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

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PIONEER HISTORY OF INGHAM COUNTY

Detroit, and took the Michigan Central to Dexter, then the most
important town in this part of the State. It was the only mill and
market for Ingham county settlers, and he followed the thirtymile ox trail through the woods to his brother John's clearing, close
beside the farm which he himself now owns. Stretches of heavy
timber alternated here with "oak openings," rolling sandy country, from which the underbrush was burned off by yearly fires,
leaving the great oaks standing with long vistas visible between
them. Our York State lad compared the openings to great
orchards. The Indians fired the brush each year so that they
could better hunt the deer and other game which hid in the thickets. As soon as the settlers fenced the land the underbrush sprang
up quickly, and there were no more "oak openings."
Mr. Swan was here only six weeks this time, but performed a
notable exploit. While ploughing for his brother one day he
heard an unusual commotion on the other side of a long windrow of
felled trees, and seizing some stones he climbed the windrow. A
dog was holding a wounded deer by the haunch and he had heard
its cry of distress. He struck the deer between the eyes with a
stone, felling it to the ground, and after bleeding it returned to his
work, expecting the dog's owner to appear and claim the game.
No one came, and after awhile he found the dog crouched on a log
in the windrow watching the dead deer. His sister-in-law, Mrs.
Harriet Swan, of Mason, then a girl of 17, helped him dress the
deer and she collaborates the story. When they cut off the
deer's head the dog seized it and disappeared, and they never saw
him again.
Mr. Swan and his brother Reuben returned to the home in New
York that winter. They went on foot to Dexter and from there
to Ypsilanti, following the Michigan Central. Here they stayed
over night, and as they had plenty of gold bought a quantity of
"wild-cat" paper money for considerably below par, as the railroad
company had to accept it at its face value. The next morning at
five o'clock they took the train, riding in a pelting snow storm on
open flat cars loaded with flour. The engine frequently uncoupled and ran ahead to clear the snow off the track, and the two
young men finally got off and walked to keep from freezing. The
train passed them and refused to stop, though their passage was
paid to Detroit, but they caught it on a siding and arrived in De