In connection with this history, I will relate a little incident, showing the wildness of the country and the difficult transit to the capitol west. During the month of May, Mr. Townsend, of the city of New York, coming from Detroit to our place on horseback, wishing me to accompany him to his land, located on section number 22, where the city of Lansing now is. I objected somewhat, knowing the wildness of the country and the distance, but he insisted upon my going. I told him I could stand it if he could, so we agreed to start and he went for his horse. I told him that he must go on foot, as there were no bridges, and no roads except marked trees and a trail. He remonstrated and said, 'You don't know anything about your own country.'
Then taking from his pocket some papers, he says: 'Look here; there are two villages between here and my lands,' showing me a map of Williamston and Okemos, with hotels, mills and mill ponds. I told him they were paper villages, as there were no hotels or villages in that part. This rather stumped him, still he was very anxious to see if he was so badly deceived.
He had on a pair of heavy, high cloth shoes. I offered him a pair of thick cow hide boots, but he refused them, saving he had the shoes made on purpose for the trip. We put some meat and bread in our pockets -- all we could conveniently carry -- and took the line of the Detroit and Grand River road.
Tomorrow, their travels.
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