A complete history of just one section of this township would fill a sizable book if all facts were known. Years from the 1840's on to 1900 were witness to great activity and many changes in scenery and families. Indians gradually disappeared or were a ssimilated. Forests became farmland, some profitable and some wasteful. In the end very little unspoiled woods remained except where nature made access impossible, as along the west river bank. So the final story becomes one of old-time crafts and numerou s personal accounts, with all too few lasting works of importance, down to recent years.

Grandfather J. H. Edward's parents had come to the Adrian area from New York, their ancestors having sailed from England in the early 1630's and taken up farming and fishing around East Hampton, Long Island. Among old neighbors were the Huntingtons, Ba kers, Stanboroughs, Grandens, and a host of others who had shared quarters aboard ship with cattle and other livestock. After a few generations, and lack of farmland, various members began moving westward.

Great Grandfather Daniel Shaw Edwards was reared in the Glennville and Schenectady areas, from which he took a wife, Caroline Foskett , and came west to Adrian to farm. They liked the nearness of good schools and small college and proceeded to begin a family. Four children were born, including Grandfather, who was the last, shortly before the mother died. Two stepmothers followed.

Grandfather was barely out of high school when Civil War took on a serious turn and he zealously applied to join the army. He was too young but succeeded in lying about his age; buddies knew this and nicknamed him "Chick", which stuck for man years perpetuated by some of those buddies who knew Newaygo and extolled its virtues.

After the war, he returned home and helped his father build a new fieldstone farmhouse, with thick four-foot walls, common to the region; this better satisfied the stepmother and still endures.

In 1868 Grandfather came up to Newaygo to look around and visit wartime buddies. He liked the village and stayed to set up a hardware business, which prospered. The second floor of his store building (Where Parsley's Quonset now stands) was reserved to the GAR for their meeting hall; he was very active with the group until infirmities led to disbanding in the early 1920's. The walls of the hall were hung with mementos of the war, swords, uniforms, canteens, flags,

Pictures of Lincoln and Grant and numerous annual encampments; all these articles were returned to the various families. Remaining were tin dinner plates, cups and table service provided through the hardware store; these came into our possession, a nd were turned over to the Historical Society in the 1970's.

Many tales were told of the endless potluck dinners, out-of-town speakers, and constant reminiscing including favorite stories by those who could afford trips to annual encampments. Often whole families attended. Space was limited and few dances other than impromptu aftermeeting affairs were held; later all were deferred to the town's new McCool Hall, above the Converse Company Store. Grandfather would not permit liquor on the premises, nor any member who had been partaking of it up the street.

The Great Fire of 1883 was not entirely unexpected. Grandfather was concerned about the close by building to the north and kept the narrow alley between cleared, but at the expense of good will with that neighbor. When fire struck it was several stores away and gave a little time for GAR members to mobilize, coming in from the country for miles around. They covered the wood shingles of the sloping north roof with old blankets and carpets, and from a bucket brigade across the south roof kept throw ing water over the ridge. Many private wells along the foot of the hill provided the water. As fire blossomed out in the next building, the bravest souls threw water against it to slow the fire down; a light southwest breeze helped. The only damage requir ed rebuilding part of the outside stairway and replacement of badly scorched siding; a very close call indeed. The GAR was a very large, caring and loving brotherhood throughout the late 1800's, but dwindled thereafter.

One of the activities in which I took part in the late teens and early 20's, was with my Mother on Decoration Day (later called Memorial Day). I would pick bunches of wildflowers and early that day a group met at the hall to make up bouquets for g raves and buttonholes. The last veterans and widows able to be out were decorated and rode to the cemetery for formal ceremonies. We followed in a foot parade, then scurried about looking for every special marker and flag set out on graves fo r the day. About 1924 there were so few veterans remaining, the honored custom was discontinued. Grandfather died in 1926, and by the end of that decade the local GAR became only a memory; there were many "late" war widows for years after.

Success in the hardware business led to acquiring many parcels of

J. H. Edwards land in Brooks Township and 320 acres or more in Garfield Township,

Landowner extending from 68th Street south to the 7800 line. That portion from

72nd Street southward is entirely in Section 23, 200 acres of which are still in family hands.

