History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.

ORGANIG.
Buena Vista was organized under authority given by the State
Legislature, during the winter session of 1849-'50. The act directed "That township number twelve north, of range six east, and
the fractional part of township number twelve north, of range
number five east, being all that lies east of the Saginaw river, and
also that part of township number twelve north, of range four east,
that lies south and east of Saginaw river, in the county of Saginaw, be and the same are hereby set off from the township of Saginaw, and organized into a separate township, by the name of Buena
Vista; and the first township meeting therein shall be held at the
house now occupied by Curtis Emerson, in said township."
This act was approved March 28, 1850. Since its first organization the boundaries of the township have been subjected to many
changes; new territory has been added at one time, cession of portions of original lands has been made at other times.
The organization of the townships, noticed in these pages, tell
of the various additions to and subtractions from the Buena Vista
of the year 1850.
The organization of Buena Vista was perfected May 1, 1850,
when the people assembled within the ' tI all of the Montezumas,"
for the purpose of electing officers of the new township. The
meeting was presided over by Stephen Little, with Alfred M. Hoyt,
Clerk; George Oliver and A. K. Penny, Inspectors. The entire number of voters present was 19. The election resulted:
For supervisor, Curtis Einerson; for treasurer, Stephen Lvtle; justices of the peace, Andrew Evart, George Oliver and Stephen Lytle; township clerk, Charles W. Grant; director of the poor, Curtis Emerson and A. K. Penny; commissioner of highways, Sylvester
Webber one year, and those well known " highwaymen,"A. K. Penny
and C. WV. Grant, for two and three years respectively; school
inspectors, A. M. Hoyt and A. K. Penny; anld for constables,
Archibald Campbell, David Joslin, George Miner and Erastus
Vaughan.
Tlhe affairs of the township were well administered during the
years immediately succeeding. Roads were cut through the heavy
timber lands; in a few cases corduroy roads were made, the creeks
bridged and many enterprising works inagurated. In 1855 the
village of East Saginaw was detached from the township of Buena
Vista and placed under municipal government. The records of
the township from organization to 1859 cannot now be found; it is
supposed they were destroyed by fire. The earliest record on the
books, in possession of Mr. Weidmiller, goes back only to 1859, the
date of the organization of the city of East Saginaw, and its total
separation from the township.
A meeting of the electors of Buena Vista, held at the Wadsworth school-house, April 4, 1859, with Winm. Wadsworth, supervisor, presiding, and Jason Steele, township clerk. Henry Guiley