This is a copy of the paper written August 1951 by ALICE BOSWORTH FRY, formerly of Allegan, for her Michigan History Project. A photostatic copy of the deer-skin map mentioned is in the Otesego, Mich. library

"On a pionted bluff overhanging a widened creek is the century old cemetery of New Rochester, Allegan County's first white settlement. Probably few have ever bothered to tramp back to this small shady graveyard where moss filled crevices of the slanting marker nearly hide the identity of the old time settlers. For it was these men and women who founded a town, the site which now lied beneath the waters of PINE CREEK.

  Governor LEWIS CASS, by negotiating the Chicago Treaty on Aug. 29, 1821, made it possible for the 1830 pioneers of New Rochester to establish themselves in the public lands south of the Grand River.

   The first surveying party in this region was that of JOHN MULLETT, of Detroit, Deputy U.S. Surveyor. During Dec. 1825 and Jan. 1825 they ran out the east line of Otsego township. The south line was surveyed by WM. BROOKFIELD May 4, 1827. LUCIUS LYON completed the north and west boundaries in 1830-31 (History of Allegan & Barry Counties p. 293).

   The men who established New Rochester, near the present city of Otsego in Allegan County, made an exploratory trip of the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries during the winter of 1829-30. They were looking for mill sites, pine tracts and good farming lands. Having examined the territory, and weighed the relative advantages of each section, GILES SCOTT, TURNER ALDRICH, SAMUEL FOSTER, and the SHERWOODS, chose the spot in Allegan County where a small stream, PINE CREEK, merges with the Kalamazoo River.

   The chief advantages of this site were the supply of water power and valuable pine timber. LUCIUS LYON reported: "Water power is abundent." (Hist. Allegan Co. p. 293) "Water power was often most easily obtained at the junction of a creek with the main stream or a bend in the river where a dam could be easily made." (Fuller, Economic & Social Beginnings p. 26) The Kalamazoo River met the requirements of a constant and gentle current. The abundant supply of lumber influenced SCOTT and his friends to choose this site on PINE CREEK.

The creek could be used to float logs. The economical transportation of logs and lumber by water had been an item of great value in the settlement of Michigan. (Ibid p. 28)

   Just as GILES SCOTT seems to have been the leader of the exploring party so was he the first to arrive at New Rochester early in August 1830. With him were Mrs. SCOTT, their two children and EDMUND SHERWOOD, brother of Mrs. SHERWOOD & son of HULL SHERWOOD, Sr.  Mrs. SCOTT and children remained in Kalamazoo while Mr. SCOTT & EDMUND cut a road through the wilderness to PINE CREEK, a distance of 17 miles. The spot selected was the north part of the SW quarter of Section 21, and was held by right of preemption until Sept. 1832, when the lands of the township came into the market. GILES SCOTT was the first entry. (Hist. A. & B. Cos. p. 294)

   Mr. SCOTT erected a small log house, 14x16 ft., situated "on the bottom lands, about 10 chain back from the river". (LUCIUS LYON) This was home until late autumn when a larger house was finished closer to the prospective site of the saw & grist mill. Shortly TURNER ALDRICH and family arrived from Lodi, N.Y. Besides household goods he brought mill irons, a saw, and all other fixtures necessary to construct and put into operation one of the primitive water power saw mills.

   Mr. ALDRICH was an experienced lumberman. He immediatley began building a sawmill on PINE CREEK, 1 mi. from its mouth. This was the first mill of any kind in the counties of Allegan and Barry. (Allegan Co. p. 31)  It was completed in the spring of 1831 and probably cut the first timber in all Western Michigan (Hist. All. Co. p. 295)
  In the month of June 1834, OKA TOWN & ABIJAH CHICHESTER ran a raft containing 30,000 ft. of lumber from PINE CREEK to the mouth of the Kalamazoo River where it was transferred to WILLIAM BUTLER who had bought it. (Saugatuck was not considered the first white settlement because the BUTLER family preceeded other families by several years.) They were obliged to hire an Indian to pilot them back through the woods. This was the first raft which was taken down the river. (All. Co. p. 77)

  HULL SHERWOOD was the next to arrive from Rochester, N.Y., he settled with his large family near the mouth of PINE CREEK where he & Mr. SCOTT built a dam & sawmill, completed in 1831-2.
In 1834 a grist mill with 2 run of stone was built, which supplied a wide territory for many years. OKA TOWN with 3 other men, went with 4 ox teams to Detroit to procure the iron and machinest for this mill, the entire trip requiring 3 weeks time. (All. Co. p. 295)

