Editing Rochester, Michigan (section)

==History==
[[Image:Rochester Michigan Western Knitting Mills.JPG|left|thumb|The [[Western Knitting Mills]], built in 1896, was owned by the Chapman brothers.]]

The [[Odawa]], [[Ojibwe]], [[Potawatomi]] and [[Wyandot people|Wyandot]] peoples all resided in the Rochester area. All of them ceded land claims by the early 19th century.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://rochestermedia.com/the-native-american-indians-of-michigan-and-their-connection-to-the-rochester-area/ | title=The Native American Indians of Michigan and their Connection to the Rochester Area }}</ref> The first settlers in what would become Rochester, the Graham family, built a log cabin in 1817. The cabin was located on present-day 3rd St., just west of Main. The city was named for [[Rochester, New York]], just like [[Rochester, Minnesota]], as many early settlers to the area were formerly from the state of New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.michigan.org/article/trip-idea/how-did-michigan-cities-get-their-names|title=How Did Michigan Cities Get Their Names? |date=October 16, 2018 |publisher=Michigan.org}}</ref> 
 
The city became an industrial center with abundant water power from the [[Clinton River]] and [[Paint Creek (Oakland County, Michigan)|Paint Creek]]. The interconnected waterways are no longer used for travel or local industry, but provide natural beauty, some fishing, and a healthy portion of the Clinton Watershed. Historically, past industries formerly located in Rochester included a refinery for sugar beets, a paper products company, and the Western Knitting Mills factory, which was later adapted and utilized during World War II for incendiary production—businesses that no longer exist in the area. Rochester was served by two railroads as well as the [[Detroit United Railway]], an [[interurban]] to [[Royal Oak, Michigan|Royal Oak]] and [[Detroit]].

Chapman Mill Pond, east of downtown, disappeared into the Paint Creek when the dam broke during the flood of 1946. The reclaimed land is the site of the current post office, Rochester Hills library, and Olde Towne Road. Water Street, formerly situated at the edge of the large pond, remains by its name a reminder of the pond's former existence.

Michigan became the 26th state in 1837, and the Village of Rochester was formed on April 12, 1869, within the boundaries of Avon Township. By 1895, Rochester's population was 900.{{citation needed|date=February 2012}} The village became the city of Rochester in 1967, breaking away from Avon Township. Avon Township became the City of Rochester Hills in 1984, following a long court battle, where the city of Rochester annexed {{convert|2.2|sqmi|km2|}} of Avon Township's land. It more than doubled the city of Rochester's size.<ref>{{cite book |author=Rochester-Avon Historical Society |title=Rochester: Preserving History, a Pictorial Journey |location=Rochester, MI}}</ref>