Emmett Township

On February 19, 1850, the land that would be called Emmett Township was taken from the township of Clyde by an act of the Michigan Legislature. The town was not officially organized until years later when the name was changed to Emmett on April 21, 1883. The founding fathers named the area, the township and the village, after the person they considered to be a true Irish hero: Robert Emmett. The first land purchasers in Emmett were thought to have been Patrick and Bridget Keough Dunigan and their friend Michael Harrington. Much of the land was still inhabited by Native Americans, mostly from the Chippewa tribe. White settlers told stories about Indians coming into the cabins and sleeping by the fire on nights when the temperature was below zero. To pay for the night's lodging, rabbits and other small offerings might be found on the roof of the cabin in the morning. (Why the roof? To keep the meat away from wolves.)

Marian Brennan Pratt held the position of church secretary at Our Lady of Mt. Camel Parish in the village of Emmett, Michigan, for 24 years. She has four grown children, 10 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Pratt lives in Port Huron, Michigan, and has always been interested in journalism, which led to her joining the staff of the St. Stephen High School newspaper, the Stephecho, to begin her career; she is currently a writer for the Emmett News.