- dent in Michigan at the time of the adoption of the constitution and a resident of the State six months preceding the election. ^^^^ The franchise was extended 131. Blois, Gazetteer, 150. 132. There is a good brief analysis of the constitution of 1835 in Cooley's Michigan, 299-303; also in Michigan as Province, Territory and State, III, 43-53. The issue of the admission of Michigan afforded an instructive expression of state rights in the West, taking some time to settle because of being compromised with the slavery question, the ad- mission of Arkansas, and the boundary controversy with Ohio. A good brief digest of the legislation of 1835-37 bearing upon the settlement and development of Michigan, is contained in ibid.. Ill, 69, 77-89. See also the two volumes of Session Laws, 1835-1836, and 1837. 133. Michigan Legislative Manual, 1837, p. 30. 88 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS to all aliens then in Michigan, but a residence of five years was required of newcomers."'* Alpheus White, a native of Ireland, appears to have been largely in- strumental in getting an extension of the suffrage to aliens then residing in the Territory. ^^^ Settlers coming from the East to Michigan must have recognized in the laws of the Territory much with which they were familiar, since by reason of the origin the laws they reflected as a whole the spirit of the East. I'"' A writer who has made a special study of this feature finds that they were derived in about equal proportions from Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Virginia."^ Punishment at the whipping post was de- rived from the laws of Vermont ;^^^ as late as 1832 a public whipping of fifteen lashes on the bare back ap- pears to have been administered in the public square of Monroe village."^ At the close of the period a 134. Michigan Political Association, Piiblications , I, 130; a num- ber of newspaper articles appeared in 1836 bearing on the right of foreign immigrants to vote. See the Detroit Journal and Courier, July 1, 1835. 135. Michigan Biographies (Lansing, 1888), 685. 136. In some cases the intent of Congress to restrict the legisla- tion of the Governor and Judges to such as could be found on the statute books of the states, was frustrated by an ingenious patchwork method of piecing together sentences and phrases from those laws; this was one of the abuses complained of. 137. E. W. Bemis, Local Government in Michigan and the North- west (John Hopkins University studies, 1st ser., 5 — Baltimore, 1883), 10. At the close of most of the Terri- torial laws is a statement of the source from which they are derived, usually naming merely the State. 138. Mathews, Expansion of New England, 223. 139. Wing, History of Monroe County, 140; punishment by whip- ping was abolished in the Territory by statute in 1831. Territorial laws, III, 904. GENERAL INFLUENCES 89 movement for the abolition of imprisonment for debt had gained headway, of which the pubhcation of Whit- tier's poem "The Prisoner for Debt" in a Detroit paper is a reflection; in 1837 this relic was abolished by law.i" Of first rate importance to settlement were the pro- visions for county, township, and village government. The establishment of counties ran far ahead of settle- ment, it being the intention apparently to invite settle- ment and to avoid the difficulties that would attend the running of county lines after settlers should have located farms. ^-^^ In a rough way the rate of county organization may be taken to indicate the rate of set- tlement, i^- Popular participation in county govern- ment was granted by Congress in 1825 when the quali- fied electors were authorized to choose all county officers except judges. 1^^ 140. Session Laws, 1837, p. 299. However, Chief Justice Fletcher, in the work known from its compiler as "Fletcher's Code," embodied the old law, and the new one was re- enacted in 1839. Session Laws, 1839, p. 76. 141. Territorial Laws, II, 798-800; Detroit Gazette, editorial of September 13, 1822. 142. A very good brief study of the expansion of Michigan based on county organization has been made by Mr Mark W. Jefferson in Report of the Michigan Academy of Science, 1902, pp. 88-91. See plates in Farmer's History of De- troit, I, 119, 120. Another and more extended study of this subject has been made by Mr. William Henry Hathaway, in The Evolution of the Counties of Michigan, soon to be published by the Michigan Historical Com- mission. For the establishment of the first counties, and their vmequal areas, see W. L. Jenks, in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 447; also Territorial Laws, I, 121, 122, 323, 325, 327, 328; II, 295. 143. Statutes at Large, TV, 80; for legislation affecting the estab- lishment of county seats, see Territorial Laws, HI, 840; Session Laws, 1835-36, p. SI; ibid., 1837, pp. 268, 287.- 00 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The democratic character of local government was no small inducement to settlers, especially to the freedom- loving foreigner who came hither to enjoy what he could not obtain in the Fatherland. In 1825 Con- gress gave to the Governor and Council of the Terri- tory the power to divide the counties into townships Z^* and in the year 1827 this power was extensively used.^^^ Township government sometimes preceded county gov- ernment by a number of years, as in Grand Blanc Township in Genesee County, i"*^ and Allegan Township in Allegan County. ^^^ The Michigan town meeting combined with the powers of the New England town meeting the organization of the New York county board. 14 8 The successive variations in the areas of the political townships has naturally much significance as an indi- 144. Lanman, Michigan, 228. 145. Territorial Laws, II, 477. See comments of the Detroit Gazette of March 6, 1827, on the proceedings of the Legis- lative Council regarding township government. Their opinion of the importance of the subject is attested by the time given to it, greater than to any other measure since the organization of the Council. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 434. 146. Ibid., Ill, 434. 147. Ibid., XVII, 558. 148. Mathews, Expansion of New England, 236, quoting E. W. Bemis, Local Government in Michigan and the Northwest, 14-17; cf. Territorial Laws, II, 317, 640. See the discus- sion in the Detroit Gazette, February 27, 1827, for con- temporary opinion as to the respective merits of the New England and New York plans of township government. The Michigan Herald of January 17, 1827, states that a majority of citizens prefer the New York system of town- ship government because cheaper and more convenient; the same paper for February 28, 1827, contains an article against the New York plan. GENERAL INFLUENCES 91 cation of settlement. The earliest of these townships were sometimes of great extent. Some of them in- cluded several counties, as the township of Greene, humorously famous among pioneers for its size.^^^ Fre- quently the first political township in a county was coterminous with the county, and this large township would be later subdivided along the lines of the govern- ment townships into political townships of varying areas. 15" In the educational and cultural advantages offered by Michigan Territory there was not much to invite 149. Mich. Hist. Colls., X, 63; Territorial Laws, II, 787. For the very large townships in northern counties see ibid., II, 480-481. 150. As a small political area organized on petition of the people for township government, the township indexes popula- tion on a smaller scale than does the county; hence it is supplementary as a measure of settlement within the counties. The name, date, position, size, and boundaries of a township may tell much. The date and position of the first townships organized in a county are quite cer- tain evidence of how the population was distributed ; and the rate of township organization is fairly dependable as a means of contrasting the larger features of settlement within the counties. The names and boundaries of townships ay often give a clue to the motive of settle- ment, and to the sources of the population; but caution must be used in basing judgments upon the relative areas of townships; relative size, area for area, is likely to be very misleading, and should be compared with other evidence. Small townships naturally give the impression of density of population; and the large ones, of sparse- ness; but a township diagram of any county for any census will invariably give evidence that this relativity of area is not of itself a safe guide to relative density of population. Townships have varied in size for sundry reasons — physiographic, ethnic, economic, social; various other conditions have influenced feeling about who should be included in the townships. 92 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS settlers. 1^^ The importance of this element as an in- ducement to settlers, however, should be duly ap- preciated. Many of the leading pioneers had been educated in eastern schools and colleges; and the uni- versal respect for education is shown by the social status of the teacher, which was equal to that of the minister or physician. The influence of the devoted pioneer priests and preachers, like Father Gabriel Richard, John Monteith, and John D. Pierce, in ele- vating the general tone of social life must have been considerable. 1^- It was probably a general sentiment among intending emigrants that was reflected in an editorial of the Northwestern Journal of January 13, 1830, commenting on the "multiplication of schools, of places of worship, of religious teachers, and the im- provement of the moral habits of the people:" that "there are very many by whom a satisfactory answer to the questions 'can we educate our children there, and enjoy ourselves and secure to them the blessings of Sabbath instruction,' would be demanded before they would determine to emigrate." Though the foundations of Michigan's public school system, at least in practice, were laid after Michigan became a State, something was done by legislation in the earlier period. National land grants for schools provided a part of the financial basis both for primary and higher education. ^^^^ Governor Cass had the thorough-going New England sense of the importance 151. Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 36-51. 152. J. D. Hoyt and R. C. Ford, John D. Pierce, Founder of the Michigan School System (Ypsilanti, 1905), 40-41, 44-46. 153. A. C. McLaughlin, History of Higher Education in Michigan, 17, 18; Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 19. GENERAL INFLUENCES 93 of educating the masses as a basis for citizenship and did his utmost to promote schools. ^^-^ It is probable that his inspiration was back of the apparent awaken- ing of interest in public education reflected in the legis- lation of 1827 providing for common schools in the townships. 1^'^ However, the log schoolhouses built by the settlers, meagerly equipped, and probably frequently officered by schoolmasters of the type of Ichabod Crane, re- mained throughout this period the sole public educa- tional advantage within reach of the vast majority of children. 1^'' Academies appeared at Pontiac, Ann Ar- bor, and a few other centers of settlement. i" The Ann Arbor Academy had a considerable reputation, draw- ing pupils from prominent families in Detroit. ^^^ Some sHght beginnings that looked towards a university made 154. McLaughlin, Lewis Cass, 123, citing Journal of the Legisla- tive Council, 1826, pp. 5-6. 155. Territorial Laws, II, 472; see also ^'^^'c?., Ill, 1012, 1377. A brief review of Territorial school legislation in Michigan is given in Michigan Joint Documents, 1880, pp. 307-309; and of the organization of the Territorial school system in Hoyt and Ford, John D. Pierce, 47-52. 156. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 429. See the sketch of a typical pio- neer school of about this time at Ypsilanti, probably of the better type, "Annual report of the Superintendent of PubHc Instruction, 1880," in Michigan Joint Documents, 1880, pp. 306-307. The visitation was made in 1839 by the editor of an eastern school paper, The Common School Assistant, in whose columns for September of that year appeared his report — good teachers, but poor ventilation, bad desks and seats, windows poor, ceiHngs low, and the settlers unwilhng to have any change made. 157. Territorial Laws, III, 849, 879, 881, 975, 992, 1069, 1120, 1205, 1379. 158. Mich. Hist. Colls., I. 400. 94 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS their appearance. ^^^ Toward the end of the period there were formulated those plans of Isaac E. Crary and John D. Pierce which appearing first in spirit in the State constitution of 1835 were brought to practi- cal realization by the earliest State legi slat ion ^'^o and were to mean much for later settlement. 159. Territorial Laws, 1,879; 11,104; McLanghlm, Higher Ed- ucation in Michigan, 29-31; Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 37; B. A. Hinsdale and I. N. Demmon, History of the Uni- versity of Michigan, passim; Michigan Joint Documents, 1880, pp. 353-355, 358, 360-363. 160. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 38; V, 184-187; McLaughlin, //ig/z^r. Education in Michigan, 34-35 ; Michigan Legislative Man- ual, 1837, pp. 43; 44, art. 10, sec. 2, 3. Hoyt and Ford, John D. Pierce, 79-87; Michigan Joint Documents , 1880, pp. 309-313. CHAPTER III The Eastern Shore ^HE lands now in Monroe, Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair counties were the earliest portion of the southern peninsula to receive Canadian-French settlers, and. they contained always a larger proportion of that element of population than did any other part of Michigan Territory. They were also the first counties to receive American settlers, for they had a common shore line facing Canada and the eastern states. A continuous network of streams afforded drainage, a degree of navigation, and well distributed water power. In view of the initial advantages which these counties shared they had a slower rate of settlement than might have been expected. This was due partly to peculiar- ities of soil, timber and position. ?■ The surface soil [in much of Monroe and Wayne counties was a stiff clay which, as a recent map of the surface geology indicates, was probably the bottom of an ancient lake.^ At the time of the first settlement this soil was covered densely with forests of ash and elm. The difficulty of clearing it was a serious discouragement to farmers and this accounts partly for the slowness with which these lands received actual settlers as compared 1. Soil map in pocket of the Mich. Geological Survey Report, 1907. 96 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS with the more open counties farther inland. In Macomb and St. Clair counties settlers met, besides the heavy clay lands, the lighter soils on the rolling clay drift. These had lighter forests, mainly of maple and oak with the characteristic "openings" and offered much less difficulty to the beginnings of agriculture. On the sandy land in St. Clair County there was much pine, inviting to settlers interested in lumbering; apparently many Maine lumbermen came early to this region.^ But the position of the northern counties of the section was somewhat aside from the general current of immigration from the eastern states. In many portions the forest was heavy and the abundance of pine was held to indicate inferior soil. The lands of this section had a common watershed which drained their waters to the eastern shore in a current strong enough to give abundant water power. The numerous branches of the streams forming a network of irrigation and water for stock insured also a minimum waste of land. Enumerating northward, the inland streams that meant most to the American settlement of this section where the Raisin, the Huron, the Rouge, the Clinton, the Belle, the Pine and the Black.^ The French-Canadians, who were the first to come, settled also on the smaller streams and on the intervening dry land between the mouths along the shore. They cared less for water power than for conditions favoring compactness and ease of com- 2. For example, a party of four are said to have purchased, in 1835, 25,000 acres of pine land. Hist, oj St. Clair County (1883), 305. 3. The Detroit and St. Clair rivers were regarded as straits. THE EASTERN SHORE 97 munication. Any stream that could float a canoe and could afford enough water for the household and a few heads of stock was considered by them satis- factory for a settlement. At the time Michigan became a Territory, French-Canadians were to be found along such inconsiderable streams as Otter Creek, Sandy Creek, Stony Creek and the Ecorse. The land about the mouths of almost all the eastern streams was low and marshy, but a little distance back from the shore there were usually large patches of fertile open meadow land which afforded ample homes for these settlers."* Almost ever}^ stream of this section that emptied into the shore waters had French farmers upon its banks; no French settlement was away from either shore or stream. Jouett, Indian Agent at Detroit, assigns as one motive for this the scarcity of springs in these heavy clay lands, ^ An early writer adds as motives the good canoeing and fishing.*^ The 4. It is almost needless to say that the local conditions of topography, soil and navigation along these streams have been so changed by artificial drainage, deforestation, drying of streams, harbor improvements and cultivation of the land, that conclusions cannot be safely based alone upon present-day observations. One can best study the French settlements in the light of contemporary de- scriptions, like that given by Indian Agent Jouett, writ- ten for the information of Congress at about the begin- ning of Michigan's history as a Territory. His careful visitation of the settleinents extended almost the entire length of the shore, from the Ohio boundary to Lake Huron. He informs the Secretary of War that he has "avoided neither trouble nor fatigue" to make the record accurate, "by minute investigation." The report is printed in Amer. State Papers., Public Lands, I, 190-193, and in the same series, Indian Affairs, I, 758-760. 5. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 191. 6. Detroit Gazette, Oct. 30, 1818. 13 98 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS mouths of the streams, separated by intervals of shore Hne, were from three to ten miles or more apart and in longer intervals there were settle- ments along the shore. An example is seen in the interval between the Rouge and the Clinton which included Detroit.^ The river settlements were always on the lower courses of the streams and as near to the shore waters as the marshy lands about their mouths would permit.^ The desire of the French to be near the shore ap- parently led them in some instances to submit to very unhealthful environments. In the Western Gazetteer (1817) Brown mentions a settlement on Swan Creek, "the worst looking stream tributary to Lake Erie," where the water, choked with aquatic plants, was so putrid that it would "rope in smnmer like molasses;" yet, says the author, "the inhabitants make free use of it for cooking and drinking" and "their children near the shore look miserably."^ The French seem to have preferred this despite the fact that the water four miles from the mouth was brisk enough to run ' ' water machinery. ' ' Jouett reports that at the Rouge, whose sluggish current made its mouth like a pool, 7. Originally there were small streams running through the settlement at Detroit. See plate in Farmer's History of Detroit, I, 9. The course of the River Savoyard became the line of the first underground sewer of the city. 8. On Otter Creek the settlements extended, according to Jouett, to the shore of Lake Erie. In the Western Gazetteer (p. 160) Brown reports settlements on the Raisin within two miles of its mouth. 9. Brown, Western Gazetteer, 160. This seems to be the creek called by the French "La Riviere aux Cignes." The settlement is not mentioned by Jouett. THE EASTERN SHORE 99 "fevers of malignant nature confine whole families for weeks together. "^° Along the shore south of the Clinton were obstacles to good health "which neither the industry nor the perseverance of the agriculturist would be able to surmount," a place "less calculated for a settlement than any other I have ever seen in this country;" yet it was occupied by a fairly large colony. ^^ It appears that the distance to which the French settlements extended inland bore some relation to canoe navigation. The largest groups of farms were on the largest streams. A group was rarely longer than ten miles. There was one of that length on the St. Clair above the mouth of Belle River, one a little longer on the Raisin and one of nine miles on the CHnton.^- A line of stetlement north and south of Detroit forming the center of the frontier extended from near the Rouge to some distance above Grosse Point e. On the smaller streams the size of the settle- ments was quite disproportionate to the size of the streams. For instance, on the Rouge an almost continuous line of farms reached inland for eight miles, only a mile shorter than the group along the Clinton; this is the distance reported by Jouett to which this stream was navigable for "small boats." On the little streams Otter and Sandy creeks, settle- ment extended inland for three miles. Rocky River, which according to Jouett was not navigable for "even the smallest boats," but which had pure water 10. A.S.P., Public Lands, I, 191. 11. Ibid., I, 192. 12. Ibid., I, 190, 192. 193. 100 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS and excellent soil, is reported to have had no French farmers. ^^ The one exception to settlement on an available stream of good size was furnished by Hm"on River. The soil was good — "None is superior to the lands on this river," says Jouett — and they were apparently known to the French to be fertile. In 1794 something like speculation took place when the trader Gabriel Godfroy bought from the Indians four thousand acres on the lower Huron. Apparently he made no effort to people the land; in 1803 Jouett found one tenant there living near the mouth of the river as a ferryman. Fertility of soil seems not to have been an inducement to French settlers if other things were lacking. The want appears to have been in this case a suitable relation to the large settlements at Detroit and on the Raisin. The obscure Ecorse, ten miles nearer to Detroit seems to have been preferred ; the lower Huron lay directly on the usual trail over which the Indians passed in reaching the British in Canada; Detroit offered the protection of the fort. Moreover, a posi- tion on the trail would favor Godfroy 's trading interests with the Indians, which would not be improved by the presence of French settlers. It does not seem certain that he had a post on his land on the lower Huron 13. Ibid., I, 190. Land was purchased early there (to the amount of 600 French acres, 1786-1788) by two French Canadians, apparently for speculation. A portion of it was later acquired by the Detroit firm of Meldrum & Park. Improvements were made, including a distillery and a flouring mill, said to have been worth $10,000, but the French seem not to have been attracted. In 1803 Jouett reports but two families as being then on the river, engaged in managing the distillery and mill. Ibid., 1, 190. THE EASTERN SHORE 101 but he appears to be the same with the Gabriel Godfrey who was given title by the Government (1811) to land on this trail at the site of Ypsilanti, and who had a post there as early as 1809.^'* The amounts of population at the several points had apparently little relation to the relative extensions of settlement inland. The most populous settlement along the shore of the Detroit River above and below the village extended inland only the length of the farms. The Raisin River settlement, whose families numbered upward of one hundred and twenty, made a group almost four times as large as that on the Clinton.^''' The settlement on the Rouge, a mile shorter than that on the Clinton, exceeded the latter in number of farms by about a dozen. ^"^ 14. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 1092-1093; Ann Arbor Folio, p. 1. See also the Greeley survey of French claims (1810). Jouett's report apparently aims to present the advantages of the lower Huron to eastern settlers. He speaks of "the deep and gentle current" of the river, navigable for boats twenty miles; of the "extensive prairies" and "beautiful sceneries," — and even of the hazel brush, as affording "a pleasant shade to the de- lighted traveler." To a title, he says, Godfroy could have "no pretensions," the deed being signed by onl}" one Indian chief, without a witness. Another early purchase made by Godfroy (3000 French acres) was on the Rocky River. Francis Pepin, the second of the trio who established the post at the site of Ypsilanti, bought the same amount at about the same time (1786-1788) on the opposite bank. 15. A. S. P., Ptihlic Lands, I, 190, 192. This is approximately the relative proportion of claims shown in the Greeley survey of 1810. Jouett's usage in the employment of "occupants" and "inhabitants" is loose. He seems sometimes to mean heads of families. Occasionally he uses "farms" and "families." 16. Ibid., I, 191. 102 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The desire of the French to be as near Detroit as possible and still be near the shore is illustrated by the almost unbroken continuity of the shore settlements about Detroit with those on neighboring streams. The influence of Detroit is apparent in the grouping of so large a colony on the Rouge, ^^ which really was an expansion up that stream of the shore settlements south of Detroit. Jouett reports a gap some two miles in extent between these groups, due to the marshy shore immediately north of the mouth of the Rouge; but the Greeley map (1810) shows no break in the continuity of the French claims. The group included by Greeley under "Detroit Settlement" begins with a claim fronting entirely on the Rouge. ^^ Associated closely on his map with the Rouge claims are those on the Ecorse. The claims which face the southern bank of the Rouge extend across one branch of the Ecorse; the Rouge claims nearest the shore abut on the northernmost Ecorse claim. A similar continuity is observed north of Detroit. Jouett records upward of a hundred farms grouped along the shore north of Detroit, and on the Greeley map the only break in their continuity with those on the Clinton is for a distance of about four miles above Grosse Pointe. On Greeley's map a marsh is shown there, apparently indicating a part of the unhealthful shore region mentioned by Jouett. This break in the line of shore settlements, however, marks properly the northern limits of the Detroit group. The environment of the Clinton River and 17. The Greeley map shows seventy-five claims on the Rouge. 18. •Claim No. 718. THE EASTERN SHORE 103 of the shore of Lake St. Clair, as well as the character of the settlements, gives a distict individuality to the group beyond. The characteristic of this group was the comparative sparseness of settlement. Jouett states that he met but two settlers in the whole distance from the Clinton to the St. Clair River, and the number of families on the Clinton are reported as less than on the Rouge. ^® The Clinton River, in general, appears to have offered excellent advantages for farming, but the lower course was marshy for some miles and the American shore of Lake St. Clair seems to have been regarded by the French as a succession of marshes and sand.^° A third area of settlement was along the St. Clair River. This had two groups of fair size, one of twelve farms fronting on the last six miles of the river's course, and a second of twenty-four farms near its junction with the Pine.^^ South of Detroit beyond the Ecorse the shore lands, though offering prime advantage for farming, were practically destitute of settlements for a distance of some twenty miles, to the Raisin River." Some three miles from the Raisin on either side of its mouth were 19. On the Clinton there were, according to Jouett, thirty-four families, a number corresponding approximately with the nmnber of claims shown on the Greeley map. 20. On the Greeley map, the shore of Anchor Bay contains a Chippewa Reservation of 5760 acres, — apparent evidence that the land was not poor there, as the Indians rarely chose poor soil for their villages. The same map shows five large French claims just above the Clinton at the mouths of small streams. 21. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 192, 193. 22. The Greeley map shows six claims at Brownstown Creek; four of them were apparently not French, bearing the names of Adam Brown and William Walker. 104 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS settlements on Sandy and Otter creeks which num- bered together not over forty farms, overshadowed by the larger group on the Raisin. The Raisin River group was by far the largest inland group of French farms in the Territory, numbering upward of one hundred and twenty.-^ These four areas of French settlement, on the Raisin, the Detroit, the Clinton and the St. Clair rivers, fore- shadowed the division of this shore line among the present counties of Monroe, Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair. The French-Canadian farms in Michigan differed from the usual "Yankee" farms in shape and size. With few exceptions they formed regular parallelo- grams ; and in area there appear to have been mainly four classes, respectively of 80, 120, 160 and 200 French acres-'*- — according to the extent of water frontage. 23. hi a communication made in January, 1806, a newly ap- pointed associate judge of Michigan Territory (A. B. Woodward) reported to the Government the whole num- ber of French farms in the Territory to be 442. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 266. His figures, which agree sub- stantially with those of Jouett, were probably not made from personal investigation of the settlements, since he had been less than a year in the Territory and ap- parently most of that time in Detroit. Probably he had access to Jouett 's information, as the latter was then the Indian Agent at Detroit. Woodward's materials, ar- ranged differently from those in Jouett's report, form a chronological table showing the date of every addition of settlers to each site, the number of farms at each, and whether within the American title. The number of farms indicated by Jouett and Woodward is approxi- mately the same as the number of claims in the survey of 1810 shown on the Greeley map. 24. The French acre was a square, with a side of about eleven and two-thirds rods, equal to about four-fifths of an American acre. THE EASTERN SHORE 105 In frontage they varied from about 23 to 58 rods; but almost uniformly they reached forty French acres^^ back from the water. There were some farms of 400 acres, but this large area appears to have resulted from dupHcation of the 200 acre farm by adding an equal parallelogram onto the rear of the one in front. ^"^ This added part is what is referred to after the survey as "the second concession," usually a wooded area useful for timber and firewood ; as will be seen later it explains the jagged rear boundary lines observable on the maps of the French claims. On the Raisin and Clinton rivers these irregularities were partly due to bogs extending along the rivers on either side and forming a natural rear boundary for the farms. -^ Of the French farms, most however fall into the second class, of 120 French acres (96 American acres), with a frontage of about 23 rods and a depth of about 467 rods. Another characteristic of the French settlement was its compactness. These farms all fronting on the water were with few exceptions close together, so that the side boundary of one farm made one boundary of a neighboring farm. This is the feature which gives to the maps of the French claims their well-known "gridiron" appearance. In this arrangement a domi- 25. About 467 rods. The early accounts appear to make the acre a linear measure. Thus a farm is designated as "two acres front and forty acres deep." In Jouett's report, a few illustrations are given of variations between 25 and 180 acres in depth. 26. On the Raisin, the Ecorse and the Rouge, farms of this size were reported by Jouett. See Woodward's explanation of this area in the report referred to in note 23. 27. A.S.P., Public Lands, I, 190, 192. The Greeley map shows the farms on the Clinton farthest inland as having a very large frontage but as extending only a little way from the river. 106 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS nant trait in the character of the French-Canadians appears, a fondness for close neighbors. Besides facihtating sociabihty, it enabled them to unite quickly against enemies. On the rivers it enabled the settlers up stream to get closer to the lake shore. The small size of the average Canadian-French farm corresponded with the general character of Canadian- French farming. Its small scale fostered little desire to acquire land; the whole of a French farm, small as it was, was rarely cultivated,"^ and this was especially true of the larger ones. The improvements were correspondingly meager. On the typical farm there was a small dwelling on the river bank, a garden near it, with usually an orchard, and back of this a field of wheat or corn. In the rear, covering the larger part of the land, was a stretch of forest, principal^ for firewood. The part of the farm to which the French settler seems to have given the most care was the orchard. Referring to the farms south of Detroit, Jouett says their owners were ' ' assiduously careful ' ' of their orchards and produced a surplus of fruit and cider for exporta- tion to the settlements on the Canada shore. Pears and apples of first quality were raised in great abund- ance, and peaches and cherries were only second in importance. ^^ "Almost every farm has an orchard 28. A.S.P., Public Lands, I, 264. 29. "The crowning glory of the French orchard was the pear tree," says Bela Hubbai^d, Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 356. Brown speaks of cider and peach brandy made on the Raisin for exportation. Western Gazetteer, 161. Evans remarks (1818) that Michigan promised to be "a great cider country." Thwaites, Early Western Travels, VIII, 221. THE EASTERN SHORE 107 of old but beautiful apple trees," says the Gazette of July 30, 1819, "the produce of which furnishes, generally, the greatest share of the owner's gains;" yet it speaks of the orchards as "almost totally neglected. "^° McKenney in his Tour to the Lakes (1826), speaking of the French between Detroit and Grosse Pointe, records that they "appear reconciled to let the earth rest and the houses go to decay around them; and the orchards to decline and die."^^ Granting that the French took some care of their orchards, their farming must have appeared to the enterprising Yankee in other respects exceedingly shiftless. A typical illustration is the lack of care of the soil. Jouett reports that he found in many places an exhausted soil where apparently it had once been fertile. It appears to have been a general custom in the settlement to haul the manure out onto the ice in the winter so that it might float away in the spring. ^'^ To quote a contemporary nimiber of the Gazette, "The farms in this Territory are very old, and as the proprietors of them seldom or never have strengthened the soil by manure, they are in a great measure ex- hausted."^^ Bela Hubbard declares that "in some cases even the barns were removed to avoid the piles that had accumulated."^^ Soap-making was a 30. See, for other examples, the issues of Sept. 19 and Nov. 7, 1817; also Nov. 5, 1819. 31. McKenney, Tour to the Lakes, 126. 32. Amer. Hist. Assoc., Papers, III, 314. d,Z. July 30, 1819. 34. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 352. Landmarks of Detroit (p. 145) takes exception to Hubbard's statement, but without convincing evidence to the contrary. 108 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS "Yankee novelty. "^^ These reports are in keeping with the alleged ignorance of spinning and weaving which led settlers to throw away the wool when shearing their sheep. ^"^ The average French farmer used much the same implements and worked the soil in mvich the same manner as did the Indians." A crude wooden plow was pushed, instead of pulled, by oxen attached to it with a rawhide thong passed about their horns. Corn was planted with no regard to regularity of rows. Wagons were not known; the universal vehicle was a two- wheeled cart. Stock was confined, usually, to one pony which was turned into the neighboring woods for such living as it could find, and was caught when wanted. ^^ The common note struck in Jouett's report for almost all of the settlements is that of indolence and wretched- ness. Conditions appear not to have improved greatly over those witnessed at Detroit by Croghan in 1765, who says, "All the people here are generally poor wretches, a lazy, idle people, depending chiefly upon 35. Amer. Hist. Assoc, Papers, III, 314. 36. This, if true, was probably so only of the lowest classes. Says a writer in the Mich. Hisi. Colls., IV, 74: "The spinning wheel was constantly used by the women; they made a sort of linsey-woolsey which was the principal cloth used by the habiians for their dress." Hvibbard says {Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 364), that knitting, sewing and spinning were taught along with reading, writing and arithmetic at the Academy in Detroit. 37. Hubbard, in Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 353, 354. 38. See the description of the Fr^isnch farms and farming in Mich. Pol. Science Assoc, Publications , III, 168-169; also James V. Campbell in the Western Magazine of History, IV, 375, and Cooley's Michigan, 232-237. THE EASTERN SHORE 109 the savages for their subsistence; though the land, with httle labor, produces plenty of grain, they scarcely raise as much as will supply their wants, in imitation of the Indians, whose manners and customs they have adopted, and cannot subsist without them."^^ The Gazette of January 22, 1819, comments editorially that the farmers near Detroit, with two hundred acres of land, buy bread of the baker and vegetables of their more enterprizing neighbors. A report from the Detroit Land Office (1805) charges that "they never do that today which can be delayed until tomorrow. "■^° Alluding to the settlement on the Clinton, Jouett refers the poverty there to "that indolence and want of skill in agriculture which so conspicuously marks the Canadian character"^^ in this country." Of the one on the Ecorse he says that though "grass and wheat are astonishingly luxuriant and nature requires to be but little aided to produce in abundance all the neces- saries of life, yet the people are poor beyond conception, and no description could give an adequate idea of their servile and degraded situation."^- The contempt of the "Yankee" for this condition is preserved in the epithet "muskrat Frenchman," in allusion to the hut- like dwellings of the poorer classes.'*'^ On the whole, the largest settlements were the most prosperous, especially those on the Detroit and Raisin 39. Croghan's Journal, in Thwaites' Early Western Travels, I, 152. 40. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 267. 41. Ibid., I, 192. 42. Ibid., I, 191. 43. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 352. See Jouett's description of those on Otter and Sandy creeks. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 190. no ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS rivers. In the large settlement on the shore im- mediately north of Detroit, says Jouett, the houses were ''once comparatively of the better kind," though rapidly decaying. Below Detroit he found the houses "tolerably good." Judge Campbell and Bela Hubbard recall what in the early days was a picturesque witness of French husbandry there, the many windmills and watermills, "most of which were grist mills "^"^ for which grain was furnished by the neighboring lands. The farms on the middle St. Clair are described by Jouett as "fertile and well improved, "^^ and some of the settlers on the CHnton were "agreeably situated." On the Raisin he found "tolerably well improved" farms with comfortable houses of hewn logs and generally the necessary outbuildings. McLaughlin says that the French on the Raisin were on the whole more ignorant and less thrifty than those about Detroit — referring apparently to conditions after the War of 1812.4« The industrial and economic conditions in the French settlements reveal a people of primitive life 44. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 359; II, 103. 45. This was doubtless partly due to the enterprise of the De- troit firm of Meldnun & Park, which made improve- ments there. 46. McLaughlin, Lewis Cass, 88. The proportion of British or other than Canadian-French inhabitants in these set- tlements, appears to have been very small. Jouett specifically mentions three exceptions on the Raisin River, and four on the Clinton. The latter, he says, were "Englishmen of industry and enterprise." On the St. Clair, he reports all as "Canadians." There seem to have been a larger number of exceptions in the Ecorse and Rouge settlements, if we may judge from his men- tioning that the "majority were Canadian French." S-2 • i? =■• Q 2; •■< o 3 n iiiii 7/7 1:^ llfeHiJ i!;i 1 i\ THE EASTERN SHORE 111 and habits. In the words of a contemporary com- menting on the French of the lower Raisin in 1819, "The old inhabitants are a very indolent set of people, the lower class of which depend almost wholly on hunting for their living. Those of a higher class make good dependence on the fur trade with the Indians which is tolerable good at present. "^^ Their skill in hunting and trapping and their usually pleasant relations with the Indians formed a large asset of the fur companies, and in these pursuits the French often showed much force of character.'*^ Contact with wild life in the forests of Canada and the Northwest through many generations could not but give a decided bent to their thought, character and habits. And this bent was strengthened by restrictions of the French Government, intended apparently to insure their servi- tude to the interests of the seigneurs in the fur trade.*^ The British Government seems to have had quite as little interest in these settlements so far as concerned their agricultural development. It allowed no new lands to be taken up without in each case express permission from the king.^° A statement made by Mr. Lymbruner, agent of the Province of Canada, seems to represent the early sentiment of the British 47. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 485. 48. Ibid., II, 104. 49. See a list of conditions imposed in French grants to Detroit settlers in 1707. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 182; also Lanman, History of Michigan, 66, 318-319; and the Magazine of Western History, IV, 375. But Judge Camp- bell believes these restrictions were so little insisted upon as never to have been burdensome in practice. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 101. 50. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 269. Royal proclamation of Oct. 7, 1763. 112 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Government towards the whole region environing Detroit, who in 1793 before the House of Commons declared it his opinion that the obstacles to Detroit's growth were so great that they "must greatly impede the progress of settlement and cultivation for ages to come."" A contemporary, Judge Woodward, has left a pleasing description of the Canadian-French settlers in Mich- igan. According to his sketch we see them habitually gay and lighthearted, yet pious; honest beyond com- parison; generous, hospitable and often refined; and with no cares from "ambition or science."^'' The apparent lack of ambition in the Michigan Canadians was owing largely to the paternalistic regime under which they and their ancestors had so long lived which accustomed them to look for everything to be done for them or to be imposed upon them by some authority from without. It would therefore require some time to adjust themselves to the "Yankee" idea of paying taxes to support schools and govern- ment, and it was to be expected that they would not take kindly to those successive stages of government which should entail upon them additional expense. The Frenchman's contentment with the slow-going ways of his ancestors was doubtless due to his setting no great value on time, of which he had an abundance. He could not well understand the spirit of hurry that characterized the "practical, hard-working, money- 51. Farmer, History of Detroit, I, 336. The particular obstacle was the obstruction offered by Niagara Falls to eastward transportation. 52. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 264. THE EASTERN SHORE 113 getting Yankee, ' ' which disturbed him.^=^ His ' ' conser- vatism," his opposition to change, was an expression of this satisfaction with things as they were. These settlers were apparently unconscious of their poverty and consequently would not sell their meager improve- ments for several times the real value.^^ This was in some degree a real hindrance to settlement, as when they refused to allow their farms to be disturbed by the needed widening or extending of streets in Detroit. Again, they naturally adhered to their mother tongue, necessarily somewhat of a barrier between them and the eastern immigrants,^^ as were also their manners and customs, which are said to have been those of a hundred years before.^'"' Class 53. See Mr. Campau's comparison of the French Canadian and the American or Englishman in this respect, as quoted in the Magazine of Western History, X, 395. 54. McLaughHn, Higher Education in Michigan, 10. 55. "Their so-called patois is the old French tongue continued almost unchanged, like the manners and habits of those who use it." Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 364. The Gazette published several columns in French in its earlier issues, and reprinted important notices or documents often in parallel French and English columns. In that paper for November 1, 1825, the "French Gazette" is advertised, subscriptions to be received at the office of the Gazette, but so far as the writer knows this was not published. In 1805 when the commissioners of the Land Office wished to employ someone, other than the clerk of the Board, to translate the French deeds, it is stated that they could find no one sufficiently quaHfied in whom confidence could be placed. A. S. P., Public Lands, I, 267. 56. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 359. Bela Hubbard says that "the Canadians were speedy to adopt the superior imple- ments and modes of cultivation used by the Anglo- Saxon settlers." Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 353. The editor - 15 114 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS consciousness was in some measure fostered by the traditions and services of the CathoKc Church. Though the accounts lay emphasis on the indolence of the French-Canadians in Michigan as farmers, these settlers appear to have been anything but spiritless or heavy. These scions of the "careless, laughter- loving Frenchman" seem to have enjoyed life keenly. Bela Hubbard says that in the gloom following the speculation of 1835-37 "there was no lack of French gaiety, which arose to an unusual degree when times were at their worst, in the winter of 1841."^^ The keynote of their life even among the poorer classes appears to have been social enjoyment. The socia- bility of the French-Canadians has become proverbial and many are the tributes to their hospitality even to strangers. The sharp contrast between the early French and English relations with the Indians is instructive. In the words of Judge Campbell, "The people though pious were not bigoted, and their associations with men of a different race and belief led to no difficulties."^^ This promised well for happy social relations between the French and American settlers of Michigan. At least among the better classes of the French settlers there was a considerable degree of refinement. 56. Con. ials of the Gazette were continually admonishing the French to improve their time and opportunities in agri- culture. 57. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 360. 58. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 104. For the social conditions and customs, particularly of the poorer classes of the French Canadians in Michigan, see Lanman, Michigan, 55-56; Wing, History of Monroe County, 44-45. THE EASTERN SHORE 115 The Catholic priests, men of broad culture, refinement and learning, had much influence over the lives of their charges. As a whole the French were ingorant of books, but they were neither boorish nor unintel- Hgent, and they appear to have had as high a standard of morality as is usually found on the frontier. In keeping with the personal honesty of the French was their loyalty to the governments under which they successively lived. Judge Campbell says of their loyalty to England, "It was the recognition by the French of their new allegiance that disconcerted Pontiac and destroyed his plans. "^^ He finds no evidence of their alleged disaffection towards the United States later, and Bela Hubbard recalls that their indignation over Hull's surrender was still warm when he came to Detroit in the early twenties. ^"^ The French were devout Catholics. One of the strongest influences in the early days of the American occupation of Michigan was that of Father Gabriel Richard, whose life in the settlements was one of unselfish sacrifice in the interests of both Protestants and Catholics. "^^ It has been unjustly alleged that 59. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 103. 60. Mich. Hist. Colls., 1, 361, 363, and Bela Hubbard, Memorials of a Half Centtiry (N. Y. and Lond., 1887), 142. 61. Elliott, "Sketch of the Life and Times of Rev. Gabriel Richard of Detroit, Michigan," in the American Catholic Historical Researches, XVI, No. 4, (October, 1899); Girardin, "Life and Times of Rev. Gabriel Richard," Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 481. The Free Press for September 27, 1832, contains a biographical sketch and notice of his death. His portrait is in Sheldon's Early History of Michigan (N. Y., 1856), opposite p. 205. Gabriel Richard was a native of Saintes, France, on his mother's 116 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Father Richard was not interested in the education of the French; his report in 1808 on the condition of education in Detroit and the other settlements made for the information of the Territorial officials shows that he deplored the low state of education and earnestly desired its betterment. <^2 At Spring Hill below Detroit he fostered an academy which gained much reputation in that day for its liberal curric- ulum;''"'^ he fostered Catholic schools at Detroit, Springwells and on the Clinton River. "^^ Excepting Detroit the founding of these settlements does not reach back much beyond the period of the American R e volution. '^^ The first French settlements 61. Con. side a descendant of Bishop Bossuet. He came to Detroit as priest and teacher in 1798, building St. Anne's Church after the fire of 1805. He was a delegate to Congress from Michigan in 1823, and gave his Hfe in the service of the cholera sufferers during the epidemic of 1832. ^ 62. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 485-486, and McLaughHn, Higher Education in Michigan, 15. 63. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 364. 64. The general condition of education among the French is reflected in the often quoted extract from an article in the Gazette, August 8, 1817, purporting to be confidential advice from one of their number ; it reads in part : "Fran- cais du Territoire de Michigan : Vous devriez com- mencer immediatement a donner une education a vos enfans. Dans peu de terns il y aura dans ce territoire autant de yankees que de Francais, et si vous ne faites pas instruire vos enfans, tous les emplois seront donner aux yankees." But the fact that the French were sup- posed to be able to read this has some significance. 65. The British post on the St. Clair River held by Patrick Smclair from 1765, seems an exception. He is said to have secured from the Indians 3759 acres of land, from which he cut much pine timber. In 1782, on leaving the country, he deeded his land to a Canadian, Votieur, from whom it was secured at an auction sale by the firm THE EASTERN SHORE 117 in Michigan outside of Detroit seem to have been made immediately above and below that point. In the years during the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1783 settlements were made at Grosse Isle and on the Ecorse and the Rouge, and large purchases of a specu- lative nature were made in the vicinity of the Raisin.*^'' 65. Con. of Meldrum & Park at Detroit; they held it at the time of Jouett's report. For Patrick Sinclair, and the post at this place, see Jenks' History of St. Clair County, I, 92 et seq. 66. In 1776, Pierre Francois Combe bought about 4000 acres on the Ecorse, and placed his settlers on it very soon after- ward. In the same year William McComb bought the same amount on Grosse Isle and Stony Island. In 1779, 8000 acres were purchased on Otter Creek. In the fol- lowing year Joseph Benac secured about 6000 acres on Sandy Creek, and Francois Navarre secured a similar title to between 1200 and 1500 acres on the lower Raisin. These purchases are mentioned m A. S. P., P. L.,1, 265, and Wing's History of Monroe County, 93. For an account of the settlements on Grosse Isle and on the Ecorse and the Rouge see Ibid., I, 191, as given by Jouett. The titles to the lands purchased on these shores were various ; many of them were of such doubtful validity as to cause their claimants much anxiety. It was one of Jouett's principal duties to investigate and report upon them. (A. S. P., P. L., I, 266.) There were principally four classes of titles obtained under the French. {A. S. P., P. L., I, 264-268; Lanman's History of Michigan, 59-61). Of these some were based on grants made by the French governors, with or without confirmation by the King of France. Others were based on assent of the French officers com- manding at the forts. A fourth had only long and peaceable possession in their favor, accompanied in some cases by improvements. In A. S. P., P. L., I, 270-273, are given lengthy illustrations of these titles claimed under the French. There appear to have been no French titles to land in Michigan except at and near Detroit. (Mick. Hist. Colls., II, 102.) Many titles were based on purchase from the Indians. 118 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS In 1784, immediately following the treaty of peace with Great Britain, a large colony under the auspices of Francis Navarre settled upon his land on the Raisin." 66. Con. These seem to have been generally of a few hun- dred acres, though there were several varying from 5000 to 100,000 acres {A. S. P., P. L., I, 269). See for illustration of these Indian titles, Ibid., I, 273, 279. Some lands had in favor of their owners some actual improvements; for example, the Meldrum & Park pinery, on the St. Clair River, where there was a dwelling house, two saw mills, a grist mill and a few acres enclosed and cultivated. (A. S. P., P. L., I, 280). The number of claims in each of the several classes varied. The amount of land claimed by actual settlement was estimated by the United States land commissioners at about 150,000 acres, and about the same amovmt was estimated to be claimed by non- resident British subjects. (A. S. P., P. L., I, 280). About a hundred claims were alleged to be derived from the British Government. (For discussion at length see A. S. P., P. L., I, 268). Judge Woodward, in a report made in 1806, expressed the opinion that there were but eight legal titles to land in the whole of Michigan Territory. {A. S. P., P. L., I, 283). The attitude of the United States Government, however, proved favor- able to claims based upon actual improvement. In January, 1805, before Michigan became a separate Ter- ritory, a petition had been sent to Congress, emanating from leading families among the Canadian-French set- tlers in Michigan, for confirmation of title to the land that had been improved. {A. S. P., P. L., I, 214-215). Judge Woodward strongly recommended these claims to the Government for confirmation. In 1807 Congress 67. Francis Navarre was a native of Detroit, born in 1767. It is said that his ancestry could be traced to Henry IV of France. He appears to have been a personal friend of Wayne, Woodward and Cass, the latter appointing him an associate justice of the county court in Monroe County in 1817. Wing's History of Monroe County, 93-95, 106. See Ibid., 115, for the inducements which Navarre offered to the French Canadians to settle upon his land; also Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 318, and VI, 362. THE EASTERN SHORE 119 Settlers now began to come to the St. Clair River, but with this exception and that of the first consider- able accession of colonists to the Clinton in 1788, settlement was sporadic and small from 1784 to the period of Wayne's victory over the Indians and the Indian treaty at Greenville in 1795.''^ The interCvSt of the Government is evident in the two last events and had been earlier shown in the organization of the Northwest Territory (1787).'^'^ From 1792 to 1797 immigration was comparatively large, new settlements 66. Con. made it possible for every claimant to get 640 acres of land who could show his claim to have been occupied and partly improved prior to July 1, 1796. The claimant was to pay the cost of surveying it; the narrow frontage would extend each farm many miles from the water front, giving him a hinterland of timber for which he had little present need, but adding much to the expense of the survey ; hence about two miles from the water was the usual limitation placed by the Frenchman upon the rear extension of his land. When later these lands were surveyed by the United States, much land was treated as if belonging to the farms fronting the water ; this gave rise to what is known as the "lost lands," amounting to several thousand acres. It is said that on the Raisin only about one in twenty Frenchmen had secured title to the whole 640 acres originally offered by the Govern- ment. A case frequently cited which became the basis of later decisions in these litigations, is that of Bruckner's Lessee vs. Lawrence, I Doug. 19. See Wing's History of Monroe County for a clear description of the origin of the disputed claims; also Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 363-364. 68. Bureau of American Ethnology, Eighteenth Annual Report, Part 2, pp. 654-655. This treaty gave the United States a title to a strip of shore lard about six miles wide, including the Rai.sin settlement and land northward to a point between Detroit and the Chnton River. The limits of this treaty cession are indicated by the dotted black line in Ihid., plate CXXXVIII. 69. Indeed this had been shown in 1784; see Jefferson's plan for its government. 120 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS beginning on Otter and Sandy creeks and new acces- sions accruing to the Raisin settlement. ^° Shortly after the Jay Treaty with England in 1796 the American flag was raised on the Raisin, and then came the first American settlers ;^^ but between that time and the organization of Michigan as a separate Territory no new settlements appear to have been made. By far the largest immigration appears to have come after the peace of 1783 in the period of American rule.^^ Three-quarters of a century before these settlements (1701) Detroit was founded by La Motte Cadillac. ^=^ 70. Jouett, in A. S. P., P. L., I, 190. 71. Wing, History of Monroe County, 38. 72. A. S. P., P. L., I, 281. According to this report, about three-fifths of the French came after 1783. 73. For the founding of Detroit, see C. M. Burton, Cadillac's Village (Detroit, 1896). A very good popular treatment of the life of Cadillac, with some criticism of the sources, is given in Landmarks of Detroit and Michigan, pp. 21-26. The Jesuit Relations (Thwaites Ed.), LXIX, 306-310, con- tains brief biographical sketches of the most important of the first French settlers at Detroit. The early history of the settlement is sketched by Richard R. Elliott in the United States Catholic Magazine, I, 345-365; III, 264-273; IV, 113-124. See akso Charles Whittlesey's "Indian Affairs around Detroit in 1706," in the Western Reserve Historical Society, Tracts, I, No. 8. The Jesuit Relations contains numerous references to Detroit, prin- cipally in volumes 68, 69, 70, and 71; see Index volume LXXII, p. 198, under "Detroit." Landmarks, I, 193, gives a good summary of the French period. In this work, the early promoters of the village are said to have met substantial opposition from the Jesuits at Mackinac and from the Montreal merchants, the latter acting out of fear of Detroit's future rivalry (pp. 58-67). The large essentials of the British period (1763-1783) are surv^eyed in pp. 194-244. The neglect of Detroit by the British is attributed largely to the selfishness of British tradesmen (pp. 194-200). A vivid description is given of shocking THE EASTERN SHORE 121 i in 1803 its actual settlement seems to have covered about four acres. Jouett's picture of it is one of general decay, not excepting the stockade which enclosed the tillage and fort, supposedly its protection against the Indians. The houses, fronting on narrow straight streets are with few exceptions described as low, 'inelegant and in a state of decay. '^'^ In 1805 fire 73. Con. barbarities of the Indian allies of the British (pp. 227- I 237); see especially the copy of an intercepted letter from a British officer to Lieutenant Governor Hamilton, invoicing a consignment of scalps (p. 227). A descrip- tion of the Detroit of 1780 is given at p. 220. It is said 1 that in 1782, with the approach of peace, some British ' sympathizers, mainly people of superior birth and edu- cation, removed to Canada and settled along the Thames, I the Detroit and the St. Clair Rivers; but many stayed, in the belief that Great Britain would hold the North- west. The population in 1782 is given as 2,190, which I is said to have fallen off to 500 after the Jay Treaty m 1 1796 (pp. 253-254). British activities at Detroit be- tween these dates are sketched in pp. 238-251. On pages 255-257, Detroit is described as it appeared m I 1796 to Isaac Weld, an Irishman who visited the I post in October, and whose book, from which the de- I scription is taken, appeared in 1799. According to him, ! two-thirds of the inhabitants of Detroit then were French, and there were about three hundred dwellings in the village. See also Campbell's Outlines, p. 213, and compare the description of Detroit in 1793 given by Rev. O. M. Spencer as recorded in Sheldon's Michigan, pp. 361-363. It is stated in Landmarks (pp. 269-271) that when it was seen that Great Britain would lose Michigan, British land speculators tried to get posession of vast estates by purchase from the Indians and con- firmation of the purchases through bribery in Congress. The example of the John Askin purchase of 1795 is cited. For the chief events at Detroit immediately pre- ceding the organization of Michigan Territory, see the same work, pp. 251-268, and compare Sheldon's Mich- igan, 367-374. 74. A.S.P., P.L.,1, 191. 122 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS destroyed all the buildings and most of the personal property of the inhabitants.'^^ The population at that time has been estimated variously. The Terri- torial census of 1805^*^ gives 525 heads of families; Ross and Catlin appear to place the total population at about 600." All of Detroit that was material was swept away in the fire of 1805, audit began life anew practically with the beginning of Michigan as a Territory; indeed, the coming of the new Territorial officials in that year marked the dawn of American settlement in Mich- igan. ^^ From 1812 to 1815 the growth of the village was seriously interrupted by war,'^^ and thereafter it 75. Official report of Governor Hull, Ibid., I, 247. 76. Farmer, History of Detroit, I, 335. See also the names (about forty) signed to the losses sustained by the in- habitants of the village in the fire of 1805, Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 347. Compare Judge Witherell's "Inhabi- tants of Detroit in 1806" in Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 344B- 345. 77. Landmarks, 278. 78. The new government began on the second day of July, 1805, ^.5. P., P. L., I, 247. 79. A muster roll of 1812 (Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 553), and a tax- roll for the same year {Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 409), shows the population to have been still mainly French, and the figures in the enumeration for 1818, 1110, probably represent mainly the same element {Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 346). The United States census figures for 1810 giving Detroit a population of 2,227 are said {Gazette, January 29, 1819), to have represented the "District of Detroit," a district greater than the area of Wayne County in 1819. See extracts from articles by B. F. H. Witherell about conditions in Detroit at the close of the war, in Mich._ Hist. Colls., XIII, 503-507. The Journal and Michigan Advertiser for August 6, 1834, has an article on "Detroit in 1815-1816," giving a minute description of the situation and character of individual houses and stores. The Fort and its suiToundings are described in Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 368-371. THE EASTERN SHORE 123 grew slowly until the land sales of 1818 attracted the settlers who were to bring the needed stimulus to agriculture, trade, commerce and manufacture. For the future convenience and appearance of Detroit the fire of 1805 was doubtless fortunate. ^° Acting upon advice from Congress, the Governor and Judges^^ planned a new city in which the narrow streets of the old French village were superseded by wide avenues, ^^ As a result, though the plan was later somewhat modified, ^^ few cities in the United States have fairer streets than those of Detroit today. Thomas McKenney, author of Sketches of a Tour to the Lakes, 80. CM. Burton, "Some Benefits that accrued to Detroit from the devastating fire of 1805," Mich. Hist. Colls., XXII, 431-436. The new Governor, WilHam Hull, immed- iately upon his arrival opened a sale of land to the former inhabitants of the village. The sales which were made by auction with no payments required down, are said to have brought an average of four cents per square foot. A. S. P., P. L.,l, 248. See Farmer's History of Detroit, I, 26-31, for a detailed discussion of the functioning of the Governor and Judges as a land board. 81. The official title of the new government. 82. Territorial Laws, I, 283, Septeinber 13, 1806. It is said to have been modelled upon that of the city of Washington whither the seat of government had been recently re- moved, and for which the real author of the new plan, Judge Woodward, had a great admiration. Two of the principal avenues of the present city are reminiscent of Judge Woodward and of President Jefferson, his patron, both of whom were Virginians. Woodward had prac- ticed law in Washington since 1795, and was there when that city was laid out. The plan of Washington is said to be reminiscent of our early friendly relations with France, being patterned after the "spider-web" plan of Versailles. Landmarks, 273. An article in the Gazette for July 18, 1823, speaks of the city as having been laid out on the plan of Philadelphia. 83. By Abijah Hull, a surveyor, and relative of Governor Hull. Landmarks, 273. 124 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS who visited Detroit in 1826, apparently did not wholly approve of the plan. "It looks pretty on paper," he admits, "but is fanciful; and resembles one of those octagonal spider webs which you have seen in a dewey morning.^'* The citizens of Detroit would do well, in my opinion, and their posterity would thank them for it, were they to reduce the network of that plan to something more practical and regular. ' ' ^^ And his view seems to have been shared by the editor of the Gazette, who says that "everyone regretted the plan of our city ' ' which none but ' ' a wild and eccentric mind ' ' could have evolved. ^"^ One objection urged seems to reflect the spirit of utilitarianism accompanying the tide of immigration; the plan involved "a great w^aste of ground," and it could not be enjoyed "by the present generation" because the beauty of the plan depended on compactness of buildings. A more serious objec- tion was urged in the memorial of Detroit citizens to Congress in 1829 which recited the confusion of titles resulting from deeds granted by the Governor and Judges covering the original streets. ^^ In connection with this factor in the settlement of the city there should be mentioned a serious drawback due to the composition of the streets. The soil was formed of a finely divided clay which was mixed with a black loam, and when it was saturated, as it usually 84. The Greeley map (1810) shows eight principal streets radiating at regular angles from a central square. The three streets leading west from the square are crossed at a little distance from the shore by a street parallel to it. 85. McKenney, Tour to the Lakes, 141. 86. Gazette, August 22, 1826. 87. Journal of the Proceedings of the Common Council (1824- 1843), 190, 404. PLAN OF DETROIT, 1807 (Burton's Building of Detroit, 26) The original spider-web plan" of Detroit commonlv bearing the name of Augustus B ^^oo(iwar, 1828. anil last used by the .State Legislature in the session whicli closed March 17, 1847. After 1848 i'l was used by the Detroit Hoard of Education for .school purposes. Its classical design reflects a cliaracteristic influence of tliH period. THE EASTERN SHORE 151 reports of these weekly occasions show a sense for the niceties of national questions that would surprise one who should expect to find the "back-woods" giving the predominant tone to the intellectual life of the city.^^'"* Often the newspapers^ ^'' of the city contained verbatim copies of important congressional speeches and presidential papers. Some historical interest was shown by the formation (1829) of a historical society the character of whose work is indicated by the volume of Historical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan pub- lished in 1834 at Detroit. ^°° Governor Cass was long the president and chief promoter of this society. ^°^ The schools, though on the whole they reflected the traditions of the eastern states, had obvious frontier 198. See, for instance, an early account of debates and a forecast of speakers for a month in the Gazette of February 27, 1818. The constitution of the lyceum is given serially in the Gazette for May 8, May 22, June 5, and July 31, 1818. A literary association known as The Young Men's Society, fonned in 1833, supplemented the lyceum. See Detroit Young Men's Society, Reports (Detroit, 1876). The Detroit Courier for February 20, 1833, contains the introductory address of the president (F. Sawyer, Jr.) stating purposes and plans, also the by-laws and standing rules which help to explain its scope and character. The same paper (November 20, 1833) laments the "inactivity" and "deplorable condi- tion" of the society. Apparently it took on new life in 1836, when it was incorporated. Session Laws (1835- 36), 165. See also Mich. Hist. Colls., XII, 361-375. 199. Blois mentions three dailies, four weeklies, one religious weekly, and one monthly devoted to education. Gazet- teer, 274. 200. The preface of the volume gives an account of the intended work of the society. The contributions are addresses de- livered at its meetings. 201. MacCabe's Directory of Detroit (1837), on p. 32, says, "We are not apprized of much activity among its members at present." This w^as after Cass' removal to Washington. 152 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS limitations. The classical tradition was strong, but its expression was somewhat amusing, as represented by Judge Woodward, who is said to have been chiefly responsible for the system laid down and enacted into law in 1821 for the "Catholepistemiad."-°2 Yet this institution was at least a glance in the direction of the future University of Michigan; it was significant for the future that its first professors were a Scotch minister and a Catholic priest. -°^ The classical tradi- tion is reflected also in the English Classical School which was started in 1832. In 1834 an interest in female education resulted in the founding of the Ladies' Seminary. Common-school education in Detroit was distinctly frontier in character until the period of statehood. The Catholic schools have been mentioned above; the Protestant schools were quite as meager, and not free as were the Catholic schools. ^°^ Agitation for free schools is reflected in the city papers beginning about 1833, which is the date of a number of revivals due apparently to the stimulus of immigra- tion. ^°^ But it was not until Michigan adopted her 202. Territorial Laws, I, 879-882. The initial project was launched in 1817. 203. John Monteith and Father Richard. The Gazette for Jan- uary 29, 1818, contains the advertisement of a Classical Academy to be opened on February 2 next, signed by "John Monteith, President of the University." 204. See an article by a former superintendent of public instruc- tion on "Traditions and Reminiscences of the Public Schools of Detroit," in Mich. Hiit. Colls., I, 450. _ The Gazette, April 30, 1819, gives a report on the condition of education in the "primary school" at Detroit. There were 170 children in school in the city in 1818, according to the Gazette of January 29, 1819. 205. In 1834, out of 1,496 children between 5 and 20 years of age, 801 were in school. An editorial in the Detroit THE EASTERN SHORE 153 first constitution that the sure foundation was laid for the practical application of the famous declaration in the Ordinance of 1787, that "Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. "^°° Scarcely second to Detroit as a center of French - Canadian influence and American settlement was Monroe, situated about three miles and a half up the Raisin on the south bank of the river across from the old village of Frenchtown. The latter had been a depot of the old Northwest Fur Company, and had never contained more than a few dwellings and stores, which were ruined in 1813. The site was favored for a village, by the Americans but it was difficult to get the French, who held the title, to grant enough land for the public purposes of a county seat.^°^ When the county of Monroe was established in 1817, the seat of its public business was located, there- fore, in a new village, across the river, promoted by Americans, and named like the county for the new president of the United States. ^°^ The location of a county seat usually so influenced 205. Co7i. Courier, April 9, attributes this to the lack of free schools, and urges a change. See also an editorial in the same paper for Avigust 19, 1835. Detroit was early excepted from the operation of the general school laws. Terri- torial Laws, II, 776; see also Territorial Laws, III, 1238. 206. The religious life of Detroit in the Territorial period is sketched in Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 417-429; III, 225-243; XIII, 424-483. 207. Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 362, 374. 208. An account of President Monroe's visit to Detroit that year is given in the Gazette for August 16 and 22, 1817. 154 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the popular mind as to give a special impulse to the settlement of a village thus favored. Despite this advantage, however, Monroe grew very slowly for a decade. Its slowness of growth was in common with that of the rest of the county, as well as that of the section as a whole. ^"^^ It seems to have felt its first strong impulse about the time of the opening of the Erie Canal. The Michigan Herald of April 26, 1826, reports that its population increased more than one-third in the past year.^^° Another step forward was taken in 1827, in keeping with the general new life around it, when the village polled sixty-two votes on the issue of incorporating, measuring its progressive- ness by a favorable vote of forty-three to nineteen. "^^ The population had grown in 1830 to 478; for the year 1834 estimates vary from 1,200 to 1,600, which was about one-seventh of the population of the county. Hoffman says that in 1833 the village had about one hundred and fifty houses, of which twenty or thirty 209. The presence of Americans at Monroe is signalized by the advertisement in the Gazette for July 25, 1817, of a "new wholesale and retail store" opened by H. Pierce and Company. The extent of their anticipated trade is seen in a fairly good assortment of dry goods, groceries and hardware. Special inducements are offered to traders; furs will be received in payment. The Gazette for July 3, 1818, has a favorable editorial on the "new village of Monroe." According to a letter from Monroe dated February 7, 1819, quoted in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 484, many "EngHsh people" (Americans?) are moving in daily. 210. See also the Gazette for December 13, 1825. The opening of the land office in 1824 made the village a center of atten- tion. 211. Wing, History of Monroe County, 138, 141; Hoffman, A Winter in the West. THE EASTERN SHORE 155 were of stone. He mentions two gristmills, a woolen factory, an iron foundry, several sawmills, a chair factory and a tannery. These were undoubtedly all on a very small scale, but they reflect the environ- ment and resources of the village and indicate the trend of activities. The village, says Hoffman, was "the fussiest little town in the world;" to him it looked "as if the buildings had all been tossed from the other side of the river and left to settle just where they might fall upon this." Touching the progress of the village he adds, "if the place continues to in- crease as rapidly, however, as it has during the last year — the population having doubled in that time — the inhabitants can afford to burn down the river side of the village, and arrange it to more advantage." ^^^ The awakening of the village in 1826-27 is reflected in the preparations for making the mouth of the Raisin suitable for a harbor, for which the National Govern- ment had made an appropriation.-^^ In 1834 a steam- boat built there is said to have been ready to begin its trips to Buffalo. 214 j In contemporary opinion Monroe seemed to have j the promise of becoming a great city. Men of prom- inence who were apparently competent judges made I it their home, and in 1835-36 a group of men known j as the Cass Company — named for Lewis Cass who I was the leading spirit — are said to have speculated ; heavily in neighboring lands. -^^ Rivalry with Toledo j 212. Hoffman, A Winter in the West, I, 127-128. I 213. Statutes at Large, IV, 229; Hoffman, A Winter in the West, I, 45, 169. ' 214. Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, September 24, I 1834; Wing, History of Monroe County, 139. ; 215. Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 369. 156 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS stimulated the city to make large appropriations to supplement those of the National Government for a ship-way direct to the waters of Lake Erie.^^^ Its prospects were considered superior to those of Chicago, whose population and business it fully eqiialled at that time, and whose position near Lake Erie was nearer to the East by the whole length of the Lakes. It was a natural port for southeastern Michigan. The daily stages between Detroit and Buffalo carried its passengers and mail, and railroads were chartered to connect it with the interior. The amount of grain from the interior seems to have been sufficient to support two flouring mills there in 1838. Apparently the first shipment of flour from Michigan was the two hundred barrels made in Monroe and sent to New York in 1827. Its abundant water power and neighbor- ing timber afforded great facilities for manufacture. ! According to Blois it had in 1838 three sawmills and numerous factories. Besides timber there was a great quantity of limestone for building material. ^^^ Among its cultural institutions Blois mentions a branch of the University, two female seminaries and six churches. By the census of 1837 the village and township had a population of something under three thousand people, of whom about one-half appear to | have been French-Canadians.-^^ 216. Mick. Hist. Colls., VI, 369, 382; Wing, History of Monroe County, 170-176. 217. Blois mentions a courthouse of hewn stone which cost upward of $35,000. Gazetteer, 327. 218. Ihid.,^ 328; Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 371-372. The latter writer says that not one-fourth of the Canadians could speak English, and that not more than one in twenty could write it correctly. THE EASTERN SHORE 157 There were several shore settlements between Monroe and Detroit which in 1837 gave promise of becoming centers of population: Brest, Gibraltar, Flat Rock, Brownstown and Wyandotte. In the view of its founders Brest was to become "the great commercial center of the West," but its population in 1860 was less than lOO.'^^^ Even more pretentious in 1837 were the activities of the company at Gibraltar, which had the typical outfit of the ' ' paper town ' ' and was similar in nature and fate to Port Sheldon opposite to it across the Territory on the shore of Lake Michigan.^-" In 1837 a canal is said to have been half completed be- tween Gibraltar and Flat Rock, a village about a half dozen miles up the Huron River where there had gathered an estimated population of about 250 people.--^ Brownstown and Wyandotte were old Indian villages, and the inhabitants in 1837 were chiefly Indians. ^^^ Beyond Detroit in Macomb County on the lower Clinton lay Mt. Clemens, which up to 1818 had been a trading post and mission station rather than a true settlement. -^^ American settlers began to come to Mt. Clemens at about the same time as to Monroe. Like Monroe it was located at some distance from the 219. Blois, Gazetteer, 258; Clark, Gazetteer (1863), 205. It was about six miles north of Monroe, owned by a company which in 1837 was busy constructing piers for the harbor. 220. Blois, Gazetteer, 290. It was on the Wayne shore about twenty miles south of Detroit. 221. Ibid., 286.- See also the Detroit Courier for March 6, 1833. 222. Mich. Hist Colls., XVIII, 518; XIII, 310; Detroit Courier, March 6, 1833; Bureau of . American Ethnology, Eight- eenth Annual Report^ Part 2, p. 690. t 223. History of Macomb County, 181-186. 158 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS mouth of a considerable river, ^^^ had an important nucleus of settlement in its vicinity^^^ and had similar relations with Detroit as a market and supply station. Like Monroe also it received its first impulse with the opening of the public land sales and became a county seat; but unlike Monroe, it was not in the direct line of immigration from the East, and this was an important differential in its early growth. The village was platted in 1818, when it numbered about fifteen families."'^ in the same year a post- office was authorized.-" An advertisement of that year in the Gazette represented the village as eligibly situated about four miles from the shore in an excellent farming district, and the river as navigable to the village for "large boats," springs of excellent water as abundant, and the village as the county seat.^^^ Its most public spirited citizen, and perhaps the strongest single personal influence in the early settle- ment of the county, was Christian Clemens, who came originally from Pennsylvania. He became the founder and namesake of the village, and it was through his public gifts that the county seat was secured.--^ About 1822-23 came the first signs of a real awakening with the arrival of the first merchant, physician and mill. 230 224. Ibid., 889, describes the mouth of the river as flat and marshy. 225. Brown, Western Gazetteer, 158. 226. Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 358. 227. History of Macomb County (1882), 523. 228. Gazette, September 25, 1818. The sand bar and the marshy district near the mouth of the river were not mentioned. 229. Mich. Hist. Colls., XVIII, 490; History of Macomb County (1882), 524. 230. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 312; V, 462. THE EASTERN SHORE 159 The date of the second Gazette advertisement of the advantages of Mt. Clemens appears to reflect the impulse given to the settlement of the Territory by the opening of the Erie Canal. Emphasis is laid upon the situation of the village as high and healthful. Its one physician, who was planting potatoes when the writer called, is quoted as saying that the place was so universally healthful that he had quite too much leisure. At about that time an impulse to building seems to be indicated by the starting of a brickyard, and the beginnings of shipbuilding appear in a 120- ton schooner then under construction. In 1834, the same year in which the first large boat appears to have been launched at Monroe, another paper announces the readiness of "two large ships "at Mt. Clemens. ^^^ By the close of the period the abundant sand for glass was being used; in the Free Press of January 7, 1836, there is mentioned a glass factory just put in operation which employed sixty hands from eastern factories. ^^^ The growth of Mt. Clemens in this period was ap- parently somewhat slower than that of Monroe. Its population in 1836 is said to have been between 800 and 1,000.^^^ It was incorporated a decade later than the more southerly village. -'^^ This slowness seems to have been due partly to the speculation in village lots and in neighboring lands. The village 231. Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, April 9, 1834. They were of 130 and 150 tons respectively, and smaller ones appear to have been built about the same time. 232. This was for the manufacture principally of window glass. See also the same paper for January 1 1 . 233. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 53. 234. Ihid., VI, 359. 160 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS wavS vSurrounded by a "cordon of paper cities""'''^ and the high prices of suitable locations drove intending settlers to choose the cheaper Government land else- where. Again, the influence of Detroit overshadowed the village, which had to share also with Pontiac, Rochester, Utica, Romeo and other places, the interest that was being directed northward from Detroit. Monroe was in the direct line of immigration, at least after 1826, and had no near competing rivals excepting Detroit. ^'^'"' The road^" and harbor improvements at Mt. Clemens compare unfavorably with those at Monroe, although much money was expended later to connect the village with the interior by canal. ^^^ In 1833 eight stores were sufficient to meet the needs of its trade. ^^^ The oldest center of population in the region of the St. Clair River is St. Clair, which has a British military tradition that dates from 1765. A small 235. Ihid., V, 53; History of Macomb County (1882), 432. 236. The areas of the townships containing the two village cen- ters were about equal in 1834, but Harrison Township received this area only that year, while the boundaries of Monroe Township date from 1827. Territorial Laws, II, 477; III, 1275; History of Macomb County, 142. 237. Mt. Clemens was at the junction of the Clinton River and the Fort Gratiot Road, but the ice appears to have been more frequently used in the winter. History of Macomb County (1882), 262-263. 238. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 469 quotes from the Detroit Journal and Courier for July 20, 1838, an account of the celebra- tion at "the Queen village," of the Clinton and Kalama- zoo Canal. One speaker, in a burst of optimism, lauds the day "which will be recollected by the people of Michigan as the proudest that ever happened, or can again transpire while her soil remains a component part of terra firma." 239. Blois, Gazetteer, 329. THE EASTERN SHORE 161 colony of French-Canadians^*° which had survived the War of 1812 made their home there, and on one of the French farms parties from Detroit laid out in 1818 at the junction of the Pine and St. Clair rivers the "Town of St. Clair," which was to become the county seat of St. Clair County. '^"^^ Its growth was very slow. Blois mentions but three stores there in 1838.^^- Its chief indvistry was lumbering; five saw mills were operating in its vicinity in that year and it had one steam fiourmill. Blois mentions also a good harbor. -^^ Elsewhere along the St. Clair, principally at junc- tions with its branches, sufficient beginnings were made in this period to indicate centers of later growth. At these points swift currents ran between high banks and the supporting industry was lumbering. The future Marine City and Port Huron were then in embryo. The former, at the mouth of the Belle River, was laid out into village lots in 1831.^^^ In the period of greatest speculation, 1835-36, its site appears to have been bought by Ohio speculators and replatted as "New Port."^"*^ Except for the county buildings 240. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 172; History of St. Clair County (1883), 254. 241. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 356. See advertisements of lots for sale, signed by C. McDougall, in the Gazette for August 7, 1818. Emphasis is laid on the harbor, which "will admit the largest vessels at all seasons." The place was long known as Palmer. 242 Gazetteer, 237, under 'Talmer." 243. For the village of St. Clair see Jenks, History of St. Clair County, I, 137, 157, 251, 257, 281, 369. 244. History of St. Clair County (1883). There appears to have been some shipbuilding there as early as 1825. 245. Mich. Hist, Colls., VI, 413; XXI, 339. 21 162 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS it quite equalled in appearance the enterprise of St. Clair.-^"^ Port Huron, laid out in 1835-^^ at the junc- tion of the Black River with the St. Clair, became the center of the lumbering industry in the St. Clair region. A "thriving village," says Blois, "and being the central point for the lumber business, it is con- sidered the most flourishing of any in the county. "^'^^ Measured by its twelve stores it had three or four times the trade of St. Clair and Marine City. Its exports for 1837 amounted to about $150,000,-^^ and its importance in contemporary opinion is shown by its selection in 1837 as the eastern terminal for the Northern Railroad. -^° A fourth village was platted on the St. Clair in 1836 at Algonac, which Blois men- tions as small but doing considerable business. "^^ To Harriet Martineau in 1836, "there seemed to be no intermission of settlers' houses all at regular 246. Blois, Gazetteer, 332, credits it with four stores in 1838, and it appears to have had also a sawmill and a gristmill. There had been some shipbuilding as early as 1825, when the place was known as Ward's Landing. Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 413. See for general discussion, Jenks, History of St. Clair County, I, 144, 259. 247. Lumbering in the Port Huron region seems to have started on the Black River about 1827. The village was started first at the mill six miles from the St. Clair, but mis- calculation of waterpower brought it down to the junc- tion. In 1833 there are said to have been some eighteen buildings there. History of St. Clair County (1883), 496. 248. Blois, Gazetteer, 346. 249. Ibid., 240. 250. See Michigan House Documents (1837), No. 9, 13-14, for reasons favoring the mouth of the Black River as the terminal. For Port Huron see Jenks, History of St. Clair County, I, 143, 153, 253, 366, 368. 251. History of St. Clair County (1883), 256; Gazetteer, 317. See also Jenks, History of St. Clair County, I, 264. THE EASTERN SHORE 163 distances along the bank," and about the same time Mrs. Jameson was impressed with the contrast be- tween the settlement of the American and British shores of the St. Clair River. "As usual," she says, "the British coast is here the most beautiful and fertile, and the American coast the best settled and cleared. Along the former I see a few isolated log shanties, and groups of Indian lodges; along the latter several extensive clearings, and some hamlets and rising villages; "^^- she thought this might be due to the better accommodations for transportation on the American shore. Aside from these four river centers of settlement and a narrow strip of open land along the banks threaded by the Fort Gratiot Road from one settlement to another, there was scarcely a settler in the re- gion at the end of this period. St. Clair County had then less population than any other county in the section. Significant were the positions and areas of the four townships of the county in 1834, which changed but slightly from 1827 to that date.