The Census of Michigan in 1870, (officially furnished for this work by the Cen- The Judiciary of Michigan in 1870................ Books connected with the Territory and State of Michigan.... Newspapers of Michigan with their Publishers in 1870........ The Post Offices of Michigan in 1870................ CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE. The name of Michigan is derived from the Indian word Michsawgyegan, the meaning of which is the Lake Country. It is bounded on the north by Lake Superior; on the east by Lakes Huron, St. Clair, and Erie; on the south by Ohio and Indiana; and on the west by Wisconsin and Lake Michigan; and the extent of its dominion is fifty-six thousand two hundred and forty-three square miles.* Along the shores of Lake Erie there stretches a belt of level and heavily-timbered land, bearing a growth of large and noble forest trees upon a low and level soil. The land gradually rises towards the centre of the State, presenting a variegated scenery composed of tracts of dense wilderness, alternated with prairies, natural parks or oak openings, copses of burr-oak, marshes, barrens, and pine groves, each watered by small streams, lakes, or springs. That part of the State which borders Lake Superior is more bold and primitive, and is broken by mountains and plains, hills and valleys. The Porcupine Mountains, which are the dividing ridge, and separate the waters of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, are about two thousand feet high and abound in the charms of Alpine and imposing coast scenery. Many parts of this northern peninsula exhibit a bold, rocky, and sterile prospect, which caused one of the early French travellers-La Honton-to call this region "the fag end of the world." It abounds with forests of white and yellow pine, and will probably never be favorable for agricultural production, although it is a rich mineral region. The northern part of the lower peninsula, generally speaking, is flat and swampy; the central and southern portions are gently rolling, covered with groves of oak, alternated with tracts of heavily-timbered land, are peculiarly favorable for the production of wheat, which is the staple product, and present the most picturesque points of scenery, and resources for even a dense population. The soil of Michigan is various in its character. It is in general much more level than that of New York and New England, being of alluvial formation, and comparatively free from rocks. The different species of soil consist of heavily-timbered land, oak openings, burr-oak plains, prairies, and pine groves, each of which will be considered. The heavily-timbered land consists of tracts which are densely wooded with a variety of large forest-trees, the principal of which are the black and *Additional information on the topography of the State will be found in subsequent pages of this volume. A* white walnut, oaks of different species, maple, ash, elm, linden, sycamore, hackberry, cottonwood, aspen, locust, butternut, box or dogwood, poplar, whitewood, beech, cherry, sassafras, white, yellow, and Norway pine, hemlock, spruce, tamerack, cedar, chestnut, and pawpaw; as well as the smaller trees and shrubs, such as willow, alder, sumach, and honeysuckle, together with the different kinds of undergrowth which are found in the Middle States. This timbered land is often found upon the borders of the streams, upon what are called bottoms, and also upon the ridges which border them. It is discovered along the shores of the lakes from Monroe to Detroit, and thence to Lake Michigan, in a belt varying from five to fifteen miles in breadth. But a small proportion of the peninsular part of the State is, however, densely wooded. There are various other species of soil which constitute a beautiful variety, and which will be described in their proper order. The heavilytimbered soil is generally composed of a deep vegetable mold, sometimes mingled with clay, and produces a dense and luxuriant vegetation. Compared with the other sections of the State, it is gloomy, being generally more low and level, and it is more difficult to clear from the thick and tangled mass of trees which covers it; but these disadvantages are made up by its fertility, and it yields in great abundance the grasses, oats, buckwheat, potatoes, rye, and large crops of corn. Perhaps it is not so favorable to wheat, being damp, from the fact that it is shut out from the sun, and also cold in its nature. In advancing into the interior of the State, across the narrow belt before described, we arrive upon a more dry and undulating soil-a species of land which swells into little hills like artificial mounds, and is called oak openings. This land is composed of a sandy loam, mingled sometimes with limestone pebbles, and appears light upon the surface, but, when laid open by the plough, turns black from the intermixture of lime in its composition. The trees, consisting chiefly of whiteoak, scattered over the ground generally from ten to sixty feet apart, and extending for miles like cultivated parks, now sweeping down to a clear stream, a fertile prairie, or the brow of a transparent lake, impress one with the idea that he is travelling through an old, rather than a newly-settled country. These openings constitute a feature which distinguishes this from most of the adjoining States. The land, although not as productive as some other kinds of soil, yields heavy crops of oats and abundant harvests of wheat, besides the ordinary products of the Middle States. Although containing apparently but a thin covering of decomposed vegetable matter, the absence of that material is made up by the admixture of lime in its composition, which is favorable to vegetation; and in summer the surface is almost entirely covered with red, yellow, white, and purple flowers, which, in their richness and beauty, are not known in the older-settled portions of the country, spreading a gorgeous carpet through the forest as far as the eye can reach. The surface of the oak openings also presents a turf of matted grass, which requires three or four yoke of oxen to break it up; and, as you can ride for miles in a carriage under the trees that are thus widely separated, it does not need so great an amount of labor in clearing it as the timbered land. The trees, however, are usually girdled in order to effect their decay. These oak openings extend throughout the greater part of the lower peninsula. Another species of soil of very great value is found in the State, commencing at the county of Jackson and studding the timbered land and oak openings from the head of the Kalamazoo river to the shores of Lake Michigan. It is called burr-oak plains or openings; a soil which consists |