USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. I > Part 36
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The regular term of office was four years, but at the first election the twelve members were elected in groups of three, for one, two, three and four years, respectively. After the first election three members were elected annually. All measures for raising revenue and expenditure of public funds, especially in cases where bond issues were necessary, were required to have the approval of this board of councilmen, which sat as a sort of senate, or upper house, to pass upon the acts of the board of aldermen.
By the act of the Legislature, approved June 5, 1883, so many amendments were made to Detroit's charter that it became practically a new organic law. Among the more important changes was that giving the aldermen and council- men equal power over legislation and estimates, though the upper house alone was given the power to confirm the nominations of the mayor for appointive officers. The upper house was abolished by the legislative act of June 12, 1887, and the board of estimates was reestablished.
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At the general election of November 3, 1914, the question of abolishing the board of estimates was submitted to the voters of the city. The vote stood 18,042 "for" to 15,892 "against" the proposition, which was defeated because a three-fifths vote was required for its adoption. The question was again pre- sented to the voters at an election held August 29, 1916, when it was stated in different form, to wit: "Shall the Board of Estimates as at present pro- vided be abolished and a Board of Estimates created, consisting of the Mayor, City Clerk, City Treasurer, City Controller and Corporation Counsel ?"
This time the proposition was carried by a vote of 28,493 to 15,456 and a new board of estimates was brought into existence, composed of the city officials above named. This arrangement was again changed with the adoption of the new city charter, mentioned in a subsequent paragraph.
THE NEW CHARTER
Under the old charter and supplementary acts, the addition of territory meant the formation of new wards, from each of which two aldermen were elected to the city council. The tendency of modern municipal government is to concentrate responsibility and the administration of affairs into as few hands as possible. By 1910 the common council of Detroit numbered thirty- six members, and the diversity of opinion, which is always to be found where numbers are concerned, frequently prevented the enactment of important business.
In the spring of 1911 the proposition to revise the city charter was sub- mitted to the voters and was carried by a vote of 17,056 to 7,677. A charter commission was appointed and the result of its labors was submitted to the voters at an election held on February 10, 1914. That charter was rejected by the electors, the vote standing 24,983 "against" aud 16,151 in favor of its adoption. During the year 1914 eleven amendments were framed and sub- mitted to the voters at the general election on November 3, 1914. Only a few were ratified by the popular vote. Ten amendments were submitted to the voters at the election on April 5, 1915, most of them being defeated.
At the general election on November 6, 1917, the question of revising the charter was again submitted to the electors and was carried by a larger ma- jority than in 1911. The vote was 27,756 in favor of revision and 9,945 against it. The charter framed in accordance with this popular expression was sub- mitted to the voters at the election of June 25, 1918, and was approved by a vote of 32,297 to 4,539, or more than seven to one.
Under the new charter, ward lines are eliminated, except for assessment, selection of jurors and voting precinct purposes, and the city council made to consist of nine members elected at large. It provides for the initiative and referendum on ordinances, and all elective officers are subject to recall. The controller, corporation counsel, commissioners of the departments of public works, police, parks and boulevards, buildings and safety engineering, pur- chases and supplies, as well as the assessors, members of the various boards, commissions, etc., are appointed by the mayor. The mayor also originates the budget, or program for the city finances, which is submitted to the city council. That body has the power to revise the mayor's estimates, and to pass the revised budget over the mayor's veto. Provision is made for the city to bid on pave- ment and sewer construction, in competition with private firms or corpora- tions, and to build and operate plants for the manufacture of brick and other
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paving materials. All supplies for the city are purchased by one agent upon standard specifications, and a bureau of complaints ordered to be established in connection with the city clerk's office receives and investigates all com- plaints as to the publie service.
THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT
The first election under the new charter was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1918. The officers then elected assumed their respective duties on January 14, 1919, to hold office for three years. After the expiration of their terms, the charter provides that elections shall be held biennially in the odd numbered years. thus separating them from the state and federal elections, the first regu- lar city election occurring November 8, 1921.
