Maple Valley Village 1881

This village was located on Cannonsville road where the railroad tracks cross (between Cody Lake and Amble Roads).  This hamlet is situated pirncipally on land ownded by William Fitzberald, in section 15.  He sold eighty acres to Mr. Kearney, who laid out the village in 1872.  The saw-mill at this place had been built by Babcock and Ferguson in 1870.  Soon after the village was laid out, Dr. Slawson, who was the frist post-master, built a store-room and opened a stock of goods.  He remained in business some years.  

The hotel was built by Horace Sturtevant.  There a now one hotel and one gerneral store in the village.  The popularion is about fifty.  

The Maple Balley post-office was established March 4, 1872. The Postmasters were: Abrose Atwood, March 4, 1872 and Richard Kearney, February 14, 1879.  

1916 The town of Maple Valley has entirely ceased to exist as a village, only a clusted of houses marking the place hwere it was laid out.  

Ed. note: The tom Kain residence is located where the grocery store once stood.  The cattle yards and depot were by the tracks.  It was possible to flag a train and ride to Coral or Trufant for .o5 dollars.  

Tom Kain tells of the story where his Grandmother Mary (O'Conner) Kain had an illness and was being treated by the Indians.  they traded medicine for bread.  One time Mrs. Kain didn't have enough bread  to pay for the medicine so the Indians took the medicine outside and poured some on the ground and left enough to pay for the bread they were getting.  

Demograph's Maple Valley Village 1875 (taken from the map of Montcalm county).  Ferris, John- Prop. of Boarding House & carpenter adn Joiner.  Kearney & Laughlin- General dealers in dry & fancy goodsm groceries, patent medicines, and harware, boots, shoes, etc.  Lumber, shingles, stave bolts, ties, staves, etc.  all kinds of produce taken in exchange of goods.  Sturdavant & Case- Prop. of Maple Valley Hotel.

Valley Of The Maples.  Where did Maple Valley get its name?  When the first settlers came in 1858, the area was thickly forested with beautiful maple groves and pine trees.  Many romances blossomed in the sugar bushes, as they were called, when the sap from the maple trees was gathered in buckets, boilted down in huge vats over a blazing fire and became maple syrup and sugar.  It became the place to go for young folks to watch the process.

Sap started flowing the first warm days of spring.  It was time for farmers to tap the trees and hang the buckets to catch the sap.  Maple Syrup and sugar became the first crop of the year for many farmers who had settled in the valley.

Many residents of the townshop do not realize it but a thriving community (Maple Valley) was in the center of the township, section 15, on what is now Cannonsville Road and on land owned by Wm. Fitzberald and R. Kearney in 1872.

Serveral stores, postoffice, Catholic Church, Rectory, a schoolhouse were some of the buildings of this community.  Some old timer said there was at least six saloons.  A sawmill owned by Babcock and Ferguson in 1870.  Dr. Slawson had a store and was the postmaster.  There also was a hotel operated by Horace Sturdivant.

There are two cemetaries which are still in use and all that is left of the community.  Very little is know at this time as to who operated these stores and lived in this communty.