History of Ottawa County, Michigan with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers.

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ALLE~DLE TO~NSI I

This is one of the central townships lvi ouh of Grand River.
It is well watered, and in somle places swamupy, hazving Trazder's
Creek and Bass River diraining into the Girand River.
This town as now organized is only, a fraction of a township,
lying south of Grand River, that portion of the original township
lying north of Grand River being attached to Polktoil. Allendale
when first organized, included what is now Blendon and Zeeland.
The first settler was Richard Roberts, of W'ales, in 184i2, who built
a log cabin knowvn as the Half -wazy House, between Grand H-aven
and Granadville. He was soon after followed by his brother-in-lazw,
Jones. The land is rolling,, the soil clay andl sanldy loamu, well
adapted to tillage and grazincy, andl is very~ productive. The southeast corner of it, arout the mouth of Bass River, is very fertile and
well adapted to fruits of all kinds. Small fruits and vegetables are
grown in great abundance. The area under cultivation is about
4,000 acres, producing over 30,000 bushels of grain and over 7,000

open to occupation. Allenzdale, unfortunately, was in this category,
and long remainedi a place for cutting logs and h2unting deer.
In June, 18413, Richaird Roberus took up the first o~ne hundred
and1 six~ty acres thalt was occupied by an actual settler, and for several years kiept a place of entertainment for travelers. He sold out
aind moved to the place w.There he spent the rest of his life. In
1843-4, came Thomas Jones, John Hanna and Ephralim Pierson.
III 1844 Robert Scott canle oil, cleafred a few acres and then w~ent
back. The famyily, his motlher and brothers, Alexander and James,
came oil and occupied. He followed them two years afterwards.
III 1845 ), Alexander Milne took up h lis residence in the town. M~orris
Reed locatedl in 1847., These were the pioneers; oth~ers slowly followed.
In 1851, the AT~ethodists forrmed a society or class of ninle members-WiV11. Com7fort, Josep~h Burlingham?, Johnson Batlcomn, Alexander Mil~lie, and their wives, aLnd Lucy J. Spealr. This class was

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DEVELOPMENT.
A very' considerable portion of the tow~nship was originally
clothed wvithl pine, hemnlock timber, &c., and the lumlbering interest
was for a long time the chief one in the town. A conzsiderabule portiou of its forests was purchased by a lumber company, who constructed a chea~p railroad for h~orse or steam power, leatding~ from the
river back into the pineries of this and Blendon townrship, and rapidly exh~austed their lands of the best timber. W~ith the failure of
the forests other interests received mnore attention.
It was a late day before it was settled at all, and its subsequent
history is that of most other towns where lumbering is the chief interest. The most of the land was purchased for its pine, and heldl
for that by speculators and non-residents. Again, about 1836, the
spirit of speculation was rife in the east for purchasing western lands.
Until as late as 1-855 a great proportion of the best farming
lands was so held —at first, with an iron grip; afterwards, from a

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