USA > Michigan > St Clair County > St. Clair County, Michigan, its history and its people; a narrative account of its historical progress and its principal interests, Vol. I > Part 5
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In the "Description," referring to this locality, Hutchins says : "The route from Lake St. Clair to Lake Huron is up a strait or river about 400 yards wide. This river derives itself from Lake Huron and at the distance of 33 miles loses itself in Lake St. Clair. It is in general rapid, but particularly so near its source, its channel and also that of Lake St. Clair are sufficiently deep for shipping of a very considerable burthen. This strait has several mouths, and the lands lying between them are fine meadows. The country on both sides of it for 15 miles has a very level appearance, but from thence to Lake Huron it is in many places broken and covered with white pines, oaks, maple, birch and beech."
DELISLE, POPPLE AND OTHERS
It was nearly a century after the Sanson map of 1650 before maps of this section began to show knowledge of details, such as the tribu-
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
tary streams running into the river and lake. A map by DeLisle, one of the most noted French geographers, issued in 1703, shows but one stream in St. Clair county, a river running into Lake IIuron a short distance above the entrance to the St. Clair river, the small stream having its source near the southwest corner of the county. and a northeasterly course.
The English map of Popple of 1733 shows an unnamed river of con- siderable size, having an easterly course, and emptying into St. Clair river at about the month of Black river, while the map of D'Anville of 1746 shows three streams. one quite long. and toward the lower end of the county, named Belle Chasse, and two shorter ones unnamed above it. This map is evidently followed by the well known English map of Mitchell of 1755. which, however, shows but one stream. the long one bearing the name Belle Chase.
FIRST AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY
The first American geography. issued by Jedediah Morse in 1789. is probably indebted to Hutchins. but the maker of its map of the Northwest. Territory, in which Michigan was then included. shows a fine inde- pendence in the way in which he distributes rivers and names in this locality. Ilis map shows no rivers emptying into St. Clair river from the west, but between that river and Saginaw bay there are three streams called, respectively, Sawpine river, River a Chines and Belle Chase river. The first is evidently a transference from the Hutchins map of the Riviere au Sapine, and the last is from the Belle Chasse of D'Anville, but these names in their Americanized forms are meaningless.
It seems quite probable that the present name of Belle river is derived from Belle Chasse, or fine hunting, and that River a Chines, which has no meaning. was originally a mistake for River a Chênes, or river of oaks.
EMIGRANT'S DIRECTORY
In 1820 there was published in England a "View of the United States of America, Forming a Complete Emigrant's Directory. " based upon the fullest reports then obtainable of the different parts of the country. It thus describes our county: "The straits of St. Clair are twenty-six miles long. The land on both sides is partly prairie, interspersed with strips of lofty woodland, consisting of oak, sugar maple. poplar. black walnut, hickory and white pine. Nature has here planted groves of the latter timber suitable for masts, boards and shingles, which is much increased in value by the scarcity of this excellent wood. since it can be transported to distant parts destitute of so very useful a material. In the straits there are several valuable islands and there is water snffi- cient for a twenty gun ship."
SCHOOLCRAFT ON THE ST. CLAIR REGION
In May, 1820, Henry R. Schoolcraft, who subsequently was for many years U. S. Indian agent in the Upper Peninsula, and a voluminous
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and important writer upon Indian subjects, passed up the St. Clair river as a member of Governor Cass' expedition to the headwaters of the Mississippi. In his account of the journey, he says: "The prin- cipal tributary streams of St. Clair river are Belle river and Black river, both entering on the United States shore, the former at the dis- tance of fourteen and the latter at the distance of two miles below Fort Gratiot. The banks of the River St. Clair are handsomely elevated and well wooded with maple, beach, oak and elm. Settlements continue for a considerable part of the way on the American shore and contribute very much to the effect of a district of river scenery, which is generally admired. The lands are rich and handsomely exposed to the sun. The river is broad and deep, with a gravelly shore and transparent water, and its surface is chequered with a number of the most beautiful islands. Indeed, the succession of interesting views had afforded us a continued theme of admiration and we can fully unite in the remark of Baron La Hontan, who passed this strait in 1688 'that it is difficult to imagine a more delightful prospect than is presented by this strait and the little Lake St. Clair.' "'
It is obvious that Schoolcraft gave the name of Belle river to what was in fact Pine river, and he probably passed by the mouth of Belle river without observing it, owing to the angle at which it enters the St. Clair river. In going up the river, the party passed nine boats at anchor, because of head winds, and the amount of shipping attracted the travelers' attention. The wildest imagination possessed by any member of that party could not have conceived the number and size of the boats which would be met in a similar trip today, less than a century later.