^^^ Their long axes, extending parallel from the St. Clair River to the western boundaries of the county, suggest that in relation to the settlers there was little choice of stopping places between the river and that boundary. The gradually increasing width of the townships from south to north suggests the gradual thinning out of population northward, and there is some significance 252. Winter Studies and Summer Rambles, II, 107. Lanman gives a picturesque description of settlement along the St. Clair River in his History of Michigan, 266. 253. Territorial Laws, II, 478. 164 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS in the correspondence between their positions and the courses of the Belle, Pine and Black rivers. -^^ The relatively slow settlement of the St. Clair region was due partly to misrepresentations, partly to its dense forests, but mainly to its distance from the direct route of immigration which led settlers to the more open country in southwestern Michigan. In 1836 the relative importance of the settlements along the St. Clair with those in the interior is shown by the inclusion of the whole of the northern part of the county in the large township of Clyde and the forma- tion of the two narrow river townships of Sinclair and Desmond. ^^^ But there was some inland settle- ment by 1837. The census for that year shows some six hundred settlers in the area formerly covered by the township of Clyde as compared with over thirteen hundred in the two river townships immediately east of it. 256 "The query may be suggested, Why has not this country been settled sooner?" says "Philo Veritas, "^^ and adds, "I will briefly answer; a detail of satisfactory reasons might be assigned, but the principal one is, that those who have given the chief direction to emigration have not deemed it consistent with their local interests to settle the county of St. Clair, and the reasons may be readily discovered by reflecting on the relative situation St. Clair and Wayne county 254. Blois says the settlements in 1838 were mainly in the south- em half of the county and on the St. Clair River. Gazet- teer, 241. 255. Session Laws (1836), 80. 256. Michigan Legislative Manual {1S38), 13. 257. Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, May 4, 1831. THE EASTERN SHORE 165 hold to one another, and the other parts of the peninsula; consequently St. Clair has been represented a swamp, a sink of pestilential vapors breeding disease and death." But apparently the St. Clair region felt with the rest of the Territory the common impulse to settlement that came with the first land sales, the opening of the Erie Canal, and the era of speculation in the early thirties. The platting of the "Town of St. Clair" in 1818 has been noted. The first report in the Gazette of an exploration into the interior back from the St. Clair River, in 1822, was very favorable to settle- ment, ^^^ and just after the opening of the Erie Canal there appeared a second favorable description. ^^^ Others followed in 1831-32. These were written obviously by persons desiring to promote the settle- ment of the county, yet they did not overdraw its advantages. ^^° The advantages for shipbuilding and pine lumbering were specially dwelt upon. The growth of lake commerce and the approaching completion of the Erie Canal stimulated interest in these industries. As above noted, boats were being built at the sites of Marine City and St. Clair in the early twenties, as also at the upper end of the St. Clair near Lake Huron. "Boats, calculated to pass through the lakes St. Clair and Erie, and the New York Canal are now building 258. Gazette, September 6, 1822. It reports a rich soH, an un- dulating surface, pure streams of water, mill sites rich in timber, and less waste land than elsewhere. 259 Ihid., July 18 and August 1. 260. Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, May 4, 1831. 166 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS near the foot of Lake Huron," says the Gazette^^^ in 1824, ''for the purpose of taking cargoes of produce to the city of New York." According to "Philo Veritas" above quoted, St. Clair County furnished by 1831 almost all the pine lumber (spars, boards, shingles, etc.) used in the eastern part of Michigan and in the northern part of Ohio.-*^- Settlement was somewhat aided by the Government's interest in Fort Gratiot^'^'^ at the upper end of the St. Clair River, which drew the military road northward from Detroit through the sites available for settlement along the river; but it was long before this route was much more than a rude wagon road.-*^'^ From 1834 to 1837 the population of the county grew from about two thousand to six thousand. -"^^ The central physiographic influences which affected settlement in the interior immediately south of the St. Clair cotmtry were the Clinton River, the presence of the village of Mt. Clemens as a supporting basis from which settlement might radiate, and the openings, 261. Gazette, July 16, 1824. For early shipbuilding in St. Clair County see Jenks, History of St. Clair County, 1, 403, et seq. 262. Detroit Jotirnal and Michigan Advertiser, May 4, 1831. Nine sawmills were reported running on Black and Belle rivers.' 263. See description of the advantages of Fort Gratiot for a military post in the Gazette for August 29, 1826. Fort Gratiot was established near the close of the War of 1812 on the site of an early French fort. (St. Joseph, abandoned 1688). See also Jenks, History of St. Clair County, I, 95 and 262, et seq. 264. See Jenks, History of St. Clair County, I, 384, et seq. 265. Blois, Gazetteer, 151 ; Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 73. The effect of the panic of 1837 is seen in a decrease of population to 4,606 in 1840. U. S. Census (1840), 447. THE EASTERN SHORE 167 plains and prairies in the western portion of Macomb County. The strong current of the CHnton furnished adequate power for mills, and the openness of the country in the upper course of the river gave good promise of quick returns in farm, stock and dairy produce. Settlers found their chief market, shipping point and source of supplies in Mt. Clemens, but in the western part of the county, in the days before mills, settlers at Romeo and Utica usually went for grist to Rochester and Pontiac. Timber abounded in all parts of the county. In the northeastern portion, a region destined to be the supply center for the future shipbuilding of Mt. Clemens, the comparative density of timber made settlement slow. Land-buying took place in the interior of Macomb county about as early and energetically as in either Wayne or Monroe counties. By 1821 land had been bought in all of the w^estern townships excepting Warren, -"^^ where no purchases were made until 1830. Buyers specially favored the southern part of Wash- ington Township. About 1830 sales became rapid in the extreme northwest and apparently many of the purchasers became actual settlers. Twenty -four pur- chases were made that year in the present Bruce Township, but no purchases were made in the northeast "of the county until after 1830. The lands of this county seem to have suffered from the same mis- representations that were noted above of St. Clair 266. History of Macomb County (1882) , 470-47 1 ; Mich. Hist. Colls. , XXVI, 548; XXVIII, 423. The Gazette observes, No- vember 1, 1825, that though Macomb County is not settHng as fast as Oakland and Washtenaw, "it will have its turn." 168 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS County. According to a writer in a Detroit paper, because of "local jealousies and a narrow-minded policy pursued by interested speculators and their numerous agents" Macomb County had been more grossly misrepresented than any other section of the Territory. 267 The date 1830 marks about the beginning of active settlement in the interior of Macomb County. In agreement with this date is the evidence of township organization as to the massing of population at this time in the western part of the county. ^"^^ Apparently this is the meaning of the longer north and south axes of the townships there, which comports with the fact that the largest township in the county remained in the center undivided until 1834.^^^ The comparative openness of the west is probably reflected in the fact that the northwestern townships received in 1833 the areas they have today, ^'^^ while the northeastern town- ships remained relatively large. ^^^ The relative back- wardness of settlement in the central and southern parts of the county are shown by the censuses of 1830 and 1837. At each date the bulk of the population appears in the west, away from the shore, although by 1837 the figures show the influence of the Clinton River in massing population along its course. In 1837 the 267. Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, June 8, 1831. In the Gazette for October 11, 1822, appears a vigorous denial that sickness was prevalent in Macomb County. 268. Territorial Laws, II, 478. 269. Ihid., Ill, 1275. 270. Ibid., Ill, 985. See the Detroit Journal and Michigan Ad- vertiser, June 8, 1832, for a description of settlement in the county in that year. 271. Ibid., Ill, 1124, 1275. THE EASTERN SHORE 169 western range of townships stood to the eastern in population as 3 to 1."- From 1830 to 1834 the popu- lation of the county increased from about 2,500"^ to abotit 6,000,-'^ and in the following three years the total ran nearly to 9,000."^ This is evidence of fairly steady growth."*^ Centers of population were developed in Macomb County at Romeo and Utica. It is probable that some slight beginnings of the trading post nature were made at these sites as early as 1817. Romeo had a good situation for the trader, being a point where numerous trails crossed and where the Indians had a village; "^ the village of Romeo is typical of that class of settlements in which the Indian village and the French trader marked out a site of promise. Its im- mediate antecedent was the "Hoxey settlement," a name acquired from one of Governor Cass' employees, a Canadian lumberman who settled there with his family about 1822. This settlement was brought to pubhc attention before 1830 both by the Detroit press and by notice on Risdon's map of 1825.^'^ The Gazette noticed the environment favorably in 1824 and again 272. In 1850_the proportion was 2 to 1, and in 1860 as 1| to 1, showing the gradual filHng in at the east. 273. U. S. Census (1830), 153. 274. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. 275. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 72. 276. One new township was organized in 1835. Territorial Laws, III, 1368; and three in 1837 in the south and northeast, Session Laws (1837), 41, 140. 277. The first name of the postoffice at Romeo was "Indian Village." Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, Jan- uary 5, 1831. 278. The Risdon map shows Tremble's sawmill just above a small branch of the Clinton. 170 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS editorially in 1826.-'^ By the census of 1830 there appear to have been nearly a thousand settlers within a radius of half a dozen miles. ^^° The village received its first strong impulse from New Englanders about 1827 when it is said that a colony of about sixty people made it their home.^^^ We are told that it was not alone for the advantage of the trails at this point nor for the openness of the country nor for the richness of the soil that these set- tlers chose the spot, but because its environment re- sembled New England scenery; and pioneer reminis- cences show that usually, other things equal, this sen- timent was a strong influence in early settlement. ^^^ The characteristic New England Congregational so- ciety was formed at once in Romeo and held meetings in a log schoolhouse in 1828. By 1830 the character of the village had been fairly determined. In that year, or in the following, it was regularly laid out into village lots.^^^ In 1836 it is said to have had thirty frame buildings; but stumps still remained in the streets, and there appear to have been yet no regular stages to connect it with the older settlements.^^* The New England element in Romeo's population gave it 279. Gazette, May 14, 1824, and May 30, 1826. 280. U. S. Census (1830), 153, under Washington Township. 281. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 314; History of Macomb County (1882), 621. 282. For the beauty of this location see an article in the Detroit Daily Advertiser for January 30, 1837, describing the site as a beautiful elevation of one or two hundred feet slop- ing gently to a broad and extensive country about it. 283. History of Macomb County, 613. It was not incorporated until 1838. 284. Ibid., 626. 1 ■i r r i: ii , u i 11 MIC m CAN ! !■ 1' ►; <- \ ^ > . J"^ n. ji-x •jfjKo.v x.j^vifif -x^.r \ ^ \ '• K i; r 11 i; ^ "«. 1' ^ ■ p-..^ i ::..k— |i 1, 1, 1 I 1 1 >' J' 1 .\ ,v 'x <> 1 .^ ) H 1 1 ' "; -- ."• -f =. ^^, = . ,-, ,.y ''■'--■ 1 MICHIGAN TERRITORY ABOUT 1824 (Mich. Hisl. Colls., XXXVIII, 634) This map was drawn by Philu Iv Judd of Detroit, and engraved I:)y J. O. Lewis for the Legislative Council of the Territory. The scale is twenty miles to an inch. An original coi)y is in the State Library at Lansing. Seep. 56 (n. 23). THE EAS'I'ERN SHORE 171 early a reputation for culture and education which was a strong inducement for further settlement there. ^^^ Utica's growth was slower than that of Romeo until 1831, when the large share it received of the immigra- tion of that year led it to dream of becoming the metropolis of the county. It had in the Clinton River a great source of nattiral power which attracted to it considerable capital for investment in manufacture. ^^^ It seemed to have much to hope from the canal which was projected to connect it with Rochester and the country farther west, as well as from the railway which was to be built from Detroit. Shops, mills and banks were started. This promise was destined to vanish in the hard times soon to follow, but these early begin- nings left many substantial foundations for a thriving settlement. -^^ The relation of inland to shore settlement in the Raisin River country in 1837 was quite the opposite of that on the Clinton River. It resembled in relative importance rather the settlement along the St. Clair. 285. Academic teaching seems to have been afforded there as early as 1835, by a graduate of WilHams College who was formerly the principal of a seminary in Utica, New York. History of Macomb County (1882), 629-630. See also the communication signed "A Southerner," in the Detroit Daily Advertiser for January 30, 1837. Blois mentions an academy with an attendance of fifty pupils in 1838. Gazetteer, 353. 286. There is said to have been a sawmill and a distillery at this site in 1828, and a second distillery was built in 1831. History of Macomb County (1882), 719. Utica appears to be the village of "Harlow" mentioned in an article in the Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser for June 8, 1831, as the second village of the county. 287. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 313. 172 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS In one respect it was similar — the key to it was the central stream of the region. Monroe County, al- though it was apparently in a direct line with immi- gration, received its settlers for many years by way of Detroit, and many were the complaints of bad roads by which settlers had to reach the county from that point. -^^ Misrepresentations of its lands had also to be met as in the northern counties. "We regret," says a Monroe paper, ' 'that any attempt should be made eith- er from ignorance or prejudice to excite unfavorable im- pressions against us."-^^ But the greatest obstacle to inland settlement in that county was the heavy forest. Principally for this reason the interior lands of Monroe County lagged at first far behind those of Lenawee County, which were still farther inland but more open.^^° Although favorable reports of these interior lands along the Raisin were made early, little attention seems to have been given to them by settlers until about 1822. In 1819 the United States surveyor declared that they were the best tract of country he had ever surveyed. ^^^ In 1822 a party of men from Detroit ex- plored the Raisin nearly to its sources, reporting numer- ous mill sites, uplands of rich sandy soil, and pure water, also that the river might be navigated for seventy or eighty miles by "perogues" of a size sufficient to enable 288. For instance, the Gazette, April 19, 1822. 289. The Michigal Sentinel, quoted in the Gazette, December 13, 1825. 290. History oj Monroe County (1882), 285-286. 291. Gazette, August 6, 1819. See also the same paper for August 4, 1820, calling the attention of emigrants to the Raisin River lands. THE EASTERN SHORE 173 them to bear produce down to Monroe. ^^- In the lat- ter year the attention of intending New York emi- grants was called to these interior lands by the Onon- daga Joumalr^^ The desire to encourage immigration to them, as well as the difficulty of reaching the Raisin by land, is reflected in the public notice to emigrants in 1822 that free boats to Monroe would meet every steamboat arriving at Detroit.-^"* A little later the growing demand for these lands led to a division of the labor of the Detroit Land Office, by establishing the Monroe Land District and the new land office at Mon- roe. The reaction of these activities upon the growth of Monroe has been noted above. The most important centers of inland settlement in this county were Dundee and Petersborough. Both were good mill sites on the Raisin, respectively about eighteen and twenty-five miles from the river's mouth, and near the old Indian trail which led out of Lenawee County along the river towards Monroe. Their posi- tion placed them on the shortest practicable route from the southwest to Lake Erie. Travel over this route was much increased after the opening of the land office at Monroe in 1824, and many people then gained their first knowledge of this region as they passed to lands which they had bought or intended to buy further west. A tavern to accommodate this travel is said to 292. Gazette, August 2, 1822. This exploration probably had some relation to the founding of Tecumseh on the upper Raisin in 1824. 293. Quotedin the Ca^e'/te for June 28, 1822. See also that paper for July 12, 1822, declaring this to be the first year of general attention to the Raisin River coimtry. 294. Ibid., July 12, 1822. 174 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS have been located at Dundee as early as 1831"^^ — prob- ably a settler's house which was regularly shared with the stranger. In 1838 there were at Dundee four saw mills, several factories and a flouring mill.-^'^ A tem- porary base of supplies for this back country was found in the French farms some miles up the Raisin. ^^'^ An inland point of vantage in Monroe County de- serving of mention was the Indian reservation at the junction of the Macon River with the Raisin. These small Indian reservations were usually spots of choice land. The Indian village was siirrounded by some sec- tions of land reserved by the treaty of 1807, six of which were ceded to the Government in 1817. Even before that year the advantage of this point was seen by a colony of people from Royalston, Massachusetts, ^^^ who supposed it was Government land, and who in- tended to buy when the land should come onto the market. They suffered the usual inconvenience which attended these mistakes, being obliged to break up their settlement and move away."^^ In Monroe Coimty in 1827 township organization apparently indicates that the area of greatest density 295. Wing, History of Monroe County, 215. 296. Blois, Gazetteer, 282. This point was at the junction of the river with the La Plaisance Bay Turnpike and the Lake Erie and Raisin River Railroad. The villages of Oakville and Lisbon, near the northern boundary of the county, are the only other village centers mentioned by Blois (pp. 312, 334). They were very small and of no later significance. 297. Brown, Western Gazetteer, 160-161. 298. Wing, History oj Monroe County, 46-47, 127; Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 364. 299. It is noteworthy that to this day not even a village has grown up there. THE EASTERN SHORE 175 of population was on the lower Raisin, and this agrees with other data showing that the area of least density- was in the interior of the county towards the north- west. The shore townships away from the Raisin were large; the southernmost extended across the county to the western boundary. "^""^ Frenchtown preserves in its name that of the old French village on the Raisin and commemorates the source of the earliest population; the area of this township remained convStant through- out this period. In the interior the large northwestern township of Raisinville testifies to the slight settlement made there; it was altogether too large to be practi- cable for any but a very sparce population. The name suggests that settlers regarded the Raisin River as a chief factor in its possibilities. The division of the township by a north and south line two years later shows that the probable trend of immigration was along the Raisin, and the first name of the new town- ship, Flumen,^"^ seems to point again to the river as being uppermost in the motives of the settlers. The next year the creation of La Salle Township, ^°^ from Erie, points to the increase of shore settlement about Otter Creek. The year of the survey of the military road'^°'' through the northwestern part of the county (1832) saw a further subdivision of the old township of Raisinville in the creation of the new township of London, ^^'^ which was so formed as to hint at the pre- 300. Territorial Laws, II, 477. 301. Ibid., II, 720. Name changed to Summerfield, Territorial Laws, II, 763. 302. Territorial Laws, III, 843. This act, for some reason, was confirmed by a later act, Territorial Laws, III, 907. 303. Statutes at Large, IV, 561; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 222. 304. Territorial Laws, III, 921. 176 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS sence of settlers along the Saline and Macon rivers. Southwestern settlement is indicated in the creation of Whiteford Township^ °^ in 1834. To the south of Whitefordwas Port Lawrence Township, which though not today a part of Monroe County deserves mention because it was a part of it during this period; it contained the future Toledo.^°^ The position of the Monroe townships formed in 1836-37 indicates the filling in of population in the northern and central parts of the county. ^°^ The same is shown by the census of 1837. The north ern_^ and southern inland townships, for equal areas, show about an equal population, while the larger figures for Summerfield and Raisinville show the central east and west influence of the river. Viewing the inland town- ships from north to south the central range in 1837 numbered but a few more people than the western; and all of the inland counties together, about two- thirds of the county, numbered about one-half as many as the shore townships. This showed a strong preference for the lands about the old French centers on the eastern streams. From 1834 to 1837 the popu- lation of the whole county increased about 2,000.^°^ 305. Ibid., Ill, 1276. 306. Ibid., II, 478. Port Lawrence Township covered practically that area in Monroe County which was lost to the Terri- tory by the adjustment in 1837 of the Ohio boundary dispute. See the Gazette for August 29, 1817, for the estabhshment of a village at the head of Miami Bay; also Risdon's map (1825) for the "Bay Settlement." 307. Session Laws (1835-36), 69, 79; (1837), 43. 308. Population in 1834, 8,542. Blois, Gazetteer, 151; in 1837, 10,646. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 72. THE EASTERN SHORE 177 As a result of having a similar soil, heavy timber and little water power, the interior lands of Wayne County were quite as slow in settling as were those of Monroe. The soil varied from a heavy clay to a sandy loam, the latter being mainly in the south and west. The heavy timber in the western part of the county was broken by few openings, but when cleared, that portion was destined to be unexcelled for cereals. ^°^ For building and manufacture there were in addition to the tiinber large quantities of limestone, as in Monroe County. The sluggishness of the streams, due to the generally flat surface of Wayne County, deprived it of the good water power found so plentifully in Monroe. The nearest approach to the strong central current of the Raisin was the Rouge, which with its branches gave some power in the part of its course that lay through the undiilating portions of the west; excepting at Flat Rock, the Huron does not appear to have induced mill use in this county. The chief impediment to set- tlement seems to have been the heavy timber. Says the editor 6i a Detroit newspaper in 1832, reflecting the results of these physiographic conditions for settle- ment, "It has long been the subject of remark and surprise that whilst the new counties in our Territory are rapidly filling up, the county of Wayne seems to be overlooked. We can conceive of no other reason for this than the fact that the greater portion of this county consists of heavily timbered land and that settlers prefer to go farther for the sake of getting land which can be cleared with less expense. "^^° 309. Blois, Gazetteer, 244. 310. Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, November 7, 1832. 23 178 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The two decisive advantages which Wayne Covmty had for rapidity of settlement were nearness to De- troit, and the presence, in its northern and central parts, of the two national turnpikes. In 1824, the year be- fore the survey of the Chicago Road was begun, land was purchased in the extreme west of the county in Plymouth Township, in the selection of which some typ- ical motives of settlement appear, the choice being in an opening, on the highest elevation in the county, at the confluence of two streams forming the main branch of the Rouge, not far from the Saginaw Turnpike and near the old Indian trail which was soon to become a national turnpike to Chicago. ^^^ About this center actual settlement and speculation went hand in hand. It seems that in 1827 the resident and nonresident owners of land in the township were about equal in number. Plymouth Township was organized in that year, and its comparatively small area, suggesting closeness of settlement, seems to confirm the impres- sion that the high land of the region near the water power of the Rouge, together with promising trans- portation facilities, mainly determined its early selec- tion. The votes polled in 1827 in an election which was likely to bring out the total voting strength of the township were only thirty ;^^- four years later, how- ever, all the land there had passed from the hands of the Government. ^^^ Considerable settlement must have 311. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 470. The difficulty of getting to the place through thick undergrowths and deep quagmires, is told in Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 444. 312. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 509. See the first tax-roll of Plymouth Township. Ihid., II, 581. 313. Territorial Laws, II, 479. THE EASTERN SHORE 179 taken place in the township to allow of its taking its present area in 1834.^^* Of equal area, two other town- ships were organized just eastward from it on the Chicago Road two years after the organization of Plymouth Township, '^^^ and from the easternmost of these were formed in 1833 two more,^^*^ each equal to the area that Plymouth took in the year following. Immediately southward, and occupying the whole southwestern part of the county, the large township of Huron on the river of that name was not disturbed in its area from the time of its organization (1827) until 1835.3^^ The distribution of population shown by the census of 1837 conveys the same idea as to the motives of settlement. The population was lightest in the south- west and along the shore. The bulk of the inland population was in the six northwestern townships, and of these the population of Plymouth Township was double that of any other ; it equalled half of the popula- tion of the shore townships exclusive of Detroit. The total inland population of the. county was more than four times as large as that of the shore townships ex- clusive of Detroit ; including Detroit, the proportion was about equal. Again, the village centers of the county mentioned by Blois, though small, were all in the northern townships and on either the Saginaw or 314. Ibid., Ill, 1277. 315. Ibid., II, 737. Cf. A4ich. Hist. Colls., IV, 57, for the first settlers of Nankin Township. 316. Ibid., Ill, 985. 317. Territorial Laws, II, 479; III, 1359. For the organization of townships m 1835-36 see Ibid., Ill, 136S, and Session Laws (1835-36), 80. 180 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the Chicago Road.^^^^ From""l834 to 1837 the whole county gained about 7,000 people.^^^ The figures of the censuses of 1820, 1830, 1834 and 1837 afford direct means by which to compare the growth of different parts of the section in white popula- tion. If we take Detroit's population in 1820 as a unit, and consider the three areas which are represented by (1) Monroe County, (2) Wayne County exclusive of Detroit and (3) all the country north of Wayne to Saginaw Bay, they ranked from south to north as 6, 7 and 8. Their total white population was 6,303, which was fully ninety per cent of the 7,500 white people in the Lower Peninsula. ^^° St. Clair County appeared for the first time in the census of 1830, with a population of 1,114. Detroit's population at that time was about twice as much, and about equalled that of Macomb County; it was about one -half that of Wayne. From this it appears that the rural and village population of Wayne County was considerably larger than the total white popula- tion of the two northern counties together. It much exceeded the total population of Monroe County, which was then about 3,000. That is, the people above Wayne in this section about equalled in number those below, and the sum of the population of the two was about that of Wayne County inclusive of Detroit. '^-^ The population of the whole section in 1830 was about a third of that in the whole Territory. 318. Gazetteer, 269, 333, 342, 351. 319. Poptilation in 1834, 16,638. Blois, Gazetteer, 15 L; in 1837, 23,400. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 73. 320. U. S. Census (1820), 41. 321. Ibid. (1830), 153. THE EASTERN SHORE 181 But this statement results in an impression that must be modified somewhat when we consider percentages of gain. From the point of view of gains in percent- age, Wayne County inclusive of Detroit ranked low- est, about sixty-one per cent. The counties to the north of Wayne, which were the lowest numerically in proportion to area, showed the largest gain in per- centage; their population nearly trebled during the period. Monroe County slightly exceeded Wayne County with a gain of seventy-four per cent. In the four years following 1830, both numerical and percentage gains very much favored the southern counties. The totals in 1834 were:^^^ Wayne, 16,638; Monroe, 8,542; Macomb, 6,055; St. Clair, 2,244. Wayne's quota was about eight times that of St. Clair, nearly three times that of Macomb and twice that of Monroe. It is significant that the numerical propor- tions of 1830 between Wayne County and the areas above and below it, remained about the same. The total population of the section was considerably more than one-third of the white population of Michigan. The percentages of gain were: Monroe, 168; Wayne, 144; Macomb and St. Clair together, 135. Allowing for difference in areas,^-^ the numerical gain since 1820 was very much in favor of Wayne, the percentage of gain slightly in favor of Monroe, while both were unfavorable to the counties north of Wayne. In these figures the predominant factors were very probably 322. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. 323. Wayne, 600 sq. m.; Monroe, 532; Macomb, 458; St. Clair, 935. St. Clair extended at that time northward to Lake Huron and included the "Thumb." 182 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the tendency of Detroit to mass population in its vicinity, the influence of the national turnpikes through Wayne County, and the influence of Monroe's position on Lake Erie directly west of the chief sources of im- migration and in line with the much sought lands of the southern tier of counties. With these were com- bined the relatively side position of Macomb and St. Clair counties and a prejudice due to early misrepre- sentations. The amount and distribution of population in 1837 showed some changes since 1834, resulting apparently from the diminished quantity of lands to be had at Government prices near the older centers and a reversal of opinion about lands before neglected through ill re- port. The totals for each county in 1837 were: Mon- roe 10,646; Wayne 23,400; Macomb 8,892; St. Clair 6,337.^-^ The relative numerical proportions remained about the same as in 1834, excepting at the north, where St. Clair County showed the rapid rate of in- crease of over 300 per cent. This far exceeded the rate of gain in the other counties, and the numerical gain apparently would not have been exceeded by any if the population of Detroit were not counted. Macomb County exceeded both in numerical and percentage gains those of Monroe County. The combined gains of population in Macomb and St. Clair counties fully equalled those of Wayne and Monroe exclusive of Detroit. These figures show a decided turning of at- tention northward, of which another phase was the drift of population towards the Flint and Saginaw val- leys. In the whole section from Lake Huron to the 324, Michigan Legislative Manual (1838) 72, 73. THE EASTERN SHORE 183 Ohio boundary there were about 50,000 souls, amount- ing to two-sevenths of the 175,000 then in Michigan Territory.^ -^ The main sources of the population of this section have several times been hinted. The common im- pression that the btilk of it came from New York and New England is undoubtedly correct. There are no census figures to demonstrate this, yet every old pio- neer insists upon its truth, and an actual count of birth places given in the county histories and pioneer remi- niscences obviously would confirm it. A bit of such data may be given for illustration. Lewis Cass was born in Exeter, New Hampshire. ^-° Solomon Sibley, the first American settler in Detroit and its first mayor, was a native of Massachusetts.^-'^ William Wood- bridge, secretary of Michigan Territory after 1815, was born in Norwich, Connecticut.^-^ Austin E. Wing and Diodatus Noble, born in Massachusetts, and graduates of Williams College, were early settlers of Monroe. ^^^ From Pittsfield came Alcott C. Chapman, who at the start was probably Monroe's strongest personal in- fluence. ''^^° A Connecticut settler of great influence, Jeremiah Lawrence, ^^^ was one of the founders of Monroe. Other Connecticut settlers of prominence were Dr. Harry Conant from Mansfield, attendant physician of Lewis Cass in the expedition of 1820, who 325. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. 326. McLaughlin, Lewis Cass. 327. Farmer, History of Detroit, II, 1032. 328. Mathews, Expansion of New England, 231. 329. Wing, History of Monroe County, 151. 330. Ibid., 140. 331. Ibid., 140. 184 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS was an early settler in Monroe ;^^^ Thomas Ashley of Windham, the first lawyer admitted to the bar in the Northwest Territory, and who built the first frame house in Mt. Clemens in 1823;'^^^ and Judge Bunce of Hartford, well known in the early history of St. Clair County.334 The biographical sketches of these men show that many of them did not come directly to Michigan from their native towns. They were men in search of the best opportunities, and many of them sojourned in New York or on the Ohio frontier. A good example of these places of temporary residence in Ohio is Marietta, ^^^ whence came many of Detroit's most prominent early settlers. The great number of set- tlers "from New York State" would be much reduced if those were subtracted who were born in New Eng- land. Btit there were very many prominent Mich- igan settlers of New York birth; typical of these was Edward D. Ellis, born in Niles, editor of the first newspaper published in Michigan south of Detroit (1825), at Monroe, ^^"^ and Aura P. Stewart, born in Canandaigua, a prominent promoter of settlement in St. Clair County.-^" Other eastern states, particularly Pennsylvania and New Jersey, contributed a fair share of the early set- tlers. The foreign born, aside from those coming from 332. Ibid., 160. 333. History of Macomb County (1882), 239; Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 358. 334. History of St. Clair County (1883), 265. 335. Campbell, Outlines, 217. 336. Wing, History of Monroe County, 136, 491. 337. History of St. Clair County (1883), 272. THE EASTERN SHORE 185 Canada, made, a small proportion of the total popula- tion. A considerable Scotch settlement formed in the early thirties in northwestern Macomb County in Bruce Township. ^^* In 1834 a colony of Germans set- tled on the Clinton River in Macomb County about five miles southwest of Mt. Clemens,^^^ and by the end of the period Germans were coming to Wayne and Monroe counties. ^^'^ 338. History of Macomb County (1882), 622, 742. 339. Ibid., 569. 340. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 255. CHAPTER IV The First Inland Counties TT might be expected that because of the position of the first inland counties that they, next after the shore counties, would be affected by the rising tide of immigration from the eastern states. As a matter of fact the earliest settlers reached this area quite as early as the first important accession of Americans came to the counties along the shore. The misleading reports of the early surveyors created a strong prejudice against its lands, but this mis- information insured that they would escape at least being apportioned as military bounty lands, which would leave them open to settlers after the completion of the Government survey and the opening of public sales. The first settlements in this section were made be- tween the years 1817 and 1826. This was the be- ginning of activity in the settling of Michigan Territory, a period extending from the beginning of the public land sales to the opening of important trafhc on the Erie Canal, on Lake Erie and on the Chicago Road. Detroit had become a city of over two thousand people by this time, and inland settlement was just getting a foothold in the rear of the earlier settlements along the shore. The openness of the new inland counties and the central position of the Chicago Road, which passed through their territory, made THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 187 migration in that direction easy. Moreover, rich soil, good water power, and abundant timber, gave these counties an opportunity to intercept immigration bound toward the southwestern counties. There was promise that this section might soon overtake the older one in population and development. The first county of the section which received permanent settlers was Oakland. Excepting the French communities on the shore and the few Americans at Detroit, this Oakland settlement was as early as any, antedating by some years any important beginning eastward in the interior of Macomb, despite the fact that the first settlers of Oakland came thither across it. Pontiac was founded abotit the same time eastern settlers began the active settlement of Monroe and Mt. Clemens. Beginnings were made at Rochester in 1817, at Pontiac in 1818, at Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Tecumseh in 1824, and at Adrian in 1826. In these dates of first settlement in the section, three features are of special interest : their order of prece- dence from north to south ; the fact that those in the north antedate considerably those in the south; and that all are fully as early as the dates of inland settlements in the shore section. This order of settlement can hardly find a sufficient explanation in differences of environment. The ad- vantages of water power, timber, soil, and natural beauty, were quite evenly distribtited. The presence of water power so uniformly throughout the section was due in part to the fact that the three principal streams and their branches which formed a network of waterways, had common influences bearing tipon 188 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS their rate of descent and upon the amount, regulation, and position of the water supply. In the western part of the section, roughly paralleling the eastern shore, lay a common w^atershed, which began its arc-like course just westward of Lenawee in Hillsdale County and extended northeastward through Washtenaw and Oakland. As a consequence the principal streams ran approximately eastward, and offered access to their mill sites either by small boats or by the Indian trails which led along their banks. The power of these streams — the Clinton, the Huron and the Raisin — received its head principally in the four large elevations of the watershed. The elevation in Oakland County, at the source of the Clinton, reached a height of over five hundred feet, and the inclination of the surface, dropping over three hundred feet to the eastern border of the county, gave the Clinton a fairly rapid rate of descent.^ The Huron had an inclination which tended to give a similar rate. Its head was partly in the Oak- land peak but mainly in that on the borders of Washte- naw and Jackson counties; and though the latter was about a hundred feet lower, this was compensated by the fact that the eastern border of Washtenaw at the point where the Huron crossed was about a hundred feet lower than Oakland County at the crossing of the Clinton.^ The current of the Raisin 1. Tackahury, Atlas, 10-11; see also contour map opposite p. 10 in Tackabury, and the plate "Topography" in the Ann Arbor Folio. The Gazette, May 23, 1826, speaks editorially of the water power in the eastern part of Oak- land County as more ample than in any other part of the Territory. 2. Tackabury, Atlas, contoiir map opposite p. 10. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 189 was more rapid than either, and its long sinuous course cutting between high banks gave many excellent mill sites. It took its head from the southern peak, which exceeded the height of that in Oakland County by a hundred feet, and allowed a drop of five hundred feet to that portion of the Raisin which was within this section. The volume of water in these streams was large, constant, and little subject to variation through seasonal changes; therefore the pioneer mill could operate throughout the year without serious intermission from droughts. These features were partly due to the great number of small lakes at the headwaters of the streams, which acted as natiural reservoirs. There were some four hundred lakes in Oakland County of a considerable size, covering a total surface of six hundred acres. ^ There were not so many in Washtenaw,"* and there were comparatively few in Lenawee; but they were plentiful west of Lenawee and Washtenaw in eastern Hillsdale and Jackson counties, affecting the water supply of the Raisin and the Huron. The position and distribution of these lakes suggest their origin and their relation to the drainage of the section. They filled depressions in the glacial drift along the crest of the watershed, and their number was ap- parently greatest in proportion to the irregularity of the surface. They received and conserved the rain- fall both directly and through sources of supply from under ground. Springs were very common in the 3. History of Oakland County (1876), 117. 4. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 146; plate "Topogra- phy" in the Ann Arbor Folio. 190 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS section owing to the loose texture of the soil, and many of these reservoirs were "spring lakes. "^ An- other cause which increased and regulated the sup- ply of power in the parts of these streams which lay in this section, was the fact that so many of the tribu- taries were received near their headwaters, owing to which, as well as because of the lakelets, there was exercised so constant a control that the dry season had little effect upon the power of the main streams. Abundant and excellent timber awaited the settler in all parts of these counties. They afforded a great variety of oak, beech, maple, elm, black-walnut and whitewood. Quantities of pine grew on the better sandy land, a soil which was fairly common in the lake region of Oakland County. Pioneers speak of the "Big Pinery" in Orion Township,*^ and the presence of pine elsewhere in the county is frequently mentioned in reminiscences. . Variations in density of forest were due partly to differences of soil and partly to the fires which the Indians had been wont to set annually; the Indian name meaning "burnt district" for the region about the Huron is said to be a reminiscence of this custom.^ Heavily timbered land could be found in all the counties, but usually only in patches, which alter- 5. The Ann Arbor Folio, 14. 6. History of Oakland County (1876), 255; Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 568. It is said that the best pine land in the county was first visited in the winter of 1820-21 by settlers near Silver Lake. Mich. Hist. Colls., IX, 167-168. 7. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 394. Firing and girdling were the means used by the Indians to clear the forest for agricul- ture and pursuit of game. Hoffman describes a similar practice of the white settlers. A Winter in the West, I, 175. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 191 nated with "openings," plains, and small prairies, sometimes all to be found within the area of a single Government tow^nship.^ A chief characteristic of the section was its "oak-openings;" the name of Oakland for the northern county commemorates the forests of these trees. ^ The "openings" often covered wide stretches of land which were comparatively free from underbrush and in which the trees were far enough apart to permit an oxteam to go miles in any direc- tion, ^° These lands, tree-covered yet comparatively open, were specially prized by the pioneer. The trees were taken to indicate a fertile soil, and the openness insured cultivation and transportation with compara- tive ease. This, in part, explains the position of the line of settlements which were early made just west- ward of the margin of the heavily timbered clay soil of the shore area. Whether or not it is a mere coincidence that the order of these first settlements in this section follows the order of the density of timber, it is certain that Oakland and Lenawee counties originally presented in this particular the widest contrast in the section. Lenawee contained in its eastern and southern parts the only considerable, continuous, heavy timber of the sec- tion, ^^ and there settlement began latest. These first 8. Blois, Gazetteer, 228, 234, 243; Combination Atlas Map of Lenawee County, 15; Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, 15, 54. 9. A very pleasing description of the oak openings and lakes of Oakland County is given by a contemporary in the Ga- zette for September 1, 1820. 10. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 225. 11. Lanman, Michigan, 285; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 225. 192 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS settlements in the section were primarily farming com- munities; the food supply was the most pressing need. Timber more than enough for building and fencing ap- pears to have been looked upon as an encumbrance, or at least as a secondary advantage. Pontiac, Tecumseh and Adrian had the character of "lumbering towns," in whose settlement lumbering in the modern sense appears to have been one of the underlying motives. It was a great advantage to have lumber cut near at hand, for it was expensive and difficult to import, and it was seen that with the growth of the settlement the de- mand for building-material would increase. The desire to have a gristmill was quite as strong a motive in the choice of power sites for first settlement. The alter- native to having such a convenience was to pound the grain on a block, grind it in a hand mill, or make a journey of several days to a distant mill, perhaps only to find the miller sick or absent, or the mill out of repair. Though the relatively greater density of the forest in Lenawee County undoubtedly affected the rate and direction of the extension of the frontier as well as the areal growth in population, it probably did not ma- terially affect the founding of Tecumseh and Adrian. Like the timber, the soil in this section was of good quality throughout, and of great variety. There are six different kinds of soil formation, and very sugges- tive are their positions. ^^"^ Their general position, in long belts approximately parallel with the watershed and with the eastern shore, suggests that they were deposited in succession under the retreating waters of 11a. Michigan Geological Survey, Map, 1907. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 193 an ancient lake, which determined that the bottoms of the main streams of the drainage system should cross them nearly at right angles. It also gave them those common features which tended toward uniformity in the power of the currents. We have seen that the settler encountered along the whole of the shore sec- tion a dense forest of which the soil determinant was the stiff lake clay, and this clay formation extended over into these counties; it made the soil of nearly the entire southeastern half of Lenawee, of the larger part of Washtenaw southward from Ypsilanti and east of Saline, and of a large portion of southeastern Oakland. The extensive burr-oak plains which stretched along the eastern slope of the watershed had for a soil de- terminant a very good quality of sandy land. This soil formed a large area through the lake region, and was a characteristic soil of Oakland County; it was one of the chief conditions of its pine forests. Southward from Oakland County the bulk of the sandy land lay west of this section, covering only the western part of Washtenaw, and in Lenawee County the northwestern townships. Between these two border areas there lay through the heart of the section three soil belts, very irregular in shape yet approximately parallel, which contained the most fertile land in these counties. In the back- ground, as it were, of wider extent than the two other soils and displacing them in large irregular patches, was a loose-textured drift covered vv^ith oak openings. On the east of this there was a rolling clay drift which bore mainly beech, maple and oak and at the west lay a 25 194 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS level clay area densely forested with beech and maple. The general position of these soils and their mutual relations, favored some variety in their distribution. There was in each county some soil of each variety, but the counties varied in the proportions of a particu- lar soil. Of the level clay soil, for example, there was as much in Lenawee County as in the two other counties together. The two heavy clay soils pre- dominated in this portion,^- with their heavy forests and the accompanying unfavorable effect upon initial settlement. The soils of Washtenaw were distributed in fairly equal proportions, and the land was fairly open except in the extreme eastern part. In Oakland the predominant soils were a loose-textured drift and the better class of sandy land, making this northern end of the section very open and attractive to the settler, promising immediate returns for his efforts. The rela- tive openness of the country appears to have depended in some measure upon the nature and distribution of its soils, and it was the openness of the land rather than its quality that appears to have been the stronger motive in inducing the initial settlements. There is small evidence that when even the later settler chose his farm he consvilted the particular constituents of the soil. Instead, he judged from the general indications 12. Mich. Geol. Survey, Report. 1907, map in pocket; Blois, Gazetteer, 228, 234, 24:3; Combination Atlas Map of Len- awee Coimty, 12, 15, 16; Hist, and Biog. Record of Len- awee County, 11, 15, 54, 56; Ann Arbor Folio; "p. 1, and plate "Areal Geology;" History oj Washtenaw County (1881), 141-146. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 195 of its fertility," satisfied if in addition it were easy to clear and to cultivate. Much less, apparently, did the finer differences determine the order of the founding of the first settlements. They were all in the "openings" ; but whereas Pontiac, Ann Arbor and Adrian were founded on different soils, the first settlements made respectively in the three counties — Rochester, Ypsi- lanti and Tecumseh — were settled on the same quality of soil,^"* at points furnishing good water power and near plenty of timber. The reason why the site at the north should have been chosen nine years before that at the south, must be sought elsewhere. Aesthetic motives probably weighed less with the practical Yankee than economic motives; yet other things equal, his choice of a location would undoubtedly tend to be influenced by that sense for natural beauty which was bred into him by his native hills. He would welcome a spot that should remind him of his old home. It may be recalled that there was in the air at this pe- riod a romantic sentiment alism about nature, which preceded and accompanied the rise of natural religion; something of the presence of this was felt by travelers. DeToqueville, who visited the northern part of this section in 1833, wrote in a vein in which this spirit seems to be reflected ; he says : "After we left Mr. Williams, we pursued our road through the woods. From time to time a little lake (this district is full of them) shines like a white table- cloth under the green branches. The charm of these 13. See, for example, the long neglect of the fertile plains in Oxford Township, Oakland County. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 568. 14. According to the Geological Survey map (1907). 100 KCONOMIC ANP SOCIAL lU'XUNNlNGS lovely spots, as yet untotumtod b\' man, aiul ^vh^^■o peace and silence remain inidisUirbed, can hardly be imaginctl. I have climbed the ^vild and solitary pavsses of the Alps, where natnre refnses to obe\' the hand of man. and displaying;' all her terrors, tills the mind with an exciting and overwhelming sensation of gTcatness. The solitude here is equally deep, but the emotions it excites are ditYerent. In this tlowery wilderness. where, as in Milton's Paradise, all seems prepared t"or the reception of man, the feelings produced are tran- quil adniiration, a soft melancholy, a vague aversion to civilized life, and a sort of savage instinct, which cause you to regret that soon this enchanting solitude will be no more."^'' Great natural beauty characterized the whole section, but the surface configuration, the distribution of lakes and streams, and the relative density of the forest, caused some degi'ee of difference. AWhere there was the least variety in soil and siu'face, there was the least variety in general. At the south the clay fonnation of southern and eastern Lenawee was comparatively flat and accompanied by the monotony of heavy forest. In the northern part of the county where it was rolling and in places hilly there were small lakes and forest openings; it was this part, in the vicinit}^ of the lakes along the Chicago Road, that first received the attention of settlers after the foimding of Tecumseh and Adrian. ^^"' The choice of Tecumseh for a settle- 15. Do Tocqucville, in A Fortnight in tJic Wilderness, as quoted in Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 39. 16. Tackabury, Atlas, 114; Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee Coiintv, II, 11, IS, 18; Mich. Hist. Colls., VlII, 198. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 197 ment is said to have Vjeen owing partly to the beauty of the environment.'^ Blois speaks of the "high and beautiful banks" of the I'laisin."* The trarlition that Washtenaw County bears in its name''-* an Indian memorial of the pristine beauty of its landscape may have little truth ; but Blois records that its pleasantly alternating prairies, oak openings, and heavily timbered lands, presentefl to the settler "a very beautiful and picturesque aspect." Of the openness of the country and its pleasing contrast with the lands farther east, the traveler Hoffman writes in 1833: "They build almost altogether in the oak-openings; and as the country is now undulating, I have seen sfjme cabins very prettily situated in clumps of oaks, a gun- hot from the road, with fields of young wheat extend- mg in every direction around them I have now got among the rolling land in a region full of lakes and oak-openings, of which I had hitherto had only a taste. I need hardly say how much more grate- ful such a country is to my eye than the level thickly timbered lands about Detroit and Monroe. "^"^ 17. Millard, Early History of T^navjee County, 7; Mich Hi'jt. Colls., XXXVIII, 479. 18. Blois, Gazetteer, 349. 19. History of Washtenaw County C1881), 120; ^diikc^, Past and Present of Washtenaw County ^Chicago, 1906j, .582-.583; Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 393-394; XX'XVIII, 4.53. The name was given by the Indians to the whole region west of Wayne County, and was given to the county as the first to be organized from it. 20. IIolTman, A Winter in the West, I, 156. Hoffman had come from Detroit via Monroe and Tecumseh. See also a con- temfx.»rary description C1829; by a traveler from Upijer Canada, as quoted in Beakes, Past and Present of Wash- tenaw County, 5.37; and Lan.sing Swan's Journal (1841 J, 18 19. 198 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The irregularity of the surface was greatest in Oak- land County, where the numerous elevations gave fine prospects over a wide area of lake country. A pioneer explorer of the region wrote in his diary in 1822 : "We also saw several of the celebrated lakes spoken of by former exploring parties into the interior. One of these, immediately in the rear of Mr. Williams' house, is in the highest degree romantic and beautiful. . Before supper, at the instance of Judge Sprague, we ascended a conical elevation of land very precipitous and lofty, from the summit of which, for many miles in circumference, we were presented with a view of a most picturesque and beautifully diversified country. Lakes, valleys, uplands and groves of pine and other timbers here met the eye to an extent that occasioned an equal degree of surprise and pleasure. "^^ A peak near Pontiac, called by the settlers "Bald Mountain," rose to the height of some hundred feet above the surrounding country, and the beauty of the view from its summit is mentioned by many pioneers. ^^ One of them, describing the trip of the first exploring party into the region, speaks of the "shouts of joy which again and again burst from their lips as they looked upon the lovely landscapes."-^ This great beauty very probably stimulated the desire of these early visitors to make the county their home; yet it is doubtful whether the superior beauty of Oakland County would have weighed against the practical ad- vantages of either of the other two if the latter had been the first to come to their notice. 21. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 471. 22. History of Oakland County (1876), 117. 23. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 565. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 199 At Detroit there had been knowledge of the central part of this section at least as early as 1809, when French traders established a post near the site of Ypsilanti.-' But the early knowledge that these men had they probably took pa'ns not to share with in- tending agricultural settlers, who would have inter- fered with their trading operations by dispersing the Indians, clearing the forests, and driving away the fur-bearing animals. It is said that these traders helped to create the tradition that the interior was worthless for agriculture, yet the first settlement in the section was made not there, but in that part which had the greatest ill repute, and it was made very soon after that reputation had been reasserted by the false reports of the first surveyors. It will be observed that the order of precedence in the dates of the first settlements, is that of their direct distance from the shore and from Detroit. Detroit was even at this early date the permanent home of busi- ness men who, as soon as the public land sales opened there, were on the lookout for good opportunities. Moreover, the asset which they naturally agreed upon as having the greatest value for a new center of settle- ment was nearness to Detroit. These two factors, nearness to the shore and to Detroit, helped to deter- mine the order of progress in the new United States survey, and were consequently decisive influences in 24. Ann Arbor Folio, 1; History of Washtenaw County (1881), 1108. The boundaries of the "four French claims, patented to them by authority of Congress in 1811, may still be seen in place of section lines on the map of the count}^ at that point. See also Risdon's map (1825); Ann Arbor Folio, plate "Topography;" and Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 540-542. 200 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS securing priority of settlement for Oakland. The im- mediate cause of the first .settlement in Oakland County was an unofficial report to friends made by Benjamin Graham, an assistant surveyor, who was working in the eastern part of that county in 1816, which led to the sending forth of an exploring party that year;^° in the following March three families from Mt. Clemens, one of them that of Mr. Graham's father, settled at the site of Rochester in the township of Avon."*^ The second impulse to settlement issued directly from Detroit; it seems to have been indepen- dent of the Avon colony, though news from there, as well as reports directly from the national surveyors, could have reached Detroit easily. It is apparent that the new interest at Detroit was stimulated by the opening of the newly surveyed lands of the county to public sale. As in the case of the Avon colony, set- tlement was preceded by an investigation. A small party setting out from Detroit in the autumn of 1818 followed the Saginaw Trail well beyond the site of Pontiac, as far as the vicinity of Waterford. The re- ports they made are said to have been so encouraging as to have "electified the hearts of the Americans at Detroit, and to have utterly astounded the French- men."^^ A second party in the same autumn, accom- panied by women, went as far as Little Springs in Springfield Township. ^^ The sum of these mvestiga- 25. History of Oakland County (1876), 26. 26. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 569; VII, 561; XXII, 405; XXXI, 152. 27. Ibid., Ill, 565. 28. Ibid., Ill, 566. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 201 tions formed the basis upon which was organized in November, 1818, the Pontiac Company, a speculative venture directed mainly by Detroit people who pro- posed to acquire lands on the CHnton and to foster a village as a means of exploiting them,-^ and Pontiac was founded.^'' The United^States surveyors proceeded southward and were making reports on Washtenaw and Lenawee counties in" 1819. In that year the Saginaw Indian treaty led the French traders to abandon their post at the site of Ypsilanti, and wishing to increase the value of the lands granted to them by the Government in 1811, they now had a motive for making the advan- tages of the section known.^^ Attention was also strongly directed to the southern part of the section by Governor Cass's expedition,^- members of which, including Governor Cass, passed through there over the Chicago Trail in 1820. This expedition, under the auspices of the National Government, had for one of its special objects the gaining of information about the interior of Michigan for the purpose of advancing its settlement. Its results w^ere published officially, and Governor Cass made a special effort to distribute the reports widely; as governor of the Territory, he had for one of his main interests in the expedition the refutation of ill reports about the interior, in order to 29. Ihid., Ill, 560; History of Oakland County (1876), 68. 30. See Ross and Catlin, Landmarks of Detroit, 356-358, for a characteristic "celebration" at the site of Pontiac on the occasion of the founding of the village. 31. The "north claim" was bought in 1824 by a New York settler and became the site of Ypsilanti village. 32. McLaughlin, Lewis Cass, 119. 202 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS encourage immigration. It is apparently impossible nov/ to single out the direct effects upon settlement from these reports, but soon afterward, in 1822, two purchases of land were made near the site of Ypsilanti amounting to about two hundred acres. One of these parcels was bought, apparently for speculation, by Judge Woodward, of Detroit^^, who undoubtedly be- came well acquainted with the results of the expedi- tion through Governor Cass. Fifteen purchases by Detroit parties are said to have been made in 1823 near Ypsilanti and in Superior and Ann Arbor town- ships; these were also apparently for speculative pur- poses, in anticipation of the Chicago Road which was then being talked about. The first reports that are known directly to have in- duced settlement in Washtenaw County came in 1823 from Monroe fishermen whose operations extended up the Huron River as far as the French claims.^"* These men, leading thither a party of former Ohio neighbors who had come to Michigan by way of Monroe village in search of good farms, settled with them on the banks of the Huron near a grove about a mile south- east of the present site of Ypsilanti, and in honor of a leading member of the group, Benjamin Woodruff, the settlement was named "Woodruff's Grove." These were the first permanent settlers in the county. It was to their interest to make immediate connections with Detroit, and the colony received a slight accession from there the first year. The constant interchange of in- 33. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 401; Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County. 545. 34. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 1099. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 203 formation at the chief port of the Territory, where men came together from all parts and at a time when land- looking was becoming a principal interest, tended to make all that was known about the interior a common possession. There may well have been direct relation between this settlement and the one made in the fol- lowing year at Ypsilanti, and as well between these and that at Ann Arbor nine miles further up the river; the first settlers of Ann Arbor, John Allen and Elisha W. Rumsey, are said to have met by chance in De- troit and to have come together into the county with their families. In 1823 Austin E. Wing, a prominent citizen of Monroe, directed the attention of an intending settler to the lands on the upper portion of the Raisin River, with the result that an exploring expedition was made the same year, and a settlement in 1824.^^ It is significant that this impulse was about contem- porary with the establishment of the Monroe Land Office, for the purpose of selling the southern lands opened by the Indian treaties of Saginaw and Chi- cago. Wing had been a member of the Pontiac Com- pany in 1818,^'^ and one of the early promoters of Monroe village." He now became a member of a part- nership whose aim was to found a village at the site of Tecumseh. The other partners were two New York settlers, Musgrove Evans and Joseph Brown, brothers- in-law; the former, who came to Michigan in 1823 and met Wing in Detroit, acted upon his advice, ex- 35. Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, I, 40. 36. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 560. 37. Michigan Biographies, 704. 204 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS plored the northern part of Lenawee Comity, and chose the site of Tecumseh for a settlement. ^^ Apparently independent of this colony, except in so far as the colony may have attracted attention to the region, a settlement was made two years later at the site of Adrian.^^ To cast a glance back over the preceding pages: there appear as the essential factors in the priority of Oakland County's settlement (1) its nearness to De- troit and consequent priority in the survey of its lands, (2) the personal influence and interest of one of the surveyors of that county, (3) the opening of the public lands to sale at Detroit, leading to explorations into the country nearest to the city, (4) the superior nat- ural advantages of the county in openings, water power, timber, variety of soil, and beauty of scenery, which enabled the county to hold attention, and (5) the enterprise of Detroit men who were willing to risk money to make a beginning so near to that city. Far- ther south, the granting of the French claims at Ypsi- lanti probably drew some notice, and Cass's expedition emphasized the advantages of that part of the section, giving strength to the agitation for a military road through it to connect the forts at Detroit and Chicago. A new impulse was given to this agitation by the progress of work on the Erie Canal. Settlement was precipitated by the direct influence of the Huron River fishermen and of Evans' exploration on the upper Raisin. It is significant that the dates of first settle- ment in the upper and lower parts of the section cor- 38. Mich. Hist. Colls., 1, 225, 226. 39. Ibid., I, 229. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 205 respond approximately with those of the opening of land offices at Detroit and Monroe. "^^ Apparently the causes of delay in settling the lower part of the section were principally {\) its relative distance from Detroit and from the shore, making it harder to reach and further from a base of supplies, (2) the absorption of interest in the lands of Oakland, whose settlement was promoted by a strong commercial company back of its main nucleus of settlement at Pontiac, and (3) the availability of open land in the older section, especially in Macomb County, and of river lands in Monroe, Wayne and St. Clair. A serious check to the settlement of this section was the difficulty attending the transportation of both persons and goods. The natural avenues of approach were by river and trail. At the north was the Clinton River and the Saginaw Trail, at the south the Huron River and the trails leading from Detroit and Monroe. The most direct route from Detroit to Oakland County was the trail leading northwest into the Saginaw country, but in the wet season the long marsh which crossed it near Detroit offered a seri- ous barrier. One settler writes of his experience in the spring of 1818,'*^ that he started for Pontiac (from Detroit) with a number of men employed by the com- pany, three oxen, a cart, and one woman as passenger, and that he had to cross a swamp about six miles wide which was like a sea of mud, where the team got stuck and the woman was obliged to wade out. Until about 1830 this route is said to have been almost impassable .40. Ibid., II, 367. 41. Ibid., VI, 385. 206 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS between Detroit and Royal Oak in the wet season, ex- cepting by oxsleds and similar convey ances."*- Before it was improved, many Pontiac settlers preferred the trail along the banks of the Clinton to Mt. Clemens; and in the first days of Pontiac, goods and even shingles for the mill were brought by that route on pack horses. ^^ The founders of the Avon colony came to the county by the same route,'*^ and if one may judge from the fact that they settled just below the first rapids in the river,"*^ the possibility of navigating the river at least by small craft was in their minds, as well as the desire for water power. Later settlers had better roads. The Government began early the construc- tion of a military turnpike over the Saginaw Trail between Detroit and Pontiac^'' The impulse from im- migration after 1830 caused several new roads to be projected the location of which helps to explain the relationships of the new settlements one with another and with neighboring counties. '^^ Agitation for a rail- 42. Ibid., I, 380, 381; XXII, 407; History of Oakland County (1876), 132, 166. 43. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 380; XXII, 407. See an editorial in the Detroit Gazette for May 23, 1826, for the good condi- tion of this route. 44. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 569; History of Oakland ■ County (1876), 26, 130. . 45. In 1827 The Clinton River Navigation Company was incorporated, which partly succeeded in making the river navigable from Mt. Clemens to Rochester; but its opera- tions were soon abandoned, apparently proving un- profitable. History of Oakland County (1876), S3. 46. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 280; III, 568; History of Oakland County, 23. A stage Hne is said to have been begun be- tween Detroit and Pontiac as early as 1826. Detroit Gazette, April 4, 1826. 47. History of Oakland County, 25; The Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, May 18, 1831. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 207 road from Pontiac to Detroit which began about 1830 culminated in active beginnings in 1834.'*^ The way into Washtenaw County was by two trails, and the Huron River ; the first settlers took the Indian trail from Flat Rock, along that stream."*'-* At that time the river appears to have been of sufficient depth to permit of poling large flat-boats up to within four miles of the site of Ypsilanti, and this means of trans- porting goods, though slow, appears to have been much used even by later settlers.^ ^ The Chicago Trail was not more expeditious; in 1823 it is said to have taken four days for an ox team to cut its way through by that route from Detroit to Woodruff's Grove,^^ and an equal time was taken by a family traversing the same in 1826.^- The Detroit Gazette of May 9, 1826, adver- tises a "Stage to Washtenaw- — A stage will run here- after (or walk, if the roads are bad) between this place and Ann Arbor. ... It leaves Detroit three times a weeky The military road was surveyed in 1825, but actual work on it was slow until after 1830."'^^ In 1830 a team of horses with a family and load of goods could make the trip from Detroit to Ann Arbor in three days,^^ and at the close of this period the road is said to 48. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXII, 407; History of Oakland County (1881), Z3; Territorial Laws, III, 844, 1287. The rail- road did not reach Pontiac until 1844. Mich. Hist. Colls., IX 273 49. Ibid., \\,2>99. 50. Ihid. , I, 334 ; IV, 403 ; XXXVIII, 365 ; History of Washtenaw County (1881), 1114. The Detroit Gazette for May 30, 1826, mentions "two or three fine boats" plying between Detroit, Woodruff's Grove and Ann Arbor. 51. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 404. 52. History of Oakland County (1876), 222. 53. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 125. 54. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 250. 208 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS have been a continuous causeway over mud until within a few miles of Ypsilanti.^^ The need for river transportation to supplement the Chicago Road is re- flected in the action of Ypsilanti citizens, who in 1833 built by subscription a large pole-boat at a cost of about $1 ,300 f^ and it is apparently this boat the arrival of which at Detroit is noted by the Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser of May 21, 1834, and which car- ried one hundred and twenty -five pounds of flour for thirty-eight cents per barrel, while the usual price by land was from sixty-three to seventy-five cents." Still earlier, in the Detroit Gazette for April 25, 1826, is men- tioned the boat of Colonel Allen, of Ann Arbor, just arrived at Detroit, apparently a flat -bottomed boat built on the plan of the James River boats in Virginia, of which State Allen was a native ; the boat carried one hundred barrels of flour. The Territorial Road, author- ized in 1829 and surveyed in 1830, indicates a demand for a more direct route into the counties lying directly west of Washtenaw, and appears to have been due in part to the purpose of land owners in those counties to compete for immigration with the southern tier of counties.^^ The early settler who wish-ed to get to Lenawee County could choose, besides the Chicago Trail from Detroit, either of two others which led from the vicin- ity of Monroe. The main trail from Monroe branched 55. Ibid., XXII, 529. 56. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 125-126; Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 595. 57. See also the Detroit Courier for March 6, 1833. 58. Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 597-598; History of Washtenaw County (1881), 125-126. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 209 at the Macon reservation, the southern branch fol- lowing the Raisin past Adrian to near Tecumseh, the northern the Macon River. ^^ If the point of de- parture were Monroe, the earliest settlers would take one or the other of these two routes f ' settlers who left from Detroit went either by way of Monroe along these trails or by the Chicago Trail.*^^ The time required varied with circumstances. In 1824 the party which founded Tecumseh required a week to make their way through from Monroe j*^^ in 1834 a settler walked in twenty-four hours from Adrian to Monroe, a distance of thirty miles. "^^ There was a slight improvement made in the southern route about 1827 by cutting a road through from Blissfield to Petersborough.^^ The northern trail was the line, approximately, over which the La Plaisance Bay Road was surveyed in 1832. The position of the Chicago Road through Lenawee County is reflected in a description (1834) by a pioneer, who represents it as "stretching itself by devious and irregular windings east and west like a huge serpent lazily pursuing its onward course, utterly unconcerned 59. Bureau of American Ethnology, 18th Annual Report, plate CXXXVIII. 60. Mich. Hist. Colls., XII, 407; Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, I, 63, 64; II, 9, 24; Hogaboam, The Bean Creek Valley, 13. 61. Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, I, 40; II, 31; Wing, History of Monroe Covmty, 149. Both the Risdon map (1825) and the Farmer map (1826) show a road running from the Chicago Road from a point a little west of Ypsilanti to Tecumseh. 62. Mich. Hist. Colls., XII, 407. 63. Ibid., XVII, 512. However, it does not appear that these trips were made by the same trails. 64. Combination Atlas Map of Lenawee County, 15. 27 210 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS as to its destination."*^^ Active preparations for the construction of a railroad from Adrian to Port Law- rence (Toledo) began in 1833.'^'^ The interrelations of transportation improvement with the general physical influences of settlement in this section are illustrated by the manner in which the frontier was extended. In determining the location of the first settlements, which were to be points of de- parture for settlement in each county, no causes were more influential than the relative position of river and trail. The general directions in which settlement spread out from these centers, and the rate of its move- ment, varied somewhat in different parts of the sec- tion, but in general the movement of the frontier was westward, with a northwest and southwest trend re- spectively at the two extremities. Although settle- ment received an earlier start at the north, the rate of frontier extension was more rapid at the south, partly because it began about the time of the rapid increase of immigration to the Territory as a whole. In all of the counties the frontier reached the western boundary of the section at about the same time, and at those points which were most easily reached — near the great western trails. '^^ Southwest was the direction in which the frontier ex- tended the most rapidly in Oakland up to the time when the first settlements were made in Washtenaw and Lenawee. By 1825 all of the townships in the 65. Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, II, 21. 66. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 231. 67. History of Oakland County (1876), 106, 193 ; History of Wash- tenaw County (1881), 752, 1296; Hist, and Biog. Rec. of Lenawee County, II, 9, 22, 39. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 211 two southern tiers in Oakland, excepting the western- most, had received their first settlers. ^^ A few settle- ments had by that time been made in Waterford Township west of Pontiac, and a few north of the Clinton River in the eastern part of the county; also land had been purchased in all of the townships east of a northeast -to-southwest*^^ diagonal line drawn through the center of the county, comprising fifteen of its thirty- six surveyed townships. For five years following 1825 there was a pause in the extension of the frontier. In this interval land had been purchased in all of the re- maining townships except Brandon in the extreme north and Highland and Rose in the extreme west. The time which elapsed between the dates of first pur- chase and first settlement in the north-central and northeastern townships varied from four to eight years ; but it was shorter in the northwest, where though the buying began from three to seven years later, the first settlements followed the first ptirchases within a year. In the southern tier of townships settlement generally began within two years after the first purchase, and in the central townships within a year. By 1830 only seven townships had not yet received their first set- tlers, all in the extreme north and west except White Lake;'*^ Brandon and Rose had no settlers tmtil 1835.'^^ The dominating influence which checked the exten- sion of the frontier, especially in the period before 68. History of Oakland County (1876), 106, 158, 166, 221, 231, 237, 267, 285, 312, 320. 69. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 565-570. 70. History of Oakland County (1876), 105, 106, 124, 153, 175, 183, 193, 201, 221, 243, 261, 250, 275. 71. Ibid., 243, 261. 212 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS 1830, was desire to be near the older settlements. The townships first settled were those bordering on the townships of Pontiac and Avon, and the first settle- ments made above the Clinton were in the very southern parts, near Pontiac and Rochester, and made from six to nine years afterward.^- Though Waterford, which was just west of Pontiac, was first settled in 1819 the town- vships adjoining it north and west had no settlers for a decade. ^^ The position of the first land purchases re- flect the same desire. In the south and southwest the settlements came apparently from the same impulse which brought immigration to the interior and northern parts of Wayne County upon which they bordered ; but the impulse seems to have spent itself in the filling-in process before settlers reached the extreme southwest. There seem to have been no unfavorable physical con- trasts between the southwestern townships and their eastern neighbors sufficient to warrant the difference of from five to seven years in the dates of settlement;'^'* the contrasts of environment were greater in the town- ships north and west of Waterford. '^^ In White Lake Township directly west of Waterford there was little water power, and much swamp and inferior soil. The availability of land near the older settlements, appears sufficient reason for the pause in the extension of the frontier from 1825 to 1830. Th-e strength of the impulse of 1830 extended settle- ment during that and the following year into the farthest corners of the county. Speculation had an 72. Ihid., 70, 130. 73. Ihid., 105, 175, 183. 74. Ihid., 158, 214, 221, 230. 75. Ihid., 183, 207, 274, 299. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 213 important function in helping to determine its rate and direction, tending to hasten its extension by making less available at Government prices the land near the older settlements. Speculation called the attention of intending settlers to places where speculators were taking up new land. It has been noted that the buying of land was usually much in advance of settlement, and the degree of dis- crepancy in time may in general be taken as a fair index to the amount of speculation. Judging by this rule, speculators preferred the northeastern part of the county to the northwestern, apparently because nearer to the older settlements , but settlement reached both of the northern comers of Oakland County at about the same time. An aid to the extension of settlement to the northwest was the Saginaw Trail, over which the Government was building a road in the early thirties. The Detroit Jotirnal and Michiga?i Advertiser of May 18, 1831, says, "The turnpike from Detroit to Saginaw passes through the most populous part of the county. . This road is intersected in every direction by roads accommodating the settlements in different parts of the county." It appears to have been the chief axis of settlement. The effect of very unfavorable condi- tions of surface, soil, timber distribution, and of water power, are seen in the backwardness of three of the northwestern townships : Brandon was broken, densely forested and had mediocre water power ;^^ Highland and Rose, though more open, were high and hilly with only mediocre soil and water power, '^^ and combined 76. Ibid., 152. 77. Ibid., 201, 261. 214 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS with these defects was their distance from the older centers of settlement. The frontier in Washtenaw County included by 1824 settlements in seven surveyed townships: Webster and Northfield in the north J ^ Saline and York in the south, '^^ and Ann Arbor, Superior and Pittsfield in the middle tiers. ^° In 1825 settlements were made at the north in the townships of Salem and Dexter, ^^ also in Scio, Lima and Lodi west and southwest of Ann Arbor. ^" From 1825 to 1829 no new settlements were made, but in the latter year Augusta and Bridgewater, at the south, received their first settlers. In 1830-31 the townships of Sylvan and Sharon, in the extreme western part of the county, were first settled. ^^ Man- chester, in the extreme southwest, received no settlers until 1832,^^ and Lyndon, in the extreme northwest, had none until 1834.^^ These facts point to four specific determinants in the early extension of the Washtenaw^ frontier — the Huron and Saline rivers, and the Chicago and Washtenaw trails. From 1825 to 1829 they ceased to extend the frontier, a period coincident with that observed in Oakland County; but they were undoubtedly active in filling in population about the older settlements. At the beginning of this pause settlements had already extended over about three-fourths of the county, an 78. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 636, 668 79. Ibid., 669, 1378. 80. Ibid., 873, 1066, 1254. 81. Ibid., 599, 717. 82. Ibid., 805, 820, 1277. 83. Ibid., 752, 1296. 84. Ibid., 1315. 85. Ibid., 739. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 215 area including all but one surveyed township in the three eastern ranges and lapping over upon the north end of the fourth range. The exception to settlement in the eastern ranges was the township of Augusta, in the extreme southeast, neglected probably because of an unfavorable environment; the surface was low, and over the stiff clay soil marshes alternated with heavily timbered land.^*^ But into Augusta and Bridgewater the growth of population along the Chicago Road pushed the frontier in 1829; and closely following in 1830-31, the first settlements in Sylvan and Sharon townships reflect the influence of the recently surveyed road over the Washtenaw Trail. Below the latter in the extreme southwestern township of Manchester, the water power on the Raisin was the immediate motive of settlement. Above them in the extreme northwest, the township of Lyndon was the last to be favored; but this does not appear to have been due to defects in its physical environment;^^ while it had many lakes and ponds the approaches to them were comparatively clear, and though there were some tamarack swamps, it contained no extensive swamp areas like those in Augusta, Pittsfield and Sylvan townships. Very favor- able to its settlement was the soil of sandy loam, also the numerous hickory and oak openings; but it lacked good water power, and this in combination with the natural engrossment of interest in the lands near the older settlements along the Huron River and the Terri- 86. Ibid., 148, 1439; Michigan Geological Survey, Annual Re- port (1907), map in pocket; Ann Arbor Folio, plate "Topography." 87. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 148. 216 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS torial and Chicago roads was sufficient to delay its settlement. The only settlement in Lenawee County in 1824 was Tecumseh. From 1825 to 1828 all the east-central townships of Lenawee received their first settlers, ^^ and by 1830 the same could be said of all in the county except those in the extreme west and south. With the exception of Riga, which was first settled in 1836,^^ all of the townships contained settlers by 1834.^° In this county, the heavy forests at the south, the Raisin River, the Chicago Road, and Bean Creek, were the strongest physical factors in determining the posi- tion of the early settlements. From Tecumseh and Adrian, on the line of the Raisin, the frontier spread out to the east, west and south, ^^ but denseness of forest at the south and east caused slow movement in those directions. '■'■' The line of the Chicago Road and that of the Indian trail from Ohio cast of Bean Cieek tended to carry the earliest settlers to the more open country in the north ;^^ the later impulse to immi- gration which was strongly felt about 1833 carried the frontier to the west and south in that and the following years. 88. Hisi. and Biog. Record of Lenawee County, II, 48, 54; Mick. Hiit. Colls., I, 230; II, 373; Comb. Atlas Map of Lenawee County, 15. 89. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 374. The old maps represent Riga as covered with swamps. Combination Atlas Map of Lena- wee County, 16. 90. H. B. R., II, 9, 22, 35, 39; Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 372, 374. Hogaboam, Bean Creek Valley, 21, 23, 24, 39; Comb. Atlas Map, 12, 16. 91. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 372, 374; H. B. R., I, 65; II, 9, 22, 49. Hogaboam, Bean Creek Valley, 22, 23, 25, 32, 40, 51. 92. Combination Atlas Map, 16. 93. Hogaboam, Bean Creek Valley, 21. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 217 It has been observed that while the frontier was extending, there was intensive as well as extensive growth, and that both were subject to the same gen- eral controlling factors; in general, the rate and direc- tion of frontier extension was a measure of areal growth. In 1820 Oakland Cotmty had a population of three hundred and thirty people, ^^ and the position of the frontier indicates that. the bulk of the people were near the two oldest colonies. In the year of the opening of the Erie Canal (1825) the sheriff's assessment showed that within the present boundaries of the county there were two hundred and eighty-two houses, forty-seven barns and two thousand six hundred and twenty-one acres of improved land.'-*^ Within one year, according to a census taken by assessors and reported in the Michigan Herald for June 7, 1826, the rapid settlement of the county had brought the number of dwelHngs up to three hundred and forty-one and the number of acres of improved land to four thousand and sixty- nine, while the population numbered something over two thousand. In 1827 the population seemed large enough to warrant the division of the county into five townships, and the evidence drawn from the number, size and position of these townships supplements that drawn from the position of the frontier line in showing that the population was distributed mainly in the southeast.^'' In 1830 the settlers of the county num- "9I U. S. Census (1820), 41. 95. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 571. The present boundaries of Oakland County were established in 1822. Territorial Laws, I, 332. 96. Territorial Laws, II, 477. 