History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

52

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

was determined the survey of the part of the Lower Peninsula should
be completed, twelve years having passed by since Wampler commenced
the township lines. I found the condition of the country more favorable,
the water having passed off. We found plenty of game, elk, deer, and
indications of moose.
"Trappers had marked their lines with numerous dead-falls for martin and other animals, valuable for their furs,' having coasted along the
lake shore, as we found their boats well secured at the mouth of one
of the streams.
"My work of subdividing lay partly on Saginaw bay. I completed
it and returned home in February.
SURVEYS IN BLACK HAWK RESERVATION, IOWA
"In the autumn of 1836 I received a contract for surveying the exterior lines of about sixty townships in Iowa, extending from the south
boundary of the territory to a point five miles north of Rock island,
being equal to about one-third of the Black Hawk reservation.
"Arrived on the left bank of the Mississippi, opposite Burlington
the 23d day of December, I836. The river nearly filled with thick cakes
of ice, it was with great difficulty that a ferryman, with my assistance
in throwing a line to them from shore, by which they hauled the boat
to land, having floated with the current far below the city. The packer,
going down the river twelve miles, was able to cross over with the
pack-horses, returning to the party in about two weeks. During this
two weeks were extending lines, putting up at night with the settlers.
"During the time required for the performance of this work up to
June following, the party suffered extremely with the severity of the
weather, it being an open tract of country, principally prairie. The
great wonder among the 'squatters' was, why we came to survey in
winters. 'Why,' they say, 'you cannot survey half the time, as you cannot endure the cold.' In addition to this, the snow was sixteen inches
deep for eight weeks.
"Much time was lost daily in travel to and from timber, for camping. We continued many days working, while the 'squatters' were sitting by the firesides. I well remember one rainy morning during this
month, entering the open, wide-spread prairie six miles west of Burlington, when running a range line (the pack-man with the horses turning to the right for wood shelter), my nephew, M. B. Smith, said,
'Uncle, your face is frozen.' This was about the middle of the day.
Such was the sudden change of weather in three or four hours' time,
and increasing, that were it not that we had reached the town corner,
and running east with our backs to the wind, we should have been compelled to flee to the timber to avoid freezing.
"One terrible cold night the prairie winds blew out all our fires,
and our full supply of blankets seemed to afford no protection. Some
of the boys started on a bee line for the nearest house, going in their
stocking feet as the fire had been insufficient to thaw hard frozen boots.
The remainder soon followed and I remained alone in camp until sunrise, when I was glad to follow, the entire company's blankets being