Log Cabin Historical Cass County
Michigan ~ GenWeb
Brief History The county is named after Lewis Cass (1782-1866 ) who was the Territorial Governor of Michigan from 1813-31. Lewis was also the secretary of war under President Andrew Jackson. In the 1820's white settlers occupied the Potawatomi's territory.   US-12 was once an Indian trail that crossed the state from Detroit in the east to Chicago in the west. the early settlers came from Berrien which included New Englanders, Southerners, and a large Black and Indian population. Although most Potawatomi were forced off their land, some Native Americans resisted, and in 1837 were able to purchase 1,000 acres of land in Silver Creek Township. Many descendants can still be found living there today. The Black population was aided by the Quakers who had left the South due to slavery. They helped slaves escape through the underground railroad. About 2 miles east of Cassopolis is The William Jones House, a station for the underground railroad.

Townships are:
Calvin, Howard, Jefferson, LaGrange, Marcellus, Mason, Milton, Newberg, Ontwa, Penn, Pokagon, Porter, Silver Creek, Volinia, Wayne

Cassopolis is the county seat. And Dowagiac is the only city located within the county.
Other villages (towns) are: Edwardsburg, Marcellus and Vandalia.

Newspapers of Cass County Through The Decades
First newspaper known to have been established in county was The Cass County Advocate in 1846 and its creator was E. A. Graves at Cassopolis. However it was short lived and ceased in 1849.
   Then the National Democrat was next in Cassopolis in 1850. First newspaper established in Dowagiac in 1951 was The National Democrat whose office had been moved from Cassopolis and was name was changed to The Dowagiac Times. Sadly the office was destroyed by fire in 1854 but luckily J. L. Gant established the Cass County Tribune in that same year but it was later changed to The Cass County Republican leading this endeavor was Wm Campbell and later in May of 1868 H. C. Buffington purchased the paper and he was at the helm until September 1875 when it was once again sold to Holmes & Greenleaf.

   In May of 1872 D. B. Harrington and M. H. Barber established the Cassopolis Vigilant which was a republican newspaper. It was later sold to W. H. Mansfield.
   Marcellus led the way by publishing a neutral paper named The Messenger and the proprietor was S. D. Perry who gave it birth on January 1, 1875.
Edwardsburg would soon follow with its own independent paper known at the Argus and operated by Will A. Shaw on October 23, 1875.

HISTORIES & INDEXES

CASS HISTORY BOOKS ON GOOGLE WITH SEARCHABLE INDEXES

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