GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY. 373 



During the first three years he lost a few trees, as he believes from over cul- 

 tivation. He then seeded down the orchard, only cultivating enough to pre- 

 vent the trees becoming ''sod bound;" and he now has as promising a young 

 orchard as he ever saw. Some of the trees are already fruiting. 



Most varieties of apples and crabs prove satisfactory, except the Wagener. 

 There are few troublesome insects, and fruits are very fair and beautiful. 

 Plums and pears are successful with proper culture. 



Cherries do well, as do currants, raspberries, strawberries, and all the small 

 fruits. Peached are a failure, and grapes nearly so. 



The earliest improvements in the county date back only about fourteen 

 years, at which time the first orchards were planted, many of which are 

 entirely successful. 



Of ornamental trees he commends the mountain ash (not those taken from 

 the forest), also hard or sugar maple and elm. 



The census of 1884 shows the county to have had, of 



Apple orchards, 550 acres, 4,539 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 1,510 

 bushels of fruit. 



Peach orchards, 6 acres, 136 bearing trees, yielding in 1883, 24 bushels of 

 fruit. 



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

 ^1,597.00. 



Vineyards, 76 acres: grapes sold in 1883, none. 



wine made in 1883, none. 



Nurseries one acre; products sold in 1883, $40.00. 



Market garden products sold in 1883, $1,048.00. 



GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY. 



This county was laid off and named Omecna, by act of the Legislature, 

 approved April 1st, 1840. The name was changed to Grand Traverse by a 

 subsequent act, approved April 7th, 1851, which is also the date of the 

 approval of the act under which the organization of the county was com- 

 pleted, by the election of the proper officers, on the first Monday in August, 

 1851. 



The county seat is at Traverse City, which was first settled early in June, 

 1847. (Grand Traverse Herald.) 



In May, 1839, Rev. John Fleming and Rev. Peter Dougherty, missionaries 

 of the Presbyterian board, who had spent the previous winter at Mackinac, 

 came to Grand Traverse bay and landed at what has since been known as 

 Old Mission. A conference with the Indians resulted in the removal of both 

 Indians and missionaries across the east arm of the bay, to what is now 

 known as Elk Rapids, where a location was selected and a dwelling and 

 school-house built. 



Rev. Mr. Fleming was soon after called away, by the death of his wife at 

 Mackinac, and did not return. About the 20th of June United States Indian 

 Agent Henry R. Schoolcraft, visited the mission, and established there a 

 Mr. Isaac George, as blacksmith, carpenter and farmer, as required by a 

 treaty with the Indians. 



