USA > Michigan > Kent County > Illustrated historical atlas of the county of Kent, Michigan > Part 7
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In this year also came Joel Guild, Barney Burton, Eliphalet Turner, Ira Jones, Jonathan F. Chubb and others, many of whom are mentioned in the proper place in the township histories.
It was in the Spring of 1834, however, that the great influx of emigrants commenced, and the little hamlet, where only a few acres were cleared, at the foot of the rapids, suddenly became quite a village. A saw mill had been' erected on. Indian Creek during 1833. Mr. Slater was teaching a school, a small Catholic Church was built on the west side, under the guid- ance of a Rev. Mr. Barrigus, but in the Winter of 1833-4 it was removed to the east side at the instance of Mr. Campau.
: In the Spring of 1834 the Town of Kent was organized, and the work of founding and organizing a civilized community in the wilderness seemed fully accomplished. Prominent among the arrivals of that year were : Richard Godfrey, Robert Barr, Louis Morau and Lovell Moore. What is known as the Kent Company was formed, and immediate steps were taken to utilize the vast water-power at the rapids, and to extend the village north from Campau's purchase.
GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION.
The County of Kent is thirty-six miles in length from north to south, and twenty-four in width, and lies in the southwestern portion of the " Lower Peninsula." The center of the county is about six miles northeast of the City of Grand Rapids, thirty-three miles east of the nearest point of Lake Michigan, and about eighty-seven miles north of the southern boundary of the state.
By the United States Survey the range or meridian line, from which all the townships of the state are numbered east or west, was fixed a few miles east of the center of the state, and just east of the City of Jackson, while the base line, starting near the City of Detroit, runs due east and west about forty-eight miles north of the boundary line dividing Michigan from the great States of Ohio and Indiana. From these lines the townships embraced in Kent County are numbered 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and To north, and the ranges 9, IO, II and 12 west. Within its limits therefore, are 24 full townships, 864 sections or nearly 552,960 acres, less, of course, the amount of the surface embraced in the numerous small lakes. After excluding lands exempt (in round numbers) a full half-million of acres are annually returned for taxation. Kent County is bounded on the north by Newaygo and Montcalm Coun- ties, east, by Montcalm and Ionia Counties, south by Barry and Allegan Counties, and west by Ottawa and Muskegon Counties.
STREAMS AND LAKES.
Kent is an unusually well-watered county. Grand River, the largest stream within the state, enters the east side of the county about eleven miles from the southeast corner, flows west about six miles, then in a northwest- erly course about fourteen miles, next southwest for about six miles, nearly due south for four miles, and thence in a southwest course for about eight miles, leaving the county at a point nearly due west of the point of entrance. This stream makes few short turns in its course of about forty miles through" the county, but changes its direction by majestic sweeps. In early times it was navigated by flat boats from Jackson to its mouth, and by steamers as .far up as Tonia, in Ionia County. The rapids however, where it makes a descent of about fifteen feet in less than two miles, was an effectual bar to passage of all crafts except in a full stage of water. The head-waters of this noble stream are within less than. fifty miles of Lake Erie, and after meandering through seven counties, and a distance of perhaps one hundred and seventy-five miles, its waters mingle with those of Lake Michigan, being the largest contribution made to that great inland sea, which has a coast line of about seven hundred miles. Within the City of Grand Rapids the im- mense motive-power, the grandest in the state, has been largely utilized, and either bank is lined with mills and factories of large size, and great variety.
Next in size in the county is the Thorn' Apple River, which, entering the south end of the county eight miles from its southeast corner, flows north until it falls into the Grand at Ada. This is a very rapid stream, from forty to sixty yards in width, and from its great descent furnishes almost unlimited power, which has been partially utilized at several points.
Flat River, which enters Vergennes Township, and follows a very serpen- tine course for some eight or ten miles, is a stream rivaling the last in width, and furnishes a most magnificent power -at the Village of Lowell. . It has not the rapidity and amount of fall belonging to the last, but is, as its name indicates, often a sluggish stream. It, with some of its upper tributaries, are much used for running saw-logs.
