Pioneer & Historical Collections, Vol X, Pags 97 - 104

 BY HENRY A. FORD

Materials for the study of Detroit fifty years ago do not abound, except in the memories of a few living men. The directory system had yet reached scarcely any of the infant cities west of the Alleghanies; and the paucity and brevity of local sketches in the newspapers of those days afford but narrow fields for investigation. Happily about the time when the first tentative efforts were made to transform Michigan from a territory to a full fledged state, it entered the intelligent brain of Mr. John T. Blois, teacher of the Detroit Latin and English school, to compile a gazetteer of the incoming commonwealth, as a source of accurate information at home and a guide to immigrants from abroad. The result appeared early in 1839, in a neat 16 mo. volume of 418 pages, apparently printed in New York, and published there by Robinson, Pratt & Co., in Detroit by Messrs. Sydney L. Rood & Co. A few copies of this, in the original covers of figured blue cloth, still exist and are unique and invaluable relics of the early days of Michigan as a separate state.

Mr. Blois brings his statistics and other data, so nearly as he can, down to October, 1838. The state had then provided for thirty nine counties, of which Arenac (but recently organized), Barry, Sanilac, Gratiot, Montcalm, Isabella, Clinton, Gladwin, Oceana and Midland were as yet unorganized. It was making rapid progress, however, and the legislature, which was then charged with such business, had provided at its last session for the erection of seventy two townships. The population, at the close of 1837, numbered 175,000 (besides 7,914 Indians), against 87,278 in 1834 and 32,538 in 1803. there were but two chartered cities,--Detroit and Monroe--and twenty three incorporated villages. Of the 56,451 square miles of territory only 25,636 had been surveyed, and the Indian title to at least two thirds of the upper peninsula had not yet been extinguished. The northern part of the regions was still sometimes called "the Siberia of Michigan." But in that and other portions of the state a geological survey under the lamented Dr. Douglass Houghton was progressing with excellent results, under an appropriation for three years of $12,000 per annum. The public lands were being sold at government offices in Detroit, Monroe, Kalamazoo, Flint and Ionia. The era of wild speculation was not yet over, and under the new banking law of the state forty five "wildest" banks had been started between Aug. 15, 1837, and April 3, 1838, when an alarmed legislature put a stop to inflation of this kind. Fifteen banks were already existing under older laws, and altogether had nominal capital of more than $10,000,000. Twenty four railroads, which a total length of 1,011 miles , had received special charters, and three or four others, aggregating 591 miles, were provided for under the internal improvement system of the state, which likewise contemplated several canals and sundry river improvements. Five state roads or turnpikes had been made, all pushing out from Detroit, and one of them, the Chicago, road, being 254 miles long. The whole state had put sixty eight mail routes, only three of these directly reaching Detroit. The larger lake steamers, of 250 to 472 tons, numbered but nineteen, and the largest yet launched upon these inland seas was the "Illinois," of 755 tons, built here. The entire tonnage owned in the Detroit district in 1837 was but 6,994, against 995 in 1830.

The industries of the State were as yet light and comparatively unimportant. The estimated value of the agricultural product of 1837, based in part upon the census of that year, gave $2,114,366 for 1,691,499 bushels of wheat; $1,163,446 for oats; $1,319,045 for corn, and $36,573 for rye; making a total of $4,633,430. Neat stock was estimated at $4,480,500; horses, $1,405,800; hogs, $1,636,425; sheep, $94,515; total, $7,617,240. Mining had hardly yet begun. The Clinton salt works were going; Mt. Clemens had a glass factory and was doing a little ship building. Incomplete census returns in November, 1837, exhibited 433 saw mills, 114 grist mills, 23 carding machines, 12 cloth dressing establishments and 16 distilleries. The vast industrial development of Michigan was yet mainly in the future.

Wayne county at this time had 23,400 people, being little more populous than Washtenaw with 21,817 and Oakland with 20,163; but apart from Lenawee, which had 14,540, it had more than twice as many as any other in the state. Its only villages were "Dearbornville," which had about sixty families and the United States arsenal, just completed; Plymouth (or "Plymouth Corners"), about 300 population; Northville and Flat Rock, about 250 each; Redford "small," and Gibraltar, fifteen to twenty families. Detroit had yet no suburb of Springwells, except as a farming settlement, and Hamtramck is set down as "three miles" from the city. The Central railroad was running across the country as far as Ypsilanti; the "Pontiac road" was in operation to Royal oak, and the "railroad to Shelby" was in course of construction. The depot was upon Campus Martius, where the opera house now stands. The country sent two senators and seven representatives to the state legislature.

