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Community Secondary Menu
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Overview
| "In April, 1837, George Miller came to this State, walking the
entire distance from his home to Lockport, N.Y., where he took the canal
boat to Buffalo, and the steamer to Detroit. He then resumed his
journey on foot to his new home in Independence Township."
Portrait and Biographical Album, 1891
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At the end of the War of 1812, the federal government set aside six
million acres of homestead land for soldiers returning from the war with
Britain, two million of it was to be located in Michigan. In
preparation for land distribution to the soldiers, the territory of
Michigan was to be surveyed. Initial reports from the
Surveyor-General indicated that Michigan "...to all appearances,
together with information received concerning the balance, is so bad
(swampy) there would not be more than one acre out of a hundred, if there
should be one out of a thousand, that would in any case admit of
cultivation." A result of this report was the temporary
abandonment of the survey, and the subsequent distribution of homesteads
to the soldiers. By 1816, the survey was re-instituted, due in large
part to the persistence of Lewis Cass, the territorial governor of
Michigan.
In the early years, emigration into Michigan was slow. With the
completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, the numbers of settlers arriving in
Michigan significantly increased. Prior to the opening of the canal,
travel to Michigan from the east was primarily by stage coach over the
Mohawk and Genessee turnpike, and by covered wagons and horses.
Although this method would generally take less time than traveling by the
canal, it was also more costly. In addition, it did not allow for
the livestock, wagons and household goods that the emigrants would need to
take with them to settle their land.
The first settlers arrived in Independence Township in the mid 1820s
and early 1830s, primarily from New jersey and New York. The first
settler to purchase and settle land in the township was John W. Beardslee,
from Sussex County New Jersey. Beardslee purchased his tract of land
in section 35 in 1826, and settled on it five years later in 1831.
By 1834 nearly every section in the southern half of the township had
been purchased, while only a few settlers had ventured north into sections
14 and 15. The lower sections of the township, characterized by flat
plains, were generally more conducive to farming. The Sashabaw
Plains, located in the southeastern corner of the township, were the most
notable plains. They extended north and south nearly three miles,
and east and west about two and one-half miles. this is the area
where many of the earliest settlers first purchased land.
The rest of the township was a mix of flat plains, rolling hills and
numerous lakes - connected by branches of the Clinton River. There
was considerable marsh surface in the vicinity of these lakes, and nearly
all were bordered by swamps.
In 1840 there were eight hundred and thirty people in the
township. Among the adult men in the township, the primary
occupation was farming. Two hundred and twenty-five men declared
themselves as farmers on the 1840 Federal Census, while only seventeen
were reported as associated with manufacturing and trades, and two in
commerce. By the 1850 Federal Census, the population had increased
to well over twelve hundred people, and farming remained the dominate
occupation. While there was a slight increase in the number of
farmers (two hundred and sixty-one), there was a tremendous increase in
the number of other professions, due largely to the growth of Clarkston
Village. Professions listed on the 1850 Federal Census
included: carpenter, cooper, blacksmith, wagon maker, shoe maker,
merchant, cabinet maker, physician, preacher, teacher, and ten
others. The most prevalent of this group were the carpenters, with
twenty-four located in the township. This was undoubtedly due to the
significant number of houses being constructed during the mid 1800s.
While the most significant number of settlers is reported in the 1850
Federal Census originated from the New England states, there were also
emigrants from Canada, Ireland, England, Scotland and Germany, with the
number of English settlers being the highest at forty-six.
By 1877, nearly all of the swampy "waste-land" had been put
into agriculture, with the help of artificial drainage. The 1880
Federal Census reported that there were sixty-nine farmers in the
township, and fifty-three farm hands, the distinction being that farmers
owned the land that they farmed. Many of the larger farms had
multiple farm hands living on site.
While the township was primarily agricultural in the late 1800s, the
numerous lakes were beginning to draw vacationers out of Detroit in the
hot summer months. Several inns located throughout the township were
the initial destinations for travelers, who would arrive by railroad and
disembark at the township's railroad depot, just south of Clarkston,
By the early 1900s, travel to the township was made even easier with the
convenience of the personal automobile. Small summer cottages began
to be built within the township, and farms - especially those around the
lakes, began to be sold and subdivided. This trend continued until
the early 1930s, when the depression put a temporary end to further land
developments.
Independence Township Signature
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