A Journey Through Time
As people began to make frequent trips outside of Detroit during the early nineteenth century, they met with a seemingly insurmountable barrier--the swamplands north of Detroit.
To overcome these obstacles, corduroy roads, which were composed of logs placed side by side across the trails, began to snake across the miles. These roads were managed by the Royal Oak and Rochester Plank Road Company. To finance the proper care of these roads, tolls were collected.
One tollgate was on Rochester Road just north of Avon Road and another was at Hamlin Road. These roads enabled travelers to complete the bumpy two-day trip from Detroit to what is now known as Rochester Hills without getting stuck in the mire of the swamps.
The Rochester Hills Museum has recently constructed a corduroy road on the property that will be used in the future to allow visitors to experience this historical type of transportation. The Rochester Hills Museum Archives is also the repository for toll receipts from some of these travels.
If you want to learn more about the history of the Greater Rochester area, join us at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. Tickets are $5 adult/$3 seniors & children. The museum is located on Van Hoosen Road, just south of Tienken Road, one-mile East of Rochester Road and one mile north of downtown Rochester. The address is 1005 Van Hoosen Road, Rochester Hills 48306. If you’d like more information about the museum, click on www.rochesterhills.org/museum.htm or call (248) 656-4663.