The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-04-29

! trail. found his way into the country.
He wintered with the Jersey axe-mak-
er. after sending his wagons back TO
Baltimore. loaded with ginseng for
the Chinese trade.
The fourth settler was a lone Yam
kee. Jacob Benson. who came down
the trail from the lakes. With chain
and compass he lay out the town, with
It's large public green, it's Main-st., it's
Ncrth-st.. and South-st.. and its Front
and Watersts.. together with one hun
bred and sixty lots In Section number
1--WE, Township eight, Range Ave,
United States Military District. Then,
with his town plot In his pocket, he
made his way on foot to the nearest
land ONCE, eighty-ive miles distant,
and before justice Of the peace. ac-
knowledged this important instr.
ment: whereupon Andrew Ballard.
feeling that he had been crowded out
OF the country, got together his half
breed family and moved over into In
diana. where there was nothing but
echoes TO answer the crack of his
rife
The country round about Benson
was soon parcelled c.t in what were
u
neer cut his name with Ratchet or hunt
ing knife on some convenient tree.
and thus marked his Claim. Jacob
Benson built his cabin of hewn lots on
the south side OF the public square and
opened store. selling guns. ammuni-
ton. cheap trinkets, and poor whis-
ky to passing whites and Indians. at
fabulous profit TO himself
pt,t no.
highway long before Jacob Bensons
day-a highway when the eighteenth
century was Younger. and Jacob Ben
son not at all From time immemorial
the Indians had used II in their pass
ings to and fro between the Great
Lakes on the north. and the Ohio
river on the south. They were using
II when the first white man set his
font upon the Western Woriti.-FAey
were following It's windings beneath
the broad arches OF the forest by sum.
mer and winter: when the sunlight
lay in golden patches on the mossy
mould OF its surface: when snow and
| frost chung thick TO bouch and bush.
and the sunlight glistened white and
| binding among it's pale shadows; and
even further back than this. the trail
a
! intercourse between the north and the
south Strange earth-works and
mounds rudely outlines its course.
showing plainly that ii had been
known to the Indians predecessors.
But the Mound Builder had vanished.
and tall trees thrived at amplest girth
on the mounds OF his building. He
had gone his way upon the trail, had
stepped from II as silently as the sun
light faded over its length at evening
TO become as intangible as myth:
and the Indian had gone his way upon
IL too, leaving not even the print or
his moccasin among the dead leaves
rotting beneath the old trees.
Following the Mound Builders and
the Indians. came the superior race
to occupy the soil. Their first need
was a road. so they felled few trees
at the trail-side or blew out a few
stnmps with gunpowder. and the state
established It as post route between
the lake ports and river points. Cabins
=, sprang up along it and were occupied
by the pioneers who made their living
partly from their land: partly by
hunting or in trading with the In
| dians.S
AS emigration increased, inns and
taverns dotted the road; FOR II was
destined to know the passing of those.
who, impclled by the earth hunger.
were pushing west, always west; on
| foot, on horseback, by wagon and by
stage. to found states In the wilder
ness beyond. The blacksmith, gun
maker, wheelwright. cooper, and cob