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.

54

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

January, 1838, including the survey of township I south, range 7 east,
Washtenaw county, if performed in subdividing, would be equal to
more than three times the size of Oakland county, amounting to 5,400
miles, the ground twice walked over, amounting to I0,8oo; to this add
the daily walking from and return to camp, about equal to thirty miles
to the township; to this add the travel to and from my districts, sometimes several hundred miles from home, and the whole number would
not fall short of 20,000 miles.
"I have not penned the foregoing as being anything extraordinary,
as there are thousands of men in Michigan who could go through the
same fatigue if they would form a resolution to do so. We suffered
much from frozen feet, the painful effects of which I am still hourly
reminded, after a lapse of forty years.*
"It was not uncommon to carry packs of blankets and provisions
camping, when overtaken by night.
"In the prairie country we occasionally carried poles from two to
three inches in diameter, from which to cut posts to set in mounds
every half mile, when raised in the spring. These posts we marked
with the marking iron-township, range and section. I have occasionally entered a prairie with three poles, equal to nine posts, with compass and staff in hand.
"Our food was healthy, highly relished, and never gave us dyspepsia.
Our breakfast was eaten before daylight, from October to June, that
we might reach our work before sunrise, traveling three or four miles
in prairie or open country. This meal consisted of a strong tea, fried
or cold boiled pork, and shortcake, yellow with saleratus and rich with
pork drippings. Our lunch, finished by Io or I o'clock, and eaten
while walking, for we never stopped in winter, consisted of a bite of
cold pork and a piece of bread-the latter often frozen too hard for
use, until the axe was used to cut it into small pieces. We worked until near dark, and, arriving late in camp, the hot bean soup with bread
and tea was eaten with great relish.
"Before leaving the subject I would like to record the names of
some of the men who assisted me in this work. They were the following: Samuel F. Byran, Oliver Torry, Lucius Hunt, David Wilcox,
Calvin and Chester Ball, Moses Peck and brother, John Powell, C. P.
Webster, Wim. Phillips, M. B. Smith, Pliny Skinner, Geo. Case, Jed
Van Wagoner, Samuel Steinbrook, Marvin Tyler, I. Welch, Davis,
George Galloway, C. Killicut, Hannibal, Sawtelles, Pike, Gould, Phipps,
Hart, Meacham, Dixon, Walter Ostrander, Allen, Michael Van Buren,
E. J. White, and others I do not remember.
"I will mention the name of Clark P. Risden, United States surveyor, who published the first map of the surveyed part of Michigan
territory and had several contracts. I hear he is still living, and must
be near my own age, eighty-six in April next. We are probably all
that are left of the pioneers employed by government in surveying the
lands of Michigan."
This narrative of Captain Parke is quoted quite generously not only
because much of it relates to Oakland county and vicinity, as well as
*Written in 1876.