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.

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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

the center of one of the most important development of resorts and
homes in the county, as it is the nucleus of some of its most charming
lakes, the largest of which is the body of water which gives the place its
name. In the Pontiac group are Cass, Orchard, Elizabeth, Sylvan, and
Pine. Walled lake to the southwest, lying in both Commerce and Novi
townships, is also one of the larger bodies, all of which are over three
hundred and fifty acres in extent. The largest is Cass, covering about
twelve hundred acres, or nearly two square miles. It was named after
Governor Cass, and lies mostly in West Bloomfield township, with two
of its arms extending into Waterford. Its extreme length from southwest to northeast is about two and three quarter miles and its extreme
breadth, not measuring its arm, is a trifle over a mile.
Altogether the lakes of Oakland county cover twenty thousand square
acres, and the comparative importance of the townships from the standpoint of natural reservoirs is told in the following figures: West Bloomfield has a lake surface of 4,000 square acres; Waterford, of 2,600;
Orion, 1,700; Commerce, 1,700; White Lake, 1,300; Highland, 1,200;
Bloomfield, I,200; Addison, I,ooo; Holly, 900; Rose, 900; Independence,
800; Brandon, 6o0; Springfield, 600; Novi, 650; Oxford, 500; Groveland,
250; Oakland, 250; Milford, I60; Lyon, I6o; Avon, 30.
CASS AND ORCHARD
Continuing the description of the individual lakes: After Cass comes
Orchard lake, in size; perhaps exceeding it in beauty and general interest.
It is certainly one of the finest sheets of water in southern Michigan, is
circular in form, lies wholly in West Bloomfield township, and, including the islands encompassed by its water, covers about eight hundred and
fifty acres. Orchard lake derives its name from the beautiful island of
some thirty acres embraced by it, which the Indians called "Me-nah-sagor-ning," or the "place of the orchard." When the United States surveyors and the earliest of the permanent settlers came to this locality,
they found quite a number of apple trees still in bearing, supposed to
have been planted by French settlers, or at least to have been grown from
seeds obtained of them at Detroit. Apple island, as it is now called, is
almost in the geographical center of the lake. Northwest of it is the
smaller Cedar island.
Both Cass and Orchard lakes are now surrounded by summer cottages and homes, pleasant walks and drives meandering around their
shores. One of the most artistically and thoroughly improved of the
beautiful shorelands of Cass lake is known as Keego Harbor, while a
popular feature counted among the attractions of Orchard lake is the
Polish Seminary, founded upon the old-time Orchard Lake Military
Academy. The entire chain of little sparkling lakes from Pontiac, southwest to Cass and Orchard-Crystal, Sylvan, Lord and Pine-presents a
succession of cottages, boat landings and summer devices, as well as a
display of comfortable, if modest, homes for residents who are justly in
love with the sunny and gentle picturesqueness of the country.
The majority of the lakes are drained by Clinton river, although quite
a large number in the western and southwestern parts of the county are