Moses and his fellow surveyors pretty much followed the well-worn path that the Native Americans called the Sauk Trail. He had been part of a surveying team charged with establishing the route for a road between Detroit and Chicago. Moses Allen was the first white settler in Hillsdale County. Here are some of the more interesting bits of history concerning the evolution of the townships in Hillsdale County.Īllen Township took its name from Allen Prairie. When the townships were named, sometimes it was a mere formality others came with a story attached.
Townships were formally established to facilitate elections, town meetings, meetings of the township board and to make the distances people had to travel more managable. With a small population individual voices had more power, and participation in local government was common. Some of the settlers wanted space and privacy, but most desired neighbors. In the 1820's and 1830's the United States government actively encouraged the settlement of the "western lands," which included the Michigan Territory.
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