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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P)IONrEER HISTORY OF INGHIAMl COUNTY

swamp, nearly a mile wide on the south of the township, but diminishing in width toward the Cedar river, and two miles from its
mouth the timber changed from tamarack to black oak and elm.
This creek and swamp formed a great bugbear in pioneer days,
and was a breeder of chills and fever. Within the last thirtyfive years Supervisor J. H. Huston used this swamp and creek in a
political way to keep down the valuation of the township property, by reporting to the county board of supervisors that Leroy
Township was one-third swamp and not fit for cultivation.
He was always telling his political opponents that he was a
friend to them, because he had lowered their county taxes. I
cannot remember how many times he served by means of this
political scheme. Today you can travel over this township
where the swamp has disappeared, the creek had been ditched and
the worthless land made into dairy farms profitable to their owners. These farms furnish most of the milk for the milk factory at
Webberville.
In the forties Edmund Alchin, David Herrick, Nathan Pament,
Alex. Monroe, Albert Gunsolly, Levi Dean, Sidney Murray and
Robert Cole braved the dangers of ague and fever and settled in
the eastern part of the township. They crossed the Rubiconswamp and creek-and changed the virgin forest into fine farms.
The southern and southeastern part of the township remained
undeveloped for years. It was the abode of wild animals and
malaria. The southeastern corner was crossed by a range of sand
hills and the west branch of Cedar river.
In the seventies they sold a farm in this section to a German
farmer named John Risch. This man had worked for the McPherson's of Howell. After purchasing this farm, Mr. Risch
sent word to Germany that he was a land owner, and in two or
three years Charles Risch, his brother, Fred Foreman, and Fred
Meindorph, his brother-in-law, were loacted near him on this
apparently worthless land. Herman and John Mattheisen, neighbors of these men, came and settled in this section.
By hard work, energy backed by German frugality, these men
have changed this almost worthless section into good farms.
They were helped in their work of clearing the land of timber by
having a market for their logs at Dart's mill and for their wood at
the charcoal kilns at Webberville. The sand hills unfit for culti