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I thought you might like a little background information before you set off. John Allen and Elisha Rumsey were the founders of Ann Arbor. Allen and Rumsey met in New York and came to Michigan in January 1824. Both of them were trying to get away from their financial problems. You don’t hear much about Mr. Rumsey because he died shortly into the development of the city in 1827. By February 12, 1824 they had registered land claims at the U.S. Land Office in Detroit and by May 25, 1824, they had drawn a map of a town plot in Wayne County. This was the very first time that the name "Annarbour" was used.
Have you ever wondered how the city got its name? The governor of Michigan decided later to separate the words and use the modern English spelling of the word "arbour" (which is arbor). The first part of the city’s name refers to John Allen’s wife, Ann. The second part of the city’s name, arbor, describes the scene of the city with all of its trees. That is why my great, great, great, great, great, great Grandpa chose to live here: all of the beautiful trees!
A week before Allen and Rumsey filed their town plot, people began to arrive in Ann Arbor. By the first week in June over 100 lots of land had been sold to people who’d decided to make this town their home. The city grew fast! A year after the founding there was between 30 and 40 families, and mills and farming were on their way. By 1830 there were schools, churches, two tanneries (where they make leather), two blacksmith’s shops, four general stores, three inns, and over twenty houses! Wonder what it looked like? Here is one of the earliest pictures of Ann Arbor.
From where I sit in the trees, you can see a lot more – kind of a squirrel’s-eye view. Just compare these two maps of the city. One was drawn in 1824 and the other in 1836. Which map do you think was the earliest? Why? How much bigger does the city look only twelve years later?
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OK...I think you’re ready. Go back to the Main Tour, start on the #1 and follow on through. It’s easy! I’ll check in every so often to see how you’re doing.