January 1823 — An act of Congress provided for a district court and the appointment of a judge for the counties of Brown, Crawford and Michilimackinac.

The evidence

• “But a drawback to this region, was the fact that, in all civil cases of over a thousand dollars, and in criminal cases that were capital, as well as in actions of ejectment, and in the allowance of writs of error, and mandamus, recourse must be had to the supreme court at Detroit; the latter place being the seat of government of Michigan Territory. However, in January, 1823, an act of congress provided for a district court, and for the appointment of a judge, for the counties of Brown, Crawford and Michilimackinac. This court had concurrent jurisdiction, civil and criminal, with the supreme court of the Territory, in most cases, subject, however, to have its decisions taken to the latter tribunal by a writ of error.”

  1879-history-of-rock-county/01-wisconsin-antiquities-indians-territory.md, PDF p. 33 / book p. 37

  Butterfield, C. W., et al. The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871585.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources

• “Dane and Green counties. Matthew Irwin was appointed as Brown County’s chief justice, commissioner, judge of probate, justice of the peace, sheriff, commissioner and clerk. For five years, prisoners had to be transported by canoe to Detroit for trial. “It was almost 600 miles to Detroit, the capital of Michigan, and the means of communication were so primitive that the settlers felt it to be as far away as a foreign capital,” Doudna stated. In 1823, Congress passed an act creating an additional judicial district which included Brown, Crawford and Michilimackinac counties, and the Hon. James D. Doty was appointed judge. Doty was administered the oath of office on June 30, 1824. “As early as 1824, Judge James Doty had made an effort to have a separate territory organized. He proposed to call the new territory Chippewa, and he included within its boundaries the northern peninsula of Michigan and a large section of the present state of Minnesota,” Doudna said. Cass approved a county seat to be located within six miles of the mouth of the Fox River. A log bu”

  https://www.gopresstimes.com/stories/the-first-brown-county-courthouse,264632

  gopresstimes.com, https://www.gopresstimes.com/stories/the-first-brown-county-courthouse,264632

  Grade B: Found on an institutional web page