Who was first in Missaukee County?  
Most every history about Missaukee gets it wrong. Family legends get passed down as if they were documented history, and some stories get repeated, sometimes over and over for decades, as if they were true. But historical documents, physical evidence, and the testimony of those who lived it set the record straight when taken together. 

Who was in Missaukee first? You'll have to read to find out! Download the Second Edition PDF and learn the truth.  ​

This Second Edition includes new research, particularly on the earliest people to dwell in Missaukee, from Native Americans, to surveying teams, to the first documented pioneers.

It also now includes several additional and expanded memoirs. John Brink shares some colorful stories from “the first white man to set foot in Missaukee.”  John Vogel’s diary, usually published in a truncated version, is now expanded to include his later life. Several additional first-hand memoirs of pioneers are added, including W.L. Coffinberry, Dan Reeder, Leonard Herweyer, Marion Richardson, and James Cavanaugh. A memoir of a typical Dutch immigrant family has been added.

George Stout now contributes two histories. The first is his 1917 history, roughly covering the years 1871-1917, which provides the most original summary of those decades, along with annotations from historian Fred Hirzel. Later in the collection is Stout’s even earlier review of the year 1891, which is really Stout’s first attempt at summarizing the flavor of Missaukee’s pioneer years. Stout used his 1891 work as a source for his later and more expansive 1917 History. 

Finally, a bibliography of known sources on Missaukee history has been added, with some indication of their value, origins, and relationship to one another, to provide quick access to the most primary sources on key topics.

Find out who was in Missaukee, and who first!

Ever wonder who first homesteaded Michigan's Missaukee County? Well, here's a place to start.

The US Government kept track of who claimed what land, so we have some decent records. The Homestead Act of 1820 provided for people to claim frontier lands, provided they occupied and improved the land. Other legislation allowed lumbermen to buy land for for its timber. Yet other legislation reserved parcels that touched swamp lands for government use and distribution. The government recorded all these claims in big books, organized by township numbers (sorted by Range, then Township, then section). 

This PDF file compiles the the entries from the US Tract Books for Missaukee County, Michigan. It records all the land claims made by lumber cruisers, swamp landers, and homesteaders. You'll see some familiar names like Ferris, Vogel, Abbing, Herweyer, Richardson, Reeder, Morey, White, and more. 
But who was FIRST? You'll have to wait for the Second Edition of the "Early History of Missaukee: A Reader"!