William Nowlin’s parents were born in Putnam County, New York, around 1800 and owned a small farm near Kent, N.Y. William, the eldest of five children, was about 11 years old when his father got discouraged with the rocky soil on their farm and proposed moving to Michigan. Neither William nor his mother wanted to move, fearing Indians, wild animals, loneliness and the possibility of starvation. But, in 1832, his father sold their farm and left on a scouting trip. He returned 6-8 weeks later, having bought 80 acres of land 12 miles from the growing town of Detroit. He told his family the soil on their new property was “rich as a barn-yard, as level as a house floor and no stones in the way.”

The family left New York in the fall of 1833, spent the winter with relatives, and arrived in Detroit in spring of 1834. Some 40 years later, William wrote his remembrances of the family’s experiences in Michigan. Excerpts from his book, “The Bark Covered House,” are the basis for this activity.

To expose students to a primary source of information about life in early Michigan.

1.3 (Historical perspective, analyzing and interpreting the past using primary sources)

• Copies of the Excerpts from William Nowlin’s book.
  • Excerpt One -- Clearing Land
  • Excerpt Two -- Mosquitoes
  • Excerpt Three -- Troublesome Indian
  • Excerpt Four -- Loneliness
  • Excerpt Five -- Cowbell
  • Excerpt Six -- Wild Animals
  • Excerpt Seven -- Life in our House
  • Excerpt Eight -- Making space for crops
• Answers to Student Questions

• Give class background information on William Nowlin and his book, “The Bark Covered House.”
• Divide class into small discussion groups.
• Give each group an excerpt from Nowlin’s book. Instruct groups to read excerpt and answer the accompanying questions. (NOTE: Words or sentences in parentheses in the excerpts are paraphrased from the original text or added to make the reading more understandable.) Reassemble the class after all groups are done for class discussion.