Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology 3 



occurred. Tamarack bogs were common, and a small stand 

 of black spruce occurred at the edge of Independence Lake. 

 There are few flood-plains along the Huron River in this dis- 

 trict, but along the river's edge were a few cottonwoods and 

 sycamores, and many willows, some of large size. On the 

 steep bluffs along the river was often a heavy growth of red 

 cedar; and some large areas of procumbent juniper occurred. 

 In this district were several open, level, sandy plains covered 

 with a scattered growth of white and bur oaks and an under- 

 growth of hazel brush. These were known to the pioneers as 

 "oak openings" or "plains." Lodi Plains in Lodi Township, 

 Bur Oak Plains in Manchester Township, Sharon Plains in 

 Sharon Township, and Boyden's Plains in Webster Township 

 were the largest of these natural openings in Washtenaw 

 County. 



On the low lands of the Lake Plain District great forests 

 of black ash, elm, whitewood, soft maple, red-bud, swamp oak, 

 and bur oak were found by the early settlers. Large sycamore 

 trees were found along the river banks, these following the 

 Huron River up a short distance beyond Ann Arbor and 

 occurring all along the Raisin and Saline rivers. The paw 

 paw and pin oak were found rarely in the southeastern part 

 of the county. Along the small streams in this district were 

 extensive marshes which were evidently old beaver meadows. 

 About the edges of the marshes were fringes of tamaracks. 



At the beginning of the nineteenth century Washtenaw 

 County was an unbroken wilderness, and deer, wolves, bear, 

 and other large and small fur-bearing animals were abundant. 

 A few white trappers were in the region, and the Indians fre- 

 quently passed through on the old Tecumseh Trail to Detroit, 

 where they went to trade. 



In 1809 three Frenchmen established a trading-post at 