Rouge River, rising in Muskegon County, enters Kent County through Tyrone Township, flowing mostly south and east, falls into the Grand in Plainfield Township, near to the village by that name. This stream by reason of the great amount of fall furnishes an amount of power scarcely second to the Thorn Apple. Running as it does almost its whole length through pine lands, it, with its principal tributaries, have played a most important part in the development of this county.
The principal creeks in the county tributary to the rivers named, are- Black Creek, rising in the north part of the county and flowing southeast into Flat River ; Cold Water, or Little Thorn Apple, rising in Ionia County, and flowing west into the Thorn Apple River; Plaster and Buck Creeks, rising in the south and southwest part of the county, and running northwest into Grand River ; and Duke Creek, rising in the north part of the county, and flowing southwest and uniting with Rouge River. There are several others of nearly equal importance, but which will not be here mentioned. These streams and their tributaries throughout the most part of their length have furrowed out. valleys for themselves of considerable depth in many instances, but of no great width. In many instances abrupt hills rise on either side almost from the river's bed, from fifty to one hundred and fifty or, more feet, leaving scarcely any 'room for bottom' lands, while in other cases there are first and second bottoms of considerable width. Plateaus, or terraces, showing that the rivers in days long gone by occupied a much higher level than the present, and shifted and changed their courses, sorting and arranging the materials over which they flowed just as they are doing to-day in a much more confined area,
At " The Rapids," Grand River has cut down through the overlying " drift." and into bed rocks, and limestones, sandstone, slate, shales, and "plaster rock " or gypsum are found at many points on one or both sides of the river, covered from sight in most places by the debris from the surround- ing hills. Buck and Plaster Creeks have also in a few places cut down through the drift and exhibited gypsum by a natural exposure.
One of the most remarkable features in the surface configuration of the county is its system of small lakes, more than one hundred and seventy of which are deemed of sufficient importance to be located on the map. With the exception of Paris and Wyoming Townships, none are without one or more of these little seas, and some of them can show twenty-five or more each. These little reservoirs of fresh water vary in size from three or four acres to five hundred or six hundred acres. They vary as much in other characteristics as size. Some are beautiful little gems, with well-defined sandy or gravelly beaches, while others are surrounded in whole or in part with marshes, which are more or less rapidly encroaching upon the water, showing that at no very distant day these lakes will be obliterated, as numerous others have been ; and a marsh capable of bearing a heavy growth of tamarack,'
white cedar or swamp ash, will take their places. Some of these lakes are of considerable depth (fabulous depth if you will believe all the stories), and' are well stocked with valuable varieties of fish, either artificially or naturally. Among the more important of these lakes is Reed Lake, about three miles east of the city of Grand Rapids, an inviting summer resort, reached by the horse cars ; Silver and Bostwick Lakes, in Cannon Township ; Nagle, Crooked, Pine, and Muskrat Lakes, in Grattan Township ; Wabasis, Scrum, and Horseshoe Lakes, in Oakfield Township ; and Lincoln Lake, in Spencer Township. Besides these there are several others of nearly or quite as much importance as some named, but space forbids further notice. Many, if not all these lakes, are subject to a change of level, and some observers declare. that these fluctuations occur at the same time as changes are noticed in the great lakes, and from this and their great depth is inferred some sort of a subterranean connection with Lake Michigan ; but as there is probably not a lake in the county whose surface is less than one hundred feet above that of Lake Michigan, nothing is more improbable than the hypothesis advanced. There can be no doubt but that all of them are affected in greater or less degree by long continued drouth, and sooner or later by periods of great rain- fall
GEOLOGICAL FORMATION, MINERAL DEPOSITS, ETC.