CHAPTER III BOUNDARIES AND NAME
LIMITS OF ORIGINAL COUNTY-INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY COMPLICATIONS -ST. CLAIR COUNTY REDUCED-ORIGIN OF NAME.
The county of St. Clair was created by Governor Cass by his procla- mation of March 28, 1820, as follows :
"Whereas, a petition has been presented to me, signed by a number of the citizens of the said territory, requesting that the boundaries of a new county, and the seat of justice thereof, may be established by an act of the executive, which shall not take effect until the arrival of a period when its population may require such a measure.
"Now, therefore, believing that a compliance with this request will have a tendency to increase the population of such part of the Terri- tory as may be included within these boundaries, and to prevent those difficulties which sometimes arise from the establishment of counties, when the settlements are formed and conflicting opinions and interests are to be reconciled ; I do, by virtue of these presents, and in conformity with the provisions of the ordinance of congress of July thirteenth, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, lay out that part of the said Territory included within the following boundaries, namely: Begin- ning at the southeast corner of township number three north, range number fourteen east; thence north to the northeast corner of town- ship number four in the same range; thence west to the county of Oak- land; thence north to the northeast corner of township number six north, and range number eleven east; thence west to the Indian bound- ary line as established by the treaty of Detroit, November seventeenth, one thousand eight hundred and seven; thence north with the same, north and northeasterly to the boundary line between the United States and British Province of Upper Canada; thence with the said boundary line southwardly, to a point due south from the place of beginning; and thence to the place of beginning, into a new county to be called the county of St. Clair. And I do, in conformity with the report of the commissioners appointed for that purpose, establish the seat of jus- tice of the said county, at the town of St. Clair.
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"And I do further declare, that this proclamation shall take effect and be in force after the same shall be so declared by the Governor of the said Territory, or other competent authority therein for the time being, and not sooner.
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"In testimony whereof, I have caused these letters to be made patent, and the Great Seal of the said Territory to be hereunto affixed. Done at the city of Detroit, this twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty, and of the Independence of the United States the forty-fourth.
"By the Governor : LEW CASS.
"WM. WOODBRIDGE, Secretary of Michigan Territory."
LIMITS OF ORIGINAL COUNTY
The county thus formed had an area about four times as large as the present county, and included not only the present county, but a large part of Sanilac, Lapeer, Tuscola, Genesee and Shiawassee coun- ties, and a small part of Macomb, Saginaw and Huron counties. The west and northwest boundary was the Indian treaty line of 1807. When the territory of Michigan was created by the Act of January 11, 1805, the only portion of land within its boundaries under the absolute juris- diction of the United States, was a strip six miles in width along the Detroit river, and a small area at the Straits of Mackinaw. In order to enable settlements to be made and titles to be given in accordance with the policy which had been begun by the United States, Governor Hull on behalf of the government made a treaty with the Chippewas, Otta- was, Pottawatomies, and Wyandots, thus including all tribes who might have any possible claim upon the territory to be ceded. This treaty was made at Detroit, November 17, 1807, and by its terms "the sachems, chiefs and warriors of the above nations ceded and quit claimed to the United States all right, title and interest which the said nations then had or claimed, or ever had or claimed, to the following land: Begin- ning at the mouth of the Miami river of the lake (now Maumee river at Toledo) ; thence running up the middle of said river to the mouth of the great Auglaize river; thence due north until the line intersects the parallel of latitude to be drawn from the outlet of Lake Huron, which forms the River St. Clair; thence running northeast leading in a direct line to White Rock in Lake Huron; thence due east until it intersects the boundary line between the United States and Upper Canada in said lake; thence southerly, following the boundary line down said lake; through River St. Clair, Lake St. Clair, and the River Detroit, into Lake Erie to a point due east of the aforesaid Miami river; thence west to the place of beginning."
