Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2013, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== PIONEER HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY, MICHIGAN by Florence McKinnon Gwinn Huron County Pioneer & Historical Society, 1922 [page 9] CHAPTER II HURON COUNTIES EARLIEST SETTLERS Of the men who came into the county later we shall speak as we give the history of the various townships of the county. Huron being one of the earliest organized and embraced nearly all of the territory of Huron Coun- ty. Many years before any permanent settlement was formed the present site of the village of Huron City was occupied by fishermen. In 1837 THEODORE LUCE erected a saw mill on Willow Creek, the Indian name of which is Wet-to-bee-wok. Later Mr. BRAKEMAN, of Port Huron bought the mill and after operating a year or two sold it to DOWLING & FORBES, also of Port Huron, and they in 1856 sold to R. B. HUBBARD & Co. This firm continued operations here until the fire of 1871 destroyed their mills, docks, store and the entire village. The loss to the company was a very heavy one. Their large ware- house on shore and another one on the dock filled with grain and lumbering supplies, the entire stock of clear lumber for the year, a large quantity of shingles, tan bark and cedar posts were entirely destroyed. Imme- diately after the fire the firm rebuilt and continued their business until 1878, when R. B. and WATSON retired from the company leaving LANGDON HUBBARD the sole owner of this immense business. The forest fires of '71 found the township an almost unbroken forest of very heavy timber, principally pine, hemlock, beech and maple with scattering cedar, black ash, elm and bass wood. In that fire most of the timber was killed and in the coarse of a few years fell in such dense masses that it was almost impossible for a man or beast to pass through it. In fact fences were unnecessary except [page 10] PIONEER HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY along the roads. When the fires tof 1881 came along this timber was in prime condition for the great fire which in its march swept everything before it. LANGDON HUB- BARD alone lost $250,000 in this conflagration. But Mr. HUBBARD, with his accustomed energy set to work, im- mediately rebuilt his store and also a flouring mill, saw mill, shingle mill, blacksmith shop and several other business enterprises of the village besides giving his attention to farming. ===========================================================================