This county is situated upon the western outcrop of what is termed the " Michigan Salt Group," a formation considerably above (geologically speak- ing) the saliferous rocks of other parts of the country. In the central part of the " lower peninsula," occupying the greater part of twelve or fifteen counties, is the " Michigan Coal Field," the western limit of which is, accord- ing to Winchell, not far from the east line"of Kent County. West of this line the coal measures appear to have been carried away by some vast denuding force at the same time perhaps as the depths of Lake Michigan were being plowed or scooped out. West of Ionia County the first rock in posi- tion would be, according to the authorities, the subcarbonifarous limestone, which is met with for the first time in a natural exposure at the Rapids ; and although it has a slight dip, generally, perhaps, towards the center of the coal basin, under which it passes, it could probably be found any where in the valley, above the Rapids, at no great depth below the surface. The stratified rock exposed at the Rapids is described as occurring in thin, irregular, gently undulating beds, much broken up, and embracing frequent. partings of clayey and bituminous matter, and as being more calcareous at the top than lower down, where it becomes more or less arenaceous or sandy, and even includes patches and considerable belts of sandstone. The known thickness of this belt is not less than fifty-one feet from the exposure. downward, while it is supposed that the uncovered portions on the bluffs may add something to this. This rock is but slightly fossiliferous, although a considerable number of brochiopods, and the spines and teeth of fish have from time to time been discovered. Pyrites and some beautiful specimens of calcite crystals have also been found. These beds yield a building stone valuable for rough as well as dressed work, but its chief use is for burning into lime, which is being done on a considerable scale.
This limestone formation appears to rest immediately upon the " Michigan Salt Group," of which the gypsum beds are the most important features, and by all odds the most valuable mineral deposit yet discovered in this part of the state. These beds, which are supposed to underlie the whole of the valley from the city to the county limits (and are even supposed to underlie the whole state), have perhaps an average (aggregate) thickness of near twenty feet. The order at several of the worked beds seems to be first com- mencing at the top with masses of reddish gypsum, sometimes called the " boulder bed," - interspersed with limestone and shales, followed by flinty limestone and shales, water limestone and shales, then a thin bed of plaster rock, with more water lime and shales. followed by five or six feet of plaster, which is separated by. a few inches of shale from the lower and principal bed of gypsum, often thirteen feet or more in thickness. This last is the purest and most important member of the group. Some portions of the shales are strongly impregnated with salt, and small masses of rock-salt are found interspersed with the gypsum beds. The beds on Plaster Greek, and also on Buck Creek, near Grandville, are worked by stripping, the overlying earth, gravel, etc., being from ten to twenty feet in thickness : while the beds on the west or northwest bank of Grand River are worked by a drift under the bluff, where.it is from seventy- five to one hundred feet in height, and what are known as the " plaster cases,", ten to fifteen acres in extent, are objects of much interest to numerous visitors.
Half a million dollars'or more are invested in seven mills and quarries, the annual product of which amounts to near half a million dollars' worth of land plaster, and the calcined, or stucco plaster. The land plaster, it is' said, aggregated about forty thousand tons, and the stucco, amounting to sixty thousand barrels per annum, giving employment in mills.and mines to' about three hundred workmen.
Near Grandville, sandstone of a quality suitable for building purposes is being quarried both above and below the plaster bed, to what extent, how- ever, was not learned. ; As early as 1833, Hon. Lucius Lyon sunk a salt well,' and for two or three years carried on the manufacture of salt, but with this experience, and after the investment of about $20,000, it was found unprofit- able, and abandoned. Fifteen years later several other gentlemen of means sunk wells and manufactured several thousand barrels, but could not make it profitable in competition with the superior facilities enjoyed in the Saginaw Valley, and it was abandoned.
SURFACE, SOIL, TIMBER, ETC.
A comprehensive survey of the County of Kent would find it an undulating plain, in nearly the center of which the Grand River had worn a valley from 125 to 175 or 200 feet in depth. . A very small proportion of what is known as the uplands would be found outside of these two extremes, The highest railroad summit in the county is reported at about two hundred feet above the river. Into this central valley nearly every section of the county is drained through numerous cross valleys, along some of which the bluffs seem nearly or quite as high as along the principal valley. There are few hills (strictly
(75)
table land fully as high, and of which it formerly formed a part.
