One hundred years ago a hardy adventurer and trader halted in his travels at the junction of the junction of the Flat and Grand Rivers to build for himself a trading post. That year, 1831—six years before Michigan came into the Union as a state—was not only important to the future of Lowell but was a significant year to the whole world. It was the year of the invention of the reaper and was the year that a passenger coach was drawn by a steam locomotive. It was a period when the spirit of adventure and confidence prevailed, a spirit which was later to carry the country through wars, depressions and almost every kind of disaster. This man who stopped to build his home in the wilderness among the Indians was typical of this age. He had confidence in his Indian advisers who told him that no great storm ever visited the spot where the rivers meet. He had great confidence in himself when he came to build for himself in the Flat river country.

Lowell is one of the oldest lumbering towns in Michigan, nevertheless we still have men here who can remember the Lowell of the ‘60s and ‘70s—men who have lived to see Lowell arise after the fall of the lumber industry; men who have seen Lowell arise after fires, floods and hard times and so today, although the whole world seems to be at a standstill and times are hard the people of Lowell have the fighting, adventurous spirit of the pioneer and consider the present condition but a temporary halt in our progress and look ahead with faith in our government, our business institutions and in ourselves, because after all the true spirit of Lowell is and always has been confidence.

N.E. BORGERSON, Pres. Lowell Bd. Trade, 1931.