Hidden History of Monroe County, Michigan

By Shawna Lynn Mazur

Often overshadowed by its larger neighbors, Monroe County offers a rich tapestry of history for those willing to look.

French-Canadian settlers left behind legends of monsters, ghosts, and witches. In war time, the community answered the call to arms with more soldiers per capita than any other county in the nation and proved a suitable hometown to take refuge between gun shots from none other than George Armstrong Custer. Like most communities, its sordid past reveals crimes and tragedies--including body snatching. More recently, a partial nuclear meltdown brought the city to the brink of disaster, but Monroe not only survived but now thrives.

Join local author Shawna Lynn Mazur for a trip through little-known and forgotten parts of Monroe County's past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Oct 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781439676691

Shawna Lynn Mazur

Shawna Lynn Mazur is a Monroe native. In 2007, Shawna was hired by the Monroe County Historical Museums. With a bachelor's degree in history and literature and a love of history, research and writing, she wrote numerous articles and conducted the museum's popular Lantern Tours for four years. She has also published in Michigan History magazine, the Little Big Horn Associates newsletter and the local newspaper. As an interpretive ranger at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, she contributed to growing the park and developing some of its interpretive programs, publications and curriculums. She is currently working on a book for the National Park Service.

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PREFACE

I am privileged to be able to say I have spent my whole life in Monroe. I was born and grew up in the city of Monroe. Now, I live in the county. Like most people who have lived in Monroe their whole lives, I know it is a true historical gem. Yet, there are so few books about Monroe. We have two definitive history books compiled at the turn of the twentieth century that are very valuable if you wish to learn more about the area and its people. You will see the two authors mentioned throughout my narrative: they are John Bulkley and Talcott Wing, who each wrote a definitive history of Monroe County. But my purpose in writing this book was to highlight the interesting and often forgotten or unknown history of the community in the light of today.

We tend to take for granted the historical area all around us. Monroe has always been a charming, quaint, moderately small community where everyone knows everyone or their families. In fact, many of the families who live here can trace their ancestors all the way back to the founding of the settlement.

I wanted to write a book that would give a glimpse into life in early Monroe as well as some key aspects of its community and historical significance. We have the advantage of looking back over 240 years. In writing the book, I quickly realized that even though my purpose was not to write about the core history, there was so much to write about that I barely skimmed the surface. Volumes upon volumes could be written about Monroe.

I hope that this narrative will inspire others to appreciate the history of this fascinating city and county and discover more gems themselves. I hope they will learn more about those who lived here, those who struggled here and all those who made sacrifices for us to be here today.

I spent three years preparing this book, and I am indebted to many individuals in writing it, as well as many historical sources and institutions. I would like to thank the Monroe County Library System (MCLS), the Monroe County Museum System, the Labor History Museum, the Monroe News and the River Raisin National Battlefield Park.

I want to express my gratitude to the following individuals:

John Rodrigue, acquisitions editor, The History Press

Zoe Ames, copy editor, The History Press

Joseph Mazur

Tyler Mazur

David Grosse

Russell Davis, author and historian

Ralph Naveaux, author and historian

William Saul, Monroe County Historical Society president

Daniel Harrison, maritime archaeologist

Charmaine Wawrzyniec, Monroe County Library System, Ellis Reference and Information Center reference technician

Regina Manning, Monroe County Library System, Ellis Reference and Information Center reference librarian

David Ingall, author and historian

Bruce Vanisacker, artillery expert

INTRODUCTION

Officially, Monroe County was carved out of the southernmost area of Wayne County in 1817. Michigan was not a state yet and was part of the Old Northwest Territory. Detroit was the only city with a population of over one thousand. When Monroe County was set off, so was the city of Monroe, which was called Frenchtown at the time. Monroe was named after then President James Monroe.

Monroe County is situated in the southeasterly corner of Michigan, covers an area of about 542 square miles and has fifteen counties. The city of Monroe is the largest city in the county. The county has the lowest elevation in the state, and much of it was marsh in 1817. The River Raisin cuts a swath for 139 miles from Hillsdale County through the entire County of Monroe until it dumps into Lake Erie. Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, runs adjacent to the eastern border of the county. The River Raisin and Lake Erie are the features that drew settlers to the area. Today, people are still drawn to Monroe’s scenic river views, sandy beaches and eclectic mix of urban and rural areas. In 2022, Monroe County’s population was 151,478.

