Delta Township in Eaton County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Moon and Olds Family Legacies
Photographed by Joel Seewald, March 2, 2024
1. The Moon and Olds Family Legacies Marker
"I feel the gentle hand-clasp, I hear the loving voice, I meet the tender glances. That made my heart rejoice."
- Fanny J. Moon, 1891
From Surveyors to Tycoons
Musgrove Evans, a surveyor instrumental in settling families in Michigan, surveyed Delta Township in 1827. He labeled it swampland. Purchased before 1930, Ransom E. Olds deeded this parcel of section 35 to his daughter, Gladys Olds Anderson.
The Potawatomi and Chippewa
Before European settlers arrived, this area was inhabited by the Potawatomi and Chippewa. The U.S. government acquired this land under the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.
Acquisition of the Moon Cabin
To conserve Darius Moon's legacy, the Moon Cabin was purchased by the Oldsmobile Corporation and moved from Canal Road to the current location in 1980. The cabin shows students how settlers in Michigan in the 1850s lived without electric lights or running water.
The Bell
Darius Moon designed and built the Delta Center Methodist Church in 1873, along with local farmers including Andrew Moon. Trinity United Methodist Church donated the bell beside the Moon Cabin to Woldumar in 2015. Mary, Andrew, and Fanny Moon were active members.
Gladys Olds Anderson
Gladys
this page online
Top left image caption: Plat Map of Delta Township, circa 1830
Middle left image caption: Ransom E. Olds, circa 1930
Bottom left image caption: R.E. Olds house, circa 1903
Top center image caption: Treaty Map of Michigan
Bottom center image caption: Olds Motor Works, Lansing, circa 1903.
Top right images caption: Cabin in Transport, 1980
Middle right image caption: Delta Center Methodist Church, Section 22, Delta Township, circa 1924
Bottom right image caption: Gladys Olds Anderson admires a granite plaque in her honor
Erected by Woldumar Nature Center.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.
Location. 42° 41.478′ N, 84° 37.85′ W. Marker is in Delta Township, Michigan, in Eaton County. It can be reached from
Photographed by Joel Seewald, March 2, 2024
2. The Moon and Olds Family Legacies Marker
This marker is the one in the middle.
Regionally, this marker is in Mid-Michigan and in Greater Lansing. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Thought of a Summer Day (here, next to this marker); The Door of the Past (here, next to this marker); Gossiping Grand (approx. 0.4 miles away); Trinity A.M.E. Church (approx. 1.7 miles away); Delta Center Methodist Church (approx. 2.9 miles away); First Presbyterian Church (approx. 3.2 miles away); First Presbyterian Church Bell (approx. 3.2 miles away); Little Family Homesite / Malcolm X (approx. 3.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Delta Township.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, March 2, 2024
3. The Moon and Olds Family Legacies Marker
Close-up of the bell.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 26, 2024, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 338 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 26, 2024, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
