Sylvan Lake is called "The Prettiest Little City in Michigan."
Its name means "wooded shady lake" for its unique natural beauty. A trip to Sylvan Lake gave people a new attitude on life. After the 1890s, trolleys and automobiles allowed . . . — — Map (db m175770) HM
Merrill B. Mills had many plans in the early 1890s
for his land around Sylvan Lake. His Sylvan Lake Improvement Association developed lakeside subdivisions and a resort hotel. The Sylvan Lake Inn was built in 1893 on this Point, including a . . . — — Map (db m173569) HM
The world got bigger for most people around 1900
Trolleys and automobiles appeared in southeast Michigan around then, and more people could enjoy distance places. Travel time from Detroit to Sylvan Lake's natural beauty and attractions was . . . — — Map (db m173418) HM
Built by William Lakie as a dairy barn in 1912, this structure is now a church. At one time the electric interurban railway ran past this barn and picked up milk cans gathered from surrounding farms. After the Presbyterian Church purchased the . . . — — Map (db m95558) HM
After a long life, pioneer Solomon Caswell gave his lovely home to his son George, pictured here with his father. Later, George's children, William and Inez, inherited the home. They were both school teachers and neither married. When they passed . . . — — Map (db m200015) HM
Residents gossiped, picked up their mail and bought dry goods, live chickens, and interurban tickets in the general store located at Troy Corners along Livernois at Square Lake Road. The Detroit United Railway or interurban line from Detroit stopped . . . — — Map (db m200016) HM
The city of Troy has set aside this area for historic structures. Located here is the 1832 Greek Revival home of pioneer Solomon Caswell, moved from its original site. Nearby is Troy's 1927 township hall. This building is a replica of a Dutch . . . — — Map (db m42177) HM
In 1821 Johnson and Rhoda Niles relocated to Michigan Territory with their three young children. Niles expanded his small 1837 home to lodge potential settlers and plan Troy's future as a great city. A century later, a young paperboy named Norman . . . — — Map (db m200018) HM
This is a simple church built in 1837 by Episcopalians on land they purchased for a dollar from settler Johnson Niles. The little church at Troy Corners, on Square Lake Road near Livernois, was conveyed to the Methodists in the 1860s. The youth . . . — — Map (db m200022) HM
For over ninety years the walls of the parsonage echoed with children's laughter, the clatter of tea cups during countless meetings, and the sweet melodies of hymns played on the old pump organ. Twenty-six different ministers served the Troy . . . — — Map (db m200024) HM
Can you smell the chalk dust? Students in rural schools used slates rather than paper. Boys and girls had separate entries and did not sit together. One teacher taught all grades using books you will find in the desks. Schools changed over time. Log . . . — — Map (db m200027) HM
A print or job shop with hand-fed presses capable of printing up to 1,000 copies an hour was the place to go if you needed business cards, announcements, or handbills. While rural Troy Corners wasn't known to have a job shop, many communities relied . . . — — Map (db m200041) HM
Sebastion Spering Kresge founded the firm in 1899 in Detroit. His guidance during its formative years was responsible for its initial success. By 1916, when it was incorporated in Michigan, the company numbered 150 units. Innovative and careful . . . — — Map (db m68167) HM
From Presidents to the common man, early Americans called log cabins home. Alva Butler walked 360 miles from New York to Buffalo; then sailed to Detroit. He settled in Troy Township and built a cabin near an Indian trail. That home was smaller than . . . — — Map (db m200101) HM
Sebastion Spering Kresge established this foundation in 1924 on the 25th anniversary of the company he organized in Detroit. The foundation's sole donor, he remained chairman of the board until retiring in 1966, shortly before his death. Grants of . . . — — Map (db m68201) HM
