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

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HISTORY OF OTTAWA COUNTY.

HISTOR Y OF OTTAWA COUNTY.

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Cheese.11,000 lbs.
Milk sold 3,450 gals.
Orchard products... 48,360
Wine..... 552 gals.
Market garden products... $6,390
The farm products for the same year are estimated as follows:
Wheat, spring.... 348 bush.
Do. winter..... 217,919
Rye...... 5,807 "
Indian corn..... 212,675 "
Oats...... 166,124 "
Barley..... 12,333 "
Buckwheat..... 9,638 "
Tobacco...... nil
Peas and beans.... 1,978 "
Potatoes..... 252,912
Hay. 23,521 tons
Clover seed.... 24 bush.
Grass seed..... 42 "
Hops *..... 8,302 lbs.
In 1870 there were 32 mills, 28 steam and 4 water power, in
which the wages paid amounted to $152,096, and in which the capital invested was $477,700. The total products were lumber,
70,700,000 feet; lath, 3,100,000 pieces, and shingles, 1,200,000; the
total value of all being $2,108,325.
The manufactories of flour, meal and feed were 2 steam and 4
water mills, with a total of 19 run of stones. These ground 57,000
bushels of wheat, and 12,960 bushels of other grain. The capital
invested was $103,800. They produced 10,132 barrels of flour and
89,200 lbs. of meal and feed, the total value being $157,590.
There were three foundries and machine shops, with an invested
capital of $8,700, the total value of the products being $15,550.
There were six tanneries, producing $125,000 worth. The total
number of manufacturing establishments was 171, in which $862,620 capital was invested, the whole products being valued at
$2,781,867.
The religious denominations of the people were represented by
57 organizations, with 38 edifices, with a seating capacity of 10,620,
the church property being valued at $147,850.
There were 83 public schools, with 54 male and 98 female
teachers, and 2,941 male and 2,998 female pupils. The total income amounted to $47,242. There were 593 libraries, with 41,566
volumes.
There were 8 weekly newspapers published, viz., Grand Haven
Hereald, Grand Haven -Yews, Grand Haven Union, Spring Lake Independent, Grundwet,.Ilollander, -Hope, and TVatcher.
The total value of real and personal property is given at
$11,123,310, and the whole debt of the county and minor municipality was $57,650.
It cost the county $5,842 to support 97 paupers, of whom 38
were native and 59 foreign. The number of paupers on June 1st,
1870, was 10 native and 13 foreign. There were 11 persons convicted during the year preceding.
STATE CENSUS OF 1874.
The population of the County of Ottawa according to the State,
census of 1874 was 29,929 of whom 15,789 were males and 14,140

females. The population of the several townships was as follows:
Allendale....... 762
Blendon........ 639
Chester...... 1,397
Crockery...... 1,124

Georgetown..... 1,464
Grand Haven...... 677
Grand Haven City.4,363
Holland.... 2,716
Holland City...... 2,469
Jamestown...... 1,806
Olive...... 1,257
Polkton......2,267
R obinson.... 528
Spring Lake.....2,345
Talmadge..... 1,475
Wright. 2,064
Zeeland...... 2,576
The total amount of taxable land in 1874 was 334,773.22 acres,
and of improved land 87,033.12 acres. The total number of farms
was 2,930, containing altogether 205,744 acres, or on an average
70.21 acres each. Of these in 1873 there were devoted to wheat
14,450 acres and to corn 12,072 acres. The farm products for 1873
were as follows;
Wheat.. 217,594 bush.
Corn..... 347,692
All other grain..., 336,638 8
Potatoes... 166,387 ("
Hay.... 26,190 tons
Wool...... 56,901 lbs.
Pork marketed. 365,240 (
Cheese...,. 14,799,,
Butter....650,860 ((
Fruit dried for market... 4,581 "d
Cider..... 289 bbls.
Wine...... 1,410 gals.
Maple sugar made in 1874 208,447 Ibs.
ORCHARD,4 &Cs.

ORCHARDS, &C.
The land devoted to fruit and garden vegetables was, rejecting
fractions of acres, as follows;
Apple, peach, pear, plum and cherry orchards 5,089 acres.
Vineyards...... 116
Raspberries..... 82 i"
Strawberries.... 109 "
Currants and gooseberries.., 13 "<
Melons and garden vegetables.. 280 "
The quantity of fruit and garden vegetables raised in 1873 was
as follows:
Apples. 39,494 bush.
Peaches...... 761 it
Pears...... 310
Plurms...... 52 "
Cherries.... 424 "
Grapes...... 3,773 cwt.
Strawberries 3,944 bush.
Currants and gooseberries.. 1,298 In
Melons and garden vegetables. 14,096 "<
The total value of all such fruit and garden vegetables was estimated at $74,056.
The live stock of Ottawa consisted of the following: 4,691
horses; 66 mules; 1,171 working oxen; 7,878 milch cows; 7,404
neat cattle, other than oxen and cows; 6,316 swine and 16,456
sheep.
There were 6 flouring mills, 4 steam and 2 water power, with
14 runs of stones. The capital invested was $65,_)00, and the product was 17,000 barrels of flour, valued at $147,500.

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