stocked it with goods, placing H. B. Huston in charge. E. L. Brown, as mentioned, purchased Thaddeus Smith's interest in the winter following. James Smith, Jr., although a member of the firm, did not arrive and settle with his family until the spring of 1833. The subsequent changes have been given by Mr. Brown, and appear in another place.

"As Prairie Ronde was the granary of the whole country for many miles about, its trade rapidly increased, and Smith, Huston & Co. counted among their regular customers not only persons from every new settlement in the county, but also from Three Rivers, from Paw Paw, from Otsego and Allegan, and even from Battle Creek and Marshall the great grain-producing prairie occasionally drew customers for both wheat and store goods.

"The commercial facilities of the country, as compared with those of the present day, were of the most tedious, expensive, and discouraging character. Goods were shipped by sail-vessels by way of Mackinac to St. Joseph, and thence boated up the St. Joseph,—or, at a little later date, the narrow and tortuous Paw Paw River,—and landed at some convenient place on the bank, without shelter or guard, till they could be hauled in by wagons. Wheat, the only exportable product, was in like manner hauled to some temporary store-house on these rivers, and sent down in boats or on arks. These last could be used only on the St. Joseph. They were simply plank boxes, some 10 or 12 feet wide by about 60 feet long, and when the cargo was landed at St. Joseph they were abandoned, or sold for a trifle, and the crews returned on foot.

"To illustrate some of the contingencies to which this mode of transportation was subject, I will relate what occurred to a cargo of wheat shipped from Three Rivers in one of these arks, in 1834, by J. & J. A. Smith & Co., the name which the Schoolcraft division of the firm of Smith, Huston & Co. had taken. The ark had been duly loaded with some eight or ten hundred bushels of wheat, provisioned for the voyage, with a hardy crew, under the command of Captain Mishael Beadle, and started off with favoring omens and every prospect of a safe and speedy arrival at the destined port. But the gods willed it otherwise. Capt. Beadle and his crew had provided themselves with a barrel of whisky, with which to alleviate the toil and privations of the voyage, and had it placed at a convenient point on the shore at the head of what was called McIntaffer's Riffles, which now make the Lockport water-power, just below Three Rivers. Arriving near the place of deposit, the ark was laid alongside the shore, and while under full headway, and beginning to feel the increasing force of the current, a line made fast to the stern was thrown ashore and cast about a tree on the bank; but so far from stopping to take on board the barrel of whisky, the willful Argo passed on unchecked, leaving the entire stern end tied up to the tree, and the good ship and cargo were speedily overflowed by the rapid water of McIntaffer's Riffles, which then had nothing better to do."*

The old Smith & Huston store long ago gave way to newer establishments, and nothing is now left of it. And the pioneers who made it a place of rendezvous have nearly all disappeared from earthly scenes.

Village Plat of Schoolcraft and Additions.-The original plat of the village of Schoolcraft was received for record Oct. 5, 1831. The survey was made by Stephen Vickery for the proprietor, Lucius Lyon, through the latter's agent, Dr. David E. Brown. The description on the original plat, on record in the register's office at Kalamazoo, states that the village is located " east of the Big Island, on Prairie Ronde," but gives no more definite information.

It is stated by Mr. Brown that all that portion of the original village lying south of Eliza Street and west of Centre Street has been vacated by an order of the Circuit Court.

* Brown's History of Schoolcraft.

† So named by Lucius Lyon in honor of his personal friend, Henry R. Schoolcraft.