Monroe is not your typical quaint, small-town community; it is steeped in history. We will travel back in time to when the Native Americans roamed the area and see how the French Canadians decided this was also a good place to call home. How well did that bode with the Native people? Is that where some of the earliest reservations come in? Or maybe that’s why a pivotal international battle was fought on the doorsteps of the settlers. Where does Shawnee warrior Tecumseh fit into all this? And what of George Armstrong Custer? He was not even born yet…

What about plagues and the Michigan rash; did it devastate the settlers, or did they have cures for these maladies? Be warned; the cure can be worse than the ailment. For the settlers, traveling by horse and buggy was an adventure in and of itself, especially when taverns lined the entire route. But how did crime fit into that niche—crimes such as stagecoach robberies, bank robberies and even grave robberies?

Why were there werewolves running around in the dark woods and ghost orbs floating in the trees or goblins stealing horses? Not to mention all the issues with the witches.

What about the Underground Railroad? Not much of it was in Monroe—or was it? And what of Prohibition? Temperance township’s namesake means Monroe was essentially dry, right? Thus, Prohibition was not really a problem here; then why was the main highway called Avenue de Booze?

How in the world could Monroe ever rival beach communities such as Miami Beach, Daytona Beach, etc.? Yet, it became a huge destination for the beachgoers—what? Sandy beaches, swimming, islands, regattas, fancy hotels, carnivals and even a casino in Monroe?

One thing’s for sure; Monroe has always been steeped in military pride and has always answered the call. Monroe saw its men in the front lines at places like Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Antietam and more. After the war was over, a few of its men even rode home on the famed steamship Sultana. In later wars across the ocean, Monroe men amassed countless acts of heroism, and one was even at Auschwitz.

Like other communities, Monroe has remnants of such things in the form of monuments. Right smack in the town square is one such monument, a cannon from the battle here—or is it really? There are other different kinds of remnants, too, such as lost villages and lost villages of the dead.

Monroe, like most places, has had its share of natural disasters—but other disasters, too, such as fires, plane crashes, train crashes and shipwrecks with sunken treasure.

Even overlooked, quaint Monroe, tucked between giants like Detroit and Toledo, has garnered its share of the world stage more than once. Industrial giants known the world over, such as La-Z-Boy and Monroe Shocks, call Monroe their home. All eyes were on Monroe when it was known as Frenchtown, during the War of 1812. Then came the Toledo War, where Monroe County was reconfigured and lost Toledo but gained something far more valuable. There was also the powder keg of the Newton Steel labor strike. If that was not enough, Monroe had the world holding its breath when it was brought to the brink of a nuclear disaster.

And just think: this is still only scraping the surface of the history of a small town and county called Monroe.

Chapter 1

LA RIVIÈRE AUX RAISINS

For the earliest accounts of Monroe, we can turn to the early Jesuit explorers. Father Hennepin wrote about the beautiful River Raisin valley in 1701, describing it thus:

The borders are so many vast prairies and grand forests and charming streams, the freshness of whose waters keeps the banks always green. Long and broad rows of fruit trees are seen, which have never felt the careful hand of the vigilant gardener. Everywhere along these broad natural avenues under the trees are seen assembled by hundreds the timid deer and fawn; also the squirrel bounding in eagerness to gather the plums and nuts with which the ground is almost literally covered. Here the cautious turkey calls and collects her numerous brood and conducts them to gather the grapes and berries which abound most luxuriantly—and here, too, come the mates to gorge themselves on the abundance of good things. Pheasants, quail, partridge, woodcock and multitudes of pigeons beyond the power to count them, swarm in clouds in the woods and cover the country which is dotted with thickets and forests of majestic trees of very great height and size, forming a charming perspective, which sweetens the sad loneliness of the solitude. The fish are here nourished and bathed by living waters of crystal clearness and delicious purity, and this great abundance renders them none the less appetizing. Swans are so numerous, that at times, one would take them for lilies among the reeds in which they are crowded together. The gabbling geese, the duck, the widgeon are so abundant.¹

Monroe, like most lands of the United States, was first occupied by Native nations, mostly Potawatomi. After the Revolutionary War, Great Britain ceded the lands northwest of the Ohio River, and the United States referred to these areas as the Northwest Territory, out of which Monroe was born.

The Native nations utilized the rich soils and plentiful waters of the River Raisin and Lake Erie to sustain their settlements. They called the River Raisin the River of Sturgeon (Nummaseppe) because of all the sturgeon that resided in its waters. Many Native villages were spread throughout the area.

