In the beginning Clare county belonged to the Chippewa
Indians. They gave names to the Lakes and Rivers:
Muskegon and Assemoqua, meaning Tabacco; Kay-Kenee
meaning "Pigeon-Hawk", the name of Clare County until it
was changed by an Irish surveyor to Clare, in memory of his
own county in Ireland.
There were no Indian villages, perhaps because the dense
Cedar swamps and White Pines made it inhospitable.
90% percent of the land area of Michigan had been covered
with primevial forest and 60% of that was estimated to be
White Pine. The great trees towered from one hundred and
twenty five to two hundred feet tall, three to six feet in
diameter, with solid trunks of clear timber sixty to ninety feet
before the first limb. In some regions they grew so close that
the sunlight could not penetrate the forest floor. The White
Pine of Michigan alone was valued at worth more than all the
gold of California by Billions of dollars.
Farwell is located on the southern border of Clare County.
The town was established in 1870 when the Pere Marquette
Railroad, building a line from Saginaw to Ludington came
through here. It was named after Samuel Farwell, a local
resident who took a strong interest in the building of the
railroad. And whose Father-in Law was the superintendent of
the railroad.
It was the first County seat, from 1871 to 1879, and was
incorporated into a village in 1879.
Today Farwell retains its small town atmosphere, supported
by small businesses and several manufacturing firms which
include the production of vilan and plastics, auto parts and
bearings. Farwell also plays a role in tourism, being close to
the "Lakes" area in the county.
Indians. They gave names to the Lakes and Rivers:
Muskegon and Assemoqua, meaning Tabacco; Kay-Kenee
meaning "Pigeon-Hawk", the name of Clare County until it
was changed by an Irish surveyor to Clare, in memory of his
own county in Ireland.
There were no Indian villages, perhaps because the dense
Cedar swamps and White Pines made it inhospitable.
90% percent of the land area of Michigan had been covered
with primevial forest and 60% of that was estimated to be
White Pine. The great trees towered from one hundred and
twenty five to two hundred feet tall, three to six feet in
diameter, with solid trunks of clear timber sixty to ninety feet
before the first limb. In some regions they grew so close that
the sunlight could not penetrate the forest floor. The White
Pine of Michigan alone was valued at worth more than all the
gold of California by Billions of dollars.
Farwell is located on the southern border of Clare County.
The town was established in 1870 when the Pere Marquette
Railroad, building a line from Saginaw to Ludington came
through here. It was named after Samuel Farwell, a local
resident who took a strong interest in the building of the
railroad. And whose Father-in Law was the superintendent of
the railroad.
It was the first County seat, from 1871 to 1879, and was
incorporated into a village in 1879.
Today Farwell retains its small town atmosphere, supported
by small businesses and several manufacturing firms which
include the production of vilan and plastics, auto parts and
bearings. Farwell also plays a role in tourism, being close to
the "Lakes" area in the county.
| FARWELL |