Grandfather had tenants on at least two properties. On old

Muskegon Road they came and went, a Mead family, then the Almons of which Earl was one of two children. Earl later married Rachel Puff who lived tenant on the next

farm south, later to be acquired by Tom Aiken who moved families up from Indiantown.

The last tenant before we arrived in 1916 was Uncle Daniel S. Edwards and family.

On the north eighty a small house on the south side of "Angling Road" (now Spring Drive), was allowed to an old alcoholic by name of Boyd. Whether by compassion for the aged man, perhaps a war veteran, or a need for a watchman over the large o rchard, was sort of a family secret, in view of the fact that Grandpa took to the lecture platform whenever possible to denounce liquor, mainly whiskey in those days. For this he often joined Prof. Ferris who was even more vehement

and eloquent in the crusade, though neither were members of the Prohibition

Party. Fact was, they were far apart on politics! But Grandfather gained a

warm admiration for Mr. Ferris, and hoped to send one of his children to the

Institute at Big Rapids.

That turned out to be my Mother, Caroline, who graduated from Newaygo High School in 1900, taught two years at Rangleburg (Country) School, then went on for

a two year course at Prof. Ferris's school. She continued to teach at Ludington

until her marriage in 1912.

As for poor old Mr. Boyd, it was said his last days were spent at the County Farm infirmary, then on Linden Avenue just southeast of Newaygo, where he died about 1908.

Here an aside on a curious happenstance for my Father, about 1906 He followed the admonition to "Go West" and went to visas an aunt in Alhambra, where he found a job as brakeman on a Los Angeles interurban. The "Big Red Cars" as they were known, were o wned by a very wealthy man who also owned the fabulous money making Southern Pacific Railroad. After Dad's marriage, an Edward's family historian pointed out that the very rich man was the son of the Adrian Great Grandfather Edward's first cousin. After h is death in 1927, the San Marino mansion, library, art gallery and gardens were given to the people of California, to be known as Huntington Gardens and Library. Blue Boy and Pinkie were and remain the chief attractions in the gallery.

Section 23, Garfield Township, includes a short stretch of the Muskegon River in the southeast corner, with still more in Section 26 to the south. 23 covers a portion of the sandy ancient river flood plain, and to the north clay hills of the valle y rim. In early days a wagon trail roughly paralleled the river all the way to Muskegon; it wee crooked and regarded no property lines, if indeed there were any. Old Muskegon Appropriately, it was called the Muskegon Road, but this apparently was Roa d not official for in recent times has become North River Drive. In the twenties some landowners succeeded in having the road moved over onto property lines between Bingham and Wisner Avenues, and a portion between Wiener and Baldwin wee moved at an earli er date when farming began. Otherwise the old road confounded farmers whose land it cut apart with long diagonals.

The plainsland was especially rich in white pines. For moving logs to a mill downstream at Muskegon, other trails had to be cut, all leading to a log rollaway near the north side of Section 26, on the river. This steep bank was unique and was decl ared at the time to be the best for miles up and down the river. The slope was clay; a landslide in former years left it in perfect condition, free and clear of trees. The land slippage had come to rest at water's edge, so shaped that rolling logs descen ding at high speed were flung out into mid-river and deep water. There was a second rolling place nearby to the south, but not as good. Only in recent years have trees begun to regrow at the base of the main Corduroy Roads rollaway, which can be seen on ly by walking in from Felch Avenue, and with greatest care peering over the top of the sharp incline.

This staging area served a large part of the countryside from the north of Newaygo to the west. Logging trails converged in Section 23, and some portions of them can be seen yet today. Where these trails crossed or skirted the many marshes, the most im portant were corduroy surfaced. Up until the early 30's these "paved" stretches were still in evidence and being used in farm operations, attesting to their builder's skill. Now all have rotted away were exposed.

At a very early time in logging days, some roads were permanently established on surveyed quarter and half-section lines. These were two rut tracks and also given the corduroy treatment where crossing marshes, as they too were used for logging. The now "Felch Avenue" was one such road, and later the marsh sections were further built up and the corduroy buried; with future regrading improvements the old logs will be brought to light, quite wall preserved.

