Death Valley in 49 | Page 6

from a friend named Cornish who
said that good land nearly clear of timber could be bought of the
Government in Michigan Territory, some sixty or seventy miles beyond
Detroit, and this being an opportunity to get land they needed with their
small capital, they would start for that place as soon as the water-ways
were thawed out, probably in April.
We then gave up the idea of staying here and prepared to go to
Michigan as soon as the frost was out of the ground. Starting, we
reached Huron River to find it swollen and out of its bank, giving us
much trouble to get across, the road along the bottom lands being partly
covered with logs and rails, but once across we were in the town and
when we enquired about the road around to Detroit, they said the
country was all a swamp and 30 miles wide and in Spring impassible.
They called it the Maumee or Black Swamp, We were advised to go by
water, when a steamboat came up the river bound for Detroit we put
our wagons and horses on board, and camped on the lower deck
ourselves. We had our own food and were very comfortable, and glad
to have escaped the great mudhole.
CHAPTER III.
We arrived in Detroit safely, and a few minutes answered to land our
wagons and goods, when we rolled outward in a westerly direction. We
found a very muddy roads, stumps and log bridges plenty, making our
rate of travel very slow. When out upon our road about 30 miles, near
Ypsilanti, the thick forest we had been passing through grew thinner,
and the trees soon dwindled down into what they called oak openings,
and the road became more sandy. When we reached McCracken's
Tavern we began to enquire for Ebenezer Manley and family, and were
soon directed to a large house near by where he was stopping for a
time.
We drove up to the door and they all came out to see who the new
comers were. Mother saw me first and ran to the wagon and pulled me

off and hugged and kissed me over and over again, while the tears ran
down her cheeks, Then she would hold me off at arm's length, and look
me in the eye and say--"I am so glad to have you again"; and then she
embraced me again and again. "You are our little man," said she, "You
have come over this long road, and brought us our good horse and our
little wagon." My sister Polly two years older than I, stood patiently by,
and when mother turned to speak to uncle and aunt, she locked arms
with me and took me away with her. We had never been separated
before in all our lives and we had loved each other as good children
should, who have been brought up in good and moral principles. We
loved each other and our home and respected our good father and
mother who had made it so happy for us.
We all sat down by the side of the house and talked pretty fast telling
our experience on our long journey by land and water, and when the
sun went down we were called to supper, and went hand in hand to
surround the bountiful table as a family again. During the conversation
at supper father said to me--"Lewis, I have bought you a smooth bore
rifle, suitable for either ball or shot." This, I thought was good enough
for any one, and I thanked him heartily. We spent the greater part of the
night in talking over our adventures since we left Vermont, and sleep
was forgotten by young and old.
Next morning father and uncle took the horse and little wagon and went
out in search of Government land. They found an old acquaintance in
Jackson county and Government land all around him, and, searching till
they found the section corner, they found the number of the lots they
wanted to locate on--200 acres in all. They then went to the Detroit
land office and secured the pieces they had chosen.
Father now bought a yoke of oxen, a wagon and a cow, and as soon as
we could get loaded up our little emigrant train started west to our
future home, where we arrived safely in a few days and secured a house
to live in about a mile away from our land. We now worked with a will
and built two log houses and also hired 10 acres broken, which was
done with three or four yoke of oxen and a strong plow. The trees were
scattered over the ground and some small brush and old limbs, and logs

which we cleared away as we plowed. Our