218 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS bered 4911,^^ and a new township (Southfield) was created in the southeast — the first in the county to have the small area of a Government township, ^^ im- plying a considerable density of population. Frontier extension reflects rapid growth in 1830-31. The De- troit Journal and Michigan Advertiser ior May 18, 1831, records an estimation of from eight hundred to a thou- sand people who arrived in the county since the taking of the census of 1830. The same paper credits the county with thirteen stores, eight good flouring mills favorably situated to accommodate the settlers, about twenty first rate sawmills, and four or five carding and fulling mills equipped with looms for weaving; all this indicates enterprising industrial growth. There were no new townships until 1833, when six were created in that and the year following, ^^ all of them excepting Waterford in the two southern tiers. The order of their formation reflects the call for town- ship government, as the people moved westward. In the westernmost townships, Lyon and Milford, the population was probably sparse, since they received their first settlers within three years of the time of their creation. ^"^^ In the four years from 1830 to 1834 the population of the county almost trebled, reaching in the latter year 13,844.^°^ In 1835-36, years of heavy 97. U. S. Censtis (1830), 153. 98. Territorial Laws, II, 818, '!ii?>. 99. Ibid., Ill, 1124. 1275, 1839. 100. Territorial Laws, III, 1275. In the division of Farm- ington Township, the fact that it was the western rath- er than the eastern portion of it that was made equal to a surveyed township (Lyon), seems deceptive as an indication of relative density of population. 101. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 219 land speculation and rapid settlement, township organi- zation advanced rapidly northward beyond the center of the county, ^°" and by 1837 the entire county ex- cepting its northwest corner was divided into a checker- board of six-mile squares. ^°'' According to the census of 1837 the county contained 20,176 people, of whom only about one -fourth had settled beyond a diagonal line from northeast to southwest. ^°^ The other diagonal, approximately the line of the Saginaw Turnpike, divided the population somewhat equally; settlers favored de- cidedly, however, the eastern side, which contained the first centers of settlement, at Pontiac and Rochester. The only township which exceeded the population of Pontiac was Farmington, about the middle of the southern tier, each having about seventeen hundred people. Only a half dozen townships, in the immediate vicinity of these, exceeded one thousand, and the northwestern townships fell considerably below five hundred. There was no marked tendency in Oakland County toward centralization in this period, the only promising village centers being the settlements on the Clinton River at Pontiac, Auburn, and Rochester. The Pon- tiac Company was the power back of all the public improvements at Pontiac. It was at once made the county seat, and a description of its advantages and of the surrounding country appeared in the Detroit Gazette almost before a dwelling had been built there. ^'^^ 102. Territorial Laws, III, 1368, 1369, 1404, 1420; Session Laivs (1835-36), 68, 69. 103. Session Laws (1837), 36, 40, 43. 104. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 72. 105. Detroit Gazette, Feb. 26, 1819. See also the same for Feb. 15, 1822. 220 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Immigration was vigorously solicited, and Pontiac soon became an objective point for settlers from the eastern states. A letter from the western part of New York in 1820 to one of the editors of the Detroit Gazette says, "Our Emigrating Company is rapidly gaining recruits; and in the Spring we shall move in a body for Pontiac. "^^"^ Though it was still regarded by many in 1821 as a "paper town," the confidence of set- tlers and prospectors was shown by the recent sale of more than fifty village lots at from $20 to $70 apiece. ^°'^ The village in that year contained appar- ently not more than a half dozen dwellings, ^°^ but a substantial improvement had been made by the erec- tion of a sawmill and gristmill. ^°^ The importance of this for the village and for the settlement of the county is reflected in a statement made by the Detroit Gazette of February 2, 1821, that within a week recently sixty-three sleighs, each loaded with from thirty to forty-eight bushels of grain, had arrived at the Pontiac mill, and all from a distance of more than twenty-five miles. The same paper in an editorial for December 13, 1825, mentions as "a singular fact and entirely new in this territory," that a wagon load of flour arrived in Detroit the week before from the in- terior, made at Col. Mack's mills in Pontiac, and it was understood that there were several hundred barrels there. It was further stated that this was the first 106. Detroit Gazette. Feb. 11, 1820. 107. Ibid.. July 20, 1821. It also had to contend with willful misrepresentations. See, for example, the Detroit Ga- zette, Aug. 30, 1822. 108. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 574. 109. Ibid., 11, 471. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 221 season in which the farmers of Oakland County had been able to raise graih enough to supply themselves and the new settlers. By 1830 the growth of the sup- porting agricultural interests is indicated by the forma- tion of a county agricultural society. ^^" The prevalence of wolves made sheep-raising precarious, but a woolen mill is said to have been "in full operation" in Pontiac in 1825.^^^ The outlook for a surplus of produce started an agitation about 1830 for a railroad from Pontiac to Detroit. It is said that by 1830 the reputa- tion of Pontiac as an industrial and trade center was well established among business men in the eastern states. In its issue of April 21, 1830, the Northwestern Journal credits the village with "three merchant trad- ers," a sawmill, a flourmill, a woolen mill, an ashery, seventy-five buildings, and two hundred and fifty in- habitants. The new impulse to its settlement that came about 1830 is signalized by the establishment of a weekly newspaper, the Oakland Chronicle, which how- ever was soon moved to Detroit.^^- An academy was chartered in 1833,^^^ and a branch of the University is mentioned by Blois. The settlement of the village 1 10. History of Oakland County (1876) , ZZ . 111. Detroit Gazette, July 26, 1825. It was advertised to manu- facture cloth three-fourths of a yard wide at 62 1 cents per yard. 112. The paper ran for about a year, and its files, if they could be found, would give probably the best account of activities in the village and county in 1830-31; see Detroit Jovirnal and Michigan Advertiser, April 27, 1831. The first num- ber of the Oakland Chronicle is said to have appeared May 31, 1830, its editor having been connected with the Western Emigrant at Ann Arbor. See Northwestern Journal of June 2, 1830. 113. History oj Oakland County (1876), 92. 222 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS was very rapid from 1835 to 1837. It was incorporated in 1837, when Blois estimates the population at about one thousand souls. ^^^ The site of the village of Rochester, about ten miles east of Pontiac where the Clinton River receives Paint Creek, was in the vicinity of excellent water power, which explains its early growth. Within eight years after its settlement four mills had been built near the site on the Clinton and tributary streams — shown on Risdon's map (1825). The Detroit Gazette of April 10, 1827, advertised a sale of village lots, and population in- creased during the following decade sufficiently to require four stores to supply the needs of trade. -^^^ About half way between Rochester and Pontiac a village was laid out at Auburn, in 1826, which early attracted a number of well-to-do settlers and became a vigorous rival. ^^^ Like Rochester and Pontiac, it was located on a good power site, and like them also it re- ceived its first vigorous impulse from the new spirit of immigration which followed the opening of the Erie 114. Ibid., 73, 117; Blois, Gazetteer, 344. The progress of settle- ment in these latter years was not on a sound basis, as illustrated by the shrinking of credit and hard times when the financial crash of 1837 came. History of Oaf?land County, 34, 36, 84. 115. Blois, Gazetteer, 352. Pontiac had fourteen stores, Ibid., 344. The populations of the respective townships were approximately equal, but Pontiac 's trade • prol^ably reached a much wider area than that of Rochester. 116. One of the chief promoters of the village was a native of Middlebury, New York (Milton Hyde). The village was named from Auburn, New' York. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 344-345. In the year ending March 31, 1827, the net receipt of postage at Pontiac was $79.86, at Auburn $8.46, while Rochester is not mentioned. Ameri- can State Papers, Post Office, 179-180. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 223 Canal. The editor of the Detroit Gazette speaks of it in 1826 as the site of Smith's mills, "a business-like little place, where there is erected an excellent flourmill and sawmill."^" Apparently, as in many other places, the mills preceded and attracted the promoters of the vil- lage. Its aspiration to be the chief village of the county was eclipsed by the choice of Pontiac as the terminal of the railroad,^' ^ and in 1837 it is said to have been nearly destroyed by fire.^^^ Its great expecta- tions, added to its signal failure, gave it first rank among the "paper towns" of the county. Other village centers of farming population were platted in 1835 and 1836 as speculations, many of which, like Auburn, were reduced by the succeeding hard times to the fate of "paper towns." One of the earliest points on the Saginaw Trail iTientioned in pio- neer reminiscences was Royal Oak, which appears to have had little to recommend it for a village site ex- cepting its position on the trail, but was later threaded by the road and the railroad and became the center of a considerable population. It was platted by the rail- road company in 1836, and a steam sawmill was put in operation under the same auspices. ^-° Under the impulse of the anticipated railroad, Birmingham was platted in the same year, and owed its early growth to being for many years the railroad terminal. ^-^ In 1837 it was the second place in the county in point of busi- 117. Detroit G"a2^«^, May 23, 1826. 118. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 344. 119. Detroit Daily Advertiser, Feb. 4, 1837. Blois credits it with two stores in 1838. Gazetteer of Michigan, 249. 120. History of Oakland County (1876), 239. 121. 1840-44. Ibid., 323. 224 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS ness, having entirely eclipsed its neighbor, which began the same year only two miles away.^^^ The explana- tion seems to lie in the better soil, which attracted a larger farming population, and the advantages of water power on one of the head branches of the Rouge. An- other village of this period deserving mention is Farmington, directly west of Royal Oak and Birming- ham in the southern part of the county on a branch of the Rouge, the original nucleus of which was a colony of Quakers. ^"^ It appears to have had at the end of this period a number of mills, a couple of stores and about a score of families. ^^'^ In the southwestern part of the county, similarly situated on mill sites, were the vil- lages of Kensington^ ^^ and Milford,^-*^ the former of which gained an unsavory reputation in the days of 'Svild-cat" banking.^" The first newspaper mention of settlement in Wash- tenaw County was in connection with the location of the county seat in 1824, when the Detroit Gazette ob- served that "emigration is taking a direction that way."^^^ In the issue of July, 30, 1824, the same paper notes, that whereas on the fourth of July in the year previous there were but nine persons in the county, in 1824 "the anniversary of Independence was celebrated by 79 persons — at the upper settlement about 50 at- 122. Blois, Gazetteer, 255, 354. 123. See articles in the Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser for May 25, 1831, July 13, 1831, and Mav 25, 1832. 124. Blois, Gazetteer, 285. 125. Ibid., 307. 126. Ibid., 325; History of Oakland County (1876), 223.^ 127. See also the villages of Franklin, Morris' Mills, Niles and Stony Creek, in Blois, Gazetteer, 288, 328, 332, 365, 128. Detroit Gazette, Feb. 1, 1824. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 225 tended;" adding, "The increase of population in this county has been about as rapid as that of Oakland dtir- ing the two first years after the settlement commenced." Early in 1824 emigrants could have had before them a very favorable description of the county in the report of the commissioners appointed to locate the county seat, which was addressed to Governor Cass and pub- Hshed in the Detroit Gazette}-^ The year 1827 wit- nessed formal steps to encourage immigration, in the organization of the ' 'Washtenaw County Society for the Information of Emigrants. "^^° The growth of population in the county for the period from 1827 is reflected in the census figures and in the votes cast at different times for delegates to Congress. The votes at the Territorial election in the year 1827 and in every second year thereafter to 1835 increase almost in arithmetical progression, ^^^ but the figures probably represent only approximately the actual increase. The United States census shows for the period 1824 to 1830 a population of 4,042,1^2 129. Detroit Gazette, March 26, 1824. The land was declared as good as any yet explored ; the Huron River was navigable and abounded in millsites; springs of pure water were numerous; timbered land, openings and prairies would accommodate all varieties of immigrants. It is interest- ing that the first signature to the report was that of Austin E. Wing, who became a partner in the founding of Tecumseh in Lenawee County instead of operating in Washtenaw. 130. Detroit Gazette, March 20, 1827. It was organized at a meeting held at Ahll Creek (Dexter), and the newspaper notice is signed by R. Grossman and S. W. Dexter. 131. 244, 444, 648, 952, and in 1835, 1075; History of Washtenaw County (1881), 250-251. 132. U. S. Census (1830). 153. 29 226 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS while the Territorial census for 1834 gives 14,920,^^^ An important hint as to the distribution of the early- population of the county is contained in an act of the Territorial legislature in 1827, which divided the county into three townships ;^^^ in names and posi- tions are reflected the four main centers of population : Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Saline and Dexter. In the sub- division of these townships the population is seen reach- ing out in 1828 to the north of Ypsilanti, ^^^^ in 1829 to the south of Ann Arbor, "'^ in 1832 to the north of Ann Arbor, ^" in 1833 to the west and northwest of Ann Arbor,^^^ and in 1834 to the farthest western and south- western parts of the county.^^^ The backwardness of the western and southern corners of the county is suggested by the absence of independent townships. Here were sit- uated the last townships to be organized.^''*' By 1837 the entire area of the county had been divided like Oak- land into townships six miles square. The population had increased to over twenty thousand. ^''^ Its distribu- tion, combined with the evidence from township organ- ization, gives the same general impression as that al- ready noted in the advance of the frontier, and sug- gests the forces already mentioned as governing the settlement of the county. The most populous town- ships lay along the Chicago and Territorial roads, ex- 133. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. 134. Territorial Laws, II, 479. 135. Ihid., 11, 687. 136. Ihid., II, 712. 137. lUd., Ill, 925. 138. Ihid., Ill, 996. 139. Ihid., Ill, 1276. 140. Ihid., Ill, 1404; Session Laws (1835-36), 68; Ihid. (1837), 41 141. 21,817. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 73. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 227 cepting Salem in the northeastern corner. Ann Arbor was approximately the center of population. The drift of settlement was quite evenly westward. The popula- tions of the northern and southern tiers of townships were as six to five, while those of the eastern and western ranges were as seven to three. The promising village centers in Washtenaw County were Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter and Man- chester. Besides having excellent farming country in the vicinity, the foundations of the growth of Ypsilanti were its water power, comparative nearness to De- troit, and its position at the junction of the Huron with the main thoroughfare along which settlers trav- eled from Detroit to southwestern Michigan and be- yond. Its convenience as a resting place for travelers was early seen; among others who became successful inn-keepers was Benjamin Woodruff, who moved up from Woodruff's Grove^^^ when the failure of that settlement to be included on the Chicago Road de- stroyed it.^^^ Ypsilanti is said to have received its first permanent settler from Romulus, Seneca County, New York;^^'* 142. On Risdon's map (1825) Woodruff's Grove looks more prom- ising than Pontiac, as indicated by six dots to Pontiac's five. For its first settlement and early fate see Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 548. The account is said to be based upon that of a person who lived in the home of one of the settlers near the date of settlement. 143. The effect of the Chicago Road appears to be reflected in the postoffice receipts at the two places for 1827 and 1828: in 1827 at Woodruff's Grove, $27.67, at Ypsilanti, $8.93; in 1828 at the former, $23.36, at the latter, $22.95. American State Papers, Post Office, 180, 210 144. Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 564. John Stewart, who bought the north French claim. 228 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS and among the first owners of the village plat (1825) was the Virginian and friend of Jefferson, Judge Wood- ward of Detroit, whose classical sympathies above ment'oned are again reflected in the naming of Ypsi- lanti for the hero of the Greek war for independence. ^^^ The prevalent faith in the prospects of the village is illustrated by an entry in a settler's diary for 1827, that "Nature and art have combined to make it a place for business.""*^ Boats of twenty tons burden plied between the landing four miles below, and Lake Erie; property was valued "very high;" the author of the diary bought two village lots (half an acre) for $100. By 1830 the population of the village reached two hundred and forty. ^''^ It is said to have doubled by 1834,^^^ and Blois (1838) credits it with one thousand people. ^^^ Illustrative of frontier conditions, it is recorded by Harriet Martineau in 1836 that there was as yet no bridge at the village for foot passengers, vehicles hav- ing to go a mile down the river to the ferry, but a bridge was being built. ^^° Ann Arbor was incorporated a year later than Ypsi- lanti, (1833), but its settlement was on the whole 145. Ibid., 565. For the early development of Ypsilanti from 1825 to 1837 the same work gives a well digested and apparently accurate account in pages 732-737. 146. The diary of Mark Norris, cited in History of Washtenaw County (1881), 1114. 147. The Northwestern Journal, August 25, 1830, quoting the U. S. Census schedules. 148. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 337. 149. Blois, Gazetteer, 383. 150. Society in America, I, 319. The Northwestern Journal of Oct. 27, 1830, records that a Working Men's Society was organized, a local illustration of the wide-reaching move- ment of the time for labor organization. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 229 more rapid. Being somewhat removed from the Chi- cago Road it missed the early advertisement which position on that thoroughfare gave to its rival. This was partly offset by its position on the Territorial Road nearer the center of the county, and by the ac- quisition of the county seat in the very year it received its first settlers (1824).^^^ This made it a center of at- traction, as the place where justice was administered and as headquarters for "landlookers." The author of the diary above qtioted stayed at Ann Arbor while "looking" land in the county, but he was more im- pressed with Ypsilanti as a place of business. Ann Arbor seemed to him rather a "place for lounging and gossip." The three or four inns^^^ in 1827 appear to be evidence of a considerable transient population ;^^^ the resident population is said to have been housed in some twenty or thirty dwellings. ^^* Ann Arbor's advantages of water power and sur- rounding agricultural lands were fully equal to those at Ypsilanti, and were early advertised by the pro- prietors of the village plat. The water power at the mouth of "Allen's Creek" is mentioned in the report of the commissioners who located the county seat,^^^ and 151. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 335. 152. Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 556; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 334. 153. The postoffice receipts for the year ending March 31, 1827, were at Ann Arbor $151.47, at Ypsilanti $8.93. American State Papers, Post Office, 179, 180. 154. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 33A. 155. Detroit Gazette, March 26, 1824. The Northwestern Journal (Detroit) for May 5, 1830, points out Ann Arbor as an "especially fine place for capital to invest in a flouring mill." See also Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 627-629, for power development on the Huron River. 230 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS a mill is indicated there on Risdon's map. In the De- troit Gazette for June 4, 1824, a public notice signed by John Allen and Elisha W. Rumsey as proprietors of the village, invites the attention of emigrants to Ann Arbor, "particularly of Mechanics and Artisans." By 1830 the population of the village had reached three hundred and fifty. Hoffman, visiting the vil- lage late in 1833, estimated its population at seven or eight hundred, ^^"^ and between that time and the close of the period it appears to have more than doubled, reach- ing about two thousand.^" The impulse to the settlement of the village and county at the beginning of the thirties is illustrated by the choice of Ann Arbor for the first newspaper venture, which unlike that in Oakland County proved success- ful, and did much to advertise the advantages of the village to settlers. It was first known as TJie Western Emigrant,^^^ and appears to be the one mentioned by Harriet Martineau in an interesting comment in 1836: "At Ypsilanti," she says, "I picked up an Ann Arbor newspaper. It was badly printed; but its contents were pretty good; and it could happen nowhere out of America, that so raw a settlement as that at Ann 156. The Northwestern Journal of August 25, 1830, quoting from the schedules of the census. Hoffmdn, A Winter in the West, I, 156-157. As elsewhere stated, he entered the county by way of Monroe and Tecumseh. 157. Blois, Gazetteer, 249. The settlement of Ann Arbor from 1824 to 1837 is well sketched by Beakes, in Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 700-702. 158. The first number appeared Oct. 18, 1829. The name was changed several times. The Ann Arbor Argus, first issued February 5, 1835, may have been the paper re- ferred to by Haniet Martineau. See Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 616-619. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 231 Arbor, where there is difficulty in procuring decent accommodations, should have a newspaper. "^^^ Con- ditions improved much within the next five years, according to Lansing Swan, who in 1841 found "an excellent hotel," having come up from Ypsilanti, "not liking our quarters to stay over the Sabbath." In his Journal he says,^'''° "Ann Arbor is a delightful place of about two or three thousand inhabitants and is in every respect a much neater and more thriving place than any of its size in our own state [New York]. There are five churches and a state university now building on a scale of magnificence far beyond Union College at Schenectady, besides many other very fine public and private buildings.^" I do not wonder that people are made crazy by coming to Michigan if what I have seen is a specimen of the country." The site of Saline is said to have been chosen (1824), by the surveyor of the Chicago Road, for a city; but the tradition does nor seem consistent with the delay of eight years before platting a village. ^"^^ Its ad- 159. Martineau, Society in America, I, 319. She apparently did not visit Ann Arbor. The first newspaper at Ypsilanti appears to have been the Ypsilanti Republican, in 1837. Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 624. 160. Swan, Journal of a Tour to Michigan. The closing state- ment refers to his observations of the Territory as a whole, including the settlements along the Territorial and Chicago roads. 161. In 1832 the academy had an attendence of one hundred students, and its principal of that year suggests that this institution marked the beginning of that reputation for school privileges which later secured for the city the State University. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 400. See also McLaughlin, Higher Education in Michigan, 39. 162. History of Washtenaiv County (1881), 1378; Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 576. 232 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS vantages were promising: position on the Chicago Road, power from the Sahne River, fertile openings, and plentiful timber; it was also near an extensive deer- lick and salt spring, and had early been favored as the site of an Indian village. ^"^^ The Detroit Gazette for December 13, 1825, annomices that a sawmill will be built soon by Risdon near the salt springs on the Chi- cago Road. Blois mentions a flourmill and sawmill near the village, and the presence of three stores in 1837 indicates that village life was beginning j^^'* its growth was restrained by that of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor above, and by Tecumseh and Adrian on the south. Dexter and Manchester were quite as rudimentary as Saline. Six years elapsed between the platting of Dexter and the purchase of the site by Samuel W. Dexter^'^^ in 1824, although this site, "Mill Creek," was one of the earliest centers of settlement to receive newspaper mention. Dexter was located on a "pla- teau" near the junction of Mill Creek with the Huron, water power being the principal motive to settlement. Its first actual settlers are said to have come from Ann Arbor. In 1830, the year in which the village was platted, its distinction from the surrounding country consisted in a small cluster of log dwellings, a grist mill, a sawmill, a store, and an inn, apparently the only one existing at that time west of Ann Arbor. ^'^^ 163. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 1369, 1373. On the Risdon map (1825) salt springs are shown at Saline on the Chicago Road. 164. Blois, Gazetteer, 357. 165. For Samuel W. Dexter and his land speculations, see Beakes, Past and Present oj Washtenaw County, 567, 680. 166. History cf Washtenaw County (1881), 828-829. SOUTHEASTERN .MRHICAN IX ISiT, {Mich. Hist. Coll.'!., XXXVUI, 634) This map was drawn by Orange Risdon of Detroit, surveyor of the Chicago Road. The j,pale is four miles to an inch. An original copy is in the office of the Historical Commission j^f Lansing. See pp. 9.5-243. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 233 Though it had five stores in 1838 its settlement was apparently not much, if any, in advance of that at Saline, being, as there, overshadowed by the larger vil- lages. ^''^ Manchester was located on the Raisin, at a point where that river crossed one of the largest burr- oak plains of the county. ^*^^ In 1832 an inn and a sawmill were built there by a prominent settler of Ypsilanti, and from that time it began to be a nticleus of settlement. By 1834 enough settlers had gathered in the neighborhood to warrant the building of a schoolhouse.^*^^ Blois does not mention the village. In Lenawee County, population increased slowly be- fore 1830. According to General Brown, one of the founders of Tecumseh, the e v\^ere in January of 1827 six hundred people in the county. ^^° By 1830 the popu- lation had grown to 1491,^"^ and to 7,911^^2 ^^y i^^^ There as elsewhere in the section the increase was the most rapid in the years beginning with 1833. It is reflected in the increase of the number of townships from four in 1833 to nine in 1834.^^^ The bulk of this 167. Blois, Gazetteer, 281. 168. Beakes, Pait and Present of Washtenaw County, 1313. 169. Ibid., 1315. Risdon's map (1825) shows a village of Dix- boro, above Ypsilanti. This settlement was promoted by a speculator from Boston, who appears to have won the disfavor of settlers, and early gave up the experi- ment. See Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 568. 170. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 229-230; Territorial Laws, II, 292. 171. U. S. Census (1830), 153. 172. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. The figures for 1830 and 1834 prob- ably include Hillsdale County, as Hillsdale was attached to Lenawee until its organization in 1835, and the sepa- rate figures do not appear for it in the censuses. 173. Territorial Laws, II, 478, 587; III, 998, 1275. 234 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS population was in the northeast, in the vicinity of Tecumseh and Adrian. These were the start 'ng points for the numerous "land-lookers" that followed closely in the wake of the first settlers, where the houses of settlers served temporarily as inns, and where guides could be obtained to show the way to the best Govern- ment lands. In 1835-36 settlement went hand in hand with speculation in the lands of this county, and is marked by the organization of new townships. ^^^ By 1837 the checker-board appearance of townships pre- vailed in all parts of the county excepting the eastern range, where Ridgeway and Riga had not yet been separated from Macon and Blissfield, a region of heavy timber.^^^ The sparseness of population in the south- ern townships, shown in the census of 1837, also indi- cates this impediment to settlement. The filling-in process about the older settlements and the very gradual extension of the frontier is reflected in the large numbers in the townships about Tecumseh and Adrian and the decreasing population towards the west. There were in the entire county in 1837 less than fifteen thousand people. ^^"^ Tecumseh owed its early rapid growth largely to the enterprise of its founders, who were able busi- ness men of means, but appear to have had ulterior motives. Austin E. Wing is quoted as saying to Mus- 174. Territorial Laws, III, 1367; Session Laws (1835-36), 69, 70. 175. Session Laws (1837), 44. The townships in the southern tier were not quite square, because of the addition of a narrow strip on the south to each by the adjustment of the Ohio boundary dispute. 176. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 72. Hudson township appears not to have been returned. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 235 grove Evans: "If we go into milling and farming, and establish a mill, "settlers will know that I am interested, and will vote to send me to Congress. If I am elected, with the aid of Gen. Jacob Brown, you can be ap- pointed government surveyor."^" The fruition of these hopes appeared to reqtiire the cooperation of Joseph W. Brown, who was a brother of Gen. Brown, and happily also a miller as well as a practical farmer. These men provided very early all that they could of 1he essential institutions of village life on the frontier. In the first year they platted the village and secured for it recognition as a post village and county seat.-^^^ A sawmill, a gristmill, and a store soon followed.^^^ Lumber sawed there was vised to build the first frame house in 1825. A contemporary writer in the Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, over the signature "Truth," reflects the impulse to growth received by the village in the early thirties, crediting the village in 1832 with two schoolhouses, a gristmill, a sawmill, a tannery and a furniture factory. ^^° The latter indus- try appears to have become early somewhat of a speci- alty, according to Harriet Martineau, who observed in 1836, "We reached Tecumseh at half -past nine, and perceived that its characteristic was chair-making. Every other house seemed to be a chair manufactory. "^^^ 177. Mich.Hht. Coils., XXXVIII, 479. 178. Ibid., I, 227. 179. Ibid., I, 222, 228; Histcrical and Biographical Record of Lenawee Co-uniy, I, 41, 43. See early mention of the progress of the village and its advantages in the Detroit Gazeite for August 6, 1824; Oct. 1, 1824; Dec. 13, 1825. 180. Detroit Journal and MicJiigan Advertiser, Jan. 4, 1832. 181. Society in America, I, 320. 236 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS It was "a pretty village laid out with broad streets and having an excellent tavern on a public square in the center," says Hoffman, writing late in 1833.^^^ A large factor in its early settlement was the possession of the county seat, but its position not being sufficiently cen- tral to the county, it lost this advantage about the close of this period in favor of the rival village of Adrian. ^^^ It had then a population of about one thousand. ^®^ Adrian, unlike Tecumseh, was founded originally by the enterprise of one individual, but it early drew to itself many settlers of means. Though it was platted four years later than Tecumseh, its more central posi- tion, making it the logical place for the county seat, induced its citizens early to begin an agitation to have the county seat removed thither from Tecumseh, and the prospect served to attract settlers to it. A saw mill was built before the village was platted, and a gristmill, a store and a frame schoolhouse had been added by 1829.^^^ In 1830 the population in the vicin- 182. A Winter in the West, I, 149. 183. The county-seat contest was vigorous. Tecumseh's side of the issue is presented in the Detroit Daily Free Press for March 17, 1836. The act for its removal is in Session Laws (1835-36), 83, dated March 21, 1836, but it was not to take effect until 1838. See also Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 364; XXXVIII, 483. 184. Blois, Gazetteer, 372. Adrian's population contained a large number of Quakers, which is said to have had much to do with its early exemplary government, and with making it a prominent station on the "Underground Railroad" in ante-bellum days. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 279. There were members of the Society of Friends also in Tecumseh, and in other parts of the county, particularly in Rollin Township. 185. Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, 1, 50, 53. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 237 ity of Adrian appears to have been nearly five hundred people. ^^"^ It is significant of its prospects that in 1834 the first newspaper in the county was started at Adrian, and not at Tecumseh.^" This may have been in part owing to the prospect of the completion of the rail- road then being built from Toledo, of which Adrian seemed likely to be for some time the northern ter- minal. ^^^ The enterprise of the villagers is shown by the fact that the capital to build this road was sub- scribed mainly by Adrian citizens. The central posi- tion of the village, its acquisition of the county seat, its relation to the new railroad, and the enterprise of its citizens, were main agents in its successful struggle with Tecumseh for the line of the later Southern Rail- road from Monroe. By the close of the period it ap- pears to have had a population slightly greater than that of Tecumseh. ^^^ A nucleus of settlement was forming at the junction of the Chicago Road with a branch of the Raisin, just above Tecumseh, which was destined to develop into the village of CHnton. Its first settlers came in 1829-30, and a pioneer reports it to have had in 1831 about a dozen dwellings and two taverns, one of the latter a two-story frame structure.^ ^° Though overshadowed by Tecumseh, it profited by its position on the Chicago Road and awaited the agricultural development of 186. Ibid., I, 54; Territcrial Laws, II, 587. This estimate is based on the population of Logan Township. The postoffice receipts in 1830 at Adrian were $58.57, at Tecumseh $99.99. 187. Mich. Hist. Cells., I, 231. 188. Ihid., II, 364. 189. Blois, Gazetteer, 246. 190. Mich. Hist. Colls.. II. 384. 238 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the vicinity. By the close of the period its popula- tion had reached about half that of Tecumseh or Adrian. ^^^ The states from which came the founders of these first settlements of the section, ranged from Virginia and Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio, The leader of the first colony in Oakland County (Avon TownvShip) was of Irish stock, who had lived in early life at Tioga Point, Pennsylvania; he had mi- grated from there first, about the year 1800, to Oxford in Upper Canada, and in 1816 to Mt. Clemens. ^^- The members of the Pontiac Company were mainly natives or emigrants from Massachusetts, Vermont, Connec- ticut and New York.^^^ The Woodruft^'s Grove set- tlers in Washtenaw were originally from Ohio;^^^ their first accession was from Genesee, New York,^^^ and the first permanent settler of Ypsilanti was a native of Romulus in the same State. "*^ Of Ann Arbor's first two families, one came from Augusta County, Vir- 191. Blois, Gazitteer, 265. Lenawee County was prolific in vil- lages. See Ibid., 257, 261, 299, 302, 309, 311, 315, 337, 352, 364. Many more are mentioned, founded mainly in 1835-36 as speculations. One in Cambridge Town- ship, for instance, was started on Wolf Creek, a stream said to have been advertised as navigable for the largest class of steamboats, where city lots were sold for fabulous prices, and wild-cat bank-notes circulated by the uncut ream. Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, II, 17. 192. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 569. History of Oakland County (1876), 138. 193. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 560, for list of these members. 194. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 1099. 195. Ibid., 118. 196. Ibid., 1109. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 239 ginia/^^ the other from Genesee County, New York. In the Tecumseh colony, Austin E, Wing, who, though he was a partner in the enterprise of founding the village, did not reside there, was a native of Berkshire County, Massachusetts ;^^^ the other partners, Evans and Brown, were both natives of Bucks County, Pennsyl- vania, ^^^ but had lived for some time in New York, principally at Brownsville in Jefferson County, from the vic'nity of which they brought a company of about twenty persons in 1824.-°° The founder of Adrian came from Palmyra, New York."°^ There is no doubt that the bulk of the early population of this section came from New York and the New England states. With scarcely an exception, people from widely separated localities were to be found in any of the early settlements. For example, in Avon Township there were between 1817 and 1825 settlers from Massa- chusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New York and Penn- sylvania. '^°" But in some places settlers from a partic- ular source strongly predominated, frequently those from New York. The principal source often appears to be indicated by the names of villages or townships, for it was very natural that men and women who had separated themselves from the old home should wish to perpetuate its memory in the name of the new 197. Ibid., 884; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 333. 198. Michigan Bicgrcphics, 704. 199. Hislcrical and Biographical Reccid of Lenawee County, I, 41, 61; Mich. Hiit. Colls., I, 111. 200. Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, I, 40; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 111. 201. Michigan Biographies, 186. 202. History of Oakland County (1876), 130-139. 240 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS center of village life; moreover, such names would naturally tend to encourage immigration from the source which they indicated and in some cases seem to have been deliberately chosen with that end in view. But it would be very misleading to take these names alone as evidence of a numerical superiority in any settlement. Townships were usually named in the legislative act which organized them, and while atten- tion would be paid to a preference expressed by the settlers themselves, the legislature often named town- ships arbitrarily; often a prominent settler had suffi- cient influence to cause his choice to prevail either with or against the other members of the community. Many examples might be given of names which seem significant for the sources of population: in Lenawee County, Woodstock and Cambridge, Seneca, Palmyra, Madison, Rome; in Washtenaw County, Bridgewater, Manchester and Salem, Scio, Sharon and Augusta; in Oakland County, Oxford, Addison, Orion, Avon and Milford, Commerce, Farmington, Lyon and Troy. These names in the main seem to point to New York, but a caution is suggested by a glance at the gazeteer, which shows their numerous prototypes in the states farther east.-^^ The foreign elements of the population of the section in this period were mainly English, Irish, Scotch and German. In 1830 the total number of foreigners in 203. It is worth a passing notice that the names of the larger centers of population are of a different type. Pontiac and Tecumseh bear the names of Indian chiefs ; Ypsilanti bears the name of a Greek hero, and Adrian that of a Roman emperor; the name of Ann Arbor has a personal significance. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, ?>?>?). THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 241 the three counties who were not naturaHzed amounted to 128,^°^ but this probably represents only a small pro- portion of the settlers who were born in foreign lands. They were distributed as follows: in Oakland 84; in Washtenaw 27 ; in Lenawee 17. The Germans were more numerous in Washtenaw County, and settled mainly in the townships of Ann Arbor and Freedom }^^ The center of their settlement in Washtenaw County in 1833 seems to be indicated by the situation of their first Church, two miles west of Ann Arbor. "^"^ Hoffman, in the account of his visit to the village of Ann Arbor in 1833, does not mention Germans, but Englishmen i-*^^ and a nucleus of Englishmen seems to have formed about 1830 in Independence Township in Oakland County. -°^ In 1831 a small colony of English and Irish distinguished for learning and culture, settled in Lenawee County on the shore of Sand Lake, Cam- bridge Township. Irish settlers are mentioned fre- quently, and also the fact that they showed a prefer- ence for the lake district. -°^ Two Scotch centers of settlement in that county seem to have formed in West Bloomfield and Highland townships. "^° In 1825 a company of thirty Canadians from South Yarmouth are said to have settled in Avon Township. ^^^ 204. U. S. Census (1830), 115. 205. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 249, 250, 254; History of Wash- tenaw County (1881), 1292; Beakes, Past and Present of Washtenaw County, 651-658. 206. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 255. 207. Hoffman, A Winter in the West, I, 157. The reference to Englishmen is possibly a typographical error. 208. History of Oakland County (1876), 207. 209. Ihid., 138, 184, 193, 207, 275, and passim. 210. Ibid., 201, 314. 211. Ibid.. 132. 31 242 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS While the colonies were usually founded by individ- ual initiative and enterprise, frequently a number of families migrated from the old home together, as is reported in the case of the Canadians from Yarmouth and the settlers of Farmington.-^- Organized business effort founded Pontiac and Tecumseh. In some colo- nies a religious bond furnished one of the motives for group settlement and encouraged the addition of simi- larly minded immigrants. Such were the Quaker set- tlem.ents in Tecumseh, Adrian, and Farmington, and the Free Church settlement in Superior Township in Washtenaw County. -^'^ Apparently the only social ex- periment in colonization was that tried from England by a wealthy disciple of Robert Owen, who purchased and planned to colonize thirteen eighty-acre tracts in Bloomfield and West Bloomfield townships in Oakland County. The scheme failed, ^^^ it is said, through lack of enterprise on the part of its promoter. The section was as yet too young and the struggle with nature too severe to permit of much development 212. Ihid., 166. 213. Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 528; Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, II, 48; History of Oakland County (1876), 166; History of Washtenaw County (1881), 1066. There were few religious eccentrics among the set- tlers of this section, Hke the Mormons in Ilhnois of about the same time, though it is interesting to note an edi- torial in the Detroit Courier for May 8, 1833, quoting a letter written from Auburn, Oakland County, pubHshed in the Rochester Revivalist, saying that two "Momionite preachers" had recently made their appearance in the vicinity, and had made several converts. A small settle- ment of Momions in Highland Township is mentioned in the History of Oakland County (1876), p. 201. They appear to have left the county, however, before 1836. 214. Ibid., 312. THE FIRST INLAND COUNTIES 243 in the institutions of culture. Embryo newspapers struggled for patronage at the county seats. '^^ Primi- tive schools existed in every township, ^i*^ and there were small academies in Pontiac and Ann Arbor. -^'^ Church organizations were established side by side with the schools, and in the larger centers separate church buildings were erected. Good government and good morals prevailed generally, though there were some sharp contrasts. -^^ 215. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 231, 336; VI, 96; VII, 232. 216. The settled townships in Oakland County are said to have had in 1831 an average of three schools. Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, May 18, 1831. 217. History of Washtenaw County (1881), 611 ; History of Oakland County (1876), 92; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 400. 218. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 223; XXVIII, 146; History of Oakland County (1876), 110. CHAPTER V St. Joseph Valley and Chicago Road ^HE section of Michigan Territory which was set- tied next after Oakland, Washtenaw, and Lenawee counties, is comprised in the five counties westward from Lenawee — Hillsdale, Branch, Cass, St. Joseph, and Berrien. Reaching from Lenawee County to Lake Michigan, this area borders at the south upon the states of Ohio and Indiana, and at the north upon the counties of Jackson, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Allegan. The characteristic features of this section were in the early days of settlement, as they are now, similar to those of Oakland, Washtenaw, and Lenawee counties, having a common origin in glacial action. The surface varies from gently undulating to rolling and slightly hilly, being lowest in the western portion near Lake Michigan, where it reaches an elevation of about one hundred and fifty feet, and it rises to an altitude of over six hundred feet above lake level in Hillsdale County, at the eastern end of the section.^ The surface of Cass County is fairly level, that of St. Joseph moderately undulating, while the westernmost county, Berrien^ more nearly resembles, excepting in general elevation, the counties of Branch and Hillsdale.^ Hillsdale is 1. Tackabury, Atlas, 11. 2. History of Berrien and Van Bur en Counties, 127. 3. See Prof. C. A. Davis's description of the surface geology of the region of Cass County in Glover's History oj Cass County; Blois, Gazetteer, 241. ST. JOSEPH VALLEY AND CHICAGO ROAD 245 ; ■ : ■ ! preeminently a county of hills and dales,^ and from its varied surface it receives a natural beauty quite equal to that found in parts of Oakland. This crest of the ancient glacial moraine is the highest table-land in the southern peninsula, forming a principal part of the watershed between lakes Erie and Michigan, and the springs and small lakes which dot its slopes give rise to four important rivers — the Raisin, the Grand, the Kalamazoo and the St. Joseph.^ The trend of the surface carries the waters of this section towards Lake Michigan, through its single river system, the St. Joseph,*^ which unifies the section by affording uniformly excellent power and drainage, and a current sufficiently gentle, deep and wide to permit of navigation by small boats throughout the entire course of the main stream. At a very early date sawmills 4. The county appears to have been named from this physical feature, though the name is borne by places in the East — for example, in Columbia County, New York, in In- diana County, Pennsylvania, and Bergen County, New Jersey — from whence settlers might have brought it to Michigan. 5. Reynolds, History of Hillsdale County, 19, 28; Collin, His- tory of Branch County, 16; Blois, Gazetteer, 220-221 ; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 168, 171. 6. According to a description said to be quoted from the St. Joseph Beacon but based largely on Farmer's Emigrant's Guide, appearing in the Detroit Free Press for Oct. 11, 1832, "the St. Joseph country" seems not to have in- cluded Hillsdale County, and to have covered, besides the rest of the southern tier of counties, Calhoun and ICalamazoo counties in Michigan and what were then La Grange, Elkhart, St. Joseph and LaPorte counties in Indiana. This was justified by the position of northern branches of the river and by its southern bend through northern Indiana. The usage is well to remember in reading estimations of population for "the St. Joseph country." 246 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS began to appear at niimerous points, and gristmills very soon followed. A carding mill is said to have been started on a branch of the St Joseph in Cass County as early as 1830.^ Small lakes similar to those in Oakland and Wash- tenaw were very numerous in this section, especially in the eastern part, and the excellent fish which came up the streams from the Great Lakes were a welcome ad- dition to the food supply of the early settlers.^ Again, the beauty of the environment is said frequently to have been one of the motives of settlement, as at Lake Gilead in Branch County ^ There were a few extensive marshes, the largest of which were in southern Branch County east of Lake Gilead, and in St Joseph County above Middle Lake, also along Dowagiac Creek in Cass Covmty and in the western part of Berrien. ^° The soil, with very few exceptions, was uniformly fertile. There was one extensive tract of comparatively poor sandy land along the shore of Lake Michigan in the northwestern part of Berrien, and narrow bands of heavy lake clay along the shore south of this sandy tract made a soil like that so characteristic of Monroe and Wayne counties. The level clay loam, of the kind predominating in western Lenawee, formed the soil of large areas in parts of Berrien, and in Branch and Hillsdale, but the prevailing soil of the section was a rich gravelly or sandy loam, comparatively open and easy to cultivate. The early settlers seem to have considered the yellow sandy loam of the white and 7. Glover, History of Cass County, 154. 8. Reynolds, History of Hillsdale County, 20. 9. Collin, History of Branch County, 70. 10. Mich. Geol. Survey Rep. (1907), map in pocket. ST. JOSEPH VALLEY AND CHICAGO ROAD 247 yellow oak-Openings sterile." Doubtless their prefer- ence for the darker loam of the prairies was partly due to greater familiarity with that kind of soil in Ohio and Indiana.^^ In 1838 Blois reported for Berrien County "exuberant crops, "^-^ which appear to have grown mainly on the prairies. He says that the soil of St. Joseph County, where the first settlements were largely upon the prairies, was "formerly considered the best in the State."" Large portions of the section were unusually free from dense forest. The only large continuous areas presenting this obstruction to settlement were on the clay land in southern Hillsdale and Branch counties, and in the southwestern part of Berrien. The northern part of Hillsdale is said to have been like a succession of orchards, and it was probably in- these openings the "strawberries were so plentiful that the cows often came home with their feet stained with the juice of the delicious fruit. "^^ Northern Branch County, ex- cepting in small areas, as in Union Township, was equally inviting to the early settler. Estimates of the amount of heavily timbered land in Branch vary from one-half to one-third of the county's area.^*^ There 11. Blois, Gazetteer, 215. 12. Glover, History of Cass County, 113. 13. Blois, Gazetteer, 214. 14. Ibid., 241. 15. Collin, History of Branch County, 19, 22; Blois, Gazetteer, 220-221; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 181. 16. Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 216; Blois, Gazetteer, 214. The first articles appearing in the newspapers calling attention to Branch County mention the "extensive forests of fine maple" in the southeast, and the open lands and prairies of the north and northwest. See for example the De- troit Journal and Michigan Advertiser for June 1, 1831, and May 2, 1832. 248 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS were scattered openings in Berrien, and some prairie land, but dense forest covered the greater portion of its area.^^ In fact the larger portion of the entire sec- tion was covered with oak openings, burr-oak plains, and small prairies, the former being specially valued by settlers from the East, the latter by settlers from the South. Cass and St. Joseph counties were the most open of all in the section, having the most numer- ous and the largest prairies, and it was these counties that early gained most rapidly in population ^^ Of the prairie land, there were two important areas in Berrien, one south of Niles and one about Berrien Springs. ^^ Branch County had several small prairies, in the vicin- ity of Bronson, Girard and Coldwater. Hillsdale was the least favored with prairie land, and the fact that its first settlements were made upon what it contained of this land shows that it was a natural advantage strongly preferred by settlers. The general effect of the relative position of the open and forested lands in the section can easily be made to appear. The belt of dense forest observed in Lena- wee County to have been unfavorable to the rapid ex- tension of the frontier, continued its northern border in a southwesterly direction across Hillsdale and Branch, and passed into Indiana before reaching St. Joseph County. On the north of this line, oak open- 17. Coolidge, History of Berrien County, 166, 192; Blois, Gazet- teer, 214. 18. The relative slowness with which the more heavily forested lands in these counties were settled, is illustrated by the vicinity of Marcellus in Cass County. Glover, History of Cass County, 117. It received its first settlers in 1836, and had in 1843 but eigjhteen voters. 19. Coolidge, History of Berrien County, 198, 208. ST. JOSEPH VALLEY AND CHICAGO ROAD 249 ings and burr-oak plains interspersed with patches of heavy timber and fertile prairie land extended west- ward to Lake Michigan. The relation of these two areas helped to determine the position of the Chicago Trail and hence of the national turnpike, which was the main axis of settlement in the section. Approach- ing the section in a westerly direction from northern Lenawee, this trail entered Hillsdale County near the northeast corner, continued its direction across the north of Hillsdale, whence, proceeding southwestward across Branch, it entered St. Joseph County near the southeast corner; from there it continued almost straight west across the southern part of St. Joseph and Cass counties, passing out of the Territory across the southeast corner of Berrien. ^° Its general course suggests that the Indians sought to avoid the heavy timber of Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties; its minor windings seem to have been partly determined by the prairies, which the Indians crossed where convenient, and on the edges of whose fertile open areas they established their villages. The sur- veyors of the national turnpike, the earY exploring parties, and the first settlers, were thus at once brought into direct contact with these prairies and their natural advantages for transportation and agriculture. The direct effect of the prairies on settlement is abundantly attested in every county of the section, but especially in the southwest. It was to be ex- pected that immigration, seeking the lines of least re: sistance, would early move along the Chicago Road, but the first settlements in the section were not made from 20. Lanman, Michigan, map in front. 250 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the east ; they were made from Ohio and Indiana, and by settlers who reached the Territory over a branch of the Chicago Trail leading from Fort Wayne who had heard of the prairie lands in St. Joseph and Cass counties and had come to occupy them. The early settlement of the section was the result of a com- bined movement of population, of which before 1830 the immigration from the south to the southwestern prairies was by far the more important. This southwestern settlement undoubtedly was one factor in determining the general relative rate of settle- ment of different parts of this section throughout this period. It appears to explain, in part, why the coun- ties of Hi Isdale and Branch, which were farthest east, and whose lands came onto the market first, were settled latest and least rapidly. The population of Cass and St. Joseph had each passed the three thousand mark by 1834, and Berrien was approaching eighteen hun- dred ;^^ Branch county had not at that time reached a population of eight hundred, and Hillsdale numbered but a little over five hundred.-- The comparative backwardness of Hillsdale and Branch counties had three principal causes. There was first the tendency of Tecumseh, Adrian and the other older settlements in the eastern part of the Territory to assimilate those immigrants, who, while wishing to get good lands, pre- ferred a comparatively close neighborhood; secondly, there was the forest barrier against immigration from the south into the lower parts of these counties, com- bined with the presence of inviting prairies in the open 21. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. 22. Reynolds, History of Hillsdale County, 28. ST. JOSEPH VALLEY AND CHICAGO ROAD 251 country to the west, which gave St. Joseph and Cass counties a good start before the pubhc land sales and the improvement of the Chicago Road facilitated the influx of settlers from the eastern states; again, there was the power of concentration enjoyed by the thriv- ing southwestern settlements, attracting such eastern settlers as might be willing to leave the vicinity of the older settlements. At the time of the Cass expedition over the Chicago Trail in 1820, this whole section was a primitive wilderness, save for the Indians and a few French traders at the Indian villages and on the prairies and the banks of the St. Joseph. The Indian claims to the region were ceded by a succession of treaties from 1821 to 1833.^3 The Indians retained a few reservations the total area of which was not great; but since they occupied some of the most attractive prairie land in the section, and since the character of the Indians was generally such that newcomers tended to avoid their neighbor- hood, these reservations were temporarily a retard- ing influence upon the spread of settlement in their vicinity. They were found chiefly at Coldwater in Branch County, in the northern part of St. Joseph, and in the southeastern part of Berrien. The entire area of Berrien south of the St. Joseph River and west of the Pare aux Vaches, was not ceded until 1833;-^ as it was in the main heavily forested, there was little pres- sure for its cession, except from speculators in timber. While the presence of the Indians on the prairies was 23. Bureau of American Ethnology, IStli Annual Report, Part 2, pp. 702, 718, 740, 750. 24. Ibid., pp. 702, 750. 252 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS by virtue of their occupation of the land a retarding influence, their personal relations with the white set- tlers do not seem to have been hostile. There was in 1832 some anxiety that the Indians of the section might rise to join Black Hawk, and though the fear seems to have been groundless from the Indians' point of view, the effect was temporarily quite material up- on settlement."^ On the passing of this trouble the early fear of them appears to have softened into a feel- ing of pity for their approaching fate, which seems to be the meaning of the general indifference of settlers to staying after they had ceded their lands. Ap- parently however, throughout this period, the life es- pecially of the women was materially influenced by suspicions of their intentions and by the grossness of their habits when influenced by liquor.-*^ The peopling of the section received its first ap- preciable impulse from the establishment of the Carey Mission in Berrien County, and from the survey of the Chicago Road. The Carey Mission, founded from Fort Wayne, Indiana, under the auspices of the Terri- torial government of Michigan, attracted attention es- pecially from Indiana and Ohio, and the reports about 25. Glover, History of Cass County, 103; Collin, History oj Branch County, 27; Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 498-499. 26. An illustration of the better class among the Indians of this vicinity is furnished by the Indian settlement in Silver Creek Township in Cass County, under the Pota- watomi Chief Pokagon, which became a center of Catho- lic influence. Glover, History of Cass County, 285; Mich. Hist. Colls., XIV, 260. See also Mrs. Hulst's graceful tribute to the character of these Indians, in her Indian Sketches, 40-111. Pokagon, on Pokagon Prairie, the earliest of the settlements in Cass County, still preserves the name of Chief Pokagon. ST. JOSEPH VALLEY AND CHICAGO ROAD 253 the fertile prairies with their marginal forests led to a considerable immigration from below Michigan. At first the mission was a point of radiation for the exten- sion of the frontier, but as settlement struck root firm- ly in the lands to the eastward, immigration to them became direct. The survey of the Chicago Road at- tracted attention particularly in the East, and in the wake of the surveyors came parties of hunters, pros- pectors and homeseekers. These early settlers were squatters, still few in number when the first lands of the section came into market in 1829. There were at that date less than two thousand people in the whole section." The year 1829 marked a distinct advance in the western settlement of Michigan. Many coun- ties were then established, and Cass and St. Joseph were organized. The formation of local government by the Territorial legislature and the possibility of securing valid titles to land were strong inducements to settlement. The difficulties which attended a journey to the western part of this section n the early days were very great and retarded settlement materially. A pioneer of 1828, starting on horseback from Sandusky, Ohio, waded knee-deep for miles through Cottonwood Swamp, breaking the ice for his horse as he went, and reached the mission after two weeks of travel without meeting the sign of a habitation.-^ The trail from Fort Wayne to the mission was rough and dangerous, crossed by many 27. U. S. Census (1830), 153. 28. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 123-124. 254 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS vStreams.^'-^ The Chicago Road was not surveyed until about the time the southwestern counties re- ceived their first settlers from Ohio and Indiana; in a sense it may be said to have followed the first immigra- tion from the East, being practically only a "paper road" until actual travel made a real highway out of the old Indian trail. The first immigrants over it threaded the primitive wilderness, fording streams, wading swamps, and sleeping in the forest.^'' Some use was early made of water transportation, especially for goods, by way of the Straits of Mackinac and then inland by small boats up the St. Joseph River. ^^ About 1830 mill-irons which w^ere destined for a point in Branch County were brought from Detroit in this way."^" The line of the Chicago Road was the great axis of settlement in this section, and from settlements made there the frontier extended to neighboring prairies, oak openings and timbered land. Settlers along the road opened their log cabins as taverns to accommodate the traveler, and these spots became centers of informa- 29. Coolidge, History of Berrien County, 20, 37. 30. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 222. 31. Ibid., I, 124; Coolidge, History of Berrien County, 176-177. 32. Collin, History of Branch County, 43. The all-water route, however, was expensive and open only part of the year. Transportation by the Chicago Road seems not to have been considered sufificient in 1833 to take care of the in- creasing production in the St. Joseph country. In the Detroit Courier for Nov. 27, 1833, is reported a meeting of settlers in the vicinity of White Pigeon to petition for a railroad between Lake Erie and Lake Michigan, one of the first movements culminating in the later Southern Railroad. This was a project not to be realized for this part of the section, however, for two decades. ST. JOSEPH VALLP:Y and CHICAGO ROAU 255 tion about the surrounding country. ^^ The following illustration of one of these taverns and of life on the Chicago Road in the early thirties is typical :^^ "Immediately after the opening of the Chicago Road Jonesville presented daily the appearance of a pioneer I camp. All around the little log house of entertain- I ment, where Beniah and Lois Jones made so comfort- ing a welcome as to cause the wayworn travelers often to forget the discomforts they had experienced in the tangled undergrowth and deep mires of the Cotton- wood and Black swamps, which their wearisome jour- I ney from the east had compelled them to cross, white- topped wagons were thickly packed together, and men, ' women and children engaged in earnest conversation. . . . Emerging from the forest, coming from the j east, would appear a hardy and stalwart pioneer in the prime of life, guiding the ox -team, or teams, that bore along all of the family's persona effects. His boys followed, driving perhaps a cow or two, and a few ' pigs and sheep. His wife and daughters, tired of their ; long tramp of many weary miles through the woods and swamps and over rough roads, trudged scatteringly I behind. Sometimes a hale, white-haired patriarch, j staff in hand, with head erect and firm step, would j march at the head of the teams or among the grown-up I and married sons and daughters, undaunted by^the ; privations and hardships that he knew so well from '! former experiences, must be their lot in their new 33. Thirty-three taverns in one county (Branch) on the Chicago Road are said to have been noted by a passing settler in I 1837. Collin, History of Branch County, 30. ^34. Reynolds, History of Hillsdale County, 32. 256 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS homes. . , Following these might be seen others, and more favored immigrants, who had passed less time on the way, for they rode in covered wagons- drawn by sleek well-groomed horses, indicating owners in prosperous circumstances." By 1830 two stages weekly were running from Detroit to the southwest over the Chicago Road. Postoffices were established along the road at intervals. Enter- prising settlers introduced stocks of goods at these most frequented points, which became distributing centers, markets, and nuclei of village life. Active improve- ment of the Chicago Road by the Government began in 1831-32; stages were increased to three a week in the early part of 1832 and were coming daily by 1835.^^^ The year 1831 was a significant year for the platting of villages and the establishment of county seats. This section experienced, in common with the rest of the Territory, a temporary check to immigration from the Black Hawk War and the cholera epidemics of 1832 and 1834. It has been asserted that stages were in 1832 withdrawn from the Chicago Road for want of passengers;'^*' but the year 1833 witnessed a renewal of immigration. Hillsdale County, a' so Branch, which was organized in that year, began to feel the effects of the new tide from New York." For the total popula- 35. Glover, History of Cass County, 170; History of Berrien and Van Bur en Counties, 51. 36. Collin, History of Branch County, 30; Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 239. 37. Territorial Laws, III, 1362. The dates of county organiza- tion in the section — 1829, 1831, 1833, 1835— correspond approximately to the four great impulses to its settle- ment. ST. JOSEPH VALLEY AND CHICAGO ROAD 257 tion of the counties of this section at the beginning of 1833 there are no statistics, but if a judgment may be made from the number of new settlements and the rapidity with which the frontier was extended, more people were received in the two years 1833-34 than in all the time preceding. Before the close of 1834 there were over nine thousand people in the section; by 1837 the number had increased to more than twenty- five thousand. The stages of immigration to this section are re- flected in a comparison of populations. The whole sec- tion numbered in 1834 but little more than the popula- tion of the single county of Monroe, in the same tier of counties. It was far surpassed by each of the counties of Washtenaw and Oakland, ^^ and was nearly doubled by the population of Wayne. Detroit alone contained almost one-half as many people as this whole south- western section. ^^ By 1837 the section had much more than doubled the population of Monroe County, and considerably exceeded that of either Washtenaw or Oakland, having about one-half the population of those counties combined with Lenawee, and a little more than that of Wayne County including Detroit. People came to this section by two great movements of immigration, and the early population of the sec- tion is therefore varied. The settlers of St. Joseph, Cass and Berrien appear to have come intermediately from Ohio and Indiana, and in less numbers from Kentucky and Tennessee; a majority, either by birth 38. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. 39. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 336. 33 258 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS or descent, were traceable to the South Atlantic states, in particular Virginia and North Carolina. At first the two western counties of St. Joseph and Cass were favorites. They had the least dense forest, the greatest number of prairies which appealed especi- ally to Southern immigrants, and an approach that was comparatively easy. Berrien County occupied in rate of settlement a middle position up to 1834, for several reasons — its greater distance west, its smaller amount of prairie land, the small proportion of its area that was within easy reach of the Chicago Road, and the late date at which its lands came upon the market. Yet it was in Berrien County that settlement was first begun. The French were early there, though their occupation of southwestern Michigan left little but traditions and a few geographical names, ^° and a small number of French traders gave a little aid to the first settlers."*^ But the earliest real impulse to agricultural settlement in this region came from the Carey Indian Mission, 40. For example, St. Joseph, Prairie Ronde, La Grange, Pare aux Vaches and Bertrand. See also, Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVII, 179-186-, for activities south of Niles about Fort St. Joseph. The History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties, 127-130, gives some account of the early French at the site of the present city of St. Joseph. 41. Coolidge, History of Berrien County, 19, 20, 171-172, 206; Glover, History of Cass County, 38-39; History of St. Joseph County (1877), 220; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 332; II, 490; VI, 423. A French trading post appears to have been established in 1833 at the site of the present village of Mendon in St. Joseph County, whose founder is said to have given much aid to the first settlers of that neigh- borhood. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 404-406. Though the place received its first settler in 1834, ap- parently the village was not platted until 1845. History of St. Joseph County (1877), 220, 223. ST. JOSEPH VALLEY AND CHICAGO ROAD 259 whose official nature and reputation made it the head- quarters for settlers and a point from which the frontier was extended. The Carey Mission was established in 1822-23, under the auspices of Governor Cass, whose interest in the project appears to have been a direct result of his ex- pedition to this region in 1820. At the head of this enterprise Cass appointed the Reverend Isaac McCoy, a native of Pennsylvania, who as a Baptist missionary had conducted a French and Indian mission at Fort Wayne, Indiana. The result was the emigration of about fifty persons, in 1822, from the vicinity of Fort Wayne to a point about a mile west of the present city of Niles, where within the following year they built six mission houses.'^- In 1824 the report of the Indian agent called the Carey Mission "a colony firmly settled, numerous, civilized and happy," having fifty acres cleared and fenced, on which had been raised sixteen hundred bushels of corn, one hundred and fifty bushels 42. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 12; V, 146. A general secondary ac- count of the founding of the mission, together with much data for the sources of early settlers near it, is given in the History of Berrien and Van Bur en Counties (1880), 153-163,260-264. McCoy tells of the beginnings of his relations with Cass in connection with the Fort Wayne Mission in his Baptist Indian Missions, 90. See Ibid., 71-89, for an account of McCoy's work at the Fort Wayne Mission. Cass' letter of instructions to McCoy, dated July 16, 1822, appears in the same work, 145-154; among other requirements McCoy was to report twice a year to the governor of Michigan Territory and to the Indian agent at Chicago. A summary of McCoy's first report from the Carey Mission is given at p. 201, and an ac- count of the mission in the same year (1823) by Mr. Keating is quoted on pp. 197-198 from Vol. I, of Major Long's Expedition to the Sources of the St. Peter's. 260 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS of oats, and four hundred bushels of potatoes.*^ In 1826 another report made to Cass credits the mission with over two hundred acres of land fenced, fifty planted to corn, and eight acres to potatoes and other vegetables.''^ The next year Cass personally visited the mission to treat with the Potawatomis, having been, as McCoy says, a sort of patron of the mission.^'' Settlement began early to spread out from the Carey Mission, but McCoy apparently did not favor the set- tlement of the neighboring lands by whites. He says he was continually haunted by the painful reflection that the Indians would soon be displaced by them; he writes, "Our location was so remote from the settle- ments of white people when we first made it, and the inconveniences of reaching and residing at it so great, that we hoped, at that time, to be able to push forward the work of civilization to a state not much liable to injury by the proximity of white population, before we should be crowded out."'^^ Of the sort of influence that made the missionary in general unfriendly to the advance of the white man's frontier, he gives an ex- ample that is typical — a man from Indiana came in 43. McCoy, Baptist Indian Missions, 241, Report of Mr. Leib to Lewis Cass. This report, dated Nov. 20, 1824, was transmitted to the Secretary of War and published in an eastern paper, the Columbia Star, from which it was quoted in toto by the Detroit Gazette of Sept. 26, 1826. The editor of the Gazette says it is the first time he has read it, showing that it was probably not known at Detroit before its appearance in the Gazette in 1826. 44. Coolidge, History of Berrien County, 17. In 1827 Cass per- sonally visited the Carey Mission to treat with the Pota- watomis. McCoy, Baptist Indian Missions, 319. 45. McCoy, Baptist Indian Missions, 319. 46. Ibid., 264. LEWIS CASS {Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXIX, 272) From the oil i)aintinK in Kepreseiitative Hall at I^ansins. — Lewis Cass as Governor of Michigan Territory from 1813 to 1881 was the greatest single personal inflnence in the settlement of the Territory. He was a native of New Hampshire and came to Mich- igan from Ohio to serve iii the War of 1812. He was made lirigadier Ceneral in 1813. From 1831 to 1836 he was Secretary of A\ar under President .Jackson: from 183fi to 1842, Minister to France; from 184.5 to 1848 and again from 1849 to 18.57, lnite. 330 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS which formed the basis of its development, ^°^ were things far in the future. The place is apparently- mentioned by Blois as Newark, which he credits with a warehouse and about a dozen dwellings. ^°- The western third of the county, organized in 1836 into the township of Newark, contained according to the census of 1837 a population of 190.-^°^ There is said to have been no store in Saugatuck until 1851.^°'* Otsego, Gtm Plains and Allegan were the next set- tlements made in Allegan County, all on the river, and of course independent of the Territorial Road, which bent its course southwestward through Van Buren County towards the mouth of the St. Joseph. ^°^ About the time of the first settlement at the mouth of the river (1829-30) explorers are said to have visited the eastern part of the county. One point inspected was the rapids in the river at the site of Otsego. A number of settlers appear to have located in the neighborhood by the close of 1831 and made a settle- ment on the site of the village. ^^"^ But the year 1836 marks the first real impulse to the formation of a vil- lage, when the first mill was built, an impulse which 101. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 124. 102. Blois, Gazetteer, 331. 103. Session Laws (1835-36), 76; Mich. Legislative Manual (1838), 70; Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 305-306. kX 104. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 125. One cause of the slow growth of Saugatuck in the early days appears to have been the rivalry of the village of Singapore, located between the mouth of the river and Saugatuck. This was a speculative village founded in 1836 by New York parties. Ibid., 34; Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 306; XXXVIII, 159. 105. Mich. Hist. Colls., XVII, 557, 559. 106. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 40, 41. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORIAL ROAD 331 appears to have come from the wealthy founder of Comstock village in Kalamazoo County. ^°^ It is sig- nificant that this was the year in which the county was organized into its first four townships. ^''^ Otsego Township is said to have had in that year thirty-four taxpayers, ^°^ and the census of 1837 credits it with a population of 341.^^° The village contained then about 150 people."! Gun Plains, about the junction of Gun River with the Kalamazoo, was a burr-oak opening, the largest continuous area of cleared land in the county and the first to be extensively cultivated."^ Its natural physio- graphic relation with Gull Prairie in Kalamazoo County is shown by the connecting Indian trail, destined to become an axis of settlement in that region; from this prairie, over this trail, came its early settlers. Ap- parently the first comer was a member of the colony which came to the prairie in 1830 from Hudson, Ohio — a man of much influence, said to have been grad- uated from a Vermont medical college; dissatisfied with his prairie farm, he is said to have tried his for- tunes first at the "Pine Creek settlement" before set- tling in 1832 on the plains, though he purchased land there in the preceding year."^ Plainficld Township, 107. Ibid., 48, 416. The first frame house, built in 1833, was probably made from lumber obtained at the Pine Creek settlement. 108. Session Laws (1835-36), 76. 109. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 51. 110. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 70. 111. Blois, Gazetteer, 336. 112. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 38, 39, 49. 113. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 46. Plainwell village appears not to have been platted until 1850. 332 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS which included a strip six miles wide across the eastern end of the county, had in 1837 a population of 317.^^'* Like the sites of Kalamazoo and Jackson, that of Allegan was also marked by the concentration of numerous Indian trails at an important ford of the Kalamazoo. ^^^ The physical advantages which prob- ably most influenced the early settlement of the village are those set forth in the prospectus accompanying the "Plan of Allegan," which was apparently widely cir- culated in 1837. "Allegan, from its various natural and acquired advantages, will doubtless rank erelong among the most populous towns of the West," declares this document. ^^"^ Emphasis is laid upon the water power at the rapids of the Kalamazoo, equal to that at Rochester; on its situation at the head of steam- boat navigation from Lake Michigan, on the high and heathful position above the river, the superior farming lands near, the abundant timber including extensive tracts of pine, the beds of clay for brick, the marl beds for lime, and the sand for glass. The cause of the early and rapid start of the village is to be found also in the manner of its founding and in its strong personal element. A stock company of Boston and New York capitalists, having purchased there in 1833-34 twenty thousand acres of land, im- mediately sent on their agents and workmen to begin clearing the site for a city.^^'' The county seat was 114. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 70; Session Laws (1835-36), 76. 115. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 271. 116. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 55. 117. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 97; 111,270, 279; IV, 173; XVII, 558, 559. Among the original promoters were men from KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORL\L ROAD 333 secured, a mill was built and buildings erected, and the river was bridged. ^'^^ In the prospectus, the settlement of the village is dated from 1835, but the first store appears to have been built in 1836, the year in which the mill was completed. There, as at Otsego, this year reflects a strong impulse. The spirit of joy in the new enter- prize characteristic of that year in all parts of Michi- gan is reflected in a remark of one of the founders who is said to have refused a hundred thousand dollars for his one-third interest in the property, that he wanted a home and "the luxury of helping build up a city."^^^ In that year articles began to appear in the newspapers of Detroit and the East about Allegan village, em- phasizing especially the water power, the pine, and the navigability of the river. ^"° About fifty frame build- ings are said to have been erected in that year, prob- ably from lumber sawed there. ^^^ When in 1837 it 117. Con. Boston, Rochester, Detroit, Marshall, and Kalamazoo. One of these was. Samuel Hubbard, said to have been a resident of Boston and judge of the supreme court of Mass.; another was Charles C. Trowbridge, of Detroit, whose name is preserved in Trowbridge Street. Both of these men appear on the revised plat of the village as the proprietors in 1837. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 54, 57. The earliest name associated with the site is that of Elisha Ely, of Rochester, New York. Ibid., 53. 118. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 56. The village was incorporated in 1838. 119. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 174. 120. For example the Detroit Daily Free Press, Feb. 8, 1836, quoting from the Onondaga (N. Y.) Standard one of a series of articles, and the Detroit Daily Advertiser, Nov. 29, 1836, quoting from the Ann Arbor State Journal. 121. Blois, Gazetteer, 247. 334 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS was attempted to resurvey the village, because of the irregularity of the streets as laid out in 1834, settle- ment was found too much advanced on the old streets to permit of it.^-- Allegan Township in that year, about twice the size of Otsego Township, contained a population of 621, but as in the case of Otsego this was probably in the main gathered about the village center. ^^^ In that case it was the most populous vil- lage center in the county, containing nearly half of the county's people. Blois credits the village in 1838 with about 700.^24 The financial crisis of the period seems to have hit this prosperity a hard blow. The village is said to have had in 1850 but a few more people than were claimed in 1838.^-^ Its permanence was asstired, how- ever, by the central industry of lumbering, by the surroimding agricultural development, and by its cen- tral position in the county which assured its possession of the county seat. The influence of the Territorial Road in Van Buren County after its survey in 1836 and the water power of the Paw Paw River, fostered a village at Paw Paw. What little settlement there was in the county in the period, outside of the prairie land in the southwest, appears to have been mainly grouped, as at Paw Paw, about the points where the road crossed streams 122. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 53. 123. Mich. Legislative Manual (1838), 70; Session Laws (1835- 36), 76. 124. Blois, Gazetteer, 247. 125. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 59. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORIAL ROAD 335 affording water power, ^^e ^ stage line seems to have been put on the road through Paw Paw, Keeler, Bainbridge and Benton in 1836, from Detroit to St. Joseph. ^2^^ Most of the present important villages and cities of the county received their start much later, in the period of railroad development.^-^ In Calhoun County, though Albion, Marshall and Battle Creek were also located after the survey of the Territorial Road, the influence of that road on their location was apparently only such as might attach to "a blaze and a name." The dominant attraction was water power. The site of Marshall was at the junc- tion of Rice Creek with the Kalamazoo; that of Battle Creek, at the junction of the Kalamazoo with "the Creek. "^^^ The water power of both places was covered by purchase of neighboring lands in 1830,^^° and it was so eagerly desired at Battle Creek that when the neighboring lands came on the market in 126. History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties (1880), 394, 421, 456, 466, 477. One of the few small village centers out- side of Paw Paw was Keelerville on the Territorial Road, first settled in 1834. Ibid., 477; Blois, Gazetteer, 307. 127. Blois, Gazetteer, 51. Dodge's tavern is said to have been built at Paw Paw in 1834 to accommodate travel on the Territorial Road. History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties (1880), 508. 128. For example, Decatur, Lawton, and Hartford. History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties (1880), 382, 442, 460; Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 363. 129. The "battle" has significance for the attitude of the Indians towards the U. S. surveyors in 1825. See Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 248-251; History of Calhoun County (1877), 79, 88. 130. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 130; II, 235; XXX, 452; History of Calhoun County, 15. 336 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS 1831 they were sought simultaneously by a half dozen rival applicants and entered by a compromise. ^^^ The importance of mills to the progress of early set- tlement in this section was very great. A pioneer in the vicinity of Battle Creek accounts for the slowness of development there by "the simple fact that not- withstanding the fertility of her soil and her abund- ant water power, there were no accessible sawmills to furnish building rnaterial, and no gristmills to furnish flour for family consumption. "^'^^ It is said that as late as the winter of 1834-35 the lumber for a school- house floor was floated down the "Creek" from Belle- vue in Eaton County ;^^^ apparently lumber was not sawed at Battle Creek until the following winter. ^^"^ Foremost among these river villages in building mills was Marshall where both a sawmill and a gristmill were erected in 1831-32.^^^ In Kalamazoo County the mills at Comstock and at Vicksburg preceded those at Kalamazoo. The presence of the Territorial Road, though only in "blaze and name," had probably some influence upon rural settlement along the river in this part of the section, and to the influence of the road and the river must be added the centralizing power of the county 131. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 213; III, 347. 132. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 213. 133. Ibid., II, 214. According to Thomas,- History of Allegan County, (p. 48), the first frame house at Battle Creek was built from lumber sawed in the 'Tine Creek vSettle- ment" in Allegan County. 134. Ibid., II, 221, History of Calhoun County (1877), 80. - 135. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 131, History of Calhoun County (1877), 50, 55. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORL'KL ROAD 337 seats^-'^'^ at Jackson, Marshall, Kalamazoo and the other prospective centers of population. In Jackson County at the end of 1830 there were a few log cabins at in- tervals of from six to fourteen miles on the trail be- tween Jackson and Ann Arbor. ^" Outside of Jackson the most important points on the road in that county were at Grass Lake and Spring Arbor ;^^^ three of the four townships in which the people of the county were distributed in 1834 took their names from these points on the Territorial Road.^'"^^ A general index to the distribution of population, if allowances be made for speculation, is found in the land sales. The largest number of land sales made prior to 1835 in Calhoun County were in the immediate vicinity of Marshall, Battle Creek and Albion, and between them along the Territorial Road.^"^" The presence of Goguac Prairie accounts partly for the large number of sales near Battle Creek. The influence of the Territorial Road as an actual convenience of travel in this period was probably not very great. The authorization of that road in 1829 came from the same general impulse which led to the increase of immigration to the Territory as a whole, partly to the establishment of the numerous western 136. History of Kalamazoo County (1880), 211; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 128; Ibid., II, 280. 137. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 281; III, 510. 138. History of Jackson County (1881), 843, 1,059; Hoffman, A Winter in the West, I, 179-180; Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 347. 139. Territorial Laws, III, 998; Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 347. 140. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 209-237, passim; History of Calhoun County (1877). 150. 43 338 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS counties in that year south of Grand River, ^*^ and again to the new volume of westward moving popula- tion along the Chicago Road. Settlers, perhaps stimu- 'ated by the authorization of the new road, pushed westward into the newly established counties ahead of its actual survey and urged that the survey be made at once, but the wagon-tracks of pioneers were long the only improvements. In response to the urgent need of getting eastward ''to mill," volunteer parties of settlers built such bridges, as they could, over creeks and bogs where they were most needed, but these rude contrivances afforded even at the creeks a doubtful security.