Editing Mount Pleasant, Michigan (section)

==History==
[[File:Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.jpg|thumb|left|1884 map of Mt. Pleasant.]]
Until the mid-19th century, this area was occupied by historical bands of the [[Ojibwa people]], known by English speakers as the Chippewa. In the early decades of the century, they ceded vast amounts of land to the United States government, which wanted to enable settlement by European Americans.

The federal [[Graduation Act of 1854]] allowed settlers to purchase land from the government at discount rates, and the first white settlers began to arrive in what became Mount Pleasant. Under the Treaty of 1855, the Ojibwa bands ([[Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation]]) from the Saginaw, Swan Creek, and Black rivers were relocated to land in Isabella County ([[Isabella Indian Reservation]]).<ref name="Cumming, John 1989">Cumming, John. ''This Place Mount Pleasant.'' Mount Pleasant, MI: J. Cumming, 1989.</ref>

Many non-natives soon moved to Mount Pleasant, predicting prosperous relations with the natives. The [[Homestead Act of 1862]] also attracted  many new settlers to Mount Pleasant, including new European immigrants, They worked to develop their stake on free lands offered by the US government in exchange for their labor in developing it for residence and [[agriculture]].

The village and future city developed. In 1875, a devastating [[fire]] started at the Fancher Building on the north corner of Broadway and Main streets. It moved east down Broadway, destroying several buildings. Seven years later another fire would damage buildings on the south side of Broadway.

In 1879 the first [[library]] was established in Mt. Pleasant. Known as "The Library, Literary, and Musical Association of Mount Pleasant," its first books were made up of the personal book collections of the board members.<ref name="Cumming, John 1989"/>

In 1890, W.A. Jordan started Mount Pleasant Business College. Expanding in 1892, the school changed its name to Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, as it incorporated a curriculum of teacher training. It was the origin of what is now [[Central Michigan University]]. The Mt. Pleasant main campus is the largest of 8 CMU locations in the state, with just over 10,000 undergrad students living on campus or campus affiliated housing in the fall of 2022. [https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/central-michigan-university-2243/student-life]

On January 3, 1893, the U.S. government opened an [[American Indian boarding schools|Indian boarding school]] called the [[Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School]]. Indian children were forced to give up their cultural ways and [[Cultural assimilation|assimilate]] to using the English language and adopting European-American culture. The school operated for 40 years, closing in 1933.

Since the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the role of such schools has been re-evaluated and the damage done to children by such efforts has been acknowledged. Various Native American groups have taken action to help people reconcile their experiences. On July 17, 2009, the White Bison Wellbriety Journey for Forgiveness made a stop in the Mount Pleasant community to recognize this part of the city's history. The boarding school building was abandoned, but the [[Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation]] purchased it from the state of Michigan.

In 1928, large quantities of [[oil]] were discovered in the Mt. Pleasant area. A farm owned by the Lilly family was the first to strike, producing hundreds of barrels a day. Although oil resources eventually diminished, this legacy is represented in the Mt. Pleasant city seal, which includes an image of an oil drill. Mt. Pleasant High School's [[mascot]], the Oiler, also refers to the city's history of oil production. The city eventually became known as the "Oil Capital of Michigan".<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Michigan's Oil and Natural Gas Industry {{!}} Clarke Historical Library |url=https://www.cmich.edu/research/clarke-historical-library/explore-collection/explore-online/michigan-material/oil-gas-industry-michigan/history-of-michigan%27s-oil-and-natural-gas-industry |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=www.cmich.edu |language=en}}</ref>