Mecosta County MI Archives History .....History Of Big Rapids Township 1883
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Jan Cortez http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00020.html#0004939 January 25, 2008, 3:57 pm

The township of Big Rapids, containing the city of the same name, is an exact 
Congressional township, being township fifteen north, range ten west. It 
contains 23,040, acres of land, of which as large an amount is under 
cultivation as in any other township in Mecosta County. It is intersected by 
the Muskegon River, which flows in a winding course south through the eastern 
part of the township. Flowing east through the northern part, and empyting 
into the Muskegon at Big Rapids, is Mitchell's Creek. In the southern part are 
Cold Spring and other small creeks, which flow into the Muskegon. Big Rapids 
is pre-eminently the railroad township of the county, being traversed by three 
lines,--the Grand Rapids & Indiana, the Detroit, Lansing & Northern, and the 
Chicago & West Michigan (formerly the Muskegon & Big Rapids).

The township was organized in 1858, under the name of Leonard. Luther cobb, 
was the first Supervisor. In 1865, by act of the Legislature, the name was 
changed to Big Rapids. The first white settler of the township was John 
Parish, who located on section 14, in 1851, and was also one of the first two 
settlers in the county. Many of the first events in the county occurred in 
this township. The first birth in the township and also in the county was that 
of Alice Brockway, daughter of William and Margaret Brockway, Feb. 12, 1853. 
The first marriage in both township and county was that of Silas Moore and 
Sally French, solemnized by Elder Kelley in the fall of 1854. The first frame 
dwelling was the two-story boarding-house built by Warren & Ives in 1857. The 
first mill was the water-power saw-mill built by the same parties in the 
spring of the same year. This was the first frame structure in town; and a run 
of stone afterwards added, made it the first grist-mill in the county. The 
first school-house was a two-story frame building, erected in 1859, on the 
corner of Michigan Avenue and Oak Street, in Big Rapids, and afterwards known 
as the First Ward School-house of the city. The first schoolk was taught by 
Mrs. Mary Fuller, in the summer of 1860.

The population of Big Rapids (then Leonard) Township in 1860 was 317; in 1864 
it was 342; in 1870 it was 465; and in 1880 it was 549. It had 2,440 acres of 
improved land in 1878 and 2,239 acres in 1881. The decrease is only apparent, 
and is due to different standards used in different years. The equalized 
valutation of real estate and personal property in 1859 was $161,279.36; and 
its present valuation is $312,790. This of course excludes Big Rapids City. 
The toal vote in November, 1882, was 87.

Additional Comments:
Mecosta County Portrait and Biographical Album, by Chapman Brothers, 1883.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/mecosta/history/other/historyo42gms.txt

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