USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. I > Part 51
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The result of all this was that there were more famines during the thirty-six
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years of British rule than there had been during the fifty-nine years while the French were in control. In 1768 there were over five hundred acres under cultivation and nearly ten thousand bushels of corn were harvested, yet only two years later food was so scarce that a famine was threatened. The worst conditions occurred early in the year and were caused by the late opening of navigation. Several boats which tried to cross Lake Erie early in the season were frozen in the ice, some of them within forty miles of Detroit, and a number belonging to traders were destroyed by storms.
After the beginning of the Revolutionary War local farmers were still further discouraged. Great quantities of provisions were shipped from Montreal, to feed the large parties of Indians almost constantly gathered at the post, and the resident farmers were rarely depended upon for supplies. If a shipment was delayed a scarcity was certain to result. On March 10, 1780, Colonel De Pey- ster, then commandant, wrote to Col. Mason Bolton at Niagara, urging him to forward a consignment of provisions with haste, because "The distress of the inhabitants here is very great for want of bread; not an ounce of flour or a grain of corn to be purchased."
Two days later he wrote to Lieut .- Gov. Patrick Sinclair at Michilimackinac: "Everything here is in the greatest tranquility except the cry for bread, the in- habitants being so much in want that without the assistance of the King's stores many must starve."
According to David Zeisberger, the Moravian missionary, flour was so searce in Detroit in June, 1784, that it sold for £7, 13s. per hundred pounds, and mention is made of one instance where a man offered a baker a Spanish dollar for a single loaf of bread. In his diary for July 17, 1789, Mr. Zeisberger wrote:
"From Detroit two white people came here on their way to Pittsburgh, who told us there was such a famine there that most of the French were living upon grass; that neither corn, flour nor bread was to be had in the city for money, and that five children in the settlement had starved to death. There is a common famine in the whole country and what was this year planted has been eaten by worms, so that the fields stand bald and bare."
UNITED STATES SURVEYS
On March 26, 1804, President Jefferson approved an act of Congress estab- lishing a land office at Detroit. Frederick Bates was appointed receiver and George Hoffman register. This office was opened about ten months before the Territory of Michigan was created, and only a small part of the public domain in the vicinity of Detroit had been surveyed preparatory to settlement.
Under the act of May 16, 1812, Aaron Greeley was employed by the United States Government to survey the private claims in Michigan and the register and receiver of the Detroit land office were appointed commissioners to "examine and report on all claims under French and English grants." After much delay and subsequent legislation on the subject by Congress, the titles to 733 private claims were confirmed by the United States Government.
Early in the year 1815 Congress passed an act providing for the appoint- ment of a surveyor-general for the unsurveyed lands in the State of Ohio and the territories of Indiana and Michigan. Edward Tiffin was appointed surveyor- general and located his office at Chillicothe, Ohio. The first public surveys in Michigan, under a general law, were made under Mr. Tiffin's direction. On November 30, 1815, after a casual examination of the country around Detroit,
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he wrote to the commissioner of the general land office at Washington: "There is not one acre in a hundred, if there is in a thousand, that will in any case admit of cultivation. It is all swampy and sandy."
About two weeks later he made another report, in which he said: "Sub- sequent investigations confirm my previous statements and make the country out worse, if possible, than I had represented it to be. * * * * Detroit and the private claims near by are somewhat better, without so many swamps and lakes, but the region as a whole is extremely sterile and barren."
The effect of these reports was to discourage immigration to Michigan for a time and, outside of the immediate vicinity of Detroit and along the Detroit River, but few farms were opened in Wayne County until about 1820. The first auction sale of public lands in Michigan took place at the old council house in Detroit on July 6, 1818, pursuant to a proclamation of President James Monroe, issued on May 1, 1818. Not many bidders presented themselves and the average price per aere paid for lands at that sale was $4, a few choice parcels near the city bringing as much as $40.
Persons who purchased lands at the auction sale and began farming were soon convinced of the inaccuracy of the surveyor-general's reports. On Decem- ber 13, 1825 the following item appeared in the Detroit Gazette:
"We mention as a singular fact, and entirely new to this territory, that a wagon-load of flour arrived in town last week from the interior. It was made at Colonel Mack's Mills at Pontiac, and we understand that there are several hundred barrels there which will be brought in soon."
