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Settlement

Go Find It | Timeline | Extra! Extra! | Spotlight | Archive Challenge | Let's Learn More!

The inscription reads:

Go Find It!

When settlers first came to the area now Ypsilanti, they built their homes where this rock now stands. They came here in 1823 and named their community "Woodruff's Grove." It was called Woodruff's Grove because their leader was Benjamin Woodruff, who moved here from Ohio.

You can go find this historic spot on the corner of Grove St. and Prospect St.

Read the inscription.

What year was rock put there? Why do you think it was put there during this year?

Why do you think the D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution) put it there at all?

Timeline

"Hello, I see you have come to learn about the Settlement of Ypsilanti! Investigate below and you will discover what it was like to live here long ago—with only a few families living near you.

These settlers came from all over the country. Try to imagine why they came, and what it was like for them to live here and build a community."

Below you will find a timeline of the important events in the Settlement of Ypsilanti:

Extra! Extra!

As everyone in the Grove gets ready to celebrate our nation's birthday, none of us can forget last year's Independence Day bash. 1824 was the first Independence Day in the new community, and we were all ready to put down their work for a day and have a feast. There was beef roasted in kettles over an open fire, chicken, hot biscuits, potatoes, peas and beets and cheese. Mr. Woodruff brought raisins, rice and sugar all the way from Detroit, so Mrs. Woodruff could make rice pudding for everyone. Yum!! It was a serious occasion too, for Mr. Woodruff read the Declaration of Independence to remind us all of the rights and opportunities we have in the United States. We have the freedom to start a new community here for example. But, the evening became lively and fun again with good food and music provided by Mr. Mallett's violin. Everyone stayed up late talking and dancing. Our nation's congress has decided to run a road from Detroit to Chicago, so settlers can travel more easily into the Michigan Territory. Yesterday, the men planning the road decided that it will cross the Huron River at a spot 1 mile north of Woodruff's Grove! The new road traces the path of an Indian Trail already in use. It is the opinion of this reporter that a new village will soon spring up where the road will cross the Huron River. Woodruff's Grove will not be around for long. There have been widespread reports of the dreaded disease, Malaria, in the community. Be aware the symptoms: high fever and chills. With the horrible danger of this disease, there are stories of the community pulling together. Mrs. Woodruff has been making large kettles of porridge for those too sick to get out of bed. Whole families are working on the neighbors' farms when they can't tend to their crops. Way to pull together everyone!

Spotlight on Mills

Do you ever think about how a wheat plant becomes the bread you eat? What if there were no grocery stores or bakeries to get bread? How would you survive?

The settlers in Woodruff's Grove had to make the corn they grew into cornmeal, so they could make cornbread and porridge. There were no stores or buildings around. Here's what they did:

1. They took the corn they grew and let it dry out in the sun.
2. A stump was hollowed out to make a big bowl and the corn put inside. Someone would take a heavy rock with a pole attached and pound the corn until it was a powder, or cornmeal.

This took a lot of time and work! When more and more people came to Ypsilanti, a better way of making wheat flour and corn meal had to be created to feed everyone. Mark Norris was one man who made a large flour mill on the Huron River to solve this problem.

 

In this mill (right), a big wheel turned as the river flowed by it. The wheel then moved a heavy stone up and down (located inside a building) to grind the grain into flour or meal.

 

 

Below is a photograph of a Ypsilanti flour mill from 1800s. It was on Huron Street right next to the river.

 

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Archive Challenge: Life in Early Ypsilanti

Time to be a historical detective! Newspapers are great documents that tell about what people in the past thought was important. Go the archive and search under "newspaper." Then find the newspaper from 1839. Look through the advertisements in this paper. What can you learn about early Ypsilanti?

Let's Learn More

Are there any mills left on the Huron River? In the present-day, these water wheel mills are no longer used, but Washtenaw County has one working mill left. Read about it here:

• www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/ parks_recreation/pr_pkpm.html

And then type in the address at Yahoo Maps! to find out where it is. Go and visit the oldest mill in area!

• maps.yahoo.com

Do you want to know more about how mills work? Follow this link for a diagram showing water power at work!

• www.angelfire.com/journal/pondlilymill/graphics.html