^'*- The numerous marshes made traveling not only inconvenient, but dangerous. There was an extensive marsh on the road near Grass Lake in Jackson County which gave much trouble; says a member of one party, "We had not made more than half the distance across it when we were brought up standing, or rather sticking in the mud. Thinking to lighten our load we all got off and waded through, and happily escaped the venomous fangs of the massasaugas with which the swamps were then so thickly infested." Four yokes of oxen failed to ex- tricate the wagons from the mud "Totally uncon- scious of how far we were from human habitation or assistance, eight o'c ock in the evening found our teams mud-boimd, and ourselves perched upon high ground with our garments wet and bedrabbled with the soil of Michigan. "^'^^ In the end relief was obtained, 141. Territorial Laws, II, 744. 142. History of Jackson County (1881), 170-174; Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 276, 281; III, 510. 143. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 249. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORIAL ROAD 339 but seven yokes of oxen were required to free the wagons. Nevertheless, there seems to have been much travel on the road. One pioneer says that from 1832 on- ward "covered wagons Hterally whitened its entire length. "'^^ According to an advertisement in a De- troit paper, a stage line was to begin making regular trips over it from Detroit in 1834 to connect with Chicago by steamboat at St. Joseph, and to travel the entire distance in five days.^^^ In its own interest the stage company would probably make some improve- ments, but the road appears to have been still barely passable in 1835."*^ The condition of the Territorial Road, at least before 1835, is suggested by the fact that settlers frequently showed a preference for other and longer routes. Many settlers, especially those going into the section farther west than Jackson County, preferred to take the Chicago Road from Detroit to Coldwater, or to Bron- son's Prairie in Branch County, and then go northward along the section lines through the openings to points on the Territorial Road.^'*^ From Kalamazoo County a frequent route east in this period was by way of 144. Ibid., II, 194. This does not quite equal the statement that travel was so great in 1836-37 that at Paw Paw "travelers offered as high as a dollar for the privilege of leaning against a post." History of Berrien and Van Bur en Counties (1880), 508. 145. Farmer, History of Detroit, ^^^. 146. History of Calhoun County (1877), 150; History of Berrien and Van Bur en Counties (1880), 375. The road appears not to have been surveyed through Van Buren County until 1836. Ibid., 51. 147. History of Kalamazoo County (1880), 428; History of Calhoun County (1877), 150. 340 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS White Pigeon and the Chicago Road to Monroe. ^^^ Frequently a traveler used one route in going and another in returning."^ Village life in this part of the section naturally re- ceived more development than farther west, and it was the most vigorous directly on the Territorial Road and the Kalamazoo River. . This is perhaps best ex- emplified in Marshall. Though Jackson, Marshall and Kalamazoo were platted at about the same time (1830-31), Marshall seems from the first to have taken the lead; for while Jackson's immediate environment was a severe handicap, Kalamazoo suffered from lack of harmony among its proprietors. Marshall was largely indebted for the vigor of its early growth to the superior energy, foresight and practical wisdom of its promoters. Three factors in this personal element should be specially noted. Sidney Ketchum, the first actual settler within the limits of the present city, before coming to Michigan, resided in western New York. In the words of one apparently qualified to speak of him, his "command- ing presence, air of confidence and honesty, and ready command of most convincing language," together with prime business ability, made him for this section "the mighty moving power in all the financial matters of that early period. "^^° Reverend John D. Pierce^" and Isaac E. Crary,^^" were close friends and co-workers 148. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXX, 452; History of Kalamazoo County (1880), 353. 149. History of Kalamazoo County (1880), 94. 150. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 129; II, 236; IV, 173. 151. Michigan Biographies, 524; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 131; II, 235, 237. 152. Michigan Biographies, 204; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 131 ; II, 235. KALAMAZOO VALLFA' AND TERRI'I'ORIAL ROAD 341 throughout their long Hves in the interests of Marshall and Michigan. Their chief services were rendered after this period, but they serve to illustrate types of Marshall men. Mr. Pierce was a native of Chesterfield, New Hamp- shire, the native State of Governor Cass. He spent the most of his life before the age of twenty at Wor- cester, one of the normal-school cities of Massachu- setts. After graduating from Brown University and holding several positions the last of which was a short pastorate in Oneida County, New York, he came to western Michigan as a missionary under the auspices of the Home Missionary Board. ^''■'^ He made Marshall his headquarters and for many years was the strongest religious influence in Calhoun, Jackson and Eaton counties, the chief scene of his missionary labors. The opportunity for influence in public affairs of the Ter- ritory and State came through his appointment as the first State Superintendent of Public Instruction; his plans for education in Michigan were adopted almost in their entirety by the legislature of 1837. Mr. Crary, through whose advice to Governor Mason, Mr. Pierce secured this office, was a native of Preston, Connecti- cut, and was educated for the law.^^"* He was a mem- ber of the constitutional conventions of 1835 and 1850, and from 1835 to 1841 was the sole representative from Michigan in Congress; during this time he was largely 153. For the early life of Pierce, before coming to Michigan, see Hoyt and Ford, Life and Times of John D. Pierce, Sd-ll, and for his life and missionary work at Marshall and vicinity, Ibid., 73-78. 154. For a brief account of the relations of Crary and Pierce, see Hoyt and Ford's Life and Times of John D. Pierce, 79-80. 342 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS instrumental in securing the law giving the State con- trol of the sixteenth section of every township for the benefit of her common schools. "One fact must ever give Calhoun the ascendency," writes a visitor to Marshall in a communication to the editor of the Detroit Courier for November 6, 1833, "I mean the character of the people. They are all well educated. . . . It is indeed almost incredible, but so it is, that in this spot have gathered as if by com- mon consent a body of men from the eastern states who must have been the most prominent among their former associates. . . . They are doubtless in- duced to hazard the temporary inconvenience of a new settlement that they may insure to their children that independence which otherwise they could have hoped to enjoy only during the life time of their parents." A sincere faith in a great future for Marshall, and a firm determination to achieve it, made these men an inspiration to Marshall settlers, but actual conditions in this period were far from realizing the ideal. Mar- shall aspired to be the State capital. Beautifully colored lithographs presented the village in neat well- dressed lawns, with flags flying from the buildings and from steamboats plying busily on the river. In 1832 the cholera took many of Marshall's citizens; the number has been estimated at from one-seventh to one-half of the entire population. ^^^ The fact that several prominent citizens held each a number of town offices in 1833 probably reflects the sparseness of a busy population. ^^'"' 155. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 131; Clark, Gazetteer (1863), 393. 156. Mick. Hist. Colls., II, 235. REV. JOHN DAVIS PIKRCE (79th Ann. Rep. of Supt. of Pub. InslrurlioK. 20) First Superintendent of Pulilic- Inst ruetioii, 1836-41. A native of Chestertielii. New Hamp- shire a graduate of Brown liiiversit v. and a rhainpion of New Knuland ideals. Froin 1831 as home missionary resident at Marshall he conducted the first religious meetniss to l)e held in Jack.son, Calhoun anil Eaton counties, and later exerted a strong influence m shapinj; the public ■school system of Michigan. His bust of which the above is a copy was presented in 19H) by the teachers of Michigan to the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, and is placeil near the entrance to the Department of Public Instruction in the Capitol at Lansing. See p. 341. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORL'\L ROAD 343 In 1833 the village had a number of log dwellings, a store, a hotel, a sawmill and a gristmill.^" "The house was indeed not as yet plastered inside," says a visitor, describing the new inn, "and the different bed- rooms, though lathed, seemed divided from each other by lines rather imaginary than real; but the bar-room wore already the insignia of a 'ong established inn in an old community; and apprized me at once, by the placarded sheriff's notices and advertisements for stolen horses, grain to be sold, and labourers wanted, which indicate the growth of business in country life, that society was in a pretty mature state — at least six months old — in the county town of Marshall. "^^^ Even at this early date Marshall citizens were con- sidering the possibility of a railroad through the Kala- mazoo Valley. Among the notices at the inn was a call for a railroad meeting which this traveler attended in the evening and which he describes as growing "unpleasantly warm" over the route to be recom- mended to the legislature. Said one elderly pioneer, "This pother reminds me of two trappers who, in plan- ning a spearing expedition for the next day, quarrelled about the manner in which a turtle, which they pro- posed taking, should be cooked for their supper, after the day's sport was over. An old Indian happily set- tled the difficulty, by proposing that they should first catch the turtle." "Now, sir, as to this railroad, the case is not at all parallel," interrupted a still more ancient speaker, "for Nature has already caught the 157. Clark, Gazetteer (1863), 393; Hist, oj Calhoun County (1877), 50. 55. 158. Hoffman, A Winter in the West, I, 187. 344 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS turtle for us. She meant the raih'oad to pass right along here and nowhere else."^^^ It is significant of the alertness and enterprizing character of these settlers that they should have been seriously discussing the possibility of a railroad _ for their village when only a few miles of road had yet been laid even in the New England States. ^'"^ "One of the most flourishing villages of the peninsula," is the opinion expressed of Marshall by Blois in 1838.^" It then had according to his account two hotels, two weekly newspapers, a dozen stores, a handsome stone church and about one thousand people. Kalamazoo was a vigorous rival to Marshall. By the removal of the land office thither from White Pigeon in 1834, the village was visited from far and near by settlers in central and western Michigan to enter their lands. With the land office went the newspaper published at White Pigeon, which was issued in that year from its new quarters as the Kala- mazoo Gazette, destined to be a strong medium of publicity for the village. A branch of the Bank of Michigan established there in that year greatly helped settlement by facilitating exchange. ^^^ A contem- 159. Hoffman, .4 Winter in the West, I, 190. 160. A communication from Marshall to the editor of the De- troit Courier for November 13, 1833, points out the ad- vantages to Detroit and the interior to be derived from a railroad through the Kalamazoo" Valley. Apparently from the same source appears in the same paper for De- cember 11, 1833, an estimate of the resources of the in- terior as a basis for the support of a railroad, based upon a comparison with what has been done in wheat- growing in eight years in western New York. 161. Blois, Gazetteer, 319. 162. Ross and Catlin, Landmarks of Detroit, 436. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORL\L ROAD 345 porary estimates that the vihage had in 1834 about a dozen dwelHngs and a hundred permanent inhabi- tants.^*^^ A new impulse came to the village in 1836^^'^ when Titus Bronson sold out to a company of men among whom was the enterprizing surveyor, speculator and politician, Lucius Lyon. The nervous stir of business in that year is reflected in the feeling of the visiting agents of a Clinton County colony come to register land, who were ''glad to get away because it was like town meeting here every day (Sundays except ed)."^®^ The growth of trade at the close of the period is only approximately indicated by the eight stores placed to its credit by Blois, which puts it somewhat below Marshall in this respect. ^'^'^ Schools and churches early received attention. The Baptists appear to have been the most numerous and active, making in 1835 those beginnings which were to develop into Kalamazoo College.^" In the same year 163. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 150. 164. Ibid., XVIII, 599. Up to this time the village had borne the name of Bronson. The new proprietors had it legally changed to Kalamazoo. Bronson, said to have been practically beaten out of his property, appears to have emigrated at that time to Rock Island, 111., and later to Davenport, Iowa, an illustration of the way in which the lands further west often received settlers. 165. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties (1880), 424. 166. Gazetteer of Michigan, 307. 167. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 528, McLaughlin, Higher Education in Michigan, 135. The Baptist school of this period was known as the Michigan and Huron Insti- tution. The Principal of its academic department in 1837 was a graduate of Middlebury College, Connecticut, who was later succeeded by a graduate of Brown Univer- sity. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 529-530. 346 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS a branch of the University was estabHshed there, which is said to have soon attracted attention from all parts of the State and from neighboring states for its superior educators. ^"^^ Blois mentions in his Gazetteer of 183 8/*^^ a Presbyterian Church, but not one of the Baptist denomination. The unpropitious environment of the site of Jack- son has been mentioned. The proprietors of the plat, however, exerted themselves to make the village a success. In the Northwestern Journal of May 5, 1830, information appears, apparently from that source, that unprecedented emigration to the village, considering the season of the year, had already begun; the village possessed the county seat, being at the center of the county; it was sponsored by enterprizing and influen- tial men; a sawmill was to be in operation by Jtme, and a gristmill as soon as possible; the place would probably be the center of population in a few years; eight Indian trails crossed there "each of which would eventually be an important road leading to the capital of Michigan." But six years later the Detroit Daily Free Press of January 18, 1836, confesses that "the operation of various causes, unconnected with its real advantages, has heretofore restrained the growth of this place." The year 1836 appears to mark the first real impulse to Jackson's settlement. The paper above quoted for January 21 of that year comments editorially on the rapid sale of lots in Jackson, operated by the Michigan Land Agency at Detroit. Aside from the pervading 168. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 418, 419; X, 26; XVII, 307. 169. Gazetteer oj Michigan, 306. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORIAL ROAD 347 Spirit of speculation and the buying up of agricultural lands in the neighborhood, it is probable that the pro- jects of a canal to connect the Grand and the Huron rivers and of the Central Railroad through the Kalama- zoo Valley, were large factors in encouraging immigra- tion and investment. The first frame buildings appear to have been erected at that time,^^° indicating the ac- tivity of mills, and the slowness of previous growth appears in the total of twenty-six buildings in 1837.^^^ Not until the latter year was the first courthouse built. ^^'^ The State prison was secured in the same year by a liberal donation of land for its use.^'^''^ A newspaper was started^'''* and a branch of the Uni- versity was established there. The rapidity of the growth of Jackson in that year appears in nearly treble the number of buildings, and in a population of about 400.^^^ The financial panic seems to have borne less hard on Jackson than on many neighboring vil- lages, for the population is said to have nearly trebled in the following two years; 1839 appears to have been a year of strong impulse to its growth. ^^"^ The combined influence of the Territorial Road and the Kalamazoo River led to the founding of several other river villages of which some are today cities of importance. Among these mention has already been made of Battle Creek and Albion. Others of almost 170. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 297. 171. History of Jackson County (1881), 238. 172. Ibid., 578. 173. Ibid., 571. 174. Ibid., 421; quoting the Jacksonburg Sentinel; Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 323. 175. Ibid., 495. 176. Ibid., 495. 348 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS as much promise in this period were Comstock, Au- gusta and Galesburg, Barry and Grass Lake. Battle Creek, notwithstanding its excellent water power and the early eager rivalry to secure control of it, appears to have been slow in securing mills, and its settlement in this period was correspondingly tardy. A census of the male inhabitants said to have been taken by a contemporary in 1835 numbered about fifteen.^" The village was comparatively late in plat- ting (1836) and it saw no frame house erected until the last year of the period. ^^^ A curious lack of en- terprize *is shown so late as 1845 by the apparent necessity, if true, of raising by subscription from the citizens a sufficient fund to start a newspaper.^^^ A somewhat better impression is gained from the account given by Blois for 1838, crediting the village with a sawmill, two gristmills, two taverns, six stores, a saddlery, a cabinet manufactory, two smitheries, several machine shops and a banking association. ^^° It is worthy of note in view of the prominent part taken later by Battle Creek as a station on the "under- ground railroad," that the Quakers appear to have formed a considerable part of its population as early as 1836-37.^^1 177. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 221. 178. Ibid., Ill, 348. 179. Ibid., Ill, 350. 180. Gazetteer of Michigan, 251. 181. History of Calhoun County (1877), Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 284. They appear to have had a church there in 1843. The State organ of the Michigan Aboli- tionists was printed there, its editor being the resident agent for the "underground railroad." The antislav^ery sentiment was strong throughout the count3^ History of Calhoun County, 23-24. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRLfORIAL ROAD 349 At Albion, though the lands covering the water power were purchased early, mills and the accompany- ing village beginnings apparently did not materialize until 1836. The impulse of 1836 was due to the Albion Company, whose leading spirit came from Oswego County, New York.^^^ That year saw the first frame house. ^^^ Mills were built, and in 1838 the village with some forty dwellings appears to have been in about the same stage of growth as Battle Creek. ^^■^ Its posi- tion a mile and a half south of the Territorial Road was an initial handicap, but it was on the surveyed road from Marshall to Monroe and also on the located route of the Central Railroad. Albion College is said to have had beginnings in neighboring settlements as early as 1835 but seems not to have been a considerable influence at Albion until 1839;^'^^ its establishment ap- pears to have been largely due to the patronage of the Albion Company. ^^*^ Comstock, on the river four miles east of Kalamazoo, is a type of the village foimded and fostered by the individual pioneer capitalist. It was platted as early as 1831, and had high grade business management and extensive capital in its service. Its founder, Gen. Horace H. Comstock of Cooperstown, New York,^" 182. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 212. 183. Ihid., XXXVIII, 213. 184. Blois, Gazetteer, 247. 185. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 205; McLaughlin, Higher Education in Michigan, 145. It appears not to have been opened there until 1843. 186. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 212. 187. His wife was related closely to James Fenimore Cooper, whose Oak-Openings is said to have resulted from an interest in the Kalamazoo Valley initiated by the rela- tionship. 350 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS was interested financially in a number of enterprizes, among them the settlements at Otsego and at the mouth of the Kalamazoo. ^^^ Had the village been successful in its struggles with Kalamazoo for the county seat it might well have overshadowed that village and become itself the present-day city.'^^^ Seven years of growth left it with little more than the mills and the improvements made by its founder. ^^*^ Augusta and Galesburg were barely beginning in 1837. Augusta, twelve miles east of Kalamazoo, had a tavern, two sawmills and several dwellings in 1838. It received its initial impulse from the Augusta Com- pany in 1836.^^^ Galesburg was platted in 1837.^^^ From six to nine miles on either side of Jackson at power sites and on the Territorial Road were Leoni, or Grass Lake postoffice, and Barry, each with a sawmill and a couple of stores. ^^^ Several influences operated to deflect settlement from this central line of the river and road. They were principally, (1) the prairie settlements, (2) the still unoccupied openings and plains, (3) the grazing lands on the "wet prairies" and in the creek bottoms, (4) 188. Thomas, History of Allegan Cotinty, 47. 189. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 362. 190. Blois, Gazetteer, 266. 191. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 357, 386; History of Kalamazoo County (1880), 492; Blois, Gazetteer, 249. The name is from Augusta, Maine, the home of a leading member of the company. 192. History of Kalamazoo County (1880), 377. 193. Blois, Gazetteer, 250, 311; Mich. Hist Colls., V, 347. Grass Lake was nearly as old as Jackson. The original settle- ment was about a mile west of the present site, being removed to its present place by the establishment of the depot there on the Central Railroad in 1842. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRLIORLXL ROAD 351 power sites on tributary streams, (5) the Chicago Road, and (6) the rising value and scarcity of good land untaken along the Kalamazoo River. In Kalamazoo County, newly arriving immigrants chose first the best available land near the established prairie centers of settlement. It is said that of the places regularly visited by a pioneer preacher in 1833 whose field included ten settlements in that county, only two were not on the prairies, and those two were on the river at Kalamazoo and Comstock.^^* The attraction of the settlements on Prairie Ronde and Gourdneck prairies influenced immigration especially from the states immediately south of Michigan, al- though by 1835 there seem to have been a great many Vermont immigrant s.^^^ As noted above, the settle- ment on Prairie Ronde secured a strong foothold early. The prairie is mentioned in the Detroit Free Press- of September 13, 1832, as "largely settled," and notice is taken of the section of timber near its center. In 1833 the village of Schoolcraft forming on the eastern bor- der of this woodland was the center of a neighboring prairie population said to have numbered about three hundred. ^^® Schoolcraft was platted in 1831, at about the same time as the larger river villages of this sec- tion and those on the Chicago Road. Inside of two years the land adjacent to the plat is said to have readily found buyers at $12 an acre in cash.^" In 1838 Blois credits the village with three stores, and men- tions what was apparently a rival village just starting 194. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 159. 195. Ihid., XXX, 457. 196. Ihid., XXVII, 449. 197. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVII, 449; XXX, 453v 352 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS near the same site, called Charleston. ^^^ The popula- tion of the township of Prairie Ronde in 1837 was 665, including an area equal to a Government township, while immediately east and north for an area four times as large, 1292 are recorded. ^^^ Across the county northeast of Kalamazoo on Gull Prairie there was a village center apparently quite as large as that on Prairie Ronde. Blois mentions the village as Geloster, crediting it with four stores. ^°° The population of the civil township including it (Richland), covering the two northeastern government townships, was in 1837, 720.-°^ The nucleus of this settlement was made by the "Kalamazoo Emigration Society of Michigan," which was formed in 1830 at Hudson, Ohio, near the Ohio home of Titus Bronson, founder of Kalamazoo.^"- The resolutions adopted by this society are worthy of note for the light they throw on the nature of the original Gull Prairie colony and as reflecting much the same educational, religious and social spirit as the "Constitution" of the later Ver- mont colony at Vermontville in Eaton County. Some of the resolutions are as follows : "3. Christian principles, and the injunctions of the Gospel shall be adhered to generally; and as soon as a sufficient nrunber of professing Christians shall have emigrated, a Congregational Church shall be organized 198. Gazetteer of Michigan, 262, 360. 199. Mich. Legislative Manual (1838), 71 ; Session Laws (1835-36), 75. This area contained the mill village of Vicksburg, which was also a prairie settlement. History of Kalama- zoo County (1880), 523. 200. Gazetteer of Mich., 2^9. 201 . Mich . Legislative Manual (1838), 71. 202. Northwestern Journal, March 31 and June 30, 1830, KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORIAL ROAD 353 and a Gospel Minister procured and supported. — 4. Common and Sabbath Schools shall early be estab- lished and supported; and, if circumstances seem to re- quire it, an Academical Institution. — 5. The use of ardent spirits, either directly or indirectly, shall not be allowed by this society, except as a medicine. — 6. Those desirous of removing to the Kalamazoo, having the good of their posterity, and of the community in gen- eral, at heart; being wilHng to assist and alleviate a fellow citizen in distress, which is also considered obli- gatory ; and to adhere to the rules of Christian morality and temperance, as specified above, will receive the encouragement and support of this Society." The Gull Prairie settlement early became one of the best known and most widely influential settlements in the Kalamazoo Valley; indeed it seems to have been more actively central to the region than Kalamazoo village. In a less degree a similar influence was exerted by Cook's Prairie and Dry Prairie in the southern part of Calhoun County. On Cook's Prairie in the southeast, the village of Homer was platted by 1834, which ap- pears to have been partly motivated by the water power afforded there by a branch of the Kalamazoo. ^°^ The first mills were built there by a stock company in 1837-38, until which time growth was relatively slow,'^°'* yet Homer Township, the same size as Richland, which included Gull Prairie, is credited by the census of 1837 203. Homer and its Pioneers, 36; Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 232. 204. Ibid., 37. These mills are said to have cost $20,000, a comparatively large outlay at that time. 45 354 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS with a population one-sixth larger than the latter. ^"^ The village had then a store and about two hundred people. -^"^ Its initial impulse seems to have come from Lyons, New York.^°^ The attraction of Dry Prairie, whose settlement began at about the same time, ap- pears to have been less — to judge from the rural popu- lation and from no mention of a village by Blois. The entire southwestern quarter of the county in which it was located was in 1837 the least settled portion, con- taining in its two townships of Athens and Burlington only a few over six hundred people. ^°^ But the settle- ment of this prairie was partly shared by northern Branch County, and the neighboring Branch village of Union City appears to have supplied its village needs. In the oak openings between Dry and Cook's prairies, which were about half way between the Chicago and Territorial roads, there were by 1834 several scattered purchases. The center of the population there in 1836 was recognized by the organization of the small township of Tekonsha, which in the following year had 278 people. -°^ A village of the same name at a power site on a branch of the St. Joseph River formed its nucleus in 1838 with a population of 150.^^° A point early settled and very well known, illustrat- ing settlement on the plains, was Spring Arbor at the 205. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 70; Session Laws (1835-36), 74; (1837), 39. 206. Gazetteer of Mich., 301. 207. Homer and its Pioneers, 36. 208. Mich. Legislative Manual (1838), 70. 209. Ibid., 70. 210. Blois, Gazetteer, 373. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORIAL ROAD 355 site of an Indian village on an extensive burr-oak plain about nine miles southwest of Jackson. -^^ It appears to have lacked water power and had in 1838 only a store and a few dweUings, though the surrounding township was among the few in the county which had the small area of a Government township as early as 1836."^^ The existence of settlement on the meadow lands in the southeastern part of Jackson County as early as 1833 is obvious from the township of Napoleon organized in that year,^^^ but township organization there in this period proceeded more slowly than else- where. Some of the motives of the first settlers of the region are said to have been to secure from the settle- ments on the Chicago Road patronage for their saw mill, which was supplied with water power from a head branch of the Grand River. ^^^ A measure of light is shed upon the general progress of settlement by the early interrelations of settle- ments, especially by their dependence upon each other for mills, mail and merchandise. For these conven- iences the early settlements of Kalamazoo County de- pended much upon those of St. Joseph and Cass. White Pigeon was the early supply station for the Prairie Ronde settlers; and White Pigeon and School- craft became supporting points for the northern part of Kalamazoo County. The early relations were close between Prairie Ronde and Kalamazoo; the first set- tler of Kalamazoo spent his first winter (1829-30) with 211. Ibid., 364. 212. Session Laws (1835-36), 72, 73. 213. Territorial Laws, III, 996; Mich. Hist. Coll., IV, 276-281. 214. History of Jackson County (1881), 776. Blois (p. 371) men- tions the small village of Swainsville there. 356 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the Prairie Ronde settlers, ^^^ and the owner of the store at Schoolcraft established the first store at Kalamazoo. ^^"^ In 1834 the proprietor of Schoolcraft village was also one of the four proprietors of Kala- mazoo.-^^ Vicksburg, settled from Prairie Ronde, fur- nished the sole supply of grists to Kalamazoo and to the entire county until the building of the mill at Comstock in 1832.218 In Van Buren County the first settlement was close- ly related with the older prairie settlements. In 1833 the water power at the site of Paw Paw began to be improved by prospectors from Prairie Ronde, "^^ and pioneer trade relations naturally followed between Prairie Ronde and Paw Paw.--° The first settlement in the eastern part of Allegan County was made largely from Gull Prairie ; indeed the settlement of the eastern parts of Allegan and Van Buren counties may be re- garded as extensions of the settlement in Kalamazoo and Cass."'^ The early relations of the eastern portion of the sec- tion appear to have been closest with Dexter and Ann Arbor, in Washtenaw Count}^-" Though good har- vests had made the river settlements self-sustaining by 1831, the lack of mills entailed the inconvenience of long trips; for example, the nearest grist mill to Jack- 215. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 365-366. 216. Ibid., I, 210; XXX, 452. 217. Ibid., V, 365, 375; XIII, 325; XXVII, 449. 218. Ibid., V, 362. 219. History of Berrien and Van Buren Counties (1880), 506. 220. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 644. 221. Thomas, History of Allegan County, 38. 222. History of Jackson County (1881), 170-174; Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 281, 283; V, 351; XVIII, 612. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORL'VL ROAD 357 son was for several years at Dexter, the round trip requiring nearly a week;-^^ and Marshall sent to Dex- ter for flour until 1832.^-^ The first mail route to con- nect these settlements came from Ann Arbor through Jackson in 1831, joining the Chicago Road at White Pigeon.--^ The settlements in southeastern Jackson County, which were but three miles from the Chicago Road, had mail connections at Springville in Lenawee County."-'^ Battle Creek's early dependence upon Bellevue in Eaton County for lumber marks the be- ginning of relationships with the settlements north of this section.^" The retarding influences of a general nature men- tioned as affecting the Territory as a whole were of course felt in this section. The most prominent were the "fever and ague," the epidemic of cholera, and the Black Hawk War. The first appears to be a con- comitant of all early settlement in this part of Michi- gan, due to the prevalence of the mosquito; though the early pioneers and travelers referred it uniformly to another cause: "Think but of people," says an early visitor to this section, "setting themselves down on a soil of twenty inches in depth, and in the month of June, when the weeds and wild flowers o'ertop the head of the tallest man, turning over the rank soil immediately around their dwellings, and allowing the accumulation of vegetable decomposition to be acted upon by a ver- 223. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 285. 224. Ibid., I, 131. 225. Ibid., II, 292. 226. Ibid., IV, 276; Blois, Gazetteer, 364. 227. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 221. 358 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS tical sun, and steam up for months under their very nostrils; and yet this, I am told, is continually prac- tised by settlers who come late in the season, and are anxious still to have a crop the first year. Here, as in the case of those settlers who, for the sake of the wild hay, locate themselves near the great marshes, im- prudence alone is manifested ; but the charge of culpa- bility will justly attach to some other cases, where nuisances, not before existing, are created by the owners of property. I allude to the practice, expressly prohibited by the laws of Michigan, of flooding land while constructing mill-ponds without removing the green timber growing upon the spot. So pernicious is this to the health of the neighborhood, that it affects very sensibly the value of property near the new pond; and yet, in their eagerness to have mills erected, and aid the market of their overflowing granaries, the new inhabitants overlook entirely the gross violation of their laws, and the melancholy consequences which ensue to their families.'"'-*^ In 1832 the Black Hawk War caused in the whole section a state of suspense and alarm, while from the cholera the danger was real. It is said that as a re- sult of it, spring work was largely abandoned by set- tlers, and immigration almost ceased. -^^ In 1833 at a congressional election which probably represented the voting strength, the township of Marshall, which in- cluded Marshall village and two-fifths of Calhoun County, -^'^ polled only nineteen votes; on the same 228. Hoffman, A Winter in the West, I, 193. 229. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 294. 230. Territorial Laws, III, 1003. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRITORIAL ROAD 359 day only eight votes were cast in that township for a representative in the Territorial legislature.^''^ The amount of growth in population by the end of 1834 presents striking similarities and differences in the several counties of the section. Those which ranked first and last in this respect were the adjacent coiuities of Kalamazoo and Van Buren. Kalamazoo County re- ceived its first settlers in 1828 and was organized but two years later; by the census of 1834 it lacked but a few hundred people to equal the combined population of Calhoun and Jackson counties, having a population of 3,124 to Jackson's 1,865 and Calhoun's 1,714.^-^- Of the counties of this section none appeared in the na- tional census of 1830, and Allegan and Van Buren counties did not appear in the Territorial census of 1834. They were not yet organized at that time; Van Buren was organized in 1837.-^^ As a whole this sec- tion lacked at least 2,500 people of equalling, in 1834, the population of the St. Joseph Valley, and it had considerably less than one half of the population of the single county of Washtenaw. ^^"^ The relative rate of settlement and the distribution of population in the several counties of the section before 1835 may be made clearer by the following table, in which the large figures under the years denote the number of townships existing in each year in a given county; the double-dagger is placed under the year of 23L Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 196. 232. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. 233. Session Laws (1837), 97. 234. Blois, Gazetteer, 151. 360 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS county organization; the small numbers refer to the foot note."^^ 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 Kalamazoo Jackson Calhoun t2' 1^ 32 V 4« t3' 43 5.6 10'« 8.4 420 §17 13" 49 5'^ pi 1116 Allegan Van Buren +712 The township organization of Kalamazoo suggests a very even and gradual development there. Appar- ently the first township organizations were serviceable longer than elsewhere in the section, partly because of the unusual openness of the country which made it easy for settlers to get to town meeting from a con- siderable distance. This appears to be one meaning of the long life of the large township of Brady in the southern part of the county. In Calhoun and Jackson counties the similarity in. township organization was 235^ 1. Territorial Laws, III, 836, 839, 840—2. Ibid., Ill, 972— 3. Ibid., Ill, 1,277—4. Ibid., Ill, 839—5. Ibid., Ill, 929, 948, 957—6. Ibid., Ill, 998—7. Ibid., Ill, 972— 8. Ibid., Ill, 984, 1,003—9. Ibid., Ill, 1,277—10. Ibid., Ill, 997—11. Ibid., IV, 136—12. Session Laws (1837), 97 — 13. Territorial Laws, III, 1,368 — 14. Session Laws (1835-36), 74, 75—15. Ibid., (1837), 39—16. Ibid., (1835- 36), 75— 17. Ibid., (1837), 35— 18. Ibid., (1835-36), 72, 73, 74—19. Ibid., (1837), 35, 36, 40—20. Ibid., (1835- 36), 76—21. Territorial Laws, III, 1,403. KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRrrORL\L ROAD 361 very close. The first three townships in each of these counties centered about three important points in each, all six of them on the Territorial Road and the Kalamazoo River. In Jackson County these were Grass Lake, Jackson village and Spring Arbor; in Calhoun County, Albion, Marshall and Battle Creek. In 1834 their four townships corresponded exactly in position and area, the fourth township in each case representing a strong deflecting influence in the south- east. In Jackson county this -influence was the graz- ing lands, the power on the Grand River, and the nearness to the Chicago Road; in Calhoun County, the prairies and water power in the vicinity of Homer. The comparatively rapid formation of townships in Jackson and Calhoun counties reflects not only the increase of population but the need of closer organiza- tion in counties less easily traversed than Kala- mazoo. In the Hght of the conditions presented, the main causes of differences in amount of population become clear The comparatively advanced state of settle- ment in the west of the section was due to its early start in Kalamazoo County, which by virtue of its position and extensive prairie land, shared in the tide of immigration coming northward from prairie regions to Cass and St. Joseph counties. The position of Jackson County, farthest east, close to the rapidly settling lands of Washtenaw, and on the south close to the Chicago Road, together with the opening of its lands to sale before any others in this section, prob- ably went far towards inducing early settlement. But the tide of immigration did not flow strongly towards 362 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS it from the east until 1833, while the intervention of available lands on the south shut it out practically from the southern immigration. The middle position of Calhoun County, together with much prairie land on the side towards Kalamazoo, gave it a double ad- vantage; but neighboring counties tended to intercept population, the influence on the west being especially strong. As a result its growth in population tended to approximate that of Jackson County. Allegan and Van Buren counties seem almost to belong to a separate settlement area, to include Berrien on the south and Ottawa on the north; yet the most striking common physiographic feature of these coun- ties, the lake shore, did not materially affect their settlement until the period of commercial develop- ment on Lake Michigan. The largest common factor in the retardation of their settlement was their dis- tance from the older settlements, due to several causes: the general direction from which immigration came, the intervention of lands eastward within comparatively easy reach having equal physical advantages, and the added increment of value due to nearness to large markets and supply depots absorbing the attention and interest of settlers. Within three years the immigration from the East coming by the Territorial Road had reversed the order of relative numerical superiority due to the earlier immigration from Ohio and Indiana. Instead of Kala- mazoo County, Jackson County had first place. The central cause, the direction of immigration, is seen in the circumstance that the population grew less for each succeeding county westward — 8702, 7960, 6367, 1469, KALAMAZOO VALLEY AND TERRFIORIAL ROAD 363 1262^^*— as also the number of townships in each,^" except in Allegan and Van Buren; Van Buren with six hundred less people had nearly double the number of townships. "■'^''^ The combined population of these two counties (3,731) made but little over half of that in Kalamazoo (6,367), showing the relatively small amount of settlement west of that county; w^hile their population, combined with that of Kalamazoo (9,098) made but little more than that of Jackson County (8,702) at the eastern end of the section. The popula- tion of the whole section (25,758) was about equal to that of the St. Joseph Valley in Michigan (25,321); in the southern section, however, the greater density of population was in the west, in the counties of St. Joseph and Cass which lay directly south of Kala- mazoo. In the northern section the eastern counties of Calhoun and Jackson had a much more rapid growth than the eastern counties of Branch and Hills- dale below them; this was in part due to a greater amount of open land and to the nearer prospects of a railroad, but mainly to their position directly west from Wayne and Washtenaw. 236. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 7.S. 237. See table above. 238. As pointed out elsewhere, the number and size of town- ships can not be taken alone as a positive indication of relative density of population. CHAPTER VII The Saginaw Country n^HE general physical features of the Saginaw country as it was known to most of the actual settlers when Michigan became a State are probably reflected with fair accuracy by Blois in his Gazetteer of Afichigan,^ who describes the surface as undulating or rolling, nearly level towards the bay, and the soil as varying from a dry sandy loam in the oak openings to a rich alluvial formation in the river bottoms. There was much marsh land and some scattered patches of the so-called "wet prairie," mainly along the lower course of the Saginaw. The oak openings are said to have been specially adapted to cereals,'' containing many old Indian cornfields. The abundant wild hay on the marshes, and the grass in the openings, enabled 1. History of Saginaw County (1881), p. 238; History of Genesee County {IS7 9), p. 219; History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties (1880), p. 239; History of Lapeer County, p. 227; History of Livingston County, p. 229. Livingston County is associated physiographically with the Saginaw Valley through branches of the Shiawassee River. Its actual settlement was more closely related to that of Oakland and Washtenaw counties. 2. The products of Genesee County in 1850 are said to have been chiefly wheat, hay, cattle and sheep. History oj Genesee County (1879), 113-115. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 365 the early settlers to bring their cattle without danger of having them starve during the first winters.^ While the oak openings covered a large proportion of the southern counties of the region a very large part of it was heavily forested. Blois estimates that about a third of Saginaw County was covered with pine,'' and mentions "pineries" along the Flint River and its branches in Genesee and Lapeer counties.^ Pine Creek in Lapeer County was the site of one of the earliest mill settlements in the region. The presence of pine, however, seems not to have been regarded by the early seeker of farm lands as a favorable condition; sup- posedly it indicated an inferior soil and there was the obvious disadvantage of density of forest as compared with the openings. On these lands lumbering must needs precede agriculture. It was not until some years after Michigan became a State that the idea of an eastern market for Michigan lumber appealed suf- ficiently to capital to bring the era of pine lumbering to the Saginaw country.*^ Water power for the early mills was furnished abundantly by four large tributaries of the Saginaw, each of which ramified widely. The Tittabawassee and Cass rivers drained Saginaw County and the lands to the east and west ; the Shiawassee and the Flint reached far southward, and their mill sites and fords, crossed at points by the chief trails, became the nuclei of the earliest white settlements of the region. The Saginaw 3. History of Livingston Cotmty, 23, 121. 4. Blois, Gazetteer, 238. 5. Ibid., 219, 227. 6. Mich. Hist. Colls. ,YU, 241-242. 366 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS River is in the nature of a drowned valley, and its sluggish current formed by the junction of these four rivers near the center of Saginaw County some thirty miles from the head of the bay furnished less water power but was more navigable than the other streams. In the parts of this region bordering upon other sec- tions excellent power sites were found by early settlers on the Lookingglass, the Maple, the Huron, the Clinton and the Belle. Among the mineral products of the Saginaw country which specially affected its settlement was salt, though it was not until late that the salt industry assumed commercial importance.^ Its exploitation was contem- porary with the real beginnings of pine lumbering, to which it was economically related.^ The years before 1837 mark a period of exploration and experiment in both industries.^ Settlement in the Saginaw Valley in 1837 was a little in advance of that in the Grand River Valley. The former region was more easily reached from Detroit and the movement of population up the Clinton River and out along the Saginaw Trail had started emigration thither as early as 1818. But for several serious re- tarding influences its settlement would have been much more rapid. 7. The first barrel of salt appears to have been made in the Saginaw Valley in 1860. History of Saginaw County, 295. 8. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 499. 9. See Bela Hubbard's account of the geological expedition of 1837 to the Saginaw country to investigate the salt springs. Mich, Hist. Colls., Ill, 189. In Volume IV, 13, is an analysis of Houghton's report of this ex- pedition. See above, Chapter I, for further discussion and references. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 367 The influence of the Indians, trappers and agents of the American Fur Company has been mentioned frequently. Many of the plats of the United States surveyors were made, it is said, from their reports, so misleading as to necessitate in many places a total resurvey.^° The same influence seems to have been at least partly responsible for the gross errors in the re- ports made after the War of 1812, that beyond a few miles back from Detroit the country was unfit for any- thing but wild beasts. ^^ The surveys made afterwards^^ furnished abundant materials to correct this view, but the legend once fastened on the East took long to wear out. Among other reports there was an early one that the Saginaw Valley was unhealthful. The president of the German pioneer society of Saginaw Covmty is quoted as saying in an address in 1881, ''The country had the name of being very unhealthy and deserved it in some respects. "^^ The abandonment of the military post at Saginaw by the United States in 1823, so soon after its occupation, tended to give this 10. History of Saginaw County, 166. 11. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXII, 542. See above, chapter I. In the Detroit Gazette for June 7, 1822, a writer signing him- self "A Traveller" protests against the misrepresentations about the Saginaw region by Indian traders and other interested persons. 12. The surveys were in progress in Shiawassee County in 1823, Edward Tiffin still acting as surveyor general of the United States. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Coun- ties, 260. The geographer Melish, in the Geographical Description of the United States (ed. 1822), p. 389, says, "In the new settlement on the Saginaw River the soil is also productive." 13. History of Saginaw County, 221 . 368 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS report an official stamp which decisively checked the plans of intending settlers.^'* Zina Pitcher, the surgeon at the post, says that the commanding officer who sympathized with his men in the sickness of that year reported to the Government that "nothing but Indians, muskrats and bullfrogs could possibly exist here."^^ The Detroit Gazette of October 3, 1823, mentions the Saginaw post as "the only place in the Territory which appears now to be afflicted by the usual autumnal dis- eases;" though previously it had reported the troops to be in excellent health and spirits. ^'^ The conditions producing the sickness of that season appear to have been exceptional. The event is said to have been looked upon by even the Indians and traders as a re- markable occurrence. Contemporary accounts ascribe it to the long and heavy rains of the preceding sum- mer which caused the waters of the Saginaw River to overflow the thickly wooded level lands making them stagnant and "loading the atmosphere with poisonous vapors" during the succeeding warm season. ^^ The misfortune appears to have been used by specu- lators and promoters interested in the lands near De- troit and in the older counties to prejudice settlers against the whole region. "If I am correctly in- 14. History of Genesee County, 34; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 487. 15. History oj Saginaw County, 165. 16. Detroit Gazette, September 13, 1822; October 11, 1822; December 6, 1822. The issue for October 17, 1823, re- ported that Major Baker, commandant at Saginaw, lost his son and was determined to remove his troops despite the fact that they were rapidly recovering. 17. Detroit Gazette, October 10, 1823; History oJ Saginaw County, 165. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 369 formed," protests a writer in the Detroit Gazette for June 27, 1823, "the emigrant no sooner sets his foot in Detroit than he is beset by such a muhitude of counsellors that he is tempted to believe that there is no safety in the covmtry [Saginaw]. I know this was the case with myself, as I was told that the counties of Monroe, Oakland and Macomb were each respec- tively superior to the garden of Eden. These stories have operated peculiarly hard upon our section of the country and have induced many emigrants to think there would be but a loss of time in visiting us at this season of the year, without being drowned by the freshets, or eaten up by mosquitoes without the cere- mony of barbecuing. We are not at all at a loss to divine the reasons which induce many of our citizens to use every argument to prevent the settlers from penetrating into the country and if possible to coax them to squat down near Detroit, without having examined any part of this great and fertile region. But the old traditional legend, that all was an im- passable morass beyond Cranberry Marsh, has van- ished — and so will the equally unfounded notions which now prevail in relation to the beautiful and invaluable alluvial districts which border the Saginaw and its tributaries." In July of 1831 the French writer De Tocqueville made a trip on horseback into the Saginaw country and on inquiring at Detroit from Major Biddle — for many years connected with the United States Land Office there — where he might find the least settled parts of the Territory, he is said to have been told that beyond Pontiac he would find the country "full 47 370 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS of nothing but Indians and wild beasts;" arriving at Pontiac and inquiring again, he was informed that Saginaw was "the last inhabited spot towards the Pacific."^^ It is a luminous comment on human nature and the persistence of bad reports that the exceedingly favor- able information about the Saginaw country published almost simultaneously should have been received so tardily. In the Western Gazetteer,^^ published at Au- burn, New York, in 1817, is recorded a description of the region by Captain Price of the United States Army, who crossed it in March of that year in traveling from Mackinac to Detroit. He says that he found the lands on the Saginaw River "of an excellent quality and most beautifully situated," containing large prairies "from four to six miles deep." From the Saginaw to the Flint he observed that the lands were fertile and well timbered; the country between the Flint and the Clinton reminded him of Cayuga County, New York,^*^ being "clothed with oak, a very open country, and no vmderwood, interspersed with small beautiful lakes abounding in fish of a superior quality."-^ The ac- count also contained a notice of the lands between the site of Pontiac and Detroit as "generally a low flat 18. De Tocqueville, Fortnight in the Wilderness, as quoted in the History oj Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 337-338; History of Saginaw County, 291. 19. Brown, Western Gazetteer, 166 n. 20. It is significant that this country is mentioned more fre- quently than any other in the pioneer reminiscences and the county histories as a source of immigration to the Saginaw Valley. 21. Substantially the same account is contained in the Emi- grant's Directory (p. 694), published in London, England, in 1820, though the statement is absent that it was given by a United States Army officer. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 371 country, susceptible of being drained and cultivated, the soil deep and rich." Whether this had any con- nection, it was in the year following that the explora- tion was made from Detroit which resulted in the founding of Pontiac and the establishment of Oakland County." The Detroit Gazette of November 13, 1818, contained "A view of some of the lands in the interior of Michigan," exploding entirely the idea of its swampy character, being apparently an authorized report of the exploring party visiting the vicinity of Pontiac, among the members of which was John Monteith, "President of the University of Michigan." There were numerous other favorable accounts. A Detroit Gazette editorial for September 24, 1819, ac- knowledges receipt of letters from persons with Gov- ernor Cass at Saginaw describing the Saginaw country as delightful and the soil as of first quality. In 1821 an extensive exploring expedition was made by the "Sciawassee Company," with the specific purpose of "determining the site of a county seat of a coimty to be established beyond Oakland ;"^^ the Detroit Gazette for November 9, 1821, contains the first number of their Journal, which gives a very flattering description of the Saginaw country. In 1822 a description of the region appeared in a series of articles in the Gazette^"^ 22. See above, chapter IV. 23. See the Detroit Gazette, October 5, 1821, for announcement of the plan giving the proposed itinerary, to inchide also the Grand River country. 24. Detroit Gazette, February 15 and 22, and March 1. These descriptions preceded the period of sickness at the fort. See Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 470-475 for the "Journal of a Pedestrian Tour from Detroit to Sagana River in 1822," containing observ^ations made between May 22 and June 4. 372 ECONQMIC AND SOCIAL HKGINNINGS by a writer who had apparently followed the Saginaw Indian trail. The Utica (N. Y.) Si'nti}n'l congratu- lated the Territory on the establishment of the new- federal garrison at Saginaw in that year and spoke high praise for Michigan lands. -^ At Philadelphia ap- peared a new edition of Alelish's Geographical Descrip- tion of the United States which spoke of the "produc- tive soil in the new settlement on the Saginaw River. "-'^ The increase of immigration with the opening of the Erie Canal led to renewed efforts by interested parties to attract settlers to the Saginaw country. Early in 1826 appeared a notice to immigrants soliciting atten- tion to the lands of Shiawassee County signed by Samuel W. Dexter, founder of the village of Dexter in Washtenaw County.-" A description of the Saginaw country addressed to immigrants by Pontiac parties in 1830 reveals a consciousness that the region had a strong competitor in southwestern Michigan. "The St. Joseph country," says this circular, "has been called 'the golden region.' We give no such attractive name to the Saginaw. We tell you a plain and true story, convinced that when you ha\'e read you will determine to make Saginaw your home."-^ Finding its way into the Boston Courier this circular prompted inquiries of the editor of the Nortlnvesteni Journal (De- 25. As quoted in the Detroit (jazette, for August 2, 1822. 26. p. 389. 27. Detroit Gazette, May 9, 1826. 28. Northwestern Journal, April 21, 1830. Thc^ points em- phasized were navigal3ility of the river for "any lake vessel," and the spontaneity of vegetation on the rich prairies, emphasis probably thought needful in view of the competing St. Joseph country. Fish, timber, salt and building stone are also given prominence. lUJ-: SAGINAW COUNTRY 373 troitj about the price of the ?jest land, the price of stock, the cost of clearing, the prevalence of "fever and ague" and the best season for immigration. The edi- tor made highly encouraging replies. ^'-^ The price of the best land was $1.25 per acre; a yoke of oxen could be bought for between S45 and S55; cows were worth from vSlO to S15; land could be cleared for from SI to $5; fevers of any kind were uncommon; a journey from Detroit to the Saginaw country could be made most conveniently between October and February. It is probable that the later prejudice against the region was in no small degree a survival of that created by early misrepresentations.'*^^ In an address before a farmer's institute in Saginaw County in 1877, it is said that as late as 1860 the general impression of Saginaw County was that it could never be even a moderately productive farming district. The opinion is said to have been shared also by many men identified with the interests of that country. The climate was held to be too unreliable, being subject to heavy frosts in the growing season. It was said that at the date of 29. Ibid., May 26. The questions came apparently from an intending settler. 30. There appear to have been no newspapers published in the Saginaw country before 1837 to herald its attractions, excepting the short lived Saginaw Journal, running from 1836 to 1838. History of Saginaw County, 606. The North Star began with the business revival of 1842. The Flint River Gazette was published at Flint from 1839 to 1841. But the first successful paper is said to have begun in 1845 or 1850. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 439; XXXV, 370. At Owosso a paper, probably shortlived, appears to have begun in 1839. History of Clinton and Shiawassee Counties, 130. At Howell the first paper was published in 1846 (first published at Brighton in 1843). History of Livingston County, 35; Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 86; XXXVIII, 180; Crittenden, History of Howell, 72. 374 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS this address there were many people in the southern counties who, uncertain of its situation, euphoniously associated Saginaw with Mackinaw. The country was believed to have a large proportion of swamp and marsh land, and the surface was supposed to be too flat to secure good drainage; nor did "pine barrens," as the pine lands were called, sound inviting /'^^ While the traders probably had a share in creating and fostering this bad reputation, many of them proved to be more than traders and gradually adjusted themselves to the new order. As noted above, most of them were agents of the American Fur Company. Their operations had been interrupted by the War of 1812 but took on new energy with the conclusion of peace; the Saginaw Indian treaty of 1819 and the establishment of the garrison on the Saginaw aimed to protect the fur trade as well as to invite and en- courage agriculture.^^ When the troops were with- drawn in 1824 the American Fur Company established a post in the abandoned fort, and its agents became the first promoters of the future city of Saginaw. 31. History of Saginaw County, 292, 298. 32. The Saginaw Indians are said to have been the least friendly of all of the tribes. Detroit Gazette, November 30, 1821 ; History of Saginaw County, 164. The passions engen- dered by the War of 1812 still smoldered, and many are the contemporary charges against the British for fanning the embers. The traders, being more closely identified with the life and interests of the Indians, appear to have had on the whole little trouble with them. It appears also that when the Indians were well treated by the new settlers they were generally peaceable towards them. See letter of the settler Stevens, written in 1825 from Grand Blanc, quoted in the History of Genesee County, 33; see also History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 281 and History of Livingston County, 14. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 375 These traders were widely affiliated both by birth and education with Canada and the bordering states. Some of them appear to have been men of no mean ability. Louis Campau, whose services to white set- tlement entitle him to be called the first real pioneer of the Saginaw Valley, is described as "an intelHgent, shrewd, far-seeing operator. "^■'^ He was a native of Detroit, one of a large family of French-Canadians em- ployed chiefly in the fur trade. The History of Sagi- naiv County mentions a score of traders prominent in the Saginaw region before 1820,^^ some from the vicinity of Montreal and Quebec, some of German descent; one was the son of the postmaster at Schenectady, New York.^^ For traffic with the Indians the traders naturally chose points of vantage on the principal trails, and this choice frequently prefigured that of the agricul- tural settler and the founder of villages. Good ex- amples are Shiawassee, Owosso, Flint and Saginaw. Not infrequently the traders purchased land at these sites and made improvements, sometimes selling out at a handsome profit to someone who aspired to found a village; in this way began the present city of Flint. A post was established there apparently in 1819, by Jacob Smith, a trader of German descent, born at Quebec; he was the husband of a Chippewa squaw, a marriage which sufficiently identified him with the interests of the Indians to secure a large reservation in the Z?). He founded the post at Grand Rapids in 1826 and became a prominent settler of the Grand River Valley. 34. pp. 158-164. See also History of Genesee County, 14. 35. History of Genesee County, 13. 376 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Indian treaty of that year;^*^ the land was to be held for his children, and the subsequent litigation of titles is said to have much retarded the settlement of Flint on the north side of the river as late as 1860.^^ The lands are shown on the Risdon map along both sides of the Flint River at the crossing of the Saginaw Trail. At the ford, known to the French as ''Grand Traverse," a ferry and tavern established in 1825 by the successor of Smith, marks the transition from the trading post to the embryo village. ^^ A similar village antecedent was that at the site of Shiawassee. The founders of this trading post were two brothers who belonged to a family originally from Concord, Massachusetts, which came to settle in De- troit in 1815.^^ Prior to 1831 the brothers had been in Oakland County as agents of the American Fur Company, but in that year, cutting their way with oxteam across the present township of Grand Blanc in Genesee County they located at the future site of Shiawassee. Though they continued their trading operations they appear to have cultivated the soil at that point from the beginning, the post becoming a permanent center of information and help to settlers. ^° The Dexter colonists on their way to found Ionia in 36. Ibid., 120. See diagram, Ibid., opposite p. 24, and Bureau of American Ethnology, Eighteenth Annual Report, pt. 2, p. 698. 37. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXV, 363. 38. From John Todd and his wife "Aunt Polly," famous among early settlers for her cooking and hospitality. The place appears in early records as "Todd's Tavern." Todd came from Pontiac. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXV, 365. 39. J bid., II, 477; Michigan Biographies, 697. 40. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 120, 281; Hubbard, Memorials of a Half Century, 7 1 . THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 377 1833 passed through this point, and according to a daughter of Mr. Dexter were piloted from there to the site of Ionia by one of these brothers.^^ A similarly weU known post was "Knaggs' Place" on the Indian clearing just below at "the great crossing" of the Shiawassee. ^'■^ On the Saginaw was Louis Campau in the employ of the American Fur Company. He is said to have platted in 1822 near the miHtary lands reserved in the treaty of 1819, the 'Town of Sagana," and appears to have built in the same year a large two-story log house there."*^ The impulse to this beginning of city building was due to the coming of the garrison, but growth at first was slow. It appears that of the twenty lots of this plat only six were sold, the project suffering decline when the troops were removed in 1824. As agents of the American Fur Company there arrived at Saginaw in 1827 Gardner D. Wilhams and his brother, both apparently brothers of the traders at Shiawassee. Gardner was destined to become the first mayor of the future city and the first representative of Saginaw County in the State legislature.^-^ 41. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 146. 42. Ibid., XXXII, 249, History of Shiawassee and Clinton Coun- ties, 25, 120. Whitmore Knaggs was succeeded by Richard Godfrey, son-in-law of Gabriel Godfroy who founded the post at the site of Ypsilanti. By the Indian treaty of 1819 an Indian reservation of about 3,000 acres had been made at this point. 43. Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 240. Land is said to have been entered in 1822 on the site of the present city by Rich- ard Godfroy. History of Saginaw County, 598. 44. Michigan Biographies, 697; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 23; VII, 239. Other prominent early settlers came at about the same time. Ibid., XXII, 448, 451. 378 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The period of vital beginnings in village founding in the Saginaw country began in 1835-36, though some life was given to the village project at Saginaw by a considerable accession of settlers in 1832"*^ — in that year "Saginaw City" was laid out, on the lands of the military reservation bought by Samuel Dexter of Washtenaw County after the removal of the troops.*^ In 1835-36 a strong revival of interest was effected by the spirit of speculation. A sale is recorded in the Detroit Daily Free Press of May 19, 1836, of twenty lots to an eastern merchant for $18,000 — conditioned on these lots being built upon at once. In 1837 a new plat of the city was made with over four hundred blocks, and a map of it is said to have been circulated widely throughout the states.'^ ^ Heavy investments appear to have been made by Detroit parties organ- ized as a stock company; among others a hotel costing $35,000, and a large four-story warehouse on the river at a cost of $25,000."** The inevitable bank of this period was started, and Bela Hubbard records in the notes of his visit in 1837 that there were "nearly fifty frame houses, four stores — one a handsome dry goods and grocery store, on a large scale — two warehouses, and another in progress, a small church, two steam sawmills, and in progress of erection a large edifice to be called the "Webster House;" all were of wood."*^ The description corresponds practically with that given by 45. History of Saginaw Comity, 604. 46. Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 239-240. 47. History of Saginaw County, 599; Clark's Gazetteer (1863), 463. 48. History of Saginaw County, 224; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 494. 49. Memorials of a Half Century, IS. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 379 Blois.^° It is estimated that by the close of 1837 some nine hundred people had gathered there, ^^ but the financial crisis of that year apparently caused many to leave. Blois records a population of four hun- dred.^'- The sources of the first settlers of Saginaw appear to have foreshadowed those of later times, excepting the Irish and the Germans. According to the president of the German pioneer society of Saginaw County (1881), the population of the neighborhood was made up of "Americans, French-Canadians, a few Irish and the Germans. "^'^ Of American settlers mention is made in particular of the states of New York, Massachu- setts and New Hampshire. Outside of Saginaw there appear to have been in 1837 no settlements on the river, excepting very meager beginnings at the site of Bay City — probably the village of "Lower Saginaw" mentioned by Blois as having been laid out in 1836, which he credits with a dozen or fifteen families. ^'^ At the site of East Sagi- naw there seems not to have been a permanent settler 50. Gazetteer of Michigan, 355. 51. History of Saginaw County, 600. 52. Progress seems to have been very slow from 1838 to 1845, when a general revival of business took place in the val- ley. The city was not incorporated until 1857. His- tory of Saginaw County, 600. 53. History of Saginaw County, 221 . For the first settlers in and about Saginaw City see Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 233, 239; XXVIII, 487, 497. Besides those mentioned, the most prominent of the early settlers in this period were Judge Albert Miller, Daniel Little, Norman Johnson, and Harvey Williams. 54. According to the History of Saginaw County (p. 227), "Lower Saginaw" had in 1849 a half dozen frame houses and a dozen or more "shanties." 380 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS until 1849.^^ There were very few settlers during the Territorial period on any of the streams tributary to the Saginaw within the present limits of Saginaw County. A few transient settlers from northwestern Ohio appear to have come to the lower Tittabawassee in 1832, principally for fishing. ^'^ A few permanent settlers seem to have arrived directly frdm Edinburgh, Scotland, in the following year.^^ The Tittabawassee settlement, it is said, was the first in the county after that at Saginaw City, and most of the clearings and settlements before 1849 seem to have been along that river.^^ At the mouth of Cass River a single settler is said to have located in 1833, but the lands of this river did not receive their first important accession of settlers until the coming of the Germans in 1845.^^ Contemporary with the first village beginning on the Saginaw River, agricultural settlement was taking root on the Saginaw Trail, at points where it crossed the Flint and its branches. One of the earliest of these settlements was just above the present northern boun- dary of Oakland County, which received its first set- tlers in less than a half dozen years after the founding of Pontiac. Parties from Livingston and Ontario counties, New York, bought land there in 1824,*^° and 55. Charles W. Grant. History of Saginaw County, 476, 492. 56. These forty or fifty settlers, known as the Olmsteads, are said to have moved later to Wisconsin. Mich. Hist. Colls. VII, 251. 57. John and Edward Brown, father and son. Ibid., VII, 245. 58. History of Saginaw County, 227, 944. 59. These settlers came directly from Bavaria, settling within the present township of Frankenmuth under the direc- tion of Pastor Schmidt of Ann Arbor. History of Sag- inaw County, 225. 60. Mick. Hist. Colls., Ill, 431. SOITHEASTKHX MICHIGAN IX 1S3(; {Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 636) This map was drawn by John Farmer of Detroit, who published a map of the Terri- tory as early as 1826. An original copy is in the office of the Michigan Historical Com- mission. See pp. 9.5-406. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 381 actual settlers are said to have come two years later from the same counties;'''^ before 1830 settlers had ar- rived from Vermont and Connecticut.*^- The point was early known as the "Thread River settlement," being on the Saginaw Trail where it crossed the Thread River, a small branch of the Flint. In many early records it is referred to as Grand Blanc, a name still borne by the township. '^•^ The Northwestern Journal, mentioning it by the latter name April 21, 1830, credits it with "a hardy industrious and enterprizing popula- tion on large well cultivated farms," and Blois de- scribes the vicinity as "thickly settled."'''* Another set- tlement, apparently on the Thread River, is mentioned in the same issue of the Northwestern Journal as Le Roy, credited with a store and a tavern. Blois lo- cates Le Roy about one and a half miles from Flint, and its sawmill and flouring mill seem to have super- seded the mill built at the earlier site.'^^ The trading operations of Smith, and of his successor Todd, of Pontiac, have been noted as the direct antece- 61. History of Genesee County, 34. The first settlers, Jacob Stevens and his two sons, are said to have come in 1822. Ibid., 33. 62. Ibid., 34. 63. The name is said to have been derived from a large half- breed Indian associated with the settlement. 64. Gazetteer of Michigan, 291. See also Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 392, for rapid increase of population after 1830. 65. Ibid., VII, 242. The place had about fifteen families in 1838, Gazetteer of Michigan, 311. A small settlement is said to have been made on the Flint River about 1833, derisively called the "Cold Water settlement," because its members were opposed to the use of intoxicating liquor. Apparently it was independent of Grand Blanc and Le Roy. 382 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS dents of Flint village f'^ yet while both men were some- what more than traders, the real beginnings of village life at that point came with the same impulse in 1835- 36 that marked a new era in the settlement of Saginaw. In 1835 was recorded the first plat of Flint village," and the county seat was secured, located on land said to have been recently purchased from John Todd;^^ its availability was enhanced by its central position in the recently established county of Genesee.®^ In 1836 a second impulse to the centralization of population there was given by the acquisition of the land office recently established for the new District of Saginaw. "° It was commonly known as the "Genesee Land Office." Both its name and that of the county were significant of the large early immigration from the "Genesee country" in western New York. Much unhealthful speculation in town lots ensued. Four additional plats are said to have been recorded on lands adjoining the original one'^^ before the close of 1837. Owners of real 66. The name was first given to the river, the "River of the Fire Stone," called by the French "Riviere de la Pierre." Though the river has a rocky bottom, it is not clear what suggested Flint. The site of the Indian village appears to have borne an Indian name meaning "open plain, burned over," though the site is said to have been originally heavily forested. History of Genesee County, 16, note 119. 67. History of Genesee County, 124. 68. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 163. Todd is said to have bought a section of land there in 1830 for $800. History of Gene- see County, 121. 69. Territorial Laws, III, 1,416. 70. It appears to have remained a center of land operations until its removal to East Saginaw in 1837. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXV, 370. 71. History of Genesee County, 124. On one of them was laid out the village of "Grand Traverse." THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 383 estate on the north side of the river apparently held prices so high as to drive settlers to the other side of the river, and with them went the main part of the settlement. ^^ The relative importance of the village is indicated by its early designation as "the Flint River settle- ment;"^"'^ yet up to 1838 there are said to have been only four houses in its neighborhood.^^ The first store of consequence seems to have been built in that year.^^ In the same year an energetic influence came to its settlement from Mount Morris, Livingston Coimty, New York, in the person of Mr. Todd's successor in the village hotel. '^^ In 1838 Flint had "a banking asso- ciation, an edge tool manufactory, a sawmill, two dry goods stores, two groceries, two physicians, a lawyer and the land office for the Saginaw land district." An estimated population of three hundred people is re- corded, being a hundred less than for Saginaw. '^^ 72. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 441. 73. History oj Genesee County, 120. 74. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 433. 75. Ibid., Ill, 436. 76. History of Genesee County, 122. 77. Gazetteer of Michigan, 287. The vicinity of Flint is favor- ably mentioned in 1837 in Michigan House Documents, No. 9 (E), 53. In 1845 there appear to have been about 1 70 resident tax-payers in the villages of Flint and Grand Traverse. History of Genesee County, 126-127. In 1855 these rival settlements were organized together as the city of Flint, neither having had village organization separate from the government of the township. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 163; III, 438; History of Genesee County, 128-129. The population at that time is estimated at about 2,000. Clark's Gazetteer (1863), p. 309, records that the city is to be considered for beauty of location, health, substantial wealth, educational facilities and good society. 384 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS On Kearsley Creek, a branch of the FHnt River east of the Thread, a settlement worthy of special mention was made in 1837 by a colony of nearly thirty families from Clarence Township, Erie County, New York, who located almost directly east of the Grand Blanc settle- ment in what is now the township of Atlas. ^^ This was apparently the nucleus of the later village of Good- rich. Along the creek there was mmch speculation in 1835-36. It is said that of 113 land buyers within the limits of the present Davidson Township prior to 1837 only fifteen became actual settlers. ^^ On the upper course of the Flint River east of Flint village an important settlement was located on the excellent power site at Lapeer. A village was platted there in 1831.®° The Detroit Free Press, May 31, 1832, mentions to its credit six families, a good saw mill, the possession of the county seat,^^ and the en- vironment of an excellent farming country. According to Blois the county buildings had not yet been built in 1838. He mentions a sawmill and two stores, with four more stores in process of construction.®- Appar- ently the growth of Lapeer had been very slow from 1831 to 1837, if it may be measured by the statement of Blois that its small group of settlers represented an increase of "ten fold the past season,"®^ 78. Mich. Hist. Colls., XVII, 414. Atlas Township is said to have had twenty-two voters in 1836. Ihid., XVII, 414. 79. Ibid., XXII, 543. 80. Ibid., I, 219; III, 549; Michigan House Documents (1837), No. 9, (E), p. 53. 81. Territorial Laws, II, 807. 82. Gazetteer of Michigan, 310. 83. He mentions also a village of Newbury, containing two stores, on the north fork of the Clinton, about twenty THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 385 The first purchase of land on the Shiawassee River was made in the same year as that on the Thread, and the settlements at Byron and Grand Blanc on the sites of these purchases were the earliest in that re- gion. A relation to the older centers of settlement is seen in that the date of the purchases, 1824, marked also the beginnings at Ann Arbor and Dexter in Wash- tenaw, and that the purchase on the Shiawassee was made by the founder of Dexter. ^^ His purchase was speculative, and like that at Dexter covered a power site, at the junction of the east branch of the Shia- wassee River with the main stream where it was crossed by a fork of the Grand River Trail. While there could have been little or no actual settlement at Byron, by 1825, yet it appeared on Risdon's map of that year as a village, probably because it had been fixed upon as the site of the county seat of the recently established county of Shiawassee. It was apparently a county-seat village speculation. The early prominence of Byron on the map, and its possession of the county seat, as well as its position on the Grand River Trail and its excellent water power, made it a well-known point among early settlers; yet its settlement seems to have been slow, even after the wave of speculation in 1835-36. This was owing partly to the rearrangement of the boundaries of the county made by carving Genesee from its territory. It was 83. Con. miles from Flint. Gazetteer of Michigan, 332. This was probably a "paper town," though there appear to have been settlers in that vicinity early. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 549. 84. Samuel Dexter of Boston. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 475; Michigan Biographies, 227. 49 386 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS by this means left in the southeastern corner, only a mile from the boundary. This unfavorable position is the reason assigned by the legislature for removing the county seat (1836)^^ to Corunna. A special effort was made to promote its prospects in 1836-37 by the Byron Company, whose leading men were from Wash- tenaw;^^ but they appear to have got little farther than recording the village plat. According to Bela Hub- bard, who visited the place in the summer of 1837, it had only a mill and two houses;" and Blois gives it but slight mention, mainly for its water power. ^^ What promise it had was overshadowed by settlement further down the river at the more central positions in the county — at Shiawassee, Corunna and Owosso. The failure of its early promoter is typical of many similar failures due to miscalculation upon a prospec- tive county seat. By 1837, according to Bela Hubbard's report of a canoe trip made that simimer down the Shiawassee River, roads had been opened and settlement had made rapid progress along the twenty miles of the river's course from Byron to Owosso. ^^ At "Shia- wassee town" he found a dozen log cabins and about the same number of unfinished frame dwellings, but the whole village was under mortgage and advertised to be sold at auction. ^° The situation was apparently 85. Session Laws (1835-36), 82. 86. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 203-204. 87. Memorials of a Half Centtiry, 68. 88. Gazetteer, 260. It is said that the place had but five fami- lies in 1840. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 204. 89. Memorials of a Half Century, 68. 90. Ibid., 71. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 387 connected with the panic of that year and the opera- tions of the locaUy famous "Exchange Bank of Shia- wassee."^^ The founding of a village there seems to have been first seriously undertaken in the preceding year by parties from Huron County, Ohio, who purchased an entire section of land covering the waiter power, ^- With a fiourmill, a sawmill, two stores, a physician, a lawyer and some mechanics it seems to have been of good promise. ^'^ The "Shiawassee Ex- change" is said to have been in the closing years of this period a prominent social and business center for all of central Michigan. ^^ Neither Owosso nor Corunna, as described by Blois, compared favorably in extent of settlement with Shia- wassee. After the United States survey of the neigh- borhood of Owosso in 1823 no further attention seems to have been given to the site of the village for a decade. In the summer of 1833 it was visited by one of the WilHams brothers while on a journey from their post at Shiawassee to Saginaw, ^^ who saw the environ- ment probably as described in the surveyor's field notes: "Plains or Oak-openings. Land first-rate. Good soil. No large timber. It was long ago burnt off. Undergrowth white and prickly ash, poplar, thorns and briars; all in abundance."^'' WilHams is 91. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Cotmties, 286. 92. Ibid., 288. See above for the founding of the trading post there by the Williams brothers, 1831. 93. Gazetteer, 361. 94. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXII, 253. 95. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 140. It was probably seen by the Ionia colonists in the same year, being on the Grand River Trail. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 483. 96. Ibid., 144. 388 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS said to have been attracted to the place by the Indian name for "water power," and to have been ac- companied thither by the Indian chief Wasso, or Owasso.^^ Apparently he entered about two hundred acres at that time, covering the power site; but the first improvements were made two or three years later by parties from Oakland County and from Rochester, New York.^^ The accession of settlers from Rochester constituted a considerable colony who came with the purpose of founding a city at the Big Rapids, as the place early came to be known ;^^ they platted it upon land purchased by agents of the company from Wil- liams the year before. These colonists meant much for the settlement of the land on the Shiawassee, comprising men of energy, foresight and ability. A former mayor of Rochester was among their number, ^""^ and the family of their leader, Daniel Ball, appears to have later gained distinction in State affairs. ^°^ The settlement of this vicinity would doubtless have been much more rapid had it not been for extensive speculation. A large proportion of the surrounding lands were held at high prices by nonresidents ap- parently as late as 1850.^°- The village appears not 97. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 484. The Indian name is said to have meant "Big Rapids." 98. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 120, 145. 99. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 483. 100. John Lute. See Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 385, for the names of these colonists. 101. Michigan Biographies, 64, gives the name of David Ball as that of the founder of Owosso. 102. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 263. The vil- lage and township are said to have had but seventy-six dwelHngs by 1850. The city was not incorporated until 1859. Ibid., 149. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 389 to have been platted until 1838, though there seem to have been a dozen log houses there in the previous year. The sawmill, said to have been among the first improvements, is not mentioned by Blois.^°^ Probably some impetus was given to the river settlement about this time by the project of the "Northern Railroad" the course of which was to lie through Owosso and Corunna with terminals at Grand Rapids and Port Huron. -^^^ At Corunna, noth withstanding the county seat was located there in 1836, there seems to have been no permanent resident until after Michigan became a State. Blois speaks of the settlement as "entirely new," a sawmill, a fiourmill, a tavern and a store- house being mentioned as in process of building. ^°^ Bela Hubbard says he saw there in 1837 one log house on the bank of the river and a steam mill which was partly finished. ^^'^ The village was not platted until 1837.^0^ The founding of Corunna came of an attempt to exploit a village by a county-seat company and origi- nated with the same wave of speculation that gave birth to so many of these enterprizes. It is interest- ing that the members of this company were mainly of Scotch descent, resident in Detroit. Their leading spirit seems to have been Andrew Mack,^°^ who is thought by some to have used undue influence 103. Ibid., 71; Blois, Gazetteer, 336. 104. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 486. 105. Blois, Gazetteer, 268. 106. Memorials oj a Half Century, 1\. 107. The plat is said not to have been recorded until 1840. His- tory of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 166. 108. McArthur, Frazer, McDonald, Hurlbut and Davids are names given in Clark's Gazetteer (1863), p. 233. 390 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS to get the county seat on his land at the site of Cor- unna.^°^ The enterprize had some features in com- mon with that at Hastings and Mason, in Barry and Ingham counties. ^^° Apparently the village of Fentonville, on one of the distant ramifications of the Shiawassee south of Grand Blanc, could boast of a larger settlement in 1837 than could Corunna. Bela Hubbard and Blois agree in crediting it with a sawmill, several frame dwelHngs, a tavern and a store. ^^^ It gained some distinction from its founder, William M. Fenton, a native of Norwich, New York, and a graduate of Hamilton College, who became lieutenant governor of Michigan from 1848 to 1852."2 As above suggested, the position of the early settle- ments on the Shiawassee River was influenced by the northern branch of the Grand River Trail. The southern branch of that trail marked a line of settle- ments extending in a northwesterly direction across the present county of Livingston. Between 1833 and 1837 embryo village centers were established at Brigh- ton, Howell and Livingston; the original streets of the first two commemorate in their names the position of the village on this old Indian highway. ^^^ 109. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 483, 485. 110. Ibid., XII, 386-387 for a description of the original environ- ment of Conmna. There appears to have been good water power, though Hubbard mentioned a steam mill in 1837. Building materials of limestone and sandstone were near. See Ibid., 383 and Blois, 269. 111. Memorials of a Half Century, 68; Gazetteer of Michigan, 285. 112. Michigan Biographies, 263. 113. History of Livingston County, 140, 202. See Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 483, for the position of the northern branch of this trail. