Friday, November 18, 2011

1878 Pioneer Sketch - Part 13

The first wheat crop was threshed upon the ground and winnowed in the wind, in the fall of 1837. Mr. Calvin Handy started for mill and went to Ann Arbor or Dexter with his oxen and put in his bell, ax and auger, with quilts to sleep upon. He followed tracks and trails, and at night, there being no settlers upon the road he turned out his oxen and slept under the wagon. At the end of five days he came back and we all had a feast of Michigan wheat biscuits.

From '38 to '40 were years of hope and prosperity. Newcomers were slowly adding to our number. We done most of our logging by bees, logging from 10 to 20 acres per day. During the years of '41 and '42, the State Legislature made a small appropriation of lands from 5,000 acres for the completion of the roads above mentioned, and were expended by Mr. Mullet of Detroit, in opening the road from Fowlerville to Lansing for the first time. This gave us additional hopes and our town now numbered about 60 voters. Mr. Adams desiring to see the fulfillment of his predictions at this point came with his compass and surveyed 19 lots, locating them on three of the four corners of the said village, free of charge.

Much more to come -- stay tuned!

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