Michigan historical collections. [Vol. 17]

HISTORY OF TOWNSHIP OF SHELBY, MACOMB COUNTY.

423

Methodist preacher but the official records of that body do not disclose
his name. However this may be we know that Mr. Wampler was
appointed deputy surveyor general and assigned a contract to survey
in the territory of Michigan. The contract bore date the 18th day of
October, 1816, and comprised the subdivisional survey of eighteen
townships in eastern Michigan, north of the base line and east of the
meridian, described as towns one, two, three, four, five and six north
of ranges ten, eleven and twelve east. Eighteen miles in width, east
and west, and thirty-six miles in extent, north and south.
It will be of interest to examine the map of Michigan and note what
a valuable tract of land this contract embraced. Not excelled elsewhere
we think in this State, for the same extent, as a well-watered, rich
agricultural region and desirable location. We find in Oakland county
the towns of Southfield, Bloomfield, Pontiac, Orion, Oxford, Addison,
Oakland, Avon and Royal Oak. In the county of Macomb the towns
of Warren, Sterling, Shelby, Washington and Bruce. In Lapeer
county, Almont, Dryden and Metamora. Incredible as it may now
appear to us, only the year before, November 30, 1815, the surveyor
general had received a letter from some of the deputies who had
abandoned their work and reported the entire country as mostly lake,
swamp and marsh and he at once communicated the information to the
general land office and added "on approaching the eastern part of the
military lands, toward the private claims on the straits and lake, the
country does not contain so many swamps ahd lakes but the extreme
sterility and barrenness of the soil continues the same. Taking the
country altogether, so far as has been explored, and to all appearances
together with the information received concerning the balance, there
would not be more than one acre out of a hundred if there would be
one out of a thousand that would in any case admit of cultivation."
Shades of the past! What a change would those first surveyors
behold could they now revisit the scenes of their early work? It
appears, however, that the authorities gave but small heed to these
reports and continued making surveys.
Mr. Wampler entered upon his work the February following the
date of his contract. In this it was expressly stipulated that no member of congress had any interest in it. The compensation for this
laborious, difficult and important work was only three dollars per mile
and fraction thereof. At that time the winter season was deemed the
best practicable time to make surveys, largely on account of the ease
in crossing marshes and meandering lakes while frozen over. Previous
to entering upon his work his assistants (a marker and two chainmen)