of the board, passed Feb. 17, 1848, empowered the contractor to select the lands, and report to the Commissioner of State Lands. The day succeeding a resolution of the board gave him the privilege of constructing the canal on the east side of the river, in the event of a right of way being denied on the west side.

The result of all these resolutions and negotiations was, that on April 22, 1848, a contract of 14 articles was entered into between Rix Robinson, Daniel Ball, Fred Hall, Commissioners, and James Davis, contractor, which was signed in presence of Philander Hines and Geo. Martin. The bond was set forth as follows: "Know all men by these presents, that we, James Davis, of Walker, Kent county, Mich., as principal, and Ámos Rathbun, C. W. Taylor, J. M. Nelson, W. D. Foster, Amos Roberts, J. Morrison, J. M. Fox, Ebenezer Davis, T. H. Lyon, and John L. Clements, are held and firmly bound unto Rix Robinson, Daniel Ball and Frederick Hall, Commissioners appointed by the Governor, by virtue of an act approved March 28, 1848, and their successors in office, in the penal sum of $32,000, for the payment of which well and truly to be made, we, and each of us, bind ourselves, and each of our heirs, executors and administrators, jointly and severally, firmly by these presents.

The following releases conveyed to the State the right of way, on condition that the canal should be built on the bed of the old canal, and on the east side of the river. They were executed by the following named land-owners: Charles H. Carroll, Mar. 16, 1848; Louis Campau, Peter Godfroy, and Lucius Lyon, Mar. 4, 1848; Peter Godfroy, Isaac P. Christiancy and W. W. Clark, Mar. 14, 1848; Arthur Bronson and Lucius Lyon, Mar. 24, 1848; Chas. W. Taylor, Mar. 4, 1848; James Davis and wife, May 5, 1848; Joshua Coit and Benj. Curtiss, May 18, 1848; Daniel W. Coit, May 8, 1848; Henry H. Coit, June 5, 1848.

The history of the canals at the rapids may be said to begin with the Legislative enactment approved Feb. 20, 1847, and amended Jan. 29, 1849. Under this act, Frederick Hall, Rix Robinson and Daniel Ball were appointed commissioners to supervise the work of the contractor, James Davis. In a report tendered to the State Land Commissioner Oct. 30, 1848, the commissioners certified that the contractor had completed one-half the work in accordance with the terms of the act. A. V. Berry, appointed by the supervisors of Ionia county to make estimates on the Grand Rapids canal, under Legislative authority, given March 31, 1849, reported May 31, 1849, that James Davis, the contractor was then entitled to 7,673.25 acres of land for the amount of labor performed on the canal in proportion to the total amount for the completion of the work under contract. On the 13th of June following, Berry further certified that the work performed since May 31 entitled Davis to a further grant of 2,725 acres. Again, Oct. 5, 1849, a certificate issued from Mr. Berry's office showing the contractor to be entitled to 6,359 acres for labor performed from

June 13 up to that date. This last document was duly signed by A. V. Berry, Engineer; Alexander F. Bell, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Ionia county; and by Allen Goodridge, Deputy Commissioner, bearing testimony to the fact, that up to Oct. 5, 1849, James Davis was entitled to 16,761 acres of publíc lands in consideration of labor actually expended on the work of canal construction at the rapids of Grand river.

The commissioners named in the act of 1847 examined the work Jan. 25, 1850, and reported that the canal from the lower end of the basin to its connection with the dam was entirely completed, with five and one-half feet of water in the channel.

The mill-race merged into a canal, affording power for many mills and factories. It required daily repairs, and to provide for these, each mill-owner resolved to repair his section of the canal at his own expense.

James Davis was bound by his contract to complete the dam across the river, and enlarge the mill race as far as the basin, at which point he was to construct a regular canal lock into the river below, to enable boats to pass the rapids. Davis built the upper dam, enlarged the canal, and let the water into the present basin. In accomplishing so much he exhausted his funds, and left the district without completing his contract. The lock proposed was never built.

