The Spokesrider » Hillsdale County MI

Two Lucindas

Spokesrider — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:18:22 +0000

A few articles ago (“Slept Here“) I posted a photo of Lydia Lucinda Wight’s gravestone. She is the person who recalled that Black Hawk slept in her family’s log cabin in 1830. I got a comment from somone who posted under the name “Gravestones and Monuments,” which seems to be a maker of gravestones in [...]

Slept Here

Spokesrider — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:49:42 +0000

Ken Steinhoff’s new blog reminded me of this photo. It’s one I took on July 27, at the end of a two-day tour that took me down to the extreme northwest corner of Ohio. At the end of the ride back I stopped at the cemetery in Allen, hoping to find the gravestone of Lucinda [...]

Federal roads

Spokesrider — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:31:47 +0000

Before Michigan became a state, a national military road was built to connect Chicago with Detroit. Territorial roads were also built. I presume they were financed by the federal government because there was no state government at the time, but I must confess that I don’t know quite how they were financed. I’ve seen old [...]

James Fowle

Spokesrider — Sat, 31 May 2008 02:06:31 +0000

Moscow would look even more like Sleepy Hollow if the decrepit general store building down at the bottom, on the right. was still standing. It was a building that crowded the road, and somehow made the place seem like it was of a different time. But it burned down 5 years ago, and has been replaced by a little convenience store back from the road. This was the first time I had been there since the old store was gone. I missed it, but do have a photo of it somewhere.

Moscow tavern

Spokesrider — Fri, 30 May 2008 06:49:47 +0000

When Black Hawk came through here in the 1820s, on his way to Fort Malden, there was no Moscow. On his last trip, in 1830, there would have been a new, log-cabin tavern. When the militias from Lenawee County and the Detroit area came through here in 1832, on their way to defend the territory [...]

Moscow

Spokesrider — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:10:08 +0000

Moscow is at the bottom of a valley formed by the Kalamazoo River, which is just a small stream here. I don't think I'm the only person to have thought of the village as a Sleepy Hollow sort of place. Sundown comes early down at the bottom.

Last time in Hillsdale County

Spokesrider — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:03:36 +0000

This is a scene from my last ride in Hillsdale County, almost a year ago. I’m hoping for another one tomorrow, even though there is a chance of rain in the forecast.

Solo campsite

Spokesrider — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 06:28:13 +0000

I don’t know if I’ll do any solo touring this year or not, but I haven’t done a lot in past years, either. This photo is from a long-weekend ride to Grand Rapids, Ohio in July 2003. It’s at a private campground west of Hillsdale, and shows the cooking gear I was using at the [...]

Drunken horseback riders

Spokesrider — Mon, 28 May 2007 05:00:25 +0000

Posted 2-Jun-2007 I don’t always go out for bike rides on major holidays (too many drunk drivers) but I did a history ride on Memorial Day. The destination was Jefferson Township in Hillsdale County. I was hoping to find the gravesite of Peleg Pettis and/or his son. About 70 miles from home I had already [...]