"Previous to the year 1836 all the business of Schoolcraft had centered about the corner of Centre and Eliza Streets, a large hotel and well-built stores occupying all the corners. But in that year the University lot,' lying contiguous to Schoolcraft on the east, having reverted to government and been sold, an addition was made to the village of the south half of said lot, known as Bull's Addition;‡ a public-house was erected on Grand Street, where the 'Prairie Ronde House'? now stands, and the business of the town gradually drew that way. The highway running south from the termination of Centre Street was closed after much litigation, in which the whole township became involved, and in the course of which a jury rendered a verdict of $2720 damages by the highway, which, years before, the complaining proprietor, Lucius Lyon, had himself designated and opened through land the whole body of which, at the time of the verdict, could not have been sold for one-half that sum. The consequence was to render nearly valueless all that had been done by the pioneers of the village, and to transfer the business and even the buildings from their old location to Grand Street."||

The following additions have since been made to the village:

Osterhout's Addition, located on the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 18; laid out Dec. 7, 1868, by Peter Osterhout, E. B. Dyckman, M. Hale, W. F. McCartney, Willard Barnhart.

Samuel N. Barber's Addition, located on the northwest corner of the west half of the southeast quarter of section 18; laid out June 12, 1867.

Samuel N. Barber's Revised Addition, laid out Feb. 20, 1871, including twenty acres off the north end of the west half of the southeast quarter of section 18.

Robinson, Duncan & Co.'s Addition, located on the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of section 19; laid out Nov. 18, 1864, by E. B. Dyckman, Anna D. Bales, Edward G. Robinson, and Abby D. Lyon.

Hatch's Addition, on the north part of the cast half of the east half of the northwest quarter of section 19; laid out Jan. 17, 1863, by F. W. Hatch and Eliza A. Hatch.

F. W. Hatch's Addition, same as preceding; new record, made June 6, 1868.

The dates and names given are transcribed from the records in the office of the county register at Kalamazoo. In the winter of 1837-38 the wild-cat bank fever reached Schoolcraft, and the "Farmers' Bank of Prairie Ronde" was organized, as mentioned by Mr. Brown. Its nominal capital was $50,000, and the association filed its notice with the Secretary of State, Feb. 2, 1838, it being one of 46 associations of like character formed under the general banking law of 1837. Fortunately, however, it was not allowed, through the influence of one or more of its members, to inflict upon the people the same losses and damage which other less favored communities were made to suffer.

In 1834 the land-office had been removed from White Pigeon to Kalamazoo, and a branch of the State Bank was established at the latter place the same year, giving the county-seat an onward push in prosperity, to the detriment of the settlement at Schoolcraft. The failure of the banking scheme at the latter place also made its influence felt; “trade was more than ever diverted to Kalamazoo, and the village wore that dilapidated and unthrifty appearance which always attends a state of stagnation in business." For nearly twenty years the place was at a stand-still, but few buildings being erected, and business barely keeping up appearances.

Bull's Addition, laid out July 23, 1836, by Albert E. Bull, on the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 18.-See recorded plat at county register's office.

? Site of present Troxel House.

|| Brown's Schoolcraft.

on.

The farmers living prairie became interested, in 1835, in an invention of Hiram Moore, Esq., of Climax. It was a harvesting-machine, and known as "Moore & Hascall's Harvester." It was constructed so as to perform the work of cutting, thrashing, cleaning, and bagging the grain in one operation, and instances are given where 600 bushels of wheat were thus taken care of in one day. Several of them were manufactured at Schoolcraft between 1835 and 1848, in which latter year the invention was perfected. They were operated by 16 horses, requiring the management of four drivers, beside three attendants on the machine. None of them have been used on Prairie Ronde since 1850. The inventor finally removed to Wisconsin.

The first white child born in the village of Schoolcraft was Helen A. Smith, daughter of Thaddeus and Eliza Smith, her birth occurring on the 3d of October, 1831. She is now the widow of Isaiah W. Pursel, and resides in the village.

HOTELS.