The first Europeans to settle in the region were primarily French Canadians. Many traveled south from Canada to Detroit. They first came to the area of Monroe in the 1780s or so. The first settler is thought to have been Colonel Francis Navarre, who migrated from Detroit, as did most of the French Canadian settlers. They hoped to carve out their own niche in an area they heard had rich soil for their farms, plenty of wildlife for sustenance and fur trading, and ample waterways and marshes teaming with fish.

The French Canadians traded with the Native nations in Detroit and had a good relationship based on the fur trade commerce. In fact, Francis Navarre received a deed to his land from the Potawatomis. The translated deed read:

We the principal chiefs of the village of the Potawatomi’s, know. Askiby, Mongi-a-gon, Oua-Ouri-Attenne, Sac-Co-Nibbinne that both in our names, as well as with the consent of our village, we declare that of our own good will, we have granted to Francis Navarre, surnamed Schigoy, and to James, his brother, both our allies, the whole extent of land which belongs to us on the side west of the River Raisin, otherwise called by us, NametCyby; this comprises about twenty arpents in breadth…that they themselves and their representatives may enjoy the while in full ownership and perpetuity. We have in faith and testimony of this made the ordinary marks of our signatures at Detroit, on the third day of June, 1785.²

The settlement soon saw an influx of French Canadians who named it La Rivière aux Raisins due to the wild grape clusters hanging from the trees over the graceful waters of the river. They built their homes in the French style and within feet of the river, in proximity to each other. Even today, Monroe is unique because of its French layout; the French ribbon lot farms, which were unlike grid patterns, can still be seen. The farms were called long ribbon lots due to the narrow but deep yards they had. In their lots, the settlers cultivated gardens and orchards. They usually marked their area off with a puncheon fence (much like a picket fence). With all the French Canadians making the River Raisin their home, the area became known as Frenchtown.

Cabin of Colonel Francis Navarre, founder of the River Raisin settlement. Monroe County Library System.

There were also a few settlers who were not French Canadian but Yankees, as the French called them. The settlement grew rapidly, and the relationship between the Native Americans and the settlers grew into a large métis (mixed) society. The area became so populated that homes extended up and down the river for twelve miles by the time of the War of 1812. It was the second-largest settlement in the territory, and it was thought it would soon rival Detroit.

Ribbon Farms by Fran Maedel. River Raisin National Battlefield Park.

As more settlers poured into the area, especially non–French Canadians from the west and south, the demand for land grew as well. These land speculators did not wait for a treaty or deed to their land from the Native Americans but simply squatted where they desired. Tensions started to grow.

But everything changed with the Battles of the River Raisin in the War of 1812. The battles devasted the settlement. Many of the settlers fled the area, never to return. Those who did would fail to recognize the area they called home. And those who stayed faced the elements with little to no food, their homes and farms destroyed, their animals gone. The area was just a shadow of its former self. It would never regain its former glory.

Yet, in November 1817, Monroe was given a helping hand when it was thrust into the spotlight by Samuel R. Brown. Brown wrote the Western Gazetteer, published in Auburn, New York; in it, he described the Michigan Territory in eighteen pages, including three specifically about Monroe. Brown was a veteran of the War of 1812 and served in General William Henry Harrison’s U.S. Army. He was respected by his peers, and his book proved to be very popular and was often quoted in other works.

Regarding Michigan overall, he said, Hitherto this territory has not enjoyed the character to which its soil, climate, and advantageous situation for trade, justly entitle it. But he also figured time, and the enterprising emigrants, who are now rapidly increasing in number, will place its reputation in a proper point of view. He described the natural elements as "extensive forests of lofty timber. There is no state or territory in North America so beautifully supplied with fish, aquatic fowle [sic], and wild game; all the rivers…afford an inexhaustible supply of fish, to say nothing of the vast lakes, which wash 600 miles of its frontier."³

Focusing on Monroe, he wrote that the River Raisin got its name from the vast quantities of grapes which are found on its banks and that the settlements extend from within two miles of the lake to the mouth of the river Macon, a distance of 15 miles. The inhabitants are mostly French, who raise wheat, corn, and potatoes, more than sufficient for their own consumption. The soil proves to be rich and durable, and the settlements have been blessed with unusual health.…There are several grist and sawmills on the river. Referring to the orchards, he wrote, cider and peach brandy are made for exportation.⁴

Also in 1817, President James Monroe was set to visit Detroit, and the residents decided to lure him to the River Raisin by officially changing the name of the settlement to Monroe in his honor. Incidentally, he still did not visit the town.

In 1825, there was no shortage of settlers calling Monroe home as a result of the Erie Canal opening. We are given