portion of the citizens were in sympathy with Michigan, another portion with Ohio, therefore the Governors of Ohio and Michigan were advised of the movements of each other.

On the 31st of March, 1835, Gov. Lucas of Ohio, accompanied by his staff and the boundary commissioners, and about 600 well-armed and equipped soldiers, arrived at Perrysburg on their way to run and remark the "Harris line."

Gov. Mason, with Gen. Joseph Brown, arrived at Toledo with a force under the immediate command of the latter, variously estimated from 800 to 1,200 men, and went into camp, ready to resist any advance of the Ohio authorities upon the disputed territory to run the boundary line or doing other acts inconsistent with Michigan's rights of jurisdiction over it.

Gen. Brown had for his staff, Capt. Henry Smith of Monroe, inspector; Major J. J. Ulman of Constantine, quartermaster; William E. Boardman of Detroit, and Alpheus Felch, aids-de-camp. The two governors found themselves confronted by a military force that had been called out to enforce the acts of their respective legislatures. Gov. Mason representing the tenant in possession, was content to rest at ease. Gov. Lucas found it convenient to observe "masterly inactivity" for some days. The whole country, in the meantime became wild with excitement.

Hon. Richard Rush of Philadelphia, and Col. Howard of Baltimore arrived from Washington, as commissioners from the President of the United States, to use their personal influence to stop all warlike demonstrations, accompanied by the Hon. Elisha Whittlesey of Ohio, as a voluntary peacemaker. They advised the abandonment of forcible measures and to wait for a peaceable settlement by congress, and recommended the Harris line should be run and remarked pursuant to the last act of the legislature of Ohio without interruption. Gov. Mason refused to agree to the proposition of Messrs. Rush and Howard, claiming the right of possession under the original act of congress creating the territory of Michigan, and having acquired peaceable possession he would not compromise the right of his people by a surrender of possession. Gov. Lucas accepted the proposition for a peaceable settlement until after the close of the next session of congress, and disbanded the military force he had collected. Gov. Mason refused to acquiesce in the proposition, partially followed suit, but still continued making preparations for any emergency that might arise. Gov. Lucas, in pursuance of the recommendations of the commissioners, thought he could run and remark the Harris line without serious molestation from the authorities of Michigan, and directed the commissioners to proceed in making the survey. Formidable preparations were promptly made to prevent the commissioners of Ohio from trespassing on the soil of Michigan. President Jackson, at this juncture, applied to Attorney-General Benjamin F. Butler, of New York, for his official opinion in regard to his power over the parties. The opinion was that "the mere running of the line will constitute an offense against the Territorial Act of Feb. 12, 1835, and if the commissioners of Ohio should attempt to execute the duties imposed on them, by the law of their State, prosecution may be instituted against them in the proper courts of the territory."

Notwithstanding the views of the authorities at Washington, the commissioners proceeded to run the line, commencing at the northwest corner of the State. Gen. Brown sent scouts through the woods to watch their movements.

When the surveying party got within Lenawee county, the under-sheriff of Lenawee county, with a warrant and posse, made his appearance to arrest them; but the commissioners and surveyors made their escape from the disputed territory, and reported through Gov. Lucas to Washington, the attack by a large force of Michigan, under Gen. Brown; they had been fired upon, and barely escaped with their lives. The breaking up of the surveying party produced great excitement throughout Ohio. Gov. Lucas, finding it impossible to run the line, as proposed by Messrs. Rush & Howard, called an extra session of the Legislature to meet on the eighth of June, which passed an act “to prevent the forcible abduction of the citizens of Ohio." The partisans of Ohio were continually harassed for the greater part of the summer of 1835. Major Stickney, George McRay, Judge Wilson, and many others, were arrested and taken to the Monroe jail.

When Major Stickney was arrested he fought and resisted the officer, but was overpowered and requested to ride on a horse to Monroe. He refused, and was by force put onto the horse. He would not sit on the horse. Two men, one on each side, held him, while a third man led the horse. In this way they got him about half way to Monroe, and tired of holding him on, tied his legs together under the horse, and in that manner conveyed him the rest of the distance. About this time J. Q. Adams, the district attorney of Monroe county, reported to Governor Mason that Deputy Sheriff Wood, in arresting Q. Stickney, who stabbed him, had fled into Ohio, and was protected by Governor Lucas. The President was impressed with the importance of checking the tendency towards more serious troubles. The President superseded Governor Mason by the appointment of Mr. Charles Shaler, of Pennsylvania August 29, 1835, as his successor, who failing to qualify, John S. Horner was appointed. A lengthy correspondence was carried on between him and Governor Lucas, which resulted in the discontinuance of prosecutions commenced. The people of the disputed territory, from this time on, were left to regulate matters in their own way.

At the next session of Congress Michigan was admitted into the Union, with her southern boundary next to Ohio limited to the Harris line-the disputed territory given to Ohio. Congress gave Michigan the valuable mineral lands adjoining Lake Superior, to make up the loss of territory given to Ohio.

It was during this year of 1835, February 24, the first appropriation was made by Congress of $30,000, to construct the ship canal connecting the waters of the river Raisin with those of Lake Erie.