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 391 The first prospecting in this region appears to have been due to the estabhshment of the new county of Livingston ;^^^ at least in the same year (1833) the first prospector came to the site of Howell. He is said to have been by trade a butcher, from Hughsonville, New York, who had come to Michigan to visit his father and brothers in Salem Township, in Washtenaw. Ap- parently on advice obtained there he moved north- ward by the Indian trail, "^ and was followed soon by others, largely from the older neighboring counties, and from New York.^^° The first proprietors of the village plat of Howell were Detroit parties ;^^^ one of them is said to have named the village from a friend of his birthplace. Judge Thomas Howell, of Canandaigua, New York.118 The prospecting of 1833-34 was succeeded by rapid settlement in 1835-37. At "Livingston Center," as Howell was for some time commonly known, the prospective county seat was platted in 1835, on 120 acres of beautiful oak openings. ^^^ In that year there 114. March 21, 1833. Territorial Laws, III, 993. 115. Crittenden, History of Howell, 11-12; History of Livingston County, 136; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 176. The prospector was John D. Pinclcney. 116. The New York counties most frequently mentioned by Crittenden as sources of the first settlers are Ontario, Herkimer, Cattaraugus and Livingston. The first tavern keeper at Howell was from Geneseo, Livingston County, New York. Crittenden, History of Howell, 18. A few Scotch settlers are mentioned among the early arrivals at Howell. History of Livingston County, 138, 141. 117. Ibid., 139; Michigan Biographies, 202. These are said to have been Flavius Crane and Edward Brooks, the former a native of Canandaigua, New York. 118. Crittenden, History of Howell, 17; History of Livingston County, 140; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 177. 119. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 177. 392 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS seems to have been but one log house on the site/^° but in the fall of the next year the erection of a two- story frame hotel indicated expectation of a decided increase in settlers and prospectors.^-^ By the close of 1837 some fifty families and single persons are said to have settled there.^^- Among the chief retarding influences in the early settlement of Howell were the high prices at which speculators held village lots, and the county-seat contest with the rival village of Brighton. As an index to speculation, there were one hundred and thirty-seven village lots assessed to nonresidents in 1837^-''^ at which time there were within the corporate limits as they existed in 1880 only fifteen resident tax- payers. The struggle over the county seat is said to have delayed the erection of suitable county build- ings at Howell for a number of years and to have decisively dampened the ardor of private enter- prize.^-^ 120. See Alvin L. Crittenden's account of his arrival in that year and of the environment of the village site. History of Livingston County, 139. There appear to have been eighteen settlers in that year in the township. 121. Crittenden, History of Howell, 32; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXI, 372; XXXVIII, 177. The postofhce was established there in January of that year. Crittenden, Hist, of Howell, 21. At the town meeting of that year in April, which included voters for many miles around, thirty-six votes were cast. Ibid., 25. 122. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 188-189. 123. History of Livingston County, 143. Lots were assessed at the uniform price of $25 each. 124. The county buildings were not erected until 1847. Critten- den, History of Howell, 56-57; History of Livingston County, 30-31; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 180. Brighton first assumed the character of a village with the opening of a log tavern in 1836, the village being THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 393 By 1837 Livingston County had developed a fair quota of ''mill towns." Brighton and Howell each are credited by Blois with a flouring mill, a sawmill and a store. ^-^ The village of Livingston about which much less is heard in pioneer records, was according to his description quite their equal in settlement, be- ing five miles nearer to Detroit than either, and on what appears to have been an excellent supply of water power from a srnall branch of the Huron River called Woodruff's Creek. ^^^ In the same vicinity on another power site and on the "state road" from Pon- tiac to Ann Arbor is mentioned Green Oakville, a set- tlement of twelve or fifteen families.^" On Portage River, another branch of the Huron, was the village of Unadilla, with two sawmills^ -^ — the only village center in the southwestern party of the county. The power for all of the mills at these vil ages was supplied by branches of the Huron at short distances from the main stream in Washtenaw County, which gave these settlements a natural affiliation with the Washtenaw villages of Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Dexter. ^^^ The county seat and central position of Howell made 124. Con. platted in the following year. History of Livingston County, 201. Its first settlers were from New York. 125. Gazetteer, 254, 302. "Benton" is probably Brighton. 126. Ihid., 313. 127. Ihid., 297. 128. Ihid., 375. A settlement appears to have been made there as early as 1828. History of Livingston County, 19. 129. This land was part of Washtenaw County until the estab- Hshment of Livingston County in 1833. Territorial Laws, I, 334. Many of the first settlers were from Wash- tenaw County. The first store at Howell (1837) was established from Ann Arbor. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 178. 394 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS it not only the peer of its rivals in trade, but like Shiawassee it appears to have early become for a wide circle of country a favorite social center. Hon. Jerome W. Turner is quoted as once saying, "Men from the East who had no design of settling here, staged it out from Detroit, or over from Dexter, to spend a few days in laughing." He tells of an acquaintance in New York who said "he was accustomed to travel through almost every town in the United States large enough to hold a meeting house without finding one that could equal Howell for fun." It was "a town from the start with a grin on its countenance which never relaxed but continually flowed into guffaws. "^^° The practical isolation of a large part of the Saginaw country because of the difficulties of communication and transportation, was long a serious drawback to its settlement In 1822 a party headed by Harvey Williams, who is reported to have been a man of much determination, is said to have required eight days to transport four tons of supplies from Detroit to the troops at Saginaw, and though at the time he was strongly impressed with the possibilities of the region it was twelve years (1834) before he saw enough to induce him to live "in a wilderness forty miles from civilization. "^^^ In 1834 the national military turn- pike over the old Indian trail reached the embryo vil- lage of Flint. ^'^^ A decade of work on it had not much 130. Crittenden, History of Howell, 44-45. 131. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 25. 132. This turnpike, later known as the Saginaw Road, was be- gun by a detachment of United States troops in the year of Williams' trip. Mich. Hist. Coll., VII, 252; History of Genesee County, 39. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 395 improved it, according to the experience of Judge Albert Miller, who says that though he was offered strong inducements to settle in Flint in the spring of 1831 he bought a farm, in Grand Blanc rather than continue the journey through the woods to that place. ^•''^ In the year in which the road reached Flint a bridge was built over the river in line with the present Saginaw Street, which is said to have been an important cir- cumstance in helping to fix the center of the virage''at that point. ^^^ The last work done on the road by the National Government (1835) extended it five miles north of Flint, from which point the State completed it to Saginaw in 1841.^^'^ When Michigan became a State there appears to have been between Saginaw and Detroit a barely passable wagon road. The most prominent wagon route west of the Sag- inaw Turnpike was one branching off at Pontiac early known as the "Pontiac and Grand River Road," which led through the northeastern corner of Living- 133. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 139. In 1830 the journey of a settler from Pontiac over the route to Flint is said to have taken three days. History of Genesee County, 121. 134. Ibid., 120. Game and fish had attracted the Indians to this ford, called by the French the "Grand Traverse." Todd's ferry is mentioned above. See History of Genesee County, 119, 122. For the project of the "Northern Railroad" see Ihid., 43-44. The first locomotive ap- pears not to have reached Flint until 1863. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 439. 135. About 1849-50 a new impulse was given to the improvement of this road between Saginaw and Pontiac to make con- nections with the railroad then completed from Pontiac to Detroit. History of Genesee County, 132, 476. See Session Laws (1849), 241 for act authorizing a road be- tween the German settlements. This region also felt the impulse to plank-road building as early as 1847. History of Genesee County, 40-41. 396 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS ston County and near there became one with the northern fork of the Grand River Trail. ^^"^ Frequent mention is found in pioneer records of a trail leading from Owosso to Saginaw, apparently that traversed by the trader Williams and Chief Wasso in 1833.^" The State projects of the "Northern Railroad" and "North- ern Wagon Road" marked the beginnings of an at- tempt to secure direct travel between Flint and Cor- tmna.-^'^^ The main line of the Grand River Trail ran north- westward from Detroit almost diagonally through the center of Livingston County. ^^^ Its northern fork, above mentioned as meeting the trail from Pontiac, branched off near Howell, while the main tra,il be- came approximately the line of the national turnpike known as the "Grand River Road," by which the earliest settlers came to Livingston County from De- troit. ^'*° The last money appropriated by the National Government to improve this line of travel was spent just before the admission of the State in clearing its course a little west of Howell. ^^^ In 1838 a primitive 136. Apparently this was the route taken by the founders of Ionia in 1833. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Coun- ties, 25. 137. Ibid., 25, 140. 138. Ibid., 32. The State expended some $60,000 on this work, which was suspended during the hard times following the panic of 1837. 139. History of Livingston County, 51. 140. Crittenden, History of Howell, 9; History of Livingston County, 19. 141. Ibid., 51. By 1840 little if any of it was graded west of Brighton, but the abandonment of the "Northern Wagon Road" about that time turned the aid of the State to- wards it. Shortly afterwards a primitive stage line of lumber wagons is said to have been started between Howell and the vicinity of Lansing. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 397 stage line began to run between Howell and Detroit, the trip one way apparently requiring the better part of a week.^'^'' The rivers of the Saginaw country furnished an abundance of water power, and they aided in the raft- ing of logs and lumber ; but excepting the main channel of the Saginaw they appear to have been little help to the settler in the transportation of goods and sup- plies. There are many reports of early attempts to use them. Efforts were made by the State and by private companies to improve their navigability, but without much success. ^"^^ The apparent prospect of success undoubtedly helped to secure settlers in many localities in days when resources seemed abundant and the spirit of enterprize was at high tide, particularly as much was hoped from the plan to unite by canal the main streams of the Saginaw and the Grand River 142. Crittenden, History of Howell, 50; History of Livingston County, 22; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 179. A plank road appears to have been completed between Howell and Detroit in 1850. Crittenden, History of How- ell, 79. Howell seems to have had eariy connections with Kensington in Oakland County by a mail route (1836) and by dependence upon the physician there. Later the route by way of Lyon or Royal Oak seems to have been commonly taken between Howell and Detroit. History of Livingston County, 19, 138. 143. Several thousand dollars spent on the Shiawassee River made it sufficiently navigable for a cargo of 200 bbls. of flour to be floated at favorable stages of water from Owosso to Saginaw about 1837-39. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 486; History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 31; Session Laws (1837), 171. Projects for navigating the Flint began about 1839. History of Genesee County, 41. A note {Ibid., 133) quotes from a Flint paper of March 27, 1852, "Port of Flint — Arrivals and Departures. — Departed, scow, 'Kate Hayes,' Captain Charles Mather." 398 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS valleys. ^^"* In 1837 shipbmlding appears to have made a slight beginning at Saginaw."^ The accounts of the early mills of the Saginaw country are as numerous as the mills were important to the settlers. When transportation was so difficult and flour and lumber were products of prime necessity it was the desire of settlers to be near a mill, and the founders of villages naturally chose mill sites that fur- nished the most abundant and cheapest power. Es- pecially was this true in a region where it was foreseen that lumbering would be a chief future industry. The nearest mills for the earliest settlers were in the vicin- ity of Pontiac and Ann Arbor, but by 1837 mills had been built at all of the chief villages. The first saw mills in the region, on the Thread River in the Grand Blanc settlement south of Flint, are said to have been built as early as 1828 and 1S30}^' In 1832 ten thou- sand feet of pine lumber bought at one of these mills is said to have been floated down the Flint River to the vicinity of Saginaw to build a frame house, ap- parently the first in that region. ^^'^ The first gristmill of the region, also on the Thread (1834), appears to have made that site for several years an objective point for a wide circle of country. ^^^ The first mill built at Saginaw, about 1835, appears to have been 144. This project was abandoned in 1839 after an expenditure of over $20,000, but its possibilities led a private company to contemplate it a decade later. Session Laws (1849), 196. 145. History of Saginaw County, 451. 146. History of Genesee County; 117. Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 242. 147. Ibid., 117, note. Purchased by Eleazer Jewett at Stev- ens' mill. 148. Ibid., 132. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 399 run by steam. ^^^ But the days of profitable lumber- ing were distant; it is said that there were not by 1850 a half dozen sawmills in Saginaw County ;^^° lumbering had perforce to await the era of the railroad and an eastern market. Besides "going to mill," there were other pioneer trade relations between the larger and smaller settle- ments. Naturally these relations were determined mainly by the easiest routes of travel. Saginaw and Flint obtained supplies from Pontiac, though Saginaw got them sometimes from Detroit directly by water. ^^^ The settlements on the Shiawassee traded first with Howell, Ann Arbor and Detroit and later with Pon- tiac. ^^^ Considering the difficulties of transportation, prices were in general not high before the panic ;^^^ stock had to be driven in from Ohio;^^'^ wheat sold in Livingston County before 1838 at $2 per bushel. ^^^ But actual suffering existed in 1837 in that coimty, and panic prices prevailed; according to the reminiscences 149. The "Emerson Mill," built by the Williams brothers. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 25; VII, 243; see History of Saginaw County, 383-85 for an accoimt of the early mills and lumbering of that comity. See also History of Genesee Cotmty, 132-133; History of Shiawassee and Clinton Coim- ties, 151; History of Livingston County, 21, 141; Critten- den, History of Howell, 28, 61. 150. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 498. 151. Ibid., II, 485; VII, 388, 393. 152. Ibid., II, 486. The supplies of the Rochester company at Owosso (1837) were sent by the water route to Saginaw. Ibid., II, 485. 153. A long Hst of store prices for 1831-32 at Saginaw is given in the History of Saginaw County (p. 236). Flour was $7.31 per bbl. 154. Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 393. 155. History of Livingston County, 23. Conditions were changed by the abundant harvest of 1838. 400 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS of a contemporary there were families that Hved for days on boiled acorns and fish cooked and eaten with- out salt or fat.^^^ The extravagant speculation and "frenzied finance" which heralded the panic of 1837 made almost all conditions of life in the Saginaw country as elsewhere in the Territory abnormal. Much of the most desirable land was taken up by speculators without any inten- tion to settle upon it. In the History of Shiawassee and Cli7iton Counties examples are given of properties which these "land sharks" would buy one day at the Government price of $1.25 per acre and hold the next day at $5.^" It is said that at Howell in Livingston County the high-priced holdings of nonresident specu- lators in 1847 were so extensive as to cause the new courthouse to be built on an addition. ^^^ A counter- part of the land speculations was the so called "wild- cat" banking, of which a typical description is given in the History of Genesee Coiinty}^^ The panic is said to have reduced the population of Saginaw from nine hundred to about four hrmdred and fifty, and it was 1841 before a favorable reaction began to be felt in that coimty.^*^" The distribution of population in the Saginaw coun- try bore undoubtedly some relation to the organiza- 156. Ibid., 22. 157. Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 483; History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 121. 158. Crittenden, History oj Howell, 58. It became the village center and shifted the principal part of the village away from the original site. 159. p. 137. ^ee Sil^o Mich. Hist. Colls., Yll,3>96-Z9?>. 160. History of Saginaw County, 605, 607. See also Mich. Hist. Colls., VII, 240. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 401 tion of counties and townships there. In 1822 when the garrison was established at Saginaw in consequence of the Indian treaty of 1819, the whole of the Saginaw region was divided into the counties of Lapeer, Shia- wassee and Saginaw, all with extensive boundaries. ^"^^ It has been estimated that in 1830 there were not more than a hundred people in the three counties,^*^^ none of which had sufficient population to call for separate county government until 1835^*^^ — Shiawassee not until 1837. ^'^■^ The increase of population in the vicinity of Flint and Grand Blanc is indicated by the establish- ment and organization of Genesee County in 1835-36, out of territory originally in the older counties. ^°^ Livingston County, established in 1833, was organized but a few days later than Genesee."'^ The first township government organized in the Saginaw country was significant of the beginning of settlement at the future site of Saginaw City. This was the township of Saginaw, coextensive with the county as laid out in 1822.^" At the first township 161. By proclamation of Governor Cass, September 10, 1822. Territorial Laws, I, 333-3S4:. The boundaries of Saginaw County were readjusted March 2, 1831. Territorial Laws, III, 872. 162. Mainly in the neighborhood of FHnt, and most of these were probably French-Canadian trappers and traders. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 359; VII, 232, for the settlers along the Saginaw trail north of Pontiac. The barest beginnings had been made in the southern part of Livingston County. History of Livingston County, 19-20. 163. Territorial Laws, III, 1348, 1349. 164. Session Laivs (1837), 106. 165. Territorial Laws, III, 1416. Session Laws (1835-36), 66. 166. Territorial Laws, III, 993; Session Laws (1835-36), 65. 167. July 12, 1830. Territorial Laws, III, 818. 51 402 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS meeting in the spring of 1831 there are said to have been cast only a few over a dozen votes i^*^^ two years later, the vicinity of Flint and Grand Blanc was recog- nized as a growing center of settlement by the organiza- tion of the first township south of Saginaw^^^ — the name of Grand Blanc for the township points probably to the settlement on Thread River as being in contem- porary opinion more important than -the one at Flint. In the following year (1834) the settlement in the southeastern corner of Lapeer County secured organ- ized government as Mia (Bristol) Township ;^^° and there was apparently scattered settlement elsewhere in Lapeer County, as in the same year the remainder was organized in the large township of Lapeer. ^'^^ In the meantime the population of Saginaw Township, as recorded in the History of Saginaw County purporting to give the census of 1834, had increased to 303.^^^ The year of the cholera epidemic (1834) was not auspicious for the beginning of the new settlements in Livingston County, but in the spring of 1835 three townships were organized in the county, which indicates apparently that settlers had come in rapidly. ^^^ The 168. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXII, 451, 453. The meeting took place after the readjustment of the boundaries in March, 1831. See Territorial Laws, III, 872. 169. March 9, 1833. Territorial Laws, III, 985. 170. March 7, 1834. Ibid., Ill, 1277. The name was changed to Bristol in December of that year, after its most promi- nent settler. Ibid., Ill, 1333. 171. December 30, 1834. Territorial Laws, III, 1339. The southeastern comer was included in Grand Blanc Town- ship the preceding year. 172. p. 457. 173. March 17 and 26. Territorial Laws, III, 1368, 1404. The southwestern township of Unadilla included the present northwestern township of Washtenaw County (Lyndon, organized March 23, 1836). THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 403 position of these townships shows that the settlements were mainly in the southern part of the county, though settlers are said to have entered the northern part in 1834."^ In the following year (1836) along with ex- tensive speculations, the population is said to have increased more than five-fold ;^^^ and the spring of that year, before the opening of active immigration, saw three new townships organized — two of them in the south and east.^'^'^ The organization of other townships in 1836 shows an increase of settlement on the Flint and Shiawassee rivers. In that spring was organized Shiawassee Town- ship, coterminous with the county. ^^^ The settlement at Flint became the center of a new township north of .Grand Blanc, ^^^ while south of the latter the settle- ment at Fenton was recognized in the township of Argentine. ^'^^ The formation of Atlas and Hadley townships shows increasing settlement in the south and southwest of Lapeer County, which had apparently spread eastward from Grand Blanc and northward from Oakland. ^^'^ By the spring of 1837 the growth of settlement called for separate township government in several parts of all of these counties, excepting Saginaw. In Lapeer 174. History of Livingston County, 20. 175. Ihid., 21. 176. Session Laws (1835-36), 77. 177. March 23, 1836. Ibid., 78. A year before, the settle- ments there had been attached for township purposes to Grand Blanc (March 26, 1835). Territorial Laws, III, 1404. 178. March 2, 1836. Session Laws (1835-36), 67. 179. July 26, 1836. Ibid., 80. 180. March 23, 1836, Ibid., 77. 404 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS County the township of Lomond completed the row of townships along the south bordering upon the north- ern townships of Oakland County. ^^^ Another town- ship, Richfield, was added next to the older settle- ments of Genesee County. ^^^ The central and north- ern parts of Lapeer County seem still to have been comparatively unsettled. According to the State cen- sus of 1837 the coimty contained 2,602 people. ^^'^ On the Saginaw Road in Genesee County the large townships of Flint and Grand Blanc were in 1837 sub- divided, the latter taking the area of a surveyed town- ship and containing by the census more than a fourth of the population of the county, about half as many people as the total of Shiawassee j^^'^ but a comparison with the population of the Flint settlement is only, roughly possible on the basis of the census, since that township had exactly six times the area of Grand Blanc. ^^^ The third important center of settlement in Genesee County, with double the area of Grand Blanc, 181. March 11, 1837, Session Laws (1837), 39. 182. Ibid., 35. 183. Exclusive of the township of Richfield. The population is not given by townships. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 71. According to Michigan House Documents, No. 9, (E), 52, the tract of country between Lapeer and the St. Clair River was entirely unsettled. 184. Grand Blanc, poptdation 691. Its area was reduced by the formation of Mundy Township, March 11, 1837. Session Laws (1837), 36. The population of the latter, con- taining double the area of Grand Blanc, was 234. Mich- igan Legislative Manual (1838), 71. 185. The large township of Flint occupied the center of the county, having been reduced by the fonnation of Vienna Township at the north. Session Laws (1837), 42. Their populations were respectively 1,288 and 107. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 71. THE SAGINAW COUNTRY 405 contained about two-thirds as many people. ^^^ The total population of the county was somewhat larger than that of Lapeer on the east, which had double the area ; and it was about twice that of Shiawassee on the west, whose area was about its equal. If the creation of townships may be taken as an indication, the population of Shiawassee County had increased rapidly within a year, and the relative size of the township suggests that the greater number of people were in the southeast along the river. Two settlements there were of the area of surveyed town- ships.^" The township of Burns in the southeastern corner included the oldest settled lands in the county, and the township of Vernon^ ^^ immediately above it included the settlement about "Shiawassee town." The remainder of the southern half of the county re- tained the name of the original township, while the northern half was organized as the new township of Owosso.^^^ The population of Shiawassee County was a little more than that of Saginaw, which still had but one township for the whole county, with less than a thousand people. ^^° The population of Livingston County by the same census was 5,029,^^^ more than one-half of which was in the southeastern quarter. Settlement was sparsest in the northwest, about equal in the northeast and 186. Argentine, population 434. Population of the county 2,754. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 71. 187. Session Laws (1837), 38. 188. Ibid., 40. 189. Ibid., 36. 190. Shiawassee, population 1,184; Saginaw, population 920. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 75. 191. Ibid., 72. 406 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS southwest; nearness to the older settlements in Oak- land and Washtenaw apparently were the chief in- fluences determining this distribution. Before the cen- vSus was taken there were formed four new townships ;^^- but the entire northwestern quarter of the county was left as the township of Howell, which contained the county seat; its population, 442, was probably mainly gathered in its southeastern corner, about- the county seat village of Howell. 192. March 11, 18, 20. Session Laws (1837), 39, 42, 43, 141. CHAPTER VIII The Grand River Region T^HE first attention given to the Grand River re- gion after the Indian treaty of 1821 looking to- ward agricultural settlement, was in 1829, when Eaton, Barry and Ingham counties were established by the same act of the Territorial legislature as the south- western counties along the Chicago and Territorial roads. ^ Three years later the counties of Ottawa, Kent, Ionia, CHnton, Montcalm and Gratiot received similar attention,^ but none of these counties had township organization before 1835 except Kent, of which the part south of the Grand River was organized as Kent Township in 1834.^ The first counties of this section were not organized until 1836-37.'* The original physical conditions of the section were on the whole the same as now with a few changes of consequence in the timbered lands and in the immedi- ate vicinity of important centers of population. The larger part of the soil of Kent County was of the class found in the oak openings.^ About one -third of the 1. Territorial Laws II, 735. 2. Ibid., Ill, 871. 3. Ibid., Ill, 1275. 4. Kent, March 24, 1836, Session Laivs, 65. The two present northern tiers of townships were not a part of the county until 1840, Session Laius, 196; Ionia, March 18, 1837, Session Laws, 97; Eaton and Ottawa, December 29, 1837, Session Laws, 9. 5. Blois, Gazetteer, 226. 408 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS county, mainly the western part, appears to have been heavily forested with black walnut, beech, sugar- maple and white-wood.*^ North of Grand River there was heavy pine which furnished the early supply of tractable wood for the furniture industry at Grand Rapids.'^ The early lumbering industry and the slow- ness of agricultural settlement there is seen in the growth of the township of Nelson.^ There appear to have been at least four large Indian clearings in this county, all of them on the Grand River; one at the mouth of the Flat River (Lowell), another at the mouth of the Thornapple (Ada), a third at the rapids of the Grand (Grand Rapids), and a fourth at "Little Prairie" ( Grand ville).^ At these points there was early to be found along with the Indian village the trading post of the American Fur Company. The primitive environment of Grand Rapids is quite fully given in a well-known recent account. ■^'^ The place presented originally a view that must have been very attractive to settlers; a valley about a mile and a half in width threaded by the waters of the Grand River was surrounded by forest-clad hills ; the h^avie^ timber was on the bottom lands; on the higher lands lay the oak openings; pine was interspersed among these timbers at intervals, and among bearers of wild fruit flourished the wild plum tree and the grape vine. 6. Ibid., 226. Cf. Everett, Memorials of the Grand River Val- ley, (1878), 41. 7. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, II, 1036. 8. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 111 . 9. Ibid., 40; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 215, 216. 10. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 18-24. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 409 Productive gardens have now been made of the neighboring swamps. It is a striking illustration of the marked changes often made in the local environ- ment of large population centers that where the post office now is in Grand Rapids, it is said originally there was a swamp covering about an acre.^^ The chief geological feature of the valley at the site of Grand Rapids was the exposure of a large area of subcarboniferous limestone, a ledge of which formed the rapids in the river and created an immense water power. ^- There is said to have been originally between Pearl and Leonard streets about eighteen feet of de- scent in these rapids. ^•'^ Besides the soil, this water power and the neighboring forests appear to be the strongest factors in the early rapid settlement of Grand Rapids. The topography and soil of Ottawa County was formed by sand drifted in from Lake Michigan and by deposits from the Grand River, ^'^ and this general char- acter of the county seems to have been early known in the East. "The country along the eastern branch of Lake Michigan," says the geographer MeHsh, writ- ing in 1822, "is ge-nerally sandy and barren. On the bank of the Grand River, however, there are some of 11. Ihid., 23. One of the small lakes (Reed's Lake, named for Ezra Reed, a settler of about 1834) is now a well-known pleasure resort for the city. Ibid., 166. 12. Charles A. Whittemore, in Michigan Academy of Science, First Report (1894-1899), 62-65. 13. Goss, History oj Grand Rapids, I, 21. 14. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 21; there is a fairly ac- curate popular account of the geology, surface and soil of Ottawa County in the History of Ottawa County, 16-17, 26. For a description of the sand dunes of this shore see above, Chapter I. 410 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the finest tracts of farming land in the Territory. "^^ In another report it is observed that the high banks of Grand River disappear a short distance below Grand Rapids, where the country assumes a level sandy surface of from twenty to fifty feet above the lake.^*^ The same report notes also a rich growth of pine and hemlock; extensive oak openings reached several miles back from the river, favoring land transportation — the trees were far enough apart for wagons or loads of hay to pass among them easily. ^^ These descriptions correspond to those given by Blois.^^ The site of the first important settlement in the county would be ex- pected near the harbor at the mouth of the Grand River. The soil of Ionia County is described as a black rich sandy loam, free from stones, naturally arable and fitted for grazing. ^^ The points earliest to attract set- tlers were naturally the Indian clearings at the junc- tions of tributary streams with the Grand River. A clearing near the mouth of Prairie Creek was destined to be the site of the city of Ionia^° about two miles from the center of the county. ^^ Its selection seems to have been partially determined by desire to secure the county seat, for there was comparatively little water power at that point; the first mill was built on Prairiei 15. Melish, Geographical Description of the United States, (ed. 1822), p. 389. 16. Michigan House Documents (1837), No. 9 (E), p. 55. 17. History oj Ottawa County, 20. 18. Blois, Gazetteer, 235. 19. Ibid., 111. 20. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 35, 40. 21. History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 137. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 411 Creek." Descriptions of the site of Lyons at the mouth of the Maple River suggest that of Grand Rapids, a fertile picturesque valley surrounded by hills overlooking the river, which afforded a fine water power. ^^ As at Grand Rapids, there appears to have been an early trading post at this point. The lands at the mouth of the Lookingglass River also seem to have early attracted traders and settlers. ^^ The impression which prospective agricultural set- tlers could have derived from Blois' description of Eaton County was not wholly favorable. As to the soil, it is described favorably as in the main a calcare- ous sandy loam with a thick covering of vegetable mould ;-^ but for the timber, he agrees with all early reports of the prospective difficulties for the farmer, that the land was heavily forested excepting a narrow strip at the south. The county lay in a belt of heavy forest which extended through Barry County on the west and Ingham County on the east, and which ma- terially retarded the settlement of those counties as well. A pioneer writer who has told much about early conditions in Eaton County quotes the report of the commissioners who located the county seat in 1833 as saying, that "the major part of this county is of the best quality of timbered land, possessing a great variety of soil and timber, generally well watered, and invit- ing to the emigrant who prefers a timbered farm.""*"' 22. Ibid., 147. The later manufacturing there seems to have received its first impulse with the introduction of steam power about 1850. 23. Ibid., 237. 24. The site of the present village of Portland. 25. Blois, Gazetteer, 219. 26. Edward W. Barber, in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 344. 412 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS A narrow strip of oak openings extended across the southern end of the county below the heavily tim- bered area. The site of Belle vue lay at its northern edge on Battle Creek at a point favored with a degree of water power." A second opening into the timber was in the southeast near the site of Eaton Rapids. ^^ The few openings in the forest were among the first spots to attract settlers. The site of Charlotte near the center of the county was on a beautiful prairie of nearly a section of land, a favorite planting ground of the Indians where many trails crossed. ^^ Vermontville Township, where was founded an important New Eng- land colony, is said to have resembled parts of the Champlain Valley of Vermont, and its selection for a Vermont settlement appears to have been influenced by this circumstance. "° Building material besides tim- ber was furnished by a quarry of sandstone in the northeastern part of the county and by an abundant deposit of limestone in the vicinity of Bellevue.^^ Among the instructions to the agents of a colony from Rochester, New York, which settled in Clinton County in 1836 it is suggested, "You may be suited on the Thorn Apple River. We learn that there is a valuable tract of land near the center of Barry County ;" the agents later reported, "Went to Barry County. We went but soon returned. Got satisfied that it was 27. Ibid., Ill, 385; XXIX, 345. 28. Ibid., XXIX, 385. 29. Ibid., XXIX, 365. 30. Ibid., XXIX, 382. 31. In later days the mineral springs at Eaton Rapids gained for that place a considerable reputation. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 427. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 413 too heavily timbered, and rough, broken land, for us. "^^ The heavy timber appears to have been as in Eaton County mainly in the northern and eastern parts, the west being quite open. The sites of Yankee Springs and Middleville were in the oak openings^^ and the name of the present southwestern township of Prairie- ville bears witness to the original open character of that neighborhood. Its openness is further shown by the numerous lakelets of that region characteristic of extensive oak openings. The principal source of water power in Barry County was the Thornapple and its branches, to which was due largely the comparatively early dates of settlement at Middleville and Hastings. The early physical environment of Clinton County was characterized by a comparatively level surface, good soil, extensive forests, and excellent water power on the Grand, the Maple and the Lookingglass.^'' In the water power is found the main explanation of the first settlements made in the county. The landscape at the junction of the Grand and the Prairie rivers, a site of one of the earliest settlements, is said to have been impressive in its beauty. Portions of the county, especially the southeast, appear to have had originally much swamp land. Another heavily timbered area of this section was Ingham County, which however had many plains and openings. The water power was good, especially at 32. Ibid., V, 330; History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 424. 33. History of Allegan and Barry Counties (1880), 486, 514- Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 303. 34. Blois, Gazetteer, 218; History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 331, 403, 405. 414 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the site of Lansing. Its soil was miich like that of the adjacent counties. Near Lansing the land was comparatively level and the soil was a sandy and clayey loam. In places there was clay enough for making bricks; quantities of marl could be found in the lowlands; sand and gravel were plentiful; the boulder drift furnished building stone and the soil was excellent for cereals and fruits. But the heavy timber caused the coimtry to be long without actual settlers. Probably the earliest accounts of the Grand River region that gained the attention of intending agricul- tural settlers in the East were those emanating from the United States survey ors.^^ A Detroit paper of 1826 mentions the return of Lucius Lyon from a four months' surveying expedition through that region and gives a brief description of the lands about the rapids of the Grand River. Doubtless some vague reports may have emanated from the Indian mission which was located at these rapids, or from the furtraders. The early gazeteers consulted in the East, especially those of Melish, showed a general knowledge of the region that was fairly accurate. Some accounts were detrimentally misrepresentative of the whole of the in- terior of Michigan. But the Grand River region seems to have been thought distant and unpromising as com- pared with lands on the south and east, which were not only easier to reach but nearer to growing markets and developing lines of transportation. 35. Michigan Herald, April 26, 1826. Antedating these reports by some years the "Sciawassa Exploring Party" seems to have visited the Grand River country. See their proposed itinerary in the Detroit Gazette for October 5, 1821, and their Journal in the same paper for November 9, 1821, and subsequent issues. Ijjirr ""T;:ij:^^?sr" --r-m mT-m--\ lllil-f 1 3 r 9 < 2 s THE GRAND RIVER REGION 415 The earliest actual investigation made by a pros- pector who contemplated settlement in the Grand River region appears to be that reported in the De- troit Journal and Micliigan Advertiser for November 9, 1831. This practical farmer, purporting to have been a resident some ten years in the Territory and well acquainted with it, is quoted as follows: "The land adjoining it [the Grand River] is exceedingly fertile, abounding with prairies of the richest alluvial soil. The largest corn I ever saw was that raised by the Indians on these prairies. Many hundred farms might be conducted here, all of the best kind, and there would be but little choice. A gentleman who is now surveying the country and who is extensively ac- quainted in almost every part of the Territory accords with me in the opinion that the Grand River country, taking all its advantages into consideration, is the finest portion of our new Territory." The routes taken by pioneers to the Grand River region were principally four; the so-called "Northern Route," the Grand River Road, the Territorial Road and the Great Lakes. The "Northern Route," ex- tended from Pontiac westward across Shiawassee, Clin- ton and Ionia counties. ^"^ Though its difficulties pre- vented it from being the usual line of travel to and from the Grand River region, it appears to have been the earliest taken, a choice showing the closeness of rela- tion between the Grand and the Saginaw valleys in the minds of pioneers. The short portage between the trib- utaries of the two river systems seems to have been early known, as appears for example in the projected 36. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 34. 416 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS itinerary of the "Sciawassa Exploring Company" in 1821." The exploration of 1831 reached the Grand by way of the Lookingglass.^^ The founder of the Ionia colony probably took a route near to this in 1832. According to an account left by his daughter,^^ he led his colonists from Detroit northward over the Saginaw Road to Pontiac, thence to the present village of Corunna; from which place, says another account, they hewed the way for their oxteams through the forest to the Grand.'*" John Ball, a prominent early settler of Grand Rapids, is said to have passed over this route in 1836, finding it a day's journey from house to house between Ionia and PontiaC*^ The eastern part of this route was the natural one for the early settlers of Clinton County,^- though its first set- tlers, who are said to have come from Ann Arbor, ap- parently moved northward directly across the inter- vening country.'*^ The middle route, along the Indian trail through Ingham and Livingston counties, appears to have been used little by settlers in reaching the Grand River 37. Detroit Gazette, October 5, 1821. 38. Detroit Journal and Michigan Advertiser, November 9, 1831. 39. Mrs. Prudence Tower, in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 146. 40. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 470, following the Detroit Post and Tribune of June 1, 1878. An Indian trail passed through the site of Lyons and the company was piloted by a French trader, who, it might be supposed, would fol- low it. 41. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, 1, 117. The line traveled by these pioneers seems to have been approximately that surveyed in 1837 for the Northern Railroad (Michigan House Documents (1837), No. 9 (E), 50-54), and now traversed by the Grand Trunk Railroad. 42. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 394, 424. 43. Mich. 'Hist. Colls., XVll,ilO. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 417 region before 1837. It was the shortest route, but it appears to have passed for much of its distance through heavy forests. It is said that the first wagon to pass through the region west of Howell was that of an Eaton County settler of 1836 who apparently took the line of this trail. ^^ A pioneer gives a reminiscence of a trip from Detroit to White Oak, Ingham County, in 1836 that is not flattering to the conditions of travel at that time in the vicinity of this road.^^ The route which was by far the most commonly used to reach the region of the Grand River was the Terri- torial Road, extending westward from Ann Arbor through the counties of Jackson, Calhoun and Kala- mazoo. Settlers branched off at the principal settle- ments on this road at Jackson, Marshall, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, and followed the Indian trails or threaded the openings. The earliest settlers went west as far as Gull and Goguac prairies before turning north- ward. The men who came to work on the canal at Grand Rapids in 1835 floated their famiHes and sup- plies thither from Jackson down the Grand River in flat bottomed scows; many settlers are said to have come later that way."**^ The first entrance into Eaton County was apparently made through the openings about the site of Bellevue.^^ Later, settlers left the 44. Michigan Biographies, 58. 45. Past and Present of Lansing and Ingham Cotmty, 9-20; from an article in the Ingham County News, April 5 and 12, 1872. The Territorial Road was followed as far as Ann Arbor. For a similar trip in 1838, see Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 189-190. 46. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, II, 886. 47. History of Ingliam and Eaton Counties, 351; Mich, Hist. Colls,, III, 385; XXXI, 187. 53 418 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS road at Jackson and entered at the southeastern cor- ner of the county through the more heavily wooded lands near the site of Eaton Rapids. An Indian trail led from Marshall through Bellevue and Vermont ville to lonia.^^ For teams, the forest north of Bellevue was almost impenetrable; in 1835 some forty settlers at Bellevue and Marshall subscribed $150 to cut a road over this trail; the work appears not to have gotten at that time beyond the site of Vermontville. The set- tlement of Vermontville in 1836 again emphasized the need of this road and by combined efforts it was con- tinued to lonia.^^ It was over the southern part of this road that the first post route in Eaton County was estabHshed betv/een Bellevue and Marshall.^ ° The earliest relations of Eaton Rapids and Charlotte with the settlements southward seem to have been through Jackson; those of Ionia, Vermontville and Bellevue were apparently made through Marshall. ^^ The site of Grand Rapids was reached first from the south through the western part of Barry County. An Indian trail from the Potawatomi village at Kalama- zoo led through Gull Prairie to the site of Yankee Springs, thence to Indian Middle Village and down the Thornapple River to its mouth at the site of Ada, where it connected with the trail along the Grand River through the sites of Ionia, Grand Rapids and Grand 48. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 20. 49. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 385. 50. Ibid., Ill, 384. John Ball, who returned from Detroit to Ionia in 1836 by the northern route as stated above made the going part of his journey over the southern route. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 117. 51. Bellevue was first settled through the activities of Marshall men. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 419 Haven. ^- This route through the open country ap- pears to have been the one that was usually taken by settlers on leaving the Territorial Road at Battle Creek or Kalamazoo for Grand Rapids. ^^ The first team to arrive at Grand Rapids with immigrants seems to have come over this route from Gull Prairie, ^^ and the first stage line from Grand Rapids to the Terri- torial Road appears to have followed the same to Battle Creek. ^^ From Yankee Springs, lines of travel branched off eastward to Hastings and westward to Otsego and Allegan; the Indian trail to Grand Rapids by way of Green Lake and Gaines was sometimes followed. ^^ The time consumed in traversing these several land rotites necessarily varied, depending on the season, the condition of the roads, the means of conveyance and 52. History of Barry County, 33. 53. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 34, 37. 54. History of Kent County, 218. According to Goss, the first teams to enter the Grand River Valley by way of Middle- ville came in 1832 to GrandA^Ue. History of Grand Rapids, I, 611. It is not stated whether these settlers came through Ada and Grand Rapids. In 1833 wagons loaded with provisions were driven to Grand Rapids across Gull Prairie by settlers of Sturgis in St. Joseph County. Mich. Hist. Colls., XVIII, 520. The builder of the first mill at Grand Rapids came in the same year by that route. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 289. The Ionia colony secured supplies from Gull Prairie, bringing them JDy wagon to the site of Middleville and from there in boats down the Thomapple and up the Grand River. Mich. Hist. Colls., XIV, 562. 55. History of Barry County, 514; Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 615. 56. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 34; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 303. A trail led to Grand Rapids from Allegan by way of Byron. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 34, 37. 420 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS many individual circumstances. The colonists led by Dexter over the northern route in 1833 are said to have been sixteen days in going with oxteams from Detroit to Ionia, but part of their time was consumed in cutting a way through heavy timber." To take thirty days to go to Detroit and return seems not to have been thought extraordinary in the winter of 1836,^^ though under favorable conditions the round trip seems to have been possible in less than one-half of that time.^^ The water route around by the Great Lakes and the Grand River was longer than any of the land routes and seems to have been favored mainly for the trans- portation of supplies. Yet settlers are said to have come to the Grand River region by that way as late as 1837.''° In 1833 the goods of the first settlers at Ionia were sent around by the Lakes ;^^ the first print- ing press reached Grand Rapids by that route, being brought up from Grand Haven on the ice by dog sleds. ^'- It is said that the early merchants of Ionia used to figure that it cost less to get their goods over the whole distance of the Lakes from New York to the mouth of the Grand River than it did to bring them from that point to Ionia. "^^ As settlement in- 57. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 370. 58. History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 141. 59. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 102; Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 37. These accounts appear to refer to the Territorial Road. 60. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 438; IX, 282. 61. Ibid., XIV, 560; XXVIII, 147. 62. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, II, 900. The load broke through into the river but the press was later recovered. 63. History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 145. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 421 creased, the primitive means of transportation on the river were succeeded by steamboats; in 1837, and for several years afterwards, a single steamboat running triweekly between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven appears to have sufficed for the needs of trade and passenger traffic.''^ The beginning of settlement in the lower Grand River Valley was in one respect like that in south- western Michigan in that the first nucleus of civiliza- tion there was a Baptist mission and a trading post; these were located near the two Indian villages at the rapids of the Grand River. ""'^ The Carey Mission in Berrien County and that on the Grand River were both the direct results of the Chicago Indian treaty of 1821/'*^ Their purpose in so far as it affected settle- ment is expressed in the instructions given by Lewis Cass to the missionary Isaac McCoy in 1822 — to make the Indians friendly to the Government and to the set- tlers and to protect them from the sale of whiskey." In the same year in which preparations were made to establish these missions John Scares, of New York City, was appointed to visit the Grand River and select a site for the mission; and between 1823 and 1826 Isaac McCoy of the Care}^ Mission made several visits to 64. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, II, 893. 65. A Catholic mission was established there in 1833, by Frederic Baraga. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 81, 90; II, 1240. In 1825, and later, provisions were brought from the Carey mission by lake and river. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 49. 66. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, 1, 47. 67. Rnd., I, 177. Scares seems to have selected a site some- where above Grand Rapids on the river. 422 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the region. '^^ , The lack of immediate success on the Grand River was owing to the attitude of the Indians, who at times, influenced by whiskey which they prob- ably secured from the traders, were unfriendly; they are said to have burned the blacksmith shop in 1824.'^^ In was not until 1827 when Leonard Slater and his wife came to take charge of the mission that the en- terprise can be regarded as firmly established. McCoy reports that the mission was "in a state of dilapida- tion" at the time of his vivsit in 1829.'^^ The presence of Slater and his wife, however, who are said to have been cultured people of strong character and whose work there covered the remainder of the Territorial period, could not but have been a wholesome influence for the early settlement of the place. ^^ 68. Ihid., I, 47, 48, 49, 77; McCoy, History of the Baptist Indian Missions, 292. 69. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 48. 70. McCoy, Indian Missions, 390. 71. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, 1,81; the mission lands after the Indian treaty of 1836 were sold and the proceeds divided, the Baptists receiving $12,000 and the Catholics $8,000. According to a writer in the Mich. Hist. Colls., XXV, 142, Leonard Slater was bom in Worcester, Mass- achusetts, being on his mother's side of Scotch parentage. His father is said to have been a member of the Boston Tea Party, and his micle the Slater who established the first cotton mill at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The birthplace of his wife is given by this writer as Claremont, New Hampshire. Goss gives it as Vermont. History of Grand Rapids, I, 78. The family had come to the Carey mission the year before their advent to the Grand River mission, and removed with the latter after the Indian treaty of 1836 to Barry County. See also Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 288 and Hist, of Kent County, 177. In 1852 Slater removed to Kalamazoo. In the Civil War he served as a hospital nurse, dying in 1866. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 80. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 423 The fur trade seems to have been prosecuted m the Grand River Valley at least as early as 1796; after the War of 1812 the earliest of the traders were Rix Robin- son and Louis Campau. The latter was a native of Detroit, who estabhshed a post at the rapids on the Grand at about the same time as the beginning of the Baptist mission and became a permanent and influen- tial settler of Grand Rapids.'^- Until the year 1833 the only white people who had come to the site of Grand Rapids or to any part of the lower Grand River Valley were the traders and the missionaries. The first land entered from the Grand River Valley appears to have been that taken up on the site of Grand Rapids in 1831 by the trader Louis Campau. '^■'^ A small mission sawmill was built there in 1832, and in the same year a postoffice was estab- lished of which the missionary Slater was the first postmaster.^"* In 1832 there were nine log cabins in the vicinity, built probably by the traders.'" 72. He had formerly been employed by Detroit merchants to trade with the Indians in the Saginaw Valley. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 74. There is a portrait of Campau as a frontispiece in Baxter's History of Grand Rapids. The family name is bonie by the present Cam- pau Square in Grand Rapids. See History of Muskegon and Ottawa Counties, 19-20, for a copy of Louis Campau's license as an Lidian trader, signed in 1822 by William Woodbridge. An account of Campau's fur trading is given on pp. 23f, of the same work. 73. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 82. 74. Ibid., I, 79, 564. 75. Ibid., I, 70. In Baxter's History of Grand Rapids (p. 52), there is an apparently authentic sketch of the Indian village, mission and trading post as they were in that year. Goss' description in History of Grand Rapids, 606-607, is apparently made from this sketch. 424 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS With the year 1833 there began a period of rapid growth in the settlement of Grand Rapids which lasted until the financial crisis of 1837.'^'' In 1833 vil- lage lots sold for $25 which brought $560 two years later. ^^ Two noteworthy impulses to settlement took place in 1833, the platting of the rival villages of Grand Rapids and Kent^^ and the accession of three families from the group recently established at Ionia. ^^ In that year there appear to have been at Grand Rapids rep- resentatives of nine white families. ^° By the follow- ing year a gristmill was built, a second sawmill, and the first frame house. ^^ In the years 1835-37 the population of Grand Rapids is estimated to have increased from about 100 to 1,000 people.^- The Detroit Daily Free Press for June 3, 76. This new impulse to Grand Rapids' settlement was about contemporary with that at Chicago and Milwaukee. 77. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 599. 78. By Louis Campau and Lucius Lyon, Government surveyors. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 2. 79. History of Kent County, 218. See letter of Joel Guild, dated at Grand Rapids, December 23, 1833, to his brother and sister. He was from West Winfield, Herkimer County, New York. 80. Mich. Hist. Colls., XVIII, 520. At the first township meet- ing April 4, 1834, nine votes were cast. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 244. 81. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, 564, 571; Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 289. This house was built by Joel Guild, who came in 1833. The liimber was sawed by the old mission mill. This building served both as a dwelling and as the first public inn. See Baxter's History of Grand Rapids, (p. 761), for the style of frame houses in 1834. 82. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 11. Blois, Gazetteer, 294. Goss considers 1,000 people a great exaggeration. History of Grand Rapids, I, 98. John Ball's estimate for 1837 is about 500. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 37. There seems to have been no careful census taken THE GRAND RIVER REGION 425 1836, estimates the population at about 500. The alleged advantages of the site were then rapidly gain- ing pubHcity. In the first number of The Grand River Times, which was pubHshed at Grand Rapids April 18, 1837, there appeared an article headed, "The Rochester of Michigan, "^^ in which the following claims upon the attention of settlers have significance. The site is first mentioned as a favorite with the Indians and the Indian traders; then comes a notice of the abundant water power, then faciHties for steam navigation on the river, the prospect of a canal to connect lake naviga- tion directly with Detroit, and easy connections with Chicago and Milwaukee; the excellence and abundance of timber and stone for building, the many natural springs, the purity of the water, and the fertility of the soil, follow; a description of the village is given, noting the extensive improvements already made, and the rising value of property; the healthfulness of the climate appears to have been regarded as a fitting climax. A report to the State legislature in 1837 de- clares, "This part of the country is being settled rapidly. The village of Kent is already an important point, and possesses many natural advantages, which is an earnest of its future augmentation in business 82. Con. until 1845. The Constitution of 1835 gave one rep- resentative to the counties of Ottawa, Kent, Ionia, and CHnton. John Ball's estimate places the number of voters in that district in the fall of 1837 at between 700 and 800. Mich. Htst. Colls., I, 214. 83. There is a copy of this nvmiber of the Grand River Times in the Grand Rapids Public Library. The article men- tioned is quoted in the Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 12-13. See also a notice of Grand Rapids in the Detroit Daily Free Press for June 3, 1836, which is claimed to be quoted from the Adrian Watchtower. 426 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS and population. "^^ Blois notes that the village ivS the seat of justice for Kent County, with "a church for Catholics, a printing office that issues a weekly paper, two banking associations, court house, twelve stores erected or erecting, three commodious hotels, four practicing physicians and six lawyers. "'^^ The improvement of the water power on the Grand River at this point seems to have begun in ISSS.^'^ It first received legislative attention in 1836.^^ The com- pilers of the House Document referred to, speak of the extensive water power, the navigability of the river and the fertile character of the lands, in view of which they consider this a conspicuous location for "a very large manufacturing town." Apparently a knowledge of the water power on the Grand River had made a definite impression on some minds at Rochester, New York; a part of the instructions of the Ionia colony to their agents in 1836 observes, "The Grand River is said to embrace water privileges which must be of great value. Look well to the village of Grand Rapids, and the country south of it; for that place must be of 84. Michigan House Documents, 1837, No. 9 (E), 54. 85. Blois, Gazetteer, 292. Baxter's History of Grand Rapids (pp. 762-763), contains pictures of residences of this period, two of which were built by well-to-do citizens in 1837. See John Ball's description of the houses and people of this time, in Goss' History of Grand Rapids, I, 118. 86. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 608. The dam is said not to have been finished until 1849, and the canal on the east side not until 1850. 87. Session Laws (1835-36), 105. Act of March 4 to authorize the buildins; of a dam across the river. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 427 importance. "^^ The first mills at Grand Rapids were built on neighboring creeks. In 1836-v37 there was in process of erection on the Grand River a mill known as the "Mammoth Mill," which is said to have been the largest and most expensive mill in the western states. ^^ The manufacture of furniture appears to have begun on a small scale at about this time.'-'*' The demands of trade were naturally miscellaneous and small. Provisions were very high in 1836-37 ; from a contemporary letter it appears that in the winter of 1836 flour was $15 per barrel, oats $1, potatoes $1.25, pork $14.00 per hundred pounds,, butter $.37J, and other things in proportion; board was $4.50 a wcek.^^ Money was plentiful but most of it was spent for land. The high prices of 1837 were owing partly to the dis- tance of transporting the goods, but mainly they were due to the scarcity of coin and the depreciation of bank mediums of exchange that affected all parts of the country. In 1836 came the apparent opportunity of the ori- 88. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 330. It is added: "We have heard that a railroad has been laid out from that place to Monroe." 89. Blois, Gazetteer, 293. He says it was five stories high, the first two stories being of stone. Both lumber and flour were to be made by it. Blois states that it would cost when completed about $50,000. Goss says that in 1837 eight sawmills were in operation within a circle of eight miles around Grand Rapids, cutting an average of 3,000,000 feet of lumber a year. History ■ of Grand Rapids, I, 565. 90. History of Kent County, 274. Before 1850, according to Goss, there were only three important furniture factories in Grand Rapids. Goss, Hist, of Grand Rapids, II, 1045. 91. Ihid., I, 137. 428 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS ginal proprietors of the village to amass great wealth. Lots are said to have sold at $50 a foot on Canal and Kent streets. ^^ But" recklessness of speculation in the Grand River Valley brought profits to naught. A good illustration is furnished by the experience of Antoine Campau, which does not appear to have been unusual ; for a piece of land which he had bought he was offered successively $100, $300, $500, $800 and upward; he is quoted as saying: "I thought if it was worth so much to them, it was worth so much to me. But finally I offered to sell. Then the value dropped and every offer was lower than before. Finally I was offered $300, and thought I would go down and see the place. When I got there I couldn't see it. I asked everybody where it was, and hired a friend to look it up I could not find it, he could not find it, the record could not find it, nobody could find it — it was under more than twenty feet of water. "^'^ It appears to have been located well out in Lake Michigan. Few of those who received enormous sums for their Grand Rapids lands got rich, because most of them reinvested their money in other lands and in the following year land was a drug on the market. The financial panic, which began to be felt in De- troit as early as June, 1837, was not long in affecting 92. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 95. According to Goss, all the lands of the village east of the river were bought before 1836, those on the west side not being for sale until after the extinction of the Indian title and the public surveys. The earliest patent granted on the west side was in 1839. History of Grand Rapids, I, 85. See for plat of village in 1836, Baxter's History of Grand Rapids, XIV. 93. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 98. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 429 conditions in the Grand River Valley, John Ball,^** who was in Detroit just before and after the crash came, reports that though in April all seemed to promise well, by June "faces had so changed that one could hardly recognize his acquaintances; and it was taken as an insult for one to speak of land opera- tions. "^^ The population of Grand Rapids in 1836-37 was made up chiefly of mechanics,, land speculators, and the French who had come there through the influence of Louis Campau.^'"' As sources of the American popu- lation, mention is oftenest made of the states of New 94. John Ball's activities furnish a good illustration of land buying at this time and in the years following. He came to Michigan in 1836 as an agent of parties in Troy, New- York, though his contract permitted him to invest in the lands of any nonslaveholding State in the West, he to receive one-fourth of the profits. At Detroit he was directed to the Grand River covmtry. It seems to be the unanimous testimony of writers on that region that he did more for the early settlement of Grand Rapids and vicinity than any other one man. See his extensive narrative of early experiences in Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 13ff. This narrative is incom- pletely quoted in Goss' History of Grand Rapids, I, 113. Baxter's History of Grand Rapids, (112, 113), contains a biographical sketch and portrait of Mr. Ball. See also Michigan Biographies, p. 64, for his public career in Michigan. 95. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 23, 42, 43. There appears to have lieen more speculation in the vicinity of Grand Rapids than at Ionia. Ibid., 34. In a settler's letter written from Grand Rapids in the winter of 1836, quoted by Goss, the writer says, "I have had more silver and gold in my house this winter than a pair of horses could draw." History of Grand Rapids, I, 137. 96. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 34; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 95 ; Detroit Daily Free Press, June 3, 1836. 430 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS York, Vermont and Connecticut." About 1837 the ^troubles which culminated in the so-called "Patriot War" seem to have caused a considerable immigration to the Grand River Valley. ^^ Religious and cultural institiitions were even at this early day not neglected. A school district was organ- ized for Grand Rapids and its vicinity in 1835, and in that year was opened the first school that was ex- clusively for white children. ^^ A branch of the Uni- versity had been located there. In 1835 the Ohio con- ference of the Methodist church indicated the chief available centers for religious instruction at that time in establishing preaching stations along the Grand River at Grand Rapids, Ionia, Portland, Grandville and Grand Haven. '"" New England traditions appear in the establishment of a Congregational Society at Grand Rapids in 1836.^°^ Despite the early Baptist mission and the labors of the Methodists and the Presbyter- 97. See in particular Memorials oj the Grand River Valley, 37. The county was named for the jurist, Chancellor Kent, of New York. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 214; Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 486. 98. Memorials oj the Grand River Valley, 25. See for names of prominent early settlers of Grand Rapids, Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 293; V, 438; XXXV, 87-106. 99. Goss, History of Grand Rapids, I, 319-320. A frame school- house was not built until 1839. Ibid., II, 1124. 100. At Grand Rapids the first Methodist Society was estab- lished in 1835-36, hut the first Church building, the Division Street Methodist Church, was dedicated in 1843. Ihid., II, 1127. 101. Ibid., II, 1145. The property of the Park Congregational Church was bought by that society in 1831. Ibid., II, 1147. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 431 ians, the Congregational element seems to have been predominant in Grand Rapids in 1837.^°^ There were in 1837 very few white settlers in Kent County outside of Grand Rapids and its immediate neighborhood. The most promising points for villages seem to have been Grand ville, Ada, and Lowell. For Grand ville, which was located some miles below the Rapids of the Grand, Blois records an estimation of about 200 people, and from his account it must have been considered a brisk rival of Grand Rapids.^ °^ Ada, at the junction of the Grand and the Thornapple, is mentioned by Blois as containing a postoffice and a few inhabitants. ^°'^ He does not mention Lowell, but this place seems to have received settlers in 1835-36.^°^ The first settlers in this vicinity came from Scipio, New York, in 1836.^°^" In 1833, the same year in which Grand Rapids re- 102. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 438; Blois mentions besides the Catholic Church only the Presbyterians and the Epis- copalians as having "organized churches and settled ministers." Gazetteer, 292. 103. Blois, Gazetteer, 296. He mentions a postoffice, seven saw mills, three stores, one hotel, two smitheries, a sash factory, a warehouse, several mechanic shops, two lawyers, and a physician. The date of first settlement is given as 1835. 104. Ibid., 245. He mentions also, under the name of Erie, what appears to have been a rival village near the same site. Ibid., 284. Ada was the site of a trading post established in 1821 by Rix Robinson who became a prominent pioneer of the Grand River Valley, and later a State senator from Kent County. Mich. Hist. Colls., IV, 288; Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 171. For his public career see Michigan Biographies, 559. 105. See History of Lowell, in the appendix to Baxter's History of Grand Rapids, 798. 105a. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 210, 432 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS ceived its first marked stimulation to white settlement, a colony of sixty-three persons settled at Ionia. ^^"^ It comprised six families, together with a few adult single persons, imder the leadership of Samuel Dexter. Dex- ter was a native of Rhode Island, had served in the legislature of his adopted State, New York, and was destined to become a leading pioneer in the Grand River Valley.^°^ In 1832 by the aid of an Indian guide from Detroit he located the site of Ionia, then a resort of Indians and traders. It is said that Dexter would have preferred the site where Lyons is had it not been previously taken. ^°^ In the spirit of Roger Williams, Dexter purchased the rights of the Indians in the crops they had planted at the site of Ionia, and their five bark wigwams made the first shelter of the colony. ^°^ This appears not to have been a formally organized colony like those at Vermontville in Eaton County and Duplain in Clinton County but simply a band of inde- pendent settlers. They came to the site of Ionia on the representations of Mr. Dexter, selecting indepen- dently their own land after their arrival. "° The nucleus of the band, starting from Frankfurt village in Herkimer County, New York, gathered others on their way to Michigan, particularly at Utica and at Syracuse.^" The hymn of thanksgiving which was 106. Mich. Hist. Colls., 1, 193; V, 326; IX, 234; XXVIII, 147. 107. Michigan Biographies, 227. This was not Samuel W. Dexter for whom a village is named in Washtenaw Coimty. So far as the writer can learn there was no relation between these two settlements. 108. History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 137. 109. Mich. Hist. Colls., XIV, 560; XXVIII, 146. 110. Ibid., XIV, 562. 111. Ibid., XXVIII, 145. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 433 composed and sung on their arrival at the site of Ionia reflects the deep religious nature of these settlers. ^^^ Settlement in this neighborhood increased gradually during the years 1834-35. In 1836 as a result of the Indian treaty the Kalamazoo land district was sub- divided and a land office was opened at Ionia in view of the need of a more convenient point for settlers to enter land purchased in the Grand River Valley. ^'^ The flow of land seekers and speculators to that center is described as resembling the stir of a cotmtry village in fair time. Many applicants are said to have waited weeks for the chance to make their entry at the land office. ^^^ Aioney was plentiful, trade flourished and taverns did a profitable business."'' However, it is commonly said that the establishment of the land office at Ionia was in the long run unfortunate for both the village and the county. On the tide of im- migration came many poor men who were unprovided with specie, but who if they could have obtained it on favorable teiTQS would soon have added to the wealth of the county the products of industrious home 112. A copy of this hvmn appears in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 147. 113. Dexter had been obliged to go to White Pigeon in St. Joseph County to enter his original purchase. History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 137. An item in the Detroit Daily Advertiser of September 9, 1836, setting the event for October, gave intending purchasers a month's notice of this greater convenience, though the lands reccntlv acquired from the Indians were not on sale until 1839. 114. History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 141. 115. Supplies were brought from Detroit and Pontiac, and the first goods for a store are said to have been poled up the river from Grand Haven in that year. Ibid., 140, 141. 55 434 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS builders. It is charged that the officials practiced favoritism and that they were in collusion with a broker's office which raked off twenty cents on the dollar at the expense of the poorer settlers, who were most in need of its services. Many settlers turned away rather than be thus defrauded ; much of the best land fell into the hands of speculators who held it out of market for many years, awaiting higher prices. ^^"^ Those settlers who did stay seem not, as in Kent county, to have had the platting of villages and the sale of corner lots chiefly in view, but gave attention at once to the planting of crops in preparation for an independent living. ^^'^ It is significant that Blois should give a much less extended notice of "Ionia Center" than he does of Grandville in Kent County. Ionia contained accord- ing to his account, besides the postoffice and land office, a flouring mill, three sawmills in the vicinity, a turning machine and sash factory, two stores, a lawyer and a physician; and several fine buildings are mentioned as having been built during 1837.^^^ Besides Ionia, only two points in that county appear to have been thought sufficiently central to the popula- tion in 1837 to have postoffices; these were Lyons and Portland."^ The village of Lyons was founded in 1836 116. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 473; History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 142. 117. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 34. 118. Blois, Gazetteer, 303-304. The village was incorporated in 1835 and became the county seat the following year. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 193; III, 474. 119. Lyons obtained a postoffice in 1836, and Portland in 1837. The only other offices established before 1840 were at Maple, Otisco, and Waterville (1838). History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 125. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 435 by Lucius Lyon, a well-known United States surveyor who owned part of the plat of Grand Rapids and had an interest in many budding villages of the period. ^^° The village of Lyons is given fully as much space and attention by Blois as Ionia ;^-^ at Portland there appear to have been a half dozen families in 1837. Saranac village, which Blois does not notice, is mentioned in the Detroit Daily Free Press for January 16, 1836, as having been platted at a power site on the Grand River at the mouth of Lake Creek. Almost all of the present townships of the county had received their first settlers by 1837.^^2 The early settlers of Ionia County came mainly from New York.^^^ A settlement in Boston Township in 120. Ihid., 237; Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 65. Lucms Lyon was also proprietor of the village of Schoolcraft on Prairie Ronde in Kalamazoo County. His impor- tance was sufficient to make him the first congressional delegate to be elected west of Detroit (1832-35), and also to make him a United States Senator in 1835. He was a native of Shelburne, Vermont. Michigan Biog- raphies, 426. It is said that a mill was started on Libhart Creek about two miles west of Lyons in 1833 by New York parties. 121. Blois, Gazetteer, 315. Among other things Blois credited it with two stores, "a fine hotel" and "several elegant pri- vate dwellings," between twenty and thirty more being contracted for. See Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 37, where this view is much modified. 122. The population of the two organized townsliips of the county in 1837 was 1,028, Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 75; Session Laws, (1837), 36, 31. In the follow- ing year the county was divided into six townships. Session Laws (1838), 79, 80, 83. Kent County had in 1837 a population of 2,022, Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 71, 75. 123. History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 175, 223, 265, 278. As noted above the members of the Ionia colony were mainly from Herkimer County, New York, and the first 436 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS 1836-37 is said to have been made by a Vermont family, followed by a number of others from that State. ^^^ The earliest settlers of Portland (1833) were among the few Englishmen in the county at this period.^ "^ As in Ionia and Kent counties, the first entrance of the white man to Ottawa County was marked by the establishment of a trading post for traffic with the Indians. ^^''' The site of Grand Haven is said to have been chosen in 1827 by the fur trader Rix Robinson as headquarters for the operations of the American Fur Company in western Michigan.^" Robinson was the sole manager of some twenty trading posts of that company, and the consequent importance of the point as headquarters gave it a number of the company's buildings and a certain preeminence in the appearance of a settlement that was attractive to home seekers. Apparently foreseeing the early settlement of 123. Con. settlers at Lyons were from that State. Probably some of these were bom in New England states. Samuel Dexter was a native of Rhode Island, and Lucius Lyons, of Vermont. 124. Ibid., 192. 125. Mich. Hist. Colls., XIV, 622; XVIL 411; Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 37. 126. The name of the county is derived from the Ottawa Indians, and is said to mean "trader." An account of these Indians in this county is given in the History of Ottawa County, 18-19. 127. Mich. Hist. Colls., IX, 235. See History of Ottawa County, 20-21, for a recital of Robinson's trading operations at this point. Robinson's headquarters are usually asso- ciated with Ada, above Grand Rapids at the mouth of the Thomapple. In 1857 a monument was erected at Ada to his memory. He was a State senator from Kent County, 1846-49, and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1850. Michigan Biographies, 559. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 437 the place, in the early twenties Robinson preempted a quarter section of land on the river front. ^^^ In 1833 a settler of Ionia came to Grand Haven as a clerk in his employ. ^-^ The first beginnings at Grand Haven that looked toward interests other than the fur trade came with two events of 1834, the arrival of William M. Ferry and his family and the organization of the Grand Haven Company. Ferry came to that place as the agent of Robert Stuart, of Detroit, a Scotchman in the employ of the American Fur Company, who had bought a half interest in Rix Robinson's preemption on the lower Grand. ^^" In 1835 the Grand Haven Company in which he was concerned laid out the vil- lage, built a mill and bought land there. They also became owners of two mills at Grandville and built a boat on the river. In the winter of 1835-36 the little colony experienced what old settlers long remembered 128. History of Ottawa County, 38, 39. 129. Ibid., 38. 130. Mich. Hist. Colls., IX, 238-239; XXX, 572-573; History of Ottawa County, 38, 39. As related in the History of Ottawa County, William M. Ferry was bom in Granby, Mass., in 1796, of a poor family. He early taught school, graduating from Union College at Schenectady, New York, and he later studied theology in the seminary at New Brunswick, New Jersey. He established a mis- sion at Mackinac about 1822. Ill health is assigned as the reason for his leaving the mission in 1834 and enter- ing into business relations. He was for many }'ears a strong religious and cultural influence at Grand Haven, dying there in 1876. His public bequests are said to have amounted to $137,000. His family gained some distinction in State and national affairs. Michigan Biographies, 266. His wife was a native of Ashfield. Mass. 438 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS as "the starving time,"^'"^^ and in 1836-37 shared with the rest of the Grand River Vahey in an era of specula- tion and subsequent hard times. During the period of speculation Ferry and Robinson owned the village plat, and lots are said to have been held at high prices. ^^" By 1837 the village contained "three steam sawmills, two stores, a large grocery establishment, six spacious warehouses, a druggist and two physicians." Blois credits it further with "upward of 400 inhabitants" and speaks optimistically of its advantages for trade and commerce. ^^^ A vessel carrying Ivmiber and passengers is said to have begun to make regular trips between Grand Haven and Chicago in 1836. The first settlement of consequence in Ottawa County outside of Grand Haven was made in 1836 by several related families who settled up the Grand River in what was later called from their family name, Robin- son Township. Their number is commonly given as forty-two. They appear to have been relatives of Rix Robinson. ^'^^ At about the same time Dr. Timothy Eastman, a native of Maine, settled up the river in the pinery at the site of the village which bears his name. Besides Grand Haven, Blois mentions no village cen- ters in this county that are known as such today. There was a notable attempt however to foster a vil- 131. See Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 416, for an account of Nathan White's expedition to Battle Creek for food. 132. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 40. 133. Blois, Gazetteer, 291. Grand Haven secured the county seat in 1838. 134. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 415; Mich. Hist. Colls., IX, 282. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 439 lage intended to outrival both Grand Haven and Grand Rapids, which may serve as a typical illustration of the so-called "paper town" of that day. As the story is related in the History of Ottawa Comity, the village was started by capitalists of New York and Philadel- phia who formed for the purpose a joint stock arrange- ment known as the Port Sheldon Company. The com- pany had wished to build a village on the site of Grand Haven, but the Grand Haven Company was first on the ground, and satisfactory terms could not be made. This was the feature apparently that led to the deter- mination to crush out Grand Haven by getting the start of it in development. A site was chosen on the north side of what is now Pigeon Lake or Creek on the lake shore south of Grand Haven. Operations were begun in the fall of 1837. Lake vessels brought provi- sions, together with a few small houses ready to set up, and about forty men. Thereupon a city of 124 blocks was laid out. An elegantly engraved map was made of the city and harbor and widely circulated. Roads were cut, a charter was obtained for a railroad, a lighthouse was built, and a hotel was erected at a cost, it is said, of from thirty to forty thousand dol- lars; $15,000 were expended on a mill; fifteen small dwellings were built; it is said that in 1838 about 300 people were there, mainly the employees of the com- pany. While the people on the Grand River "thanked God for a steady supply of salt pork and flour," says one writer, the people at Port Sheldon "revelled in champagne and sumptuous suppers." But a harbor was found impracticable. The financial crash obliter- ated the "city." It is said that the hotel and thirty 440 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS lots sold for less than the cost of the glass and paint, and that the remainder of the land was bought for its hemlock bark.^^^ The only line of settlement in Ottawa County in this period was the Grand River. It was practically the only highway through the forest and hence the best means of communication with the other settle- ments of the valley. The first farms were on the south side of the river, the lands on the other side not being surveyed until after the Indian treaty of 1836. There were a few settlers on the north side very early, but they were "squatters." The land did not come on the market until 1839. It appears to be true that the number of these squatters was increased by the action of speculators who rapidly bought up the lands on the south side of the river and held them for a rise in prices. ^'^'^ Blois reports in 1838 that settlement was rapidly increasing on both sides of the river. ^" In 1837 there appears to have been a squatter at Lamont, a point which became a center for the radiation of set- tlement into the future townships of Polkton and Talmadge.^^^ The heavy pine land had little attrac- tion for farmers and was held for its pine largely by nonresidents. Robinson Township, two decades after 135. History of Ottawa County, 35-36; Mich. Hist. Colls., IX, 227-228; Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 486-491. Port Sheldon is not mentioned by Blois, but he men- tions Charleston and Ottawa, both on the Grand at the junction of small creeks, and obviously "paper towns," (pp. 262, 336). 136. Mich. Hist. Colls., IX, 252, 255, 263, 280; History of Ottawa County, 26. 137. Blois, Gazetteer, 236. 138. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 40, 503. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 441 it received the settlers above mentioned, mustered but eighteen voters at the first township election. ^•'^^ The lands of the present Muskegon County were included at that time in Ottawa. Only the Indian traders, who were more or less transient, visited them until 1836-37^" when very slight beginnings of settle- ment were made about Muskegon Lake near the mouth of Muskegon River.^*^ A steam mill was built in 1837 by a stock company whose members lived mainly at Detroit and Ann Arbor; but the financial panic killed the enterprise, and the machinery was moved to Grand Rapids. ^''^ The village of Muskegon was not platted until 1849.^^^ The county was not established until a decade later. ""^ The sources of the earliest settlers in Ottawa County were much the same as in the other counties of the lower Grand River Valley. Apparently a somewhat larger proportion came directly from New England states. ^■^^ The first owners of the village plat of Grand 139. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 495. For this reason, after the first river locations, it was the lands away from the river that were taken up and settled the most rapidh' . Ibid., 500. 140. History of Muskegon County, 49-50; Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 291. 141. History of Muskegon County, 31, 51 ; Memorials of the Grand River Valley, 436, 439. 142. Memorials of the Grand River Valley, ,432-434; History of Muskegon County, 24. 143. History of Muskegon County, 50. 144. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 473. 145. Mich. Hist. Colls., IX, 263 for a notice of the first farmers of the county. Memorials of the Grand River Valley (in the supplement, pp. 1-74), contains biographical sketches of the pioneers of the Grand River Valley. 442 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Haven are said to have been born in Granby, Massa- chusetts, and Cayuga County, New York.^'^'^ The settlement of Eaton County differed in at least one marked respect from that of the three counties on the lower Grand River, in that its first important cen- ters of population, with one exception, were not on the main stream of that river. This was partly be- cause of the heavy timber along the Grand in that portion of its course, and partly because the Grand was not so central to the county; and again, water power was furnished elsewhere in more open land. In 1832 Isaac E. Crary, of Marshall, bought land upon which in 1835 he platted the village of Bellevue."