The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-08-18
Of the True Northerner.
LOCAL HISTORY.
Being RscOliECtiOns md "reminiscences
Of the Early settlers.

| Being RSCOWFctfOns Hnd heMHfScfhcfS
Of the Early settlers.
The only wonder to the enquirer for
historical facts, in South Western Mich
igan, is that the old Pioneers had the
hardihood and pluck to withstand the
innumerable reverses that they encoun-
tered, in variety of ways; sickness,
deprivation of every former comfort,
and not unfrequently almost starvation.
Andrew Longstreet, now Post Mas
ter of Lawton, believes he is the Oldest
living inhabitant of Van Buren, county,
not the oldest in years, but the Oldest
in Pioneer experience. He came from
Lyon', Wayne county, N. Y, to De-
troit, as early as 1925, to take the job
of digging canal in Ohio, from Clevo,
land to Akron. There were then no
piers or harbor at Cleveland, and the
process OF landing was accomplished by
going mile and half in row boats,
which was safe only in calm. His
passage was made in the old Superior,
the FIRST steamer ever put on Lake Erie.
A severe storm made the journey ex-
tremely perilous, and landing at all at
that port was impossible, and the boat
did not stop until she reached Detroit.
Ohio was then almost out of the civil
lied world, and when Mr.. Longstreet
found his way back to Akron by way of
Toledo, there was not single house
where the city of Akron now is. Board
and lodgings could only be obtained for
four men at a farm house, one mile from
the scene of operations. In their trav
els, one of the men had worn out his
boots; Mr. Longstreet, being shoe
maker by trade, made pair of thick
shoes for him. his first work in the west
The unacclinated new comers were
soon compelled by sickness, to return to
New York State and give up their pro-
ject, it being a general time Of fatal
sickness in the new country. In 1888
Mr. Longstrcet came the second time to
Michigan, then settling in jackson Co,
where timber was quito scarce. There
was not timber enough standing on the
ground to fence a six acre lot. Look
ing for more heavily timbered land, he
pursued his western travels as far as
Big Prairie Ronde, and there hired out
by the month to Dolphin Morris, for a
short time, taking his pay in provisions,
preparatory to moving his family from
Jackson county, when he should find
the desired location. While there he
heard of Paw Paw and Mr. Dodge's
Hotel and supposing it to be city of
considerable size and pretensions, he
made his way thther on foot to look
land. Enquiring all the way, which
seemed long distance, he at last saw a
small house where he thought to enquire
again /; but when he was told that he
was in Paw Paw, he quickly asked
where the village was, and where was
Dodges Hotel. When he was told
that he was at the Hotel, which consti-
tuted the whole village, he thought he
was "sold" Though then nearly noon,
he had not tasted food that day, and
judging from the looks of the place, he
had some forebodings as to facilities for
satisfying his ravenous appetite. But
when dinner was announced his fears
suddenly vanished; from that time till
the present he never ate better meal.
Probably the old adage, "Hunger is the
best sauce" accounts for part of it.
That night the unpretendng Hotel en-.
tertained forty guests, from variety Of
points east. All came to look land.
Mr.. Longstreet's final settlement was
made in 1884, in the present village Of
Lawton, when all Van Buren, county
was in one township named Lafayette
When it was first set off from Cass Co.
there were but Is voters. At their frs,
town MEETING Peter Gremps was elected
Supervisor. Mr.. Longstreet's first
dwelling was log shanty, in which he
spent many happy days, but sometimes
was Strengthened for the common com
forts of life. The nearest grist mill was
at Whitmanville. in Cass county, anG
once the family lived two months OF
buckvheat ground in a hand mill. Mrs
Long sreet he says could make excellen,