113 West. Chicago Rd., White Pigeon, Michigan. County/parish: St. Joseph.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places February 07, 1989. NRIS 88003234.
1 contributing building.Also known as:
The White Pigeon Prairie Land Office in White Pigeon, Michigan is the oldest surviving land office in Michigan and was in business 1831-1834. It is designated as a Michigan State Historic Site. The United States land offices were the federal government agency that was primarily responsible for the sale and of public land to individual purchasers. Michigan's first land office was established in Detroit in 1804. The US Land office in White Pigeon was the third office to open in Michigan and was created on the Sauk Trail (today U.S. 12) as pioneers were moving west in search of viable land..,
The White Pigeon land office's location on the Chicago Road (Sauk Trail), which linked Chicago and Detroit was chosen as it was the largest village west of Jackson, MI. . The first settler in Kent County, Michigan bought land from the office was Louis Campau in October 1833.
The U.S. started issuing land in Michigan after the 1821 Treaty of Chicago, in which the Potawatomi and other tribes turned over their land, was signed in 1821. The White Pigeon land office operated for 4 years from 1831-1834. During that time over a quarter million acres of land were sold from this office at a rate of $1.25 per acre. In 1834, the White Pigeon register Abraham S. Edwards and receiver, Thomas C. Sheldon moved to the newly created land office in Bronson-now Kalamazoo.
The land office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 7, 1989.
The White Pigeon land office is the oldest building in Southwest Michigan and one of the oldest in the state.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/25340553