^ With him was associated Reverend John D. Pierce, also of Marshall, at whose solicitation the site is said to have received its first settler in 1834, from Ithaca, New York.^**^ The site of Bellevue was chosen for water power, openness and beauty. It was a burr-oak plain on the banks of the Battle Creek, said to have been the only valuable power site on that stream. ^^^ Its first settler, who arrived on a June day in 1834, 146. History of Ottawa Cotinty, 38; Michigan Biographies, 559. 147. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 387; XXIX, 349-350; see the History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 405-410, for the first land entries and early settlement of the county. 148. This was the second settler in the county. The first settle- ment was made in the preceding year in the openings a little south of Bellevue by a native of Montgomery, Maryland, who emigrated to JMichigan from Palmyra, Ontario County, New York, in 1833. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 352; History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 351. The early settlers of Bellevue are said to have come mainly from New York, Massachusetts and Vermont. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 407. 149. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 345. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 443 describes it with the exaggerated enthusiasm of the satisfied pioneer as "the most beautiful spot I have ever seen;" the fragrance of its grass and flowers, he declares, reminded him of the Garden of Eden.^^° The pioneer luxury of sawed lumber was supplied by a sawmill built there in 1834 or 1835, owned apparent- ly by Mr. Pierce and Mr. Crary of Marshall; it sup- plied also the first lumber used at Battle Creek. ^''^ The population of Bellevue in 1835 is said to have comprised nine families and six single men, but such was its growth that in 1838 Blois records an estimated population of about 400.^-'''- He says it then had three sawmills and that preparations were being made for a flouring mill. Enthiisiastic imagination placed it "at the head of navigation for boats" on Battle Creek. Among, the natural resources contributing largely to its early development was a large area of limestone of excellent quality which is said to have been worked almost from the beginning of settlement there. The desire to market the lime led to unsuccessful attempts to navigate the Creek to Kalamazoo River as early as 1835.^^^ Blois reports six kilns in operation, which supplied the country with lime for a distance of fifty miles around. ^^^ As "the jumping-off place into the wilderness" northward from the Territorial Road, and 150. Ibid., Ill, 386. The name of Bellevue is suggestive of its original beatity. 151. Ibid., Ill, 385, 389. The position of Bellevue on the Battle Creek, a branch of the Kalamazoo River, classifies it properly with the settlements of that river. 152. Blois, Gazetteer, 254; see Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 392, for the early settlers of 1835-36. 153. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 385, 394. 154. Blois, Gazetteer, 254. 444 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS "the coming-out place of the burrowing settler" the site of Bel evue was early fixed upon for a hotel to accommodate travelers; the first hotel was built in 1836.^^' The village gained much early importance from the sessions of the county court held there, it being some time before the county buildings were erected at Charlotte. In the same year that Mr. Crary purchased the site of Bellevue(1832) the United States surveyor of the county bought the site of Charlotte ; and in the follow- ing year, before there was a white settler in the county, he secured for it the county seat.^^*^ Through his efforts, it is said, Charlotte received its first family in 1836, by way of Bellevue.^" It seems to have been not until 1837 that the village plat was recorded. ^^^ This fertile central prairie would doubtless have been settled more rapidly had it not been for the dense forests characteristic of this part of the county, and lack of water power. One of the most notable of the early New England settlements in Michigan was that at Vermontville, a 155. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 385. 156. The surveyor, George W. Barnes, appears to have settled at Gull Prairie in Kalamazoo County, and did not become a resident of Charlotte. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 354, 380, 381, 518. The village was named for the wife of one of the first settlers, who purchased the site from Mr. Barnes. Ibid., 385, quoting a letter dated 1835. 157. Ibid., 380. Pages 381 and 457 of the same volume give 1835 as the date of the first settlers. The date 1837 is given in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 366 158. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 385; the names of the four original proprietors of the village are given in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 342. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 445 formally organized colony of Vermont settlers with definitely expressed religious and educational pur- poses. ^^^ It was not unlike a Puritan exodus from England, or like that led by the Reverend Thomas Hooker from Boston to the Connecticut Valley in 1636.^'^° The character of the colony appears in the nature of the compact formed among its members — ■ the "Rules and Regulations of the Union Colony." The essential principles were education and religion. In the preamble, reference was made to material prosper- ity and to the advantages of association, but these were evidently regarded only as means to the end upon which the founders laid all of the emphasis. ^""'^ A writer has observed that the records show the Vermontville church to have played an important part in the government of the early village.^''- The propor- 159. It is given an extended notice in Mrs. Mathews' Expansion of New England. The portion of Mrs. Mathews' work that is devoted to Michigan is worthy of careful read- ing. In choosing Vermontville, however, the author took for illustration an exceptional settlement instead of the prevailing type. 160. Indeed the portion of Vermont from which these settlers came had been settled some fifty years before from Con- necticut and Massachusetts. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII 218; XXXI, 183. 161. A copy of the "Rules" is printed in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 204, and in the History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 517. The third clause of the preamble reads. "Whereas, we believe that a removal to the West may be the means of promoting our temporal interests, and we trust to be made subservient to Christ's kingdom." Clause six is significant for education, "We also agree that, for the benefit of our children and the rising gen- eration, we will endeavor, so far as possible, to carry with and perpetuate among us the same literary privi- leges that wc are permitted here to enjoy." 162. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 256-257. 446 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS tion of church members in the colony was large; it is said that of the heads of families in the original colony all but two were members of the Congregational Church, or became so.^*^^ The principles of government exercised directly by the people were thus trans- planted to the new land both through church and town-meeting. It was probably no small advantage from the viewpoint of material prosperity that the vil- lage early made, as at Romeo, a reputation for culture and good government.^*^* These settlers are said to have come almost entirely from the Vermont counties of Addison, Bennington and Rutland, a region that was commonly referred to as the Champlain Valley. ^®^ The leader, the Reverend Sylvester Cochrane, was a Congregational minister at East Poultney; the "Rules" were signed at Castleton. The native states of many of the settlers, however, were probably Connecticut and Massachusetts. There was a great variety of occupations represented, comprising farmers, merchants and physicians ; a wheel wright, a cooper, a tanner and furrier; a cabinet maker, a chair maker, a tailor, a printer, a black smith, a machinist, a student and a surveyor; besides the clergyman. Farmers^^^ made up fully one-half of the number. The great variety of others, one of each, suggests that some sort of selection may have been 163. Ibid. 164. See interesting observations upon this phase of settlement in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 390. 165. In the History of Ingham and ECiton Counties, 518, are given the name, residence and occupation of each of the forty- two signers of the "rules," but only twenty-two of these appear to have become settlers in the colony. 166. See note above. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 447 made, but it is qviite probable that conditions in Ver- mont did not affect specially any particular class; farmers were naturally the most numerous in the com- munity; the ''Michigan fever" was probably prevalent there, emigration having been in process from that region for some years to New York, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.^" The character of the "promised land" as outHned by the Rev. Sylvester Cochrane was not different from what was usually desired by settlers emigrating to Michigan. The site of this colony was to be health- ful, with good water, and a rich and varied soil, in- terspersed with wood and prairie; it should be if possible on or near a waterfall, with prospect of speedy settlement and good markets, and where a canal or railroad might cross, or in the center of a county near some navigable water ;^'^^ in addition, the area of the site should be at least three miles square. The agents of the company, like those of the Rochester colony in Clinton County, are said to have prospected without success in Barry County and to have been attracted to Eaton County by chance information from a sur- veyor whom they met at Battle Creek. ^"^^ On in- vestigating they were disappointed to find that in the openings all lands as large as the desired area were taken. At length they found a place which resembled closely the native Champlain Valley. It was on the 167. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 203; XXXI, 183. Vermont settlers were among the earliest to settle in Michigan, as the reminiscences, diaries, memoranda and papers in the Michigan Historical Collections abundantly show. 168. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 206. 169. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 209. 448 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Indian trail, hardly yet a road, from Marshall to Ionia, but it lacked many of the advantages desired; there was no waterfall, and there was no navigable water except for very small boats; it was in dense timber, removed from the center of the county and distant from markets. ^^° The situation well illustrates the amount and condition of settlement in the county at that time. The first settlers of this colony came in 1836, but there was a larger immigration in 1837-38. It was not an auspicious time to begin a colony, especially in dense timber and with other handicaps; for the panic came and the "Michigan fever" lost its grip on intending settlers. The colony found itself the possessor of much land and timber that would have to wait for a rise in prices to be profitable. But the colony had the signal advantage of moral purpose which enabled it to survive the hard times. Helpful relations were early estab- lished with Bellevue, Charlotte, Hastings, Ionia and 170. Ibid., XXVIII, 212. Apparently several entries of land had been made there since 1829, though not by settlers. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 350. By one Vermont settler of 1836 near this site the lands of this township are said to have been prefen*ed to a chance in Chicago. He is quoted as saying that he "did not want any land in a mud hole." It is said that the land which he then could have bought in Chicago for $500 has since become the site of the city hall. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXI, 182. See the diagram and original plat of the village with the names of the settlers in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVIII, 211. It contained thirty-six lots of ten acres each, arranged in the typical New England "square." The farm lots were grouped about it. It is said that a fund of $6,000 was made up by the original subscri- bers. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 449 Battle Creek as the nearest markets and depots of supply. ^^^ On the site of Eaton Rapids there are said to have been three houses in 1837, and a sawmill in process of building. ^'^- As the name suggests, the place was chosen for a mill site at the rapids on the Grand River, and its first settlers were interested in the neighboring timber. The movement to this part of the cotmty was apparently independent of that which entered at Belle- vue, and the two streams of immigration did not meet for a considerable time.^^^ While in 1835 a few acres of land were bought in what became Eaton Rapids Township, it was not until the next year that extensive buying took place there as elsewhere in the county. ^^* In that year the "Montgomery Plains," near Eaton Rapids, were set- tled by four brothers of that name, one of whom later became a member of the State legislature. ^^'^ Above Eaton Rapids, on the Grand River in Delta Township a little west of Lansing, a power site became the nucleus of settlement in the northeastern part of the county. An unsuccessful attempt to found a col- 171. There appear to have been fifty-one resident tax-payers in the township in 1844. The colony was of enough con- sequence to be noticed by Blois in 1838 in his Gazetteer, 371. 172. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 466. The sawmill was being built by a firm that built the mill at Spicer- ville in 1836. This firm founded the village. Eaton Rapids had apparently not gained sufficient importance by 1838 to be mentioned by Blois. 173. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 385. 174. Ibid., Ill, 430. 175. Ibid., XXIX, 368, 370; Michigan Biographies, A6S; History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 461, 475, 477. 57 450 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS lege there on the model of Oberlin, by parties from Ohio and Massachusetts, failed as a result of the hard times that followed 1837.^^^ By 1837 considerable groups of settlers had located at "Moetown" in Brook- field Township and at the "Canada Settlement" in Oneida Township.^" The most rapid increase of population would natur- ally have been in the vicinity of the original settle- ments, but the influence of speculators in holding out of market large areas which they early purchased in these desirable localities made early settlement on the whole quite as slow there as in less favored places. This speculation was done mainly by parties who never became residents and towards whom the actual settlers had much bitterness of feeling. ^'^^ In 1835 there are said to have been but four voters in the one township which comprised all of Eaton County. In 1837 the county had three townships, with a combined population of 1,913. Almost half of the people were then in the neighborhood of Bellevue.^^^ The sources of this population are various, but it was 176. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 159; XXIX, 363, 365; History of Ing- ham and Eaton Counties, 451. 177. Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 386; XXII, 502; XXIX, 356, 376; History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 430. 1/8. A good illustration of this was in the vicinity of "Moe- town," in connection with which a writer in Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 356, has given an account of the attitude of the settlers towards these speculators, most of whom were nonresident. See also Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 353, 355, 358, 360, 373, 380; History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 417-419, 486. 179. Session Laws (1837), 37, 40; Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 71. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 451 mainly from New York.^^° Vermont was largely rep- resented in Vermontville and in a few others of the present townships. ^^^ Massachusetts contributed a small proportion. Some were from Ohio.^^- There were very few settlers of foreign origin, the Canada settlement representing the most numerous groups ^^ aside from a small number who came originally from Ireland.i«4 Barry County^ ^^ had at the time the State was ad- mitted to the Union, a less degree of settlement than any other county in Michigan. ^^*^ It had about one- half the population of Eaton County eastward of it, or of Ionia County above it. To the west, Allegan county numbered three times its population, and north- ward in Kent County there were over four times as 180. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 358, 365, 373. 375, 376, 380, 381, 384; History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 384, 451, 486, 494, 509, 528. 181. Windsor Township was settled largely from Windsor Coim- ty, Vermont. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 387; History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 538. 182. The original Spicerville colony of ten persons were mainly from Portage Coimty, Ohio. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 159; III, 386; XXII, 502, 505; XXIX, 363, 367, 372. 183. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXIX, 376. 184. Ibid., XXIX, 370, 378; History of Ingham and Eaton Coun- ties, 475, 477. For the names of the first settlers of the coimty see Mich. Hist. Colls., Ill, 395-401. 185. The name is derived from William T. Barry who was Post- master General in Jackson's cabinet at the time that the county was laid out in 1829. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 111-112. 186. It was only slightly exceeded by the population of Ingham or Clinton Coirnty. 452 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS many people. Immediately on the south were Cal- houn, and Kalamazoo counties, the lesser of which had a population twelve times greater than that of Barry.^" It was not until two years after Michigan became a State that the county government was organized, ^^^ though its township government began with 1836.^^^ The population of the county in 1837 was 512.^^° This population was apparently not well distributed, thotigh all of the areas represented in the present townships excepting three seem to have received their first settlers by 1837.^^^ It is significant that in the next year, before the organization of the county, the legislature divided the township of Barry into four equal townships — Barry, Thornapple, Hastings, and Johnstown. ^^- But this cannot be taken to mean equal distribution of population. The largest center of popu- lation would seem by analogy with similar cases to be 187. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 75-76. 188. Prior to that time it had been attached for judicial pur- poses to St. Joseph and Kalamazoo counties— to the latter since 1830. The county was organized March 15, 1839. Session Laws (1835-36), 78. 189. March 23, 1836, an act was approved organizing the town- ship of Barry, embracing the entire county. Session Laws (1835-36), 78. 190. Michigan Legislative Manual (1838), 70. 191. These seem to be Barry, Hope and Baltimore. The two latter especially seem to have been originally handi- capped with hills, lakes, swamps and hesivy hardwood timber, and to have been somewhat aside from the beaten track of travel through Yankee Springs and Middleville, as well as away from the river. History of Barry County, 392, 435. 192. Session Laws (1837-38), 81-82. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 453 indicated by the retention of the old name of Barry for the southwestern township. ^^^ The northeastern township of Hastings probably had a small popula- tion, and the center of it appears to have been Hastings, as the first township meeting was directed to be held at the house of Slocum H. Bunker, who then lived there. ^^^ But in 1837, if reports are trust- worthy, there were on the immediate site of the future county seat only Mr. Bunker's family and the men building the sawmill. -^^^ Blois reports in the year fol- lowing that "it contains a few families, and is improv- Ij^g "196 'pi^g township of Thornapple contained two of the earliest settled points in the county, in its southern part the site of Yankee Springs, and at the north on the river below Hastings, the site of Middleville.^" 193. The stage of development is indicated by the legislative direction for the township of Barry in 1836, that the first township meeting should be held at a private house, that of Nicholas Campbell; after the subdivision the meeting was directed to be held at the house of John Mills. Session Laws (1835-36), 78, and (1839), 82. 194. Session Laws (1839), 81. 195. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 112; XXXVIII, 646. The second set- tler, Willard Hays, from Mass., a brother of a member of the Hastings Company, is said to have arrived in 1837. History of Barry County, 367. 196. Intending settlers who consulted Blois' Gazetteer, in 1838, might have read in addition: "Hastings, a village on the Thornapple River, near the center of the county of Barry, is said to be beautifully situated, possessing ex- cellent hydraiilic power, which is improved to some extent"; p. 299. vSee Clark's Gazetteer (1863), 83, for a list of settlers in the county in 1836. 197. The name of this place, which seems to have been a favorite spot with the Indians, is said to have been derived from its position half way between Kalamazoo and Grand 454 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The line of the Indian trail through these points and the western tier of townships from Kalamazoo and Battle Creek to Ionia and Grand Rapids, probably formed the axis of settlement in the county at that date. A writer who seems to be familiar with the pioneer records of the county reports that many New York settlers came in 1837 to the southeastern part of the county into what became Johnstown Township.^ ^^ The settlement of the county seems to have begun practically with the great wave of speculation in the lands of Michigan that came in full force in 1836. In that year there was made one of the most widely known of the early settlements of Michigan in the openings near cool springs of water at a junction of Indian trails in the western part of the county. -^^^ William Lewis, better known as "Yankee Lewis," a native of Weathersfield in western New York, chose the site for an inn, which proved to give some promise 197. Con. Rapids. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 654. Land ap- pears to have been purchased on this site by a New York settler as early as 1834, who is said to have brought his family there in the following year. History of Barry County, 486. It appears to be a slightly older settle- ment than either Yankee Springs or Hastings. 198. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 221. William P. Bristol is re- ported to have been the most prominent of these. It was at his house that the first township meeting in Johnstown Township (1839) was directed to be held. Session Laws (1839), 82. 199. This place for some reason became known as "Yankee Springs." One story relates that the name was carved on the bark of a tree by some passers-by who happened to eat their lunch there, all from New England — "all Yankees, ' ' as one remarked. History of Barry County, Z3 . THE GRAND RIVER REGION 455 early to this part of the county^through the charm of Lewis' hospitahty as a landlord. 2°*^ It is significant that Lewis had been in Indiana and IlHnois in 1835 and that so shrewd a "Yankee" could see in Chicago nothing but a "dirty French and Indian trading post," as he is quoted to have characterized it. The site of his famous hostelry never became even a considerable village. In the year 1836 beginnings were made at Hastings'-^''^ by a company organized for the purpose of exploiting the water power and neighboring timber lands through the fostering of a county-seat village. The county seat appears to have been already located there but the site was yet without settlers in 1836.-''^ It is said that the price of $3,000 was paid for the plat covering the village site, which became known as the "Barry 200. His popularity and ability was long an influence in this section, making him a representative of Barry County in the legislature of 1846. Michigan Biographies, 415. It is not improbable that he drew to the county many settlers from the region of his native place. The "Man- sion House" which was ultimately a collection of six log cabins, all on the ground, appears to be well known to old pioneers of the county as "Lewis' six story building." The extent of these accommodations illustrates the amount of travel on this route. History of Barry County, 515. 201. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 303. 202. The name is derived from Eurotas P. Hastings, said to have been a native of Washington, Litchfield County, Con- necticut. He was then a resident of Detroit, and was connected with the Bank of Michigan as president in the period of "wild-cat banking." History of Barry County, 367; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 645, note 3. Michigan Biographies gives New York as the place of his birth (p. 330). 456 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS County Seat Purchase. "^°^ The three purchasers ap- pear to have organized subsequently as the "Hastings Company" to found the vihage, and it seems probable that Eurotas P. Hastings, as president of the Bank of Michigan, had something to do with financing the project. The first improvement was a sawmill, erected by this company on a .small branch of the Thornapple River at that place. The first frame house is said to have been built in 1838 from lumber sawed there. Apparently there was early a close connec- tion between Hastings, Marshall, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, largely through the members of this com- pany. The purchasers of the site of Hastings are said to have been residents of Marshall ;"°^ which accords with the enterprize of Marshall men we have seen in the starting of the mill and village at Bellevue in Eaton Coimty. The first settlers of Hastings seem to have gotten their mail by way of Gull Prairie in Kala- mazoo County. ^°° Marshall and Battle Creek were for some time the nearest considerable points of supply. The same impulse to land and town-site speculation that started the settlement of Barry County made the first important impression upon the forested lands of Ingham. The settlement of that county, however, was destined to be very slow for a decade after receiving its first settlers. Before 1835 there were a few settlers on the extreme edges of what later became the town- 203. History of Barry County, 367; Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXVIII, 645. 204. History oj Barry County, 367. 205. Ihid., 373. Blois mentions a postofifice at Hastings. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 457 ships of Stockbridge, Onondaga and Williamstown.^"® Yet it is recorded that in 1845, on the occasion of a Fourth of July celebration on the site of Lansing, the available white men were so few that they had to enlist the aid of the Indians to raise the Hberty pole.^"^ The first activity on the site of what was to become the future capital of the State was the platting of a ''city" which afterwards was sold for taxes. As sug- gested, this was a speculative venture, and it was similar to that which was made at Hastings in that its purpose was to improve the water power and through the mill and the founding of a city, to exploit the neighboring timber and land.^'^^ It was one of many similar experiments in city building in this period, but the natural advantages which the site possessed raised it above the class to which Port Sheldon belonged. Its connection with the site of the later Lansing, together with its signal failure, has caused it to be frequently cited as an example of the ' 'paper city. ' ' One signal advantage it lacked which the project of the Hastings Company had, a close touch with open country and with older settlements and traveled highways ; this is illustrated by a comment of Silas Beebe, a settler of Stockbridge Township in 1838 who is quoted as saying of the upper part of the county that "things looked too new and the project too 206. Mich. Hist. Colls., XVIII, 448; History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 292, 297, 334. 207. Mich. Hist. Colls., XXVI, 642. 208. Detroit Daily Free Press, May 11, 1836; Cowles, The Past and Present of Lansing and Ingham County, 54, 113; History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 122. 458 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS far off to suit my view."^°^ The desire to be near a traveled highway appears in 1;he report that he settled in Stockbridge in the belief that the Michigan Central Railroad would pass there. It was not until 1837 that "Biddle City"^^*^ received its first settler, and few came thereafter. ^^^ The only prospective village site in Ingham County in this period was that of Mason near the center of the county. ^^^ This was another mill-site and town-site speculation, and was operated by a firm at Monroe. ^^^ The mill rather than the village, however, seems there to have been of first concern. In 1836 an agent of the company began building the mill and clearing the land; the following year a member of the company became a permanent settler on the site.^^^ From limi- ber cut at this first sawmill in the county a frame 209. Mick. Hist. Colls., I, 190, 192. 210. The place is said to have been named for Major John Biddle of Detroit. It was laid out with forty-eight blocks and seventeen fractional ones. There was a "public square," a "Church square," an "academy square," and the principal streets bore high-sounding names. Quite a nimiber of lots appear to have been sold. There is said to be a plat of the city in Liber 6, Deed Records, in the Register of Deeds' office at Mason. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 122. 211. This settler is said to have been a German tailor who met some of the proprietors of "Biddle City" at Jackson. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 192. 212. Named for Stevens T. Mason, the first governor of Mich- igan. 213. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 203, 205. 214. Ibid., 203. This member of the firm was Ephraim B. Danforth, originally from Orange County, New York, who afterwards became a State senator and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1850. Michigan Biographies, 216. He named the village. GOVE]lNOR STEVENS T. MASOX (Mich. Hist. Colls., XXXV, p. 240) From the oil DaintiiiK in tlie State Capitol, svipposed to have been done by an EnRlish artist, AUin Sra th Xut S^5 --\Iason became Act ins-Governor of the Territory on the resigna- tion of Lewis Cass in 1S31. BeiiiK then only twenty years old he became known as the ••Bov Go?ernor'' but he proved to be a man in thou^-hl and a.-tion. He was elected first governor of the State and was the dominant figure of the transitional period. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 459 schoolhouse was built in 1837, where school is said to have been held in the summer of that year with eight pupils. "^^ The village was not platted until 1838. "^'^ In February of that year "a sawmill (frozen up), a few houses and surrounding forest is all it could boast of."^^^ Blois credits it with "a store, tavern, saw mill, and several buildings. "^^^ Ingham County had in 1837 three organized town- ships^^^ and a population of 822 people.^^" If the size of a township were not often deceptive it would appear that the greater number of settlers were in the ex- treme southeastern corner, in the township of Stock- bridge, which was at that early date but six miles square. "^^ The whole western half of the county con- taining the sites of Lansing and Mason made the one large township of Aurelius. New York appears to have been the source of more of the first settlers of this county than was the case with many other covmties in Michigan. One of the influential proprietors of "Biddle City" is said to have been a cousin of ex-Governor Horatio Seymour, of Utica, and at the time of the purchase, president of a 215. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 211. 216. Ibid., 205. 217. Mich. Hist. Colls., I, 190. 218. Blois, Gazetteer, 222; Cowles' Lansing and Ingham County, p. 34, mentions Vandercook's Past and Present Life of Mason. 219. Session Laws (1835-1836), 79, and (1837), 35, 41. 220. Mich. Legislative Manual (1838), 71. 221. The area of Stockbridge was that of a surveyed township from its organization in 1836, when it could have had but a small popiilation. It was obviously not necessary to make it larger, since only the untenanted forest ex- tended about it. Session Laws (1835-36), 79. 460 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS bank at Rochester. ^^^ The representative of the Mon- roe Company who became the first promoter of Mason seems to have come from Orange County, New York,^^^ The township of Lansing is beheved to have been named for the Lansing in what was then Tompson County, New York.^^"* CHnton County, which lay at the north on the out- skirts of the Grand and Saginaw Valleys had about half as many settlers in 1837 as either of the counties immediately west of it.^^^ Either of the counties south of it had a population considerably more than one-half larger. This population was distributed in two equal townships whose longer axes extended north and south,-" but the lines of natural association of settle- ments apparently did not extend in that direction ; they extended east and west — at the south, along the Look- ingglass River and at the north, on the Maple River. In the interior between these two lines there does not seem to have been many settlers until very much later than 1837.^^^ There had been a goodly amount 222. History of Ingham and Eaton Counties, 122. 223. Michigan Biographies, 216. 224. Cowles, Lansing and Ingham County, 113, 115. For a list of the first settlers of the townships of the county see Mich. Hist. Colls., VI, 283; XII, 393; XVII, 633; XXVI, 643-644. 225. Shiawassee, population 1,184 Ionia, " 1,028 Eaton, " 913 Ingham, " 822 Clinton, " 529 227. Session Laws (1837), 140. The townships were Dewitt and Watertown. 228. It is significant that the next subdivision took place in the western half of the county, and in a way to separate the northern from the southern settlements. Session Laws (1837-38), 83. Michigan Legislative Man- ual (1838), 75-76. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 461 of land purchased, as is shown by the Tract Book; but the bulk of these purchases appear to have been for speculation. The county appears to have been gen- erally less settled than many other counties where the same quantity of public land was sold. Blois ^^^ men- tions no villages in the county. There appear, how- ever, to have been a number of nuclei of settlement forming in 1837 which were to develop village life, and there were a number of "paper towns" at promis- ing power sites on the Lookingglass and Maple rivers, principally at Dewitt in the south and in what was to become Duplain Township in the northeast. Speculative enterprizes in the county began on a large scale in 1836. Land was first bought in the south along both sides of the Lookingglass River. A specially favored spot on this river was at its jimction with Prairie River, crossed by an Indian trail leading from Pontiac to the lower Grand River, which it was thought might develop into a highway of trade and travel. The landscape is said to have possessed great beauty and the soil and timber to have been excellent. Water power in abundance was at hand to develop these resources. In 1836 a cluster of villages began there, platted mainly by New York parties — as the names would suggest (Dewitt, Middletown, New Al- bany) — and the usual means were adopted to attract settlers; among others the streets were named from principal eastern cities. Notwithstanding the promis- ing outlook the financial crisis presently reduced these embryo villages all to the same plane ; a few years later 229. Gazetteer, 218. 462 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the sites were sold by the State for unpaid taxes. ^^" A little further down the river, at Wacousta, an ex- periment of a similar character but less extensive was tried by a joint stock company in 1837. A sawmill and gristmill were built, and a store was opened. -^^ Though these village projects were failures, the per- manent improvements made in mills and bmldings, as well as the attraction of settlers by the seeming pres- ence of capital and enterprize, were of great value, giving these lands a start toward agricultural settle- ment. Speculation was not confined to these favored places, but spread widely over the country. In Bengal Town- ship, a type of the heavily wooded township of the interior — of which its first settler is quoted as saying that from 1837 to 1850 it was considered the most worthless township in the county — a goodly number of acres are said to have been bought in 1836-37 on almost every section. ^^^ In many cases where the land was long held out of market awaiting the rise in prices which better times and the settlement of the county would naturally bring, these nonresident investments were a drag on the real interests of settlement. Very early the actual settlers sought the less desirable lands that were still left, rather than pay the high prices 230. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 405. 231. Ibid., 526. Illustrating the hmnorous side of land specula- tion at this period, the volume referred to (p. 424) gives an. interesting account of a race between a speculator and an agent of the Duplain colony to enter land at Kalamazoo. 232. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 393-395. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 463 demanded by speculators; such was the case, for ex- ample, with the first German colonists of Westphalia Township. Yet the Tract Books show that compara- tively few of the actual settlers of the county bought their lands originally from the Government. Another factor which deceived and discouraged many intending settlers, at least in some parts of the county, was the unfriendly attitude of the hunters and trap- pers, who looked upon agricultural settlement as hos- tile to their own interests. Among other means to discourage settlers they are said to have posted on trees numerous notices that no trespassing would be allowed in the premises, signing fictitious names for the proprietor. The natural conclusion would be that the land had all been piurchased there, and on inquir- ing in the neighborhood the impression would be con- firmed. Of one settler thus deceived it is related that he went to the land office, caused a diagram to be made out showing the actual condition of ownership of certain lands, and sold copies of it to inquiring settlers. He bought land, built a cabin and prepared to stay; but threatening notices and continued petty annoyances compelled him to sell out and leave. Such a neighborhood gained a reputation that led settlers to avoid it.^^^ There appear to have been a few actual settlers in the county as early as 1833-34 who made slight begin- nings before 1835 on the Lookingglass River in the 233. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 386. This is told of the township of Bath. It cannot be said upon the evidence to have been a universal practice. 464 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS present Dewitt and Eagle townships. These first set- tlers are said to have come originally from Litchfield, Connecticut and Shoreham, Vermont, but intermedi- ately from Washington and Genesee counties in New York, and from Oakland and Washtenaw coimties, Michigan. ^^"^ One of these settlements was made at the site opposite Dewitt, which is mentioned above as having been a chief point of speculative enterprize in 1836-37. At this point in 1833 settled Captain David Scott, from Ann Arbor, after whom the place was long known as "Scott's." It became a helpful center of in- formation and inn accommodation for settlers passing on the ''Northern Route" to the Grand River coim- ^j-y 235 j-f-g settlement was slow, but it was somewhat accelerated by the mills which were established by speculative enterprize on the river in 1837-38. The location of the county seat there in 1835 and the establishment of the township of Dewitt in that year shows it to have been considered a prospective center of early population in the county. ^^'^ It appears to have been situated on the route from both Pontiac and Howell to Grand Rapids, from the latter of which 234; Mich. Hist. Colls., II, 483; V, 325, 328; XVII, 410. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 338, 437. Lebanon Township at the extreme northeast is said to have re- ceived one settler from Washtenaw County in 1834, but not to have received its second settler until 1837. His- tory of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 338, 471. 235 History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 338, 406. 236. Ibid., 342; Mich. Hist. Colls., XVII, 413; Session Laws (1835-36), 78. County buildings seem not to have been occupied until 1843. The shifting of the center of popu- lation with the increasing settlement of the county caused the removal of the county seat to St. Johns in 1857. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 465 places there is said to have been a weekly mail in 1837.2" In that year of enterprise, 1836, a notable settle- ment took place in the northeastern comer of Clinton County somewhat similar to that made three years before at Ionia. It was somewhat larger, some twenty- five families, and it differed from the Ionia colony in having a formal organization. It was known in its Articles of Association as "The Rochester Colony," and in the particulars of association it had much in com- mon with the colony at Vermont ville. According to the account in the History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, the right to a controlling interest in the com- pany attached to one share of $125, $5 of which was to be paid down and the balance on demand, each member to receive eighty acres of farm land and one or more lots in the contemplated village. The lands were to be secured at Rochester by lot, but to insure their actual improvement no deed in fee simple was to be given until the subscriber had actually settled or insured his settlement on his land with his family, or in lieu of settlement had improved it to one-fourth of the cost. The remainder of the company's lands were to be sold at auction, and the proceeds were to be equitably divided. Eighteen months were to be allowed after the drawing either to settle or improve; failure to do one or the other forfeited the land to the company, to be sold at auction with certain provisions 237. Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 329. Blois does not mention a settle- ment there. For the first settlers of the neighboring river townships of Eagle and Watertown, see Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 328; XIV, 622; XVII, 412. 69 466 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS in favor of ;the subscriber. Agents were chosen to locate the land and administer the company's financial affairs, but the agents were not to purchase any lands bordering on those of the company until after the company's purchase'had been completed and the agents had returned to Rochester. ^^^ Influences at Detroit led these agents to this region, where they are reported to have found all of the im- portant points taken "excepting one which lies on the Maple River." In the present Duplain Township they seem to have spent four days investigating and weighing the relative advantages of the various places they had visited, ^^^ and their report shows that water power, good soil, timber, and the prospect of a canal near by weighed most in favor of that site. The den- sity of the forest was mentioned as somewhat of a drawback. The agents laid much stress on the pro- posed State project of a canal to connect the Maple and Shiawassee rivers, "which, if that takes place," they are quoted as saying, "will cause a great drift of business through this section of the country, as it will save something like one thousand miles of water car- riage around the Lakes. "^'*° The settlement was made in 1836, but is not mentioned by Blois. Another prominent power site early covered by pur- 238. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, 423; Mich. Hist. Colls., V, 329. _ 239. They had been directed to go first to the neighborhood of the Wabash and Erie Canal and the lower Maumee River in Ohio, thence to Fort Wayne and the northern counties of Indiana, thence to Michigan along the Grand River. They are said to have spent a month before their return to Rochester. 240. Mich, Hist. Colls., V, 331. THE GRAND RIVER REGION 467 chase from the Government was that at the present Maple Rapids. As early as 1832 this site was bought by George Campau who is said to have established a trading post there in the same year that his brother Louis estabhshed the one at Grand Rapids (1826).2« By 1837 the lands in this vicinity had been mainly taken up by speculators. ^^^ In 1836 a colony of German CathoHcs began to gather in the township of WestphaHa.243 This appears to have resulted from their failure to find stiitable lands on the lower Grand River whither they are said to have been directed by a Catholic priest whom they consulted on their arrival at Detroit; only land at speculators' prices seems to have been available there and they turned northward to lands of which they had heard while at Lyons. The sterHng character of these immigrants is evidenced by the early transfor- mation wrought in this township, which is said to have contained originally much swamp and to have been considered by speculators as not worth atten- tion. ^^^ 241. History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, ZZ^, 446. 242. Ihid., 444-446. 243. Ihid., 533, 535. This vokime reports the township aS populated (1880) almost exclusively by German Catho- lics. The original colony is said to have purchased almost a section of contiguous land. 244. The township was organized with the area of a surveyed township in 1839. Session Laws (1839), 21. CHAPTER IX Sources and Character of Population TT is almost a truism that the habits and ideals of a new country are determined largely by the environ- ment from which the people come. Their inheritance — social, economic, political, religious — is transplanted with them and forms the matrix from which their life in the new environment is to grow, and in turn the new environment, as the medium through which their life seeks to express itself, tends to modify the inheritance. The study of settlement finds a large part of its value in the aid it can give to explain how the life of a people has come to be what it is, and hence the question of the sources of population and of their relative contributions to different areas is one of its important problems. In this respect a typical Michigan county is Wash- tenaw.^ The chief areas from which settlers came 1 . There are two reasons for basing this chapter upon a study of the population of Washtenaw County; first, the settle- ment areas treated in the preceding chapters are too large to admit within the scope of this study either of the necessary detail or of some degree of control of the materials. Data for other Michigan coimties have been given to some extent in connection with chapters deal- ing with the several settlement areas, and the results substantially agree with those here obtained. Again, Washtenaw is a typical county in a typical group of coimties. In siurface, soil, drainage, timber, water- power, ease of communication and proximity to adequate SOURCES AND CHARACTER OF POPULATION 469 immediately to this county is suggested by the rela- tive number of original land purchasers who registered from different places. Five hundred and eighteen patents give places of registration in the following proportions : New England 25 New York 228 Other Middle Atlantic states 5 Southern states Western states 3 'Foreign 4 Washtenaw County, Michigan 212 Other Michigan counties 41 Total 518 1. Con. markets and supply depots it closely resembles Oakland and Lenawee counties, and this area appears to be fairly representative in population, if we except the southwestern counties where there was a much larger proportion of settlers from states outside of New York and New Eng- land. The chief limitation upon results is imposed by the extent, accessibility and nature of the materials. It hardly needs saying that satisfying results can be ob- tained only as they are obtained by the census bureau, by counting individuals, and one may well ask what is to be understood by a source of population for the indi- vidual. It was exceptional for a settler to emigrate directly from his place of birth to Michigan. He was much more likely to have a number of intermediate stop- ping places; for example, he might be bom in England, migrate with his parents to Connecticut, be educated in Verrriont, engage in business in New York, and then spend some years on the frontier in Ohio and perhaps return to New York for some years before settling finally in Michigan. It is pertinent to ask, Where did he "come from" and to which environment was he most indebted for his qualities and ideals? The relative efficiency of 470 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS By far the largest ntimber of New York purchasers registered, from Genesee, Monroe, Ontario and Seneca counties; Cayuga, Livingston, Steuben and Wayne counties made up the next largest number; these eight counties, which made a fairly compact area, were in the northern and central parts of western New York. 1. Con. different environments in these respects is doubtful, and it might vary with individuals. The relative lengths and dates of sojourn would introduce variations that could hardly be calculated. The influence of birthplace in the case above given would probably be slight, but if the birthplace were Connecticut, and especially if there were a background of eminent colonial antecedents and family traditions, its influence would tend to be considerable. It would matter much if the sojourn were made, say, at Albany between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five in the period of the canal projects. Un- doubtedly the web of influences would be very difficult for even the person concerned to disentangle. The factors chosen here are birthplace and the place of residence at the time of making the first purchase of land in the county. This selection is as likely to prove rational as another, and it is practicable. Some com- pensation is sought by individualizing representative citizenship. The material is definite and easily access- sible, consisting of land patents and biographical sketches. The originals of the United States land patents issued to the first purchasers of land in the county are on file at Washington. There are duplicates of about one-half of them in the Register of Deeds' office in Ann Arbor, and these are used here. Of those consulted, there were five hundred and eighteen that were useful for the present purpose, which were issued between 1824 and 1839. Of these buyers two hundred and fifty-three registered from Michigan, reducing the number on which to cal- culate outside sources to two hundred and sixty-five. This number however ought to be fairly representative of the early period. Undoubtedly some of these pur- chasers were not actual settlers. Yet the size of single purchases does not in general indicate the professional speculator. Comparatively few of the names recur fre- SOURCES AND CHARACTER OF POPULATION 471 Four-fifths of these patents (183) name coimties lying west of the meridian of Stony Point, which passes through the eastern end of Lake Ontario; and of these, seven-tenths (129) name these eight counties. Less than two-fifths of the whole number (89) mention counties bordering on Lake Erie and Pennsylvania, and purchasers were fewest in the latter. In both western and eastern New York they were most numerous in the area which was influenced directly by the Erie Canal. ^ 1. Con. quently in other United States patents of the period, and of such as do recur often the second registration is usually from Washtenaw County, very probably indicat- ing settlement there. Early local deeds of sale bearing these names are almost uniformly from persons giving Washtenaw Comity as their place of residence. The material used for determining birthplaces is taken almost entirely from the biographical sketches in the back of the History of Washtenaw County. If compromises are sometimes permissible when the ideal is unattainable, clearly one must be made here. It would be quite in- expedient to try to check up this material except by sketches of a similar nature, as for example those in the volumes of the Mich. Hist. Colls., and it is not always certain that these are independent sources. A fair num- ber of test cases have given results entirely favorable to sketches in the History of Washtenaw County. 2. Counties in western New York contributing: 48-50 — a Cayuga 12 59-68 — a Onondaga. ... 7 35-48 Chautauqua . . 3 40-43— b Ontario 19 36-62— b Erie 7 21-25— b Seneca 22 52-60— b Genesee 24 34-46 Steuben 11 28-35— b Livingston. ... 13 28-21 Tioga 2 50-65— a Monroe 20 37-38 Tompkins 3 18-31— a Niagara 7 34-42— a Wayne 18 19.44— a Orieans 6 19-20— b Yates 8 Counties in eastern New York contributing : 37-41 Chenango.... 1 27-44 Oswego 1 40-43— c Columbia 2 51-50— b Otsego 3 472 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS A glance at this data reveals a relation between the number of purchases made from a county and the rate and amount of the county's growth. On the whole it was from the counties of slow growth that the pur- chases were most niunerous, like Seneca. Though its population was small, growing in ten years from 21,000 to 25,000, it gave next to the highest number of purchasers. The largest number was given by Gene- see County, which belonged to the group of slow growth but of large or medium population; notable examples of this group are Ontario and Wayne. An 2. Cm. 51-52— c Dutchess. . . .. 4 13-12- -c Putnam 2 30-30 — c Greene .. 2 49-60- -be Renssalaer .... 3 36-37 — a Herkimer. . . .. 1 39-41- -be Saratoga 4 49-61 — Jefferson. . . .. 1 12-16 Sullivan 1 39-40— a Madison.... .. 5 37-46- -c Ulster 1 71-85— a Oneida .. 6 36-49- -c Westchester. . . 1 45-51 — c Orange .. 3 31 - — c New York City 4 a — Counties crossed by the Erie Canal, b — Counties within the Canal's immediate sphere of influ- ence. c — Hudson River counties. The population for 1830 and 1840 appears at the left of the counties; the unit is 1000. The number of pur- chases appears at the right. Comparisons must take account of relative density; relative niimerical strength may deceive, owing to the varying size of the counties. Of course the counties as they then existed are not the present counties, and allowance must also be made for changes in county boundaries between 1830 and 1840. See plates 5, 6, 7, 8 of the United States Statistical Atlas, 1900. Plate 8 shows a considerable area on the Pennsyl- vania border that was still sparsely populated in 1850. For population in 1830 and 1840 see United States Census (1830), 36-47, 50-53 and Ibid., (1840), 110, 123. Specific references to the patents in the Libers are for reasons of expediency omitted. SOURCES AND CHARACTER OF POPULATION 473 apparent exception was Monroe County, just west of Wayne; it had a large population but its growth was comparatively rapid; it ranked third. The small num- ber of purchases from counties of small population and rapid growth is seen in Orleans and Niagara counties directly west of Wayne and Monroe, which had quite as good soil and location; the same may be said in large measure of Erie and Chautauqua. In these four counties, still in the pioneer stage, land was plentiful and there was no need of purchasing elsewhere. Almost all of the New York purchasers registered from Canal or Hudson River counties. There occurs one striking gap in the former group, in the area covered by southern Herkimer, Fulton, Montgomery, Schenectady and Albany counties ; all of these appear in the United States census of 1830 and of 1840 with a fair population.^ Outside of New York^ the greatest number of patents 3. Excepting Ftilton County, in 1830, Plates 6 and 7, United States Statistical Atlas, 1900, show the density of popula- tion to have been comparatively small in the area east of Utica, which agrees with this in part. 4. (Liber and page) Maine 31.787. New Hampshire. . . . D.413-38.593. Vermont D.386-E.292-I.275-31.800. Massachusetts D.263-E.174-F.118-L.376-M.265-M. 337-N.23-X.90-X.293-39.113. Rhode Island K.18-Q.428-32.783. Connecticut B.375-M.356-U.25-U.572-28.561. Pennsylvania H.391-M.350-N.334. Virginia F.351. New Jersey W.159. Ohio P.300-S.139-U.282. Upper Canada E.170-M.376. England L.479. Scotland 39.440. 474 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS registered from any one State was ten from Massa- chusetts. This was two-thirds of all that were regis- tered from New England, and these purchases were made mainly in the 20's, by persons from Berkshire, Worcester and Franklin counties, and from Boston. Connecticut and Vermont rank next among the New England States. Four purchasers registered from Cale- donia, Addison and Franklin counties, Vermont; and five from Connecticut, from the counties of Litchfield and New London, and from the city of New Haven. From Rhode Island one registered from Providence, one from Newport, and one from Washington County. Pennsylvania and Ohio were next, furnishing each three registrations, comparatively late; the Pennsyl- vanians were from Bradford and Dauphin counties, the Ohioans from the counties of Huron and Sandusky. From each of the remaining sources Maine, New Hampshire, Virginia, New Jersey, Upper Canada, Eng- land and Scotland there were registered but one or two purchasers. Two hundred and twelve persons registered from Washtenaw County, Michigan. Outside this county the largest number of registrations was from Wayne Coimty (24), over one-half of which were from De- 4. Con. The earliest Libers use the alphabet, and are continued numerically beginning with 27. The above are sample references (those for New England, etc.). A thousand patents which might be obtained by fol- lowing the later registrations would perhaps vary these proportions somewhat, by including the later pur- chases. As each patent gives also the location, date, and extent of the particular purchase, these items could be made to reveal the distribution of the purchases in different periods over the coimty. SOURCES AND CHARACTER OF POPULATION 475 troit. Lenawee County ranked next with nine. Oak- land, Monroe, Livingston and Jackson counties fur- nished together eight purchasers.^ Turning now to the settlers: of 965 adult settlers who came to Washtenaw County between 1815 and 1850, less than a third (277) were of foreign birth; of these Ireland, England and Germany furnished the greater number, respectively 91, 85, and 82. Scotland sent 10, Canada 7 and Switzerland 2. The native American settlers were born chiefly in New York and New England. Of these New York furnished alone more than one-half (374), which was more than a third of the whole number. From the other Middle Atlantic states came 89 ; 40 of them from Pennsylvania, 44 from New Jersey and 5 from Virginia. The absence of birthplaces in Delaware, Maryland and the western and southern states is notable. New England furnished considerably less than a third of the total (224). Of these the least number came from Maine (2), while Rhode Island furnished 5 and New Hampshire 12. The near equality of rep- resentation from the three largest contributors is note- worthy — Massachusetts 70, Vermont 69, Connecticut 66.6 Oakland, 3. Monroe, 3. Livingston, 1. Jackson, 1. Total outside Washtenaw County in State, 41. Total in State, 253. Maine 2 England 85 New Hampshire 12 Ireland 91 Vermont 69 Scotland 10 Massachusetts 70 Germany 82 476 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS To summarize briefly: the Irish were the leading foreign element, with the English and the Germans close rivals. Scotch and Canadians were few. New York led in the native element, with New England close. The foreign, New York, New England and other elements contributed in about the proportions of 27, 37, 21 and 8. Of the New England sources, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island contributed few; Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut contributed about equally and in considerable nrunbers. Pennsyl- vania and New Jersey showed less, and in about equal proportions. A few settlers were from Virginia. Comparing the results obtained from the biographi- cal sketches and the patents, large and general like- nesses appear. In each group the New York element was very much larger than that from any other source, four times greater in the nativities and twenty-two times greater in the places of first land purchases. The New England, foreign, and Middle Atlantic con- tributions stood next, while in both groups the western and southern states were of but slight importance. In each group, New England furnished a large per- cent of the population, largest from Massachusetts. Vermont and Connecticut ranked as contributors 6. Con. Rhode Island 5 Switzerland 2 Connecticut 66 New England 224 New York 374 New York 374 Pennsylvania 40 Foreign 277 New Jersey 44 Other Middle Atlantic Virginia 5 states 89 Ohio Western states Canada 7 Southern states SOURCES AND CHARACTER OF POPULATION 477 second and third; while Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island contributed the least number. In the Middle Atlantic states there were represented the same contributors, in addition to New York; namely, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia— the latter being subordinate in each group. Neither group included southern states; and it was the same with western states, excepting a few patents to Ohioans. The most marked differences between the two groups appear in the foreign element. The differences in na- tive population appear especially in the percentages, differences which in their larger aspects would not be materially affected if the birth figures for the foreign elements were omitted. The nativities show a very much higher percent of New Englanders than do the nativities. The former statement is true also for the other Middle Atlantic states. This is probably indica- tive for the masses of what is so frequently found true in particular families of old settlers in the county, that the immigration to the county from New York was largely by persons born in other states who in the earlier days had settled in New York.^ An interesting confirmation of the large New York and New England elements in Michigan's population is obtained by noting some of the county's prominent pubHc men of the period — although quite the reverse ^- Nativity Patent New England 24 percent. 9 percent. New York Z^ " 86 Foreign 29 " 2 Other Middle Atlantic states. . . 9 " 2 Western states " 1 Southern states " 478 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS of the proportions is found. In these the percentage of New York nativities is greater than that for New England. Forty-eight percent of those members of the legislature^ whose nativities are given were born in New York, thirty-seven percent in New England, thirteen percent in the Middle Atlantic states outside of New York, and two percent in New England. The New England contributions were made mainly from Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and in nearly equal numbers. The same Middle Atlantic states outside of New York were represented; namely, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the former leading. Maine and Rhode Island did not contribute. The only foreign element was one Englishman. Examining the counties in which were born the members of the Michigan Legislature from 1835 to 1850: one-half of the members who were born in New York came from the western part of that State, Ontario and Cayuga counties alone furnishing seven of these, the former four, the latter three; Wayne and Niagara counties furnished each one. Excepting Niag- ara, not any of the extreme western and southwestern areas contributed. Of the southern and southeastern counties only Chenango, Broome and Orange counties were represented — each sent one. The remaining New 8. The volume of Michigan Biographies (1888), compiled under the auspices of the State of Michigan, gives sketches of forty-six members from Washtenaw County in the Ter- ritorial and State legislatiires between 1835 and 1850. On checking these up from the legislative manuals, the volumes of the Mich. Hist. Colls., Representative Men, the histories of the county and other sources, scarcely an error was found. The figures are based upon the ma- terial in Michigan Biographies. SOURCES AND CHARACTER OF POPULATION 479 York members came from central and eastern counties; one each from Lewis, Madison, Otsego and Schoharie counties, and three from east of the Hudson River; two of these were bom in Colimibia Coimty, and the third in Renssalaer County.^ 9. Members of Territorial and State legislatures from Wash- tenaw Coimty from 1835-59. References are to Mich- igan Biographies, with page and the initials of members. Coimties in western New York contributing : nativities — Cayuga (3)— N.S.583-B.W.W.662-E.L.F.279. Livingston.. . (1)— W.F.268. Niagara (1)— J.M.E.246. Ontario (4)— W.B.139-J.R.550-D.P.524-H.T.W.666. Wayne (1)— O.W.687. Counties in eastern New York contributing — Broome (1)— H.C.186. (1)— T.W.712. (2)— A.P.533-W.S.C.155. (1)— S.L.H.316. .(1)— J.G.L.413. (1)— R.E.M.478. (1)— S.D.224. .(1)— S.D.233. (1)-J.L.423. Chenango . Columbia . Lewis Madison. . Otsego. . . . Orange .... Renssalaer. Schoharie. . Two members, not known what counties N.R.R.541-J.W.H. 343. Members of the State legislature 1850-84 who settled in Washtenaw County before 1850. Counties in western New York contributing : nativities^ Alleghany... (1)—G.P.536. Cayuga (4)— C.J.383-J.D.W.698-W.B.65-C.S.G. 309. Erie (1)— D.P.522. Genesee (2)— O.C.176-G.P.S.572. Livingston. . . (2)'— C.W.684-B.C.157. Onondaga. . .(3)— E.LB.121-J.D.C.199-A.H.C.201. Ontario (8)— J.H.B.84-T.D.L.406-A.F.K.399-D.A. W. 716-P.C.194-A.R.560-J.J.R.560- J.W.M.464. 480 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS From New England, the Connecticut members were natives of Sharon and Litchfield^ "^ in Litchfield County, Norwich^^ in New London, Danbury^^ in Fairfield, Can- terbury^^ in Windham, and Sterling^'* in Tolland County . Massachusetts members came from the comparatively limited area of two counties, Berkshire and Norfolk. Sandisfield,^^ West Stockbridge,^'' Cheshire^^ and Great Barrington,^^ were nativities in the former; Wey- mouth, ^^ in Norfolk. Members of Vermont birth came from St. Johnsbury^° in Caledonia County, from Rupert ^^ in Bennington, from Rutland" in Rutland, 9. C APPENDIX APPENDIX PUBLIC ACTS RELATING TO MICHIGAN TERRITORY An Ordinance, for the government of the territory of the United States, Northwest of the river Ohio [1787]. Be it ordained, by the United States, in Congress assembled, That the said territory, for the purposes of temporary govern- ment, be one district; subject, however, to be divided into two districts, as future circuinstances may, in the opinion of Congress, make it expedient. Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid. That the estates, both of resident and non-resident proprietors in the said territory, dying intestate, shall descend to and be distributed among their children, and the descendants of a deceased child, in equal parts; the descendants of a deceased child or grand child, to take a share of their deceased parent in equal parts among them; and where there shall be no children or descendants, then in equal parts to the next of kin, in equal degree: and among collaterals, the children of a deceased brother or sister of the intestate, shall have, in equal parts among them, their deceased parent's share; and there shall, in no case, be a distinction between kindred of the whole and half blood; saving in all cases to the widow of the intestate her third part of the real estate for life, and one-third part of the personal estate; and this law relative to descents and dower shall remain in full force until altered by the legislature of the district. And until the governor and judges shall adopt laws, as hereinafter mentioned, estates in the said territory may be devised or bequeathed by wills in writing, signed and sealed by him or her, in whom the estate may be, (being of full age,) and attested by three witnesses; and real estates may be conveyed by lease and release, or bargain and sale, signed, sealed and delivered by the person, being of full age, in whom the estate may be, and attested by two witnesses, provided such will be duly proved. 608 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS such conveyances be acknowledged, or the execution thereof duly proved, and be recorded within one year after proper magistrates, courts, and registers shall be appointed for that purpose; and personal property may be transferred by delivery; saving, how- ever, to the French and Canadian inhabitants, and other settlers of the Kaskaskias, Saint Vincents, and the neighboring villages, who have heretofore professed themselves citizens of Virginia, their laws and customs now in force among them, relative to the descent and conveyance of property. Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid, That there shall be appointed, from time to time, by congress, a governor, whose commission shall continue in force for the term of three years, unless sooner revoked by Congress; he shall reside in the district, and have a freehold estate therein, in one thousand acres of land, while in the exercise of his ofhce. There shall be appointed from time to time, by congress, a secretary, whose commission shall continue in force for four years, unless sooner revoked; he shall reside in the district, and have a freehold estate therein, in five hundred acres of land, while in the exercise of his office. It shall be his duty to keep and preserve the acts and laws passed by the legislature, and the public records of the district, and the proceedings of the governor in his execu- tive department; and transmit authentic copies of such acts and proceedings every six months, to the secretary of congress. There shall also be appointed a court, to consist of three judges, any two of whom to form a court, who shall have a common law jurisdiction, and reside in the district, and have each therein a freehold estate in five hundred acres of land, while in the exer- cise of their offices; and their commissions shall continue in force during good behaviour. The governor and judges, or a majority of them, shall adopt and publish in the district such laws of the original states, crim- inal and civil, as may be necessary and best suited to the cir- cumstances of the district, and report them to congress from time to time; which laws shall be in force in the district until the organization of the general assembly therein, unless dis- approved of by congress; but afterwards the legislature shall have authority to alter them as they shall think fit. The governor for the time being, shall be commander-in-chief of the militia, appoint and commission all officers in the same, below the rank of general officers; all general officers shall be appointed and commissioned by congress. Previous to the organization of the general assembly, the governor shall appoint such magistrates and other civil officers, in each county or township, as he shall find necessary for the APPENDIX 509 preservation of the peace and good order in the same. After the general assembly shall be organized, the powers and duties of the magistrates and other civil ofhcers shall be regulated and defined by the said assembly; but all magistrates and other civil officers, not herein otherwise directed shall, during the continuance of this temporary government, be appointed by the governor. For the prevention of crimes and injuries, the laws to be adopted or made, shall have force in all parts of the district, and for the execution of process, criminal and civil, the govenior shall make proper divisions thereof; and he shall proceed from time to time, as circumstances may require, to lay out the parts of the district in which the Indian titles shall have been extin- guished, into counties and townships, subject however, to such alterations as may thereafter be made by the legislature. So soon as there shall be five thousand free male inhabitants of full age, in the district, upon giving proof thereof to the gov- ernor, they shall receive authority, with time and place, to elect representatives from their counties or townships, to represent them in the general assembly: Provided, That for every five hun- dred free male inhabitants, there shall be one representative, and so on progressively with the nimiber of free male inhabitants, shall the right of representation increase, until the number of representatives shall amount to twenty-five, after which, the number and proportion of representatives shall be regulated by the legislature: Provided, That no person be eligible or qualified to act as a representative, unless he shall have been a citizen of one of the United States three years, and be a resident in the district, or unless he shall have resided in the district three years, and in either case shall likewise hold in his own right, in fee simple, two hundred acres of land within the same: Provided also, That a freehold in fifty acres of land in the district, having been a citizen of one of the States, and being resident in the district, or the like freehold, and two years' residence in the district, shall be necessary to qualify a man as an elector of a representative. The representative thus elected shall serve for the term of two years; and in case of the death of a representative, or removal from office, the governor shall issue a writ to the county or town- ship for which he was a member, to elect another in his stead, to serve for the residue of the term. The general assembly, or legislature, shall consist of the gov- ernor, legislative council, and a house of representatives. The legislative council shall consist of five members, to continue in office five years, unless sooner removed by congress; any three 510 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS of whom to be a quorum. And the members of the council shall be nominated and appointed in the following manner, to wit: As soon as representatives shall be elected, the governor shall appoint a time and place for them to meet together, and when met, they shall nominate ten persons, residents in the district, and each possessed of a freehold in five hiuidred acres of land, and return their names to congress; five of whom congress shall appoint and commission to serve as aforesaid; and whenever a vacancy shall happen in the council, by death or removal from office, the house of representatives shall nominate two persons, qualified as aforesaid, for each vacancy, and return their names to congress; one of whom congress shall appoint and commission for the residue of the term. And every five years, four months at least before the expiration of the time of service of the mem- bers of council, the said house shall nominate ten persons, quali- fied as aforesaid, and return their names to congress; five of whom congress shall appoint and commission to serve as members of the council five years, unless sooner removed. And the gov- ernor, legislative council, and house of representatives, shall have authority to make laws, in all cases, for the good govern- ment of the district, not repugnant to the principles and articles in this ordinance established and declared: And all bills, having passed by a majority in the house, and by a majority in the council, shall be referred to the governor for his assent; but no bill or legislative act whatever, shall be of any force without his assent. The governor shall have power to convene, prorogue, and dissolve the general assembly, when in his opinion it shall be expedient. The governor, judges, legislative council, secretary, and such other officers as congress shall appoint in the district, shall take an oath or affirmation of fidelity and of office; the governor before the president of congress, and all other officers before the governor. As soon as a legislature shall be formed in the district, the council and house assembled, in one room, shall have author- ity, by joint ballot, to elect a delegate to congress, who shall have a seat in congress, with a right of debating, but not of voting, during this temporary government. And for extending the fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty, which form the basis whereon these republics, their laws, and constitutions are erected; to fix and establish those principles as the basis of all laws, constitutions and govern- ments, which forever hereafter shall be formed in the said teiri- tory ; to provide also for the establishment of states, and permanent governments therein, and for their admission to a share in the APPENDIX 511 federal councils, on an equal footing with the original states, at as early periods as may be consistent with the general interest : It is hereby ordained and declared, by the authority aforesaid, That the following articles shall be considered as 'articles of compact between the original states, and the people and states in the said territory, and forever remain unalterable, unless by common consent, to wit: ARTICLE I No person, demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner, shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship or religious sentiments, in the said territory. ARTICLE II The inhabitants of the said territory shall always be entitled to the benefits of the writ of habeas corpus, and trial by jury; of a proportionate representation of the people in the legislature, and of judicial proceedings according to the course of the common law. All persons shall be bailable, unless for capital offences, where the proof shall be evident, or the presumption great. All fines shall be moderate; and no cruel or unusual punishments shall be inflicted. No man shall be deprived of his liberty or property, but by the judgment of his peers, or the law of the land; and should the public exigencies make it necessary, for the common preservation, to take any person's property, or to demand his particular services, full compensation shall be made for the same. And in the just preservation of rights and property, it is understood and declared, that no law ought ever to be made, or have force in the said territor}^ that shall in any manner whatever interfere with or affect private contracts or engagements, bona fide, and without fraud previously formed. ARTICLE III Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them withotit their con- sent, and in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, miless in just and lawful wars, author- ized by congress; but laws, founded in justice and htmianity, shall, from time to time, be made, for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them. 512 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS ARTICLE IV The said territory, and the states which may be formed therein, shall forever remain a part of this confederacy of the United States of America, stibject to the articles of confederation, and to such alterations therein as shall be constitutionally made; and to all the acts and ordinances of the United States in con- gress assembled, conformable thereto. The inhabitants and settlers in the said territory shall be subject to pay a part of the federal debts, contracted or to be contracted, and a proportional part of the expenses of government, to be apportioned on them by congress, according to the same common rule and measure by which apportionments thereof shall be made on the other states; and the taxes for paying their proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the district or districts, or new states, as in the original states, within the time agreed upon by the United States in congress assembled. The legislatures of those districts or new states, shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the soil by the United States in congress assembled, nor with any regtila- tions congress may find necessary for securing the title in such soil to the bona fide purchasers. No tax shall be imposed on lands, the property of the United States; and in no case shall non-resident proprietors be taxed higher than residents. The navigable waters leading into the Mississippi and St. Lawrence, and the carrying places between the same, shall be common highways, and forever free, as well to the inhabitants of the said territory, as to the citizens of the United States, and those of any other states that may be admitted into the confederacy, without any tax, impost, or duty therefor. ARTICLE V There shall be formed in the said territory, not less than three, nor more than five states; and the boundaries of the states, as soon as Virginia shall alter her act of cession, and consent to the same, shall become fixed and estab'ished as follows, to wit: The western state in the said territory shall be bounded by the Mississippi, the Ohio, and Wabash rivers; a direct line drawn from the Wabash and Post Vincents, due north to the territorial line between the United States and Canada; and by the said territorial line to the Lake of the Woods and Mississippi. The middle state shall be bounded by the said direct line, the Wabash from Post Vincents to the Ohio, by the Ohio, by a direct line drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami, to the APPENDIX 513 said territorial line, and by the said territorial line. The eastern state shall be bounded by the last mentioned direct line, the Ohio, Pennsylvania and the said territorial line: Provided, however, and it is further understood and declared. That the boundaries of these three states shall be subject so far to be altered, that if congress shall hereafter find it expedient, they shall have authority to form one or two states in that part of the said territory which lies north of an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan. And whenever any of the said states shall have sixty thousand free inhabitants therein, such state shall be admitted, by the dele- gates, into the congress of the United States, on an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatever; and shall be at liberty to form a permanent constitution and state govern- ment. Provided, The constitution and government so to be formed, shall be republican, and in confoiTnity to the principles contained in these articles; and, so far as it can be consistent with the general interests of the confederacy, such admission shall be allowed at an earlier period, and when there may be a less number of free inhabitants in the state than sixty thousand. ARTICLE VI There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted: Provided always, That any person escaping into the same, from whom labor or servdce is lawfully claimed in any one of the original states, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or service, as aforesaid. Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid, That the resolutions of the twenty-third of April, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four, relative to the subject of this ordinance, be and the same are hereby repealed, and declared null and void. Done by the United States, in congress assembled, the thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of their sovereignty and independence the twelfth. 65 514 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS An Act to divide the Indiana Territory into two separate governments. Ee it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from ; nd after the thirtieth day of June next, all that part of the Indiana territory, which lies north of a line drawn east from the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan, until it shall intersect Lake Erie, and east of a line drawn from the said south- erly bend through the middle of said lake to its northern extremity, and thence due north to the northern boundary of the United States, shall, for the purpose of temporary govern- ment, constitute a separate territory, and be called Michigan. Sec. 2. And be it further enacted. That there shall be estab- lished within the said territory, a government in all respects similar to that provided by the ordinance of Congress, passed on the thirteenth day of July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, for the government of the territory of the United States, northwest of the river Ohio; and by an act passed on the seventh day of August, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine, entitled "An act to provide for the government of the territory northwest of the river Ohio;" and the inhabitants thereof shall be entitled to, and enjoy all and singular the rights, privileges, and advantages granted and secured to the people of the territory of the United States, northwest of the river Ohio, by the said ordinance. Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the officers for the said territory, who by virtue of this act shall be appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall respectively exercise the same powers, perform the same duties and receive for their services the same compensations, as by the ordinance aforesaid and the laws of the United States, have been provided and established for similar officers in the Indiana territory; and the duties and emoluments of superintendent of Indian affairs, shall be united with those of governor. Sec. 4. And be it further enacted. That nothing in this act contained shall be construed so as, in any manner, to affect the government now in force in the Indiana territory, further than to prohibit the exercise thereof within the said territory of Mich- igan, from and after the aforesaid thirtieth day of June next. Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That all suits, process, and proceeding, which, on the thirtieth day of June next, shall be pending in the court of any county, which shall be included APPENDIX 515 within the said territory of Michigan; and also all suits, process, and proceedings, which on the said thirtieth day of June next! shall be pending in the general court of the Indiana territory, in consequence of any writ of removal, or order for trial at bar, and which had been removed from any of the counties included within the limits of the territory of Michigan aforesaid, shall, in all things concerning the same, be proceeded on, and judgments and decrees rendered thereon, in the same manner as if the said Indiana territory had remained undivided. Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That Detroit shall be the seat of government of the said territory, until Congress shall otherwise direct. Approved, January 11, 1805. An Act authorizing the election of a delegate from the Michigan territory to the Congress of the United States, and extending the right of suffrage to the citizens of said territory. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the citizens of the Michigan territory be, and they are hereby author- ized to elect one delegate to the Congress of the United States, who shall possess the qualifications, and exercise the privileges, heretofore required of, and granted to, the delegates from the several territories of the United States. Sec. 2. And be it further enacted. That every free white male citizen of said territory, above the age of twenty-one years, who shall have resided therein one year next preceding an election, and who shall have paid a county or territorial tax, shall be entitled to vote at such election for a delegate to the Congress of the United States, in such manner, and at such times and places, as shall be prescribed by the governor and judges of said territory. Sec. 3. And be it further enacted. That the person, duly qualified according to law, who shall receive the greatest number of votes at such election, shall be furnished, by the governor of said territory, with a certificate, under his official seal, setting forth that he is duly elected, by the qualified electors, the dele- gate from said territory to the Congress of the United States, for the term of two years from the date of said certificate, which shall entitle the person to whom the same shall be given to take his seat in the House of Representatives in that capacity, Approved, February 16, 1819, ■516 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS An Act to amend the ordinance and acts of Congress for the government of the territory of Michigan, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That all citizens of the United States, having the qualifications pre- scribed by the act, entitled "An act authorizing the election of a delegate from the Michigan territory to the Congress of the United States, and extending the right of suffrage to the citizens of said territory," approved February the sixteenth, eighteen hundred and nineteen, shall be entitled to vote at any public election in the said territory, and shall be eligible to any office therein. Sec. 2. And be it further enacted. That the same powers which were granted to the governor, legislative council, and House of Representatives, of the North-western territory, by the ordinance of Congress, passed on the thirteenth day of July, seventeen hundred and eighty- seven, and which powers are transferred to the territory of Michigan by the act entitled "An act to divide the Indiana territory into two separate. governments," approved January the eleventh, eighteen hundred and five, are hereby conferred upon, and shall be exercised by the governor and a legislative council: which council shall consist of nine persons, any five of whom shall be a quorum, and who shall serve for the term of two years, and be appointed as follows, to wit: At the next election of the delegate to Congress from the said territory after the passing of this act, the qualified electors shall choose, by ballot, eighteen persons, having the qualifications of electors; and such election shall be conducted, certified, and the result declared, agreeably to the territorial law prescribing the mode of electing such delegate. But the time and manner of electing the members of the legislative council shall, after the first elec- tion, be prescribed by the legislature of the said territory; and the names of the eighteen persons, having the greatest number of votes, shall be transmitted by the governor of the said terri- tory, to the President of the United States, who shall nominate, and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint therefrom, the said legislative council; and vacancies occurring in the said council shall be filled in the same manner, from the list transmitted as aforesaid; And the President shall have power, in the recess of the Senate, to make the appointments author- ized by this act; but all appointments, so made, shall be sub- mitted to the Senate at their next session, for confinnation. The first legislative council shall be assembled at such time and place APPENDIX 517 as the governor shall, by proclamation, designate. No session, in any one year, shall exceed the term of sixty days, nor shall any act passed by the governor and legislative council be valid, after the same shall have been disapproved by Congress. The mem- bers of the legislative council shall receive two dollars each, per day, during their attendance at the sessions thereof, and two dollars for every twenty miles in going to, and returning there- from, in full compensation for their services, and which shall be paid by the United States: Provided, That nothing herein con- tained shall be construed to affect the right of the citizens of said territory to elect a delegate to Congress; and the duties required of the govenor [governor] and judges by the act referred to in the first section of this act, shall be perfoiTned by the govenor [governor] and legislative council. Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the powers and duties of the judges of the said territory shall be regulated by such laws as are, or may be, in force therein; and the said judges shall possess a chancery, as well as common law, jurisdiction. The tenure of ofhce of the said judges shall be limited to four years: and on the first day of February, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four, and every four years thereafter, the ofhce of each of the said judges shall become vacant: Provided, That nothing in this act contained shall be so construed as to deprive the judges of the territory of the jurisdiction conferred upon them by the laws of the United States. Sec. 4. And be it further enacted. That the legislature shall have power to submit, at any time, to the people of the said territory, the question, whether a general assembly shall be organized agreeably to the provisions of the ordinance aforesaid; and, if a majority of the qualified electors shall be in favour of such organization, then the powers vested by this act in the legislative council shall cease and determine, and a general assembly shall be organized, in conformity with the said ordi- nance, subject to the following provision: The govenor [governor] of the said territory shall divide the same into five districts, and the qualified voters in each district shall elect one member of the legislative council, which shall possess the same powers heretofore granted to the legislative council of the North-western territory; and the members of the council shall hold their offices four years; and until there shall be five thousand free white male inhabitants, of twenty-one years and upwards, in said territory, the whole number of Representatives to the general assembly shall not be less than seven, nor more than nine, to be appor- tioned by the govenor [governor] to the several counties in the said territory, agreeably to the niimber of free white males above 518 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS the age of twenty-one years, which they may contain: but after the organization of the general assembly, the apportionment of the representation shall be made by such assembly: Provided, That there shall not be more than twelve, nor less than seven, of the whole number of representatives, until there shall be six thousand free white male inhabitants, above the age of twenty- one years; after which, the number of representatives shall be regulated agreeably to the ordinance aforesaid. Sec. 5. And be it further enacted. That the govenor [governor] of the said territory shall have power to grant pardons for offenses against the laws of the said territory, and reprieves for those against the United States, until the decision of the President theron [thereon] shall be made known. Sec. 6. And be it further enacted. That so much of the ordi- nance aforesaid, and laws of the United States, as are inconsistent with the provisions of this act, be, and the same are hereby, as respects the territory of Michigan, repealed. Sec. 7. And be it further enacted. That from and after the first day of June next, there shall be but one clerk of the supreme court of the territory of Michigan, who shall perform all the duties of clerk of said court, whether sitting as a circuit and district court, or as judges of the territorial court. Sec. 8. And be it further enacted. That the accounting officers of the treasury shall settle and adjust the accounts of John J. Deming, making him a reasonable allowance for his services as clerk of said district and circuit court, up to the first day of June next, and that the same be paid out of any money in the treasury, not otherwise appropriated. Approved, March 3, 1823. An Act to allow the citizens of the territory of Michigan to elect the members of their legislative council, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That at the next, and at each succeeding election of members of the legislative council of the territory of Michigan, the qualified elec- tors of the said territory may, instead of choosing twenty-six, as heretofore directed, elect thirteen fit persons as their represent- atives, in the manner, and with the qualifications now, or here- after to be, prescribed by law; which said representatives, so elected, shall be and constitute the said legislative council. And APPENDIX 519 for the purpose of securing an equal representation, the governor and legislative council of said territory, are hereby authorized and required to apportion the representatives, so to be elected as aforesaid, among the several counties or districts, in the said territory, in proportion, as near as may be, to the whole nimiber of inhabitants in each county or district, exclusive of Indians not taxed. Sec. 2. And be it further enacted. That the said governor and legislative council be, and they are hereby, authorized to provide by law for holding, annuallj^ one or more courts, by one or more of the judges of the supreme court of said territory, in each of the counties in that part of the territory eastward of the Lake Michigan ; and also for the appointment of a clerk in each county to act as clerk to the said court therein; and further to prescribe the jurisdiction of said courts, and the powers and duties of the judge or judges holding the same. Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the judges of the supreme court of the territory of Michigan have, and may exer- cise, the right of appointing the clerk of the said court, and of removing him at pleasure. Sec. 4. And be it further enacted. That no member of the legislative council shall be eligible to any office created or the fees of which were regulated by a law or laws passed whilst he was a member, during the period for which he was elected, and for one year thereafter. Sec. 5. And be it further enacted. That all laws, and parts of laws, in so far as the same shall be inconsistent with the pro- visions of this act, are hereby repealed; and, further, that Congress have the right, at any time, to alter or repeal this act. Approved, January 29, 1827. 520 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS B SCHEDULE OF INDIAN LAND CESSIONS IN THE LOWER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN, 1795-1837. (Bureau of American Ethnology, 18th Annual Report, pt. 2, pp. 654-764, passim). 1795, Aug. 3 — Greenville, Ohio — ^Wyandot, Ottawa, Chippewa > Potawatomi — {Stat, at Large, VII, 49). The post of Detroit and all land to the N. W., and S., of it to which the Indian title had been extinguished by gifts or grants to the French or English governments, and so much more land to be annexed to the district of Detroit as shall be comprehended between the river Rosine on the S., Lake St. Clair on the N., and a line the general course whereof shall be 6 miles distant from the W. end of Lake Erie and Detroit river. The necessity for the establish- ment of the boundaries of this tract was superseded by the conclusion of the treaty of Nov. 17, 1807, whereby the Indians ceded to the U. S. a large extent of territory surrounding and including within its general limits the tract described. The approximate, limits of this tract are, however, shown on the map by a dotted line. 1807, Nov. 17 — Detroit, Michigan — Wyandot, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi. — {Stat, at Large, VII, 105). The foregoing tribes cede to the U. S. all claim to the follow- ing described tract of country, viz: Beginning at the mouth of the Miami river of the lakes and running thence up the middle thereof to the mouth of the great Au Glaize river; thence due N. until it intersects a parallel of latitude to be drawn from the outlet of Lake Huron which forms the river Sinclair; thence running NE. the course that may be found will lead in a direct line to White Rock in Lake Huron; thence due E. until it intersects the boundary line between the U. S. and Upper Canada in said lake; thence southwardly, following the said boundary line, down said lake through the river Sinclair, Lake St. Clair, and the river Detroit, into Lake Erie, to a point due E. of the aforesaid Miami river; thence W. to the place of beginning. Three miles square on the river Raizin at a place called Macon, and where the river Macon falls into the river Raizin, which place is about 14 miles from the mouth of APPENDIX 621 said river Raizin. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaties of Sept. 29, 1817, and Sept. 19, 1827. Two sections of 1 square mile each on the river Rouge at Seginsiwin's village. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 19, 1827. Two sections of 1 mile square each at Tonquish's village, near the river Rouge. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 19, 1827. Three miles square on Lake St. Clair above the river Huron, to include Machonce's village. Six sections of 1 mile square each, within the cession afore- said, in such situations as the said Indians shall elect, subject to the approval of the President of the U. S. as to the places of location. General Note . — This three mile square tract and 3 of the 6 unlocated sections were surveyed and located by Aaron Greely in 1810, under direction of Governor Hull, as follows: One tract of 262.7 acres on Lake St. Clair at the mouth of the Au Vaseau, which included the site of Machonce's village; one tract of 534 acres on Lake St. Clair above the mouth of Salt creek; one tract of 1,200 acres at the mouth of A. Dulude or Black river, and 5,760 acres at the mouth of Swan creek of Lake St. Clair. These tracts were ceded to the U. S., May 9, 1836. The remain- ing 3 (of the 6 unlocated sections) had not been specific- ally located when they were ceded by treaty of Sept. 29, 1817, to the Catholic Church. 1809, Feb. 28— Act of Congress— Wyandot— (5to^ at Large, II 527). The U.S. reserve for the Wyandots, two tracts, not exceeding 5,000 acres, at Brownstown and Maguagua, Michigan territory, provided that if abandoned by them the tracts should revert to the U. S. — These tracts were ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 20, 1818. 1817, Sept. 29— Foot of the rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie- Wyandot, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi — {Stat, at Large, VII, 160). The Potawatomy, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes cede to the U. S. the land within the following boundaries: Beginning where the western line of the State of Ohio crosses the river Miami of Lake Erie, which is about 21 miles above the mouth of the Great Auglaize river; thence down the middle of said Miami river to a point north of the mouth of the Great Auglaize river; thence with the western line 522 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS of the land ceded to the U. S. by the treaty of Detroit, in 1807, N. 45 miles; then W. so far that a line S. will strike the place of beginning; thence S. to the place of beginning. The Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomy tribes grant to the rector of the Catholic church of St. Anne, of Detroit, and to the corporations of the college at Detroit, to be retained or sold as they see fit, each one-half of three sections of land on the river Raisin, at a place called Macon; also Three sections of land not yet located, which tracts were reserved for the use of said Indians by the treaty of Detroit in 1807. — ^As shown by the language of the treaty, these three sections had not been located, and it was a mere transfer of the right to locate them from the Indians to the Catholic Church. 1818, Sept. 20— St. Mary's, Ohio— Wyandot— (5toi. at Large, VII, 180). The Wyandot tribe cede to the U. S. a tract of land in the territory of Michigan, including the village called Browns- town, reserved to them and their descendants for 50 years • by the provisions of an act of Congress passed Feb. 28, 1809. The Wyandots also cede to the U. S. a tract of land in the territory of Michigan, to include the village called Magua- gua, reserved to them and their descendants for 50 years by the provisions of an act of Congress passed Feb. 28, 1809. — This reserve was ceded by treaty of Mar. 17, 1842. Note. — These two cessions contain in the whole not more than 5,000 acres. The U. S., in consideration of the foregoing cessions, agree to reserve for the use of the Wyandot Indians sections 23, 24, 25, 26, 34, 35, 36, 27, and that part of section 22 which contains 8 acres and lies on the S. side of the river Huron, being in Tp. 4 S., R. 9 E. of the first meridian in the territory of Michigan and containing 4,996 acres. 1819, Sept. 24 — Saginaw, Michigan territory — Chippewa — {Stat. at Large, VII, 203). The Chippewa nation cede to the U. S. the land comprised within the following described boundaries, viz: Beginning at a point in the present Indian boundary line, which runs due N. from the mouth of the great Auglaize river, 6 miles S. of the place where the base line so called inter- sects the same; thence W. 60 miles; in a direct line to the APPENDIX 523 head of Thunder Bay river; thence down the same fol- lowing the courses thereof to the mouth; thence N E to the boundary Hne between the U. S. and the British Provnice of Upper Canada; thence with the same to the hne established by the treaty of Detroit in 1807- thence with said hne to the place of beginning.— This cession is overiapped by the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi cession of Aug. 29, 1821, and also by the Ottawa and Chippewa cession of Mar. 28, 1836. From the foregoing general cession the Chippewa nation reserves for future use and occupancy the following de- scribed tracts: One tract of 8,000 acres on the E. side of the river Au Sable, near where the Indians now live. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837; q. v. One tract of 2,000 acres on the river Mesagwisk.— Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 6,000 acres on the N. side of the river Kawkawling at the Indian village.— Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 5,760 acres upon the Flint river, to include Reaum's village and a place called Kishkawbawee.— Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 8,000 acres on the head of the river Huron which empties into the Saginaw river at the village of Otusson.— Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Ian. 14, 1837. One island in the Saginaw Bay.— Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 2,000 acres where Nabobask formerly Hved. —Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 1,000 acres near the island in Saginaw river.— Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 640 acres at the bend of the river Huron which empties into the Saginaw river. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 2,000 acres at the mouth of Point Augrais river.— Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 1,000 acres on the river Huron, at Menoc- quet's village. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Ian. 14, 1837. One tract of 10,000 acres on the Shawassee river, at a place called the Big Rock. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. 524 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS One tract of 3,000 acres on the Shawassee river at Ketchewaundaugenink. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. This tract was at the date of this treaty supposed to He within the hmits of the general cession made by article 1, and was reserved on that theory. It was subsequently ascertained, however, that it was within the hmits of the previous cession by the treaty of Nov. 17, 1807. It is therefore considered as a "grant" to the Indians from the U. S. One tract of 6,000 acres at the Little Forks on the Tetabawasink river. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 6,000 acres at the Black Bird's town on the Tetabawasink river. — Ceded to the U. S. bv treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. One tract of 40,000 acres on the W. side of Saginaw river, to be hereafter located. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837. 1821, Aug. 29 — Chicago, Illinois — Ottawa, Chippewa, and Pota- watami — {Stat, at Large, VII, 218). The foregoing nations of Indians cede to the U. S. the land comprehended within the following boundaries: Beginning at a point on the S. bank of the river St. Joseph of Lake Michigan near the Parcaux Vaches, due N. from Rum's village, and running thence S. to a line drawn due E. from the southern extreme of Lake Michigan; thence with the said line E. to the tract ceded by the Pattiwatimies to the U. S. by the treaty of Fort Meigs in 1817 if the said line should strike said tract, but if the said line should pass N. of the said tract, then such line shall be continued until it strikes the western boundary of the tract ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Detroit in 1807, and from the termina- tion of the said line, following the boundaries of former cessions, to the main branch of the Grand river of Lake Michigan, should any of the said lines cross the said river, but if none of the said lines should cross the said river, then to a point due E. of the source of the said main branch of the said river, and from such point due W. to the source of the said principal branch, and from the crossing of the said river or from the source thereof, as the case may be, down the said river on the N. bank thereof to the mouth; thence following the shore of Lake Michigan to the S. bank of the said river St. Joseph at the mouth thereof and thence with the said S. bank to the place of APPENDIX 525 beginning. — ^This cession overlaps the tract ceded by the Chippewa by treaty of Sept. 24, 1819. From the foregoing cession the said Indians reserv^e for their use the following tracts, viz : One tract at Mang-ach-qua village, on the river Peble, of 6 miles square. — This reserve was ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 19, 1827. The boundaries were never ascertained. One tract at Mick-ke-saw-be of 6 miles square. — ^This reserve was ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 19, 1827. One tract at the village "of Na-to-wa-se-pe of 4 miles square. — This reserve was ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 27, 1833. One tract at the village of Prairie Ronde of 3 miles square. — This reserve was ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 19, 1827. One tract at the village of Match-e-be-narh-she-wish, at the head of the Kekalamazoo river. — This reserv^e was ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 19, 1827. The U. S. grants from above cession 26 sections of land to individuals of Indian descent. 1827, Sept. 19 — St. Joseph, Michigan territory — Potawatomi — (Stat, at Large, VII, 305). In order to consolidate some of the dispersed bands of the Pottawatamie tribe in the Territory of Michigan at a point removed from the road leading from Detroit to Chicago and as far as practicable from the settlements of the whites, it is agreed that the following tracts of land heretofore reserved for the use of said tribe shall be ceded to the U. S., viz: Two sections on the river Rouge at Seginsaim's village. — The Chippewa of Saginaw, by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837, ceded any claim they were supposed to have in this reserve. Two sections at Tonguish's village near the river Rouge. — The Chippewa of Saginaw, by treaty of Jan. 14, 1837, ceded any claim they were supposed to have in this reserve. That part of the reservation at Macon on the river Raisin, which yet belongs to the said tribe, containing 6 sections, excepting therefrom one-half section where the Pottawatamie Chief Moran resides, which shall be reserved for his use. 626 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS A tract at Mang-ach-qua village on the river Peble, of 6 miles square.— Boundaries never ascertained. A tract at Mickesawbe of 6 miles square. A tract at the village of Prairie Ronde of 3 miles square. A tract at the village of Match-e-be-nash-she-wish at the head of the Kekalamazoo river of 3 miles square. In consideration of the foregoing cessions the U. S. agree to reserve for the use of said tribe a tract containing 99 sections, (Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 27, 1833), as follows: Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8 in T. 5 S., R. 9 W., in the territory of Michigan. All of T. 5 S., R. 10 W., not already included in the Nottawa Sape reservation. Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, 35, and 36 in T. 5 S., R. 11 W. All of T. 4 S., R. 9 W. Sections 8, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, and 32 in T. 4 S., R. 9 W. — This is given as R. 9 W. in the published treaty, but it should be 10 W. Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, 35, and 36 in T. 4 S., R. 11 W. 1828, Sept. 20 — Missionary establishments upon the St. Joseph of Lake Michigan, in Michigan territory — Potawatomi — (Stat, at Large, Yll, 317). The Potawatamie tribe of Indians cede to the U. S. the tracts of land included within the following boundaries: Beginning at the mouth of the St. Joseph of Lake Mich- igan, and thence running up the said river to a point on the said river half-way between La-vache-qui-pisse and Macousin village; thence in a direct line to the nineteenth-mile tree on the northern boundary line of the State of Indiana; thence with the same west to Lake Michigan; and thence with the shore of the said lake to the place of beginning. 1832, Oct. 27 — Tippecanoe river, Indiana — Potawatomi of Indiana and Michigan— (Sto/. at Large, VII, 399). The Potowatomies cede to the U. S. their title and interest to lands in the States of Indiana and Illinois and in the Territory of Michigan S. of Grand river. From the foregoing cession the following reservations are made, viz: The reservation at Po-ca-gan's village for his band. — Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 27, 1833. APPENDIX 527 A reservation for such of the Potowatomies as are resi- dent at the village of Notta-we-sipa, agreeably to the treaties of Sept. 19, 1827, and Sept. 20, 1828.— Ceded to the U. S. by treaty of Sept. 27, 1833. 1833, Sept. 27 — Chicago, Illinois — Chippewa, Ottawa and Pota- watomi — {Stat, at Large, VII, 442). The said Indians cede to the U. S. all their lands situate in the territory of Michigan S. of Grand river, being the reservation at Notawasepe, of 4 miles square, contained in the third clause of the second article of the treaty made at Chicago on Aug. 29, 1821. The said Indians further cede the reservation of 99 sections of land described in the treaty made at St. Joseph on Sept. 19, 1827. The said Indians also cede to the U. S. the tract of land on St. Joseph river opposite the town of Niles, and extending to the line of the state of Indiana, on which the villages of To-pe-ne-bee and Pokagon are situated, supposed to con- tain about 49 sections. 1836, Mar. 28 — ^Washington, D. C. — Ottawa and Chippewa — {Stat, at Large, VII, 491). The Ottawa and Chippewa nations of Indians cede to the U. S. all the tract of country within the following boimd- aries: Beginning at the mouth of Grand river of Lake Michigan on the N. bank thereof and following up the same to the line called for in the first article of the treaty of Chicago of Aug. 29, 1821; thence in a direct line to the head of Thunder Bay river; thence with the line established by the treaty of Saganaw of Sept. 24, 1819, to the mouth of said river; thence NE. to the boundary line in Lake Huron between the U. S. and the British province of Upper Canada; thence northwestwardly following the said line as established by the commissioners acting under the treaty of Ghent, through the straits, and river St. Mary's to a point in Lake Superior N. of the mouth of Gitchy Seebing or Chocolate river; thence S. to the mouth of said river and up its channel to the soiurce thereof; thence in a direct line to the head of the Skonawba river of Green bay; thence down the S. bank of said river to its mouth; thence in a direct line through the ship channel into Green bay to the outer part thereof; thence S. to a point in Lake Michigan W. of the North cape or entrance of Grand river, and thence E. to the place of beginning at the cape aforesaid, comprehending all the lands and islands within 528 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS these limits not hereinafter reserved. — -This cession over- laps the Chippewa cession by treaty of Sept. 24, 1819. From the foregoing cession said tribes reserve for their own use, to be held in common, the following tracts for J:he term of five years and no longer except by permission of the U. S.: One tract of 50,000 acres to be located on Little Traverse bay. — The general note below applies to this reserve. One tract of 20,000 acres to be located on the N. shore of Grand Traverse bay. — Surveyed in 1840. It com- prised fractional Tps. 28, 29, and 30 N., R. 10 W., and continued to be occupied as an Indian reservation until the reserves contemplated by treaty of July 31, 1855, were designated. One tract of 70,000 acres to be located on or N. of the Pieire Marquetta river. Surveyed in 1840 on Man- istee river and occupied as a reservation until 1848, when it was sold. One tract of 1,000 acres to be located by Chingassanoo or the Big Sail, on the Cheboigan. One tract of 1,000 acres to be located by Mujeekewis, on Thunder Bay river. General Note. — After the selection by Mr. Schoolcraft of the 20,000 and 70,000 acre reserves under this treaty, he was advised that the U. S. might conclude to allow the Indians to remain on the other reserves after the expira- tion of the five years. He was therefore instructed, Nov. 5, 1840, that the boundaries of all the reserves under this treaty ought to be marked. Aug. 23, 1844, the Indian office advised the General Land Office that these reserves ought not to be surveyed as public lands, the Indians having been tacitly allowed to remain thereon since the treaty. In 1845 the assent of the Indians was obtained for the extension of the public surveys over these reserves, but no definite boundaries were marked out for them. As late as June 7, 1850, the Indian Office notified the General Land Office that the Indians still occupied these tracts and the latter must not be offered for sale as public lands. This state of affairs, in fact, continued until other provision was' made by the treaty of 1855. 1836, May 9 — ^Washington D. C. — Swan creek and Black river bands of the Chippewa nation residing in Michigan — (Stat, at Large, VII, 503). The Swan-creek and Black-river bands of Chippewas cede to the U. S. the following tracts, reserved for them by treaty of Nov. 17, 1807, viz: APPENDIX 529 One tract of 3 miles square, or 5,760 acres, on Swan creek, of Lake St. Clair. One tract of If sections near Salt creek of said lake.— This tract really contained only 534 acres. See remarks under treaty of Nov. 17, 1807. One tract of one-fourth of a section at the mouth of the river Au Vaseau, contiguous to the preceding cession. This tract really contained 262.7 acres. See remarks under treaty of Nov. 17, 1807. One tract of 2 sections near the mouth of Black river, of the River St. Clair. — This tract really contained only 1,200 acres. See remarks under treaty of Nov. 17, 1807. 1837, Jan. 14^Detroit, Michigan — Saginaw tribe of the Chippewa nation — {Stat, at Large, VII, 528). The said tribe cede to the U. S. the following tracts of land lying within the boundaries of Michigan, viz : One tract of 8,000 acres on the river Au Sable. — When the public surveys were extended over this region, there were no Indians living on this tract, and, the surveyors having no one to point out to them the desired limits of the reserve, it was never surveyed as an Indian reserve. One tract of 2,000 acres on the Misho-wusk or Rifle river The Indians reser\^ed a right of residence on this tract for five years. One tract of 6,000 acres on the N. side of the river Kawkawling. One tract of 5,760 acres upon Flint river, including the site of Reaum's village and a place called Kishkaw- bawee. One tract of 8,000 acres on the head of the Cass (formerly Huron) river, at the village of Otusson. One island in the Saginaw bay, estimated at 1,000 acres, being the island called Shaingwaukokaug, on which Mukokoosh formerly lived. One tract of 2,000 acres at Nababish on the Saganaw river. One tract of 1,000 acres on the E. side of the Saganaw river. One tract of 640 acres at Great Bend on Cass river. One tract of 2,000 acres at the mouth of Point Augrais river. — The Indians reserved a right of residence on this tract for five years. 67 530 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS One tract of 1,000 acres on the Cass river at Menoquet's village. One tract of 10,000 acres on the Shiawassee river at Ketchewaundaugumink or Big Lick. — See note con- cerning this tract under treaty of Sept. 24, 1819. An error was made in copying the treaty whereby this reserve became confused with the one at Big Rock. The intention was to cede both the 3,000 acre tract at Ketchewaundaugumink or Big Lick and the 10,000 acre tract at Big Rock. The language of the treaty cedes "10,000 acres on Shiawassee river, at Ketchewaundaugumink or Big Lick." To correct this error a supplemental article to the treaty was con- cluded Oct. 27, 1841. One tract of 6,000 acres at the Little Forks on the Tetabwasing river. One tract of 6,000 acres at the Black Bird's town on the Tetabwasing river. One tract of 40,000 acres on the W. side of the Saganaw river. One tract of 10,000 acres at Big Rock on Shiawassee river. — See note concerning this tract given in No. 12 or 3,000 acre reserve at Ketchewaundaugumink or Big Lick. The said Indians shall have the right of living upon the tracts at the river Augrais and Musho-wusk or Rifle rivers on the W. side of Saganaw bay, for the term of five years, during which time no white man shall be allowed to settle on said tracts under a penalty of $500. The said tribe agrees to remove from the state of Michigan as soon as a proper location can be obtained, either W. of lake Superior or at such place W. of the Mississippi and S. W. of the Missouri river as the legislation of Congress may indicate. — By treaty of Dec. 20, 1837, a reserve was promised this tribe on Osage river, but they declined to remove thereto, and no tract was therefore surveyed for them. The U. S. agree to pay to said tribe as one of the parties to the treaty of Nov. 17, 1807, the simi of $1,000 to quiet their claim to two reservations of land of 2 sections each, lying in Oakland County, Mich., which were ceded to the U. S. by the Pottowattomies of St. Joseph's on Sept. 19, 1827.— See treaty of Sept. 19, 1827. APPENDIX 531 hs CO'-l d 25 O toic o to 00 (Ni^ 00«-H 3CL d Tj.rt-H ^ ■*!>. rtO l>iCO tn tOOI> 777 1 1 1 TTT & s 3 "77 3 a ■*i>o 1 1 1 Tj<|>0 C3 OPM tn m dt^ irii o cc CO ^ CO CO ^ CO CO ■^ :?; •o a coco ^ PL, 00X00 00 00 00 00 00 00 M d ^ oo«oo l-lrtT-( '-"-''-< rtrH.-< a ■""""^ lOto a> .^^ COf- CO 05 CO coO M^ ■a 00-^ OOf^ 00=1 00 °i O '^^- ."-h" 2^ ^::: rH*~C 53^ s'^' Se; 0) . t3 1 . CO oo C5 a> CO IN CO (N N 00 00 00 00 00 l-H 1—1 T-i f-t '^ tf c« d 03.tJ Ol .£3-ti,ia o -TO ^ " ^ o N! -9 o 1 O cBt3 6 0) C8 d OS ,3 H5 cS oT Hj d 8 •"3 M ^ Oil-, C5^^ 55 to 00'^ gg » a-^" o-J:: 5^" 3 ^*^ (N (N (N to 5^ 1^ 1 d d d 4 03 & _05t^ C') (MN. M«3 n t»c^ t~M iNTt< 005 OOt^CO ri 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7T O) t^. C^ -^l" 1 1 1 1 «^ 1 1 £^■00 W 1 1 1 1° 1 1 -^OO-H 1 1 "a 1 1 1 ■fl t^ ® ^-^S 00 t^ s^S C<3?5 (N^ m « M Ma; CO CO «SJ "d 00=5 2^ 2;^ 2^' <»^ OO (j3 00^ 00»-< 00}^ 00=5 ^ he o ^'t: »s4 '"'05 2^ !3^ 1^- CS < !3^ a) o * OSO «DI^ C20 lO 02 o CO 02 ®f^ ^ 05 IT) to o- 05 'C ^>. 05 lo s| w*:: -nS co~J^ (M IN 95 S^ ~( o- ?^ o5-;q .•-1 (N^; o-:::; 3 ►-1 c^^ (Nf-, o ■4 O)^ *^ IN^ 5 ■>-? .>-5 S'-^ • >^ 53 ^ E-; ■ •4 15^ • ^ w 8^ 1^ S&^ s^ c 1^ St.; 1^- 1 c 3 o U a a s' a "5 B § - o a O I o o c o n O a o; '3 C o c3 APPENDIX 533 ■«■- a O r-l O 3 (^ 4 5-0 22-^ <4-<00 ©■-I a o •a o £ Mm.: 2 '*1 fl S ^^ ja d o OS uj D S am •9ca ♦Jp' en BO h.., CO o^ Si^;; 2S^ 2 a "So d ? 8°^ O 3 3 d OC2 CO Tf coco Ttlt^O Mt^ NlO ajM ^ d ooo S '^ l-lTfOO 050 lOlMtO OOrHCO -^roro 1— ( — . 02 ■^t^ 0-* O00l> lOOO: 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 ja iTT 1 1 1 CO OOO) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 e^-CO(N 1 1 1 ■*t~o Tjlt^O Tt*l>0 ■*t~o T}I1>0 T!i Tfl^O Tt 0.3 cc CO ^ mn-^ CCCOt)< uOuOOO 3 OS'S m O 05 M 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0000 '"""""' 00 <* CO ■oS^ «0©j CD 00 Co •^0) o c^ t- ro =^s CO (N*jN CO OOuj 00^ 00 ij 00,t5 oog oog 00 ooo 00 .1-1 •-'to §^" 2^' s'^' 00 aJ-i ^d CI (•^■^ ^"^ >►-) d^ o.*^ Q ^t^ S 3 :S&- s .^- ^^ 6^ OH §E^ 00 CO .2 OOfC cS Jg -^ CJ > e . aO oc i^ eS g ^ Co .2 CD •"• r;* -"go ^ 534 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS at: tf- C300 3 . O Q-■ Vi^ t-l ^W ' 1 \*J "-^ acei-^(N-H a. 1-1—1 (NCOCD C-- .-I (M M CO -# oct-oo tOTOCO MO IM r-( 1> COi-l OOOOiO (NO ■^■-HCO ._l^ r-IIM(N OOOW root~ CD T}^ 1— I •*1>0 COW* 00 00 00 coco-* 00 00 00 000000 000000 oooooo S.2 £ c fe- cS ,s-^ •^t^ ^■H^ ^e; 00 SJ 'Z^ on a no S CS ^ C) c^ CJ > o > o O c o (NCD WW 00 00 T3 33 C 03 si _>4 (U fc^ a: CN Q) -M CO CN Ci -M CO CN rn ooi::^i2 . cS . cO CO ®.2o n oco tUO APPENDIX 535 D CENSUSES OF MICHIGAN TERRITORY United States Census of Michigan Territory, 1830 (Abstract in House Document No. 263, 1st sess. 22d Cong.) County. Aggregate. Free. Slaves. Berrien 325 1,356 919 626 692 1,587 1,491 2,413 877 3,187 4,912 1,114 1,313 5 4,042 6,781 325 1,354 919 626 686 1,564 1,491 2,413 877 3,187 4,911 1,114 1,313 5 4,042 6,781 2 Cass Chippewa 6 23 Lenawee Michilimackinac. Monroe Oakland 1 St Clair St Joseph Van Buren Washtenaw Total 31,640 31,608 32 Free — White males . . White females. 18,168 13,178 Total whites 31,346 Colored males . . Colored females . 159 103 Total free colored . Total free 262 31,608 Slaves — Males. . . Females. 22 10 Total slaves Total population of Michigan Territory . 32 31,640 Territorial Census of Michigan, 1834 (Blois, Gazetteer of Michigan, p. 151) Berrien ^'\Ta Branch i 7il Calhoun ^ ' ggQ Cass ' rnc Chippewa ^^'^ 536 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Jackson 1 , 865 Kalamazoo 3 , 124 Lenawee 7,911 Mackinac 891 Macomb 6 , 055 Monroe 8 , 542 Oakland 13,844 St. Clair 2,244 St. Joseph .• 3 , 168 Washtenaw 14 , 920 Wayne 16,638 State Census of Michigan, 1837 (Legislative Manual (1838), pp. 70-74) Allegan: Allegan.. Newark . 621 190 Barry: Barry 512 Total 512 Berrien: Bainbridge 99 Berrien 496 Bertrand 1262 Buchanan 172 New Buffalo 199 Branch: Batavia 357 Bronson 635 Coldwater 960 EUzabeth 177 Gerard 448 Calhoun: Albion 773 Athens 288 Burlington 378 Convis 170 Eckford 530 Homer 1019 Cass: Calvin 201 Howard 366 Jefferson 395 Lagrange 699 Mason 224 Ontwa 1012 Otsego 341 Plainfield 317 Total 1469 NUes 1497 Oronoko 248 Royalton 175 St. Joseph 599 Weesaw 116 Total 4863 Gilead 184 Ovid 209 Quincy 569 Sherwood 217 Union 260 Total 4016 Marengo 737 MarshaU 1801 Milton 1632 Sheridan 353 Tekonsha 278 Total 7959 Penn 693 Pokagon 506 Porter 442 Silver Creek 108 Vohnia 427 M'^ayne. . .- 223 Total i 5296 Chippewa: Ste. Marie. Total . APPENDIX 537 Clinton: No returns for townships. Total 529 Eaton: Bellevue 438 Eaton 330 Genesee: Argentine 434 Flint 128S Grand Blanc 691 Hillsdale: Adams . 279 Allen 353 Fayette 685 Florida 156 Litchfield 314 Moscow 496 Ingham: No returns for townships. Total 822 Ionia: Ionia 511 Jackson: No returns for townships. Total 8702 Kalamazoo: -Brady 1292 Comstock 1383 Cooper 386 Kalamazoo 1373 Kent: Byroni 362 Lapeer: No returns for townships. TotaP 2602 Lenawee: Blissfield 559 Cambridge 523 Dover 680 Fairfield 203 Franklin ; 989 Hudson Lenawee 1151 Logan 1962 Macon 1111 Livingston: Byron 317 Deerfield 369 Genoa 361 Green Oak 1435 Hamburg 490 Vermontville 145 Total 913 Mundy 234 Vienna 107 Total ^7^ Pittsford 550 Reading ' ' 277 Scipio 469 Somerset 441 Wheatland [[ 729 Total 4749 Maple 517 Total 1028 Pavilion 548 Prairie Ronde 665 Richland 720 Total. . 6367 Kent 1660 Total ....,, 2022 Medina 420 Ogden 198 Palmyra 898 Raisin 1076 RoUin 508 Rome 826 Seneca 431 Tecumseh 2464 Woodstock 541 Total' .■ 14540 Hartland 404 Howell 442 Marion 202 Putnam 367 Unadilla 642 Total 5029 538 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Mackinac: Holmes 664 Total 664 Macomb: Armada 1001 Bruce 889 Clinton 1193 Harrison 502 Hickory 249 Jefferson 523 Monroe: Ash 1011 Bedford 431 Erie 999 Exeter 156 Frenchtown 1503 Ida 200 Lasalle 826 Oakland: Addison 343 Avon 1289 Bloomfleld 1485 Brandon 263 Commerce 747 Farmingtoii 1724 Groveland 664 Highland 440 Independence 668 Lyon 1051 Milford 667 Novi 1335 Ottawa: No returns for townships. Total 628 Saginaw: Saginaw 920 Total 920 St. Clair: China 603 Clay 394 Clyde 339 Columbus 85 Cottrelville 520 St. Joseph: Bucks 782 Colon 368 Constantine 842 Florence 440 Flowerfield 406 Shiawassee: No returns for townships. Total Lenox 234 Macomb 736 Orange 297 Ray 786 Shelby 1153 Washmgton 1329 Total 8892 London 456 Milan 270 Monroe 2795 RaisinvUle 614 Summerfield 1 128 Whiteford 257 Total 10646 Oakland 803 Orion 593 Oxford 384 Pontiac 1700 Rose 202 Royal Oak 825 Southfield 956 Springfield 403 Troy 1439 Waterford 828 West Bloomfield 1004 White Lake 363 Total 20176 Ira 202 Lexington 205 Port Huron 824 St. Clair 501 Total 3673 Leonidas 374 Mottville 497 Nottawa 713 Sherman 1043 White Pigeon 872 Total 6337 APPENDIX 539 Van Buren: Antwerp ' 232 Clinch 108 Covington 183 Decatur 224 Washtenaw: Ann Arbor 2944 Augusta 559 Bridgewater 923 Dexter 596 Freedom 795 Lima 895 Lodi 1063 Lyndon 361 Manchester 805 Northfleld 793 Wayne: Brownstown 846 Canton 1050 Dearborn 1317 Detroit 8273 Ecorse 709 Greenfield 897 Hamtramck 1772 Huron. 481 Lafayette 248 Lawrence 202 South Haven 65 Total 1262 Pitt 1208 fealem 1354 l^aline 1130 Scio 1442 Sharon 732 Superior 1378 Sylvan 480 Yorl<: 1197 Ypsilanti 2280 Webster 832 Total 21S17 Livonia 1076 Monguagon 404 Nankin 116O Plymouth 2246 Redford 1021 Romulu.s 389 Springwells 960 Van Buren 799 Total 23400 Calhoun. . . Chippewa. . Mackinac. . . St. Joseph. . Washtenaw . Colored Population. Wayne. . Jackson . Monroe. Oakland . 24 3 1 4 62 228 9 35 13 Total . 379 Cass Chippewa . Indians Taxed. Genesee . Total . 24 1 1. Part of this township was in Ottawa County. 2. Exclusive of the township of Richfield. 3. Exclusive of the township of Hudson. 540 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS E APPORTIONMENT OF TAXES TO BE RAISED FOR STATE PURPOSES FOR THE YEAR 1837, CALCULATED FROM THE ASSESSMENT RETURNS OF 1836 MADE BY THE SUPERVISORS AND TREASURERS OF EIGHTEEN COUNTIES, AND THE RESIDUE FROM THE RETURNS OF 1837. (Senate Documents, 1838, pp. 141-142) Counties. Square miles. Apportion- ment of taxes. *AIlegan 840 578 528 528 720 504 576 576 720 576 576 828 735 576 27,684 458 532 900 1,021 544 935 528 720 600 $2 , 735 Berrien 2 , 3.56 Branch 534 Cass 1,231 Calhoun 1,368 Genesee 482 Hillsdale 932 *Ionia 1,849 Jackson 944 Kalamazoo 1,537 Kent 1,374 Lapeer 150 *Lenawee 3 , 145 Livingston 325 *Mackinac 191 Macomb 1,065 ♦Monroe 4,304 Oakland ' 1,940 *Saginaw 2,279 *Shiawassee 2,076 St. Clair 808 St. Joseph 917 Washtenaw 2 , .532 Wayne 10,852 Total 42,783 $45,926 * Taxes for the counties starred were calculated from the assessment returns for 1837. No taxes were assessed for counties not named. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHICAL AIDS General Channing, Edward. Giiide to the sttidy and reading of American history, by Edward Channing, Albert Biishnell Hart and Fred- erick Jackson Turner. Boston, 1912. Griffin, A. P. C. Bibliography of Historical Societies oj the United States, in Annual Reports of the American Historical Association for 1890, 1892, 1893, 1895. Larned, J. N. The Literature of American History; a Bibliography. Boston, 1899. The best avenue to the essential literature. Pages 7-13 useful for State publications. Supplement issued for 1900-1901. Sabin, Joseph. A Dictionary of Books relating to America from the Discovery to the Present Time. 20 vols., New York, 1868- 1892. Winsor, Justin. Narrative and Critical History of America. 8 vols., Boston & New York, 1884-1889. BibHographies anti- quated, but valuable for criticisms of the sources. Volume VIII, 493, contains a useful guide to travels in the United States during this period. A List of Geographical Atlases in the Library of Congress with Bibliographical notes. 2 vols., Washington, 1909. A list of maps and atlasses relating to Michigan is contained in I, 864-869. Writings on American History . 1902, 1903, 1906-1908, 1912-1914. Local History BowKER, R. R. (Editor). State Publications. A Provisional List of the Official Publications of the Several States of the United States from their Organization. Four parts, New York, 1899- 1908. Vol. Ill contains a list of the Michigan publications. Bradford, Thomas L. The Bibliographer s Manual of American History, Containing an Account of all State, Territory, Town and County histories, relating to the United States of North America [etc]. Edited and revised by S. V. Hcnkels. 5 vols., Philadel- phia, S. V. Henkels & Co., 1907-1910. A work intended for dealers in second hand books. Full and accurate. 544 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Government Publications Ames, J. G. List of Congressional Documents from the Fifteenth to the Fifty-first Congress (1817-1891). Washington, 1892. Catalogue of Public Documents, ''Document Catalog,'' (1893-1907). 11 vols., Washington, 1896-1915. Church, Algnzo W. and Smith, Henry H. Tables showing the Contents of the several volumes comprising the Annals of Congress, Congressional Debates, Congressional Globe, Supreme Court Re- ports, etc., arranged by years and Congresses. Washington, 1892. Crandall, Check List of Public Documents. 2nd ed., Washington, 1895. Ferrell, L. C. Public Documents of the United States. (In Library Journal, XXVI, 671). Greely, a. W. Public Documents of the first fourteen Congresses, 1789-1817. Washington, 1900. Index to the Executive Documents and Reports of Committees of the House from the Twenty-second to the Twenty-fifth Congress. (1831-1839). Washington (1839). Lane, L. P. Aids in the Use of Government Publications. {In Pub- lications of the American Statistical Association, VII, 40-57). Moore, B. P. Descriptive Catalogue of Government Publications, 1776-1881. Washington, 1885. Ordway, Albert. General Index of the Journals of Congress, from the Eleventh to Sixteenth Congress inclusive. Washington, 1883. United States Superintendent of Documents, Tables of and An- notated Index to Congressional Series of United States Public Documents. Washington, 1902. Newspapers and Periodicals Annotated Catalogue of Newspaper Files in the Library of the Wis- consin Historical Society. Madison, 1899. Blair, E. H. Newspaper Files in the Library of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Madison, 1898. Bradly, I. S. A bibliography of documentary and newspaper ma- terial for the Old Northwest. (In Annual Report of the American Historical Association for 1896, I, 296-319). Cairns, W. B. Development of American Literature from 1815 to 1833, with especial Reference to Periodicals. (In Bulletin of the University of Wisconsin, Literature Series, I, 1898). Hudson, Frederic. Journalism in the United States, 1690-1872. New York, 1873. BIBLIOGRAPHY 546 List of Serials in Public Libraries of Chicago and Evanston. (Au- spices of Chicago Library Club), Chicago, 1901. North, S. N. D. History and Present Condition of Newspaper and Periodical Press of the United States. Washington, 1884. Ap- pendix C contains "Chronological History of the Newspaper Press of the United States;" appendix D, "Bound Files in the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Poole, W. F. (Editor). Index to Periodical Literature, rev. ed. (1802-1881). Boston, 1882. Supplements for 1888, 1895", 1897, 1903, 1908. Slauson, a. B. Check List of American Newspapers in the Library of Congress. Washington, 1908. Manuscripts Manuscript Collection in the Burton Library, Detroit. Manuscript Collections in the New York Public Library. (In Bul- letin of New York Public Library. July, 1901). Thwaites, R. G. Descriptive List of Manuscript Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Together with reports on Other Collections of Manuscript Material for American History in Adjacent States. Madison, 1906. Van Tyne, C. H., and Leland, W. G. Guide to the Archives of the Government of the United States in Washington. 2nd ed., Wash- ington, 1907. General Secondary Works BiRNEY, William, fames G. Birney and his Times. The Genesis of the Republican Party with Some Account of Abolition Move- ments in the South before 1828. New York, 1890. Of value for conditions leading to southern immigration into southwestern Michigan. Bishop, J. L. History of American Manufacturers, 1608-1860 [etc.], 3 vols., Philadelphia, 1868. Notice of relation of New England manufacturing industries to westward emigration. BoLLES, A. S. Industrial History of the United States, from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time [etc.]. Norwich, Connec- ticut, 1878. An excellent general view of the material advance- ment of the United States. The best of the earlier works on the subject. • Brackenridge, Henry Marie, Esq. History of the late War be- tween the United States and Great Britain. Containing a Minute 69 546 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Account of the various military and naval Operations. 2nd cd., Baltimore, 1817. Brannan, John (Editor). Official Letters of the military and naval Officers of the United States, during the War with Great Britain in the Years 1812, 13, 14 and 15, [etc.]. Washington, 1823. Brigham, Albert Perry. From Trail to Railway through the Appalachians. Boston, 1907. A good popular account of the routes of emigration westward. Bromwell, W. J. History of immigration to the United States, [etc.]. 1819-1855. New York, 1856. Brown, Charles R. The Old Northwest Territory: its Missions, Forts, and Trading Posts. Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1875. Con- tains a vakiable annotated map showing locations of the prin- cipal early settlements. Channing, Edward and Lansing, M. F. The Story of the Great Lakes. New York, 1909. A general account. Less suggestive for the earlier period. Contains a useful bibliography, pp. 388-391, mainly of guides, gazeteers and travels. Cutler, Julia Perkins. Life and Times of Ephraim Cutler. Prepared from his Journals and Correspondence. Cincinnati, 1890. Useful for early conditions of travel. Cutler, William Parker, and Cutler, Julia Perkins. Life, Journals and Correspondence of Rev. Manasseh Cutler, LL.D. 2 vols., Cincinnati, 1888. Shows eastern forces opposed to the westward movement of population. Dewey, D. R. Financial History of the United States. New York, 1903. Digested Summary of Private Claims. 3 vols., Washington, 1853. A convenient aid in studying the French claims in southeastern Michigan. Donaldson, Thomas. The Public Domain, Its History, with Sta- tistics, with references to the National Domain, Colonization, Ac- quirement of Territory, the Survey, Administration and Several Methods of Sale and Disposition of the Public Domain of the United States, with Sketch of Legislative History of the Land, States and Territories, and References to the Land System of the Colonies, and also that of Several Foreign Governments. Wash- ington, 1884. Eggerling, H. W. E. Beschreibung der Vereinigten Staaten von Nord-Amerika. Second edition, Mannheim, 1833. A work of much influence on emigration to the Middle West from South- em Germany. BIBLIOGRAPHY 547 ^^l' ^' ^' f ^(^'^'^■^^'^^ of ^/'^ official Accounts, in Detail, of all the Battles fought by Sea and Land, between the Navy and Army of the Umted States, and the Navy and Army of Great Britain, during the years 1812, 13, 14 and 15. New York, 1817. Goodrich S. G. Recollections of a Life Time; or, Men and Things 1 have Seen; tn a Series of Letters to a Friend, historical bio- graphical, anecdotal, and descriptive. 2 vols., New York 1857 Descriptive of the westward movement of population in' 1816- 1817, in letter d>3. Hall, B. F. The early History of the North Western States em- bracing New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michimn Iowa and Wisconsin [etc.]. Buffalo, 1849. Hesse,_ N. Das westliche Nordamerika [etc.]. Paderborn, 1838. An influential summary of western conditions favorable to German emigrants. Hubbard, Bela., Memorials of a Half-Century. N. Y. and Lond., 1887. A collection of papers bearing upon early settlement.' Hubbard was a Michigan pioneer of prominence, and his writ- ings have the authority of an intelligent eye witness. KoERNER, Gustav. Das deutsche Element in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika, 1818-1848. Cincinnati, 1880. LoEHER, Franz. Geschichte und Zustaende der Deutschen in Amerika. Cincinnati, 1847. Mathews, Lois Kimball. The Expansion of New England, the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississ- ippi River, 1620-1865. Boston and New York, 1909. M'Afee, Robert B. History of the late War in the Western Coun- try, comprising a full Account of all the Transactions in that Quarter, from the Commencement of Hostilities at Tippecanoe, to the Termination of the Contest at New Orleans on the Return of Peace. Lexington, Kentucky, 1816. Macgregor, John. Progress of America [etc.]. 2 vols., London 1847. McMaster, John Bach. History of the People of the United States. New York, 1883-1900. 'Vols. IV, ch. 33, and V, ch. 45, contain useful general accounts of emigration to the West in this period. Meigs, William M. The Life of Thomas Hart Benton. Phila- delphia and London, 1904. Important for national policies in relation to western land questions. Perkins, vS. Historical Sketches of the United States, from the Peace of 1815 to 1830. New York, 1830. An account by a 548 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS contemporary who was well equipped for the task. Gives a large national setting for the early settlement of Michigan. Roosevelt, Theodore. The Winning of the West. 4 vols., New York, 1889-1896. Semple, E. C. American History and its Geographic Conditions. Boston, 1903. Shea, John Gilmary. History of the Catholic Church in the United States. 4 vols., New York, 1886-92. Vol. Ill covers 1808-1843. Smith, Theodore Clarke. The Liberty and Free Soil Parties in the Northwest. New York, 1897. The first two chapters give a good general survey of the negro problems in the Old North- west. Stevens, Abel. History of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States of America. 4 vols., New York, 1884. Thomson, John Lewis. Historical Sketches of the late War be- tween the United States and Great Britain. Philadelphia, 1816. Tucker, George. Progress of the United States in Population and Wealth in fifty Years, as exhibited by the decennial Census. Boston, 1843. Turner, F. J. Rise of the New West, 1819-1829. (American Nation Series). New York and London, 1906. The most scholarly brief account of these ten years. Contains a good general bibliography. Warden, David Baillie. A Statistical, political and historical Account of the U . S. of N. A.; from the period of their first Colonisa- tion to the Present Day. 3 vols., Edinburgh, 1819. Williams, Samuel. Sketches of the War between the United States and the British Isles: intended as a faithful History of all material Events from the Time of the Declaration in 1812 to and including the Treaty of Peace in 1815. Rutland, Vermont, 1815. Winchell, Alexander. The Climate of Michigan. (In Tenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the State Horticultural Society of Michigan, 1880, pp. 155-163). Lansing, 1881. Winchell, Alexander. The Soils and Subsoils of Michigan, (In Three Lectures delivered before the Michigan State Agricuh tural Society [etc.]). Lansing, 1865. Winchell, Alexander. Topography and Hydrography [of Mich- igan]. In Tackabury's Atlas of Michigan, Detroit, 1873, pp. 9-14. BIBLIOGRAPHY 549 BIOGRAPHIES AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES McLaughlin, Andrew C. Lewis Cass. Boston, 1891. Very valuable for the whole period of Michigan Territory, but especi- ally from 1813 to 1831. Cass was governor of the Territory in those years, and zealously promoted settlement. Smith, W. L. G. The Life and Times of Lewis Cass. New York, 1856. Contains original material for the Cass expedition of 1820. Young, Wm. T. Sketch of the Life and Public Services of General Lewis Cass [etc]. Detroit, 1852. Early History of Michigan with biographies of State officers, mem- bers of congress, judges and legislators. Lansing, 1888. The most useful list of biographies covering its period. Compiled by authority of the legislature. The introduction gives items of interest for early settlement. Chapman Brothers, Chicago (publishers). Branch County, 1888; Genesee County, 1892; Hillsdale County, 1888; Ingham and Livingston Counties, 1891; Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 1891; Jackson County, 1890; Kalamazoo, Allegan and Van Buren Counties, 1892; Lenawee County, 1888; Oakland County, 1891. Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago (publishers). Berrien and Cass Counties, 1893; Muskegon and Ottawa Counties, 1893; Oakland County, 1903; Saginaw and Bay Counties, 1892; Washtenaw County, 1891. A. W. BowEN AND Co., Logansport, Indiana (publishers). Kent County, 1900. Emphasis on Grand Rapids. Knapp, J. I. and Bonner, R. I. Illustrated History and Bio- graphical Record of Lenawee County. Adrian, Michigan, 1903. Whitney, W. A. and Bonner, I. A. Historical and Biographical Record of Lenawee County. 2 vols., Adrian, Michigan, 1879- 1880. histories of MICHIGAN Campbell, James V. Outlines of the Political History of Michigan. Detroit, 1876. CooLEY, Thomas M. Michigan, a History of Governments. Boston, and N. Y., 1905. The best general account of the history of Michigan. Much general information about settlements given. Farmer, Silas. The History of Detroit and Michigan [etc.]. 2 vols., Detroit, 1884. 2nd ed. 1890 ; shghtly enlarged to inckide events to date. A very full and accurate account of Michigan 550 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Territory. The second volume is entirely biographical. The first volmne contains in the text many references to the sources, especially to contemporary newspapers. Lanman, James H. History o'j Michigan, Civil and Topographical, in a Compendious Form; with a View of the Surrounding Lakes. With a Map. New York, 1839. The author was a Michigan pioneer, contemporary with the latter part of this period. Especially valuable for contemporary physiographic conditions of settlement. Sheldon (Mrs.) E. M. The Early History of Michigan, from the first Settlement to 1815. New York, 1856. Mainly on the French period. Useful for settlement about Detroit from 1805 to 1815. Utley, Henry M., Cutcheon, Byron M. and Burton, Clar- ence M. Michigan as a Province, Territory and State, the Twenty-Sixth Member of the Federal Union. New York, 1906. county and other local histories Interest in systematically collecting and publishing the records of Michigan's local history appears to have begun about the time of the centennial of 1876. The material for the first volume of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections was compiled in 1874-1876, and published in 1877. The opportunity for county histories afforded by this impiilse was seized by three Philadelphia firms, L. H. Everts and Co., Everts and Abbott, and D. W. En- sign and Co., and a little later by Chicago fimis, principally C. C. Chapman and Co. The wave of interest lasted from 1877 to about 1882, and resulted in the production of almost an even score of volumes for the counties south of Saginaw Bay. It is noteworthy that among these the older counties of Wayne and Monroe were not represented. The first county histories were those of Oakland, Calhoun, and St. Joseph counties. They were exceptionally full in pertinent details for early settlement, and the same may be said of those for Branch, Genesee, Hillsdale and Kalamazoo. These obviously furnished much of the data used in the later and more carefully constructed county histories. Some of the earlier histories, however, are especially poor. In this class are those for Kent, Saginaw and Washtenaw counties published by C. C. Chapman and Co. They give data of com- paratively little value for settlement, garbling the papers furnished by pioneers, and abounding in appealing generalities. A second wave of interest in Michigan county history is shown by volumes appearing in the years 1888-1892. These came from RIBLIOGRAPHY 551 two Chicago firms, Chapman Brothers and the Biographical Pub- Hshing Co., and differed from the earlier output by being dis- tinctly biographical in character. Many of them bore names beginning "Portrait and Biographical Album." They are of much value in tracing the sources of population. Since 1905, two Chicago publishing companies have appeared in this field, one of which, the Lewis Publishing Co., is sponsor- ing work of a much higher grade than has been done hitherto. The title of these volumes begins "The Twentieth Century His- tory." They lay the chief emphasis upon recent years, and hence are not so useful for data about early settlement as the older histories. As a whole they do not contribute much new data on the earlier period, but are better organized. Almost without exception, the county histories give a large section of their space to biographical sketches of pioneers and present day business men. Since the volumes are sold by sub- scription, the subjects of these sketches are in the main those who can afford to buy the volume. It thus happens that promi- nent early pioneers who happen not to have descendents living in the county, get scant treatment. Without exception these volimies are of the unwieldy folio or quarto size, with heavy leather binding, thick paper, and very poor indexes. Their gen- erally poor quality and exhorbitant prices have made them justly the object of much ridicule and contempt among serious workers. Yet for many phases of early settlement they contain the main sources of infonnation, poor as it may be. With proper checking they may be made to yield light on some problems, such as the founding of villages, routes of travel, prejudices of settlers, sources of population and conditions of pioneer life. For the present purpose it is thought most useful tp arrange these books chronologically under the names of their pubhshers. Only those used by the author in this work are given . L. H. Everts and Co., Philadelphia. Calhoun County, 1877. Oakland County, 1877. St. Joseph County, 1877. Everts and Abbott, Philadelphia. ^ Branch County, 1879. Genesee County, 1879. Hillsdale County, 1879. Kalamazoo County, 1880. D. W. Ensign and Co., Philadelphia. Allegan and Barrj' Counties, 1880. 552 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Berrien and Van Buren Counties, 1880. Ingham and Eaton Counties, 1880. Ionia and Montcalm Counties, 1881. Shiawassee and CHnton Counties, 1880. C. C. Chapman and Co., Chicago. Kent County, 1881, Saginaw County, 1881. Washtenaw County, 1881. Inter-State Publishing Co., Chicago. Jackson County, 1881. Waterman, Watkins and Co., Chicago. Cass County, 1882. M. A. Leeson and Co., Chicago. Macomb County, 1882. H. R. Page and Co., Chicago. Muskegon and Ottawa Counties, 1882. A. T. Andreas and Co., Chicago. . St. Clair County, 1883. Munsell and Co., New York. Monroe County, 1890. S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago. Macomb County, 1905. Washtenaw County, 1906. The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago. Allegan County. Berrien County. Branch County. Calhoun County. Cass County. Detroit. Monroe County. Oakland County. Saint Clair County. Saint Joseph County. Van Buren County. The following histories of cities or sections of the State were published mainly in Michigan : Baxter, Albert. History of the City of Grand Rapids, Michi- gan. New York, 1891. The Appendix contains a brief history of Lowell, Kent County. BIBLIOGRAPHY 553 Carlisle, Fred (Compiler). Chronography of Notable Events in the History of the Northwest Territory and Wayne County. De- troit, 1890. CowLES, Albert E. Past and Present of the City of Lansing and Ingham County, Michigan. Lansing, Michigan, 1904. Everett, Franklin. Memorials of the Grand River Valley. Chicago, 1878. This work was done under the auspices of the Old Residents' Association of the Grand River Valley (see pre- face), and is one of the chief sources for local history in that region. Goss, DwiGHT. History of Grand Rapids and its Industries. 2 vols., Chicago, 1906. HoGABOAM, James J. The Bean Creek Valley. Incidents of its early settlement. Collected from the memories of its earliest set- tlers now living [etc.]. Hudson, Michigan, 1876. Lane, William A. Homer and its Pioneers, and its Business Men of Today. Homer, Michigan, 1883. Rogers, Howard S. History of Cass County from 1825 to 1875. Cassopolis, Michigan, 1875. Ross, R. B. and Catlin, G. B. Landmarks of Wayne County and Detroit. Revised by C. M. Burton, Detroit, 1898. CONTEMPORARY NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, ETC. American Annual Register. Philadelphia, 1825-1833. Albany Argus. 1813 + . Albany Cultivator. 1834+ . American Quarterly Review. Philadelphia, 1827-1837. Boston Daily Advertiser. 1813 + . Boston Patriot. 1809+ . Boston W^eekly Messenger. 1811 + . Charleston Mercury. 1822 + . The Christian Examiner. Boston, 1824+ . Christian Monthly Spectator. 1819-1828. Cincinnati Gazette. 1806+ . Columbian Centinel. Boston, 1790+. Connecticut C our ant. Hartford, 1764+ . Connecticut fournal and New Haven Post Boy. 1767-1835. Gazette of the United States . New York and Philadelphia. 1 789 + . Genesee Farmer. New York, 1831 + . 554 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Historical Register of the United States. Philadelphia, 1814-16. Independent Chronicle. Boston, 1789-1831. National Gazette. Philadelphia, 1820-|-. National Intelligencer. Washington, 1800 + . New England Palladium. Boston, 1801-1835. New Hampshire Gazette. Portsmouth, 1756-|-. New York Evening Post. 1801 + . New York Herald. 1802 + . Niles' Weekly Register. Baltimore, 1811 + . Especially valuable for economic conditions as affected by the changing relations between the East and the West. North American Review. New York, 1815 + . Providence Gazette and Daily Journal. 1762 + . Pennsylvania Gazette. Philadelphia, 1728+ . The Pittsburgh Commonwealth. 1805-1809. Special attention to Michigan news in the first years of Michigan as a separate Territory. Salem Gazette. 1774+ . EARLY MICHIGAN NEWSPAPERS Detroit Courier. December 30, 1830 + . Detroit Gazette. 1817-1830. The most valuable newspaper for historical material on Michigan in this period. Democratic. Detroit Journal. Published 1829-1830 as The Northwestern Journal and from 1830-1833 as The Detroit Journal and Michigan Ad- vertiser. Originated with friends of John Quincy Adams. Emigrant. Ann Arbor, 1829. Name changed to The Western Emigrant in 1830, and the paper became anti-Masonic. Kalamazoo Gazette. Kalamazoo, 1834+ . Democratic. Michigan Sentinel. Monroe, 1825 + . Democratic. Michigan Statesman. White Pigeon, St. Joseph County, 1833+ , Democratic. Shortly afterwards removed to Kalamazoo. Lenawee County Republican and Adrian Gazette. Adrian, October 15, 1834+ . Name changed to The Watchtower in 1835. A few scattered copies of the first issues preserved in Adrian Public Library. Michigan Herald. Detroit, May 10, 1825 to April 30, 1829. Whig organ. BIBLIOGRAPHY 555 Monroe Journal and Michigan Inquirer. Monroe, 1834+ . Dis- continued the following year. Oakland County Chronicle. Pontiac, June 25, 1830 to May, 1831. Removed to Detroit in 1831 and became The Detroit Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer. First issued at Detroit May 5, 1831. Name "Michigan Intelligencer" dropped in 1832. ARTICLES IN MAGAZINES Mayo, A. D. "Western Emigration and Western Character," in Christian Examiner, LXXXII, 265-282. New York, 1867. Shea, John Gilmary. "The Canadian Element in the United States," in the American Catholic Quarterly Review, October 1879. Turner, F J. "The Middle West," in International Monthly IV, 794-820. Turner, F. J. "The Colonization of the West," in American His- torical Review, XI, 303-327. An excellent general treatment of pioneering in the Middle West. The foot notes contain valuable bibliographical aid. Turner, F. J. "The Problem of the West," in the Atlantic Monthly, LXXVIII, 289-297. Turner, F. J. "Contributions of the West to American De- mocracy," in the Atlantic Monthly, XCI, 83-96. "European Emigration to the United States," in Edinburgh Re- view. July, 1854. "German Emigration," in Littell's Living Age, October, 1846. "The Revolutions of Etirope, 1830-1890," in the North American Review, July, 1848. "Ireland in 1834," in the Dublin University Magazine, January, 1835. TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION Light is reflected upon specific conditions of localities by tra- velers' accounts. Catition is needed to guard against exaggera- tions, inaccuracies and prejudices. English travelers were prone to speak slightingly of conditions in the West. (See the protest of Robert Walsh, An Appeal from the Judgment of Great Britain respecting the United States, Philadelphia, 1819; also McMaster, History of the People of the United States, V, .Ch. 48). Some travels were made to gather information for emigrants, to serve as a basis for gazetteers and guides. Accounts of travels published abroad had influence on foreign immigration to the localities de- scribed. These became very nmiierous after about 1835. 556 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Abdy, E. S. Journal of a Residence and Tour in the United States of North America, 1833-1834. 3 vols., London, 1835. Americans as they are; described in a Tour through the Valley of the Mississippi. London, 1828. BoARDMAN, J. America and the Americans [etc.]. London, 1833. Candler, Isaac. A Summary View of America. London, 1824. Chevalier, Michael. Society, Manners and Politics in the United States, being a Series of Letters on North America. [January, 1834 to October, 1835]. Boston, 1839. This was a translation from the third Paris edition. Gives an excellent summary of the social conditions as they were at the close of this period. CoRBETT, William. A Years Residence, in the United States of America. 3rd ed., London, 1828. Unfavorable to emigration to the United States. Cuming, Fortescue. Sketch of a Tour to the Western Country . . . commenced at Philadelphia in the Winter of 1807 and con- cluded in 1809. Pittsburg, 1810. Darby, William. A Tour from the City of New York to Detroit, in Michigan Territory, made between the 2nd of May and the 22nd of September, 1818. New York, 1819. De Rocs, F. F. Personal Narrative of Travels in the United States and Canada in 1826 [etc.]. London, 1827. DuDEN, Gottfried. Bericht ueber eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nordamerika's und einen mehrjaehrigen Aufenthalt am Missouri {in den Jahren, 1824-1827), in Beziig auf Auswanderung und Uebervoelkerung. 2nd ed., Bonn, 1834. Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Travels through North Amer- ica during the Years 1825 and 1826 [etc.]. Philadelphia, 1828. Evans, Estwick. A Pedestrious Tour of Four Thousand Miles through the Western States and Territories, during the Winter and Spring of 1818 [etc.]. Concord, New Hampshire, 1819. In Thwaites' Early Western Travels, VIII, 90-364. Valuable for specific knowledge of settlement along the southeastern shore of Michigan at that date. The journey from Monroe to De- troit was made on foot. Faux, W. Memorable Days in America: being a Journal of a Tour to the United States, principally undertaken to ascertain, by positive Evidence, the Condition and probable Prospects of British Emigrants [etc.]. London, 1823. ^ BIBLIOGRAPHY 557 Fearon, H. B. Sketches of America. A Narrative of a Journey of five thousand Miles through the eastern and western states of America [etc.]. Third edition, London, 1819. FiDLER, Isaac. Observations on Professions, Literature, Manners, and Emigration in the United States and Canada. New York' 1833. Finch, John. Travels in the United States of America and Canada [etc.]. London, 1833. Canadians in the region of the Great Lakes. Fowler, J. Journal of a Tour in the State of New York in the year 1830 [etc.]. London, 1831. Hall, Basil. Travels in North America in the Years 1827 and 1828 [etc.]. 3 vols., Edinburgh, 1829. Hall, James. Letters from the West: containing Sketches of Scenery, Manners, and Customs; and Anecdotes connected with the first Settlements of the Western Sections of the United States. London, 1828. Harding, Benj. Tours through the Western Country, A. D. 1818 and 1819. New London, 1819. Harris, William Tell. Remarks made during a Tour through the United States of America in the years 1817, 1818 and 1819. Hecke, J. Val. Reise durch die Vereinigten Staaten von Nord Amerika in den Jahren 1818 and 1819 [etc.]. 2 vols., Berlin, 1820-21. Hinsdale, Burke Aaron. The Old Northwest [etc.]. New York, 1888. Second edition, New York, 1899. Valuable introduc- tion to the study of Michigan in this period. Hodgson, Adam. Remarks during a Journey through North America in the years 1819-21, in a Series of Letters; with an Appendix, containing an Account of several of the Indian Tribes, and the principal Missionary Stations [etc.]. New York, 1823. Hoffman, C. F. A Winter in the West. 2 vols.. New York, 1835. Acute observations by an apparently experienced traveler, written very entertainingly in the form of letters from various points in the West. Volume I is of much value for Michigan in the years 1833-1834. Holmes, Isaac. An account of the United States of America, derived from actual Observation, during a Residence of four Years in that Republic: including original Communications. London, 1823. Latrobe, C. J. The Rambler in North America [etc.]. 2 vols., New York, 1833. 558 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Lindsay, W. View of America [etc.]. Hawick, 1824. McKenney, Thomas L. Sketches of a Tour to the Lakes [etc.]. Baltimore, 1827. Contains items of interest about Detroit and the St. Clair settlements. Martineau, Harriet. Society in America 1834-1836. 3 vols., London, 1837. Martineau, Harriet. Retrospect of Western Travel. 2 vols., New York, 1838. MuRAT, Achille. America and the Americans. New York, 1849. Apparently written about 1830. Good for a general survey of social and economic conditions in the West. Neilson, p. Recollections of a Six Year's Residence in the United States of America. Glasgow, 1830. Ogden, George W. Letters from the West. New Bedford, 1823. Reprinted in Thwaites, Early Western Travels, XIX. Palmer, John, fournal of Travels in the United States of North America and in Lower Canada, performed in the year 1817. London, 1818. Rafinesque, C. S. Travels and Researches in North America [etc.]. Philadelphia, 1836. Schoolcraft, Henry R. Summary Narrative of an exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820; resumed and completed by the Discovery of its Origin in Itaska Lake, in 1832. Philadelphia, 1855. Shirreff, p. Tour through North America [etc.]. Edinburgh, 1835. Stuart, J. Three Years in North America. 2 vols., New York, 1833. Thwaites, R. G. (Editor). Early Western Travels, 1748-1846. 32 vols., Cleveland, Ohio, 1904-1907. Wright, John S. Letters from the West; or a Caution to Emi- grants. Salem, New York, 1819. ' travelers' guides Cobbett, William. The Emigrant's Guide [etc.]. London, 1830. Collins, S. H. The Emigrant's Guide to and Description of the United States of America. Hull, 1830. Dana, E. Geographical Sketches of the Western Country: designed for Emigrants and Settlers: being the Result of extensive Re- searches and Remarks. To which is added a Summary of all the most interesting Matters on the Subject [etc.]. Cincinnati, 1819. BIBLIOGRAPHY 559 Darby, Wm. The Emigrant's Guide to the Western and South- western States and Territories [etc.]. With map. N. Y., 1817. Farmer, John. The Emigrants' Guide, or Pocket Gazetteer of the Surveyed Part of Michigan. Albany, New York, 1830. An accurate, and for that day quite complete, guide to the Terri- tory. Sold with map and separately. A new edition appeared in 1831, and a much enlarged edition in 1836. Very valuable. Flint, James. Letters From America, containing Observations on the Climate and Agrictdture of the western States, the Manners of the People, and the Prospects of Emigrants, etc., etc. Edin- burgh, 1822. Hewett, D. The American Traveller [etc.]. Washington, 1825. Melish, John. Information and Advice to Emigrants to the United States; and from the Eastern to the Western States: illus- trated by a Map of the United States and a Chart of the Atlantic Ocean. Philadelphia, 1819. Among the most favorable of the early references to Michigan. Melish, John. The Traveller's Directory through the United States; containing a Description of all the Principal Roads through the United States, with copious Remarks on the Rivers and other Objects [etc.]. New York, 1825. Contains valuable maps and diagrams of routes of travel, with valuable notes. Earlier edi- tions appeared in 1815, 1819 and 1822. Morse, Jedidiah and Morse, Richard C. The Traveller's Guide; or, Pocket Gazetteer of the United States; extracted from the latest Edition of Morse's Universal Gazetteer [etc.]. Second edition; enlarged, revised and corrected. New Haven, 1826. Good map of United States in colors. Favorable to the eastern part of Michigan, but misrepresents the country west of the dividing ridge. Peck, Rev. John Mason. A Guide for Emigrants, containing Sketches of Illinois, Missouri, and the adjacent parts. Boston, 1831. Acute observations, well written. gazetteers, directories, geographical and statistical works Amphlett, William. Emigrants' Directory of the Western States of North America. London, 1819. Blois, John T. Gazetteer of the State of Michigan, in Three parts, containing a General View of the State, a Description of the Face of the Country, Soil, Productions, Public Lands, Internal Im- provements, Commerce, Government, Climate, Education, Religious Denominations, Population, Antiquities, etc., etc. With a Succinct 560 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS History of the State, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Also a particular description of the Counties, Towns, Villages, Post Offices, Water Courses, Lakes, Prairies, etc., alphabetically arranged; with an Appendix, containing the Usual Statistical Tables, and a Directory for Emigrants, etc. Detroit and New York, 1839. A very valuable source for Michigan. Contains the Territorial census of 1834. Blowe, D. Geographical, Commerical and Agricultural View of the United States. Liverpool, 1820. Bristed, John. Resources of the United States of America. ■ New York, 1818. Brown, Samuel R. The Western Gazetteer; or. Emigrant's Direc- tory, containing a geographical Description of the Western States and Territories [etc.]. Auburn, New York, 1817. Apparently based upon first-hand knowledge. The eighteen pages devoted to Michigan Territory are fairly accurate. Clark, Charles F. (Compiler and publisher). Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1863-4, embracing Historical and Descriptive Sketches of all the Cities, Towns and Villages throughout the State, together with Classified Lists of all Profes- sions, Trades and Pursuits, Names of all Organized Companies, State and County Officers, and full information regarding the Mercantile and Manufacturing Interests of the State. 2nd ed., Detroit, 1863. Daily Advertiser Directory for the City of Detroit for the year 1850. Detroit, 1850. Contains items on early settlement. Davenport, Bishop. A New Gazetteer or Geographical Dictionary of North America and the West Indies [etc.]. Baltimore, 1832. Interesting rather for what it does not say about Michigan, at a date fairly well advanced. Flint, Timothy. Condensed Geography and History of the Western States. 2 vols., Cincinnati, 1828. Flint, Timothy. The History and Geography of the Mississippi Valley. 2nd ed., 2 vols., Cincinnati, 1832. Very unreliable for Michigan. Flattering presentation of its advantages for the immigrant, in I, 436-7. Main attention to the Great Lakes and principal interior rivers. Geographical, Historical, Commercial and Agricultural View of the United States of America; forming a complete Emigrant's Direc- tory through every part of the Republic [etc.]. London, 1820. Apparently an expansion of Brown's Western Gazetteer. In- tended to induce English emigrants to settle in the West. Indiana Gazetteer. 2nd ed., Indianapolis, 1833. BIBLIOGRAPHY 561 KiLBOURNE, John. Ohio Gazetteer. Columbus, 1819. Kingdom, William, Jr. America and the British Colonies, an ab- stract of all the most useful Information relative to the United States of America [etc.]. London, 1820. Good advice to in- tending emigrants. Not favorable to the West. Mackenzie, E. An historical, topographical, and descriptive View of the United States of America [etc.]. New-Castle-upon-Tvne 1819. ^ ^ ' Mac Cabe, Julius P. Bolivar. Directory of the City of Detroit, with its Environs, and Register of Michigan, for the Year 1837. Containing an Epitomized History of Detroit; an Alphabetical List of its Citizens; a Classification of Professions and Principal Trades in the City; Every Information Relative to Offices and Officers, to Churches, Associations and Institutions, to Shipping, Steam Boats, Stages, etc. — also, a List of the Officers of the United States Government; the Names of the Governor, and Members of the Legislature of Michigan, and County Officers of the State. etc., etc., etc. Detroit, 1845. Contains many items of in- terest for settlement. Melish, John. A geographical Description of the United States, with the contiguoiis British and Spanish Possessions. Phila- delphia, 1816. An expanded edition (1822) with slightly altered title, contains 491 pages, and shows Michigan rising in impor- tance. There were other editions of this work. Melish, John. A Statistical View of the United States, containing a geographical Description of the United States and of each State and Territory; with topographical Tables of the Coimties, Towns, Population, etc. New York, 1825. Of value for population of Michigan counties. Spafford, Horatio Gates. A Gazetteer of the State of New York: embracing an ample Survey and Description of its Counties, Towns, Cities, Villages, Canals [etc.]. With a new Map, and Profiles of the Canals. Albany, 1824. Wellings, James H. Directory of the City of Detroit; and Register of Michigan, for the year 1845. Containing An Epitomized History of Detroit; an Alphabetical List of its Citizens; a List of the officers of the Municipal Government, the officers of the United States, and the State Officers and Members of the Legis- lature of Michigan; also, every information relative to the time and place at which the several Courts sit throughout the State; with a List of Churches, Associations, Institutions, County Officers, etc., etc., etc. Detroit, 1845. 71 662 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS NATIONAL AND STATE PUBLICATIONS American State Papers. Documents, legislative and executive. 38 vols., Washington, 1832-1861. Extend from 1789 to 1838 inclusive. Annals of the Congress of the United States. 42 vols., Washington, 1834-1856. Extend from 1789 to 1824 inclusive. Census of the State of Michigan, 1884. 2 vols., Lansing, 1886. Contains an account of the early censuses taken under the auspices of the Territory and State. Curtis, B. R. Reports of .Decisions in the Supreme Court of the United States. With notes and a Digest. 23 vols., Boston, 1855. Condensed reports, forming a convenient approach to the older and complete reports. Eighteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Part 2, containing Indian Land Cessions in the United States. Washington, 1899, pp. 521-997. Valuable plates. Most con- venient source f or i nf ormation on this subject. Executive Documents. Washington, 1830 + ■ These include //om5^ Documents from 1817 forward. House Reports of Committees. Washington, 1819+ . Laws of the Territory of Michigan. 4 vols., Lansing, 1871-1884. L Laws adopted by the Governors and Judges, comprising the "Woodward Code" of 1805, the "Cass Code" of 1816, the code of laws published in 1821, laws compiled by the Legislative Board in 1824, laws published by the Legislative Council in 1825, Executive Acts, 1815-1822, and some Acts of Congress affecting Michigan Territory. II. "Embracing all Laws en- acted by the Legislative Authority of the Territory, from 1806 to 1830, which are not included in Vol. I." III. "Embracing the Acts and Resolutions of the Legislative Council for the Years 1830, '31, '32 '33, '34, '35." IV. "Supplemental, em- bracing all Laws enacted by the Legislative Authority of the Territory, not printed in Vols. I, II, and III, Territorial Laws, being Acts from 1806 to 1811, and also those Passed at the Special Session of the 6th Legislative Council, August 17th-25th, 1835." McLaughlin, A. C. History of Higher Education in Michigan. Bureat't of Education Circidar of Information, No. 4, 1891. Washington, 1891. North, S. N. D. A Century of Population and Growth. Wash- ington, 1909. Useful for a general statement of comparative BIBLIOGRAPHY 563 growth of eastern and western sections based upon the federal census. Register of Debates in Congress. 29 vols., Washmgton, 1825-1837. Usually cited as Congressional Debates. Senate Documents. Washington, 1817+ . Statutes at Large of the United States of America. 11 vols Wac;h- ington, 1873-1895. Twelfth Census, Statistical Atlas. United States Census reports. 1810-1830. PUBLICATIONS OF HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETIES Adams, Romanzo. "Agriculture in Michigan. A Sketch," in Publications of the Michigan Political Science Association ' HI 163-202. Allen, William Francis. "The Place of the Northwest in general history," in Papers of the American Historical Associa- tion, III, 329-348. Ball, S. "Buffalo in 1825." Buffalo Hist. Soc. Pub., I, 139-150. Reprinted from a pamphlet published in that year. Useful for comparison of Buffalo and Detroit at that date. Chaney, Henry A., "Alien Suffrage in Michigan," in Publica- tions of the Michigan Political Science Association, IV, 130-139. Of interest for the influence of the elective franchise upon for- eign immigration to Michigan. Deals mainly with the later period. Haight, Walter C. "The Ordinance of 1787," in Publications of the Michigan Political Science Association, II, 343-402. Im portant for questions concerning the Negro in Michigan. Historical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan, comprising a series of discourses delivered before the historical society of Michigan, and other interesting papers relative to the Territory. Detroit, 1834. Hubbard, George D. "A Case of geographical Influence upon human Affairs," in Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, XXXVI, No. 3, 145-157. New York, 1904. Effects of glaciation. Keith, Hannah Emily. "An Historical Sketch of Internal Im- provements in Michigan, 1836-1846," in Publications of the Michigan Political Science Association, IV, 1-48. Levi, Mrs. K. E. "Geographical Origin of German Immigration to Wisconsin," in Wisconsin Historical Collections, XIV, 341-393. 564 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS McLaughlin, A. C. "The Influence of Governor Cass on the Development of the Northwest," in Papers of the American His- torical Association, III, 311-327. Storrow, Samuel A. "The Northwest in 1817," in Wisconsin Historical Collections, VI, 154-187. A letter dated December 1, 1817, addressed to Major-General Brown. Suggestive for general conditions in the Great Lakes region. Thwaites, R. G. "Story of the Black Hawk War," in Wisconsin Historical Collections, XII, 217-265. Turner, Frederick Jackson. "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," in Report of the American Historical Association, 1893, pp. 199-227. Walker, Captain A. "Early Days on the Lakes," in Buffalo Historical Society Publications, V, 287-318. pioneer diaries, reminiscences, papers, addresses, etc., published in the michigan pioneer and historical collections, (38 vols. lansing, michigan, 1874-1912) These papers are so brief and their titles furnish such obvious indications of their authority that only in particular cases is it useful to add explanations. Very many of the articles are ex- tracts from newspaper columns of comparatively recent date. Many of them were prepared to be read before State or local pioneer societies. The papers written by persons who partici- pated in the events they narrate are of much value for the found- ing of settlements, though it is to be regretted that reminiscences rather than diaries of these events predominate. Physiography, Climate, Fauna and Flora Ball, Hon. John. Physical Geography of Kent County. M. P. H. C, I, 214-217. By an early pioneer. Valuable for con- temporary physical conditions of settlement. TiBBiTS, J. S. Wild Animals of Wayne County. M. P. H. C, I, 403-406. "Read before the Detroit Pioneer Society, March 23, 1873." Account of animals contemporary with early settle- ment. Hubbard, Bela, Esq. The Climate of Detroit. M. P. H. C, III, 67-83. A summary of conclusions in pp. 82-83. River Raisin. Anon. M. P. H. C, VII, 548-550. From the Detroit Gazette, August 2, 1822. BIBLIOGRAPHY 565 Wheeler, Charles S. The Early Flora and Fauna of Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXXII, 354-360. Health Van Buren, A. D. P. The Fever and Ague. "Michigan Rash." Mosquitoes. The Old Pioneers' Foes. M. P. H. C, V, 300-304. Boundaries NoRVELL, Col. Freeman. The History and Times of the Hon. John Norvell M. P. H. C, III, 140-148. Useful for the Ohio boundary dispute. SouLE, Anna May, M. L. The Southern and Western Boundaries of Michigan . M . P . H . C . , XXVI 1 , 346-390 . Best work on this subject. Stuart, L. G. Verdict for Michigan. How the Upper Peninsula became a part of_ Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXVII, 390-403. Ohio boundary dispute. Indians of Michigan — Tribes, Missions, Treaties, and Relations with Settlers Heydenburk, Martin. Indian Missions. M. P. H. C, III, 154-156. Protestant missions, principally at Detroit and Mack- inac. Suggests relations between the missions and agricultural settlement. Williams, Hon. Ephraim S. The Treaty of Saginaw in the year 1819. M. P. H. C, VII, 262-270. Copley, Hon. A. B. The Pottawattomies. M. P. H. C, XIV, 256-267. An account of the Indians of Southwestern Michigan, and their relations with settlers. Felch, [Governor] Alpheus. The Indians of Michigan and the Cession of their Lands to the United States by Treaties. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 274-297. Contains colored map of Indian ces- sions in Michigan, opposite p. 275. Webber, William L. Indian Cession of 1819, made by the Treaty of Saginaw. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 517-534. Little, Frank. Early Recollections of the Indians about Gull Prairie. M. P. H. C, XXVII, 330-338. Brunson, Mrs. Catherine Calkins. A Sketch of Pioneer Life Among the Indians. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 161-163. Thorpe, Calvin J. Pioneer and Aborigine. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 467-478. 566 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Van Buren, A. D. P. Story of the Baw Beese Indians. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 530-533. Hillsdale County. OsBAND, Melvin D. The Michigan Indians. M. P. H. C, XXIX, 697-709. Relations with whites. Goss, DwiGHT. The Indians of the Grand River Valley. M. P. H. C, XXX, 172-190. Goodyear, Henry A. Indians of Barry County. M. P. H. C., XXXV, 637-643. Black Hawk War Little, Henry. A History of the Black Haivk War of 1832. M. P. H..C., V, 152-178. Special reference to its effect on Michigan settlement. Buckner, Lieut. Col. E. A brief history of the war with the Sac and Fox Indians in Illinois and Michigan, in 1832, with twenty- one letters and orders. M. P. H. C, XII, 424-436. The Black Hawk War. M. P. H. C, XXXI, 313-471. "Papers of Gen. J. R. Williams, collected and arranged by C. M. Bur- ton." Williams commanded the Michigan militia called out at that time. The French-Canadians in Michigan — Missions, Manners, Customs, Settlements, Land Claims, and Relations with American Settlers Witherell, Judge B. F. H. Sketches of Detroiters by fudge Witherell— Inhabitants of Detroit in 1806. M. P. H. C., I, 344B-345. "From the Detroit Post of May 9th, 1876." Hubbard, Bela. The Early Colonization of Detroit. M. P. H. C, I, 347-368. Address, 1872. An excellent summary of early conditions among the French at Detroit by an early pioneer. Girardin, J. A. Life and Times of Father Gabriel Richard. M. P. H. C, I, 481-495. Campbell, James V. Early French Settlements in Michigan. M. P. H. C, II, 95-104. Presents the French influence as im- favorable to agricultural settlement. Hamlin, Mrs. M. (Carrie W.). Old French Traditions. M. P. H. C, IV, 70-78. Life of the Michigan Canadians. Grossman, Hon. D. L. Early French Occupation of Michigan. M. P. H. C, XIV, 651-668. Weadock, Hon. Thomas A. E., M. C. A Catholic Priest in Con- gress. Sketch of Rev. Gabriel Richard. M. P. H. C, XXI, 432-447. BIBLIOGRAPHY 567 Elliott, Richard R. The Last of the Barons. M. P. H C XXI 494-500. Dudley, Rev. Thomas P. Battle and Massacre at Frenchtown, Michigan, January, 1813. M. P. H. C, XXII, 436-443. Dud- ley was one of the survivors. Useful for condition of the Mich- igan Canadians at that time. Beeson, L. H. Fort St. Joseph. The Mission, Trading Post and Fort, located about one mile south of Niles, Michimn. M P H. C, XXVIII, 179-186. Day, John E. The Jesuits in Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXXII 405-409. McCoy, Daniel. Old Fort St. Joseph. M. P. H. C, XXXV. 545-552. vSurvey and Sale of Michigan Lands Cannon, George H. The Early Surveys oj Michigan. M. P. H. C, X, 60-63. Tifhn's report, extracted from American State Papers, Public Lands, V. First Sale of Michigan Lands. M. P. H. C, XIII, 483-484. At Detroit, 1818. An article from the Salem (Mass.) Register, June 10, 1818. WooDARD, C. S. The Public Domain, its surveys and surveyors. M. P. H. C, XXVII, 306-323. Navigation, Transportation and Trade ZuG, Samuel. The Port of Detroit. A History of the Custmn House [etc.]. M. P. H. C, I, 468-472. Dewey, Francis A. A Sketch of the Marine of Lake Erie previous to the year 1829. M. P. H. C, IV, 79-81. Ingersoll, John N. The Clinton and Kalamazoo Canal Celebra- tion. M. P. H. C, V, 469-471. Date, 1838. HoYT, Wm. C. Notes from an Old Account Book. M. P. H. C. V, 558-561. Kept by Mack and Conant. Detroit, 1819+ . Bliss, A. N., A. M. Federal Land Grants for Internal Improve- ments in the State of Michigan. M. P. H. C, VII, 52-68. Massey, H. Traveling on the Great Lakes when Detroit was young. M. P. H. C, VII, 131-133. Navigation of the Lakes. Anon. M. P. II. C, VII, 153-154. From the Detroit Gazette, Oct. 24, 1823. Stevens, Sherman. The Building of the Pontiac Railroad. M. P. H. C, XIII, 484-486. 568 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Steamboats on Lake Erie. M. P. H. C, XIV, 543-544. From the White Pigeon Republican, May 15, 1839. Bancroft, William L. Memoir of Capt. Samuel Ward, with a sketch of the early commerce of the Upper Lakes. M. P. H. C. XXI, 336-367. Mitchell, C. T. Progress in Transportation and Mails in the Last Fifty Years. M. P. H. C, XXII, 281-283. Joy, James F. Railroad History of Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXII, 292-304. Barber, Edm^ard W. The Great Lakes. Interesting Data concern- ing them: Michigan's relation to them; Growth of Traffic on thetn. M. P. H. C, XXIX, 515-526. Roads and Travel Thompson, Rev. O. C. Observations and Experiences in Michigan Forty Years Ago. M. P. H. C, I, 395-402. "Read before the Detroit Pioneer Society, January 13th, 1873." A very useful account of travel and settlement in the Kalamazoo Valley about 1830 by a contemporary. Williams, B. O. Survey of the State Military Road from Saginaw to Mackinaw. M. P. H. C, II, 462-470. By a contemporary. Cole, I. L. Journal of a Pedestrian Tour from Detroit to Sagina (Saginaw) River in 1822. M. P. H. C, II, 470-475. The Early Modes of Transit at Detroit. The Original Ferry-Boat and its successors. M. P. H. C, II, 579-581. [Hubbard, Gurdon S.] Journey of Gurdon S. Hubbard . . . from Montreal to Mackinac and Chicago in 1818. M. P. H. C, III, 125-127. Edwards, Major Abraham. A Sketch of Pioneer Life. M. P. H. C, III, 148-151. A letter written in 1851. Trip from Detroit to southern Michigan in August, 1828, by the founder of Edwardsburg, Cass County. Northrup, Enos. First Trip to Michigan. M. P. H. C, V, 69-70. From Ohio to Detroit via Monroe in 1830. Extracts from diary. McCoRMicK, Wm. R. a Trip from Detroit to the Saginaw Valley [etc.]. M. P. H. C, VII, 271-277. Date, 1832. Dye, Mrs. Richard. Coming to Michigan. M. P. H. C, VIII, 260-265. Trip from Herkimer, New York, to Ionia, in 1837. Dewey, F. A. From Buffalo to Michigan in 1829. M. P. H. C, IX, 161-166. Buffalo to Lenawee County. BIBLIOGRAPHY 569 Williams, Ephraim S. Remembrances of Early Days. Indians and an Indian Trail. A trip from Pontiac to Grand Blanc and the Saginaws. M. P. H. C, X, 137-142. Date, 1833. [Miller, Judge Albert]. My first trip to Lansing. M. P. H. C, XIII, 367-369. Made in 1847, from the Saginaw Valley. Haynes, Hon. Harvey. A Trip from Rome [N. Y.] to Mackinaw in Territorial Days, with powder and clothing for Soldiers at the Fort. M. P. H. C, XIII, 520-525. Date, 1833. Williams, E. S. A Trip on April FooVs Day. M. P. H. C, XIV, 539-541. From Saginaw to Detroit, 1829 or 1830. [Hubbard, Gurdon S.] A Voyageur of 1818. M. P. H. C, XIV, 544-546. Trips between various points in and near Michigan, in 1818. Hinman, John F. My first Journey to Michigan, with other Reminiscences. M. P. H. C, XIV, 563-571. From Rutland County, Vermont, to Charlotte, Eaton County, in 1838. Expedition to Detroit, 1793. M. P. H. C, XVII, 565-671. A journey of Quakers from Philadelphia, and their return. Re- printed from the Friends' Miscellany, Vols. I, II and VI. Goodrich, Enos. Across Michigan Territory Sixty Years Ago. