Farmington, Michigan:
A Community History

• Pre-History
• Religion
• Local Government
• Commerce

• Indian Influence
• Education
• Social Life

• Founders
• Transportation
• Underground Railroad
• Sources Consulted

Farmington and The Defiance Moraine (NASA Photo)

Pre-History

Twelve thousand years ago the last glacier crept across the face of the land, piling up debris, carving lakes, rivers, and streams, altering the geography and determining the use of the land for centuries to come. Its changes can easily be seen in the Farmington area. As the glacier pushed through, it left piles of rubble in its wake, called moraines. The Defiance Moraine, so named because it runs to Defiance, Ohio, can be clearly seen from Twelve Mile Road, its Outer Ridge rising to Halsted, the Inner Ridge east of Drake Road.

As the glacier advanced and retreated, it carved what is now the Lake Erie Basin. Several lakes developed in this area, but they were not destined to remain. The beach ridge of four of these lakes can be seen as gently sloping elevations in the southeast portion of the Farmington area.

Most of the area is covered by glacial till, 100 to 200 feet thick, making it good farm land.

Indian Influence

Shortly after the glacier age ended, men began to populate the area. They had come from Siberia, across what was once a land bridge crossing the Bering Sea to Alaska. From Alaska the people fanned out over North America, one group settling eventually in and around Michigan. These people, the Potawatomi Indians, inhabited the lands now known as lower Michigan, northwestern Ohio, Indiana and northern Illinois. In the Farmington area it is believed they settled in the northwest section, near a lake known as Minnow Pond, now a treacherous marsh. The land surrounding Minnow Pond was fertile, encouraging agriculture; and an abundance of wildlife could be found, making this a hunting ground center. It is believed that the legend of the Potawatomi curtain originated at Minnow Pond. The "curtain" was in legend the accumulated smoke of the many Indian hunters' campfires that had burned at campsites on the ridge around the pond. In reality, the Curtain is the night mist, settling over the valley and pond, enveloping the area in a smoky haze.

Evidence of the Potawatomi's presence can still be seen, though it is fast disappearing. Indian remains and artifacts have been found on several farms and fields. The 1976 publication, Farmington: An Original Entity, Being the Natural History of Farmington -- From Ice Age to Space Search, included mention of a large earth mound located about a mile west of Minnow Pond which was believed to contain ancient Indian artifacts. At that time, the University of Michigan had the option to exercise its digging rights for the contents. However, there is no record of such a digging expedition having taken place. A trail marker tree, which as a young tree was man-shaped into a U or Y to indicate an Indian trail, could for many years be seen at the southwest corner of Drake and Howard roads.

Farmington was the site of three Indian trails, the Orchard Lake Trail, the Grand River Trail and the Shiawassee Trail; each generally followed the now-used roads of the same name.