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.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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EARLY BREWERIES
Several breweries were also in operation at various times. Robert
Dawson, a Scotchman, started one in I845, his plant being on South
Saginaw street. Other early brewers were Philip Dorner, William Mowbray and James A. Carhart, the last named erecting quite a large building on the river bank near Patterson street, about 1865, and continuing
in the business for a number of years. But it is seldom that Pontiac
has had more than one brewery at a time.
FATHERS OF THE "AUTO" INDUSTRY
Carriage and wagon factories were quite numerous in Pontiac before the wholesale incursion of the automobile plants of late years, of
which they were the direct predecessors, several of the first manufacturers
in the "auto" line having been the old-time vehicle manufacturers. In
1849 Mortimer Smith put in operation a foundry and machine shop,
which became a carriage manufactory about twenty years later operated
by the Pearsons brothers. S. J. Cloonan was a manufacturer in this
line, who commenced to turn out light and heavy vehicles at about the
same time. Laurent & Emmons was another firm who got into this line
at an early day. East Lawrence street was the favorite locality for the
larger establishments.
PONTIAC AND OTHER MILLS OF 1852
M. A. Leggett, long of Pontiac, but afterward a resident of Clintonville, read a paper before the County Pioneer Society in I899 from
which the following extracts are taken. The words explain themselves:
"Forty-seven years ago, as Bill Nye did, I took my parents by the
hand and led them west into pastures new; didn't come as now in less
than a day, but taking a boat in New York city we had a delightful sail
up the North river to Albany, then on the New York Central to Buffalo,
then on steamer 'Ocean' to Detroit. We then bumped over the old
plank road on Jefferson avenue to Detroit and Pontiac railroad depot,
where we boarded the train for Pontiac, which place we reached after
several hours of jolting over the never-to-be-forgotten strap rail.
"The train at that time ran into the depot, and never will I forget
the commotion as we landed. There were runners for everywhere, for
the hotels and for the stages. Every kind of conveyance stood on the
outside from horse stages, two-horse wagons, and open busses for the
hotels. The stages and wagons were ready to start for Flint, Saginaw,
Lapeer, Commerce and Rochester. When we left New York we thought
we were coming into the woods. It proved a lively woods.
"As I stepped out of the depot the first thing that caught my eye
was a long, low building. A sign ran the whole length of the roof and
it read, 'Lord's Warehouse.' I told my mother, who had worried a
great deal, that we were all right, as we were in the Lord's country, for
there was His Warehouse. Well, my impression was right, for it has
proven in all these years to be the Lord's country to me, for I have
never had anything but kindness from its people.
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