Editing Manchester, Michigan (section)

==History==
===Chicago Road===
In 1824 the United States Congress passed the [[General Survey Act]], intended to create and maintain military roads through what was then the west of the country. One third of the funds allocated went to build a road between the strategic army posts of [[Detroit]] and [[Fort Dearborn]], at the little town of [[Chicago]]. Known as the [[Chicago Road]], it followed the old [[Sauk Trail]] and opened the entire area for settlement.

Also in 1824, the land around today's Manchester was surveyed by John Mack, who noted it as being "a good mill seat." [[John Gilbert (major)|John Gilbert]], who had recently completed work on sections of the [[Erie Canal]], agreed with John Mack, and on May 10, 1826 he purchased {{convert|80|acre}} of land along the [[Raisin River]] at that location.<ref name="manchesterareahistoricalsociety1">{{cite web|author=dhowell |url=http://www.manchesterareahistoricalsociety.org/book/major-john-gilbert-founder-manchester-part-1-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020141203/http://manchesterareahistoricalsociety.org/book/major-john-gilbert-founder-manchester-part-1-2 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 20, 2010 |title=Major John Gilbert – The Founder of Manchester (Part 1 of 2) |publisher=Manchester Area Historical Society |date=2008-07-11 |accessdate=2013-10-17}}</ref>

===Early village history===
Originally from [[upstate New York]], John Gilbert resettled to [[Ypsilanti, Michigan]], in 1831.  In 1832, he decided to turn his attention to the extensive land tracts he held in the area.  He commissioned the construction of a grist mill along the River Raisin upon the land he had purchased in 1826.  The original plat of the village of Manchester was prepared by surveyor Hiram Burnham and dated 1833, but was not formally filed until March 25, 1835.  The location was chosen to take advantage of water power from the river and named after [[Manchester (village), New York|Manchester, New York]].<ref name="manchesterareahistoricalsociety1"/>

===Soulesville===
In 1833, James Soule purchased a large tract of land about {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} downstream from Manchester.<ref>{{cite web|author=dhowell |url=http://www.manchesterareahistoricalsociety.org/book/soulesville |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727062811/http://www.manchesterareahistoricalsociety.org/book/soulesville |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |title=Soulesville |publisher=Manchester Area Historical Society |date=2007-04-20 |accessdate=2013-10-17}}</ref>  He built a small settlement he named Soulesville.  Though the two settlements initially competed against each other, on March 16, 1867, both settlements were incorporated into the village of Manchester.<ref>{{cite web|author=dhowell |url=http://www.manchesterareahistoricalsociety.org/book/burr-oak-openings |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727062937/http://www.manchesterareahistoricalsociety.org/book/burr-oak-openings |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |title=Burr Oak Openings |publisher=Manchester Area Historical Society |date=2007-04-20 |accessdate=2013-10-17}}</ref>  The Manchester Village Office and Manchester Public Library are located on the site of the former settlement.