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 HIISTOIY OF INGHAM COUNTY

A second grist mill was built in 1870 by John Burchard, and is
now used as a storage house. This is just east of the railroad,
near where the Meeker mill stood.
There was a third grist mill which after being operated some
years was burned.
Rice Brothers had a brick kiln on the creek bank, and here were
made the brick for the first house built of that material in Leslie,
and also for the first brick school house.
A post office was established in Leslie in 1838, amd Henry Fiske
was the first postmaster. The first mail was brought by a man
on horseback, amd a cigar box would have been sufficiently large
to carry it in. After a stage was put on the route the mail came
once a week, then twice a week until 1865 when the railroad went
through.
The first hotel was opened to the public in 1844. It was burned
in 1852, and rebuilt, and after many years was again burned.
The Eagle Hotel was built in 1852, and has since been conducted
by various people.
In 1869 a private bank was established by Walker Allen & Co.,
and the First National Bank was established in 1864, with
capital of $50,000. The officers were from among the early settlers, with Arnold Walker, president; M. E. Rumsey, vice-president, and C. C. Walker, cashier. This was later reorganized as a
state bank and given the name of People's Bank.
The first newspaper was the "Leslie Herald," established in
May, 1869, by J. W. Allen. It later became a part of the Leslie
local, and afterwards when the Republican, a paper which lived
but a short time, was absorbed by the Local, the name was
changed to the Leslie Local-Republican.
Other places and industries of interest were introduced a little
too late to appear in the genuine pioneer list, and will have to be
left for a later volume.
Leslie is wide-awake and supports several flourishing fraternities and societies, but they none of them come in the pioneer list.
EARLY SETTLERS UP TO 1850.
Elijah Woodworth was born in Mayfield, Montgomery county,
N. Y. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and also in the Mexican War. He came to Jackson county, Michigan, in 1835, by