This morning I took a short drive north of Adrian to Clinton, Michigan. Early settlers who came here from New York via the Erie Canal named the village for Dewitt Clinton, the governor of New York 1817 to 1823. Clinton became an important center of trade because of its location on the Chicago Road at the River Raisin. Only a decade after its settlement, Clinton had 10 general stores, several blacksmith shops, and a hardware store.
The building that interested me is the Clinton Inn. The Sauk and Potawatomi Indians first used Clinton's main road as part of the Sauk Trail. It became a military road after Congress appropriated funds for survey and construction of a route between Detroit and Chicago. The first permanent settler in Clinton was Alpheus Kies. He was born in Woodstock, Connecticut and built a log cabin where the Clinton Inn now stands. The Inn was built in 1901 and was a popular resting place for travelers. In the summer, the Inn was filled with tourists who came to enjoy activities in the Irish Hills.
Today the Inn is a fine restaurant and tavern. Four of the original fireplaces remain, along with a ballroom and a drummer's room, a place where traveling salesmen could display their wares. That room is now the tavern.
