Editing Manchester, Michigan (section)

===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>