The charter also provides for spring elections for recorder, judge of the recorder's court, justices of the peace and members of the board of education. Candidates for all city offices are to be nominated at a non-partisan primary election, no party name or device appearing on the ballot. The first Wednesday in Mareh prior to the spring elections and the fourth Tuesday prior to the November election are designated as primary election days.
At the election on November 5, 1918, James Couzens was elected mayor; Richard Lindsay, city clerk; Guy L. Ingalls, city treasurer; Charles F. Biel- man, William P. Bradley, Fred W. Castator, John A. Kronk, Sherman Little- field, John C. Lodge, Jolm C. Nagel, David W. Simons and James Vernor, councilmen. The common council meets as a committee of the whole every day except Saturday and Sunday, and regular sessions are held every Tuesday evening. A list of the principal city officers from 1824 to 1921 will be found in the chapter entitled "Statistical Review" near the close of this volume.
BOUNDARIES AND ANNEXATIONS
1802
It has already been stated that by the aet of January 18, 1802, of the legislative council and the house of representatives of the Northwestern Terri- tory, the City of Detroit was bounded easterly by the division line between the Brush and Beaubien farms, westerly by the line between the Jones and Cass farms, and extended northerly from the river two miles.
1806
Also, it has been stated that the plan of September 8, 1806, provided that the basis of the town should be an equilateral triangle, each side of which should be 4,000 feet. The act of Congress of September 13th, followed this form and provided that measurements should begin 84 feet, 101/4 inches from the northwest corner of the house of Charles Curry; thence north 60° east 2,000 feet; thence west 2,309 feet; thence south 30° cast 1,1541% feet to the place of beginning. This should be section one of the new city. This measure- ment included lands belonging to private parties who did not want to plat their lands in this form, so that the lines were forced to stop at the Brush and Cass farms.
The park lots, or lands lying north of Adams Avenue, were sold at auction March 6, 1809. The purchaser paid a small part at the time of the purchase
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and gave his notes for the remainder to be paid in yearly installments. The deed contained the terms of payment and was not to operate as a complete conveyance until the entire purchase price was paid. It was not delivered until the last note was taken up.
The prices seem now to be very low. Park lot 8, lying between Winder and Adelaide streets, extending from Woodward Avenue nearly to Brush Street, sold for $115 in 1809. It contained ten acres of land. This land was divided into small dwelling lots years ago. This land would now command a price of several thousand dollars per front foot.
1815
The boundary lines of the city as laid down in the act of 1802 were rein- stated or revived by the act of October 20, 1815.
1824
The first legislative council of the Territory of Michigan met in Detroit in June, 1824, and on August 5th following they passed an act enlarging the city limits. Thus the city was extended to include all the land between the west line of the Jones farm, the east line of the Brush farm and a line three miles from the river, being nearly the line of the railroad crossing on Wood- ward Avenue.
1827
In 1827 a legislative act provided that "all freemen of said city from time to time being inhabitants thereof, shall be and continue to be a body corporate and politic by the name of 'The Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen and Freemen of the City of Detroit,' and by that name they and their successors shall be known in law."
In 1830 Congress passed an act requiring the governor and council to trans- mit a plan of the town, and John Farmer was employed to draw up the proper documents. At about the same time John Mullett prepared, and J. O. Lewis engraved, a plan of the city. These plans are nearly alike in form and were made up of such papers and surveys as could be found. In their report ac- companying the Farmer map, the governor and judges say that the original plan of the city "fell into the hands of the enemy" in 1812.
A petition to Congress by Joseph Campau and some other citizens, dated January 1, 1831, makes some other statements regarding the old plans. This petition states that there were several plans prepared at different times; two or three plans were prepared by Thomas Smith, one by Aaron Greeley, one by Abijah Hull, one by John Mullett and the last "probably the most excep- tionable was recently drafted by John Farmer."
The Mullett and Farmer plans included the land known as the governor and judges plan, but did not include the Military Reservation. That reserva- tion embraced nearly all the land north of Larned Street and west of Gris- wold Street, extending northerly to Michigan Avenue and westerly to the Cass farm. This tract was owned by the Federal Government and was given to the City of Detroit in 1826. The fort was razed and the dirt used to fill the Campus Martins and the old creek through Congress Street. The land was then platted and placed on the market for sale about 1830.
