Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-11-01
THE AMERICAN HORSE
Washtenaw Chief.

WashtenaW Chief
The above is the name of three quite
celebrated horses, For quite time it
was question whether there were more
than two, but it would appear at last to
be definitely settled that there were
three, and probably they all belong to
one family, and represent three genera
tons
AS we understand the name is from a
county in Michigan, and it makes very
excellent name for a stallion.
The first Washtenaw Chief was bav,
153 hands, 1920 lbs. foaled 1S47 or 1s4s
bred by Salem T. Turner, Lewis, N. Y,
got by Black Hawk. son of Sherman
Morgan; dam bay, bred by Payne Tur-
ner, Essex County, N. Y; sire unknown;
I'd dam, said to have been taken from
the British army at Pittsburgh, n. Y.
Kept, 1858, by breeder in Oneida and
Herkimer Cos, N. Y, then called Black
Hawk. In December, 1854, Mr.. Turner
moved to Ypsilanti, Mich, taking the
horse. which died in Michigan, his prop
erty, 1876. Had good style and fine ac-
ton. Received I'd premium at Michi-
gan State fair, 1856. the committee de-
claring him to be a model trotting horse,
but giving LIST premium to Othello.
The above is from Vol. l, page 455 of
the Morgan Horse and Register.
We find following letters in our files in
regard to dam
E. w. Ewers, Union City, Mich,
writes:
- have a stud bill of Washtenaw
Chief of 1856, which reads: Washtenaw
Chief, half brother of Ethan Allen, sired
by the celebrated horse, Hills Black
Hawk dam, a cross of Messenger and
Morgan stock. He was bred and raised
in Essex county, N. Y. No name of
breeder. date, or age, but signed S. T.
Turner, Ypsilanti, Mich"
W. H, Hawkins writes, dated, Yysil-
anti, Mich, Nov. l, 1888:
~ bred five colts from Washtenaw
Chief. Mr.. Turner said he was sired by
Hills Vermont Black Hrwk, and that
his dam was a Canadian bred mare,
rather in the French order. which l
thiuk was the CASE,
We have also learned that this Wash.
tenaw Chief went from Michigan in 1857
or '5S to Kentucky, where he remained
several years, then returned to Michigan.
Our first information of this was in
an article upon the Horse Stock of Mich
igan by Michigan correspondent of
Wilkes Spirit of the Times, Nov. 80.
-J62, in which appeared the following:
Washtenaw Chief was another good
one and left here large field of colts.
Strong enough for draught and trotters
in the bargain. He was 151 hands, 1900
lbs, could trot in 3 :35 Stood in this
state several years and then went to
Kentucky, where he still presides."
From Chester's Complete Trotting and
Pacing Record we find that this horse
trotted in races in Kentucky, 1858. SO
and go.
And again in the New York Spirit of
The Times, October. 6, 1858, in an arti-
Gle entitled "Trotting at Louisville"
September 2S, 1858, corresponds mt
writes
Last but not least in public estima-
ton, is fine square made, rich brown,
of the Morgan stock, from Cold Wa ter,
Mich; and it was confidently asserted
that he would do credit 10 the Wash
tenaws. as he had shown in trial before
he left home, in ordinary condition. a
mile to heavy sulky in 2;35. He is
called Washtenaw Chief.
g. In fact there was no fair, square
trotting, except by two horses, of all that
showed, viz. John M. Breckenridge
and Washtenaw Chief The rest went
almost every conceivable gait horse
can go except a trot. The
first premium was awarded to John NJ.
Breckenridge"
Washtenaw Chief, Jr., was son of the
above horse, dark brown with star,
1874 hands, 1900 pounds; foaled about
1855; bred by David Cor Isaac) Hughes,
South Trenton, n. Y; got by Washte-
nav Chief, son of Black Hawk, dam
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