362 GENERAL HISTORY. 



OGEMAW COUNTY. 



This county was laid off by act of the Legislature, approved April 1st, 

 1840, and was organized under the orovisions of an act approved April 27th, 

 1875. 



The county seat is at West Branch, a station on the Jackson, Lansing and 

 Saginaw railroad, which traverses the southwestern portion of the county. 



This county occupies the upper basin of Kifle river, a portion of the great 

 central plateau of the lower peninsula, elevated from two hundred to six or 

 seven hundred feet above Lakes Huron and Michigan. 



The settlement of the county occurred but recently, and the horticultural 

 improvements are yet few and incomplete. 



The census of 1884 gives to this county of apple orchards, 203 acres, 227 

 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 44 bushels of fruit. 



Peach orchards, 8 acres, 8 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 2 bushels of 

 fruit. 



The value of orchard products of all kinds, sold or consumed in 1883, 

 $160.00. 



Vineyards, none. 



Nurseries, 3 acres; products sold in 1883, none. 



Market garden products sold in 1883, $300.00. 



An extract from a local paper dated September, 1886, says: "John Klock- 

 ing, the pioneer of his township which bears his name, has presented us with 

 a sample of some of the plums which grew on his farm this year. He has 

 two varieties of the Egg plum, red and yellow. The yellow is much the 

 larger, but both are as luscious as any we have ever tasted. Mr. Klocking 

 had but few this year, but has a large number of trees and will have an 

 abundance in a few years. He will this year have over two hundred bushels 

 of apples, and he has well demonstrated the fact that for fruit growing Oge- 

 maw county is inferior to none in the State." 



ROSCOMMON COUNTY. 



This county was laid off by act of the Legislature, approved April 1st, 1840, 

 as Mikenauk countv. 



It was organized as Koscommon county, in pursuance of an act approved 

 March 20th, 1875, which organization was perfected on the first Monday in 

 April, 1875. 



The county seat is Roscommon. 



This county occupies a central portion of what may be called a bench of 

 the great northern plateau of the lower peninsula, with an elevation of three 

 hundred to seven hundred feet above the level of the great lakes. Higgins 

 and Houghton lakes, in the west half of the county, give rise to Muskegon 

 river, while Au Sable river, an affluent of Lake Huron, takes its rise in the 

 eastern part. 



Its elevation varies from three hundred to seven hundred feet. 



The Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw railroad was built through the north- 



