Dear editor,
Ever caught yourself driving south on Baldwin Road on your way to Great Lakes Crossing and when you see the sign for Judah Road, you wonder who it was named after?
The road, along with Judah Lake and Mount Judah, were named after my great-great-great-grandfather, Judah Church.
In October of 1819, Judah purchased land in what would later become our home, Orion Township. He was the first pioneer to do so.
Don’t take my word for it, look up Oakland County history and it’s there in black and white.
So, why am I telling you this? Jesse Decker, whose name will be honored at the new township park on Squirrel Road near Silverbell, was clearly instrumental in the early development of Orion Township. He was the township’s first supervisor, operated a tavern, and was clearly instrumental in the area’s growth.
He deserves a historical sign and deserves full recognition for his accomplishments. But he came to Orion Township six years after my ancestor, Judah.
Let’s just remember when we are honoring founders that there were others at the time who contributed to the growth of a community.
If any of you local historians are wondering, no, I didn’t grow up in the township. I grew up in the Lansing area, and after living in metro Detroit for eight years, my wife and I finally settled in the area my ancestor helped establish 191 years ago.
-Kevin Church,
Lake Orion