Note
Contact the archives to receive copies of the attached documents.Note
Palmer and Mayo Indian traders 1834 - research compiled by James T. Faasen, January 2024 with comment by Chris Clark
Benjamin Plummer arrived in Saugatuck in 1834.
He stated that he found Palmer and Mayo, two Indian traders at the mouth of the river.
On 20 May 1836, the firm of T. B. Palmer & Co. was dissolved at "Newark, (Mouth, Kalamazoo River)."
Titus B. Palmer (1799-1878) was a licensed merchant.
George Mayo, who it is assumed his wife was Rhoda S. Mayo, that died in Ann Arbor on 31 July 1836 at age 27
6 Nov 1834, John Hale was the owner of the land on the south side of the mouth of the river and the land above Comstock’s claim
Hale was with the Michigan State Bank in Detroit (H. H. Comstock was associated with that bank).
20 July 1836, John Hale (1798-1840) & wife Felicite (Labadie) Hale (1794-1847), both of Detroit, sold all this property to John’s brother, Ebenezer Hale (1787-1871) of “Canada," Ontario County, New York.
This might mean that Palmer and Mayo conducted their business on the opposite side of the river from the village of Kalamazoo Harbor.
Tracking these men and the sale of this property would be important as it seems to have been folded at some point into the sale of Comstock’s property in 1839 and all this wasn’t resolved until 1909.
This all gets into that lawsuit about the actual existence of the Village of Kalamazoo Harbor, dealing with the lighthouse, as the Hale family owned all this land.
Comment by Chris Clark "Titus B. Palmer lived much of his life in St. Cair County, home of Port Huron. I don't find anything about George and Rhoda Mayo beyond an 1831 marriage in Washtenaw County, and her subsequent burial in 1834. It seems odd that he would get married and leave his wife on the other side of the state.
In 1834, there was probably still an active indigenous presence at the river mouth. Perhaps Palmer and Mayo bought goods in St. Joe and traded with the Indians. I don't remember reading about them in connection with the fur trade."
Reply to Clark by Faasen "The notice in the paper gave the 3 names. Looking up deeds found John Hale's wife's name and that they lived in Detroit. Working with that, found Hale on the board of the Michigan State Bank in Detroit at the same time Comstock was . Via old book searches, found Palmer with a license to sell in Allegan County. Found mail waiting for him in Detroit as well as for Mayo. Found record of Mayo's wife's death in Kalamazoo paper in Ann Arbor. Tracked Mayo from there to a mail carrier from Ann Arbor to Jackson. Found records in Michigan Senate books on payments due a late George Mayo for work as a clerk in Post office prior to 1832. Added it all together and it all seems to fit and make sense."
![USACE 1937 report-cc.pdf 1.8MB Submitted by Chris Clark: Excerpted text:
7. Chronological Summary by Years of the Harbor Development. Fiscal year ending June 30 [1937]
OPERATIONS
1868 A survey was made.
Damage to east end of south pier occasioned by a freshet was repaired.
1869 No work done
1870 1200 linear feet south side pile revetment built.
1871 Minor repairs; revetment on south side completed to end of slab pier.
1872 365 linear feet of pile revetment was built;
11,233 cubic yards dredged.
1873 280 linear feet south side pile revetment built;
repairs made to old work; pile protection completed.
1874 Wing dam built in river, (243 linear feet long.)
1875 400 linear feet north side pile pier built by hired labor.
1876 334 linear feet north to south pier built; repairs made to south pier
1877 Repairs made to outer 110 feet of south pier and 400 feet of north pier.
1878 Stone was transferred from south to north pier
1879 General repairs were made.
1880 No work done.
1881 520 linear feet of pile and edging revetment built;
10,818 cubic yards drec cd from lower reach of channel.
1882 673 linear feet of pile and edging revetment built;
a cut was dredged 12 feet deep, 24 feet wide, and 1,560 feet long.
1883 Minor repairs to south pier.
1884 175 piles removed from pile dyke above the bend; 33,890 cubic yards
dredged from bar at entrance and in channel between the piers.
1885 Repairs to south pier; pier head beacon established; inner work
maintained by minor repairs.
1886 No work done.
1887 No work done.
1888 Superstructure reconstructed by hired labor.
1889 No work accomplished.
1890 25,594 cubic yards dredged.
1891 6,615 cubic yards dredged.
1892 No work done.
1893 47,820 cubic yards dredged
1894 17,706 cubic yards dredged.
1895 40,000 cubic yards dredged.
1896 19,000 cubic yards dredged.
1897 108,388 cubic yards dredged
1898 24,553 cubic yards dredged.
1899 11,518 cubic yards dredged.
1900 Dredging was carried on.
1901 36,416 cubic yards dredged.
1902 15,151 cubic yards dredged.
1903 31,129 cubic yards dredged.
1904 48,155 cubic yards dredged;
work on piers at new harbor entrance was begun
1905 40,313 cubic yards dredged at old harbor;
Construction of piers at new harbor entrance was continued.
1906 18,440 cubic yards dredged at old harbor;
north and south piers at new harbor entrance, each pier 1,302 feet
long, completed; 315,314 cubic yards dredged on excavation of new cut
from bent in Kalamazoo River to Lake Michigan.
1907 83,778 cubic yards dredged; 200 linear feet built on shoreward end of
each pier; new cut opened up.
1908 61,927 cubic yards dredged; both piers were extended through the new
cut to Kalamazoo River; south revetment extended 979.5 feet and north
revetment extended 1,243.5 feet.
1909 112,362 cubic yards dredged; repairs made to piers.
1910 72,399 cubic yards dredged; repairs made to piers.
1911 Dredged 6,766 cubic yards.
1912 Dredged 261,240 cubic yards.
1913 Soundings taken.
1914 Soundings taken. Dredged 115,814 cubic yards.
1915 50,299 cubic yards dredged at Government expense;
13,667 cubic yards dredged at private expense.
1916 35,868 cubic yards dredged.
1917 Repairs made to piers.
1918 No work done.
1919 No work done.
1920 No work done.
2921 Soundings were taken.
1922 Dredging was done.
1923 Dredging was done.
1924 Dredging was done.
1925 Dredging was done.
1926 Dredging was done.
1927 Soundings were taken.
1928 67,500 cubic yards dredged.
1929 64,017 cubic yards dredged.
1930 Soundings were taken.
1931 Soundings were taken.
1932 28,400 cubic yards dredged.
1933 Repairs made·to piers.
1934 55,653 cubic yards dredged.
1935 9,584 cubic yards dredged.
1936 75,491 cubic yards dredged.
Repairing substructure and rebuilding superstructure, in concrete,
on the outer 800 linear feet of the north and south piers, in progress](https://d3f1jyudfg58oi.cloudfront.net/4124/image/c5728950-c1f9-11ef-bda7-33ff2bb3912a-vyTCWAb.tn@2x.jpg)