Such news as this, with letters written by the pioneers to their friends, started a steady stream of immigration that continued for several years after Michigan was admitted to statehood. Between the years 1830 and 1840, according to the United States census reports, the population of Wayne County increased from 6,781 to 24,173 and over ten thousand of the newcomers settled in the rural distriets. During this decade the survey of the county was finished, most of the public lands was taken up and farming became a permanent and well established industry.
RECLAIMING THE SWAMPS
Originally much of the land in the county was too wet for cultivation. On March 15, 1861, Govenor Blair approved an aet of the legislature authorizing county boards of supervisors, in counties where there were swamp lands, to appoint three drain commissioners to superintend the work of reelaiming such lands by proper drainage. Some attempts to reclaim the swampy tracts had been made prior to the enactment of this law, but for lack of intelligent direc- tion and concerted action on the part of the land owners, these efforts had been only partially successful. L. J. Ford, T. P. Martin, and Franklin M. Wing were appointed drain commissioners in Wayne County and they inaugurated a system of drainage that in the end reclaimed many acres of the county's wet lands, hitherto regarded as worthless.
At first the drain commissioners met with some opposition, some farmers objecting to the cost of ditches, but after the first swamp lands were drained and found to be the most productive in the county these objections vanished. By the act of March 22, 1869, the drainage law was amended, so that only one drain commissioner was allotted to a county, and he was to be elected by the voters on the first Monday in April annually. The amended law of April 13,
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1871 provided for the election of a drain commissioner in each township, "to locate and construct ditches for drainage purposes," all ditches to be made under his direction. By this township system many small drains were constructed, connecting with the larger ditches made by the county drain commissioners. A few years later, the swamp lands having been drained, the office of drain commissioner was abolished. It was revived, however, in 1910, when it was found that some one with authority was necessary to keep the ditches open and in good working order.
FRUIT GROWING
Apple, cherry and pear trees were planted by the early French settlers and many of them were still bearing when the Americans came into possession in 1796. Concerning the old French orchards, Bela Hubbard, in a paper read before the Detroit Pioneer Society on May 2, 1872, said:
"Though many of the farms so closely crowded along the river banks had orchards comprising several hundred of these fruit trees, and few were entirely destitute, it is singular that little is known of their history. In answer to in- quiries, old people will tell that their ancestors obtained the trees from Montreal, to which place they were brought at a still earlier day from Normandy or Pro- vence; but they have no knowledge when or from whence. The prevailing opinion is that the seeds were brought from France and planted as soon as the first permanent settlements were made on the Straits, about a century and a half ago."
Then, after describing some of the varieties of apples, including the Colville, Pomme Caille, Snow, Detroit Red, the russets, pearmains, etc., Mr. Hubbard continued :
"But the crowning glory of the French orchard was the pear tree. Nearly every homestead possessed one, some two or three, few exceeded a half-dozen. Such was its wonderful size and productiveness that one specimen usually amply satisfied the wants of a family. These pear trees were and still are con- spicuous objects in the river scenery, and for size, vigor and productiveness are truly remarkable. A bole six feet in girth and height of sixty feet are only com- mon attainments. Many show a circumference of trunk of eight or nine feet and rear their lofty heads seventy and sometimes eighty feet from the earth. They bear uniform crops; thirty to fifty bushels being often the annual product of a single tree. The fruit is of medium size, ripening about the end of August and, though as a table fruit superseded by many sorts which an improved horticulture has introduced, it still holds a fair rank, in some respects not sur- passed, if equaled, by any. The flesh is crisp, juicy, sweet and spicy. For stewing and preserving it is quite unrivaled."
The "improved horticulture" mentioned by Mr. Hubbard, introduced numer- ous varieties of small fruits, berries, etc., and as the City of Detroit grew in population many of the adjacent farmers turned their attention to "truck rais- ing," the city affording a profitable and convenient market. Dairy farming has also received considerable attention in recent years, the number of milch cows has greatly increased and creameries have been established in several of the larger villages of the county.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES
On April 24, 1837, a meeting was held at the city hall in Detroit for the purpose of organizing a county agricultural and horticultural society. David
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C. Mckinstry presided and Henry G. Hubbard acted as secretary. The meeting was well attended by the farmers residing within easy reach of the city and the result was the organization of the Wayne County Agricultural and Horticultural Society. At this meeting was made the first proposition to organize a state agricultural society, which culminated successfully a few years later. The Wayne County organization continued in existence for several years, when it was succeeded by the Detroit Horticultural Society, which held annual exhibitions for a number of years.
