Local History

First settled by Oshea Wilder, a surveyor from Rochester, N.Y., in 1832.  He named it for Henry Eckford, a friend who he had met while traveling in England.  Mr. Wilder platted the village, first called Lower Eckford, in 1834, and he became the first postmaster, with the office named Eckford, on May 7, 1834.  Nearby Wilder Creek was named for him as was Wilder's Prairie. 

Informational excerpts from Michigan Place Names, by Walter Romig, L.H.D.

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