USA > Michigan > Saginaw County > History of Saginaw County, Michigan; historical, commercial, biographical, Volume I > Part 27
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
finable. The valleys of the Shiawassee, Raisin, Huron, Saline, Grand and other rivers point directly to the great aqueduets of this period, and leave little room to doubt the eonelusions of geologists in this eonneetion. Among all the formations there is not one holding a higher place in economieal geology than the Michigan salt group. This eonsists of beds of elay and shale, with a lime- stone strata thinly interealated and a bed of gypsum from 10 to 20 feet in depth. It may be considered the main reservoir, which supplies the wells along the Saginaw river. The brine is remark- ably strong, mixed with a few parts of ehloride of ealcium, bromine and other substances. The bitter waters as they come from the salt bloeks, eontain eliloride of ealcium, ehloride of magnesium, and a trace of the bromide of magnesium. By proper manipulating these ean be separated, and are used in the manufacture of eement, artificial stone, and also in drying houses for the preservation of fruit. Bromine from the bromide of magnesium was manufactured in 1868, by Dr. Garrigues.
Geologists have asserted that the eoal measures of the State un- derlie the counties of Saginaw, Shiawassee, Ingham, Jaekson, etc. Experimental researches have been made in the eounties of Tuseola east, and Shiawassee south of Saginaw county, but with limited eapital, and without developing eoal in paying quantities.
THE FLORA OF THE COUNTY
comprises almost all the orders known in the Northern States. Of the 130 orders represented in Michigan, fully 110 are common in the Valley of the Saginaw. The represented genera within this eounty are estimated at 370, comprising 850 species. New and beautiful flowers are added annually to the pioneer garden beds of the valley; wild flowers appear and fade, many beautiful colors, remembered by the old settlers, have disappeared within the last deeade, and thus one of the most beautiful features of nature is undergoing marked ehanges.
ZOOLOGICAL.
The changes wrought by time have lightened the task of treating the zoologieal features of the county. All the great animals of the forest known to the pioneers have eeased to inhabit the district; the remains of the pre-historie animals are hidden beneath the for- mations of ages; the millions of reptiles which preceded the great summer lie buried hundreds of fathoms down. All that is left to remind us of uneultivated nature are the beautiful birds whiel visit the county periodically or make it their home. Of these feathered denizens, there are about 250 species known within Saginaw county. Of these birds a large number have been seen only at long inter- vals; others have been seen once and disappeared, such as the summer red bird (Pyranga æstiva). The Conneetieut warbler (Oporornis agilis) is one of the most recent settlers and evidently
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
intends to make the county his home. In the following list many birds never hitherto mentioned as belonging to this portion of the State, are named and placed in the class to which they belong. .
BIRDS.
Family Sylviadae .- Polioptila cerulea .- Blue-gray gnatcatcher, a common summer resident. Regulus calendula, or ruby-crowned kinglet, is a spring and fall visitor, which spends the winter in the Southern States. Regulus satrapa, or the golden-crowned kinglet, is found everywhere during the spring and autumn months.
These being woodland birds, seck a home here and create the envy of the other families by the beautiful structures, or nests, which they build in the hemlock, oak or elm forests of the land. The eggs are three-eighths of an inch long, white in color, speckled, and dashed with umber and lilac.
Family Turdidae .- The robin, or Turdus migratorius, is a resi- dent during spring and autumn, and even throughout mild winters. The wood thrush, or Turdus mustelinus, is a common summer bird. The hermit thrush, or Turdus pallasi, has been found breeding dur- ing the spring and fall. The olive-backed thrush, or Turdus swainsoni, is very common during the spring and fall. Wilson's thrush, or Turdus fuscescens, visits the county during spring, and in some instances builds its nest here. The brown thrush or . thrasher, Harporhynchus rufus, resides here during the summer months. The catbird, or Mmus carolinensis, come in large num- bers during the summer. The first and last mentioned may be seen in orchards and around barn-yards; the others in willow thick- ets, berry bushes, and round brush-heaps, where they build tem- porary nests.
Family Saricolidae .- The blue bird, or Sialia sialis, is found everywhere during spring, summer and autumn. It nests in de- caying trees, fence-posts, and feeds upon worms, grasshoppers, spiders and berries.
Family Sittidae .- White-bellied muthatch, or Sitta carolinensis, is a common resident. The red-bellied hatch, or Sitta canadensis, comes here to spend the spring, summer and fall. It nests in holes in trees, and feeds upon spiders, ants, insects' eggs and seeds.
