The town is bounded on the north by Cedar Creek, on the east by Moorland, on the south by Fruitport, on the west by Muskegon, from which it was set apart at the first meeting of the County Board of Supervisors, after separation from Ottawa on July 18, 1859. The first meeting was held at the house of William Sturdefant, who was one of the petitioners. Adna Egelston, an early surveyor, in honor of whom the town was named, was the fist Supervisor and was elected continuously every year until 1873, a period of over thirteen years, when David R. Jones took his place. In 1874 E. R. Porter was elected; in 1875, W. Carr; in 1876, A. Durdy; in 1878, W. Carr, who has been reelected annually until the present time.
    In 1881 the officials were: W. Carr, Supervisor; Alanson Rice, Clark; John Littell, Treasurer; John Parkhurst, School Inspector; Aaron Eakright, School Superintendent; and W. Carr and Frederick Delano, Justices of the Peace.
    The population in 1860 was but 29; in 1864, 153; in 1870, 233; in 1874, 317; in 1880 it had fallen to 218. It will be seen from this that a years after it was set apart in all its territory of thirty-six square miles, but twenty-nine persons were found in its limits, and which has risen in fourteen years to 317. During the last six years it has fallen back to 218. This is accounted for by the fact that Egelston was at that time a great lumbering region and that it has now been largely denuded of its timber and has to depend upon agriculture. One circumstance which has retarded the development of Egelston has been the large blocks of land held by non resident owners, who valued it chiefly for its timber. The Booming Company, Ferry & Bro., and others own considerable land, and other sections are government and railway lands. There are but few schools and these in the eastern side, one on Section 11, another on Section 22, and a third on Section 36, where E. R. Jones, one of the oldest, if not the oldest settler, came in 1853.
    There is no post office in the town. A village lot was laid out and named Almer, on Section 33, on land belonging to J. Scott and A. Cummings. It is near the head of Black Creek and the Cranberry, water the southwest of the town.
    Carr Lake, chiefly on Section 32, is about half a mile each way, and has four smaller lakes to the west.
    The soil is chiefly sandy and covered with oak and pine, the latter being nearly cut off. The southeastern portion is best settled and the soil there is clayey and gravelly. There is considerable wet or marsh land, which will doubtless ultimately prove the best land in the town. S. C. Hall, on Sections 13 and 24, and part of the adjoining section of Moorland, has a noble farm of nearly 2,000 acres, called Deer Park farm, which had been set down by surveyors as impassible marsh. The farm is managed by John Littell & son. It is thoroughly ditched and raises great crops of hay, which finds a ready market in Muskegon city.
    Settlers are beginning to come in and settle on the sandy soil, and if it is worked right the will do well. Wolf Lake is a beautiful lake, the water being clear and cool. There is neither an outlet nor inlet to the lake, some parts of the shore of which are springy. The size of the lake is about one mile long by one-quarter mile wide. It covers most of Section 16.