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1. The Geography and Indigenous People of Mecosta County
- Michigan State University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
15 CHAPTER 1 The Geography and indigenous people of Mecosta County [Delegates of the Ottawa] represent to me, that they have been to see the land this set apart, and say that it is not such as was represented to them nor such as they want—that a large portion of it is covered with pine and that much of it, is poor and sandy—, that they have been deceived in regard to it, and many of them declare that they will not go on to the land at all, much less accept it as their permanent home. —OTTawa iNDiaN DeMaNDS iN a LeTTeR TO aNDRew FiTCh, MiChiGaN iNDiaN aGeNT, aUGUST 1857, LeTTeRS ReCeiVeD BY The OFFiCe OF iNDiaN aFFaiRS, 1856–1857 west-central Michigan is blessed with an abundance of rivers , streams, and lakes that have provided a pristine environment for early Native american communities, european settlers, and modern-day sports enthusiasts. Three river systems, comprising 293 miles of rivers and streams, drain the county. The Muskegon River flows through Big Rapids and, with the Little Muskegon River, drains the western eight townships, including Chippewa Township, flowing ultimately into Lake Michigan at Muskegon. The Flat River starts in southeastern Mecosta County and joins the Grand River before it too flows into Lake Michigan. Finally, the Chippewa and pine River system drains six eastern townships, including Chippewa Township . These two rivers form the Titabawassee River at Midland, Michigan, 16| Chapter 1 and join the Shiawassee River, which becomes the Saginaw River, which ultimately empties into Lake huron.1 Mecosta County also boasts 328 natural lakes and ponds, covering 4,744 acres.2 Fifteen of these are located in Chippewa Township, though Chippewa Lake, covering 790 acres, is the largest and most influential in the local landscape.3 in addition to lakes and rivers, Mecosta County has an estimated 51,922 acres of wetlands, almost 30,000 of which are forested.4 One of the largest protected wetland areas, the haymarsh State Game area, is located in Martiny Township, which abuts Chippewa Lake to the south. The abundance of marshy wetland surrounding Chippewa Lake and extending outward into nearby farmland adds to local beauty. Governmentprotected wetlands, a hindrance to farming and development, provide a haven for a wide variety of plants, birds, ducks, and loons. Much of the topography of Mecosta County is formed by glaciers that completely covered the area during the pleistocene. The present topography is largely a result of the wisconsin Glacier, the last one to cover this area.5 while glacial moraine formed the hilly landscape and the smaller lakes,6 larger lakes such as Chippewa Lake and the Martiny chain of lakes in Chippewa and Martiny Townships were formed when large sections of ice broke off from the retreating glacier.7 The receding glaciers also left behind the soil deposits that still have an impact on forestry and farming today. Coloma, Remus-Spinks-Metea, and Marlette soils provide a combination of well-drained sandy soil, loamy soil, and clay that are well suited for woodlands, pasture, and grain crops, such as wheat and rye.8 Today, Mecosta County still has approximately 163,000 acres of forested area, about 45 percent of total land use. as we will see, original forests were dominated by white pine, but now, forested areas consist predominantly of secondary-growth aspen, maple, beech, birch, oak, hickory, red/white pine, and spruce and fir.9 iNDiGeNOUS peOpLe OF MeCOSTa COUNTY when i first moved to Chippewa Township in 1982, i harbored several assumptions about the indigenous history of the region, both of which proved to be mistaken. First, the preponderance of references to “Chippewa” in local designation of landscapes and locations led me to presume that the indigenous people associated with Mecosta County were Chippewa indians, or Ojibway, as they are known in the literature. Thus, i was very surprised to learn that the people associated with the region were actually Ottawa (also [3.238.57.9] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 13:26 GMT) Geography and Indigenous People| 17 called Odawa in other regions).10 The fact that the indigenous people were misidentified is just one mystery that shrouds Mecosta County history. The second misconception relates to their local settlements, as there exist few documents and little material evidence of their presence in Chippewa and surrounding townships. as one travels through Mecosta County, vacations at the many lakes, or hunts in the forests or wetlands, one can imagine that this area would...