The first annual fair given by the Michigan State Agricultural Society was opened on September 25, 1849, and continued for three days. The fair grounds at that time were on Woodward Avenue, about four bloeks north of Grand Circus Park between Columbia and High streets. State fairs were afterward held in other cities, but of later years they have been held at the State Fair Grounds north of Palmer Park. The State Agricultural Society has given way to the Michigan State Board of Agriculture, under whose auspices the fairs are now held annually.
Work formerly undertaken by the county and local agricultural societies is now carried on much more intelligently and systematically by the county agri- cultural agent and farmers' institutes, assisted by the State Agricultural College. The Wayne County Farmers' Institute is held every year at one of the county towns, and here several hundred of the farmers meet for a three or four days' session. In addition to the county institute, distriet institutes are held in other towns of the county, such as Belleville, Canton, Eureka, Flat Rock, Inkster, Redford, Romulus, Northville, Plymouth, West Sumpter, and Willow. Each of these distriet institutes consists of a forenoon and afternoon session, at which a state speaker or instructor presides. By this medium the work of theAgri- cultural College has been brought to the farmers' very doorstep, by giving them instruction in the various subjects in which they are directly interested, such as rotation of crops, fertilization of the soil, spraying of fruit trees, etc.
As an example of what this work has done for the farmers of the county, · observations conducted at Plymouth have disclosed the fact that the latest killing frost in the spring, since the observations commenced, occurred on the 28th of May, and the earliest killing frost in the autumn on the 2d of September. The average dates in spring and fall are shown to be May 7th and October 3d. With this knowledge, the farmer understands that his average season is one hun- dred and forty-nine days for planting, cultivating and harvesting his erops, hence he is not likely to plant too soon in the spring or delay the gathering of his crops until they are injured by frost.
Naturally, in a county like Wayne, where there is a city of a million or more inhabitants, less publicity is given to the agricultural interests than in a county that has no large metropolitan center. Yet, according to the United States census report for 1920, the population of Wayne County is 1,177,706, of which it is safe to say more than 50,000 consists of those engaged in agricultural pur- suits. And a tour through the county will convince the most casual observer that the farmers of Wayne are as progressive in their ideas as any in the State of Michigan.
SEED FARMS
One of the important factors in successful agriculture and horticulture is good seed for planting. Detroit for years has been noted for the quantity and
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quality of seeds supplied to farmers and gardeners in all parts of the Union. As early as 1820, James Abbott, then postmaster, conceived the idea of raising seeds for the post gardeners and seattered frontier farmers in Michigan. His "farm" was a portion of the bloek bounded now by Woodward Avenue, Atwater, Griswold and Woodbridge Streets. From the tough paper wrappers that came around mail packages, he made a number of small bags for his erop of seeds. The following spring, as soon as navigation opened, a few dozen bags were sent to Saginaw, Miehilimaekinae, and Green Bay, to be sold to the post gardeners and the few farmers near the posts. The seeds grew well and the next year there was a demand for more, but Mr. Abbott was not in a position to supply that demand and finally gave up the business entirely.
In 1852 Dexter M. Ferry, then not quite twenty years of age, came to Detroit from New York State and obtained a position as clerk in the book store of El- wood and Company. Four years later he formed a partnership with M. T. Gardner and began the seed business. The business prospered and a farm of 300 acres in Greenfield Township was purchased. After several changes in the personnel of the firm, the business was incorporated in 1879 under the name of the D. M. Ferry & Company, with a capital stoek of $750,000. The first head- quarters of this concern was in a small store-room on Monroe Avenue, which was destroyed by fire in January, 1886 Mr. Ferry died November 10, 1907, but the business he established survives and annually millions of dollars' worth of seeds are shipped to every state of the Union and to several foreign countries. The seeds supplied by this firm are intended principally for truck farmers and gardeners, while other firms, such as that of Caughey & Jossman, meet the want of the farmer of field crops.