The canal does not vary in appearance from that which it presented when Mr. Davis gave up the works. Of course it looks more ancient, and shows marks of substantial improvements made by the Water Power Company of Grand Rapids, composed principally of the millers and manufacturers who operate the industrial concerns along its banks.

In 1866, the Water Power Company, in conjunction with Wm. T. Powers, owner of the water-power on the west side, built the dam which crosses the river a short distance below the old dam. This dam affords a supply for both canals, and was the commencement of the west-side water-power improvement.

In 1867 Wm. T. Powers entered upon the work of utilizing the water-power of the river on the west side of the rapids. His interests extended along the river front from Ann street to the foot of the rapids, with the exception of the Congdon property, and a strip of land 80 feet wide from Third street to Bridge Street bridge. The length of the canal is 3,250 feet, with a fall of seven feet at the upper and of 17 feet at the lower end. The work was completed in 1868, at a cost of $96,000.

CHAPTER IX.

ORGANIC.

As early as 1821 the first American settlement was made in the territory now known as Kent county by Rix Robinson, who arrived here within a few days after the negotiation of the Chicago treaty of 1821. A period of over five years elapsed before this pioneer of the Grand River Valley could claim a white neighbor, and he came in the person of Louis Campau, from the great Indian camp on the Saginaw. Toussaint Campau was the youthful "pioneer" of the valley. Those pioneers were joined before the close of 1830 by Edward Robinson and Daniel Marsac. Capt. John Farley, Samuel McCloskey, Patrick Connor, Richard Godfroy and Whittemore Knaggs were occasional visitors. Jacob Smith, the trader of the Flint, visited the settlement about 1829, and expressed his intention of coming here. His untimely death, however, prevented the carrying out of this intention.

David Tucker, Gideon H. Gordon, J. B. Copeland, Hiram Jen! nison, W. R. Godwin, Joel Guild, Luther Lincoln, Mrs. (Guild) Burton, Consider Guild, Eliphalet Turner, Ira Jones, Jonathan F. Chubb, Rev. Dr. Baraga, Darius Winsor, Barney Burton, Myron Roys, Henry West, Daniel Guild, James Vander Pool, and perhaps one other settler, came here in 1833. Richard Godfroy, Robert Barr, Louis Moreau, Lovell Moore, Ezekiel Davis, Lewis Reed, Porter Reed, Ezra Reed, David S. Leavitt, Robert M. Barr, Roswell Britton, Julius C. Abel, Ephraim P. Walker, Abraham Bryant, J. McCarthy, Robert Howlett, George Thompson, Rev. A. Vizoisky and Alvah Wanzy made settlements within the present boundaries of the county before the close of 1834.

Having already given an account of all the white settlers of Kent up to 1834, when the entire county was organized as the township of Kent, we will proceed to give the organic history of the county.

In the early organization of the State, and particularly at the close of the Territorial days, the counties formed principalities in themselves. The first study of the pioneers after making a settlement, was that relating to the organization of the district in which they located. They soon became conversant with all the formalities required by the Territory in organizing a county, and were not slow to take advantage of their privileges.

The Territorial Legislature, in an act providing for laying off the country adjacent to Grand river into counties, approved March 2, 1831, decreed that all the territory west of the line between ranges 8 and 9; east of the line between ranges 12 and 13 west of

the meridian; south of the line between townships 8 and 9, and north of the line between townships 4 and 5 north of the base line, containing 16 townships, be set off into a county under the name of Kent. This name was selected by the inhabitants in honor of Chancellor Kent, a New York lawyer, who died 19 years previous to the organization of this county, while yet the people showered honors upon him.

The Legislative Council, in an act approved March 7, 1834, authorized the organization of all that part of Kent county lying south of Grand river, into a township to be known as Kent, and further directed that the first township meeting should be held at the dwelling-house of Joel Guild, a settler who came to the county at the instance of Louis Campau and purchased from him the lot on which the City National Bank building now stands. The meeting was held, in accordance with the terms of the act, 24 days after its approval, when Rix Robinson was elected Supervisor; Eliphalet Turner. Town Clerk; Ira Jones, Treasurer; Barney Burton and Joel Guild, Assessors. The new township was attached to Kalamazoo for judicial purposes.

