JACKSON COUNTY. 250 



Vineyards, 62 acres: grapes sold in 1883, 65,195 pounds. 



wine made in 1883. 567 gallons. 

 Nurseries, 3 acres ; products sold in 1883, 8608.00. 

 Market garden products sold in 1883, $19,084.00. 



JACKSON COUNTY. 



This county was set off by an act of the Territorial Legislature, approved 

 October 29th, 1829, and the county seat was located on March 31st, 1830, near 

 the point where the territorial roud crosses Grand river, by a commission 

 whose report was made to Governor Cass. 



The organization of the county was perfected in pursuance of a subsequent 

 act of the territorial legislature, which took effect August 1st, 1832. 



The name comes from General Andrew Jackson, president of the United 

 States at the time. 



The entire county was organized into a township under the name of Jack- 

 sonopolis by an act of the Legislative Council, approved July 30th, 1830, which 

 name was changed to Jacksonburg by an act approved February 18th, 1831. 

 The village was granted a city charter by act of the State Legislature, ap- 

 proved February 3 4th, 1857, taking the county name, Jackson. 



In the second volume of ''Pioneer Collections," on page 274, Michael 

 Shoemaker says: ''The first settlement on the site of what is now the city 

 of Jackson, by white people, was made in 1829. A portion of the ground 

 had been occupied and cultivated by the Indians long anterior to the appear- 

 ance of the white man. The site of Jackson was a favorite camping ground 

 for the Indians and a central point for their trails, leading to all parts of the 

 Indian territory, prophetic, as it were, of the future in store for it in becom- 

 ing one of the principal railroad centres of the State." 



On July 3d, 1829, Horace Blackman made the first location of land in the 

 county, on which now stands a portion of the city of Jackson. During the 

 fall he built a log cabin thereon, which was the first house built in the county 

 by a white man. In this building he settled with his family in May, 1830. 

 Prior to his return and final settlement, however, several other immigrants 

 had effected settlements in the immediate vicinity. 



The village of Jacksonburgh was platted in 1830, and from twenty to thirty 

 buildings were erected during the summer and autumn of that year. 



Thp first orchard in the county was planted in 1830, by A. W. Daniels, 

 upon his farm, adjoining the present city of Jackson. 



A settlement was effected in 1831, in the town of Leoni, by Joseph X. Otis^ 

 who, the following year, planted a seedling orchard, which, in 1835, was 

 grafted with improved varieties by Z. M. Barber. About one-third of these 

 trees are now dead. The remaining two-thirds are yet in good condition. 



In 1834 Timothy W. Dunham emigrated from Orleans county. New York, 

 bringing with him a quantity of apple root-grafts, which he planted at Sand- 

 stone. In autumn of that year he revisited his former home, returning with 

 more grafts, cions, and a quantity of apple seeds, which he subsequently 

 sold, together with his previous importation, to Townshend E. Gidley, long 

 a prominent nurseryman and orchardist of this county, but, more recently, 

 of Grand Haven, Ottawa county. 



