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In the first episode of Ypsi Stories, YDL circulation clerk Jerome Drummond educates us about early land speculation in the Ypsilanti area, focusing chiefly on the prominent land speculator, Lucius Lyon. Jerome is a Circulation Clerk with the Ypsilanti District Library, working out of the Michigan Avenue branch. He’s also a member of the Ypsilanti Historical Society and the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County.
Historic map of the Ypsilanti area from 1874, with French Claims 691, 680, and 681 highlighted in orange, and French Claim 690, with which Lucius Lyon was involved, highlighted in blue.
Lucius Lyon, an early land speculator in the Ypsilanti area, went on to represent Michigan in Congress, both before and after statehood.