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

WILLIAMSTON TOWNSHIP AND ITS HISTORY

843

the idle resources, and in so doing give Williamston, with its fertile
farms surrounding it, a revival similar to that of 1871 to 1885.
WILLIAMSTON LOCALS.
The steam saw mill belonging to Bowerman & Rockwell at
White Dog Corners, in Wheatfield, was destroyed by fire on the
night of May 24, 1869. Loss $2,500. Believed to be incendiary.
INDIAN DANCE.
Because of the fact that an Indian village and Indian farms were
once located near Williamston, it seems reasonable to think the
event described in the following story might have occurred in
that vicinity. The article is taken from the Ingham County
News for August 5, 1875, and signed "Pioneer," not even the
location being named.
The representation of an Indian dance in Barnum's show in
Lansing on July 5 was quite a tame affair compared with one I
witnessed in this county (Ingham) in the fall of 1837. There
were about 200 of the redskins present. Our Indians, that is
those encamped in our vicinity for the winter, numbering about
50 persons, commenced preparations for a two day feast several
days previous to the appointed festive time, by clearing a piece of
ground about 40 by 200 feet of every obstruction, cutting the few
small trees that grew on the otherwise smooth and level plat of
ground, close to the surface of the earth. Then crotched sticks
were driven into the ground lengthwise of the cleared plat, leaving
them about 15 inches above the ground, and on these poles were
placed. White ash wood cut about two feet long and split fine
was then placed with one end on the ground and the other leaning
against the poles. The meats for the feast had already been
prepared. On the day preceding the dance the Indians came in
squads from every direction and pitched their tents in a very different manner from that of Barnum's showmen.
In the forenoon of the first day of the feast two squaws received
all the guns, tomahawks, axes, knives, in fact every implement of
any such character, and carried and stacked them up in a tama