Detroit was in 1838 not only "port of entry" and "seat of justice for Wayne country," but also "capital of the state of Michigan." The state house, otherwise the country court house, now built around by the high school building, is named as a "commodious edifice of brick, constructed in the ionic order, 90 feet by 60. The portico in front is supported by six columns and the entablature at the side by pilasters. The steeple, crowned with a dome, is 140 feet high." The view from this was thought to be exceeded by but two others in the country, those from the state house in Boston and from St. Michael’s church in Charleston. On the 1st of January of that year the place had a population of 9,278 against 4,968 in 1834, 2,222 in 1830, 1,517 in 1828, 1,442 in 1826, 1,110 in 1820, and 770 in 1810. Thus within a decade the population had once increased by 50 per cent, had once more than doubled, and again nearly doubled. With very few exceptions all lived below the Grand Circus, and along not more than a mile’s front upon the river, "more or less densely settled." Most of the business was done on Jefferson avenue, but Woodward avenue was "becoming of increased importance." Atwater, "upon the river," and Woodbridge, "running parallel with it upon the declivity," were "mostly occupied y stores and dealers in the heavier articles of merchandise." There were 4 banks with $2,250,000 capital, 27 dry goods, 25 grocery and provision, 14 hardware, 10 forwarding and commission, 8 drug, 7 clothing and 3 book stores, 8 silversmiths and jewelers, 27 lawyers, 22 physicians, 3 markets, 4 printing offices, issuing 4 weeklies (1 religious), 3 dailies, 1 tri-weekly and 1 educational monthly. The little city had also a Mechanics’ hall, a theater, museum, circus, public garden, and a number of federal and state offices. In manufacturing there were 3 iron foundries, 1 brass foundry, 2 breweries, an edge-tool and a sash factory, and "a large steam saw mill." Much wholesale trade was already done, one half to three fifths of all merchandise sold going to the interior. No great amount of any product was exported, except fish. The fur trade had declined, although the American Fur company still kept its agency here. Forty sever lake vessels of all kinds were owned in this city, with and aggregate tonnage of 5,1643. For their accommodation 5,900 feet of wharf had been made. About three steamers and as many sail vessels arrived and departed daily. The steam ferry to the Canada shore was running. Western emigration passing through afforded a large source of profit, especially in the season of navigation.

The town was quite well and modernly built, nearly all the huts and cottages of the French period having disappeared. Wooden buildings were much the more numerous; and as many of them occupied leased grounds, the sight of houses in process of removal was more common than now. The business quarter had several fine brick blocks and the city had "altogether a cheerful and comely appearance," with "not a few outward indications of high cultivated taste and refinement." The principal public buildings, besides the state house or capitol, included the city hall on the Campus, a $20,000 brick structure, 100 feet by 50, with two stories and a basement, the lower story occupied for a market; St. Paul’s church, brick, with a 115 foot tower; the Baptist church, a plain affair at the corner of Fort and Griswold; St. Anne’s still standing on Larned street, but then its two spires were "in front," and were backed by an octagonal dome 30 feet high; and the old Bank of Michigan building, costing $40,000. There were eight church societies, two Catholic, one colored, and one each of Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and German Lutherans. The Catholics had one and the Protestants another orphan asylum, the latter in "a handsome two story brick edifice," on the familiar site then "a mile and a half above the city." The public schools of the place were grouped in seven districts which together had 4,335 children of school age. A branch of the state university was located here. Three free schools were maintained by the ladies’ free school society (Protestant), specially for indigent children, who were furnished books and all needed suppled; and others were the St. Clare English and German (Catholic) and the French female charity schools. The chief private schools were the Detroit female seminary, in care of Prof. and Mrs. Wilson; the young ladies’ institutes, conducted by Mrs. Hector Scott and her daughters; St.Clare’s seminary and several school for boys, taught by Profs. Blois, Mitchell and Bacon. The state library, kept at the capitol, already numbered 1,900 volumes; the Detroit young men’s society had made a good beginning with 1,200; and there was also a circulating library of about 1,000. The society named had been in existence for six years, the historical society for about ten, the state literary institute was organized the same year, and several other organizations of the kind had been made here.

The system of water supply demands a passing notice in closing. Steam power, forcing water from the river, was giving but partial service, and a plan had been mooted to utilize the current of the stream in generating a power for further use. This had been superseded, however, by the works which stood until a quite recent day at the foot of Orleans street, where the tall chimney may still be seen. This was then "the upper part of the city," and a brick tower was here being erected, sixty four feet in diameter and going to a height of fifty feet above the river, supporting a cast iron reservoir twenty feet deep, with a capacity of 425,000 gallons. Water was to be taken 450 feet from the shore and 6 below the surface of the river, through a 12 inch pipe. A 25 horse power engine would do all the work. One hundred fire hydrants were to be connected, each capable of throwing a stream into the third story of any building in the city. The cost of this modest system was estimated at $100,000 and it was to be finished in 1839.

The sewerage of the city was already pretty good; but the street were mostly in primitive condition, and bad in the spring and after hard rains. Paving with wood, however, had hopefully begun. --- Detroit Post and Tribune.

Contributed by Linda Ball