Portion of the cover illustration from “Pleasant Walks and Drives about Ann Arbor.”

ANN ARBOR—In the spring of 1899 Judge Noah Cheever published the first four of his ten favorite walks and drives in the Ann Arbor area in “Pleasant Walks and Drives about Ann Arbor.” In the spring of 1999 the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library published all of Cheever’s favorites with current notations so the walks and drives can be replicated. This latest edition was edited by John Knott, professor of English, and U-M student Alicia Lavalle working through U-M’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP).

Cheever was described in 1907 as “a radical believer in all social, legal and moral reforms.” He was an advocate of women’s suffrage, a supporter of prohibition, and for many years president of the local Humane Society. He was also one of Ann Arbor’s most prominent attorneys, an unsuccessful candidate for the Michigan Supreme Court, and several times an unsuccessful candidate for governor on the Prohibition ticket.

Illustration of Delhi village in 1874, from “Pleasant Walks and Drives about Ann Arbor.”Beyond his political interests, Cheever was very much aware of his physical environment. His descriptions of the walks and drives note the look of the land, whether hilly, wooded, bordering the Huron River, or expanses such as the Lodi Plains on the way to Saline.

The current publication, available through bookstores, is a handy guide to the roadways and trails once negotiated by horse and buggies or on foot. Most can now be followed by car with the aid of the most current “Pleasant Walks and Drives about Ann Arbor.” Those who use the guide will be witness to a century of changes brought about by development and growth, where bridges and dams have replaced mills and pumping stations, and where commercial and residential development have replaced farms and open plains.