The famous "Big Island Hotel" was an institution in its day. The building was framed by Nathaniel Foster, who followed the old "scribe rule," or "cut-and-try" plan, and put the timbers together accordingly. The raising occurred in March, 1832. The building was a large one, and stood in the southeast corner of what is now Mr. Earl's garden, diagonally opposite the residence of E. L. Brown, or, to speak more accurately, at the northwest corner of Centre and Eliza Streets. It was erected by Smith, Huston & Co. and Johnson Patrick, and the latter was its landlord about two years; John Dix kept it afterwards. In 1833 a large addition was built, and the hotel was one of the best in Western Michigan, having an ample barn and convenient. surroundings. After the change in the location of the main White Pigeon road, as mentioned, the property passed into the hands of E. L. Brown, one of the original proprietors. About 1847 it was destroyed by fire, and was not rebuilt. A hotel known as the "Schoolcraft House" was the second one in the place, and is that mentioned by Mr. Brown as having stood on Grand Street, where now stands the "Troxel House." It was originally used as a dwelling, but was finally enlarged and converted into a hotel, and kept during its existence by various persons. It was torn away in the spring of 1870, and in 1872-73 the large brick hotel now standing on the same site was built by E. Troxel, the present proprietor. It is three stories high, and presents the most imposing front on the street. The rooms occupied by the bank and post-office were also fitted up by Mr. Troxel.

The hotel known as the "Island House," on Eliza Street, east of Grand, was built about 1869-70, by a blacksmith named Brown. The present proprietor is Seth Hunt.

SCHOOLCRAFT POST-OFFICE.

The first post-office in this region was kept at Insley's Corners, in Prairie Ronde, by which latter name it was known; Col. Abiel Fellows was the postmaster. In 1832 the office was moved to the village and the name changed to Schoolcraft. Joseph Addison Smith was appointed to its charge, and was probably succeeded by John Beals. In the winter of 1840-41, A. H. Scott was appointed,

through the instrumentality of E. L. Brown, who was his partner in business. Among those who have since held the office are Frederick Dale, Taylor (a Presbyterian minister), Dr. M. Freeman, P. Miller (possibly), and others. John McCreary was postmaster after the war of the Rebellion, in which he had served, and died in office. He was succeeded by William L. Coe, and he by the present incumbent, David Stuart.

PROFESSIONAL MEN AND PROMINENT CITIZENS.

Hon. E. Lakin Brown, from whose articles many quotations are made in this history, is the only one now left of the earlier settlers of the village, and he has been prominently connected with its interests from the time he chose it for his permanent home. Aside from filling various. township offices, he has represented his district in the Legislature, and is the present State senator. No longer engaged in active business, he is enabled to spend much of his time in the enjoyment earned by a life of labor. His children are given the benefits of thorough educational advantages. Mr. Brown ranks among the foremost in the county as an historical writer, and as a poet clothes his ideas in language which is never excelled by those who do not make the subject a special study. Some He is one of his poems border closely upon the classical.* of the many whose morning of life dawned amid the rugged mountains of Vermont, and who seem to draw in the broad ideas of enlightened humanity with the pure air of their native State. Vermont has sent her sons to many climes, and everywhere their lives have been marked by those attributes which adorn her sturdy manhood.

Evert B. Dyckman, of the present banking firm of E. B. Dyckman & Co., came from the vicinity of Syracuse, N. Y., about 1838, and settled in Van Buren Co., Mich. About 1840 he removed to Schoolcraft, where he has since resided. He has held numerous township offices, and once represented his district in the Legislature.

Moses R. Cobb, also of the above-mentioned firm, came to Schoolcraft, in October, 1837, from Springfield, Windsor Co., Vt.

Hon. Hezekiah G. Wells, now of Kalamazoo, is a native. of Steubenville, Jefferson Co., Ohio.† His brother, Samuel O. Wells, settled in what is now Texas township, in 1831, locating in the southeast corner thereof.

