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

increase as follows: The elevation has increased at Highland Park and
at the south line of Oakland county about 65 feet, and at Royal Oak
about 19 feet more, Royal Oak village'being about 84 feet above Detroit
river. The south part of Birmingham is I9I feet and the northern part
about 209 feet above Detroit river. At the Cranbrook road, Bloomfield
Hills, the height above Detroit river is 290 feet. At Kimble's Corners
the height is 363 feet, and at the United State bench mark on the northeast corner of the courthouse, Pontiac, the height above Detroit river is
369 feet.
The following elevations in feet of various other villages in the county
may be of interest, viz: Big Beaver, go; Troy Corners, 175; Amy, 298;
Rochester, 185 to 225; Goodison, 282; Orion, 419; Eames, 437; Oxford,
486; Thomas Station, 518; Leonard, 435; Andersonville, 472; Drayton
Plains, 385; Waterford, 418; Clarkston, 425; Davisburgh, 383; Holly,
362; Southfield, 103; Franklin, 212; Orchard Lake, 372; Farmington,
about 175; Novi, 337; Walled Lake, 368; Commerce, 367; Wixom, 358;
South Lyon, 365; New Hudson, 356; Milford, 37I; Highland, 435; Clyde,
455; Rose Centre, 405; and White Lake, 466. Thomas Station, 518 feet,
is therefore the highest village in the county.
The heights in feet of the following hills above Detroit river are:
Bald Mountain, in Pontiac township, 618; hills in south part of Springfield township, 585; Mt. Judah, Orion township, 575; Waterford hill,
574;' Heaven hill, White Lake township, 525; hills west of Mace Day
Lake, 525. I have no data for the height of the hills in the northern tier
of townships of the county but some of them must be nearly if not quite
as high as Bald mountain.
Cass lake is 356 feet above Detroit river, and very many lakes in the
county are over four hundred feet above that river. All are filled with
pure water. While, because of its glacial origin, a large part of Oakland
county is rolling and somewhat hilly, very few of the hills are too steep
to be profitably farmed, and the whole county lies at such an elevation
that there is very little of it that cannot be successfully drained. As
would naturally be inferred from its geological history, the soil of the
county is so constituted that it is eminently fitted for agriculture.

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