  In 1835 the first store was opened by ORSAMUS EATON. GILES SCOTT, in 1836, built the first tavern. "He was a genial spirit among the early pioneers, an excellent fiddler, and many 'hoe downs' were tripped o'er his puncheon floor by the lads and lassies of early times." (Hist. All. Co. p. 294)

  For 2 or 3 years the settlement at the mouth of PINE CREEK was the most important one in the county and a village known as NEW ROCHESTER was platted on deer-skin by HULL SHERWOOD, doubtless hoping it would some day rival its namesake Rochester, N.Y. This map of 106 lots was sent east to encourage settlers.

  As the PINE CREEK dam proved to have limited water power, the settlers developed the idea of running a ditch or race from the nearby rapids of the Kalamazoo River down to PINE CREEK millpond to raise the water a few feet and thus secure a greater head of water for the mills. After a great deal of work and the spending of considerable money it was discoved that the water from the Kalamazoo, in order to flow into the pond, would have to run uphill serveral feet, so the project was abandoned. (G.W. MORTER, Otsego Union)

  The hotel, called PINE CREEK HOUSE, sttod near what was for many years the only bridge on the Kalamazoo River in this area, and enjoyed a large patronage. The front door handle was hand hammered and large enough so the drivers and lumbermen could open the door without removing their mittens. (Otsego Union)

The first Grange meeting was held in the PINE CREEK HOUSE ballroom.
  The first movement toward the establishment of newspaper in Allegan County was made at New Rochester (probably about 1837), the era when so many promising enterprises had their birth and met their death in swift sucession, A building was erected for the newspaper office but the 'hard times' of 1836-7 crushed this hope along with so many others. (All. Co. p. 80)

  In the fall of 1833 a small log schoolhouse was erected near EBER SHERWOOD's and in this building DR. L. B. COATS taught the first school in the winter 1833-4. He received $30 per month for 6 months. 25 to 30 pupils attended.

  After the pines were lumbered and the greater water power of the Kalamazoo River drew settlers at the site of Otsego, New Rochester (often called SHERWOOD's MILLS) went into a depression. A number of residents continued to live in the settlement but worked in Otsego. At about 1900, MAE CARROL's father was instrumental in obtaining a Post Office at which time the village name was changed to 'DENT' (interview with MAE CARROLL), The only other record of this name was found in an Allegan County Plat map published in 1933. An 1873 Allegan County Atlas shows the location of grist mill, store, saw mill and a CEMETERY ON PINE CREEK.
  The year following the establishment of a Post Office, the Commonwealth Power Co. purchased overflow rights, previous to the construction of the Otsego dam on the Kalamazoo River.
The extent of overflow rights is shown on a 1913 Allegan County Atlas. The high water raised the pond and forced the village to move. Some of the buildings were dismantled. The now deserted blacksmith shop, fomerly owned by HERMAN JUNGNITCH, and the Grange Hall, were moved to the bluff facing the new road.

All land where the village stood is now under several feet of water. At low water level of an old mill foundation is seen.

  In the old graveyard one finds the resting places of these first settlers, HULL SHERWOOD died Mar. 4, 1837 age 66, "He died as he had lived, a firm believer in the full and complete redemption of the human family." (Inscription).

  Only a few of the old settlers are living near PINE CREEK, I enjoyed talking with MAE CARROLL, who is now 82 years olf, and who has spent her entire life in the vicinity of Pine Creek & Otsego. WRIGHT HADDEN, a spry 83 years, still lives in the neighborhood. He now lives alone and claims to a fine housekeeper. I was unable to contact HERMAN JUNGNITCH, the blacksmith.

  The cemetery proved to be interesting. It is located about 40 rods from the main road on a high bluff overlooking the widened Pine Creek. HULL SHERWOOD's tombstone is the oldest. The graves of GILES SCOTT, and his wife, OLIVE, are marked with a most unusual and picturesque marble tombstone in a twin-like shape, his adorned with 3 oak leaves & hers with a flower. GILES SCOTT died 1840 at the age of 46 years. The extreme point of the cemetery has been washed away from years of high water & the neighborhood children claim to have found the remains of more than one opened grave. The grass has been mowed in this shaded resting place and a solitary pink geranium sent forth its cheerful bloom under the whispering pines.

(Note. It has been reported that some tombstone have been sent down the bank by fisherman who use them as seats when fishing. Be that as it may some stones could be seen at the waters edge.)