In the summer of 1918, President Woodrow Wilson, at the urging of Britain and France, sent an infantry regiment to north Russia to fight the Bolsheviks in hopes of persuading Russia to rejoin the war against Germany. The 339th Infantry Regiment, . . . — — Map (db m91096) HM
The first Troy Township meeting was held in Riley Crook's barn. Later, the citizens built a Township Hall that closely resembled this one-room school. In 1927 that building was replaced by the brick Township Hall which now serves as the . . . — — Map (db m199955) HM
After the War of 1812 farmers from New York and other eastern states settled in Troy Township. This building became the seat of local government in 1927. Troy remained an agricultural community until 1955 when township leaders led the effort to . . . — — Map (db m200020) HM
The city of Troy was an unclaimed wilderness when Johnson Niles moved here with his family from New York in 1821. As a farmer, carpenter, innkeeper, and merchant, Niles did much to develop the area, offering advice and encouragement to the settlers . . . — — Map (db m184286) HM
In 1827 the Michigan Territorial Legislative Council created Troy Township. Stephen V.R. Trowbridge and Riley Crooks were elected supervisor and clerk. Township meetings were held in houses and barns until 1848 when a frame hall was built on this . . . — — Map (db m91413) HM
One hundred fifty years ago the sound of horses and a whiff of coal smoke told you that a Wagon Shop was nearby. Here woodworkers and blacksmiths merged their skills to build and repair wagons and farm equipment. Many blacksmiths were also trained . . . — — Map (db m200105) HM
Harry Bennett Wattles purchased this house in 1876 about thirty years after its construction and added a veranda and a second story in 1909. Settling in Troy around 1837, the Wattles Family has been active in civic and social affairs. Here on this . . . — — Map (db m91377) HM
This land served as the local schoolhouse site from 1836 to 1895. The original schoolhouse situated here was built of hewn logs and oak shakes. Stonecrest was constructed as a one-room schoolhouse in 1860. The teacher at Stonecrest in 1868-69 was . . . — — Map (db m136645) HM
What is a watershed?
A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water such as a stream, river, lake, or groundwater—in this case, the Detroit River. Walled Lake drains 4 square miles and is situated in the . . . — — Map (db m164705) HM
Four Towns received its name because it is near the point where the townships of West Bloomfield, Commerce, Waterford, and White Lake meet. In 1866 a frame schoolhouse was built here, on land donated by Nathan R. Colvin. From that year until 1930 . . . — — Map (db m46645) HM
It was a time of exciting change,
as the first automobiles tangled with horses and trolley cars in the streets and countryside. On June 23, 1902 a group of leading businessmen and industrialists came together at the Detroit . . . — — Map (db m105226) HM
Cass Lake was the quiet pleasure
of farmers and merchants until the first trolley rail system was built through the area in 1895, bringing "weekenders" from Pontiac and Detroit to the area. In 1912 real estate developer Joseph . . . — — Map (db m105182) HM
A local advocate and leader.
Daniel J. Navarre served as the Director of the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission (WBPRC) from January 1999 until November of 2014. He is the longest serving director to date and is credited with . . . — — Map (db m155840) HM
A local advocate and leader.
Daniel J. Navarre served as the Director of the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission (WBPRC) from January 1999 until November of 2014. He is the longest serving director to date and is credited with . . . — — Map (db m155853) HM
Many Detroiters escaped to nature on the trolleys
of the Detroit United Railway (DUR) in the early 1900s. The Orchard Lake Beach stop was located here, where the parallel Grand Trunk Railroad and DUR trolley tracks crossed . . . — — Map (db m105107) HM
A former railroad corridor, the West Bloomfield Trail Network stretches 4.25 miles through West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor and Sylvan Lake.