Family Paridae .- The titmouse, or black-capped chickadee, the Parus atricapillus of the Europeans, nests in the woods during fine weather, and comes into the city or village to spend the winter. It thankfully receives all the crumbs which fall from the tables of the people.
Family Certhiadae .- The brown creeper is the only representa- tive here. It dwells here all the year round, finding a storehouse in the forest to lay up animal and vegetable food, in the shape of insects and seeds.
Family Troglodytidae has six representatives here. The Caro- lina wren, though a straggler, is well known. He comes from the south, where he is known as Thryothorus ludovicianus.
Sauce
Savage
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
Bewick's wren, or Thryothorus bewickii, appeared here for the first time very recently. His advance from the south was gradual.
The house wren, or Troglodytes ædon, is found in large num- bers in the central townships of the county.
The winter wren is a well known visitor, sometimes spending the winter in the valley. He is known by the telling title Anor- thura troglodytes.
The long-billed marsh wren, or Telmatodytes palustris, builds a suspended nest among the marsh-reeds or in sand grass. There he remains during the summer and then migrates.
The short-billed wren prefers meadow land and builds a large nest in a secure place. This family of miniature birds feeds upon insects, grasshoppers, snails, moths and other delicacies.
Family Sylvicolidae comprises no less than 33 representatives in Saginaw county. The black and white creeper nests beside a fallen tree,-the blue yellow-winged warbler in the tree-tops of swamps and heavily timbered land. The blue-winged yellow war- bler is a rare visitor. The blue golden-winged warbler remains here during summer and breeds in low, damp woodland.
The Nasliville warbler, orange-crowned warbler, Tennessee warbler, yellow warbler, black-throated green warbler, blue warbler, Blackburnian, yellow-rumped, black-poll, bay- breasted, chestnut-sided, black and yellow, Cape May, prairie, yellow-throated, Kirtland's, yellow red-poll, pine creeper and per- haps two or three other species of the warbler family, are well known visitors.
The water thrush, short and long billed, and the redstart be- long to the family, and are common here.
The Connecticut warbler, a stranger here until 1881, the Mary- land yellow-throat, the mourning, the hooded fly-catcher, black- capped fly-catcher, Canada fly-catcher, all favorite warblers, are beginning to make the county their home.
This is the second family in importance among the birds of North America. Their food consists chiefly of insects, varied with fruit and berries. They peep into crevices, scrutinize the abodes of the insect world and never suffer from want. This family is the scourge of the orchard and oftentimes destroys fruit fields of great value.
Family Alaudidae-The horned lark, or Eremophila alpestris, is a winter dweller here and nests during the close of the cold sea- son. There is another species of the horned lark, which leaves on the approach of winter. Both build their nests on the ground, breed in April, and play around the farm yard or over gravelly soil.
The titlark belongs to the family Motacillidae. They flock hither in tens of thousands during spring and often remain until fall.
Family Tanagridae .- The scarlet tanager, or Pyranga rubra, is a common visitor. The summer red-bird, hitherto referred to as a recent explorer of the North, is very rarely seen here.
17
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
Family Ampelidae .- The Bohemian wax-wing, or Ampelis garrulus, is a recent and rare visitor. The cherry bird, or Caro- lina wax-wing, breeds here in August and September. They feed upon apples, cherries and berries, but are not numerous enough to cause any great anxiety to the pomologist.
Family Hirundinidae comprises the barn swallow, the white- bellied swallow, the eave swallow, the sand swallow and the pur- ple martin. These birds destroy myriads of winged insects, and make them their principal food. The swallow, though not so showy as her gaudy neighbors, confers more real benefit upon the people than any other member of the bird tribe.
Family Vireonidae comprises the red-eyed vireo, brotherly-love vireo, or Vireo philudephicus, warbling vireo, yellow-throated vireo, solitary vireo and white-eyed vireo. They feed chiefly on insects, dwell in the forests, and seldom as they come to town, are in a hurry to return to their rustic homes.
Family Lanidae .- The great northern shrike, or Collurio bore- alis, sometimes remains here to breed, but is not such a perma- nent settler as the loggerhead shrike, which makes its home here the year round. The white-rumped shrike is seen here during the summer months. They are very quarrelsome among themselves, and savage toward other birds. They impale their victims on thorns and leave them there until driven by hunger to eat them.