CHAPTER XXII
COMMERCIAL DETROIT
EARLY COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS-UNDER ENGLISII RULE-EARLY MERCHANTS- TIIE FIRST BOOM-AMERICAN MERCIIANTS-THE WHOLESALE TRADE-RETAIL TRADE-DOWNTOWN BUSINESS VALUES-THE CUSTOM HOUSE-COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS-ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD OF TRADE-FIRST BOARD OF TRADE BUILDING AND SUBSEQUENT STRUCTURES-COMMERCIAL CONVENTION OF 1865-FIRST WATERWAY CONVENTION-THE MERCHANTS' AND MANUFAC- TURERS' EXCHANGE-FIRST DEEP WATERWAY PROJECT-CHAMBER OF COM- MERCE-THE BOARD OF COMMERCE.
The carly commercial transactions of Detroit were confined almost exclusively to the fur trade, the Indians being the principal customers. In 1703, Detroit was only two years old, yet it was one of the most important trading posts in the Great Lakes region. The greater portion of the stocks of goods carried by the traders of that period consisted of bright-colored cloths, gewgaws, etc., intended for the Indian trade, though a small quantity of staples was kept for the accom- modation of the few white settlers. Spirituous liquors were also an important part of the traders' stocks, as the savage was never so amenable to a profitable trade as when under the persuasive influence of rum, or with a barrel of it in prospect.
Between Cadillac, the founder of the post, and the Company of the Colony of Canada, there arose a controversy over the control of the trade, which had a tendency to retard the growth of the village. An account of this controversy is given in one of the earlier chapters of this history.
Before many years the Freuch put into operation the custom of issuing li- censes, or selling traders' permits, became general. The number of traders or merchants increased and they soon discovered they had to pay tribute, not only to the commandant of the post, but also to the minor officials, including the chaplain. The cost of these permits to engage in trade so handicapped the mer- chants that their profits frequently were on the debit side.
UNDER ENGLISH RULE
Detroit was surrendered to the English on November 29, 1760, and on Sep- tember 3, 1761 Sir William Johnson, who had been appointed superintendent of the Indian tribes, arrived. He expressed his desire to regulate trade and put the commerce of the colony on a firmer basis. To this end he notified the traders that they would be required to obtain a license from him or his deputy, Capt. George Croghan, and that only one fee would be exacted. Despite Sir William's promises and precautions, frauds occasionally were reported and in the spring of 1766 he appointed Jehu Hay as resident commissioner of trade, with power "to supervise the dealings of the merchants and redress grievances between the whites and Indians." Under his administration as commissioner there was more uni-
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JOHN PALMER HOMESTEAD, SOUTHWEST CORNER GRISWOLD AND FORT Built in 1823; removed in 1869
RESIDENCE OF GOVERNOR JOHN J. BAGLEY Site of Statler Hotel
OLD SHELEY HOUSE, EAST SIDE OF WOODWARD JUST ABOVE GRATIOT, IN 1867
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formity of prices, goods of better quality were brought in and the commerce of Detroit took on a healthier tone.
Jehu Hay remained in Detroit until the Revolutionary war, was promoted to the rank of major, accompanied Hamilton to Vincennes, where he was captured and after being exchanged was appointed lieutenant-governor of Detroit, and here died. He was the only commissioner of trade of which there is any record. Even with the improvements he introduced, the intense rivalry between the merchants continued. On June 8, 1772, Capt. James Stephenson, a former com- mandant, wrote to Sir William Johnson: "Two-thirds of the traders will ac- knowledge that I have been the most indulgent commanding officer they ever had. They are a sad set, for they would cut each others' throats for a raccoon skin."
EARLY MERCHANTS
Within a few years after the English took possession, Detroit was recognized as the center of the Indian trade in the Northwest. Dutch merchants of the Mohawk Valley in New York made frequent trips to the trading post.