The West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission bought it from the Grand Trunk . . . — — Map (db m105288) HM
The sparkling lake has been a gift to the generations
Pine Lake Country Club began as a treasured rustic destination for Automobile Club of Detroit road tours in the early 1900s. By 1910, the clubhouse on Pine Lake had become a . . . — — Map (db m105200) HM
The heart of the lake country was well-served by the trolleys
in the early 1900s. No stop in the entire Detroit United Railway (DUR) trolley system was more popular than the Orchard Lake stop located here, where the parallel . . . — — Map (db m105135) HM
The West Bloomfield Trail was once a railbed of the Grand Trunk Railroad, built through the region in the 1880s to serve far-flung agriculture and industry. The light rail electric trolley track that was built in 1899 is noticeable at Cass Lake . . . — — Map (db m174210) HM
The lakes and landscape of Oakland County weren't ready
for the automobile in the early 1900s. Weekend visitors, in noisy "self-propelled" vehicles, churned up dust on unpaved roads and trespassed on private property. To . . . — — Map (db m105049) HM
They turned on their porchlights to signal the bus
to pick them up for the ride to work at the Chrysler plant in Highland Park. In 1939 nine Westacres residents bought a used bus to share the cost of commuting to work. They formed the . . . — — Map (db m175749) HM
Great blue herons are the official bird of West Bloomfield and it's easy to see why with their majestic appearance, great size and frequent sightings within our township. Also, for several years, the nature preserve you are now standing in . . . — — Map (db m105289) HM
The Journey from Rail to Trail (left panel)
The West Bloomfield Trail is a 64-acre linear park that meanders for 6.8 miles through West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor and Sylvan Lake. The trail extends from Sylvan Manor Park in . . . — — Map (db m176723) HM
Railroad locomotives thundered through this countryside
for more than 130 years. The Michigan Air Line Railroad was completed in 1884, a branch of the historic Grand Trunk Railroad that became a vital shipping network between manufacturing . . . — — Map (db m155852) HM
Westacres, a greenbelt development of 150 homes, was created by Oakland Housing, Inc. in 1936. The idea of this self-sufficient neighborhood was conceived and financed by United States Senator James Couzens who contributed $550,000 and secured a . . . — — Map (db m175668) HM
Born with great purpose in the Great Depression
Westacres endures as a strong West Bloomfield Community. In 1936, U.S. Senator from Michigan, James Couzens pooled $550,000 of his own money with $300,000 of federal funds to establish this . . . — — Map (db m175669) HM
The Hathaway-Hess Farm originated as the homestead of Jonathan Owen Hathaway, who migrated from New York to Oakland County with his parents in 1830. In 1861, Hathaway and his wife, Marcy C. Dewey, acquired an 80-acre parcel of land in Waterford . . . — — Map (db m177200) HM
Much of what is now Highland Recreation Area, was once the country estate
of auto magnate Edsel Ford. Looking for a nerve retreat," Edsel developed
an elaborate country estate throughout the Haven Hill and Teeple Lake Area
The area included a . . . — — Map (db m226161) HM
He was a man of vision and achievement,
and he called Haven Hill his "nerve retreat," his restful refuge. The only child of Henry and Clara Ford, Edsel Ford was born in 1893 and became the youngest president of Ford Motor Company in 1919. . . . — — Map (db m99082) HM
Michigan state parks welcomed the newly-mobile drivers
of automobiles in the early 1900s. Genevieve Gillette made it her life's work to preserve precious natural settings and make them available to the travelling public. In 1920 she began . . . — — Map (db m99055) HM
The centerpiece of Edsel Ford's working farm at Haven Hill
was this barn, built in the early 1930s and partially blown down by high winds in 2008. This huge barn was an expression of the merging agriculture and industry, a . . . — — Map (db m203192) HM
It was a garage and a playhouse.
