Milford’s early residents were attracted by the power of the Huron River and the beauty of the valley it created. Elizur and Stanley Ruggles, who first settled the area in 1832, built their sawmill on the river, which, along with nearby Pettibone Creek, eventually supplied power to eight different mills.Mastick, Margaret Rowe, “Pioneer Days in Milford Village, Sections 1-3,” 125th Anniversary Booklet, 1957 (unpaged).In 1836, a general store was established which, over the years, evolved into a clothing store, and today remains in the family of one of its original owners. Arms Brothers is not only the oldest established business in Milford, it is also the oldest men’s store in the state of Michigan.
Many of Milford’s early settlers came from New England, but a number came directly from England, attracted by fertile farm land. The influx necessitated construction of the first school building in 1837. As the population grew, the village was incorporated in 1869. Three bridges were eventually built to span the Huron River. The year 1871 saw the establishment of Oakland County’s oldest newspaper, The Milford Times, and the arrival of the Holly, Wayne and Monroe Railway. Industry took hold as the railway opened up new markets not only for the produce of local farmers, but also the manufactured goods being produced in Milford. Soon items such as furniture, window screens, farm implements and plumbing supplies were being transported from Milford to markets around the state and the nation.
In the early 1880’s, telephone lines connected Milford to the world beyond, and pipes were laid to establish a water works system in 1895. The late nineteenth century brought a great deal of economic development to Milford, as lumber yards, grocery stores, drug stores, shoe shops, restaurants and hotels sprang up.
The year 1900 brought the first automobile to Milford, and not long afterward, automobile pioneers brought more industry to Milford. In 1924, the General Motors Corporation chose Milford as the site of its new General Motors Proving Ground. Here the company would test its vehicles under various conditions. In 1938, Henry Ford came to town in hopes of harnessing water power from the Huron and Pettibone Creek. The Ford Carburetor Plant was built, and it supplied welcome employment for many young people who might otherwise have had to leave Milford looking for work at the end of the Depression. The Proving Ground remains on the west side of Milford today, but the Ford plant closed not long after Henry Ford’s death.
Milford has grown to be a thriving, thoroughly modern community, attracting businesses and homeowners alike, but it has retained its charm and beauty, along with a reverence for its place in history.
Adapted from :
Ten Minutes Ahead of the Rest of the World. Milford, MI: Milford Historical Society, 1982.