Vol. 1-22
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1832
In 1832 the city was again enlarged by taking in the Lambert Beaubien, Antoine Beanbien, Charles Moran, Louis Moran, Rivard and Riopelle farms, all situated on the easterly side of the city. The limits now extended, on that side, to Riopelle Street.
1835
In 1835 the expansion of the city began by the arrival of thousands of newcomers moving westward from New England and New York. Governor Cass placed the first plat of his farm on record in July and a month later a portion of the Brush farm was platted and placed on the market. The next year (1836) the city line was moved eastward to include the Witherell farm. By the act of February 15, 1842, the limits were contracted by placing the easterly line at Dequindre Street, thereby excluding the Witherell farm from the city.
THE CASS FARM COMPANY OF 1835
The year 1836 was one of the most prosperous in the annals of Detroit. The territory had been looking towards statehood for some years. The census of 1830 had shown a population in Detroit of 2,222, which had increased to 6,927 at the taking of the census in the year 1836.
In 1835 the state constitution was adopted and the state officers elected, so that in 1836 we were a state de facto if not de jure. It was only in conse- quence of factional fights and opposition, without reason, in Congress, that the state had not been admitted in December of the preceding year.
Lines of steamboats and sailboats on Lake Erie began pouring in their loads of emigrants as soon as navigation opened, and the city was filled to overflowing with those who came from the East to settle. Most of these pioneers came to locate on farm lands throughout the state, but many of them remained in the city permanently. More than one thousand persons landed in Detroit each day during the season of navigation in 1836. Hotels and private houses were filled to overflowing. New buildings, both for dwellings and for business purposes, were going up all over the town. The real estate in the interior of the town, the governor and judges plan, was changing hands rapidly at ever- increasing prices. The owners of the farms adjacent to the old plan soon platted portions into dwelling lots and these were put on the market and sold rapidly.
The newspapers contained many items of real estate sales illustrating the tendency of the times. The Free Press of February 18, 1836, had this to say on the subject : "It is not our purpose or intention to bolster up, by exag- gerated accounts predicted upon rumor alone, the legitimate advances of real estate in Detroit. As a proof of the rapidly increasing prosperity of our city we would instance a sale of ten acres of land situated upwards of one mile from the Detroit River, on the Pontiac Road, without any buildings upon it, for one thousand dollars per acre."
Noah Sutton was employed by the city to take a census of its inhabitants. He also ascertained other matters of interest which he reported. There were in the city fifty-five briek stores, of which twenty-two were four stories in height.
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There were also 140 frame stores, 774 frame dwellings and thirty-nine brick dwellings. There were 1,008 buildings in the city. There were fourteen schools with 600 scholars.
One of the largest real estate enterprises that flourished at that period was what was known as the Cass Farm Company. This organization was similar to the corporations of our time, though in fact it was a copartnership. It was organized June 18, 1835. The organizers were the foremost business men of the city, ten in number: Edmund A. Brush, Charles C. Trowbridge, Eurotas P. Hastings, DeGarmo Jones, Shubael Conant, Elon Farnsworth, Oliver New- Henry S. Cole died. (The former died November 14, 1846, and the latter June 10, 1836.) Catherine H. Jones, widow and devisee of DeGarmo Jones, took his place in the enterprise and the estate of Henry S. Cole fell into the hands of the executors of his will, one of whom was his widow, Victoire Cole.
The company at first purchased all of the Cass farm south of Larned Street from Gov. Lewis Cass for $100,000 and they gave him a mortgage for the full amount. The additional security was the obligation of the purchasers and the moneys they expended in improving the property. Before we go further into the history of this company we will ascertain what the Cass farm was. It was a large farm of more than five hundred acres, reaching from Cass Avenue to Third Avenue of the present city and extending from the Detroit River three miles in depth to the railroads on the north. It had originally consisted of three farms and the origin of record title reaches back to the time when this country was under the French Dominion.