The first and extra session of the Legislature of Michigan, 1835-26, enacted that the county of Kent be organized, and the inhabitants entitled to all the rights and privileges extended to the people of other counties. The act further provided that suits, prosecutions and other causes then pending before any record court, or before any of the justices of the county to which Kent was attached, should be carried through to final judgment and execution, and all taxes heretofore levied should be collected in the same manner as though the act of organization had not been passed, and further provided that the unorganized counties of Ottawa, Ionia and Clinton should be attached to Kent county for judicial purposes. The act was approved March 24, 1836, and ordered to take effect the first Monday in April of the same year. Kent county originally comprised but 16 surveyed towns, the same as Ionia, but in 1839 or '40 a few settlers had gone into town 9 north, range 10 west, who petitioned the Legislature to take from the county of Oceana and attach to Kent the other eight townships, forming the north part of Kent county, so that from that time it has consisted of 24 townships, which by the United States survey are townships 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 north, of ranges 9, 10, 11 and 12 west from the intersection of the base and meridian lines of the State of Michigan.

When the election for representative took place in the fall of 1837 there were but five organized townships in the four counties: none in Ottawa, for the voters had to come to Kent to vote, and in that county but two-Kent and Byron, the latter comprising townships 5 and 6 north, range 12 west, and Kent the rest of the county south of Grand river, for the country north of that river was purchased from the Indians only the year before, and had not yet been surveyed. In Ionia, range 9, was the town of Maple; the rest was Ionia; and the county of Clinton made the one town of

De Witt. In the whole district there were some 700 or 800 votes, all told.

Kent county settled slowly until after the lands granted by Congress for internal improvements were put into the market by the Štate in the summer of 1843. The nominal price was the saine as the Government lands, $1.25 per acre. But the obligations called warrants, taken in payment for these lands, could be purchased for 40 cents on the dollar, which brought the cost of the lands at 50 cents the acre. This low cost of lands attracted the attention of the immigrants, all then bound through Michigan to what were thought better lands farther west. But on looking at these lands they were so well satisfied that they concluded to go no further. Cheap as these lands were, there was no disposition to buy on speculation. The settlers had the whole field, and many were soon located on these fertile lands.

The grant was for any surveyed, unsold land belonging to the United States in Michigan, so that the State had procured a selection of only the better lands. Those selections comprised almost half the area of that part of Kent county north of Grand river, and a considerable tract south of the river. This selection was made by John Ball, acting under instructions from Governor Barry. The selection created much dissatisfaction among the settlers; but after all the action turned out fortunately, as working men invested State script in these lands. For example, Mr. Farrell bought several hundred acres at 40 cents per acre, while Mr. O'Brien purchased a large tract at 60 cents.

Under an act approved March 23, 1836, the township of Byron was organized, and the first town meeting ordered to be held at the house of Charles H. Oakes. The district, as organized then, comprised townships 5 and 6 north, of ranges 12 and 13 west.

In March, 1849, the township of Wyoming was organized. That portion of Byron known as town 6 north, of range 12 west, was detached and erected into a separate township to be named Wyoming. The first town meeting was ordered to be held at the house of Dwight Rankin.

Ada township, comprising townships 5, 6 and 7 north, of range 10 west, United States survey, was set off, under authority of an act approved March 6, 1838, and the first meeting ordered to be held at the house of John W. Fisk, in April following.

The township of Cascade was organized under an act approved March 9, 1848, directing that town 6 north, of range 10 west, lying south of Grand river, should be detached from the township of Ada, erected into a separate township under the name of Cascade, and the first town meeting held at the house of William S. Gunn, the first Monday in April of that year.

Walker was organized under authority of the Legislature, granted Dec. 30, 1837. directing that all that portion of Kent county lying north of the Grand river should be set off as a separate township, and that the first meeting should be held at the school-house of the missionary station.