William Edgar was at Detroit in 1763. Chapman Abraham was caught by the Indians shortly after the war began in 1763, held prisoner and plundered of all his goods. He escaped and carried on a successful business in the village. His goods were restored in part by the French, who had recovered them from the Indians. Benjamin James and Edmund Pollard formed a partnership for the general Indian trade in June, 1765. Nearly all of the French were traders to some extent, but some were of more importance than others. The names of Baby, Campau, Labadie and Marsac are familiar ones of the time in this trade. James Rivington was a trader in 1766.
John Macomb came to Detroit as a merchant at a very early day and his son, Alexander, is noticed in the public records as early as 1766. John Macomb's two son's, Alexander and William, were among the most prominent of the local mer- chants and with John Edgar formed the great firm of Macomb, Edgar & Macomb. which carried on an extensive business.
In 1767 the licensed merchants and traders were: Baby & Chapoton, Peter Baron, William Bruce, James Cassity, Charles Curtoise, William Edgar, Benja- min James, Samuel Lyons, Richard McNeall, Edmund Pollard, Obediah Robbins, John Robinson, Henry Van Schaack, Isaac Todd, and Thomas Williams. George Knaggs, David Meldrum, John Stedman, James Rankin and Richard Van Allen were others. During the next five years James Abbott entered into partnership with William Edgar, William Macomb & Company, John Porteous, and James Sterling entered the field. In 1775 the firms of Edgar & Abbott and Macomb & Company were the leading mercantile concerns in Detroit.
The primitive method of transportation was a serious drawback to the devel- opment of the commercial interests. Goods had to be brought to Detroit in canoes or bateaux and rarely arrived within less than eight or nine months from the time they were ordered. Through the winter season a brisk trade was car- ried on, exchanging merchandise for furs, which were in turn sent to the London and Paris markets, consequently it required about three years- sometimes more-for the merchants to "turn over" their capital and count the profits.
The "store" of that day did not present the orderly arrangement of the Twentieth Century establishment. The building in which the business was con- Vol, 1-32
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ducted was usually a log structure, with a low ceiling, and every inch of space was utilized. Upon the arrival of a consignment of goods, the original pack- ages were taken to the store and piled around promiscuously, to be opened as their contents were needed. Snow shoes, large and small steel traps, strings of wampum, rifles profusely ornamented with silver, copper kettles, frying pans, etc., were suspended from the ceiling; bales of skins occupied one corner, casks of rum and boxes of tobacco another; cheap jewelry, small mirrors, colored beads, brilliant calico and gaily colored cloths were displayed to advantage to arouse the Indians' interest; pewter plates, tinware, queensware, moccasins, high-topped hats, vermillion and other pigments, hardware, belts, blankets, ammunition and hundreds of other articles were carried by every trader.
THE FIRST BOOM
Detroit experienced its first boom in 1779-80, following the enlargement of the fort as a protection against a possible invasion by the American forces under Gen. George Rogers Clark, and to serve as a place of confinement for prisoners from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Ohio country. The entire village was brought within the palisades, the fort occupying the site of the present postoffice, at the intersection of Fort and Shelby Streets, and the citadel was near the pres- ent junction of Cass and Jefferson Avenues. The garrison was increased, the British sent large quantities of goods for the Indians, and Detroit became one of the liveliest of the frontier posts. A reaction came after the close of the Revolu- tionary war, but under American rule, which began in July, 1796, the growth of Detroit and its commercial interests was along lines which promised greater per- manency, though the fur trade continued to be an important factor until about 1830, or even later.
Under the French regime accounts were kept in French currency. When the English came in 1760 they quickly substituted pounds, shillings and pence for the livre, sou and denier. The American merchants were not satisfied with either system and introduced the currency of the United States. It is worthy of note that this change was made without disturbing the business interests, and without objection on the part of the inhabitants.
AMERICAN MERCHANTS
About the time of the American occupation in 1796, Thomas Emerson came from Vermont and soon after his arrival formed a partnership with Stephen Mack, which lasted until 1817, when Mr. Emerson returned to Vermont. Shu- bael Conant then became a partner of Mr. Mack and the firm of Mack & Conant was for many years one of the leading mercantile concerns of Detroit. Emerson, who has been described as an eccentric Yankee, did not leave Detroit because of a lack of faith in the city's future. After he returned East he loaned money to Detroit merchants, and his son, Curtis Emerson, subsequently became a resident of Michigan.
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