stiff clay, and considerable tracts where the surface seems to be almost
although there are but few pine groves of much consequence south of the
every variety of soil. The fine lands in many instances, and especially
seems to tower above the landscape, it will generally be found backed by
speaking) in the county, and where some bold prominence, seen from a valley,
76
bass-wood, ash, elm, and white-wood.
will compare favorably with almost any in the state, and lying within what
fertile and well adapted to most farming purposes. As a whole the county
sandy loams ; large areas of almost purely vegetable matter, large bodies of
been, more pine trees than all other kinds put together. Next to pine,
members of the "State Pomological Society " reside within this county.
agricultural and horticultural portions of the state. About one-half of the
is known as the "fruit belt," the county will ever rank well up among the
ition from one variety to another is very sudden, giving in a small compass
entirely gravel, ranging from fine to coarse. In some instances the trans-
perhaps, white oak is the most generally diffused variety of timber, while in
manufactured on the railroads leading to the city, and which is owned or
timbers, quite generally accompanied, however, with several other varieties, as
where there is a considerable admixture of hard woods, are found to be very
great abundance in many parts of the county.
$900,000, is manufactured at Grand Rapids in a year, while the amount
It is estimated that more than 75,000,000 feet of lumber, valued at about
material interests of the county have developed in thirty years.
a number of towns, beech and maple or the sugar tree are the prevailing
Cannons __::
real value of the property listed.
Kent Township, that in 1834 the revenue of the town, then embracing the
however, that this heavy drain must soon exhaust the forests within reach.
controlled here, would nearly or quite double the amount. It is obvious,
several of the northern and northwestern townships, pine may be said to be
Grand River, excepting in Wyoming, Paris, and Byron Townships. In
Paris __
the taxes levied by the state and county in the City of Grand Rapids alone
the leading timber, and in two or three of them perhaps, there are, or have
against each subdivision of the county for 1875, and can thus see how the
four towns.
Sparta
able to present a statement of the financial condition of the county prior
position, will not be devoid of interest. It will be seen in the history of
Caledonia
to 1845.
to "grease the wheels of government," for the first year. To-day we find
entire county south of the river, was $66.50; and that $45.12 was sufficient
Plainfield
Paris
Courtland.
and county tax charged to each. The nine townships then organized, em-
shows the estimated wealth of each township then organized, with the state
Bowne
Plainfield
Ada
braced the whole of the county, which has since been divided into twenty-
exceeds $40,000.
Walker,
Oakfield
Nelson
Byron
Lowell
Courtland.
Cascade
Grand Rapids
Walker ...
Algoma
Wyoming -
Gaines ..
Alpine
City, Ist Ward
Solon
Grand Rapids
Caledonia_
Byron
Vergennes
ing tables, which are abstracts from the state census of 1874, and refers, so
Grattan_
matter of wool and maple sugar.
Tyrone
Vergennes
Spencer
Ada.
far as the productions are concerned, to the crop of 1873, except in the
Lumbering has always been one of the prominent interests of the county.
Owing to the destruction of the public records at an early day, we are un-
There is a great variety of soil, from the merest beds of sand, to rich
There is a small amount of pine in most of the townships of the county,
Totals
From the supervisors' record for that year we present the following, which
A comparison of the " day of small things," with the present advanced
It is probable that the tax-roll in both instances is less than one half the
From this we may very appropriately pass to the tax roll and taxes levied
The importance of the county agriculturally may be seen from the follow-
TOWNSHIP AND
Totals ..
2d Ward
5th Ward
3d Ward
7th Ward
6th Ward
4th Ward
8th Ward
WARD.
TOWNSHIPS.
$1,616
TAXES
1876.
81,246
12,119
THEN AND NOW.
FOR
1,177
I,166
1,515
2,374
3,225
1,512
1,516
1,341
2,267
1,687
2,361
1,442
1.200
1,601
1.572
2,126
1,913
3,316
8,024
2,683
9,232
3,153
1,747
1,88I
1,650
1,80I
884
TAX ROLL
53
854
76I
$52,947
538,628
127,520
1845,
27,927
69,563
54,357
68,775
40,437
56,480
40,625
PROPERTY.
