According to the Orion Township Historical Society, Jesse Decker came to Michigan from upstate New York with his wife, Mary, in 1825.
The couple homesteaded in the place that soon became known as the Decker Settlement, which grew into a bustling commercial center with a sawmill, a tavern, post office, general store, blacksmith shop, school and cemetery.
In 1830, Jesse Decker raised the first frame barn in the area with the help of local Indians.
Five years later, a group of settlers gathered in his home and formed a township.
At Decker's suggestion they named it Orion, and elected him the township's first supervisor at an annual pay of $2.
Decker was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1837, and also served as postmaster and justice of the peace.
By 1840 he operated one of the first taverns in Orion Township and owned 440 acres of land.
A big SHOUT-OUT and a huge THANK YOU to Smitherington for replacing the log AND cache container! Much appreciated!