This north and south line was not surveyed until 1815, at which time the system of public surveys was instituted in Michigan, and it was adopted as the line of the principal meridian of Michigan. The line running to the northeast was never surveyed, and became of no consequence by reason of the treaty with the Chippewa Indians, made by Governor Cass in 1819 by which all the Indian rights were ceded to a considerable distance west of that line.
The eastern line of the county was the international boundary line between the United States and Great Britain. When the treaty of peace between these countries was made in 1783, no portion of the territory through which the boundary line would run had been sur- Vol. I-2
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veyed, and but a small part of it had ever been explored. There were many maps in existence, both English and French, which delineated the country, but they were all more or less inaccurate. The map most generally known at that time. both in England and the United States. was the map made in 1755 by Dr. John Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell, an Englishman who had come to the United States on a scientific expedi- tion, and remained here for some years. later returned to England and constructed, under the supervision of the Board of Trade, a large map of North America. A copy of this map was used by the Peace Com- missioners in agreeing upon the boundary line between the two nations. Upon this map the Great Lakes are shown with some approach to ac- curacy, but very inaccurate in details. The delta at the month of St. Clair river is not shown at all, nor any of the islands there located. St. Clair river appears to have a width of from two to three miles, and contains numerous islands, and has a length of not more than twenty miles.
In the language of the treaty, the boundary line was to run through the middle of Lake Erie until it arrives at the water communication between that lake and Lake Huron. "thence along the middle of said water communication into the Lake Huron : thence through the middle of said lake to the water communication between that lake and Lake Superior."
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY COMPLICATIONS
It is obvious that this description, based upon such insufficient knowledge of the actual geography of the territory, would lead to mis- understandings, and this became true not only of the Great Lakes re- gion, but also of various other points along the boundary line. The Mitchell map failing to show the islands in the delta at the outlet of St. Clair river, and the ordinary channel traveled by boats being the north channel, for a number of years after 1783 all of the islands, in- cluding Dickinson's and Harsen's Island were claimed by the British and some English citizens who did not desire to give up their English citizenship, settled there. For some time after the English acquired the French territory. the locality in which Michigan is situated was not under any recognized jurisdiction. In 1763 the so-called Quebec Act was passed which, however. did not extend to Detroit and vicinity, and it was not until 1774 that that district was placed under the jurisdic- tion of the British officials. After the War of the Revolution, the English instituted a method for granting lands to her citizens, and divided Quebec into four districts, one of which was named Hesse, ex- tending from Long Point in Lake Erie to Lake Huron. In order to receive applications and grant awards of land in these districts, land boards were created, and to the Land Board of Hesse applications were made for some land npon these islands. and now within American lines. About 1809 the surveyor for the English government made a map of the lower end of St. Clair river and Lake St. Clair, and upon this map the boundary line is shown to follow the north channel. Upon the same map Anchor bay is shown and named with the explanation that
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there was a bar at the mouth of the north channel in consequence of which loaded vessels were required to anchor and lighter.
At the treaty of peace after the War of 1812 concluded at Ghent in December, 1814, in article 6, the provisions of the former treaty re- lating to the boundary upon the north of the United States, were re- ferred to, and the treaty continues: "And, whereas, doubts have arisen, what was the middle of the said river, lakes, and water com- munication, and whether certain islands lying in the same were within the dominions of his Britanic majesty, or of the United States," in order to decide these doubts, two commissioners were to be appointed and to declare and designate the boundaries and decide to which coun- try the several islands belonged. Acting under this provision of the treaty, commissioners were duly appointed. They held their first meet- Ing at Albany, November 18, 1816, and began their work the following year upon the St. Lawrence river. Their survey of the Detroit river, Lake St. Clair and St. Clair river was performed during 1819, and 1820, and they made a map of the entire survey upon a large scale. They arrived at their conclusions and executed their final award June 18, 1822, and their decision, so far as relates to this locality, was that the line coming north should run through the middle of Lake St. Clair, "In a direction to enter that mouth or channel of the River St. Clair which is usually denominated the Old Ship Channel; thence along the middle of said channel, between Squirrel Island on the southeast, and Herson's Island on the northwest, to the upper end of the last men- tioned island, which is nearly opposite to Point aux Chenes, on the American shore ; thence along the middle of the River St. Clair, keeping to the west of, and near, the islands called Belle Riviere Isle, and Isle aux Cerfs, to Lake Huron."
