[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E1438]]



   THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INCORPORATION OF THE CITY OF ROYAL OAK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 1, 1996

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the 75th 
anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Royal Oak, MI.
  Royal Oak is a city with a rich past, a dynamic present, and a bright 
future. The first surveys of the area were made in 1818 by Horatio 
Ball, who marked a line oak tree with his initial. The following year, 
Lewis Cass, Territorial Governor of Michigan, was sent to obtain a 
treaty and purchase a tract of land embodying the Saginaw Bay region. 
En route to a meeting with the Indians under the full moon of September 
1819, Governor Cass stopped for lunch. Resting under the shelter of 
Horatio Ball's oak tree, he was reminded of the story of Prince Charles 
II who took shelter in a great oak tree after his forces were defeated 
in the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Charles eventually reached safety, 
later became king, and the majestic sheltering oak tree became known as 
the Royal Oak. From that story, Royal Oak, MI, got its name.
  The land at that time was swampy, disease-ridden, and considered 
uninhabitable. But settlers came, chiefly from western New York. Royal 
Oak Township was laid out in 1832; the first settlement centered at 
Chase's Corners, the present intersection of Crooks and Thirteen Mile 
Road. Orson Starr, who arrived in 1831, was the township's first 
manufacturer and later a nationally known maker of animal bells. 
Sherman Stevens, an enterprising young men, arrived in the area in 
1835. In 1836, anticipating the completion of the Detroit and Pontiac 
Railroad, Stevens laid out an unincorporated village in what is 
now downtown Royal Oak. The first business enterprise, a sawmill, made 
oak rails for the railroad. The extension and completion of this route 
fostered growth in the area and caused the center of commercial 
activity to shift southeast from Chase's Corners to the area now known 
as Main and Fourth Streets. Churches and schools were established. 
During the Civil War, the town was known to have hotels and daily mail 
service.

  The village of Royal Oak was incorporated by an act of the Michigan 
Legislature in 1891. The population at that time was less tan 500. 
Subsequent prosperity saw property annexations and continued gains in 
population. In November 1921, citizens adopted a charter providing for 
a commission form of government and Royal Oak, a village of just over 
6,000 people, became a city.
  Today, Royal Oak is a reinvigorated city. The population peaked in 
1970; while the population has diminished somewhat since its peak, the 
city is achieving new heights. Royal Oak has always been a desirable 
community in which to live and work, anchored by excellent public 
schools and a community college, thriving religious congregations, and 
many service and philanthropic organizations. In recent years, it has 
become a model of redevelopment. Under the leadership of city 
government officials and community leaders, the downtown has 
experienced a resurgence and is now one of Metropolitan Detroit's prime 
destinations for dining, shopping, and night life.
  My wife, Vicki, and I have the privilege for a second time of calling 
Royal Oak home. We established our first home together on Rochester 
Road and lived there from 1957-59. After moving across Woodward Avenue 
to Berkley, Royal Oak remained our nearby downtown for nearly two 
decades. We have been Saturday morning regulars at the Farmers' Market 
since 1957. Our kids played youth hockey in Royal Oak, and we spend 
countless hours with the other families at the ice arena near Normandy 
and Crooks. Many of the flourishing businesses started small and we 
have known the owners and watched their growth.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I join with my fellow citizens in celebrating 
the Diamond Jubilee of the city of Royal Oak and look forward to its 
continued success and well-being.

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