The King of France granted one parcel to Jacques Godet, April 1, 1750. Jean Bte. Des Butes dit St. Martin got two deeds, April 1, 1750 and March 15, 1759. The other parcel was granted to Francois Barrios April 1, 1752. The next owners were Charles Courtois, Francois Berthelet and Charles Beaubien. About the time the American Revolution came to an end in 1783, the firm of Macomb, Edgar and Macomb, merchants (composed of William and Alexander Macomb and William Edgar), purchased all three parcels. Money was ap- parently very plentiful at that time for the consideration in the deeds indicate that they paid about 5,060 pounds in Quebec currency, equal to about $12,650 of American money. The property subsequently came to be owned by the estate of William Macomb and by the terms of his will passed to his three sons, David, William and John. Lewis Cass purchased the property from these heirs at various times about the year 1816 for $12,000. It was practically un- productive, for aside from the small portion he wanted for the use of himself and family it was leased for farm purposes at a small rental. But the times changed so completely between 1830 and 1835 that the front portion of the farm was now needed for business and dwelling purposes. The front, below Larned Street, was mostly covered with the waters of the Detroit River and this had to be all filled in in order to make it of any use. The work of filling in was begun in 1835. A contract was given to Abraham Smolk to do this work for the company. The entire tract was conveyed by the owners to Augus- tus S. Porter, August 17, 1835. Mr. Porter was to act as trustee for the com- pany and make conveyances of the property as it was sold in parcels. Porter appointed Charles C. Trowbridge his successor to act in case of his death or disability. The formation of this company and the enterprise it demonstrated is thus referred to in the Free Press of March 23, 1836:
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"City Improvements: We are highly gratified to learn from anthentic sources that our enterprising fellow citizens, Messrs. Newberry, Conant, Jones and others, proprietors of the Cass front, are making preparations for ereetion of a splendid hotel on the site of Governor Cass' old residence. It is a subjeet of congratulation that our citizens are becoming alive to the importance of an immediate addition to the comforts and convenience of travelers. It is true that we have two commodious and excellent hotels and a host of others good enough in their way but it is a subjeet of public notoriety that hundreds of passengers were compelled last season to remain over night on board the steam- boats, or leave the city, for want of lodgings and even now at this inelement season when navigation is elosed, applicants are daily dismissed from publie houses for want of accommodations.
"Facts warrant ns in saying that the emigration to Michigan this season will be such as to astonish even the most sanguine; and we prediet that the month of May will flood Detroit with persons seeking a temporary or per- manent abode. The rapid growth of this eity, its situation on the great chain of lakes at the very center of Michigan and the important publie improvements by railroads now being eonstrueted, have attraeted the attention of foreign capitalists and thousands of men will seek an abiding place among us. The eon- struction of the Cass Hotel on the liberal scale intended, will remedy many of those evils of which complaints have justly been made, and its beautiful situa- tion, commanding a lofty view up and down the river, cannot fail to secure to it a large share of publie patronage."
It was at this time also that the National Hotel, subsequently ealled the Russell House, was erected where the Hotel Pontchartrain afterward stood, and now the First National Bank Building. On May 18th the following appeared in the paper :
"Detroit-The increasing prosperity of Detroit exceeds the warmest an- ticipations of our citizens. This fact is evinced by the inereasing demand for stores and the increased and inereasing value of rents. Every tenement on Jefferson Avenue from the American Hotel to the Exchange that can possibly be obtained for a store has been rented for that purpose. Some occupants of stores in the most business part of the city have sold out their leases for the year at an advance of 100 per cent of what they were taken in the winter. We know of one individual who hired a store for one year from the first of Mareh, who has sold out his lease for the remainder of the term at an advance of nearly 120 per cent. At the present rate of rents real property on Jefferson Avenue occupied for stores must yield a profit of an average of 25 per cent on the estimated value of the fee simple."