During the year following the city of Monroe made an appropriation of $25,000, and afterwards $10,000 more, for the construction of the city canal across the bend of the river, thus shortening the distance from the city, and making it direct to the ship canal.

MEMORIAL REPORT

BY J. M. STERLING

List of Pioneer deaths in Monroe County from June 4th, 1882, to June 10th, 1883.

SKETCH OF THE FIRST SETTLEMENT OF PONTIAC, AS GIVEN BY MR. ORISSON ALLEN TO MRS. E. M. SHELDON STEWART IN 1850

Read at the annual meeting of the State Pioneer Society, June 14, 1883

I came from Niagara county, N. Y. Left Buffalo October 20, 1818, on a sailing vessel. We were twenty-eight days crossing Lake Erie; were driven back to Erie three times. Finally landed at L'Anse Creux and went in wagons to Mt. Clemens. I stayed there a while and then the Pontiac company urged me to come to Pontiac.

I hired a team and was three days coming here; passed four houses on the road, at two of which I stayed all night; one of these log houses, twenty feet square, was occupied by two families.

In February, 1819, Joseph Todd, William Lester, and I moved our families to Pontiac. The village consisted of one log house built by the Pontiac company. Into this house we all moved, making a little community of fourteen persons. There was no chamber, no chimney, no floor except some split logs where we laid our beds. Here we all lived till April. Before the ground broke up in the spring I bought a barrel of flour in Detroit and hired it taken to Birmingham. Then I carried it on my back from Birmingham to Pontiac as we needed it. I could carry thirty or forty pounds at a time. With this flour and wild game and fish we got along very well till the first of June, 1819. Then I found that I could not live in such a precarious way. Food could only be obtained from Detroit via Mt. Clemens, and then a strong team could only draw about half a load; worst of all my money was gone and our supplies were nearly exhausted. Finally I concluded to go to Detroit and see if I could find any way to support my family. When I reached Detroit I went into Judge Sibley's office and told him I must leave Pontiac. He asked the reason, and I told him if I stayed there I should starve; my money was gone, and there was no work to be had; it was the only time I had ever known want. The Judge buried his face in his hands and sat silent for some time; finally he said, "You must not leave; we will furnish you with food and you may pay when you can."

I said no; I might not be able to pay, and then I should wrong him. "We need more help," said the Judge, "and if you will stay we will give you employment and I will direct our agent to furnish you with provisions."

Early in the spring of 1819 the Pontiac company had built a large trading house 20x60 feet, and divided it into three rooms, and stocked it with goods for the Indian trade and provisions for the men in their employ. It was from this agency that Judge Sibley promised me supplies.

The next morning after this interview I started for Pontiac with a number of men employed by the company, three oxen and a cart, and one woman as passenger. We had to cross a swamp about six miles wide, which was like a sea of mud; the team got stuck, and the woman was obliged to wade out. I reached home at dark and my wife brought me a piece of bread about half as large as my hand, all the food there was in the house. I could not eat it, nor could I rest that night from fatigue and anxiety.

Early the next morning I went to the trading house to learn the judge's orders, and was rejoiced to find that they were, "Let Mr. Allen have all the provisions he wants."

Pork, flour, beans, a very few potatoes, and tea was the entire list of supplies, but I was glad enough for a share of these.

It was not till a year afterward that Col. Mack's store was opened. In the spring of 1819, Mr. Todd and I moved into houses we had built, and in early summer a family by the name of Sterling came to Pontiac, and moved into the house with us. The two families numbered eighteen persons, and in July we were all sick, not one of us able to help the others. It was a full month before we were really better. Of course the disease was ague and fever. Dr. William Thompson was the only physician in the county; and he lived eight miles from Pontiac.

Every year, for seven or eight years, the whole region was very sickly from July till the autumnal frosts, and this was a great hindrance to cultivating and harvesting the crops. Indeed, for a number of years, we depended largely upon Ohio. The French were poor farmers and raised but little for market. The hogs brought here to sell were of the poorest quality, we used to call the pork "working pork."

Indians were very numerous. Pontiac was on the great northern trail, and this was their camping ground, but they were not troublesome. Kishkauko, a celebrated chief, sometimes came here; he always had a body guard of ten or twelve Indians, and neither he nor they would hesitate to kill any one who offended them, though no such tragedy occurred at Pontiac. One of Joseph Campau's sons once told me that during the war of 1812, he saw a white man tortured here on the old camping ground by sticking pine splints in his flesh and setting them on fire. Wolves were very numerous and bold. They would even come to the house and take chickens from coop built against the house. The Indians would not kill wolves nor snakes. I was once traveling to the pay-ground beyond Flint, with six or seven Indians, when we saw a very large blue racer-the Indians would not kill it, nor see me kill it. The Indians call the wolves "brother hunters."

Sugar made by the Indians was all the sugar used here for some years; none was made in this vicinity. The Indians also brought us apples from the island in Orchard Lake. The trees are said to have grown from seeds planted by white prisoners during the revolutionary war.

My business led me all over the country, and I have often lain down beside a log to sleep, not knowing that there was a human being within twenty miles.