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Although railroads were not introduced into this county until 1830, the people of this state were quick to perceive their advantage and early to make attempts to be benefited by the new means of communication. As early as 1834 a company was organized to construct a railroad from Toledo, Ohio, to the supposed head of navigation on the Kalamazoo river in Michigan, at Marshall. This company was chartered in Ohio and also by the territorial council of Michigan. It was named the Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad Company. The charter conferred the power to establish one or more banks, as part of its privileges. The company was duly organized and proceeded to construct the road through the Black swamp, a nearly impassable morass, to the village of Palmyra in Lenawee county. It was graded about eight miles out of the city of Toledo, and when it reached the swamp, that was regularly cross-wayed with logs the entire width. On this ties and wooden rails were laid and to these rails iron bars, two inches wide and three-eighths of an inch thick, was laid and fastened with spikes. Over this road ran a small engine, that drew four or five cars about twice the size of a lumber wagon. This train made one trip a day, but it was a great improvement in time and amount of freight handled by trains, for it frequently took a loaded team two or three days to