A year of work in filling in, building wharves and selling took place before we find any report of their sales. The demand for lots had been good and there were plenty of sales and many buildings were ereeted. On October 20, 1836, the trustee reported that they had expended $53,388.27 in improve- ments and had sold lots on contraet and for eash to the amount of $191,936.37. Of these sales $113,552.90 was considered good. Not enough money had been received to warrant any payments either to Cass on his mortgage or to the members of the company. Before this sale took place the following notice of it appeared in the daily press :
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"GREAT SALE OF THE FRONT OF THE CASS FARM, DETROIT
"The owners of this splendid property, comprising from 15 to 20 acres, having a front of wharfing on the ship channel of the Detroit River of 1,400 feet in length, well laid out in lots to suit the purpose of warehousing and com- merce, will be offered for sale at public auction at the Michigan Exchange in the City of Detroit on Tuesday the 20th day of September next. The improve- ments made by the proprietors in wharfing this front and in reducing the high bank on which the Mansion House of Governor Cass stood, to an easy and convenient grade from Larned Street to the channel of the river, is one of the most important and extensive that has been undertaken by individuals in the west. The grade of Jefferson Avenue is made to conform to this im- provement and this is the only point where this important street descends to the water lots. The proprietors have been engaged in this work for about a year and are rapidly completing it, having from 60 to 100 men constantly em- ployed. The property in rear was brought into market last year where the lots are fast filling up with buildings."
The great financial depression that swept over the entire country in 1837 was not felt at once in Detroit and the sale of the Cass front went on at high speed. Messrs. Porter and Conant made an inventory of the property of the company on October 12, 1837, and found that they had in unsold lots $307,- 307.50 and in good contracts $113,552.90, making a total of $420,860.40. The times of depression had come, however, and it was not only impossible to sell more lots, but the contracts already made were being forfeited and the lands were falling back upon the company. The matter was a failure and it only remained now to make the best of it and get out with as little loss as possible. Nothing whatever on the principal had been paid to General Cass on his mort- gage and the interest was paid only until January 1, 1837.
In 1839 Mr. Brush visited Cass in Paris, where he was living as the min- ister to France, and in the interest of the company made a proposition to him which was accepted. By this agreement the remaining lots were divided into ten portions and one portion allotted to each member of the company. The mortgage to Cass was discharged and in 1840 he took a new mortgage from each member for $10,000, covering the share of each. The ten members gave Cass their unsecured bond for $17,500, the interest unpaid on the original mortgage. In November, 1840, Trowbridge gave up his interest to Henry R. Schoolcraft, John Hulbert and the Rev. William McMurray. These men had purchased interests under Mr. Trowbridge some time before this, but now he stepped out of the company completely and turned over his share to his suc- cessors without further compensation. Affairs remained in this way for some years. The times were getting harder and harder and as no sales could be made the partners could not pay their mortgages. Their money was gone and to force payment of the mortgages would have compelled them to seek the court of bankruptcy. Farnsworth, Porter, the executors of the Cole estate, Whiting, Hastings, Brush and Conant all surrendered their interests to Cass in 1843. Oliver Newberry and Mrs. Catherine H. Jones only retained their interests in the estate.
Thus ended in disaster one of the greatest real estate transactions that ever took place in Detroit. It started out on the wave of prosperity that swept over the country in 1835, and ended in the gulf of disaster and despair that fol-
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lowed in the wake of the financial crisis brought about by rotten wild cat banks and the depreciated currency of 1837.
1849
The Forsyth, LaBrosse and Baker farms were annexed on the westerly side in 1849 and the western boundary line was fixed at the easterly line of the Woodbridge farm.
1857
The boundary lines of the city as enlarged by the act of February 5, 1857, ran as follows: beginning at the intersection of the National boundary line with the line between the Alexis Campau farm (private claim 78) and the Porter farm (private claim 21), and running thence northerly to the Detroit, Monroe & Toledo Railroad, thence along the line of that railroad to the rear end of the Woodbridge farm; thence easterly to the northeast corner of the St. Aubin farm; thence southerly to Leland Street; thence easterly to the westerly line of the B. Chapoton farm (private claims 9 and 454) ; thence southerly to Gratiot Avenue; thence easterly to Mt. Elliott Avenue; thence southerly to the river and thence westerly to the place of beginning.
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