Waterford Hill (Michigan)
| Waterford Hill | |
|---|---|
 Waterford Hill
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,150 ft |
| Coordinates | 42°42′40″N 83°24′40″W / 42.7111414°N 83.4110517°WCoordinates: 42°42′40″N 83°24′40″W / 42.7111414°N 83.4110517°W |
| Geography | |
| Topo map |
USGS 7.5' topographic map Waterford Hill, Independence Township, Michigan |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Summit |
Waterford Hill is located in Independence Township, in Oakland County, Michigan, 0.4 miles north of Waterford Village. The hill is classified as a summit. It extends from east of Dixie Highway including Ottawa Park Cemetery to the east, to Maple Lane in Moon Valley to the north, to Parview Drive and Greens Lake to the west, to Van Norman Lake to the south.
Waterford Hill's elevation is 1,150 feet, making it the second highest point in Independence Township. Three miles away is Pine Knob, the highest point in the township at 1,201 feet.
Waterford Hill, along with the other hills in the Great Lakes region, was formed during the retreat of the last continental glacier, approximately 14,000 years ago. As they retreated, the glaciers left behind debris, called moraines. The retreating glaciers also formed more than thirty lakes in the township.
The first settler to purchase and settle land in Independence Township was John Wheeler Beardslee (b. 1799, d. 1883), who came to Michigan from Sussex County, New Jersey and purchased his tract of land in section 35 in 1826. He settled on it five years later in 1831.
By 1834, nearly every section in the southern half of Independence Township had been purchased, including sections 32 and 33. Those sections comprised the area later called Waterford Hill.
The sections of land comprising Waterford Hill had several different owners throughout the years. Among those property owners were Stephen Moon (b.1823-d.1909) who, from 1854 until his death, owned 120 acres on the north side of Waterford Hill in section 32. The area comprising his farm is named for him; Moon Valley.
In the 1870s, Moses Beardslee (b.1823-d.1890) owned a 162-acre apple farm in section 32 on the southern and western side of Waterford Hill. He also owned and operated a cider mill there.
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