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 228-235. ' From Detroit to Chicago, via the Chicago Road, in 1834. Tower, Mrs. Prudence. The Journey of Ionia s First Settlers. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 145-148. Notes by the daughter of Samuel Dexter, foimder of Ionia. Palmer, Friend. Ferry Service between Detroit and Windsor. M. P. H. C, XXXII, 463-467. Date, 1825-h. Sources of Population Williams, Rev. Wolcott B. New England Influence in Michi- gan. M. P. H. C, XVII, 311-319. Ten Brook, Andrew. Our German Immigrations. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 241-255. Date, 1825+. Banks and Banldng Felch, Alpheus. Early Banks and Banking in Michigan. M. P. H. C, II, 111-124. From 1806 to 1839. Randall, C. D. Early Banking in Branch County. M. P. H. C, III, 339-347. [Miller, L. M.] Early Banks and Bankers of Macomb Coimty. M. P. H. C, V, 471-484. 570 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS HuGGiNs, Andrew. Exchange Bank of Shiawassee. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 511-513. Palmer, Friend. The Old Bank of Michigan [1818]. M. P. H. C, XXX, 410-423. Government Establishment and Organization of Counties. M. P. H. C, I, 94-1- . Laws extracted from volumes of the Territorial Laws. Campbell, Judge James V. Governors and Judges of Michigan. From the first claim of jurisdiction by France under French dominion. M. P. H. C", III, 114-117. Jenney, Hon. William. Governors of Michigan Territory. M. P. H. C, III, 119-120. Evarts, Wm. M. [A list of territorial officers with terms of office.] M. P. H. C, III, 121-122. Van Buren, A. D. P. Michigan in her Pioneer Politics; Michigan in our National Politics, and Michigan in the Presidential Cam- paign of 1856. M. P. H. C, XVII, 238-295. Miscellaneous papers bearing upon the relations between the United States, the British and the Indians of the Northwest from 1790 to 1829. M. P. H. C, XXIII, 1-602. Papers on the relation of the United States and the British in Canada regarding the Northwest, 1805-1823. M. P. H. C, XXV, 217- 681. "Copies of papers on file in the Dominion Archives at Ottawa, Canada, pertaining to Michigan, as found in the Colonial Office Records." A continuation of the collection in M. P. H. C, XXIV. Copies of Papers on File in the Dominion Archives at Ottawa, Canada, Pertaining to the Relations of the British Government with the United States during the period of the War of 1812. M. P. H. C, XV and XVI. A few papers in vol. XVI are useful for immigration and settlement in Michigan, (pp. 414-706 passim), dealing with subsequent relations, 1816-1820. The Beginnings of Territorial Government in Michigan {1805- 1808). M. P. H. C, XXXI, 510-612. "Manuscripts in the Department of State at Washington, D. C. Compiled with an Introduction, by Charles Moore, Ph. D." . Territorial Records. M. P. H. C, XXXVI, 100-620. Extend from 1805-1831. Many of the originals are in the Burton Library, Detroit. Some of them are transcripts from the Ameri- can State Papers. Introduction and notes. Very valuable for many phases of settlement in those years, but bear mainly upon political and governmental affairs. BIBLIOGRAPHY 571 Territorial Records. M. P. H. C, XXXVII, 17-507. Continuation of papers published in Vol. XXXVI. Contain the Woodbridge and Williams papers (pp. 17-31), and the Schoolcraft papers, 1831-1836 (pp. 221-4 19). Pioneer Press Holmes, J. C. Some Notes respecting the Pioneer Newspapers of Michigan. M. P. H. C, I, 385-395. Address, December 16, 1873. Applegate, Tom S. A History of the Press of Michigan. M. P. H. C, VI, 62-98. Prepared for Centennial by order of Gov. John J. Bagley. Baxter., Benjamin L. History of the Tecumseh Press. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 536-539. QuiNBY, Hon. William E. Reminiscences' of Michigan Journal- ism. M. P. H. C, XXX, 507-517. Education TiBBiTS, J. S. Schools of Wayne County at an Early Day. M. P. H. C, I, 429-431. "Read before the Wayne County Pioneer Society, April 21, 1874." WiLKiNs, William D. Traditions and Reminiscences of the Public Schools of Detroit. M. P. H. C. I, 448-466. OsBAND, Melvin D. Pioneer Schools and their Patrons of the Town of Nankin, Wayne County, Michigan. M. P. H. C, IV, 57-62. CoMSTOCK, Dr. O. C. Rev. John D. Pierce. M. P. H. C, V, 184-187. Williams, B. O. My Recollections of the Early Schools of Detroit that I attended from the Year 1816 to 1819. M. P. H. C, V, 547-550. Knight, George W., Ph. D. History of the Land Grants for Edu- cation in Michigan. M. P. H. C, VII, 17-35. Salmon, Lucy M., A.' M. Education in Michigan dtiring the Territorial Period. M. P. H. C, VII, 36-51. CoMSTOCK, Dr. O. C. Hon. Isaac E. Crary. M. P. H. C, XIV, 280-283. Crary was a prominent early settler of Marshall, Calhoun County, and closely associated with the beginnings of Michigan's public school system. Norton, J. M. Early Schools and Pioneer Life. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 107-110. 572 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Williams, Rev. Wolcott B. Two Early Efforts to found Colleges in Michigan, at Delta and at Marshall. 'M. P. H. C, XXX, 524-549. Ford, Clyde R., LL. D. The Life and Work of John D. Pierce- M. P. H. C, XXXV, 295-308. Pierce, John D. Origin and Progress of the Michigan School System. M. P. H. C, I, 37-45. A paper read before the Pioneer Society, February 3, 1875. Slavery GiRARDiN, J. A. Slavery in Detroit. M. P. H. C, I, 415-417. [Backus, W. W.] Sale of Negro Man Pompey. M. P. H. C, I, 417. Date, 1794. Copy of deed furnished by W. W. Backus of Detroit. Relative to the subject of Slavery. M. P. H. C, XII, 511-522. Opinion of Judge Woodward. Pioneer Life — Food, Houses, Customs, Manners, Amusements and Incidents. For Relations with the Indians see above, "Indians." NowLiN, William Esq. The Bark-covered House, or Pioneer Life in Michigan. IV, 480-541. Van Buren, A. D. P. What the Pioneers Ate and Hovu they Fared. Michigan Food and Cookery in the Early Days. M. P. H. C, V, 293-296. Van Buren, A. D. P. "Raisings" and "Bees" among the Early Settlers. M. P. H. C, V, 296-300. Van Buren, A. D. P. The Frolics of Forty-five Years Ago. M. P. H. C, V, 304-309. Begole, Hon. Josiah W. Recollections of Pioneer Life. M. P. H. C, V, 339-344. NoRTHRUP, Ends. On Going to Mill. Traveling three hundred miles to mill; or. What I know about going to mill. Al. P. H. C, V, 405-406. Taylor, P. H. Christmas in Ionia Fifty Years Ago. M. P. H. C, VI, 300. Description of the birchen canoe. M. P. H. C, VII, 162-164. From T. L. McKenney's Tour to the Lakes in 1826. Busby, Joseph. Recollections of Pioneer Life in Michigan. M. P. H. C, IX, 118-127. Date, 1831 + . BIBLIOGRAPHY 573 Williams, Ephraim. Incidents of Early Days in Michimn. M. P. H. C, IX, 166-172. Date, 1820 + . Papers on the relation of white settlers with the Indians in Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties. M. P. H. C, X, 147-172. Old French Carts. M. P. H. C, XIII, 491-49vS. Van Buren, A. D. P. The Log Schoolhouse Era in Michigan; or, My Schools and My Schoolmasters during our first and Second Pioneer Decades. M. P. H. C, XIV, 283-402. Watkins, L. D. The Old Log House. M. P. H. C, XXVI 644-646. Goodrich, Enos. Trials of Pioneer Business Men. M. P. H C XXVIII, 122-128. Beardsley, a. M. Reminiscences and Scenes of Backwoods and Pioneer Life. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 137-141. About 1838, in St. Joseph County. Watkins, L. D. Destruction of the Forests of Southern Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 148-150. HuTCHiNS, Mrs. Harrison. Pioneering. Gathering Sap and Going to Mill. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 638-640. A poem by a pioneer, reflecting the spirit of the early days. CuTCHEON, B. M. Log Cabin Times and Log Cabin People. M. P. H. C, XXIX, 609-624. OsBAND, Melvin D. The Pioneer and his Work. M. P. H. C, XXIX, 709-717. Barker, Edward W. Recollections and Lessons of Pioneer Boy- hood. M. P. H. C, XXXI, 178-227. Beal, W. J. Pioneer Life in Southern Michigan in the Thirties. M. P. H. C, XXXII, 236-246. Shettler, Mrs. Eliza M. Scott. Lights and Shadows from Pioneer Life. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 184-198. Potter, Theodore E. A Boys Story of Pioneer Life in Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 393-412. General and Miscellaneous Chase, Rev. Supply. Early History of the Baptist Church in Michigan. M. P. H. C, I, 466-468. Griffith, Rev. S. N. Sketch of the Early History of Methodism in the Southwestern part of the State of Michigan. M. P. H. C, II, 158-171. Date, 1829-f. 574 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Wells, Judge H. G. Law and the Legal Profession. M. P. H. C, III, 129-139. Brief biographical sketches of leading lawyers in the Territorial period. CoMSTOCK, Dr. O. C. Biographical sketch of Martin Heydenburk. M. P. H. C, III, 152-153. Southwestern Michigan, 1833-4. Trowbridge, Hon. C. C. History of the Episcopal Church in Michigan. M. P. H. C, III, 213-221. A Michigan Emigrant Song. M. P. H. C, III, 265. From the Detroit Post and Tribune of February 13th, 1881. Begins "My Eastern Friends who wish to find." Said to have been much used in 1833 and the years following. Shearer, Jonathan. Wheat in New York and Michigan [1824- 1861]. M. P. H. C, IV, 82-83. Ferry, Senator Thomas W. The Growth and Progress of Michi- gan. M. P. H. C, V, 21-26. Chase, Rev. Supply. A Pioneer Minister. M. P. H. C, V, 52-60. Reminiscences on general topics. Hawley Gerrells in 1828. M. P. H. C, V, 77-79. Letter, 1874, reminiscent of settlements in Southeastern Michigan in 1828. Pilcher, Rev. Elijah H. Forty Years Ago. M. P. H. C, V, 80-89. Observations on settlement by a contemporary, 1830 + • Copley, A. B. Early Settlement of Southwestern Michigan. M. P. H. C, V, 144-151. The best summary of settlement in this section. [CoLTON, C] Lake St. Clair in 1830. M. P. H. C, VI, 418-420. From C. Colton's Tour of the Lakes in 1S30. Several notes of some value for Michigan settlement in 1823-4. M. P. H. C, VII, 74-77. Pioneer Song. Begins "Know ye the land to the emigrant dear." M. P. H. C, VII, 80-81. HuRD, Rev. Philo R., D. D. An Historical Sketch of Congrega- tionalism in Michigan brought down to the year 1884. M. P. H. C, VII, 103-111. Brief Notes and papers relating to the history of Detroit and Michigan Territory from 1805 to the close of the War of 1812. M. P. H. C, VIII, 548-659. Peck, Hon. Edward W. Disputed Questions in the Early History of Michigan. M. P. H. C, XI, 151-161. Holmes, J. C. The Michigan State Historical Society. M. P. H. C, XII, 316-350. An account of the work of the society formed under the aupices of Lewis Cass and others in 1828. BIBLIOGRAPHY 575 [Pierce, John D.]. Congregationalism in Michimn. M P H C, XII, 351. Date, 1831 + . ' ' ' Letter from A. B. Woodward to James Madison, Sec. of State dated Detroit, July 18, 1807. M. P. H. C, XII, 505-507. General conditions in Michigan Territory. Dewey, F. A. Some Sketches of the Long Ago. M. P. H. C, XIV, 528-531. Mainly about Detroit and Southwestern Mich- igan after 1830. WiLLARD, Hon. George. The Making of Michigan. M P H C XVII, 295-310. ■ ■ ■' Gilbert, Thomas D. Developnent of Western Michigan. M. P. H. C., XVII, 319-325. General, mainly on the later period, but suggestive. Crawford, Rev. R. C. Fifty-two Years of Itinerant Life in the Michigan Conference of the M. E. Church. M. P. H. C., XXII, 266-281. Concerns mainly Southwestern Michigan. CuTCHEON, Hon. Byron M. Fifty Years of Growth in Michigan M. P. H. C, XXII, 479-502. General, but suggestive. Mainly from 1842+ . Wing, J. Warner. Michigan as a Territory, and some of its Inhabitants. M. P. H. C, XXVII, 255-259. Warner, Wm. W. Early History of Michigan. M. P. H. C XXVII, 289-304. Letters of Lucius Lyon. M. P. H. C, XXVII, 412-604. Valuable. Great variety of topics relating to Michigan settlement between 1822 and 1845. Lyon was one of the first two United States Senators from Michigan, previous to which time he was a pioneer in Southwestern Michigan. Watkins, L. D. Seventy Years of Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXX, 63-68. [Brown, E. Lakin]. Atitohiographical N otes . M. P. H. C, XXX, 424-494. "Edited by his daughter, A. Ada Brown." [Mason, Miss Emily V.] Chapters fro^n the Autobiography of an Octogenerian, 1830-1850. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 248-258. Chamberlain, Henry. A Michigan Octogenerian. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 662-669. General. Deals largely with later period. Allegan County Henderson, Donald C. Allegan County. Its rise, progress and growth in population, with a brief history of its press. M. P. H. C, III, 270-276. 576 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Morgan, G. A. The Township of Allegan, Its topography, pro- ducts, early settlement, and history. M. P. H. C, III, 276-293. From 1834+ . Henderson, Donald C. Notes on Saugatuck. M. P. H. C, III, 301-310. Useful mainly for later period. Trowbridge, C. C. [Early history of Allegan County]. M. P. H. C, IV, 173-176. Report of Memorial Committee, Allegan County {1895). M. P. H. C, XXVI, 2)2>0-?)?)?>. Useful reminiscences. Mix, Col. E. [The Pioneers of Allegan County]. M. P. H. C, XVII, 557-564. Morgan, G. A. Township of Pine Plains — A Historical Sketch. M. P. H. C, III, 293-296. From the Allegan Journal of June 8, 1878. Barry County Goodyear, Henry A. Sketch of Barry County. M. P. H. C, I, 112-117. Historical address, July 4, 1876. One of the best of the few sources for Barry County. Cherry, Henry P. Early History of Johnstown, Barry County. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 221-228. White, George H. Yankee Lewis' Famous Hostelry in the Wil- derness. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 302-307. HoYT, Mrs. Mary M. Early Recollections of Pioneer Life in Michigan and the founding of Yankee Springs. M. P. H. C, • XXX, 289-302. Berrien County WiNSLOW, Damon A. Early History of Berrien County. M. P. H. C, I, 120-125. Address, Feb. 2, 1876. Bishop, Henry. Settlement of New Buffalo, Berrien County. M. P. H. C, I, 125-126. WiNSLOW, Damon A. Bench and Bar of Berrien County, Michigan. M. P. H. C, XVII, 391-409. Useful biographical sketches of prominent pioneers. Anon. History of the extinct village of Bertrand. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 128-133. Branch County Haynes, Hon. Harvey. Sketches of the Early History of Branch County. M. P. H. C, VI, 216-224. BIBLIOGRAPHY 577 Fisher, Rev. J. Emory. Semi-centennial History [of Ouincy township and village]. M. P. H. C, VI, 237-247. Coldwater in 1831. M. P. H. C, VII, 346-348. A Letter to Dr. I. P. Alger, by Enoch Chase, Esq., dated Jan. 19, 1884. Cross, Wm. H. Early Michigan. M. P. H. C, X, 54-57. Haynes, Harvey. Reminiscences of Early Days in Coldwater and Vicinity. M. P. H. C, XXVII, 284-288. Calhoun County Dickey, Col. Charles. Early Settlement of Calhoun County. M. P. H. C, I, 128-132. Address, Feb. 2, 1876. [Perrine, Rev. W. H.]. Notes on the Settlement of townships in Calhoun County. M. P. H. C, II, 208-262. Among the best contributions for Calhoun County. [Anon.] The City of Battle Creek — Its early history, growth, and present condition. M. P. H. C, III, 347-367. From the De- troit Post and Tribune, June 16, 1878. Van Buren, A. D. P. Pioneer Annals; containing the history of the early settlement of Battle Creek city and township, with vivid sketches of pioneer life and pen portraits of the early settlers. M. P. H. C, V, 237-259. Van Buren, A. D. P. Pen Pictures of our Pioneers. Heroic hut ineffectual struggle of Verona to outstrip Battle Creek. M. P. H. C, V, 259-272. Van Buren, A. D. P. The First Settlers in the Township of Battle Creek. M. P^ H. C, V, 272-293. Van Buren, A. D. P. History of the Churches in Battle Creek. M. P. H. C, V, 310-324. Poppleton, O. How Battle Creek received its Name. M. P. H. C, VI, 248-251. Sketches, Reminiscences, and Anecdotes of the old Members of the Calhoun and Kalamazoo County Bars. M. P. H. C, XI, 271-318. Clinton County Bronson, Wm. Pioneer History of Clinton County. M. P. H. C, V, 325-333. Pioneer Piety. M. P. H. C, XIII, 407-424. Articles on early churches and preachers in the Saginaw and Flint districts. NiLES, Mrs. M. J. Old Times in Clinton County. M. P. H. C, XIV, 620-626. 1831-}-. 73 578 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Scott, David. Early History of Clinton County, Michigan. M. P. H. C, XVII, 410-413. Eaton County Ingersoll, Mrs. E. S. Early Settlement of Delta. M. P. H. C, I, 157-160. Reminiscences, 1834+- FooTE, Edward A., Esq. Historical Sketch of the early days of Eaton County. M. P. H. C, III, 379-431. Pioneer History of the Settlement of Eaton County. M. P. H. C, XXII, 502-526. A series of brief papers written by pioneers. Barber, Edward W. The Vermontville Colony: Its Genesis and History, with personal sketches of the colonists. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 197-287. Barber, Edward W. Beginnings in Eaton County: Its Earliest Settlements and Settlers. M. P. H. C, XXIX, 337-397. Genesee County Thompson, Hon. E. H. The City of Flint. M. P. H. C, III, 431-468. vStevens, Sherman. Sketch of Early Pioneer Life. M. P. H. C, VII, 93-98. Reminiscences of early Genesee County. Miller, Ji^dge Albert. Reminiscences [1830-|-]. M. P. H. C, VII, 388-394. Stevens, Sherman. Early Days in Genesee County. M. P. H. C, VII, 394-398. Williams, Ephraim S. .Personal Reminiscences. M. P. H. C, VIII, 233-259. Goodrich, Enos. Early Atlas. A Pioneer Sketch. M. P. H. C, XVII, 413-416. Townsend, Goodenough. Early History of the Township of Davison. [1835+]. M. P. H. C, XXII, 542-555. Shout Mary E. Reminiscences of the First Settlement at Owosso. M. P. H. C, XXX, 344-352. Bates, William R. The Development of Flint. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 359-387. Useful, but largely on the later period. Hillsdale County Holloway, F. M. Hillsdale County from 1829 to 1836 Inclusive. M. P. H. C, I, 170-180. Mainly on the Ohio boundary dis- pute. BIBLIOGRAPHY 579 ^^^^'^''^ u^'I^'^'^V ^n'^y ^''^""^y ^/ Litchfield, Hillsdale County. M. P. H. C, I, 180-181. Reminiscences, 1834+. Ingham County Bishop, Hon. Levi. Recollections. M. P. H C I SI 1-517 Notes for 1835-1847. A reminiscence of the removal of 'the State Capitol from Detroit to Lansing. Goodrich, Enos. Locating the State Capitol at Lansing. M P H. C, VIII, 121-130. One of the best papers on this sub- ject. Williams, A. L. Removal of the State Capitol from Detroit M P H. C, VIII, 130-135. ■ ROBSON, Frank, E., Esq. How Lansing became the Capital M P. H. C, XI, 237-243. Blades, F. A. Driving the First Stake for the Capitol at Lansine. M. P. H. C, XXXIII, 10-22. ^' Ionia County LiNC0LN,_W. B. First Settlement of Ionia County M P H C I, 193-194. • • . ^., [Anon.] The City of Ionia. Its first settlement and early history M. P. H. C, III, 470-490. Taylor, P. H. The First Settlement of Ionia. M P H C XIV, 560-562. • . • •' Tower, Mrs. Prudence. The Journey of Ionia s First Settlers M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 145-148. Jackson County Shoemaker, Michael. Historical Sketch of the City of Jackson Michigan. M. P. H. C, II, 272-348. Among the most useful contributions for the settlement of Jackson County. [Anon.] A brief Account of the Early Settlers of Blackman, Rives and Henrietta townships. M. P. H. C, III, 503-504. Little, Henry. Fifty Years Ago. Jacksonburg and Jackson County, 1829-1879. M. P. H. C. Ill', 509-512. [Anon.] Brooklyn and Vicinity. M. P. H. C, IV, 271-275. De Lamater, Hon. A. H. The Township of Columbia from 18 ^^ to 1836. M. P. H. C, IV, 276-281. A series of useful brief papers on the settlement of Jackson Comity M. P. H. C, V, 345-354. 580 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Prescott, Samuel. Early Settlers of the Town of Blackman. M. P. H. C, VII, 464.' • Hodge, Hon. Hiram C. Brief History of Pulaski, Jackson County. M. P. H. C, XVII, 416-419. McGee, Judge Melville. The Early Days of Concord, Jackson County, Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXI, 418-431. Griswold, Joseph M. Some Reminiscences of Early Times in Brooklyn, fackson County, Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 256-261. Kalamazoo County Van Buren, A. D. P. History of the Village of Comstock. M. P. H. C, V, 360-363. Van Buren, A. D. P. Titus Branson, the Founder of Kalamazoo [and other pioneers of Kalamazoo]. M. P. H. C, V, 363-393. Walker, Hon. John. Pioneer History of Cooper. M. P. H. C, V, 403-405. Van Buren, A. D. P. The Alphadelphia Association. Its history in Comstock. M. P. H. C, V, 406-412. One of the few com- munistic experiments in eariy Michigan, 1843 + . Ransom, Major Wyllys C. Historical Address at Kalamazoo, Mich., July 4, 1884. M. P. H. C, VII, 469-478. White, George H. A Sketch of Lucius Lyon, one of the first senators from Michigan. M. P. H. C., XIII, 325-333. Van Buren, A. D. P. The Women of our Pioneer Epoch. M. P. H. C., XIV, 517-528. Torrey, George. The Press of Kalamazoo. M. P. H. C., XVII, 369-391. Very brief on the eariy Press. Wilson, Mrs. Etta Smith. Life and Work of the late Rev. Ceorge N. Smith, a Pioneer Missionary [1833 + ]. M. P. H. C., XXX, 190-212. Kent County Ball, John. Physical Geography of Kent County. M. P. H. C, I, 214-217. Little, Henry. Grand Rapids History. M. P. H. C, IV, 286-293. Withey, Mrs. S. L. Personal Recollections and Incidents of the Early Days of Richland and Grand Rapids. M. P. H. C, V, 434-439. From 1833+. BIBLIOGRAPHY oSl Baxter, Albert. Some Fragments of Beginnings in the Grand River Valley. M. P. H. C, XVII, 325-331. Most of these notes are incorporated in Baxter's History of Grand Rapids. Baxter, Albert. First ''Yankee" Family at Grand Rapids. M. P. H. C, XXIX, 503-505. HoYT, Mary M. Lewis. Life of Leonard Slater. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 142-155. Lapeer County Hart, Capt. N. H. Pioneer Sketches. M. P. H. C, III, 548- 552. Lenawee County Dewey, F. A. Lenawee County. A Sketch of its Early Settlement. M. P. H. C, I, 221-224. From 1824+. Millard, Hon. A. L. Historical Sketch of Lenawee County. M. P. H. C, I, 224-237. A Fourth of July address, 1876. Carefully prepared statement of details of early settlement. One of the best contributions for this county. Kedzie, James T. Blissfield, Lenawee County. M. P. H. C, I, 238-241. "A Sketch of the first Presbyterian church, prepared by James T. Kedzie for the executive committee of the Presby- terian Historical Society." Pertinent items for early settle- ment. Pages 241-251 contain some items of value, mainly by the same writer. Adam, John J. Early History of Lenawee County. M. P. H. C, II, 357-387. One of. the best papers on Lenawee County. Brown, E. B. Early Recollections of the Village of Tecumseh. Letter from E. B. Brown to Gen. Joseph Brown, Dated Hastings, Ldg., ///., January 29th, 1878. M. P. H. C, II, 387-390. A reminiscence by a member of the party that founded Tecumseh. Dewey, Francis A. Early Settlers in Lenawee County. M. P. H. C, III, 552-556. Dewey, F. A. [Brief outline of the first settlement of Michigan, with special reference to the township of Cambridge, Lenawee County.] M. P. H. C, IV, 300-305. Stacy, C. A. Lenawee s Pioneer Lawyers. M. P. H. C. V, 441-444. Good for sources of population. Papers and addresses on the Early Settlement of Lenawee County. M. P. H. C, VII, 516-542. Lamb, Orsamus. Early History of Woodstock. M. P. H. C, VIII, 194-201. 582 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS [Brown, Gen. J. W.] Early History of Lenawee County. M. P. H. C, XII, 407-409. A group of papers useful for study of the settlement of townships in Lenawee County. M. P. H. C, XVII, 508-538. Two short papers on Lenawee County settlement, 1833 + . M. P. H. C, XXII, 556-564. Livingston County Clark, Hon. William A. Livingston Cojmty Pioneers. M. P. H. C, I, 252-258. Macomb County Day, John E. Sketches and Incidents concerning the Settlement of Macomb County. M. P. H. C, IV, 307-315. BissELL, Rev. H. N. The Early Settlement of Mt. Clemens and Vicinity. M. P. H. C, V, 450-469. Notes on the early settlement of Mt. Clemens, furnished by Gen. John Stockton and Edward Tucker to Mrs. E. M. Sheldon Stewart. M. P. H. C, VI, 357-361. Campau, L. Early Farmers. M. P. H. C, VIII, 405-6. Ford, Henry A. The Old Moravian Mission at Mt. Clemens. [cir. 1781]. M. P. H. C, X, 107-115. Cannon, Geo. H. History of the Township of Shelby, Macomb County, Michigan. M. P. H. C, XVII, 419-429. Parker, Hon. Warren. Early History of Macomb County. M. P. H. C, XVltl, 485-502. Cannon, Geo. H. A Sketch of Early History. The First Owners of Washington Toivnship, Macomb County. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 547-553. Cannon, Geo. H. Early History of Ray Township [1816+], Macomb County. M. P. H. C, XXVII, 276-284. Bush, Mrs. The Moravians in Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 133-137. Cannon, Geo. H. Notes of Early History of Bruce Township, Macomb County. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 422-425. Day, John E. The Moravians in Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXX, 44-51. Monroe Coimty Wing, Talcott E. History of Monroe County, Michigan. M. P. H. C, IV, 318-324. BIBLIOGRAPHY 583 Wing, Talcott E. Continuation of the History of Monroe. M. P. H. C, VI, 374-382. Christiancy, Hon. I. P. Recollections of the Early History of the City and County of Monroe. M. P. H. C, VI, 361-373. Muskegon County Holt, Hon. Henry H. The Centennial History of Muskegon. M. P. H. C, I, 286-301. Concerns mainly the years after 1837. Baxter, Albert. Muskegon Pioneer Remnants [lS33-\-]. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 272-274. Oakland County Williams, B. O. Early Michigan. Sketch of the Life of Oliver Williams and Family. M. P. H. C, II, 36-40. Deals prin- cipally with Oakland County, 1818-1820. Parke, Capt. Harvey. Reminiscences. M. P. H. C, III, 572- 593. Useful from 1821+ for Oakland County. Drake, Hon. Thomas J. History of Oakland County. M. P. H. C, III, 559-572. The Settlement of Farmington. By one of its early settlers. M. P. H. C, IV, 419-422. Lamb, C. A. Reminiscences. M. P. H. C, V, 47-51. Sketch of the First Settlement of Pontiac, as given by Mr. Orisson Allen to Mrs. E. M. Sheldon Stewart in 1850. M. P. H. C, VI, 384-386. Poppleton, O. Early History of Oakland County. M. P. H. C, VII, 556-561. HoYT, Dr. Jas. M. History of the Town of Commerce. M. P. H. C, XIV, 421-430. Crawford, Rev. R. C. Address to the Pioneers of Oakland County, 1883. M. P. H. C, XIV, 585-602. Reminiscences of early settlement in Oakland Coimty. Fish, Mrs. Fannie E. Sketch of ''Piety Hill,'' Oakland County. M. P. H. C, XIV, 602-609. McCracken, S. B. Fifty Years Ago and Now. M. P. H. C, XIV, 609-620. Norton, John M. A Picture of Memory. Settlement of Oakland County. M. P. H. C, XXII, 404-426. 584 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Norton, John M. Early Pioneer Life in Oakland County. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 262-264. Crawford, R. C. Reminiscences of Seventy Years in Michigan. [1817+]. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 585-593. ' Norton, Hon. John M. Early Influence oj Oakland County in the History of Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXVI, 632-634. Baldwin, Augustus C. Oakland Cotinty. Its Bench and Bar prior to 1840. M. P. H. C, XXXI, 152-172. Extracts from old Letters. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 672-679. Con- nected mainly with Pontiac. Phipps, Mrs. Lucy O. Beach. Early Days in Pontiac. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 679-680. Ottawa County Rev. William Montague Ferry. M. P. H. C, VI, 391-397. Early settlement of Grand Haven. Ottawa County. Papers read at the semi-centennial celebration of its settlement, held at Grand Haven, Dec. 2, 1884. M. P. H. C, IX, 222-342. Very useful for early settlement, though mainly concerned with the progress of the county since the early days. Ferry, William M. Ottawa's Old Settlers. M. P. H. C, XXX, 572-582. Saginaw County Whiting, J. L. [.4 Sketch of the early military occupation of the Saginaw Valley]. M. P. H. C, II, 460-462. Useful for 1822-f-. Explains origin of the unfavorable reports about the Saginaw Valley. McCoRMiCK, W. R. Pioneer Life in the Saginaw Valley. M. P. H. C, III, 602-605. From 1834+ . McCoRMicK, Hon. W. R. [Sketch of early life in the Saginaw Valley, 1832+]. M. P. H. C, IV, 364-373. Jewett, Mrs. Azuhah L. Pioneer Life in 1830. M. P. H. C, VI, 426-430. Reminiscences of the Saginaw County of that date. The Saginaw Country. M. P. H. C, VII, 270-271. An article in the Detroit Gazette, June 27, 1823, signed A Saginaw Emigrant. Protests against unfavorable reports of that region. Williams, Ephraim S. Remembrances of Early Days in Saginaw in 1833. M. P. H. C, X, 142-147. BIBLIOGRAPHY 585 Miller, Judge Albert. Incidents in the Early History of the Saginaw Valley. M. P. H. C, XIII, 351-383. Jewett, Mrs. Azuhah. L. Pioneer Reminiscences [1831+]. M. P. H. C, XXII, 447-450. Miller, Judge Albert. Recollections of a Pioneer of Early Michigan [1831]. M. P. H. C, XXII, 461-463. Sweet, Wm. H. Brief History of Saginaw County. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 481-501. Shiawassee County Williams, B. O. First Settlement of Shiawassee County. M. P. H. C, II, 475-488. From the Owosso Weekly Press, May, 1872. By a contemporary. Gould, Lucius E. Four papers on the Early history of Shiawassee County. M. P. H. C, XXXII, 247-304. St. Clair County Thompson, Rev. O. C. History of Judge Zephaniah W. Bunce. M. P. H. C, I, 434-444. Stewart, Aura P. Recollections . . . of things relating to the early settlement of Michigan. M. P. H. C, IV, 324-355. [Chamberlain, Mrs. Dr. H.]. St. Clair River Settlement. M. P. H. C, IV, 355-357. Notes written up by Mrs. E. M. vSheldon. [Harrington, Daniel B.] Daniel B. Harrington. M. P. H. C, V, 138-143. A reminiscence of early settlement in St. Clair County. Farrand, Mrs. B. C. Early History of St. Clair County. M. P. H. C, V, 493-499. Three brief papers on the early settlement of St. Clair County. M. P. H. C, VI, 499-503. Mitchell, Hon. Wm. T. History of St. Clair County. M. P. H. C, VI, 403-416. Farrand Mrs. B. C. Reminiscences by Mrs. George Palmer. M. P. H. C, VII, 564-566. Farrand, Mrs. B. C. Early Days in Desmond and Vicinity from Sources written and unwritten. M. P. H. C, XIII, 334- 342. Farrand Mrs. B. C. Early History of St. Clair County [etc.]. M. P. H. C, XVII, 430-439. 586 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS Kinney, Mrs. Jane M. Pioneers of St. Clair County. M. P. H. C, XXIX, 170-184. HoRTON, C. H. Port Huron s Name. Early History of the Place- M. P. H. C, XXIX, 187-189. St. Joseph County CoFFiNBERRY, S. C. Incidents connected with the First Settlement of N ottawa-Sippi Prairie in St. Joseph County. M. P. H. C.> II, 489-501. Interesting notes on life in southwestern Michi- gan, 1829+. Mainly on relations with the Indians at the reservation during the Black Hawk War. Cross, Wm. H. Recollections of Early Occurrences about N Ottawa Sepe. M. P. H. C, VI, 423-425. Driggs, Alfred L. Early Days in Michigan. M. P. H. C, X, 57-60. Kedzie, R. C. The St. Joes. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 412-417. Settlement in St. Joseph County, 1826 + • Van Buren County Lawton, George W. Historical Sketch of Van Buren County. M. P. H. C, III, 625-637. Washtenaw County [Norris, Hon. L. D. History of Washtenaw County.] M. P. H. C, I, 327-333. Abstract of a Fourth of July address by L. D. Norris, 1874. Contains notes for 1827, from a diary kept by Mr. Norris. Sessions, J. Q. A. Ann Arbor. A History of its Early Settlement. M. P. H. C, I, 333-338. [A sketch of the history of Washtenaw County]. M. P. H. C, IV, 393-400. A useful compilation from various papers read before the Washtenaw County Pioneer Society. Geddes, John. Ypsilanti Township. Us Settlement, etc. M. P. H. C, IV, 401-404. Useful for early land purchasers. Early Settlement of Ann Arbor. Account given to Mrs. E. M. S. Stewart in 1852 by Mr. Bethuel Farrand [etc.l. M. P. H. C, VI, 443-446. Williams, Jeremiah D. History of the Town of Webster. [1833+]. M. P. H. C, XIII, 546-567. BIBLIOGRAPHY 587 Lay, Ezra D. Condensed Early History; or Beginnings of the Several Towns in Washtenaw County. M. P. H. C, XVII, 450-462. Watkins, L. D. Settlement and Natural History of Manchester, Michigan. M. P. H. C, XXII, 262-266. vSeymour, C. B. Early Days in Old Washtenaw County. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 391-399. Watkins, L. D. Settlement of the Township of Bridgewater and Vicinity, Washtenaw County. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 568-569. Wayne County Utley, H. M. Plymouth. The First Settlement — Reminiscences of the Early History of the Place— Incidents and Anecdotes. M. P. H. C, I, 444-448. Clark, George. Recollections. M. P. H. C, I, 501-507. Use- ful notes on settlement in Wayne County, about 1817. Dort, Titus. .4 Personal Reminiscence. M. P. H. C, I, 507- 509. Useful notes, 1815-1837. Clarkson, D. Pioneer Sketches. M. P. H. C, I, 509-510. Useful notes on the township of Plymouth, Wavne County, 1825-1831. Christian, Dr. E. P. Historical Associations Connected with Wyandotte and Vicinity. M. P. H. C, XIII, 308-324. An excellent article, showing relation between settlement and physiographic conditions. OsBAND, Melvin D. My Recollections of Pioneers and Pioneer Life in Nankin [1818+]. M. P. H. C, XIV, 431-483. McMath, J. W. The Willow Run Settlement. M. P. H. C, XIV, 483-495. OsBAND, M. D. History of the Pioneer Church of Nankin, Wayne County, Michigan [1825]. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 150-160. DETROIT Lamb Rev. C. A. Incidents in Pioneer Life in Clinton County. M. P. H. C, I, 149-151. [Desnoyers, Hon. Peter]. Old Detroit. M. P. H. C. I, 346- 347. From the Detroit Free Press, February 27, 1876. Bnef account of the fire of 1805. vStatemcnt of losses as presented by heads of families. 588 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS ZuG, Mrs. Samuel. Fort Shelby. M. P. H. C, I, 368-371. Address, 1872. "Recollections of old Fort Shelby and its sur- roundings." Trowbridge, Charles C. Detroit, Past and Present: in Relation to its Social and Physical Condition. M. P. H. C, I, 371-385. Address, 1864. Hubbard, Bela. Memoir of Luther Harvey. M. P. H. C, I, 406-414. "Read before the Detroit Pioneer Society, January, 1873." Useful notes on settlement, 1802-1821, mainly about Detroit. The First Presbyterian Church of Detroit. History of the Church and Society. M. P. H. C, I, 417-429. Published in the Democrat and Inquirer of Detroit, September, 1855. Useful for copies of original material. Holmes, J. C. The American Hotel, Detroit. M. P. H. C, I, 431-432. "Read before the Detroit Pioneer Society, January 13, 1874." ZuG, Samuel. Detroit in 1815-16. M. P. H. C, I, 496-501. Bates, Hon. George C. By-Gones of Detroit. General Hugh Brady. M. P. H. C, H, 573-579. Useful for the "Patriot War" of 1837. Arnold, Rev. J. M. A Sketch of the History of Methodism in Detroit. M. P. H. C, HI, 225-243. [McKenney, Thomas L.]. Interesting Letters Written from and about Detroit. Some predictions, and how they have been fulfilled. M. P. H. C, IV, 89-94. Taken from McKenney's A Tour to the Lakes, Baltimore, 1827. The first of the letters is dated June 16, 1826. Trowbridge, Hon. C. C. The first Savo-Mill in Detroit. M. P. H. C, IV, 410. History of the Old Fire Department in Detroit. M. P. H. C, IV. 410-419. Phelps, Col. William. Reminiscences of Detroit. M. P. H. C, IV, 459-465. Useful from 1835. Roberts, Robert E. Detroit. M. P. H. C, IV, 465-466. Census 1810-1880. The Detroit Waterworks. M. P. H. C, IV, 466-471. An anony- mous contribution to the Detroit Post and Tribune, December 15, 1877. Trowbridge, C. C. Detroit in 1819. M. P. H. C, IV, 471-479. Roberts, Robert E. Detroit. Sketches of its Early History and leading Political Historical Events. M. P. H. C, V, 530-536. BIBLIOGRAPHY 589 Fitch, Rev. W., D. D. Reminiscences of Detroit. M. P. H. C, V, 536-546. A Muster Roll of 1812, with correspondence relating thereto. M. P. H. C, V, 553-557. Shows predominance of French. Williams, Ephraim S. Detroit Three Score Years ago [etc.]. M. P. H. C, X, 84-87. Ford, Henry A Historical Detroit. M. P. H. C, X, 88-97. The Young Men's Society, [1832 -f]. M. P. H. C, XII, 361-375. Territorial census of Detroit, 1827. M. P. H. C, XII, op. p. 461. Pioneer Piety. M. P. H. C, XIII, 424-483. Detroit in 1814. M. P. H. C, XIII, 503-507. "Extracts from articles written in 1853 by Hon. B. F. H. Witherell. Written for the Bay City Tribune, by Albert Miller, 1886." A Visit with a Lady who knew Detroit as a Frontier Post. M. P. H. C, XIV, 535-539. From the Detroit Free Press, March 10, 1889. ' Bates, Hon. George C. By-Gones of Detroit [1833-f ]. M. P. H. C, XXII, 305-404. Burton C. M. Some of the Benefits that accrued to Detroit from the deiastating Fire of 1805. M. P. H. C, XXII, 431-436. Burton, C. M. Detroit in the Year 1832. M. P. H. C, XXVIIL 163-171. •Dickinson Moses F. Detroit in 1837. What the City's oldest Directory discloses. M. P. H. C, XXVIII, 585-638. A series of articles from the Detroit News-Tribune, 1895. Burton, C. M. The Moravians at Detroit. M. P. H. C, XXX, 51-63.' Palmer Friend. Detroit in 1827 and Later on. M. P. H. C, XXXV, 272-283. Smith Mrs. Julia Talbot. Reminiscences of Detroit [18354-]- M. P. H. C, XXXV, 682-683. MAPS AND ATLASES Of the maps and diagrams of Michigan pubHshed before 1835, useful for the study of settlement, the following are to be found in the General Library of the University of Michigan, the Detroit Public Library, the State Library at Lansing and m the Library of Congress. They are here chronologically arranged. Darby William. Einigrants' Guide [ISII]. Contains a large map of Michigan. Shows a fairiy good knowledge of the counties 590 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS of the Lower Peninsula, but little knowledge of the Saginaw re- gion or the relation of Illinois and Indiana with Lake Michigan. Darby, William. A Totdr from the City of New York [etc.]. [1819]. Contains a map of Michigan apparently engraved for this volume . Across the western portion appear the words , ' ' This part very imperfectly known." FiNLAYSON, J. A. Map of Michigan Territory [1822]. Map No. 36 in A complete Historical, Chronological, and Geographical Amer- ican Atlas [etc.], by Carey, H. C. and Lea, I. Philadelphia, 1822. BucKON, J. A. C. Atlas geographique, statistique, historique et chronologique des deux Ameriqties et des iles adjacentes [etc.]. Paris, 1825. A translation, with a few additions, of the Finlay- son Atlas published at Philadelphia in 1822. Map No. 40 is of Michigan Territory. Lucas, F. A map of Michigan. No. 75 in A General Atlas con- taining Distinct Maps of all the Known Countries in the World [etc.]. Baltimore, 1823. Gary, J. A map of the Northwest, Michigan [etc.]. No. 57 in Gary's New Universal Atlas [etc.]. London, 1824-1825. Internal Improvements. A Collection of Maps and Drawings en- graved by order of Congress [etc.]. Washington, 1825-1843. No. 27 shows the road from Monroe to the Miami River (cir. 1829). Nos. 40-43 show a plat of the Detroit-Chicago turnpike in four sheets, 1829. No. 81 shows the Fort Gratiot Road (Detroit to Fort Gratiot), 1827. RiSDON, Orange. A map of Michigan was published by him at Albany, New York, shortly after 1825. This work appears to have been limited to the country south of Saginaw Bay and east of the principal meridian. The draft, four miles to an inch, appears to have been made by John Farmer. Cf. Far- mer, History of Detroit and Michigan (ed. 1884), I, 679-698, and M. P. H. C., XXII, 457-460. The maps issued by Farmer can be consulted in the Detroit PubHc Library. FiNLEY, A. A portion of Michigan Territory. [1826]. No. 11 in A new American Atlas. Philadelphia, 1826. FiNLAYSON, J. Michigan Territory. No. 36 in A complete His- torical, Chronological, and Geographical American Atlas [etc.]. Philadelphia, Carey and Lea, 1827. Wetland, G. F. Michigan. No. 28 in Atlas von America [etc.]. Weimar, 1824-1828. The map of Michigan is for the year 1828. BIBLIOGRAPHY 591 Von Schlieben, W. E. A. Gebiet Michigan. No. XIV in Atlas von Amerika in 30 Charten [etc.]. Leipzig, 1830. Tanner, Thomas R. A New and Authentic Map of the State of Michigan and the Territory of Wisconsin [1830]. No. 17 in A New American Atlas containing Maps of the Several States of the North American Union [etc.]. Philadelphia, H. S. Tanner 1839. Burr, D. H. Michigan, 1831. No. 44 in A New Universal Atlas [etc.]. New York, D. S. Stone, [1835?]. Young, J. H. The Tourists pocket map of Michigan, exhibiting its Internal Improvements, Roads, Distances [etc.]. Philadelphia, 1835. Commonly cited as the "Mitchell Map." S. Augustus Mitchell was the pubHsher. Shows the counties and the chief settlements at this date. atlases of MICHIGAN Walling, H. F. Atlas of the State of Michigan; including Statis- tics and Descriptions of its Topography, Hydrography, Climate natural and civil History, Railways, Educational Institutions, material Resources, etc. Detroit, R. M. and S. T. Tackabury, 1873, pp. 162, maps 84, in foHo. Very good maps of the counties. The articles in the front of the atlas have merit as brief general discussions. Cram, G. F. Cram's Superior Reference Atlas of Michigan and the World. New York and Chicago, G. F. Cram, 1908, pp. 160, maps 68, in folio. There have been published a large number of atlases of Michi- gan counties, the first publishing house in this field being that of CO. Titus, Philadelphia, which published atlases of Branch and Cass counties in 1872. A little later, the firms of Evarts and Stewart, Chicago, and F. W. Beers & Co., New York, entered the field, the latter publishing extensively, as late as 1897. Atlases of nearly all the countries south of Saginaw Bay were issued between 1872 and 1876. This is to be accounted for, probably, by local interest in preparations for the centennial year. Begin- ning about the World's Fair year, 1893, a new impiilse is evident in the appearance of new county atlases, published mainly by the following firms: G. A. Ogle and Co., Chicago; American Atlas Co., Chicago; E. P. Noll and Co., Philadelphia; National Pub- lishing Co., Boston. Latterly, a few local firms have issued atlases of their localities, such as R. L. Polk and Co., Grand Rapids; W. C. Sauer, Detroit; and Treat Brothers, Adrian. 592 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BEGINNINGS The maps in these atlases vary in quahty, but on the whole they are reliable for purposes of historical study. Most of them are made from the original United States surveys and field notes, the originals of which can be consulted at the State Capitol at Lansing, where they were deposited after the completion of the surveys in 1857. The data furnished by them is of great value in reconstructing contemporary topography and physical condi- tions of early settlement. Most of the atlases contain brief notes on early settlement of the various townships, but these must be carefully compared with other data if used. Very many of these atlases can be consulted in the Detroit Public Library and the State Library at Lansing. Almost in- variably the atlas of a given county can be obtained from the public library at the county seat. The Library of Congress has many of them. (See A List of Geographical Atlases in the Library of Congress (1909), I, 864-869). INDEX 75 INDEX Academy, at Ann Arbor, 231(n.l61), 243; at Pontiac, 221, 243- at Romeo, 171(n.285) Ada, 431; monument to Rix Robinson, 436(n.l27) Adams, R., Agriculture in Michigan, 69 Adamsville, 262, 295 Adrian, 192; settlement, 204, 236-237; waterpower, 26 Agricultural Society, Detroit (1818), 130(n.l08) Agriculture, 489; in Berrien County, 296; at Detroit (1827), 136 French-Canadian, 104 ft", 108(n.38), 132(n.ll7); in Michiga ; compared with New York, 320; in Oakland County, 221; in Ottawa County, 441 (n. 145); appeal to small farmer, 47; gettini"^ the first crop, 42-44; agrictiltnre in Michigan, 563(Adams)g early farmers in Macomb County, 582(Campau); wheat in New', York and Michigan, 574(Shearer); see Soils, Oak openings Prairies, and names of prairies Albion, 349 Albion College, 349, 487 Algonac, 162 Aliens, 240, 469; in Detroit, 147; in eastern shore counties, 184; franchise (1835), 88; inducement of democratic local govern- ment to, 90; in Southwestern Michigan, 303 Allegan, waterpower, 27; lumber cut in 1839, 28; settlement, 332- 334 Allegan County, bibliography, 575; pine lands, 321; prairies, 318; estabhshed and organized, 531; population, 359-363; censuses, 531, 536 Allen, John, 208, 230, 324 Allen, Captain Moses, 268 Allen's Creek (Washtenaw Co.), 229 Allen Prairie, settled, 268 Alphadelphia Association, sketch, 5 80 (Van Buren) Amherst College, 311 American Fur Company, see Fur Trade American Hotel, Detroit, article by Holmes, 588 Anchor Bay, Chippewa Reservation, 103(n.20) 596 INDEX Animals, wild, advantages and disadvantages to settlers, 45-46; in Michigan, 565 (Wheeler); in Wayne County, 564(Tibbits) Ann Arbor, 356, 393(n.l29), 398, 399, 416, 464; academy, 93; Germans, 148; settlement, 228, 586; source of population, 238; settlement, 586(Sessions) Antislavery, see Slavery Apples, in French-Canadian orchards, 106 Artesian wells, 28(n.87) Ash, see Forest Ashley, Thomas, birthplace, 184 Assize of Bread, Detroit (1816), 126(n.93) Athens, 354 Atlas (Genesee Co.), early history, 578(Goodrich) Atlases, bibliography, 589, 591 ' Auburn (Oaldand Co.), 222 Augusta, 350 Avon colony (Oakland Co.), 200, 206 Baker, Mavor, 368 "Bald Mountain" (Oakland Co.), 198 Ball, Daniel, 388 Ball, John, 416; sketch, 429(n.94) Bangor, 324 Bank of Michigan (Detroit), Iv30(n.l08); Eurotas P. Hastings, president, 456 Banking, bibliography, 569; "wild-cat," 486; in Genesee County, 400; at Kalamazoo, 344; in Shiawassee County, 387; law of 1837, 67; effect of Jackson's specie circular, 68; financial history of U. S., 546(Dewey) Baptists, 487; at Kalamazoo, 345; Carey Mission (Berrien Co.), 259; mission at Grand Rapids, 421; early history, 573(Chase) Bar, see Bench Baraga, Frederic, 421 Barnes, George W., surveyor, 444(n.l56) Barry (Jackson Co.), 350 Barry, William T., 451(n.l85) Barry County, bibliography, 576; environment, 412-413; trails, 418-419; Indians of, 566(Goodyear) ; Slater mission, 422(n.71); degree of settlement in 1837, 451-454; settlement (1836-38), 454-456; established and organized, 531; censuses, 531, 536; Barry County Seat Purchase, 456 "Battle," at Battle Creek, 335(n.l29); article on, by Poppleton, 577 Battle Creek, 335, 336, 348, 357; supplies food to Grand Haven, INDEX 597 438(n.l31); relations with Hastin^^s, 456; sandstone at, 13; trail through, 419; early history, 577(Van Burcn) Baw Beese Indians, 566(Van Burcn) Bay City, 379 Bean Creek, 283, 285 Bear, see Animals Beardsley's Prairie, 262, 274, 293 Beaubien, Antoine, opposed to widening street in Detroit, 131 Beebe, Silas, 457 Beech, see Forest Beet sugar, 291 Belle River, 161, 164 Bellevue, 336, 357, 418; environment, 412; settlement, 442-444, 450 Bemis, E. W., Local Government in Michigan and the Northwest, 88(n.l37) Benac, Joseph (1800), 117(n.65) Bench and bar, sketch of early bar in Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties 577; sketch of legal profession, 5 74 (Wells); early legal profession, 576(Winslow); pioneer lawyers in Lenawee County, 581 (Stacy); bench and bar in Oakland County, 584(Baldwin) Benton Harbor, 299 Berrien County, bibliography, 576; cold winter of 1842-436(n.20); forest, 247; Fort St. Joseph (near Niles), 567(Beeson); 567 (McCoy) ; settlement, 258-262, 264-266, 275-278, 295-301; estab- lished and organized, 531; population (1825), 261; (1830), 271; (1834), 278; (1837), 536; source of, 303, 304; censuses, 531, 536; Pennsylvania-Dutch, 303; fruit growing, 4(n.9) Berrien Springs, 297; founded, 264; platted, 275; county scat removed to, 276 Bertrand, 295; settlement, 277; sketch of, 576 Bibliography, general aids, 543; local history, 543; Government publications, 544; newspapers and periodicals, 544, 553; manu- scripts, 545; general secondary works, 545; biographies, 549; histories of Michigan, 549; county histories, 550; magazines, 555; travel and exploration, 555; travelers' guides, 558; gaze- teers, directories, geographical and statistical works, 559; nat- tional and State pulalications, 562; publications of historical and geographical societies, 563; pioneer diaries, reminiscences, addresses, etc., 564; physiography, climate, fauna and flora, 564; health, 565; boundaries, 565; Indians, 565; Black Hawk War, 566; French Canadians, 566; survey and sale of lands. 567; navigation, transportation and trade, 567; roads and travel, 568; sources of population, 569; banks and banking. 598 INDEX 569; government, 570; pioneer press, 571; education, 571; slavery, 572; pioneer life, 572; general and miscellaneous, 573; counties, 575 ff Biddle, Major, 149, 369, 458 (n.210); on early civil history of Detroit, 134(n.l21) "Biddle City," 457 Big Prairie Ronde, 312 Birmingham (Oakland Co.), 223 Black River, 162, 164, 324 Black Hawk War, bibliography, 566; general influence on settle- ment, 57, 60-61; effect in Detroit, 137; effect in the Kalamazoo Valley, 358; effect in the St. Joseph Valley, 252, 256, 271; story of, 564(Thwaites) Black-walnut, see Forest Blissfield, road from, to Petersborough, 209; sketch of Presbyterian Church in, 581(Kedzie) Blois, Gazetteer of Michigan, 559 Bossuet, Bishop, ancestor of Father Gabriel Richard, 115(n.61) Boundaries, bibliography, 565; dispute with Ohio, 176(n.306); dispute with Ohio, 578(Holloway) Branch Countv, bibhography, 576; forest, 247; settlement, 268- 270, 278-283, 287-290; causes of slow settlement, 250; estab- lished and organized, 531; population (1834), 283; censuses, 531, 536; Pennsylvania-Dutch, 303; early hanking, 569(Randall) Brady, Gen. Hugh, article by Bates, 588 Brest, 157 Brighton, 390; newspaper, 373(n.30) Bristol, William P., 454(n.l98) Britain, Calvin, 266 British, post on vSt. Clair River, 116(n.65), 160; influence of presents to the Indians, 57; relations with Old Northwest{17 90- 1829), 570 Bronson, Jabez, 269 Bronson, Titus, 352 ; founds Kalamazoo, 345 ; founder of Kalamazoo, 580(Van Buren) Bronson Prairie, settled, 269 Brooklvn (Jackson Co.), sketch, anon., 579, and by Griswold, 579 Brooks", Edward, 391 (n. 11 7) Brown, Edward, 380(n.57) Brown, E. Lakin, autobiographical notes, 575 Brown, General Jacob, 233 Brown, John, 380(n.57) Brown, Joseph, 203, 235 Brown University, 341, 345 (n. 167) INDEX 599 Brown, S. R., Western Gazetteer, vS60; characterizes Canadian- French settlement, 98; general influence, 54. Brownstown (Wayne County), 157, 263 Brownstown Creek, land claims, 103(n.22) Bruckner's Lessee vs. Lawrence, 119(n.66) Brush Creek, 324 Buchanan, 300 Buffalo, in 1825, 563 (Ball) Building materials, clay, sand and gravel, 12; sandstone, 13 Bunce, Zephaniah W., 184; sketch of, 585(Thompson) Burnett, WilHam, at St. Joseph, 265, 266 Burr Oak, 273, 274 Burr-oak plains, getting first crop on, 41; soil, 193 Business, see Trade Butler, WilHam, 329 Byron (Kent Co.), trail through, 419(n.54) Byron (Shiawassee Co.), 385 Byron Company, 386 Cadillac, La Mottc, 120 Calhoun County, bibHography, 577; inland lakes, 308; oak open- ings, 318; settlement, 340-344, 348-349, 353-354; prairie settle- ments, 316-317; relation of Indians and settlers, 573; estab- lished and organized, 532; population, 359-363; censuses, 532, 536; Early days, S11 Campau, Antoine, 428 Campau, Joseph, opposes widening of street in Detroit, 131 Campau, Louis, 375, 377, 423; papered cupola with "wild-cat" bills, 68(n.66) Campbell, James V., 481(n.27); mentions French wmd mills, 110; Outlines of the Political History of Michigan, 549 Canada, source of population, 185 "Canada settlement" (Eaton Co.), 451 Canadian-French, see French-Canadians Canals, projected in Clinton County, 466; m Grand-Alaple- Saginaw Vallev, 21; between Grand and Huron nvers, 347; in Macomb County, 29; projected routes in Michigan, 75(n.91)^ celebration at completion of Clinton and Kalamazoo Canal, 56/ Canoe, description of birchen, 572 .^^,t^, j . Capitol removal of, from Detroit. 579(Bishop); o/9(Blades); 579(Goodrich) ; 579(Robson); 579(Williams) - Carey Indian Mission (Berrien Co.), founding, 2^2, 2.-)8-260; teacher at, 266; influence on settlement of Cass County, 202; relations with Grand Rapids mission, 421 600 INDEX Carts, old French, 573 Cass, Lewis, birthplace, 183; influence on settlement, 50, 52(n.l6); relation to Tiffin survey of 1815, 50(n.7), 62; obtains land office for Detroit (1818), 62; qualifications as Indian agent, 58; expedition to Saginaw country, 371; expedition of 1820, 52, 201, 251 ; letter respecting Monroe Road, 75(n.92) ; description of road in 1822, ibid; plans for Saginaw Road, 76; services in behalf of Chicago Road, 76(n.96); member of Cass Company(Monroe Co. 1835-36), 155; farm sold (1835), 140; violates fire ordinance at Detroit, 128; interest in Carey Mission, 259; instructions to McCoy, 421; visits Carey Mission (1827), 260(n.44); on the removal of the Indians to the West, 60(n.37); interest in popu- lar education, 92, 93(n.l54); favors popular rule, 84; president of historical society, 151; influence, 564 (McLaughlin); life, 549 (McLaughlin), 549(Smith), 549(Young) Cass County, surface geologv, 245(n.3); established and organized; 253, 532; settlement, 262-264, 274, 293-295; first crops, 269; population (1825), 261; censuses(1834-37), 536; travel to, from Detroit (1828), 568(Edwards); history, 553(Rogers) Cassopolis, founding, 275, 294 Cass River, settlers on, 380 Catholepistemiad, 152 Catholics, in Detroit, 147; Shea on, 548; schools in Detroit, 152; in Clinton County, 467; mission at Grand Rapids, 421; refining influence of priests; see Richard (Father Gabriel) Catlin, G. B., Landmarks of Detroit and Michigan, 553; see Ross Censuses, of Michigan Territory (1830-34), 535; (1837), 536-539, 562; of counties (1834-40), 531-534; of Indians (not taxed) 1837, 539; of Negroes(1837), 539; see Population Centerville, 273, 293 Central Railroad, 81(n.llO); first cars over, 81(n.ll3); influence on settlement in Berrien County, 301; discussed at Marshall (1833), 343 Charleston (Kalamazoo Co.), 352 Charlotte, environment, 412; settlement, 418, 444 Chapman, Alcott E., birthplace, 183 Chase, Lew Allen, on roads, traffic and travel in Michigan Terri- tory, 79(n.l05) Chase, Philander, 281 Chase, Rev. Supply, A Pioneer Minister, 574 Chicago, early opinion of, 448(n.l70), 455; central market of Middle West, 30; boat line to Grand Haven, 438; treaty of, 59, 269 Chicago Road, 76; plat of, in four sheets, in map listed under Internal Improvements, 589; influence of survey, 263; early INDEX 601 travel, 207, 254; early travel in St. Joseph Valley, 255-256; travel decreased in 1832, 60; influence in Branch County, 280; in Hillsdale County, 285; in Washtenaw County, 202; descrip- tion of, in Lenawee County, 209; preferred to Territorial Road, 339; travel (1828), 568(Edwards) ; travel (1834), 569(Goodrich) Chicago Trail, 77, 249, 305 Cholera epidemic (1832), effect on Detroit, 137; death of Father Richard, 116(n.61); in Kalamazoo Valley, 357; in St. Joseph Valley, 271; cfTect on Territorial vote, 86; epidemic of, in 1834, 61(n.42); at Detroit, cause, 144; in the Saginaw country, 402 Christiancy, Isaac P., 481(n.27) Christian Creek, 262 Christmas, in early Ionia, 5 72 (Taylor) Church, articles on early churches in the Saginaw Valley, 577; early history of churches in Battle Creek, 577(Van Buren); pioneer church of Nankin, Wayne County, 587(Osband) a pioneer min- ister, 574(Chase); see names of denominations "Cincinnatus," advocates change in Territorial gov^ernment, 83 Claims, British, 118(n.66); French, ll7(n.66); surveyed by U. S., 119(n.66), 101(n.l4); "gridiron" appearance, 105; at Ypsilanti, 201; in Genesee County, 376; digested summary, 546 Clemens, Christian, village named for, 158 Climate of southern Michigan, 2-9; discussion by Winchell, 548; of Detroit, 564(Hubbard) Climax Prairie, 313 Clinton (Lenawee Co.), 237 Clinton County, bibliography, 577; environment, 413; established and organized, 532; censuses, 532, 537; distribution of popula- tion(1837), 460; speculation, 461; waterpower settlements on the Lookingglass, 462; transportation, 416; hostility of traders and trappers, 463; "paper towns" at site of Dewitt, 463-464; colony at Duplain on Maple River, 465-466; Maple Rapids, 466; CathoHc settlement in Westphaha Township, 467 Clinton River, description, 24; sources, 28; navigation, 29; Navi- gation Company, 206(n.45) ; harbor improvement, 31; water power, 188; French-Canadian settlements, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 105, 109,; German settlement, 185; canal, 567(Ingersoll) Clinton and Kalamazoo Canal, projected, 75(n.91) Coal basin, 10, 13 Cochrane, Sylvester, 446 Coldwater, settlement, 279; in 1831, Sll ; early days, 577(Haynes) Coldwater Settlement (Genesee Co.), 381(n.65) Colleges, see Education, Albion, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Olivet Colonies, methods of founding, 242 Combe, Pierre Francois (1776), 117(n.66) 602 INDEX Communism, in Kalamazoo County, 580 (Van Buren) Commerce, at Detroit, after War of 1812, 127; at Detroit(1827), 136; at Detroit(1837), 143; at St. Joseph, 276, 298; on Upper Great Lakes, 72(n.81) Common School Assistant, The, 93 Comstock, Horace H., 349 Comstock village, 331, 336, 349, 351, 356; early history, 580(Van Buren) Conant, Dr. Harry, birthplace, 183 Concord (Jackson Co.), early history, 580(McGee) Congregationalists, 486; at Grand Rapids, 430; in Kalamazoo County, 352; at Romeo, 170; at Vermontville, 445-446; work of John D. Pierce, 341; sketch of Congregationalism , 575(Pierce), 574(Hurd) Connecticut, settlers from, 183, 238, 273, 279, 329, 381, 464, 474ff Constantine, platted, 273, 274; mentioned 291, 292 Constitution of 1835, adopted, 87; analysis, 87(n.l32) Cook's Prairie, 316, 355 Cooley, Thomas M., 481(n.27); Michigan, 549 Cooper, James Fenimore, 318, 325, 349(n.l87) Cooper (Kalamazoo Co.), early history, 580 (Walker) Com, yield of first crop on different soils, 42, 43; first crops in St. Joseph County, 267; first crop on White Pigeon Prairie, 269 Corunna, 386, 389 Cottonwood Swamp, 253 Counties, "Cabinet," established in southwestern Michigan, 266 County government, 89 County seats, legislation affecting the establishment of, 89(n.l43) Crane, Flavins, 391 (n. 11 7) Crary, Isaac E., 94, 340, 341, 442; sketch, 571 (Comstock) Creeks, see Bean, Christian, Hog, Otter, Pettibone, Sandy, Woodruff's, Drainage, Waterpower Croghan, on conditions near Detroit (1765), 108 Danforth, Ephraim B., 458 (n.214) Darby, William, opinion of Detroit, (1818), 129; on immigration in 1818, 52; Tour, 556; Emigrant's Guide, 559 Dartmouth College, 282 Davison (Genesee Co.), early history, 578(Townsend) Dearborn, on route of Central Railroad, 82(n.ll5) Delegate to Congress, first(1819), 84, 116(n.61), 149 Delta (Eaton Co.), 449; early settlement, 578 (Ingersoll); effort to found college at, 5 72 (Williams) De Tocqueville, inpressions of Oakland County (1833), 195; of Saginaw country, 369 INDEX 603 Detroit, bibliography, 587; climate, 5(n.l4); discussion of climate by Hubbard, 564; settlement, 116-153; British opinion of obstacles to settlement (1793), 111; conditions in 1803 121- effects of fire of 1805, 122; fire of 1805, 587(Dcsnovers); benefits from fire of 1805, 589(Burton); old fire department, 588; water- works, 588; pubHc improvements (1835-37), 144; prominence in War of 1812, 49; effects of War of 1812, 122; Fort Shelby, 588 (Zug); growth of, from 1812 to 1815, 122; new city plan, 123; streets, 124; roads, 125; frontier character of life in 1818, 125- 130; lands near, sur\'eyed, 62; explorations near, in 1818, 52; relation to the settlement of Oakland County, 199, 200; rela- tion to settlement of Washtenaw County, 202; early politics, 588(Roberts) ; misrule of the Governor 'and Judges, 83, 85 (n.l24); Detroit Gazette pubhshes proceedings and laws of the Legislative Council, beginning 1824, 85(n.l26); arrival of first steamboat at, 70; American Hotel, 588(Holmes); port of, 567 (Zug); ferry service, (1825 + ) , 569(Palmer); sources of popula- tion, 146-149; education and culture, 149-153; shipbuilding, 31! effects of land sales, and steam navigation on Lake Erie. 130- 134; trade with interior, 208, 220; Old Bank of Michigan (1818), 570(Palmer); Detroit and vSt. Joseph Railroad, 80; wind mills, WO; first sawmill, 588(Trowbridge) ; census (1827), 589; (1830), 180; growth from 1825 to 1837, 134, 146; cholera epidemic (1832), 61; MacCabe's directory (1837), 561; early colonization, 566 (Hubbard); Moravians, 589(Burton); French-Canadian settlements, 98, 101, 109; French-Canadian opposition to widening streets, 113; sketch of French-Canadians (1806), 566 (Witherell) ; early schools, 571 (Wilkins) ; 57 1 (Williams) ; academy, subjects taught, 108(n.36); historical society, 574(Holmes); Young Men's Society, (1833), 151(n.l98), 589; Detroit Gazette, early influence, 55; Pioneer Piety 589; Methodism, 588(Amold); First Presbyterian Church, 588; slavery, 572(Girardin); notes on history (1805-1815), 574; old account book of Mack and Conant, 567(Hoyt) ; history, bv Ross and Catlin, 553; sketches, bv Dewey, 575 Dewitt, 461, 464 Dexter, Samuel W. (Washtenaw Co.), 225(n.l30), 232(n.l65), 372, 378 Dexter, Samuel (Ionia), 420, 432 Dexter village, 356; waterpower, 26; settlement, 232; town meet- ing to consider canal project (1827), 75(n.91) Diseases, due to imprttdences of settlers, 310; in Kalamazoo Valley, 357; in Saginaw country, 367; see Healthfulness Dixboro (Washtenaw Co.), 233 Drainage, detenninants, 193; creeks as distributors of, 27; springs 604 INDEX and lakes as regulators, 28, 189; relation to topography, 22-*26; 23(n.75); of Eastern shore counties, 96; of the Kalamazoo Valley, 321-324; of the vSt. Joseph Valley, 245; of Wayne County, 177; general discussion, by Winchell, 548 Dry Prairie, 317, 353, 354 Dundee, 173 Dunes, relation to settlement, 35 Dutch, from Pennsylvania, 303 Eaton County, bibliography, 578; physical environment, 411; established and organized, 532; first entered, 417; transporta- tion, 418; trip to, from Vermont (1838), 569(Hinman); censuses, 532, 537; Bellevue, 442; Charlotte, 444; Vemiontville, 444; Eaton Rapids, 449; river settlements above Eaton Rapids, 449; distribution of population (1837), 450; sources of earlv settlers, 450 Eaton Rapids, 418; mineral springs, 412(n.31); settlement, 449 Education, bibliography, 571; Father Richard's interest in, 115; academy at Detroit, 108(n.36); conditions among French- Canadians, 116(n.64); national land grants, 92, 342; legislation of 1827, 93; The Log Schoolhouse Era, 573(Van Buren); educa- tion at Grand Rapids, 430; in Vermontville colony, 445; Higher Education, 562 (McLaughlin); see Academy, Colleges, University Edwardsburg, settlement, 262, 274, 293 Ellis, Edward D., birthplace, 184 Elm, see Forest Ely, Elisha, 333(n.ll7) English, 474, 475, 476; in Branch County, 280; in Lenawee County, 241; in Oakland County, 241, 242; at Portland (Ionia Co.), 436; in the St. Joseph Valley, 304; in Washtenaw County, 241 Episcopalians, 431 (n. 102) history of the Episcopal Church in Michigan, 5 74 (Trowbridge) Erie, Lake, opening of steam navigation, 31, 70; early steamboats on, 568; navigation on, before 1829, 70(n.71); marine of, 567 (Dewey) Erie Canal, opening(1825), influence, 72; general influence, 56(n.23), 223, 372; on growth of Detroit, 134; on settlement of Macomb County, 159; on growth of Monroe, 154; impulse to stage lines, 76(n.95) Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad, 80-82, 237 Ecorse River, French-Canadian settlement, 100, 102, 109, 117 Evans, Estwick, opinion of Michigan(1818), 53; opinion of Detroit (1818), 129; describes travel on Monroe Road(1818), 75(n.92); Pedestrians Tour, 556 Evans, Musgrove, 203, 235 INDEX 005 Farmer, John, influence of his early maps of Michigan, 55; Emi- grants' Guide, 559 Farmer, Silas, History of Detroit and Michigan, 549 Farmington (Oakland Co.), 224; settlement, 242, 583 Fauna, see Animals Felch, Indians of Michigan, 565 Fenton, WilHam M., 390 Fentonville, 390, 403 Ferries, at Detroit(1825, 1830, 1836), 142(n.l59, 160), 568 Ferry, Rev. William M., 437; sketch, 584 Ferry, Detroit to Windsor (1825 + ), 569(Palmer); at Flint, 376 "Fever and ague," early theory of malarious diseases, 8, 9(n.29); theory of the traveler Hoffman, 9; Territorial law against flood- ing green timber, 9; sickness in Kalamazoo Valley, 357; Fever and Ague, 565 (Van Buren) Finance, municipal (Detroit, 1834), 138; see Money, Banking Fish, influence on settlement, 325 Fisheries, see Lakes, Great; and Lakes, inland Flat Rock, 157, 177 Fletcher's "Code," 89(n.l40) Flint, 376. 380, 382-383, 395, 402, 403, 404; trading post, 375; "port of," 397(n.l43); Flint River Gazette, 373(n.30); early history of Flint, 5 78 (Thompson); development, 578(Bates) Flint River, 398 Flora of southern Michigan, 5(n.l5); early flora, 5 65 (Wheeler); see names of genera and species Flour, early shipments of, from Michigan, 56 Fords, influence on settlement, in Kalamazoo Valley, 325; at "Grand Traverse," 376 Foreign-born, see Aliens Forest, relation to settlement, 35, 43; variety of trees, 35; hard and soft wood belts, 37; density of hardwood belt, 39; influence on climate, 6-7; relation of variety of timber to kinds of soil, 37; to crops, 38; in Barry County, 413; in Eaton County, 411; in Ingham County, 413; in Kent County, 408, 409; in Oakland, Washtenaw and Lenawee counties, 190, 193, 216; in the St. Joseph Valley, 247, 248; relation to settlement, 35-45; obstacle to settlers in getting first crop, 40; destruction of, in Southern Michigan, 573 Forest lands, settlement of, in Berrien County, 277, 300, 301; in Branch County, 280; in Ingham County, 456; in the Kalamazoo Valley, 320; in the Saginaw country, 365 Fort Dearborn, built, 265; massacre, influence of, 57 Fort Gratiot, 166 Fort Gratiot Road, 163, 166 606 INDEX Fort St. Joseph, near Niles, 567(Beeson); 567 (McCoy) Fort Shelby, 588(Zug) Fort Wayne (Indiana), 282; trail from, 250, 253; settlers from, 259 Franchise (1819), 84; (1835), 87; municipal (Detroit, 1824), 133(n.l21) Franklin(Oakland Co.), 224(n.l27) French-Canadians, 94, 174, 401 (n. 162); bibliography, 566; French- Canadians in U. S., 555(Shea); in Berrien County, 258(n.40), 304; at Bertrand, 277; in Detroit, 148, 149(n.l90); number at Detroit (1827), 135(n.l24); at Monroe, 156; at St. Clair, 161; at St. Joseph (Berrien Co.), 265; in Saginaw County, 379; in the Saginaw country, 375; at Ypsilanti(1809), 199, 201; in eastern counties, 95-116; in the St. Joseph Valley, 251; opposed to changes in old regime, 131; oppose changes in Territorial government, 84, 86; whitefishing, 31-32 French Gazette, advertised at Detroit, 113(n.55) Frenchtown, 153, 175; massacre at (1813), 567(Dudley) Friends, Society of, see Quakers Fruit belt, climatic conditions, 4 Fur trade, 326, 329, 376, 377; at Chicago, 455; at Detroit, 126; at Grand Haven, 436, 437; at Grand Rapids, 421; in Grand River Valley, 423; at Ionia, 432; in Muskegon County, 441; at St. Joseph (Berrien Co.), 265; in the Saginaw country, 367, 374, 375 Gaines, trail, 419 Galesburg, 350 "Galien woods," 301 Geloster (Kalamazoo Co.), 352 Genesee County, bibliographv, 578; established and organized, 532; settlement, 380-384, 401, 402; censuses, 532, 537 "Genesee country," in New York, 481 Genesee Prairie, 313, 315 Geneva, 292, 294 Geography, relation to settlement, 1 Geoloc^y 10-22; of the Great Lakes, 21(n.67); first geological expedition (1837), ll(n.35) Germans, 475, 476; in Berrien County, 304; in Detroit, 147, 148; in Macomb County, 185; in Monroe County, 185; in Saginaw County, 379, 380; in the Saginaw country, 375; in Washtenaw County, 241; in Wayne County, 185; immigration to U. 5., 555; immigration, 546(Eggerling), 547(Hesse), 547(Koemer), ' 547 (Loeher), 563(Levi), 569(Ten Brook) Gibraltar, 157 Gilead, settlement, 282 INDEX 607 Gilead, Lake, 282 Glacial action, effect on soil formation, 15; on topography, 19; on drainage, 189; geographical influence, 563(Hubbard); 'dia- grams of ice lobes, 21(n.67); see Lakes, Great Godfroy, Gabriel, on the lower Huron, 100, 101 (n. 14) Godfroy, Richard, 377(n.42, 43) Goguac Prairie, 316, 317, 337 Goodrich, 384 Goodwinsville (Branch Co.), 289(n.l83) Gourdneck Prairie, 312, 313 Government, Territorial, bibliography, 570; pubHc acts relating to Michigan Territory, 507; Ordinance of 1787, 563(Haight); Laws of the Territory of Michigan, 562; influence of Territorial government on settlement, 82-90; comparison with New York and New England, 481; comity government, 89; township organization, in the Kalamazoo Valley, 361 ; townships organized in Southwestern Michigan, 266; municipal government (Detroit, 1824), 134(n.l21) Graham, Benjamin, surveyor, 200 Grand Blanc, 376, 381, 385, 395, 398, 402 Grand Haven, 430; comparison of temperatures with those at Milwaukee, 3; at Grand Rapids, and Ionia, 5; trail to, 418; fur trade, 436; Grand Haven Company, 437, 439; settlement, 584 Grand Prairie, 313 Grand Rapids, physical environment, 408; limestone at rapids, 13; plaster industry, 14; waterpower, 27; trails to, 418, 419; mis- sion, 421-422; first ''Yankee' family, 581(Baxter); settlement, 421-431; fur trade, 423; new impulse of 1833, 424; early reports of, 425; waterpower developed, 426; manufacture, 427; trade, 427; speculation in village lots, 428; panic of 1837, 428; popu- lation, (1837), 429; schools and churches, 430; early history, 580(Little) ; 580(Withey) ; Baxter's History of, 552 ; Goss' History of, 553 Grand River, description, 25; harbor at mouth, 30; navigation, 29-30, 417, 433(n.ll5), 420-421; goods hauled on the ice, 420; settlements on, in Ottawa County, 440 Grand River Region, physical environment, 407-414; first reports of, 414-415; settlement, 407-467 Grand River Road, 395-396 Grand River Trail, 385, 390, 396, 415, 464 Grand River Valley, beginnings, 581 (Baxter); Indians of, 566 (Goss); travel to (1833), 569(Tower); Memorials of, 553(Everett) "Grand Traverse" (Genesee Co.), 376, 382(n.71), 383(n.77), 395 (n.l34) Grandville, 419(n.54), 430, 431, 437 608 INDEX Grapes, wild, 44 Grass and forage plants, 44 (n.l53) Grass Lake, 350; marsh near, impediment to travel, 338 Graves, B. E., 481(n.27) Greeley, surveys French claims, 101 (n. 14) Greeley, Horace, 32 7 (n. 93) Green Lake, trail, 419 Green Oakville, 393 Green, township of, 91, 270 Greenville, Treaty of(1795), 119 Grosse Isle, French-Canadian settlement, 117 Grosse Pointe, French-Canadian settlements, 99 Guide books to the Great Lakes region, 71; guide for English Emi- grants to America{lS20) , influence, 54(n.20) • Guilford, Erastus, 316 Gull Prairie, 313, 315, 331, 352, 418, 419, 444(n.l56); Indians of, 565 (Little) Gun Plains, 331 Gypsum, 13 Habitans, see French-Canadians Hamilton College(N. Y.) 390 Harbors, at St. Joseph, 276, 298; at Monroe, 156; at Mt. Clemens, 160; see names of rivers "Harlow," village of Utica, Macomb County, 171(n.286) Harrington, Daniel B., sketch, 585 (Harrington) Harrison, Basil, 315 Hastings, Eurotas P., 455(n.202), 456 Hastings, settlement, 455 Hathaway, William H. Evolution of the Counties of Michigan, 89(n.l42) Harvey, Luther, Memoirs of, 588(Hubbard) Healthfulness of Michigan climate. 6-7; unfavorable reports, 8 Heydenburk, Martin, sketch of, 574(Comstock) Hickory, see Forest Hillsdale, settlement, 286; comity seat removed to, 286 Hillsdale College, 487 Hillsdale County, bibliography, 578; topography, 244; height of moraine, 21; oak openings, 247; established and organized, 532; settlement, 268-269, 283-287; cause of slowness of settlement, 250; Baiv Beese Indians, 566(Van Buren); censuses, 532, 537 Hinsdale, B. A., The Old Northwest, 557 Historical Society, in Detroit(1828), 151; Historical Society of Michigan, 574(Holmes) INDEX 609 Hodunk, 281 Hoffman, C. F.. A Winter in the West, SS1 ; impressions of Detroit, 149; impressions of Monroe village, 154, 155 Hogaboam, The Bean Creek Valley, 553 Hog Creek, 281 Homer, 312, 353; name, 317; history, 553 (Lane) Honey, wild, 44 Houghton, Douglass, report, 366(n.9) House Carpenters and Joiners' Beneficiary Society, 143 Howell, Judge Thomas, 391 Howell, settlement, 390-394, 406; newspaper, 373(n.30) "Hoxey Settlement" (Macomb Co.), 169 Hubbard, Bela, geological expedition to the Saginaw country, 366 (n.9), 378; on Canadian-French thriftlessness, 107; Memorials of a Half-Century, 547 Hubbard, Gurdon S., Journey from Montreal to Mackinac and Chicago (1818), 568; Reminiscences (1818), 569 Hubbard, Samuel, 333(n.ll7) Hull, Abijah, survej^or, 123(n.83) Hull, General Isaac, difficulties of, in transporting troops from Miami to Detroit in 1812, 74 Huron River, 214; description, 24; waterpower, 188, 232; navi- gation, 29, 207, 228; French-Canadian settlement, 100; relation to settlement of Washtenaw County, 202 Hyde, Milton, 222 Illinois, immigration from, 52 Immigration, causes, 490-493; 545(Bimey), 545(Bishop), 546 (Bromwell),_ 547(McMaster); checks and stimuli, 493-497; effect on business in Detroit, 139; immigration to U. S., 555; revo- lutions in Europe, 555; Ireland in 1834, 555; routes of, from eastern States, 546(Brighani), 547(Goodiich); immigration to West, 555 (Mayo); main movements to Southwestern Alichigan, 257: German, immigraiicn, 569 (Ten Brook;, 563(Levi); see Dutch, Englishi Germans, Irish, Scotch Imprisonment for debt, abohshed, 89 Indiana, settlers from, 52, 250, 257, 262, 263, 264, 300, 301, 314 Indians, bibliography, 565; original papers on relations with British{17 90-1829) , 570; receive presents from the British, 57; visits to Maiden for presents, 58(n.28); character and condi- tion of, in Michigan, 57(n.27); Bureau of American Ethnology, 18th Annual Report, 562; relations with National Government, 57; depredations of, 57; relations mth settlers, 57-61, 325; guide from Dexter to Ionia, 432; relations with settlers, 573, BS'StBrunson), 516'5(ThDrpfe); mission in Btniien Cbunty, 25S; 77 610 INDEX clearings in Kent County, 408; eariy village at vSaline (Wash- tenaw Co.), 232; in the Saginaw country, 374(n.32); in Genesee County, 375; in the St. Joseph Valley, 251; Ottawa Indians, 436(n.'l26); census of Indians not taxed (1837), 539; treaties, schedules of(1795-1837), 520; minor treaties, 59(n.35); map showing main cessions(1807-36), 59(n.35); removal of, to West, 59; see Missions, Treaties, and names of treaties (Chicago, Detroit, Greenville, Saginaw, Washington) Indian Village (Romeo), 169(n.277) Ingham County, bibliography, 579; environment, 413; cstabHshed and organized, 532; settlement, 456-460; censuses, 532, 537 Internal improvements, system of, projected 1837, 81(n.ll2); historical sketch of, 563 (Keith); federal land grants for, 567 (Bliss); see Roads, Canals, Railroads, and names of these Ionia, 376, 410, 416, 418, 430, 431; journey of first settlers to, 569 (Tower); travel to, from Herkimer, N. Y., 568(Dye); land-office, 433; settler of, goes to Grand Haven, 437; Christmas in, 572 (Taylor) Ionia County, bibliography, 579; physical environment, 410-411; established and organized, 532; settlement, 431-436; sources of first settlers, 435; censuses, 532, 537 Irish, 475; in Detroit, 147; in Eaton County, 451; in Oakland County, 238; in Lenawee County, 241; in Saginaw County, 379 Isothenns of Michigan, 5 Jackson, Andrew, effect of financial policy, 67-69 Jackson, 326, 346, 418; ford in river, 27; settlement, 325; sketch of city, 5 79 (Shoemaker), 579(Little) Jackson County, 354; l^ibliography, 579; topography and geology, 318(n.58); sandstone along vSandstone Creek, 13; drainage, 324; oak ofjenings, 318; "wet prairies," 306, 307, 318; travel in, 338; estabHshed and organized, 532; settlement, 346, 350, 357; population, 359-363, 532,. 537 Jameson, Mrs., impressions of Detroit (183 7), 146; impressions of St. Clair region, 163 Jay Treaty (1796), 120 Jefferson, Mark S. W., on expansion of Michigan, based on county organization, 89(n.l42) Jefferson, Thomas, commemorated in name of Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, 123(n.83) Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, conditions near(1827), 136; prices of lots (1835), 140; appearance(lS37), 146 Jenkins, Baldwin, 261 INDEX 611 Jenks, W. L. History and Meaning of County Names in Michimn 89(n.l42); History of St. Clair County, 161(n.243) Jesuits, at St. Joseph, 265 Jewett, Eleazer, 398(n.l47) Johnson, Norman, 379(n.53) Johnson, Sir WilHam, transports troops from Niagara to Detroit (1761), 74 Jones, Beniah, 255, 268 Jonesville, sandstone at, 13; founded, 268; pioneer scene 255- settlement, 283, 285 Jouett, Indian Agent at Detroit, 97(n.4) Judd, Philu E., early map of Michigan, 56(n.23) Kalamazoo, 27, 327, 344, 355, 418; land office, 271; settlement, 326; relations with Hastings, 456 Kalamazoo College, 345, 487 Kalamazoo County, bibliography, 580; topography, 306; prairies, 312; first notice of, 313; estaJDhshed and organized, 533; Kal- amazoo Emigration Society of Michigan, 352; settlement, 344- 346, 349-353, 351, 355; relations of Indians and settlers, 573; population, 359-363, S3Z, 537 Kalamazoo River, 25, 321-322; navigation, 29; influence on settle- ment, 326-336, 347 Kalamazoo Valley, physiography, 305; drainage, 306; inland lakes, 308; sickness, 309; soil, 310; prairies, 310-312; sources of popu- lation, 312; first notice of, 313, 315; settlement, 568 (Thompson) Keating, report on Carey Mission, 259 (n. 42) Kearsley Creek, 384 Keelerville(Van Buren Co.), 335 Kent, Chancellor, 430(n.97) Kent County, bibliography, 580; physiography, 564(Ball); gypsum beds, 13; soil, 407; forest, 408; established and organized, 5ii\ settlement, 421-431; censuses, 532, 537 Kensington (Oakland Co.), 224, 397(n.l42j Kentuclcv, soldiers in War of 1812, 49; settlers from, 257, 301, 314, 3i6 Kenyon College, Ohio. 282 Ketchum, Sidney, 340 Knaggs, Whitmore, 377 Knaggs' Place, 377 Labor, increasing demand for, at Detroit (1835), 142; wages, at Dctroit(1819-21), 130; Working Men's Society, in Washtenaw County, 22S(n.l50) Lafayette (Van Buren Co.), 324 612 INDEX La Grange, 293 La Grange Prairie, population (1830), 271 Lake Creek, 435 Lakes, Great, origin of basins, 30(n.98); bibliography of, ibid.; general climatic conditions of region 5(n.l6); modifying effect on climate, 3; relation to settlement, 30-32; beginning of steam navigation, 70; early transportation on, 254; early navigation, 568(Barber); navigation of (1823), 567; (1830), 329; early com- merce on, 5 68 (Bancroft); early days on, 5 64 ( Walker) ; early traveling on, 567(Massey); Gurdon S. Hubbard's journey (1818), 568; fisheries, 31; history of, 21(n.67); story of, 546(Channing and Lansing) Lakes, inland, regulators of drainage and waterpower, 189; ad- vantages for settlement, 32-34; influence on settlement, 196; in Branch County, 285; in Kalamazoo Valley, 308; in the St. Joseph Valley, 246 Lamont (Ottawa Co.), 440 Lands, early reports, 50-56; the Tiffin report of 1815, vSO; Monroe's report to Jefferson, 51; report from the Raisin River, 172; conditions in Michigan before 1818, 62(n.45); survey of, in 1816, 52; early surveys, 567(Cannon), 56 7 (Wood ward); in .south- western Michigan, 266; rectangular system of survey described, 62(n.46); laws regulating sale of land, 63; credit system dis- continued, 64; opening of land sales at Detroit, 62; first land sales, Sdl; public land sales, 62-69; sales at Detroit(1818), 133; hampered by French, 131; reaction on city, 132 140; at De- troit(1820-1836), 138(n.l41); at Detroit in 1835, 138; Detroit city lots (1835), 140; sales near Mt. Clemens, 160; amount of sales 1825-37, 65-66; speculations, 66-67; prices of lots at Ypsilanti, 228; prices of land at Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo Co., (1833), 351; speculation in Eaton County, 450; speculation at Grand Rapids, 428; speculation at Ionia. 433; speculation in the Saginavv' country, 400: specuJators encourage railroads m order to sell land, 79: general discussion, ;pw&/tc domain., 546 rDcnaldson) : Ivlichigan Land Agenc3'' (D"etroit): 346: land grants for common schools, 342; federal grants for education, 57 1 (Knight) ;/£'c?(?ra/ grants for internal improvements, 567 (Bliss) ; land and national politics, 547(Meigs); see Claims, Forest land, Oak Openings, Prairies Land office, race to, 462; at Detroit(1818), 62; at Monroe(1823), 63; at White Pigeon (1831), 63; at Kalamazoo (1834), 63; at Flint (1836), 63; at Ionia(1836), 63 Lanman, James H., History of Michigan, 550 Lansing, waterpow-er, 414; settlement, 457; travel to (1847), 569 (Miller) ; Cowles' Past and Present of, bS^ ; see Capitol INDEX 613 Lapeer, 284 Lapeer County 384 401, 402, 403; bibliography, 581; established and organized, 533; censuses, 533, 537 La Plaisance Bay Turnpike, 174(n.296) La Plaisance Bay Road, 209 La Riviere aux Cignes, 98(n.9) LavSalle, at St. Joseph, 265 Latitude and longitude of southern Michigan, 1 Law, see Bench and Bar Lawrence, Jeremiah, birthplace, 183 Lawrence village, 324 Laws, of Michigan Territory, reflect the spirit of eastern states 88 Legislation, Territorial, (1835-37), brief digest of, 87(n 132) ' Leib, report on Carey Mission, 260 Lenawee County, bibliography, 581; topograph\% 196; soil, 194- estabhshed and organized, 533; settlement, 203*, 233-238- transportation to, 208; travel to, from Buifalo, N. Y. (1829) 568(Dewey); frontier extension (1823-37), 216-217; first rail- road, 80-82; censuses, 533, 531 ; history , 549(Knapp and Bonner), 549(Whitney and Bonner); Bean Creek Valley, 553(Hogaboam) Leverett, Frank, 3(n.6) Le Roy, 381 Lewis, "Yankee," 454; hostelry at Yankee Springs, 576(White) Libhart Creek, 435 (n. 120) Library, at Detroit (1837), 150 Library Company of the City of Detroit(1818), 130(n.l08) Limestone, at Bellevue, 443; at Grand Rapids, 409 Litchfield (Hillsdale Co.), early history, 579(Riblet) Little, Daniel, 379(n. 53) Little Prairie Ronde, 262 Little Springs (Oakland Co.), 200 "Livingston Center," 391 Livingston County, 390-394, 401, 402, 405; bibhography, 582; established and organized, 533; censuses, 533, 537 Lockport, 292 Long, Major, expedition to the source of the St. Peter's, 259(n.42) Lookingglass River, 416 Lotteries, in Detroit, (1805), 150 (n. 195) Lowell, 431; in Baxter's History, 552 Lumbering, 192; impulse to settlement, 36; in Allegan County, 334 ; in Kent County, 408 ; in Kalamazoo Valley, 32 1 ; in Saginaw countr}^ 398; on the St. Clair River, 161, 162; river transporta- tion of logs, 28 Lyceum, at Detroit (18 18), 130(n.l08); (1837), 150 614 INDEX Lymbruner, agent of the Province of Canada, on Detroit settle- ment, 111 Lyon, Lucius, 345, 397(n.l42), 414, 433; sketch, 580(White); letters, 575 Lyons, 411, 434-435, 467 Mack, Andrew, 389 Mack and Conant, old account book, 567(Hoyt) Mackinac, 370; climate compared with New York, 4(n.l0); to Detroit by steamboat, 70; travel to, from Rome, N. Y., 569 (Haynes); Ferry mission, 437; Straits of, 254 Macomb County, bibliography, 569; soil, 71(n.58); established and organized, 533; settlement, 157-160, 166-171; Saline Creek settlement induced bv presence of salt, 12; early hanking, 569 (Miller); population " (1830), 180; (1834), 181; (1837), 182; censuses, 533, 537; sources of popvilation, 185 McComb, William(1776), 117(n.66) McDougall, C, advertises lots for sale in St. Clair(1818), 161 (n.241) McLaughlin, Higher Education in Michigan, 562 Macon River, 174, 176 Madison, James, recommendation respecting Michigan bounty lands, 51 Mails, transportation of, 568 (Mitchell) Maine, settlers from, 263, 350(n.l91), 438, 474ff Manchester (Washtenaw Co.), settlement, 233; settlement, 587 (Watkins) Manufacture, at Detroit, after War of 1812, 127; at Detroit (1827), 136; growth at Detroit(1837), 143; at Monroe, 156; glass, at Mt. Clemens, 159 Manuscripts, bibliography, 545 Maps, bibliography, 589; contour of Monroe County, 22(n.72); soils of Michigan, 16(n.58) Maple, see Forest Maple Rapids, 467 Maple River, 466 Maple village (Ionia Co.), 434(n.ll9) Marietta (Ohio), settlers from, 184; source of Detroit's popula- tion, 146 Marine City, 161, 162 Marshall, 335, 336, 340, 357, 358, 418; relations with Hastings, 456; sandstone, 13; effort to found College, 572 (Williams) Martineau, Harriet, impressions of Detroit (1836), 144(n.l69), 145 (n.l75), 149; describes travel on Chicago Road(1836), 77; im- INDEX 615 pressions of Ypsilanti, 228; impressions of Ann Arbor, 230; impressions of Tecumsch village, 23vS; im])ressions of Sturgis and White Pigeon prairies, 291 ; impressions of Berrien County, 302; trip from Chieago to Buffalo(1836) in sailing vessel Mil- waukee, 72(n.82); impressions of vSt. Clair region, 162; Society in America, 558 Maryland, settlers from, 316, 442(n.l48) Mason, Emily V., Chapters from the Autobiography of an Octoge- narian (1830-50), 575 Mason, Governor Stevens T., message respecting canals, 75(n.91); appoints Pierce first Supt. of Public Instruction, 341; village named for, 458 Mason (Ingham Co.), settlement, 458 Mason village (Branch Co.), 289 Massachusetts, settlers from, 183, 238, 239, 261, 273, 316, 376, 379, 422(n.71), 437(n.l30), 442(n.l48), 482 Mathews, Lois Kimball, The Expansion of New England, 547 McCoy, Rev. Isaac, 259; visits Grand Rapids mission, 421, 422; advocates removal of the Indians from Michigan, 59(n.37) McKenney, on French farming(1826), 107; impressions of Detroit, 135, 149; Tour to the Lakes, 558 Mechanics' Society, Detroit (18 18), 130(n.l08), 131 Meldrum and Park, Detroit firm,117(n.65) Melish, Geographical Description, 561; Information and Advice, 559; Traveller's Directory, 559 Mendon(St. Joseph Co.), 258(n.41) Methodists, 43(n.l00); 548(Stevens) ; at Grand Rapids, 430; sketch of, in Detroit, 588(Amold); early history, 573(Griffith); sketch of itinerant preaching, 5 75 (Crawford) Michigan, Lake, opening of steam navigation, 31; first steamboat on, 72(n.81); eariy navigation, 254, 420, (1836) 438, (1837) 439; steamboat line projected between St. Joseph and Chicago, 339 Michigan Central Railroad, see Central Railroad Michigan Southern Railroad Company, 80(n.l09); see Southern Railroad Middlebury College(Connecticut), 345 (n. 167) Middletown (Clinton Co.), 413, 418, 461 Milford (Oakland Co.), 224 Military, see Battles, Black Hawk War, Forts, War of 1812 Militia, in Black Hawk War, 60 Miller, Judge Albert, 379(n.53), 395 Mills, relation to settlement, 192; at Grand Rapids, 427; in Kalamazoo Valley, 336; in Saginaw country, 25, 398; on going 616 INDEX to mill, 572(Northrup), 573(Hutchins); see Manufactures, and names of cities, villages and rivers Mill Creek (Washtenaw Co.), 232 Minerals of Southern Michigan, distribution, 11; in the Saginaw country, 366 Mineral Springs, 14; at Eaton Rapids, 412(n.31) Missions, Indian, 490; article on, 565 (Heydenburk) ; at Grand Rapids, 421-422; work of John D. Pierce, 341; sketch of George N. Smith, 580(Wilson); see Carey Mission, Ferry, and Slater Moetown (Eaton Co.), 450 Mohawk and Genesee Turnpike, 73 Money, scarcity of, after War of 1812, 49, 126; "wild-cat" money, 67(n.61) Monroe, James, report on Michigan lands to Jefferson, 51; village named for, 153 Monroe, waterpower, 27; trail from, to Lenawee County, 208; settlement (1813-37), 153-156; land office established (1824), 173; glass manufacture, 13; shipbuilding, 31; steamboat leaves for Buffalo(1834), 155; first shipment of flour from Michigan, 156; whipping post used, 88 Monroe County, bibliography, 582; contour map, 22(n.72); soil, 17(n.58); depths of soil, 16(n.57); soil and forest, 95; limestone, 13, 14; mineral spring, 14; climate, 5(n.l4); forests, 40; estab- blished and organized, 533; settlement, 153-157, 171-176; popu- lation (1830), 180, 181; (1834), 181; (1837), 182; censuses, 533, 537; German settlers, 185 Monroe Company, 460 Monroe Road, Detroit to the rapids of the Miami (1818), 75 Monteith, John, president of first university, 152, 371 Montgomery Plains (Eaton Co.), 449 Moravians, in Detroit, 589(Burton); at Mt. Clemens, 582 (Ford), 582 (Bush), 582 (Day) Mormons, in Oakland County, 242(n.213) Morris' Mills (Oaldand Co.), 224(n.l27) Morse's Geography, influence on settlement, 51, 56; Traveller's Guide, 559 Mosquito, pest to settlers, 47 ; article by Van Buren, 565 Mottville, 263, 273, 274, 291 Mt. Clemens, Moravians, 582(Ford); settlement (1818-37), 157- 160, 184; stage route to (1834), 76(n.93); early settlement, 582 (Bissell), 582 (Mrs. Stewart); glass manufacture, 13; shipbuild- ing, 31; relation to the settlement of Oakland County, 200 Mullet, John, surveyor, 313 Municipal utilities, at Detroit (1815), 128 Muskegon, 441 INDEX 617 Muskegon County, 441 ; bibliography, 582 Muskegon Lake, 441 Napoleon, sandstone at, 13 Navarre, Francois (1800), 117(n. 66); biographical sketch, 118(n.67) Navigation, bibliography, 567; of rivers, 29; of Clinton River, 24, 206(n.45); of Kalamazoo River, 322; of Paw Paw River, 323 (n.77); in the Saginaw country, 397; see Harbor improvements. Transportation, and names of lakes and rivers Negroes, in Old Northwest, 548(Smith); in Cass County, 302; in Detroit, 147; census(1837), 539; see Slavery Nellist, J. F., soil map of Michigan, 16(n.58) New Albany (Clinton Co.), 461 Newark (Allegan Co.), 330 New Buffalo, 299, 300; extreme winter temperature, 4; first settled, 278; settlement, 576(Bishop) Newbury (Lapeer Co.), 384(n.83) Newbury port (St. Joseph), 276 New England, immigration from, to Michigan, 183; source of Detroit's population, 146; settlers from, 238, 239, 314, 469 ff, 481 (n. 27), 482; settlers at Romeo, 170; influence in Michigan, 5 69 (Williams); expansion of, 547 (Mathews); see names of states New Hampshire, settlers from, 183, 265, 282, 289(n.l82), 341, 379; 474ff, 481 New Jersey, settlers from, 184, 262, 265 Newspapers, bibliography, 571; influence of reports on early con- ditions in Michigan, 54; at Adrian, 237; in Allegan County, 575 (Henderson); in Detroit, 151; at Kalamazoo, 580(Torrcy); in Oakland, Washtenaw and Lenawee counties, 243; in the Saginaw country, 373(n.30); list of, contemporary with Territorial period, 553; list of, in early Michigan, 56(n.24) ; 554; Ann Arbor State Journal, 333 (n. 120); Western Emigrant, 230; Ann Arbor Argus, 230(n.l58); Coldwater Observer, 288(n.l77); Michigan Star (Branch Co.), 289(n.l81); JacksonburgS^w/iw^/, 347 (n. 174) Kalamazoo Gazette, 344; Niles Gazette and Advertiser, 296(n.208) Oakland Chronicle, 221; St. Joseph Beacon, 245,' 314(n.39) Michigan Statesman and St. Joseph Chronicle, 272 New- York, immigration from, to Michigan, 183; source of De- troit's population, 146; settlers from, 203, 222, 227, 238, 239, 240, 261, 265, 266, 273, 283, 300, 303, 315, 317, 320, 321, 323, d>?>?,, 340, 349, 354, 375, 379, 380, 383, 394, 388, 390, 391, 431, 432, 442, 451, 454, 464, 469ff, 479fe, 481, 482 Niles, 295, 300; name, 296(n.208); settlement, 264; competition with Bertrand, 277; militia mustered at (1832), 60 618 INDEX Niles (Oakland Co.}, 224(n.l27) Noble, Diodatus, birthplace, 183 Norris, Mark, diary, 228(n.l46) North Caroline, settlers from, 257, 264 Northern Railroad, 81(n.ll3), 389, 395(n.l34);terminal, 162 Northern Trail, travel over (1833), 569(Tower) Northern Wagon Road, 396(n.l41) Northwest, Old, 563(Allen), 564(Storrow) Norvell, Hon. John, times of, 565(Norvell) Nottawa-sepe Prairie, first settlers, 273; settlement, 264; settle- ment, 586(Coffinberry) Oak, see Forest Oakland County, bibliography, 583; topography, 198; height of moraine, 21; soil, 194; pine-bearing soil, 14; transportation to, 206; established and organized, 533; settlement, 187, 199; summary of reasons for priority of settleinent, 204; frontier extension (1816-37), 210-214; population( 1816-37), 217-224; censuses, 533, 538; epidemic of "fever and ague" in Commerce Township in 1840, 8 Oak openings, preferences and prejudices of settlers, 38(n.l27); openings in Allegan County, 331; in Barry County, 413; in Calhoun County, 354; in Eaton County, 412; in Hillsdale County, 247 ; in Kalamazoo Valley, 318-320 ; in Oakland Count}^ 190; in Ottawa County, 410; in Saginaw country, 364; in Washtenaw County, 197; getting first crop on, 40-41; Cooper's Oak-Openings, 318 Oberlin College, branch attempted, in Eaton County, 450 Ohio boundary dispute, see Boundary Ohio, immigration from, to Michigan, 52; source of Detroit's population, 146; settlers from, 202, 238, 250, 257, 261, 263, 264, 265, 268, 273, 274, 281, 283, 301, 302, 313, 315, 316, 318, 328, 331, 380, 451, 474 ff, 482 Ohio, soldiers in War of 1812, 49; stock driven from, to the Sag- inaw country, 399 Olivet College, 487 Orchards, French-Canadian, 106 Ordinance of 1787, quoted, on education, 153 Otisco (Ionia Co.), 434(n.ll9) Otsego, 330, 334 Ottawa County, bibliography, 584; physical environment, 409- 410; pine bearing soil, 14; established and organized, 533; settlement, 436-442; cavise of slow settlement in western part, 35; censuses, 533, 538 INDEX 619 Otter Creek, 175; French-Canadian settlements, 90, 104, inQ(n.43) 117(n.65), 120 Owosso, 3HH; first settlement of, 57', \, -^V \^'^ ■0 :>^ %. .s;> ,v * ^^< '%. <^' •\^ '■^:^ -^ i ■■■ c 0/ v^ N*' ^.I .^^ '^.- > ■x^^' ^^^ -^ ,,s -r,^ aV ^„ % /■ ^^%. .X' ^V- V. ^^ .:-*'"' ^^^^ '•^. ~\-' U ,,xv /> ^ y ^^. .^-;/^, ^'^ /^..^Z"^- % v^^ ^ ''^-,- o ^.