sey and his wife in Cleveland
and induced them to come with him to Michigan. They drove overland and
arrived at the site of their future home some time in February, 1824. A
tent and sled box set over poles with blankets for sides formed the
first dwelling, and here some months later Allen welcomed his wife,
whose name was Ann. Mrs. Rumsey's name also happened to be the same, and
when in the spring the grape vines spread their leaves over the
neighboring trees, these first settlers found a little natural arbor,
which they called, doubtless at first in jest, "Ann's Arbor." The name
persisted, however, and it was formally adopted by general acclamation
at a celebration held on the fourth of July, 1825, when some three
hundred persons sat down to a dinner at Rumsey's coffee-house. So far
had civilization progressed in a little over a year. By that time there
were nine log houses in the little settlement, which had already begun
to take its place as one of the way-stations in the general tide of
westward travel. For some time, however, communication with Detroit was
difficult, and it was not until two years before the University was
opened that the long-awaited railroad actually reached Ann Arbor.
Therefore, for many years the little settlement had to be largely
self-supporting. Such water power as the Huron could furnish was quickly
developed; sawmills, gristmills, and a little later, woolen mills arose
at favorable sites, the ruins of which are still to be seen where the
relics of the dams now serve as hazards for the venturesome paddler.

The first tendency of the inhabitants was to settle on the rise above
the little stream; known as Allen's Creek, which furnished the water
supply for the earliest pioneers. This rivulet, practically hidden
nowadays, runs through the city on a course roughly parallel with the
Ann Arbor Railroad tracks. The site of the burr-oak grove and the
original encampment was almost certainly on the hillside on the south
side of Huron Street, a block or so west of Main Street. This was
reported to be an old dancing ground of the Pottawatomies, and an Indian
trail used to run to the Huron along the stream. Rumsey built a log
cabin on this spot immediately and established in it a resting-place for
travelers, known far and wide as the Washtenaw Coffee House. The second
building was erected by Allen on higher ground at what is now the corner
of Huron and Main streets. It was painted a bright red and the p