The Town of Dalton was organized the 18th of April, 1859, at the house of Edwin Nichols, P. Dalton, Moderator; N. Cunningham, Inspector; C. C. Thompson, Clerk, and M. Hall, Poll Clerk. The whole number of votes cast was 58, of which P. Dalton had 39 and C. C. Thompson, 18. G. Nichols was elected Treasurer, M. Hall, Clerk. Andrew Todd, E. Collins, D. P. Sherman and Moses Hall, were the first Justices of the Peace. C. Odell, Commissioner of Highways; J. P. Brown, School Inspector; O. W. Califf, A. J. Covell, W. Jones, A. Ketchum, were elected Constables.

    At first the town included Fruitland, Whitehall, Dalton, Cedar Creek; Blue Lake and Holton.

    The soil for eighteen sections in the north and west is light and sandy; the rest is somewhat sandy but lower and better adapted for agriculture, such as for wheat and grass. There is some light soil in the southeast. There is no debt on the town, and no State or United States lands in it. 

    Probably the best farm in the town is that of B. F. Dow on section 80, on which he raises great quantities of apples and other fruit. John W. Reside, on section 17, has also a good fruit farm. Lorenzo Pelham on section 23, has the best grass farm.

    The first real settler who really came to stay was B. F. Dow. Before him was Gale Nichols, who made no improvements but kept a tavern and dealt with the Indians. His residence was on town line north, section three.

    A. B. Buel was the first about Twin Lake, coming in 1865, and platted the village.

    Wm. Maltby was the first in the southeast in 1868. Charles Buzzell, the present Supervisor came in 1867, settling on section 1. Henry Lyman, the present Town Clerk, settled near Twin Lake in April 1869. 

    The first school was on Section 5, known at first as the Fox Lake school, and afterwards as the Knapp school, erected in 1867. Miss Etta Odion, (Mrs. James Hiscutt, of New York) was the first teacher.

    Feb. 17, 1866 a meeting was held at J. B. Lewis' and it was resolved to petition to set apart District No. 1, which was done April 18, 1867. There are now five districts. No. 2 is at Twin Lake, and is under the efficient management of N. R. Dryer.

    As to religious services, there is no church edifice. The Adventists have services occasionally; the Methodist Episcopal have service by the Holton minister. The Rev. Mr. Carlstead, Adventist, used to preach regularly. The first preacher was Rev. Mr. Pearson, Methodist Episcopal, in 1866.

    There have been saw mills in Dalton for about fourteen years. A. Clug's was the first mill at Dalton Station. The "Old Reliable" saw mill of Campbell & Armstrong was the first at Twin Lake, in 1867. At present I. E. Latimer's and E. R. Ford's steam saw mills with a capacity of 25,000 feet a day each, are the only mills at Twin Lake. The latter mill was built in the Fall of 1881.

    We give below the list of Supervisors and Clerks.

     P. Dalton, 1859 to 61; S. C. Hall, 62 to 64; Hiram Stearns, 65; H. S. Tyler, 66 to 69; B. F. Dow, 70 to 74; Geo. McMillan, 75 to 80; C. L. Buzzell, 81.

    Moses Hall, 59, 60; 0. F. Pear, 61; A. Mears, 62, 63; J. D. Sturtevant, 64; A. B. Speed, 65; R. N. Poulson, 66; G. W. Cowen, 67 to 72; Ira D. Trumbull, 73; Geo. McMillan, 74; C. L. Buzzell, 75 to 80; Henry Lyman, 81.

    In 1876 this Township had a population of 425; 239 males and 186 females. It is Township 11 north, range 16 west, forming a full township of 36 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Blue Lake, east by Cedar Creek, south by Muskegon, and Laketon on the southwest, west by Fruitland. It is traversed by two lines of railway which branch off in the southwest quarter; the Big Rapids branch from Big Rapids Junction to the northeast and so on through Holton, with Twin Lake postoffice near the Cedar Creek town line.
 

