SEGIge Lang, t fst iviap-Maker

(Continued From Page 1)

quent contributor to the Carleton
Messenger.

A charter member of the Mon-
roe County Historical Society,
Lang was honored by the society
last October when he contributed
many of his maps and slides of
| Monroe County to the museum, A
lrecord of his voice was made that
| night and played back to him.
| Lang was born Oct. 8, 1873, the
son of Edwin and Lavina Baker
‘Lang, who were then living on
| what'is now the Albert Steck farm
jon *Carleton-South Rockwood “Rd.
| His maternal grandparents lived
on a farm which borders Sweitzer
and Ready Rds. while his paternal
grandparents came from the East
fo Carleton, His father was a
blacksmith and young George used
to help out around the “shop”. as
a young man while attending Mon-
roe. schools. .

Possessing ability as_an artist,
George enrolled in the Detroit Art
School on E. Jefferson Ave. and
Studied designing and drafting.
While in Detroit’ he met. Silas
Farmer, head of Silas Farmer,
Inc, a map company. ‘Through this
friendship the’ young man from
Carleton determined” to make a
map of his Monroe County.

Bicycle Won

In 1896, about the time he
started correspondence work, he
won a bieyele as a prize in a news
paper contest. He had returned to
Carleton after serving for a time
as secretary of a Detroit. YMCA
branch, ‘The bieycle enabled hin
to get around the county and he
staried collecting the information
which beeame the basis of his
map. He spent more than two
years compiling the necessary data
from records and from interviews
with land owners. He traveled the
county on his bicycle, making over-
night stops in hotels at Monroe,
Milan, Dundee and Petersburg
while’ continuing his painstaking
work.

‘The mag, fully copyrighted,
published in 1901. Three thousand
copies were printed and they found
their way into every law. office,
school, business and surveying of
fice in the area. The map gave the
name of the owner of every piece
of property in Monroe County, It
contained detailed maps of every
village in the county. Monroe was
sealed 300 feet to the inch; villages
were sealed 400 feet,

Property Lines Shown

The map showed the property
lines of each piece of land with
the name of the ‘owner, informa-
tion of incalculable value in the
growing area. The village maps
included such areas as Strasburg,
Rea, Brest, Grape, Whiteford Cen:
ler, 'Yargetville, Pointe aux Peaux,
Winchester in “LaSalle ‘Township,
the Third Ward of Monroe in even
greater detail, plats recently’ laid
out — all representing a tremen-
dous amount of detail work car-
ried through by Lang.

‘About this time he opened a
commercial photographie studio
in Carleton in the Reeves and

Stes HEA SE

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

elected in 1945.

Of Monroe County, Dies at 79

cycle replaced his own bicycle at
he sold motoreyeles as a sidelin
‘The studio and photographie bu:
ness was wiped out by fire
1916, Lang losing much of t
work of his earlier years.

He was an active promoter
the “Greater Carleton Associatic
and he organized and helped
the building of the Communi
Tabernacle which was located ¢
what is now the Kahlbaum re:
gence property. ‘The tabernacl
uised_ inter-denominationally, al.
became the village recreation ce
ter and at one time housed a roll:
skating rink. It was destroyed 1
fire,

Boy Scout Work Done

He became interested in Be
Scout work and became active
it, becoming a Scoutmaster
1913, and continuing active fo
many years.

He ‘continued to take picture
operating from his home. His 4
nancial wants were not excessiy
and he had a host of friends wi
always were willing, in rece
years, to help Lang get whereve
he wanted to go.

‘A lifelong Republican, Lang wi
elected Ash Township’ treasui
about 25 years ago. He was
yointed village clerk in 1944 ar