Clinton Township, Mi

Clinton Township, Michigan

On July 22, 1782 David Zeisberger and his followers founded the first settlement in Clinton Township. He described the site of "New Gnadenhutten" in his diary, "founded on this side of the river a fine place to lay out a town on a height ... between the river and the height, there are many springs with many separate little brooks that flow into the river and have exceedingly good water. The land on the site of the town is so sandy ... the lowlands are very rich with heavy timber.We chose this place before all others for our town site ... heavily laden boats can go even to the fork, a half-mile higher up ... and canoes can go much further. We are glad and thankful to have found such a good and healthy a spot for a town site nothing was lacking. We found traces that long ago an Indian town must have stood on this place."In 1827 the Clinton Township was much larger than today and encompassed what later became Warren and Erin Townships. In 1837 Michigan became a state. Clinton Township was named for the Clinton River when it was renamed at the first meeting of the state legislature. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825. Now it was possible to ship goods and people from the east coast to any place on the Great Lakes. Transportation was difficult in southern Michigan due to the wide expanse of marshland. A canal across Michigan seemed to be a logical endeavor, due to the success of the Erie Canal. On April 12, 1827 the Clinton River Navigation Company was formed and planed to build a canal from Frederick to Lake Michigan, utilizing the waters of the Clinton and Kalamazoo Rivers. Public Act #27 declared 500,000 acres of land was to be sold to provide funds to build locks on the Clinton River at the Village of Frederick. The Canal was completed from Frederick to the Village of Rochester. By 1850 it was abandoned as a result of increased dependence on rail transportation.Clinton Township is the largest township in the state with nearly 100,000 people. The township offices, the Clinton Macomb Public Library, the Senior Center, the Historical Village, and athletic fields are all located on land adjacent to the Old Clinton and Kalamazoo Canal. There are gardens, a fishing pond, a sledding hill and gazebo that make a beautiful setting for summer concerts and weddings. All of these make Clinton Township a nice place to live.