A River Ran Wild

The Story of Early Birmingham

Adapted from “A River Ran Wild” By Lynne Cherry

Long ago a river ran wild through a land of towering forests and beautiful hills. Bears, raccoons, and herds of deer, hawks and owls all made their homes in this peaceful river valley. Geese passed on their long migration and rested on the banks. Beavers, turtles and fish swam in its clear waters.

One day a group of native people, searching for a place to settle, came upon the river valley. Drawn by its beauty and natural resources, they decided to settle by this river. They depended on the river for their survival.

The woodland people fashioned wigwams, cultivated corn, beans and squash. They hunted in the forest and fished in the river. They used birch bark canoes for transportation. Indian trails were used to connect villages.

Next to visit the area were French fur traders. One was named Michau. He brought with him shiny metal knives, colored beads, and cooking kettles, mirrors, tools and bolts of bright cloth. His wares seemed like magic. The Native Americans welcomed him, traded furs, and soon a trading post (fort) was built at the end of the Saginaw Trail (Fort Detroit)

Michigan became a territory in 1805. The settlers traveled up the Saginaw Trail and purchased land for 2 dollars an acre. The settler’s worked together to clear land by cutting down the forest. They used the logs to build cabins and taverns for other travelers on the Saginaw Trail. A village began to grow. (Piety Hill) The Settlers built dams to make the mill ponds that were used to store the water and run the Grist Mills which the river powered.

The river became an essential source of water for crop irrigation. The Mills changed the face of the river. The river started to carry away human and animal waste. The effect was at first minimal due to the low number of settlers.

The settlers built fences for their pastures, plowed the fields, and planted crops and fruit trees. They called the land their own and told the Indians not to trespass. Hunting land disappeared as the settlers cleared the forest.

The Indian ways were disrupted. They were deprived of land, ragged, poor and hungry. They began to break into settlers’ homes. The Oakland County Militia drove them away and eventually they were placed on a Reservation in Southfield. Treaty after treaty caused them to continue to lose their lands.

Thanks to active citizens like Martha Baldwin, Birmingham was cleaned up and became a suburban city in 1933. But the expansion of the auto industry from 1910-1930 served as a magnet to immigration. In 1929 the Ford River Plant was the largest self-contained industrial complex in the world. Chemicals and plastic waste were dumped into the river. Soon the fish and wildlife grew sick from this pollution.

The lower River Rouge was transformed into an Industrial Harbor. This had a severe impact on the health of the Rouge River.

The spirits of Chief Pontiac and Chief Tecumseh mourned for the river. They had a deep respect for Natures’ gifts.

People also began to understand that the way they lived effected the life of the river.

Slowly people have helped to clean up the Rouge River. Now we can walk along its banks and drift downstream with its current.

Once again the river runs wild!!!

What can you do to make a difference in your community?