Just what were these corduroy roads? They were made of pine tree tops, such logs as were unfit for the mills, bristling with large green branches. The thicker parts were cut to eight feet in length and split in half; pieces were laid close together, fl at side up. Big knots provided the best and most durable wearing surface. Large branches were not chopped off flush with the log; stubs to a foot or more remained on the split half. With heavy pounding of hoofs and burdened wheels, a log without such anch orage would soon turn on edge or be pulled out, blocking all traffic, and at the worst possible places.

The main logging trail and secondaries are here documented by drawing, except where later cultivated fields erased all indicators. The converged trails are known to have joined "Felch" where it crossed a marsh, corduroyed, just north of 8000 Sout h. The main trail crossed Muskegon Road, at the present bend in the woods, deep tracks still in evidence from the south side and across the Consumers R.O.W. into a Small woodlot. To the north its importance is still seen in

Several hand-dug cute through low ridges and valley rim. Several sections of corduroy surfacing were needed here; the base being the sand carried several hundred feet from the cuts.

This main line was once said to be the first trail to the northwest and Weaverville (Fremont Center), which included much of what is now "Wisteria" road. The connection with Muskegon Road brought traffic through Newaygo, to the east. This was also a two-track road was used mainly for logging, cut deep into sand. Later, and until about 1920, the best road to Fremont ran up "Angling Road", west on 68th to Baldwin and onto "Wisteria", then north on Luce to 46th and past the old pi oneer cemetery.

A significant and historical feature just east of "Felch", along Muskegon Road, is the old team watering place on the creek. Entrance trails were hand dug to five feet or more; one can see where soil was thrown to the northside of the east approach . A larger part of the excavate was thrown to the south, including all that from the west entrance, to build up Muskegon Road over a log culvert on the creek crossing. No one could recall when the watering hole was opened, but it would seem likely long be fore logging began. The clear gravel bed of the creek here made the spot ideally "God's gift to children" of the neighborhood, all down through the years. Surely this would be the one and most important site for preservation in all of Section 23.

To the south, across the road, and on a sandy knoll above the creek, a sawmill operated in the 1870's until it burned down. Ever after, that field was cultivated and open, very reddish sand on the mill site reminded all of its history. Lilacs alon g the road suggested a habitation also.

A legendary old man lived by the first bend in Muskegon Road, east of "Felch". He had an apple tree or two in a clearing near his tar papered shanty.

He is remembered for keeping apples in a pine stump for the Indian children on their way to and from school in Newaygo.

That old stump remained as a shell until the 1930's. In its top a new white pine had sprouted and grew until a sleet storm in early 1976 broke it off high above the ground. It can still be seen just beyond 1000 West, N. River Drive.

On the south side of old Muskegon Road, east of the creek, there remained for many years other large and rotting pine stumps. In their Rotting Pine Stumps decay, dense rings and garlands of lowbush blueberries sprang up. Such sweet berries were yo uthful delights of summer, as one paused at each patch while driving cows to pasture. The old stumps eroded now more rapidly and were soon flush with surrounding ground. The acid soil they created disappeared and with the blueberries; quack grass moved in to fill the voids.

In woodland clearings too, rotting pine stumps and logs fostered colonies of wintergreen and trailing arbutus, with occasionally little clumps of pipsissewa. Now too the arbutus is gone; wintergreen still finds home in the duff of beech trees.

A large open field east of the creek crossing still had several acres of pine stumps in 1920. Most fields had already been cleared; using the cumbersome but powerful timber tripod machines, drawn from stump to stump by horses. By World War I most of these old machines had served their time and were hauled to the margins of woods or fields and left to rot away.

For the last hurrah, one was hired from neighbor Louis Hoffman, who hauled it in to pull the remaining stumps. Power of two horses was enormously increased by a pair of huge pulleys, sometimes called three or four system blocks, and a scale-like steel bar all 1 suspended from the peak of the tall tripod. The hardest manual job was hand digging a hole under each stump to snake a chain through and hook up to the bar.

