The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1907-10-18
A BIT or PAW PAW HISTORY.
Written and Delivered by Frank
Hudson on Picnic Day of
Last Home Coming Week.


1t has bee )me the custom to slur the
early citiz ,ns because they failed to
get the Michigan Central railroad, and
these slurs. without single fact to
stand upon, are generally accepted as
true by this present generation.
May give you the facts as l under
stand themY
The line OF travel in those early pio-
reer days was by boat from Buffalo
to Detroit, thence by stage through
Paw Paw to ST. Joseph; thence by boat
to Chicago.
The Michigan Central was being built
by the state Simply TO supercede the
stage line and thus facilitate lake trans
portation. That was the sole purpose
of the state in constructing the. road,
the terminal points being Detroit and
st. Joseph. Its construction had been
completed as far as Marshall when its
sale became an issue. IL the road was
sold, then this theory of construction
would be bandoned and Chicago be-
come the western terminal instead OF St.
Joseph, and this would imperil its con-
struction through Paw Paw. Hence our
representative in the Legislature, Dr.
A ndrews. was wisely instructed to OPP
pose the sale of the road.
When it became evident sale OF the
road was liable to be made, | w. Will
lard, taking with him Henry Stevens,
at once went to Detroit, where the legis-
lature was then in session, going TO Mr..
Brooks who represented the purchasing
corporation. Mr. Willard made him this
proposition: If the road should be built
through Paw-Paw according TO the orig
inal survey, be would personally guaran-
tee the right of way through the town.
ship, that is to say, for distance of at
least six miles. The right of way
should not cost the purchasing corpora
tion one penny.
May | ask how many of the present
generation would do as much?
Mr.. Willard at this time owned real
estate extending for nearly three miles
south OF the village and owned portion
of the Paw Paw mill and other village
property, thus making his guarantee
good.
In reply Mr. Brooks said: "Mr. Will
lard, by the way of Paw Paw it is not as
good route 1t is over hill and through
lakes. Besides it is for our interest to
get south as fast as possible Then Mr..
Willard came home, for he could not do
the impossible.
Now take your map, the latest one,
and you will see the conditions were ex
acsly as | have stated. From Kalama-
zoo by the way of Lawton to Niles is a
low, level land ideal conditions for a
road.
The purchasing corporation never for
one moment contemplated building the
road through Paw Paw. The only pos
sible chance for Paw Paw was to defeat,
or, at least, imperil the sale of the road
and in this way force terms. Failing in
this, the road was hopelessly lost. Had
the wisdom of Deity been back of this
move, they could not have acted more
wisely.
Mr.. Willard first located IN Kalamazoo.
From there he came to Paw Paw. be-
cause of its superior natural advantages.
Here he invested every dollar he was
worth, thus making him fixture here
for life Let me say to those who did
not know him personally, that he was
alive to the best interest of Paw Paw, a
born leader among men. Paw Paw never
had citizen of greater ability or more
public spirited than be. In his later
years, in a conversation with my father,
l once heard him say, by remaining in
Paw Paw he had sacrificed his life,
meaning, of course, that when Paw Paw
lost the Michigan Central he should
have abandoned everything and gone
elsewhere. This statement alone shows
how intensely Mr.. Willard felt the neces-
sity for securing the road, and there is
ample evidence that he was not alone in
this matter. Paw Paw, instead of slur.
ring, has every reason for remembering
its early citizens kindly.