The Family Corvidae is becoming extinct, or at least, very un- common here. During the present year the few which visited left suddenly, contrary to all precedent. This birds are omnivorous, and comprise among others the raven, crow and blue jay. Their evil ways are almost compensated for by their good qualities, and some are inclined to believe that the benefits they confer are far in excess of the damage they do.
The Family Fringillidae is the most extensive known in the States of the Union. It is graminivorous, except during the breed- ing season, when it feed's itself and young on insects. The rose- breasted grosbeak is the only member of the family which feeds upon the potato bug. . The white-crowned sparrow's food is the grape-vine flea-beetle; the fox-sparrow and chewink search out hybernating insects and snails; the English sparrow, a recent im- migrant, feeds on seeds; the purple finch and crossbills feed on oily seeds and the seeds of pine cones.
The names of the varied representatives of this tribe, are: The pine grosbeak, purple finch, white-winged crossbill, red crossbill, red-poll linnet, mealy red-poll, pine linnet, goldfinch, snow bunt- ing, Lapland longspur, Savanna sparrow, bay-winged bunting, yellow-winged sparrow, Henslow's, Lincoln's, swamp, song, chip- ping, field, clay-colored, white-throated, white-crowned, fox, and English sparrows. The latter bird was introduced here in 1873-'4. The blue-bird, martin, swallow, and other sparrows have to fly be- fore the approach of their legions. The lark, finch, black-throated bunting, rose-breasted grosbeak, the indigo bird and the Towhee bunting, or chewink, are not so destructive as the English spar-
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
row; they have their uses; but it is likely that when the people realize the importance of the destruction of the imported sparrow, the whole family will fall with that branch.
Family Icteridae .-- The bobolink, cow-bird, red-winged black- bird, meadow lark, rusty grackle, crow black-bird, Baltimore and orchard orioles belong to this family. The cow-bird destroys the eggs and young of stranger birds. The oriole feeds on hairy cater- pillars during the season of breeding; this bird is of service in the orchard, and for this service she accepts the first small fruits and other luxuries of the garden. The other menibers of the family may be termed gregarious; they feed on the seeds of weeds, oats, wheat, corn, and on flies and insects.
The Tyrannidae Family subsist almost altogether on flies, which they pursue and capture in the most open places. The pewee and king-bird pursue their victims in the light of day, and even should it escape for a time, it eventually falls before the lance of its pursuer. The family comprises the king-bird, wood pewee, phobe bird, together with a half-dozen fly-catchers, variously named.
The Caprimulgidae Family comprises the whippoorwill, or An- trostomus vociferus, which is a common summer resident here, and the night-hawk, another well-known summer bird. They are given to "jay-hawking," and select the night for seeking their prey. Then thousands of grasshoppers, moths, beetles, winged insects and flies become their prey. The chimney swallow cap- tures its prey upon the wing in a similar manner; but it belongs to the Cypselidae family.
The Alcedinidae .- The only representative of this family in the county is said to be the belted king-fisher, which comes here in summer to spend the fishing season. If it does not at once succeed in catching one of the finny tribe, it is capable of abstaining until success crowns its efforts.
The Trochilidae .- This family is well represented here by the humming-bird. This is an animated cluster of emeralds and rubies, which comes to delight the people in May, and continues with them until September.
Cuculidae .- The only member of the Cuculida residing here dur- ing the summer months is the black-billed cuckoo, which comes to visit the woods and orchards of the State in the middle of June, and remains until harvest time.
The Picidae Family, as represented here, is composed of seven species of woodpecker, known as the downy, the hairy, the Arc- tic black-back, the yellow-bellied, red-bellied, red-headed, and golden-winged. The family subsist on timber insects, fruit, berries and green corn. The yellow-bellied woodpecker is very destructive to apple trees; he sucks the sap of trees in some parts of the Union, but owing to the length of winter in Northwestern Michigan, he has no time to do much mischief here.
The Strigidae Family comprises the barn owl, great horned owl, long-eared owl, short-eared owl, snow owl, hawk owl, sparrow owl,
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
and Acadian owl. A few of these are very common residents here, the last named is an immigrant which settled here in 1879. All form the noctunral branch of the raptorial species, and select for their prey rats, mice, fish, frogs, chickens, birds of all kinds, and sometimes young pigs. They have their uses.