By this time all stumps had found reuse as fencing around fields. On nearby farms they remain in remarkable condition to this day, festooned with both wild and no longer cultivated garden grapes. Our stumps all went into kindling wood for sale in Neway go, when coal furnaces were still in vogue.

The newly stumped area was combined with the surrounding fields and put under cultivation, with a long stretch of rail fencing removed from the center. On one part there must have been an Indian hunting camp, for every summer it yielded up arrowheads a nd chips of flint. Nearer the south side, an amazing array of bits and pieces from the ancient coral reef of northern Michigan were scattered everywhere. An afternoon of hoeing produced a pocketful, including Petoskey Stones, which usually met rebuff at t he kitchen door (there were already many boxes full under my bed!).

One of the most fondly remembered features of our region, from early school years was known as "The Indian Trail". A footpath ran from Newaygo along the west bank of the river to Indiantown, Just north of Old Woman's Bend; other sections of path used b y Indians had extended for additional miles in both directions. In later years traffic over our nearby trail as that of school children from the Bend area. Otherwise it was the delight of all who ventured there for an afternoon's walk in heavenly solitude , over little brooks and springs filled with water-cress and among endless drifts of spring wildflowers or autumn colors.

The upper end was a favorite spot for wiener roasts and where teachers often took classes for nature study. The owner of the parcel within Newaygo limits wee for many years John Bailey II. He never raised the slightest objections to anyone using the tr ail or having parties there. In the 20's, an annual hill climb was put on by the West Michigan Motorcycle Club on one of the steepest slopes; this was later moved to Mt. Garfield in Muskegon County. But all came to an abrupt end when a new owner from the city arrived in the 1930's; a fence was installed and a locked gate with warning sign crossed the trail. Brush grew in and now obscures most of the historic pathway to heaven, over its entire length.

On this trail, a few hundred feet south of the old log rollaway, there is a river flat of perhaps a hundred feet at its widest. In the early 20's this area was grassy, open pasture. The farm, including the flat, was purchased in 1916 by Mr. Ernest Brown who married a young maiden of the Aiken Families. He was recently, arrived from Indiana, and like most rural Hoosiers relished the wild banana or pawpaw of that state. On visits there he collected fruits and brought them to a new farm. In the late 20's it was noted that papaws were growing lustily on the river flat; today they have covered the entire clearing, up into the woodland on the hillside. His wife believes Ernest did indeed plant the seeds for what may well be the most northerly colony in this state.

Indiantown, at the south end of the trail, was a small settlement Indiantown when early travelers reached the river. During dry periods a ford was easy at this point. Ernest's wife, Gladys, lived here in childhood and remembers seeing Halley's com et. She was also present when the "inaugural" run of a river steamer arrived here enroute to Newaygo. It could go no farther due to the shallows of the ford, and returned to Muskegon (c.a. 1905).

After buying his first car, a Model "T", in 1922, Dad began thinking of a new barn to replace two old dilapidated and inefficient buildings. Fortunately a next door neighbor, Mr. Fred Swanson, was an expert timber frame barn specialist with dozens of t hem to his credit on Garfield farms. Red oak timbers were cut from our woods, and another neighbor, Mr. Orrin Cole, did the honors with a broadside in squarring them. I watched, absorbed with every detail, and was even allowed to hold the end of a chalkli ne.

The great day arrived for barn raising on September 14, 1926. I was allowed to stay home from school to watch, from a distance, the picking up of preassembled timber frames by all the neighborhood men from miles around. With great care in preparation, hand cut hardwood pins were driven into joint holes without a single error or wasted second. The day was capped by a typical thresher's dinner, for which I was cook's helper.

As it turned out, this was the very last timber-framed structure to be built in this area, as the newer balloon type was simpler. The roof ridge is as straight today as the day it was built. The barn is no longer in use and only awaits demolition in so me future year. To reflect on changing times, the entire construction cost, including concrete basement, was around $2000, with skilled carpenter at 60¢ an hour.

The broadaxe is seen only in museums today. It was needed when timbers could not be taken to a sawmill, or were too long for the mill's carriage. As the name indicates, the blade was as much as a foot long (or broad); Weight of head was