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Michigan STARTING LIFE ANEW IN THE WOODS
It was in June, 1831, that Sherman Comings, while at the land office at White Pigeon, met there Daniel G. Gurnsey, and borrowed of him a certain amount of money to enable him to pay for the lands he had located on Toland Prairie. And it was during the autumn of this year that he and his son, James R. Comings, with two yoke of oxen, went to the wilderness where Battle Creek now is, and built a log house for Daniel G. Gurnsey, which work Mr. Gurnsey took in payment for the money Mr. Comings had borrowed of him. Dr. Foster was the first occupant of this house. He lived there a short time and then went to Otsego. What interest Dr. Foster had at Battle Creek at this time, if he had any, who knows? During this time Henry Little, now of Kalamazoo, and his party, six in number, came with an ox team through this wooded territory, from Detroit to Toland Prairie. He calls it a two weeks work of hard labor. ' He had often a long day's drive from one log cabin to another, and sometimes the occupant's wife was sick and his wife performed the part of landlady. He found the Blackmans at Jacksonburg, and will probably never forget their kindness, when with two yoke of oxen, chains, and ropes" they drew his wagon out of the mire where it had sunk just
before they reached the bridge over the Grand river at that place. In fording Sandstone creek, the water came into the wagon box, and the leading pair of oxen turned down the stream. At this the driver leaped into the stream, seized them by the yoke, and by dexterous management, righted the oxen and drove them to dry land.
Early Michigan
Page 13
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