The Falconidae Family is comparatively extensive, and is fully represented here. It includes the marsh hawk, white-tailed kite, sharp-shinned hawk, goshawk, Cooper's hawk, pigeon hawk, spar- row hawk, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, Swainson's hawk, rough-legged hawk, the fish-hawk, and the bald eagle. They are birds of prey which select day-time for car- rying on their operations. The fish-hawk will eat only fish. The bald eagle's favorite food is carrion and fish. When his taste leans toward fish, he generally makes a descent upon the fish- hawk.
Family Cathartidae .- The turkey buzzard, or Cathartes aura, is common in the county during July and August. They are entirely carnivorous, and come here after the period of incubation has been passed in the Southern States.
Family Meleagridae is represented here by the wild turkey. This bird was well known here in olden times, but has now almost ceased to be a resident.
Family Tetraonidae is peculiarly one of game birds. It includes the partridge or ruffed grouse, the quail and the prairie chicken. The quail is a common resident of the county, and appears to attain its greatest size here. These birds subsist on the various grains, seeds, berries, buds, grapes and chestnuts. They form a family of large and beautiful birds, but incapable of being thoroughly domesticated.
Family Columbidae includes the wild pigeon and Carolina dove. The latter resides here during the greater portion of the year. The pigeon is thoroughly graminivorous in its tastes, and in this respect differs from the family Tetraonidae.
Family Phalaropodidae comprises the northern phalarope and Wilson's phalarope, two migrants which build their nests here at long intervals.
Family Charadridae, or the plover tribe, is represented here by the killdeer, semipalmated, piping,golden and black-bellied plovers. They feed upon mollusks, water insects, grasshoppers, beetles, etc. This family is inferior in size to its European kindred.
Family Ardeidae includes the great bittern or Indian hen, the little bittern, the great blue, great white, green and night herons. These birds are summer residents, with the exception of the night heron, which dwells here the year round.
Family Gruidae, represented here by the sandhill crane and the whooping crane. Neither of these birds breeds here, and they may be. set down as common stragglers or "tramps."
Family Colymbidae is very small. Only two representatives are found here, viz .: the common loon, well known for many years and the black-throated loon, a recent visitor. To form an idea of
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
the quickness of this apparently unwieldy bird, one must make an attempt to capture him alive or even to shoot him. During travels in the Northwest the writer found three specimens of the family living quietly in a lakeside nest.
Family Rallidae, or rail tribe, is comparatively well known here. It includes the Carolina rail, Virginia rail, Florida galli- nule, and coot, all common summer birds ; together with the black, yellow, king, and clapper rail, rare summer visitors.
Family Laridae comprises all the terns and gulls known in the temperate zone of our continent. The birds of the tribe common to Saginaw county are the herring gull, the ring-billed, the laugh- ing, and Bonaparte's gulls. The forktail gull is an uncommon visi- tor. The terns best known here are the marsh, Arctic, least, black, Forster's, and Wilson's.
Family Podicipidae, or grebe tribe, comprises the horned grebe, pied-billed grebe, common residents ; together with the red-necked and eared grebe, a class of rovers which direct their flight hither at long intervals.
Family Anatidae is perhaps the best known and most useful of the feathered race. It comprises the goose, duck, widgeon, teal and merganser. The birds of the tribe common to the county are the brant and Canada goose, the mallard, black, pin-tail, gadwall, wood, big black-head, little black-head, ring-necked, poachard, canvas-back, golden-eye, butter-ball, long-tailed, Labrador, ruddy and fish ducks, the red-breasted merganser, the hooded merganser, American widgeon, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, and the shoveller teal.
The Family Scolopacidae includes the woodcock, American snipe, red-breasted snipe, upland plover, long-billed curlew, stilt sandpiper, semipalmated, least, pectoral and red-backed sand- pipers, Willst, greater yellow legs, lesser yellow legs and solitary, spotted and buff-breasted sandpipers. All these birds are common here. They are all "waders," and subsist on aquatic insects, grass- hoppers, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.
THE MAMMALIA.
The New York bat and brown bat are common. The mole shrew visits the gardens and appears to be quite at home in the county. The common mole is found in the low lands, and the star-nosed inole in dry and wet lands throughout the county.
The Family Felidae is represented here by the wildcat. Until recently the animal was abundant in the Valley.
The Family Canidae is represented by the red, black and gray foxes. The two latter are very rare now; even the former, once so abundant, is fast passing away. The wolves were all killed off many years ago.