Mills N. Duncan, who was born in Weathersfield, Windsor Co., Vt., Nov. 27, 1803, removed to Springfield, in the same county, when but nineteen years of age, and entered the mercantile business, in company with Gen. John Perkins. Mr. Duncan's father, Nahum Duncan, was a resident of Perkinsville, in the town of Weathersfield, and owned and kept a tavern. He was possessed of considerable means, and his experience in business, coupled with financial aid, did much to help his son. The latter some years later became largely interested in the manufacture of paper at Springfield, and also owned a share in the satinet factory at the same place. In 1837, when the great financial crash rolled its waves over the country, Mr. Duncan was numbered among the unfortunate. In 1838, or the

spring of 1839, he sought for a new home and place of business in the West, and finally located at Three Rivers, St. Joseph Co., Mich., where his mercantile pursuits were resumed. In the fall of 1839 he returned to Vermont for his family, and brought them to Three Rivers. The latter place proved so unhealthy that after a lapse of twenty months-or in 1841-he removed, with his family, to Schoolcraft, and continued his business there. In 1851 he became one of the firm of M. R. Cobb & Co., consisting of Messrs. M. R. Cobb, now of Schoolcraft, E. B. Dyckman, of the same place, and Henry Breese, now of KalamaZOO. A large distillery was built in the grove west of the residence of E. L. Brown, and operated for some years. An extensive dry-goods establishment was opened on Grand Street, at the corner of Cass. Some years later, Mr. Cobb withdrew from the firm, the name of which was changed to M. N. Duncan & Co., and it so remained until the death of Mr. Duncan, which occurred Feb. 5, 1860. His son, Henry Duncan, occupies the old home, in the northwest part of the village, near the residence of Judge Dyckman. A daughter, Mrs. Abby Lyon, at present resides in Kalama

ZOO.

Mr. Duncan's wife was the daughter of an old resident of Springfield, Vt.,-Capt. George Hawkins, some of whose children are yet living there.

Dr. Moses Cobb, from Springfield, Vt., and the father of M. R. Cobb, of Schoolcraft, came to the village some time after Mr. Duncan had located here. He was considerably advanced in years at the time, and practiced but little, except among his old acquaintances and friends. The doctor died at Kalamazoo, where his son, Samuel P. Cobb (now deceased), was a prominent citizen, and was buried at Schoolcraft, by the side of his wife, who had preceded him. by a year or more to the "silent land.”

The physicians now located in the village are Dr. Nathan M. Thomas, the pioneer of his profession in the county; Dr. B. Barnum, a native of Cayuga Co., N. Y., who came with his parents to Van Buren Co., Mich., in 1836, and first located in Schoolcraft in April, 1854; Dr. M. Freeman, not now in practice, a native of New Jersey, and a resident of Michigan since 1842; Dr. J. W. Briggs, a native of Yates Co., N. Y., and a resident of Schoolcraft since 1854, had studied here in 1844 and 1845 with his brother, Dr. Joseph Briggs, who died in 1854; Dr. W. H. Fox, a native of the Mohawk Valley, N. Y., resided in Schoolcraft since May, 1844, not now in extensive practice; Dr. T. C. Owen, a native of Champaign Co., Ohio, in Schoolcraft since May, 1876; and Dr. J. F. Chapin, who came from Pennsylvania in May, 1879.

ORGANIZATION OF VILLAGE.

Schoolcraft was first incorporated Jan. 4, 1866; on the 12th of March, 1869, it was re-incorporated, and a new charter was obtained in 1875. The territory included in the present corporate limits is the following: "The east three-fourths of the south half of section 18, and the east three-fourths of the north half of section 19, in township 4 south, range 11 west." The first election for village officers was held at the school-house, April 3, 1866, resulting in the choice of the following persons to the positions named: President, Evert B. Dyckman; Trustees, E. L.

Brown, Sumner Hemenway, Nathan M. Thomas, Jonas Allen, Frederick W. Hatch, Marshall Hale; Marshal, Frederick Hale; Treasurer, William Fisher; Clerk, Albert J. Purdy (M. R. Cobb afterwards appointed); Assessor, Isaiah W. Pursel; Street Commissioner, Peter Osterhout; Poundmaster, John D. Strew.

