History of Surveying in Michigan
South Campus | Tuesday, April 15 • 10am
Instructor: Keith Matheny • Local History
Every township boundary in the state of Michigan, from Ohio to the far-western Upper Peninsula, can be traced back to monument-marked points in a quiet, forested swamp near the border between Ingham and Jackson counties. It was there that surveyors in the early 1800s set Michigan’s first initial survey points, marking the boundaries that over decades, through intense hardships in the untamed Michigan wilderness -- and occasional battles with Native Americans—surveyors outlined state boundaries that endure to this day.
About the Presenter: Born and raised in the northwest Lower Peninsula, Keith Matheny has been a reporter for the Detroit Free Press since 2013, most typically covering the Great Lakes, the environment and science; but occasionally dabbling into a passion topic of his, history. He is a winner of numerous journalism awards from the Michigan and California press associations, as well as from other groups. Matheny lives in northwest Oakland County with his wife and their son.
