Fruitland Cemetery

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Bard & Lorenson Roads

Sec 24, T11N, R17 W

Fruitland Cemetery Map

History

Fruitland Township, which is an off-shoot from Dalton Township, was organized in October of 1869.  There are two small lakes within its borders, Duck Lake and Muskrat Lake.  The second is very small, but it was on Duck Lake that the first settlement was made.

White Lake empties into Lake Michigan and it is at this point that Charles Mears erected a sawmill as he owned extensive pine land here.  He was the first settler of Fruitland and purchased over 2,000 acres of pine land, chiefly around duck Lake, at the government price of #1.25 an acre and some for script at even less.  Mr. Mears bought this in 1843 and after stripping it of its lumber, began growing fruit on a large scale.

When he came to this region, there were 3,000 Ottawa living there, but they soon moved to the Pere Marquette area.  They were described as a quiet, peaceable race and well liked by the whites.  But the coming of the white man and the cutting of the forest disillusioned them and they moved on.  Mr. Mear’s men were among the first settlers.  J. Philbrick was one of his foremen.  About the first house built was that of Mr. Doan on the Whitehall town line.  This was probably the only house outside of Duck Lake in 1850.  Next, a Mr. Dexter built a long house south of White Lake but he left before 1850.  Seever, A German, took his place.  Joseph Hagreen came in 1850 and his daughter, Maggie, born in 1858, was probably the first white child born in Fruitland Township.

The name of part of Fruitland in the early days was Cork Point and the little settlement that sprang up near the sawmills south of White Lake was named the village of Mar.  The Fruitland Cemetery was called Speed Cemetery at first.

The first preaching was done in the Sprague School House by Methodists.  There were no villages and no churches elsewhere in the township.  In 1859 the now extinct hamlet of Duck Lake was the only village for miles around.

(Research by Evelyn Buckingham)

For photographs go to www.findagrave.com. 

 Updated 2010.