    This little village in the northeast corner of the Town of Dalton, was originally platted by A. B. Buel in the spring of 1873, the railway to Big Rapids having been put through the year before. The area platted for the village is 40 acres in extent, and the population at present approaches 150. The land in the vicinity is generally rolling and has been well timbered, although the main portion of the pine has been removed by the lumbermen. There are now two mills on the lake, Latimer's s and E. R. Ford's each with a capacity of about 25,000 feet per day. The latter gentleman, Mr. Ford, is the grocer of this city, and the mill is managed by Mr. Steinburg. His mill was put up last year. There have been sawmills at Twin Lake for over fourteen years. The "Old Reliable" mill of Campbell & Armstrong was the first, having been built in 1867. The railway station is under the careful charge of Mr. Putnam, who has, in addition, the duties of telegraph operator and deputy postmaster, the postmaster, Mr. Warren Odion, living at some distance off, and leaving the whole charge to Mr. Putnam. The school is under the charge of experienced teacher, Mr. N. R. Dryer, who is also Clerk of Holton Township. He has about thirty-five children under his care, and some of them are well advanced. There are two stores in the village and it is likely it will become a good agricultural center in time.

    The other railroad is the Chicago & Michigan, in its course from Muskegon to Whitehall, passing from the Big Rapids Junction through the southwestern quarter about a mile to Dalton station, thence one and a halt miles to Califf station, both in Dalton.

    The northern portion is full of lakes, and is of the same nature as much of Blue Lake. The largest of these lakes is Twin Lake, about one and a half miles long; and to the west Goose Egg Lake and Fox Lake. The chief stream is Bear Creek, emptying into Bear Lake. The Duck River also rises near Califf station.

    Dalton was named in honor of Capt. Peter Dalton, the early pioneer, who died in 1879 in Chicago, and enjoyed the respect and esteem of all who knew him.

    Of the early settlers may be named B. F. Dow, on section 30, who came in 1862; W. A. Hanchett, near B. R. Junction, in 1865; A. Clug, 1866; H. Thompson, 1869; W. Maltby, on section 34, in 1863.
 

    William Moore was born in Summit Co., Ohio, Oct. 5, 1818. When 23 years of age he moved to Ft Wayne, Ind. After living in Lafayette, South Bend, and other places in Indiana, he served in the army, and was discharged in 1865. He then settled on a farm in section 31, Dalton. About 1838 he married Miss Charity Elizabeth Williams, of Summit County, by whom he had three children. He had been a Constable for many years. He died in November, 1881.

    James H. Gardner, farmer, was born in Troy, N. Y., in 1818, and after a number of changes he came to Dalton in 1867. He married in 1841 Miss Elmira Sellen, and has four children.

    William Steinburg, lumberman, is a native of Clinton Co., N. Y., who came to Muskegon County in 1868, and has resided at Twin Lake ever since. The county when he arrived was fast settling up by homesteaders, and Holton was then an Indian reservation.

    Alonzo Yager, an extensive farmer in section 17, was born in Schoharie County, N. Y., May 7, 1826, and moved thence to Boone County, and thence to Muskegon County in 1865.

    Jasper Case, lumberer, of section 17, was born in Loraine Co., Ohio, in 1845, came to this county in 1880. Has followed the lake for years, but now runs a portable saw mill.

    Charles Nord, farmer, was born in Sweden in 1839, and came direct to Dalton, and took up land in 1870.

    Samuel D. Baker, farmer, was born in Ohio in 1841, moved to Clinton Co., Mich., in 1855, thence to Dalton in 1878.

    Willis F. Stone, farmer, was born in Whiting, Vermont, in 1817, moved to Niagara Co., N. Y., in 1821, thence to Erie Co., Pa., and thence to Dalton-in 1870.

    James E. Gardner, farmer, was born in Allen Co., Ind,, in 1847, came to Dalton in 1867.

    William Maltby, farmer, was born in Gananoque, Ontario, in 1841, moved to Newaygo Co., Mich., in 1856, to Muskegon Co., in 1857, and to Dalton in 1863.

    James Armstrong, farmer, born in England in 1824, and emigrated in 1850, came first to Brockport, came to this State the same year, and to Dalton in 1868, enlisted in Co. G, 11th Mich. Infantry Aug. 24, 1861, honorably discharged Sept. 30, 1864.

    Asahel Fowler, in section 35, was born in Steuben Co., N. Y., in 1829, removed with his parents to Indiana in 1837, where his father died in 1841, when he moved to Michigan, and thence to Wisconsin in 1846, thence to Michigan in 1850, thence to California in 1852, back to Michigan in 1855. He was married at Hillsdale, Oct. 23, 1856, and came to Dalton in 1869.