PERSONAL
2,763,837.
$42,195
824,525
220,475
313,725
I'12,495
36,795
39,465
48,855
64,380
64,180
44,926
27,846
26,675
46,175
55,455
55.080
21,040
62,150
41,115
85,670
20,800
39,990
40,369
71,280-
62,960
35,516
49,890
78,775
12,851
49,850
60,520
Black and burr oaks are found in
7,855
COUNTY
$423 58
4309 03
1020 16
556 50
434 86
223 39
323 50
550 20
451 81
325 00
TAX.
19,999,908
ESTATE.
3,019.938
- 377,994
$402,937
2,300,625
1,999,506
REAL
420,568
293,447
299,097
189,707
588,418
435,547
359,358
377,590
565,064
785.784
826,419
290,564
334,364
448,828
212,952
390,804
376,978
220,40I
399,080
411,19I
132,162
591,672
803,781
476,782
468,773
529,898
468,763
$132 37
1346 56
STATE
318 80
135 89
I71 94
141 20
173 9I
IOI 56
TAX.
IOI 08
69 81"
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY-CONTINUED.
REAL AND
PROPERTY.
PERSONAL
22,565, 190
TAXES.
$445,132
3,844,463
TOTAL
2,313,231
2,521,100
$455 95
5655 59
1338 96
650,734
342,302
436,730
806,584
518,663
527,603
260,39I
440, 195
414,789
239,657
638,268
647,127
481,722
202,558
866,741
432,058
890,599
362,210
330,933
140,017
491,948
394,864
417,055
538,932
320,137
590,418
475,47I
394 81
324 95
722 14
581,258
750.41
424 58
570 95
593 OI
thirty-five thousand bushels, or fully twenty-five per cent., owing to the very
unfavorable season.
old were not enumerated.
near as favorable as for 1870; the wheat falling behind one hundred and
STATISTICAL TABLE-Showing number of each kind of Stock raised, together with number of Manufacturing Establish-
STATISTICAL TABLE-Showing the amount of each article named, produced in 1873 in Kent County, by Townships.
Horses and cattle under one year, and sheep and hogs under six months
The report of the wheat, hay, potatoes and fruit crops for 1873 was not
ments in the County, Persons Employed, Capital Invested and Value of Products by Townships. Census of 1874.
Other
Mnig.
Capital
Value
Bushels
Bushels
Bushels of
Bushels
l'ons
Pounds
Pounds
Pounds
Pounds of |Val. of Fruit
Horses.
Mules.
Oxen.
Cows.
other
of
of
of
Maple
and Garden
Cattle.
Swine.
Sheep.
Establish-
Persons
Employed
Invested.
of
. Townships.
of
of
of
of
ments.
Products.
Wheat.
Corn.
Grains.
Potatoes.
Hay.
Wool.
Cheesc.
Butter.
Sugar.
Produce.
Ada Township --
0
446
12
31
505
392
1438
3.445
2
$46,000
$77,600
Ada.
29,245
25,190
16,389
15,268
1,808
13,647
48,610
300
$2,163
Algoma Township
272
IO
95
344
237
363
700
6
73.700
239,800
Algoma
12, 115
14,990
10,215
7,233
843
2,405
22,430
800
1,215
Alpine Township.
457
687
645
-.
72
760
3,937
2
7,000
14,000
Alpine
36, 197
31,080
43,306
16,365
3,525
20,677
56,220
18,325
9,236
000
Bowne Township ..
382
138
493
746
647
2,53I
9,000
7,000
Bowne
48,949
24,863
19,678
11,992
1,761
10,858
475
46,830
37,338
4,402
Byron Township ..
463
II6
626
586
618
3
2,331
2
6,200
11,000
Byron .
27,099
29,392
24,795
9,205
2,092
8,060
490
51,266
49,117
8,017
00
00
Caledonia Township ..
44I
78
498
559
734
3,232
55,500
103,800
Caledonia
Cannon Township.
