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

LANSING TO\WNSII ' AND CITY, WITII HISTORY

By the second route they could leave Detroit river or Lake
Erie at the mouth of Huron river, ascend the river to near the
head waters of the Cedar river at Cedar Lake, carry across to this
river and descend the east branch of Cedar to main Cedar, down
this to Grand river and thence to Lake Michigan; or go up Huron
river to Portage Lakes, carry across to Grand river, down to
Thornapple river, up that river to the source of the Kalamazoo
river, and so reach the inland territory in that part of the State;
or, still another way, was to leave the Grand river at the mouth
of the Maple river, then up to near a branch of the Saginaw,
carry across to that river and down that into Saginaw Valley.
The land trails were always near these water routes, but followed
the high ground, making some short cuts and connecting the
planting grounds as did the old trails, running from Red Bridge
via Pine Lake to planting ground on Maple river and in Saginaw
Valley. There was one, though I cannot say positively where,
that connected the planting grounds on the Grand river near
Eaton Rapids with one near Kalamazoo.
My mother told the following stories of her experience with the
Indians at Lansing in early pioneer days.
She and father had just commenced housekeeping in a frame
dwelling on the west side of Washington Avenue near Franklin
street. It was in November, 1849. One afternoon she sat sewing with her back to the door. She thought she heard the door
close, and upon turning round she beheld a tall Indian with rifle
in hand inside the room. She was too frightened to move or to
scream. The Indian set his gun in the corner and stepped up to
the fire to warm his hands. Mother saw she was not going to be
killed, so asked him in a weak voice, "What do you want?" He
answered, "Indian hungry and want something to eat." She
got up and with fear and trembling hustled onto the table all the
food she had cooked. He ate it all but three crusts of bread which
he put into his pocket, remarking "Papoose hungry," took his
gun and left.
Mother locked the door after that when alone, for an Indian
never knocked before he entered a white man's house. Another
time she bought some berries of an Indian, paying him in flour.
He left his sack and went to "Middle Town." On his return he
was full of fire-water. When he got his sack he spied some cu