The Family Mustelidae comprises the brown weasel, the Rich- ardsonii, or little ermine, the white and least weasels, the common weasel, the mink, the otter, and the skunk. Even these animals, once so common, are being thinned out.
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
The Family Urisidae is represented here by the raccoon, the black and white coons. This year some fine specimens of the family were captured and brought under notice of the writer. The black bear roves into this county at times.
The Family Sciuridae comprises the fox, gray, black and flying squirrels, the common chipmunk, the striped gopher, and the woodchuck. All are common here, with the exception of the com- mon gopher, which has wandered away to the more open counties.
The Family Muridae includes the common mouse, the jumping mouse, the harvest mouse, deer mouse, meadow mouse, short-tailed meadow mouse, the brown and black rats, and the muskrat. These are all found within the county.
The Family Cervidae is still represented here by the Cervus vir- gimanius, or common deer.
The Leporidae family is well represented by the common rabbit of the land.
The bear, wolf, lynx, and all the other Carnivora have left the county forever.
ARCHEOLOGY.
In the wanderings of the Mound-Builders the Peninsula was not overlooked. Here are many evidences of their coming and their stay. In dealing with their occupation of Saginaw Valley it will be necessary to extract the following from a lengthy paper, pre- pared on the subject, by W. R. McCormick:
" My father emigrated with me to the Saginaw Valley in 1832. My associations were mostly with the Indians, whose language I became very familiar with. For several years I was engaged in the fur trade, during which time my business was to go up the several tributaries of the Saginaw to buy furs of the Indians, and on nearly all such occasions I found indications that the Saginaw and its tributaries had been densely populated at some remote period by another race of people prior to the Indians.
" On the bluff just below the city of Flint there were, 48 years ago, when I first saw them, eight large mounds, which I saw opened. They were from 20 to 40 feet in diameter and about five feet high. When opened they were full of human bones, all of which were in a better state of preservation than in any mounds I have examined. We found one shin-bone with a flint arrow em- bedded in it and broken off, showing that it was part of the leg of an Indian killed in battle. We found no implements but pieces of flint. The bones indicated a larger race of people than the pres- ent Indians.
"We now proceed down the Fl nt river until we come to the high bluff one mile above the village of Flushing, on the Bailey farm, and examine the mounds at that point which I shall designate as the Bailey mounds. I first saw these mounds opened in 1833 or 1834. At that time this farm was one dense forest. I think there were about 20 mounds, great and small, some 40 feet or more in
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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.
diameter and six feet high, with pine trees growing on the top of them as large as those in any part of the forest. We found upon opening the largest one that it was full of human bones. The skel- etons did not appear to be arranged in any order, but had been thrown promiscuously together before they were covered, leaving hardly a doubt but they had been slain in some battle. The bones were too much decomposed to find any marks of violence upon them. Subsequent events in after years have confirmed my belief that this once populous race of the Saginaw Valley had been exter- minated by another race of people.
" From the Bailey mounds we will resume our explorations down the river. At several points, always in the elbow of the river, and also always on the bluff where you could get a view up and down the river, there would be two or three mounds, but of not so large dimensions as those above until you reach a point about 12 miles below. There, contrary to the custom of the Mound-Builders, you find on the east side of the river and on the flat nearly 100 graves, which tradition says are those of Indians, all of whom died in one day and night with some sickness which the Great Spirit in his anger had sent amongst thiem. This must have been some epidemic, for we know that when the Indians have had the small pox or any other contagious diseases amongst them they have all flocked together. In their tradition of this incident they say it was their own nation, over 100 years before that time, which was then in 1835, and not the Mound-Builders.
" Some 10 miles further down the river, having seen only a few small mounds, we come to the old Indian fields-now the Ross farm, but formerly the residence, in an early day, of the old pioneer, James McCormick. This land was given to him by the Indians -- their white brother, as they used to call him-and was on the Indian reservation. Here there were four large mounds together in the elbow of the river on the bluff, like the Flint and Bailey mounds heretofore described, and several more on the flat below. The bones in these mounds were very much decomposed, especially those on the flat which I helped to plow down myself; so that when they were exposed they crumbled to pieces. This was no doubt owing to the difference of soil, the ground being much lower and subject every spring to overflow of the river. But I have no doubt all the mounds are nearly of the same period. We plowed up in those mounds a great variety of stone implements, which were carried off by curiosity seekers.
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