This settled finally the international boundary line at this point. By the treaty of 1842, between the same countries, it was agreed that all water communications should be free and open to the use of the citizens and subjects of both countries.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY REDUCED
The boundaries of the county remained as above stated but a short time. The governor, by proclamation, dated September 10, 1822, re- citing that, "Whereas, circumstances require that the boundaries of certain counties in this territory should be more clearly defined, and the lines thereof made to correspond with the public surveys, and with the convenience of the settlements which have been recently formed ; and whereas, it is expedient as well to prevent collision of interests and opinions which generally attend the laying out of counties after a country is settled, as to hold out indueements to migration and enter- prise by the establishment of counties in every part of the territory, I have therefore, in conformity with the provisions of the ordinance of congress of July, 1787. altered, defined and established the boun- daries of certain counties heretofore organized, and have laid out cer- tain other counties in the manner hereinafter described." He then proceeded to change the boundaries of Macomb county by adding to
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
it from what had been St. Clair county territory, township No. 5 north of range 12 east, and the west half of township No. 5, north of range 13 east, and fixed the boundary of St. Clair county as follows: "Be- ginning on the boundary line between the United States, and the province of Upper Canada, where the boundaries of the counties of Wayne and Macomb intersect the same; thence with the said boundary line between the United States and the province of Upper Canada, to a point in Lake Huron east from the eastern termination of the line between sections thirteen and twenty-four, fourteen and twenty-three, fifteen and twenty-two, sixteen and twenty-one, seventeen and twenty, and eighteen and nineteen, in the township number ten, north of the base line; thence from the said point west to the shore of Lake Huron; thence with the said line, between the said sections, to the line between the twelfth and thirteenth ranges, east of the principal meridian; thence with the said line south, to the northern boundary of the county of Macomb; thence with the said northern boundary east to the line between the third and fourth sections in the fifth township north of the base line, and thirteenth range east of the principal meridian ; thence south to the line between the fourth and fifth townships, in the last mentioned range; thence east to the line between the fourteenth and fifteenth ranges, east of the principal meridian; thence south to Lake St. Clair thence in a direct line to the place of beginning."
The effect of this act of the governor was to leave the county of St. Clair somewhat larger than at present, and very much reduced in size from its original boundaries. It included the lower one and one- half surveyed townships of what is now Sanilac county, and a township and a half of what is now Macomb county, with what is now St. Clair county proper. The boundary remained in that condition for ten years when by an act of the legislative council, approved June 22, 1832, the east half of township 5 north range 13 east and the entire township 5 north range 14 east, were annexed to and made a part of Macomb county. The boundaries then remained unchanged until 1848, when townships No. 9 north and the south half of No. 10 north, ranges 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 were taken from the county of St. Clair, and added to the county of Sanilac, thus reducing the boundaries of St. Clair county to their present condition.
ORIGIN OF NAME
There is some difference of opinion as to the origin of the name of the county. One view is that it was so named in honor of General Arthur St. Clair who was the first governor of the Northwest Terri- tory. At least as early as 1797 there was a township of St. Clair in the county of Wayne, and from a tax roll of 1802 of the township of St. Clair, it is evident that this included the present St. Clair county. On January 5, 1818, while the present county of St. Clair was in- cluded in the county of Wayne, the court of general quarter sessions of the peace for the county of Wayne (that long and cumbersome . name indicating a body roughly approximating the board of super- visors), divided a part of the county into townships and submitted the
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY .
same to the governor for his approval and acting under the provi- sions of the ordinance of 1787, Governor Cass, by proclamation, estab- lished a township within the following limits, viz .: "Beginning at the opposite (north) shore of the River Huron (now Clinton river in Macomb county) including the shore and running along the shore of Lake St. Clair to the mouth of the River St. Clair, and along said river to Fort Gratiot, and extending in the rear as aforesaid;" this township to be called the township of St. Clair; the depth of the ex- tension apparently being, by reference to other townships created at the same time, three and an eighth miles, or 80 arpents, that being the depth of the most of the French or private claims together with the extension claim in the rear.
