Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

ALAIEDON TOWNSHIP AND ITS HISTORY

269

The old school house has lately been completely renovated,
outside and in. All traces of pioneer days and all defects have
been removed; a heating plant has been installed, and the new
house, like the Phoenix of old, rises from the ashes of its old self,
the equal of the standard school house of today.
So far as known no resident of the Leek District has ever
achieved national renown, and none have ever landed in prison, or
in politics, and it is a comfort to reflect on the saying of Abraham
Lincoln, that "the Lord must like common folks, he made so
many of them."
DISTRICT NO. 6, ALAIEDON.
WRITTEN AND READ BY MRS. FRED BRENNER.
In the early days before the steamship made us near enighbors
to the mother countries across the ocean our forefathers bade their
dear ones a sad adieu and, one by one, made the tedious journey of
weeks or months to this new land, here to wrest by hard labor a
livelihood and home from the untried soil. As the East became
more thickly populated they turned their faces Westward, many
finding a haven in our own Michigan.
Often several families of like nationality desiring to be with
others of their native tongue would settle in one locality.
This seems to have been the case in District No. 6 of Alaiedon,
which earned its name of German district from the number of
German families who settled here, and were too busy to realize
what the history of its early development would mean to their
descendants.
Among the early settlers were the Riggs families, Leslie and
Austin, Valetine Raddle, Ernest Dell, the Gilberts and Slaters.
A wagon road was cut through the woods from near Mr. Dell's
farm and extended to the present site of Alaiedon Center. It was
called the Morse road. A log school house was built on this road
on the corner of Valentine Raddle's farm. Mrs. J. T. Green, of
Holt, a daughter of Mr. Raddle's, tells an incident of the early
days that is very interesting.
A Miss Rose Strayer taught the school at that time, boarding
at the Raddle's home. Miss Strayer had a sister who was a