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INCIDENTS IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE SAGINAW VALLEY BY JUDGE ALBERT MILLER
WINTERING A STOCK OF 150 HEAD OF CATTLE AND FIFTY HORSES ON THE RUSHES
I shall never tire of recalling to remembrance the beautiful scenery presented to the view of the traveler on the Saginaw river, in the summer of 1835. The river banks, on each side, about three feet high, were well denned, from a point near its mouth along its whole length, except at the mouth of creeks and bayous, and the prairie was covered with bluejoint grass free from any other vegetation, except near the banks of the river, where it was interspersed with morning glories, wild roses and other wild flowers, presenting the appearance of a beautiful flower garden. The ground was firm and solid so that a person could ride on horseback or drive over it in any direction. Eastern parties who visited the valley that summer were captivated by its beauty.
Dr. Daniel H. Fitzhugh made his first visit to the valley in June of that year and rode over the prairies where the bluejoint grass was as high as the pony's back, with nothing else in view except the distant timber and the flower decked banks of the river; he was delighted with the prospect and purchased a large tract of prairie land below Zilwaukie, where the New York salt company's improvements are now located.
Persons who have only seen the river in its present condition, curtailed in its proportions by dock and booms, with no appearance of banks and what is here described as dry prairie covered with water and unsightly reeds and rushes, may think I draw largely on my imagination for the beauties here described. I will refer such persons to the letter of J. L. Cole, dated May 22, 1822, and published in Vol. 2 of Pioneer Collections, commencing on page 470. That letter gave a correct description of other localities as they then appeared, and I presume did of the locality here referred to.
Michigan
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