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.

24

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

upon the plains north and west, adjoining what is now the village of Birmingham, and known as the Willits, Doctor Swan and Captain Blake
farms, on sections 24 and 25.
SCARS OF BATTLE
"The village of the Chippewas was situated near the present site of
the cemetery and formed a nucleus from which they sallied forth upon
their hunting, fishing and warlike expeditions and forays, returning with
varied success and bringing game, furs and the scalps of their hated foe,
the Foxes. Between these powerful tribes there had existed a deadly feud
for many years, until it culminated in an attack by the Foxes upon the
Chippewas, at their village. How many braves were engaged in the conflict, tradition has failed to hand down to us. That there were many on
each side is evident from the number of dead redskins said to'have been
found in the trail of the retreating tribes and on the battlefield. The Chippewas were defeated after a desperate struggle in defending their children, squaws and camp fires, and their village burned. They retreated
along the trails towards what is now Detroit, closely pursued by their foes,
leaving about seven hundred dead bodies along the course of their retreat;
and on the field of battle the dead were too numerous to be counted. The
pride and prowess of this once powerful tribe was crushed and humiliated, and thereafter they declined in influence and numbers.
"There is one other notable Indian tradition, of an event which
occurred in the county-that of a hostile meeting between the great chief
Pontiac and another tribe, in the vicinity of a large, while oak tree, in
the township of Royal Oak, on section I6, from which the township
derives its name; located near the junction of the Crook's, Niles and Paint
Creek roads. At the time I first saw it, in I825, it still bore the scars made
by the tomahawks, arrows and bullets. But at what date this happened,
or what tribe was opposed to Pontiac and his followers, I have never been
able to learn, not even through traditional history."
C. Z. HORTON'S CONTRIBUTIONS
C. Z. Horton has also made valuable contributions to the Indian pictures of Oakland county, some of which are given. They were originally
published in the Rochester Era. As to evidences of former tillage, either
by Indians or a more primitive race, he says: "In this connection I would
state that the appearance of the woodlands when I first came here (to
Rochester), especially south of the Clinton river, looked like an old corn
field, or like hills where corn had grown, the rows running a little west
of north and east of south, about four feet apart each way; besides all
the stones had been piled up, as but few scattering ones could be seen and
many of them were deeply imbedded in the earth."
INDIAN CAMPING GROUND AND CEMETERY
"Near the dwelling of Mr. Edwin T. Wilcox, on the Paint Creek road,
some two miles south of Rochester," he continues, "there were deep in