The occupants of the territory included in the township of Leslie, when it was first settled by white people, were of the copper-colored race generally known as Indians. Evidences, however, exist pointing to the occupation -- long previous -- by a people superior in many respects to the Indians, notably in the art of defense against the attacks of hostile forces.

Sidney O. Russell, of Leslie, while hunting on a certain occasion, in the winter, discovered an embankment on what is now the J. W. Wilcox place, near North Leslie, and when the snow had gone he examined it closely. It was rectangular in form, with entrances at the northern and southern ends, and when discovered by Mr. Rullell was about eighteen inches high. Upon it were growing trees which were equal in size to those standing in the surrounding forest, which were very large. In the immediate vicinity of Leslie were discovered other curiosities in the form of small mounds and pits. About half a mile west of the village was a tract of fifteen or twenty acres, from which were plowed up large numbers of human bones, many of which were left exposed. A piece of hardened copper was also found in one locality, and among the bones which were unearthed was a skull, which was so large that not a hat could be found in Leslie large enough to fit it; a thigh-bone which was found to be three inches longer than the thigh of the tallest man in the place, and he was very tall. The Indians had no knowledge of these bones, nor of the works which abounded in the vicinity; and it can only be concluded that they were relics of that mysterious people whom archaelolgists call the "prehistoric race." Rev. W. W. Crane, an early minister of the region, who lived in Eaton County, was an enthusiast in the study of these antiquities, and familiar with all treatises upon the subject, yet he could only offer a theory as to their probable origin and the time when this portion of the country was occupied by them, for nothing definite could be known of them more than the evident fact of their being a warlike race, and considerable versed in mechanics.

Taken from:
"History of Ingham and Eaton Counties Michigan, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Their Prominent Men and Pioneers", by Samuel W. Durant.
Published by D. W. Ensign & Co., 1880.
Page 258