Territorial Road - Canton, MI
N 42° 16.541 W 083° 28.613
17T E 295752 N 4683356
State of Michigan historical marker about the St. Joseph Indian Trail, used by indigenous people to cross Michigan for centuries and now US-12
Waymark Code: WM17ZR5
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 04/29/2023
Views: 4
Generally, Michigan's main highways followed trails used by Native Americans for centuries to travel between their villages and hunting and fishing grounds.[3] Native Americans are believed to have lived in Michigan since 11,000 BC. The trails were narrow paths, about 12 to 18 inches (300 to 460 mm) wide, located on high, dry ground along streams and watersheds. Native Americans used dog sleds to move their cargo, a tradition that was followed in Michigan's territorial days, when dogs pulled sleds with mail and cargo on the trails.
The St. Joseph Indian Trail connected with the Great Trail, from Chesapeake Bay on the Atlantic Seaboard to the Mississippi River and the Plains States to the west. The Great Trail connected with Michigan trails from Toledo to Detroit, and up to Lake Huron.
The trails were used by fur traders, explorers, and missionaries to travel into the frontier. The roads were improved and widened for pack horses and settlers. Initially, branches and bushes were cleared, making the trails two to three feet wide to allow room for pack horses. Then, the trails were further widened for oxen-drawn wagons. Federal funds were appropriated to improve the roads, which involved cutting down trees and filling in swampy and low areas. Traveling by wagon was slow, particularly after the roads developed ruts. Later improvements were gravel and then paved roads.-
Territorial Road
The state of Michigan historical marker at the road reads:
In 1829 the Territorial Legislative Council of Michigan moved to survey land to create a road from the east side of Michigan Territory to the west. The act stated that the road would start at “Sheldon’s Inn,” a business located at what later became the intersection of Geddes Road and Michigan Avenue, and end at the mouth of the St. Joseph River at Lake Michigan. This route closely followed that of the St. Joseph Indian Trail, a route used for centuries by indigenous peoples. The territorial road’s survey was completed by 1831, but settlers on Michigan’s east side constructed and used the road by 1830. It later became part of a stagecoach line from Detroit to Lake Michigan. The line’s first coach left on May 30, 1834. Taverns and inns gave travelers a place to rest during long journeys. In 1836 the eighty-mile trip from Detroit to Jackson could take three days.