30,240
29,800
20,434
9,858
1, 826
12,784
1,000
47,230
12,777
1,398
493
48
546
495
598
5.202
7
14,000
35,000
Cannon.
26,95 I
29,745
22,458
14,978
1,658
21,774
8,440
45,350
I00
3,013
0
Cascade Township ---
363
--
38
415
50I
500
3,028
Cascade ..
29,067
20,995
20,65I
11,514
I,866
12,430
305
47,285
13,532
3,200
Courtland Township
37I
5
. 73
432
459
522
4,283
5
42
9,400
28,000
Courtland
23,080
28,284
28,344
11,748
2,368
15,568
37,723
3,136
Gaines Township_
547
6
89
588
27,912
8,031
32,015
61,865
3,680
Grand Rapids Township.
770
577
3,345
Gaines .
26,772
30,240
2,085
II, 179
384
30
575
258
437
1,519
Grand Rapids ...
14,916
15,144
16,259
15,868
2,422
5,038
33.720
300
4.549
Grand Rapids City.
1269
IO
398
49
IO
110
3,309
3,713,200
5,611,494
Grand Rapids City_
40
200
100
80
200
.1,300
4
Grattan Township
32
531
2
0
537
54I
714
5,383
12,000
24,125
Grattan.
39,705
53,015
17,527
2,368
26,569
1,725
59.735
65
1,000
-
Lowell Township.
Nelson Township.
337
4
72
432
432
526
2,156
8
49
276,000
Lowell
184
167
123,000
31,513
18,237
9.776
1,759
9,154
48,065
22,092
5,262
00
142
IO
184
513
254
124,500
293,000
Nelson
5,889
7,090
7,374
4,405
1,505
1,187
902
3,950
Oakfield Township.
Paris Township. --.
408
I3
73
365
365
548
3,396
--
Oakfield
25,384
29,651
26,798
7,850
1,360
15,730
1,400
25
816
I
6,000
Paris .
20,803
23,754
2,65I
10,358
400
22,092
3,992
Plainfield Township ..
556
4
42
553
553
584
1,995
7
3,000
32,283
29,026
Solon Township
437
7
54
562
414
499
2,156
4
30
53,000
42,000
Plainfield
25,050
32,872
23,693
6,628
200
2,194
100
49
140
95
169
183
12
160
43,000
208,000
Solon
2,267
4,405
5,085
3,731
1,046
494
2
....
997
Sparta Township.
472
130
617
758
459
2,563
4
I7
5,400
40,500
Sparta ..
28,383
22,796
41,599
12,316
2,787
10,359
1,218
50,407
6,454
1
Spencer Township-
106
78
136
125
184
`223
4
33
24,100
16,100
Spencer
3,897
6,205
4,785
3.348
704
602
960
560
Tyrone Township --
LIO
2
68
168
I5I
161
474
4-
3
32
18,500
32,000
Tyrone ..
4,227
6,215
4,262
4,948
86I
1,570
---
7,675
529
Vergennes Township.
455
2
25
496
507
620
4,018
4
7
11,300
Vergennes
29,720
20,616
9,615
1,854
17,178
200
1,721
750
3,157
Walker Township ...
38,690
410
2
I2
563
918
647
2,053
I
5,000
10,000
Walker.
28,806
28,157
24,297
20,157
2,707
8,026
106
8,060
22,015
+
8
Wyoming Township.
436
558
260
479
1,895
5
85
205,000
75,000
Wyoming.
20,668
31,243
13,906
14,195
1,676
8,717
2,650
241
7,446
2,255
Total for County --
10,39I
I24
1,609 | 11,587 | 10,958
|13,200
60,571
215
4,230
$4,561,800
$7,149,313
Total in County .__
569,353
564,902
503,433
363,866
43,552 | 251,072
17,285
961,868
297,509 | $103,852
Barrel, Tub, and Pail Factories.
value of the products of each, based upon the Census of 1874.
the numbers of each kind, with hands employed in each, capital invested and
manufacturing establishments of the county by the following statement of
-up their residence in Ada prior to 1836, though it is probable there were a
He appears to have been the pioneer of the county or first white man who
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