The Carriage House was planned to be the chauffeur's home and to shelter Ford family vehicles. But the chauffeur moved into the Lodge, and the Carriage House became a playhouse for the Ford children — . . . — — Map (db m99117) HM
An expression of deep respect for the land,
this complex was called the Farm Group Buildings. Edsel Ford learned from his father Henry Ford who wrote in 1932 that "with one foot in industry and another foot in the land, human society is . . . — — Map (db m99131) HM
The Gatehouse was the formal entryway
into the 2,422 acre Haven Hill Estate, Edsel Ford's chosen "weekend getaway." While Edsel gathered property for his country estate in the 1920s, Packard Motor Car Company and General Motors bought large . . . — — Map (db m99066) HM
It was an expression of new wealth and mobility
created by the early automobile industry. Twenty years after his father founded Ford Motor Company in 1903, Edsel Ford began buying the hilly property that became his family's rural retreat . . . — — Map (db m99106) HM
Asa Loren Kelley (1813-1887) migrated from New York as a child around 1820. He settled in Owosso with his first wife, Armitta, and they had two children. Upon the deaths of his wife and children, Kelley married Louisa Austin and moved to White Lake . . . — — Map (db m180386) HM
They were discovering America, all over again.
In the summer of 1956, over 5,000 Girl Scouts from around the coutry and around the world gathered at Highland Recreation Area for the first Girl Scout Senior Roundup. The aim was to give the . . . — — Map (db m159639) HM
This white clapboard edifice was built by Irish immigrants in 1840. It is believed to be the oldest existing frame Catholic church building in the Lower Peninsula. This area was one of the earliest in Michigan to be settled by Irish immigrants who . . . — — Map (db m177216) HM
They came from around the world.
In the early 1920s, "weekend jaunts" in automobiles and on new roads brought day travelers to this countryside like never before, and also brought prominent people from around the world. The world of Edsel . . . — — Map (db m99075) HM
This cemetery was established by Robert Garner when his nine-month-old child, Mary, died in 1837. White Lake Road, which runs past it, was once an Indian trail. Garner, a pioneer of White Lake Township, was involved in the establishment of the First . . . — — Map (db m153554) HM
White Lake Township's first white settler, Harley Olmstead, came here from New York State in 1830. The township was set off in 1836. Beginning around 1837 daily stagecoaches and wagons hauling lumber traveled along the old White Lake Road, part of . . . — — Map (db m94793) HM
Detroit Finnish Co-operative Summer Camp Association On June 21, 1925, Detroit-area people of Finnish descent purchased this land and built a summer camp where they could share the traditions of their native Finland. The Detroit Finnish . . . — — Map (db m177466) HM
A city and industrial complex were born here
at almost the same time. In the 1950s, Ford Motor Company chose the Wixom Road site for a new automobile assembly plant. It had unique advantages, including nearby railroad tracks to use for . . . — — Map (db m159756) HM
Lewis Norton first settled the area in 1830, followed by Alonzo Sibley in 1831 and Alijah Wixom in 1832. Sibley built an impressive home opposite this site and donated land to establish a cemetery and church. The area became known as Sibley's . . . — — Map (db m136799) HM
Trains came from all directions,
and made Wixom a hub of commerce. In 1871, Willard Clark Wixom founded the village on property at the intersection of planned railroad lines. One line (later named Pere Marquette, now CSX) was built through . . . — — Map (db m136763) HM
This road is a story with many chapters.
On Pontiac Trail people have traveled on foot, on horseback and on wheels, tracing the story of Wixom and southeast Michigan. It was vital in prehistory as a Native American footpath, and in 1828 it . . . — — Map (db m136792) HM
The Wixom Cemetery has been in continuous use since 1838, when it was established as the South Commerce Burial Ground. The first burial however, that of an infant named Israel Barrett, occurred in 1835. Two hundred thirty-three of the graves date . . . — — Map (db m136819) HM
This house was built in the early 1850s by Lucy Wixom, widow of Alijah Wixom, one of the town's founders. Its first residents were the Reverend and Mrs. Samuel Wire. He was the pastor of the Free Will Baptist Association of Commerce. The house . . . — — Map (db m136812) HM
Wolverine Lake was created in the 1920s through a private damming and inundation project funded by local dentist and developer Howard Stuart. A critical early step in creating the lake involved the construction of the nearby dam, which began in . . . — — Map (db m173416) HM
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