Did You Know? As an author, I am required to do a great deal of research. My latest novel, due to be published on November 22nd , wasn’t any different. This research resulted in some very interesting facts, which I will be sharing with you. To pre Order Dead Eye Will go to Smashwords and use coupon ZV87C for 15% discount. ------- Did you know that the city of Pontiac was started by Colonel Mack of the Pontiac Company? On November 5, 1818, a group of men from Detroit and Macomb County met in Detroit. These men were drawn from Michigan’s political and professional circles along with business leaders. Their goal: the “taking into consideration the expediency of purchasing a tract of land on the Huron of St. Clair for locating a town.” The Huron of St. Clair later became known as the Clinton River. Altogether this group, which became known as the Pontiac Company, included fifteen members. These included: James Fulton, Stephen Mack, Major General Alex Macomb, David McKinstry, William Solomon Sibley, Benjamin Stead, William Thompson, Austin E. Wing, John T. Whiting, A. G. Whitney, and, William Woodbridge. It was Colonel Stephen Mack who was appointed trustee and business manager. He contracted with the United States on an installment plan and secured 1280 acres for the company. This land was in the central part of Pontiac. The total cost: $2,400 with a $120 down payment. He followed this with the purchase in 1822 of another 160 acres. All told, he acquired 1,440 acres of land. The actual surveying and plotting of the town was done by Major John Anderson in 1818. By the end of the year, Colonel Mack had moved to Pontiac and built the first cabin. This land was good land with abundant plant and animal life. There were oak trees, elm, pine, and others along with several varieties of fruit trees, such as peach, wild plum, and apple. The animal life included deer, rabbit, beaver, and wolves. It was here that the cabin was built at the corner of Saginaw and Water Streets by Pontiac Company workers. During the years 1819 and 1820 the Pontiac Company built a saw mill and flour and grist mill. The first business building, however, was the Trading Post built by Colonel Mack, where he traded with the Chippewa Indians of Saginaw Bay and with the Orchard Lake Indians, who became regular visitors. While Colonel Mack died in poverty (because he was surety for an unscrupulous man), his work in The Pontiac Company and in Pontiac laid the foundation for a great city.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 13:05:14 +0000
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