Dearborn, Michigan - Historical Timeline - Early U.S. History

Early U.S. History

• 1783 By terms of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War, Great Britain cedes territory south of the Great Lakes to the United States, although the British retain practical control of the Detroit area and several other settlements until 1797.
• 1786 Agreed year of first permanent settler in present-day Dearborn.
• 1787 Territory of the US north and west of the Ohio River is officially proclaimed the Northwest Territory.
• December 26, 1791 Detroit environs become part of Kent County, Ontario.
• 1795 James Cissne becomes first settler in what is now west Dearborn.
• 1796 Wayne County is formed by proclamation of the acting governor of the Northwest Territory. Its original area is 2,000,000 square miles (5,200,000 km2), stretching from Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois and northwest to Canada.
• May 7, 1800 Indiana Territory, created out of part of Northwest Territory, although the eastern half of Michigan including the Dearborn area, was not attached to Indiana Territory until Ohio was admitted as a state in 1803.
• January 11, 1805 Michigan Territory officially created out of a part of the Indiana Territory.
• June 11, 1805 Fire destroys most of Detroit.
• November 15, 1815 Current boundaries of Wayne County drawn, county split into 18 townships.
• January 5, 1818 Springwells Township established by Gov. Lewis Cass.
• October 23, 1824 Bucklin Township created by Gov. Lewis Cass. The area ran from Greenfield to approximately Haggerty and from Van Born to Eight Mile.
• 1826 Conrad Ten Eyck builds Ten Eyck Tavern at Michigan Avenue and Rouge River.
• 1827 Wayne County's boundaries changed to its current 615 square miles (1,593 km2).
• April 12, 1827 Springwells and Bucklin townships formally organized and laid out by gubernatorial act.
• October 29, 1829 Bucklin Township split along what is today Inkster Road into Nankin (west half) and Pekin (east half) townships.
• March 21, 1833 Pekin Township renamed Redford Township.
• March 31, 1833 Greenfield Township created from north and west sections of Springwells Township, including what is now today east Dearborn.
• April 1, 1833 Dearborn Township created from southern half of Redford Township south of Bonaparte Avenue (Joy Road).
• 1833 Detroit Arsenal built.
• October 23, 1834 Dearborn Township renamed Bucklin Township.
• March 26, 1836 Bucklin Township renamed Dearborn Township.
• January 26, 1837 Michigan admitted to the Union as the 26th state. Stevens T. Mason is first governor.
• 1837 Michigan Central Railroad extended through Springwells Township. Hamlet of Springwells rises along railroad.
• April 5, 1838 Village of Dearbornville incorporates. Village later unincorporated on May 11, 1846.
• 1849 Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Brooklyn Street.
• April 2, 1850 Greenfield Township annexes another section of Springwells Township.
• February 12, 1857 Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Grand Boulevard.
• March 25, 1873 Springwells Township annexes back section of Greenfield Township south of Tireman
• May 28, 1875 Postmaster general changes name of Dearbornville post office to Dearborn post office, hence changing the city's name.
• 1875 Detroit Arsenal closed.
• 1875 Detroit annexes another section of Springwells Township.
• 1876 William A. Nowlin writes The Bark Covered House in honor of country's 100th birthday.
• June 20, 1884 Detroit annexes Springwells Township east of Livernois.
• 1889 First telephone installed in Dearborn at St. Joseph's retreat.