VILLAGE OFFICERS.

The officers of the village from 1867 to 1879, inclusive, have been the following:

1867.-President, Nathan M. Thomas; Trustees, Jonas Allen, William Patten, Samuel N. Barber, Marshall Hale, Isaac Allen, Frederick Dale; Marshal, Frederick Dale; Treasurer, Thos. Griffiths; Assessor, Henry P. Smith; Street Commissioner, Elijah K. Purdy; Poundmaster, Frederick Dale. 1868.-President, Nathan M. Thomas; Trustees, Jonas Allen, E. L. Brown, William Patton, V. C. Smith, S. N. Barber, William Fisher; Treasurer, Thomas Griffiths; Assessor, H. P. Smith; Clerk, P. D. Miller; Marshal, O. R. Hatch; Street Commissioner, J. Roberts (resigned, and Jonas Allen elected to fill vacancy); Poundmaster, J. D. Strew. 1869.-(Under new charter) President, E. Lakin Brown; Trustees, one year, Carlos A. Merrill, Edwin S. Smith, Gilbert L. Townsend; two years, William H. Patten, N. M. Thomas, M. J. Burnett; Marshal, Frederick Dale. 1870.-President, M. R. Cobb; Trustees, two years, C. A. Merrill, D. Bowe, H. P. Smith; Marshal, James Perley. 1871.-President, V. C. Smith; Trustees, two years, S. N. Barber, R. C. Barney, W. H. Patton; one year, to fill vacancy, Thomas Griffiths; Marshal, James F. Kirby. 1872.-President, V. C. Smith; Trustees, two years, G. E. Knight, William Fisher (1st), Albert Pursel; Marshal, J. D. Strew. 1873.-President, M. R. Cobb; Trustees, two years, S. N. Barber, H. E. Duncan, William Snyder; Marshal, Elisha Cole. 1874.-President, G. E. Knight; Trustees, two years, Abram Gardner, Henry I. Allen, George Brown; Marshal, John D. Strew.

1875.--President, William T. Smith; Trustees, two years, H. E. Duncan, William McLeod, A. J. Stone; Marshal, Henry De Mund.

1876. (Under new charter) President, Abram Gardner; Marshal, Henry De Mund; Clerk, C. V. Smith; Treasurer, F. D. Cobb; Assessor, Daniel Bowe; Street Commissioner, Sylvester D. Mead; Trustees, two years, G. E. Knight, G. W. Brown, G. Lee Clark.

1877.-President, Isaiah W. Pursel; Clerk, Thomas Griffiths; Treasurer, T. J. Underwood; Marshal, John C. Clermont; Street Commissioner, S. D. Mead; Assessor, S. N. Barber; Trustees, two years, John W. Briggs, W. Phillips, S. R. Barney. 1878.-President, Isaiah W. Pursel; Clerk, Thomas Griffiths; Marshal, Joseph Fisher; Treasurer, Theodore Underwood; Assessor, Samuel N. Barber; Street Commissioner, Gilbert L. Townsend; Trustees, two years, George Fanckboner, Jacob Bauer, George Brown. 1879.-President, Abram Gardner; Clerk, Thomas Griffiths; Marshal, Michael Grimes; Treasurer, Theodore Underwood; Assessor, S. N. Barber; Street Commissioner, G. L. Townsend; Trustees, two years, William Phillips, C. H. Gainsley, John W. Briggs.

In 1867 the sum of $100 was expended in the purchase of hooks and ladders for the use of the village in case of fire. In 1873 three fire-extinguishers of the Gardner pattern were purchased, at a cost of $135. Ladders were furnished in the same year for village use. The "Schoolcraft Bucket and Ladder Company" was organized, with 21 members, on the 1st of March, 1874. The village has suffered severely on several occasions from conflagrations, yet its facilities for preventing a recurrence of them are limited. Its latest disastrous fire occurred in January, 1879, when