Mason had formerly worked in a sawmill, and he immediately grasped this location’s potential as the site of a lumbering operation. It was too late in the season to start working on such a project, however, and Mason headed back east, intending to return in the spring and build a dam across the river.
The location selected for this dam is what later pioneers would come to know as Shako and Ponto flats, and what current residents would know as the river lowlands at the bottom of the ridge where Wildwood Cemetery is today.
When both of the Chapman brothers finally returned to Michigan, in the spring of 1842, they were surprised to find that another group of settlers had arrived during their absence, and that Northampton (the original name for Chesaning) already had its first sawmill.
This was was located on the west side of the river, just across from Cole Park, and about halfway between Broad Street and the footbridge.
This new sawmill belonged to the firm of North, Ferguson & Watkins, who were Benjamin North (1779-1848), a Methodist minister from Washtenaw County, and his two sons-in-law, John Ferguson (1800-1842) and John Watkins.
This group was also responsible for building the dam across the Shiawassee River, which was completed soon after spring highwater, which would have been about April, 1842.
George Chapman then hurried back east, carrying the news to Rufus Mason that his plans for cornering the local lumber market would have to be put on hold, at least for the time being.
Despite the considerable speed and initiative they had shown in establishing the first real settlement at Northampton, the group of settlers from Washetnaw would ultimately de-rive little, if any, real benefit from their efforts.
John Ferguson died in February of 1842, probably before the sawmill had even been completed, and his place in the firm was taken by Daniel North (1812-1850), who was the son of Benjamin North.
It’s possible that John Ferguson had been the key man in the partnership, or maybe the group had taken too great a financial risk in building the new sawmill, but whatever the reasons may have been, it seems that the new firm was not able to turn a sufficient profit.
Less then two years after the sawmill was completed, on July 13, 1844, the entire operation was sold to Rufus Mason and Oliver Chapman (1811-1877), a brother of George Chapman and Wellington Chapman.
Rufus Mason had arrived in Northampton around this same time period, and would serve in the role of local agent for his business partner, who remained back east in Massachusetts.
Rufus Mason would go on to play a major role in the future success of the village, but one gets the impression that he was the junior partner in the business. It’s even possible that he was already acting as the local agent for Oliver Chapman during his first visit to the area in 1841.
The firm of Mason & Chapman operated the sawmill successfully for many years. In 1846, they added additional equipment that would allow for the milling of wheat, corn, and other grains.
This was the first such grist mill in the township, and before it was added residents had to make a difficult, fourteen mile journey down to Corunna to reach the mill there.