The county of Macomb was set off by Governor Cass on January 15, 1818, and the court of general quarter sessions of the peace for that county, having divided the county into townships and submitted the same to the governor for his approval, he did on the 8th day of April, 1818, lay out all that part of the county of Macomb lying north of a line drawn due west from the mouth of Swan creek to the Indian boundary line, into a township to be called the township of St. Clair. This substantially included all the territory within the county of St. Clair, as it was established in 1820, and the new county therefore ap- propriated the name which had formerly been attached to the township.
Another view is that the name St. Clair came from the fact that the township and county extended along the shore of the Lake and River St. Clair. The name of the lake and river was not derived from General St. Clair, but properly spelled. would be St. Claire. When LaSalle in 1679 sailed in the "Griffon" from Lake Erie up through the Detroit river, he entered upon Lake St. Clair upon the 12th day of August, which was the festal day of Santa Clara, and in consequence of that faet he bestowed her name upon the lake. Hennepin, the his- torian of the trip, describes that in this language: "Betwixt the Lake Erie and Huron there is almost such another streight thirty leagues long, which is of an equal breadth almost all over, except in the middle that it enlarges itself by help of another lake far less than any of the rest, which is of a circular form, about six leagues over. according to the observation of our pilot. We gave it the name of Lake St. Claire, although the Iroquese who pass over it frequently when they are upon warlike expeditions, call it Otseketa. The country between those two lakes (Erie and Huron) is very well situated and the soil very fertile."
From an historical address by Bela Hubbard on the occasion of the second centennial anniversary of the discovery, I quote :
"It was a custom of French voyageurs in new regions to bestow upon any prominent feature of the landscape the name of the saint to whom the day of the discovery was dedicated in the church calendar. The saint whose name was really bestowed, and whose day is August 12, is the female 'Sainte Claire,' the foundress of the order of Fran- ciscan nuns of the thirteenth century, known as 'Poore Claires.' Clara d'Assisi was the beautiful daughter of a nobleman of great wealth, who early dedicated herself to a religious life and went to St. Francis to ask for advice. On Palm Sunday she went to church with her family
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
dressed in rich attire, where St. Francis cut off her long hair with his own hands and threw over her the coarse penitential robes of the order. She entered the convent of San Damiano in spite of the oppo- sition of her family and friends. It is related of her that on one occa- sion, when the Saracens came to ravage the convent, she arose from her bed, where she had been long confined, and placing the pyx, which contained the host, upon the threshold, she kneeled down and began to sing, whereupon the infidels threw down their arms and Hled. Sancta Clara is a favorite saint all over Europe, and her fame in the New World ought not to be spoiled-like the record of the dead in a battle gazette-by a misspelt name!
"She was one of the most celebrated foundresses of orders in the Roman church. Besides the Clarisses, instituted in 1212. she is said to have founded the Capucines, the Annonciades, the Cordolieres or Gray Sisters, the Nuns of the Ave Maria and of the Conception, and the Recolletes. At a time when all the communities were extorting from the popes the authorization to possess property, she solicited from In- nocent IV., in favor of her order of Franciscans, the privilege of per- petual poverty ! F. Way, in his work on Rome, published in 1875, says : 'Sancta Clara has her tomb at the Minerva, and she dwelt between the Pantheon and the Thermae of Agrippa. The tenement she occu- pied at the time of her decease still exists, but is not well known. In a little triangular place on or near Via Tor, Argentina, lodged the first convent of the Clarisses. If, crossing the gateway, you turn to the left of the court, you will face two windows of a slightly raised ground floor. It was there Innocent IV. visited her, and there on the 12th of August, 1253, listening to the reading of the Passion, in the midst of her weeping nuns, died the first abbess of the Clarisses and the founder of 4,000 religious houses.'
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