Shelby Township's early history dates back to prehistoric times when giant creatures roamed its grassy plains. An ancient race of people also flourished here long before the Indians. This is evidenced by the bones of Mastodons (a large elephant like animal) discovered on the farm of P.K. Leech (Auburn & Ryan) in the mid 1800's. Flint arrows, stone implements, and fragments of ancient pottery have also been found in various places in the township. An ancient beach ridge east of Van Dyke Ave. runs through the township, forming the western edge of a lake that once covered a large portion of Macomb County.

The area now known as Shelby Township was originally a French possession, but fell into the power of the English in 1763. It was surrendered to the Americans in 1796 when British rule came to an end in the United States. The county of Wayne was organized, and comprised most of the N.W. territory.

Treaties were made with various Indian tribes from 1814 to 1819 freeing up much land for settlement. Early surveyors of Macomb County gave up in disgust claiming the land to be mostly swamp and barren soil. A survey was finally completed, and the township three north, of range twelve east,Shelby Township, was certified to as being correct on Feb.3, 1818.

Shelby Township was described as being quite level on its eastern portion,elsewhere gently rolling and nowhere hilly. Grassy plains,with scarcely any timber, formed its central and southwest portions while a broad swell of land comprised the northwest. The eastern and extreme northern parts were heavily timbered. The Clinton River and numerous spring brooks provided ample water. Settlers could usually find an area that reminded them of their old homes.

Nathaniel Burgess built the first house in the township on section 34 (present day Utica) during the winter of 1816-17. Roads were little more then rough trails through the woods, over which with great difficulty, wagons could be hauled by oxen. The first log school was located in Utica on Cass St.during the winter of 1818-19, taught by Mr. Hadsel. The first saw mill was built by Asa Price on the Clinton River in 1828, and Adam Price put up a grist mill that same year.

Among the notable early settlers was a Mr. Hoxie who was associated with the lake pirate, the Black Snake. He and a couple companions took refuge in the wilds north of Detroit, settling in Utica.

The first buyer of government land in Shelby was Blake Curtis on May 24,1819. He secured the S.W. quarter of section 7 (24 & Dequindre) one of the best quarter sections in the township.

In 1821 Ezra Burgess bought 250 acres in section 33 for $1.25 per acre. He later sold it at a considerable profit and it became the site of Utica. In 1822 he purchased the W. half of the N. W. quarter of section 7 (83.6 acres). He built a timber frame home which still stands on Dequindre south of 25 Mile Road and is the oldest home in the township. The remaining lands in the township were rapidly taken up in the 1820's.

A legislative enactment of April 12, 1827 gave authority and the first township meeting was held at the double log house of Perez Swift on section 21 (23-24 mile roads/Van Dyke Ave.-Shelby). Calvin Davis presided, Abijah Owen was clerk and Joseph Lester Supervisor. Russel Andrus, William Arnold, Elias Wilcox, Elon Dudley and George Hanscom filled various offices that year. Shelby Township was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero and first governor of Kentucky, Isaac Shelby.

At the turn of the century, Shelby Township was mostly rural farmland, with two major hubs of activity within its borders.

"Back then there was nothing much in the township," said Kenneth Frank, a former member of the Shelby Township Historical Committee, "there was Utica and there was Disco."

In the little hamlet of Disco, most transportation was by horse and buggy, and travelers could stay at a hotel at the corner of what is today 24 Mile Road and Van Dyke Ave.

The Switzer Store on the N.W. corner was the grocery store for the community and continued to be the focal point for the community for many years. Contributing to the thriving little town was the nearby stop for the Detroit Interurban Railway, a direct link to Detroit. The rural farming community surrounding the two little villages was well known for growing wheat.

"Back then in those days, if you had dogs, they taxed you on the number of male dogs you had," Frank said. "They collected the money in a fund and used it to pay bills (in the township)." According to Frank, research of the township records reveals that a major issue of the time was wild dogs killing sheep. "There really wasn't much going on," he said.

On July 9, 1915 lightning struck the Disco church. Flames were surrounding the metal tank holding gasoline for the church's lighting system. Only a concerted bucket brigade saved the building. Lightning struck again in 1917, burning Andrew Robertoy's store and barn to the ground on June 29. Also lost in the fire were the possessions of the Gleaners, who had their lodge upstairs in the store.

Late in 1917, the Edison company began setting electrical poles from Disco south to Utica.

Once the U.S. entered World War I, the Methodist Protestant Church and Utica Sentinel began following the progress of local soldier Ed Harrington as he enlisted, passed basic training and went off to fight in France and then came home. In 1922 Van Dyke Ave. was paved, making automobile travel considerably easier in the area.

In 1925 the Switzer store was robbed of $500 by unknown thieves, quite a haul in those days. In 1926 Packard Motor Car Co. began purchasing farmland between what is now 22 and 23 Mile Roads, and between Van Dyke Ave. and Mound Road for construction of the Packard Proving Grounds.

Frank Wozniak of Disco, the so called Moonshine king, was arrested in August 29, striking a blow to those in the area who enjoyed liquor during the height of prohibition.

Despite the arrest of the Moonshine King, business continued. In Disco, the Yellow Canary served as a popular "blind pig" in the area. (Today the establishment is McClenaghan's.) Anyone who wanted to slake their illegal thirst for alcohol could come to Disco, known as "Whiskey Center" for a half-barrel of beer for $8. Permits were required for anyone who wanted to even sell soft drinks in the township.

A pall of grief set over Disco in November 1934 as Nancy, a community horse and favorite with area children, died at age 40.

Lightning struck again on August 28, 1936, following a telephone lead into the Switzer store and igniting papers near the telephone. In the heavy downpour men and women alike ran a bucket brigade and collected water from the rain to extinguish the fire. Damage was estimated at $2,000.

In 1939, boxing champ Joe Louis bought the 500-acre Spring Hill Farm in today's River Bends Park where he liked to relax and do his road work. During the 1940s, Shelby Township began its shift from a rural area to a suburban community. The area between Shelby Road and Van Dyke Ave. south of 21 Mile Road were platted for development in 1941, and Russel and Messmore streets were platted in 1942.

During World War II the Packard Proving Grounds was used by Chrysler Corporation for testing tanks. By 1948, the township built a new township hall at 49960 Van Dyke Ave., which would later house police and fire personnel. It still stands today as a jewelry store on the east side of Van Dyke Ave. Packard constructed a facility at the Proving Grounds in 1951 that would allow the company to manufacture jet engines for the U.S. Air Force. Switzer's store lived on through the 1950s as George Wellhausen's General Store.

When Packard went out of business later in the decade, aircraft manufacturer Curtiss-Wright purchased the Proving Grounds in 1958. Curtiss-Wright hoped to turn the facility into a commercial race track to play host to events like the Indy 500, but was unsuccessful.

Protection services for residents of the township moved beyond bucket brigades and country policing in the 1950s, with the creation of fire and police departments.

On Feb.16, 1953, Shelby Township voters approved a millage that created the Shelby Township Volunteer Fire Dept. The township established its volunteer fire department in May 1953 with 45 members led by Fire Chief Earl Kraft and Assistant Chief Larry Hebert. The STFD took possession of its first new truck in 1954.

Clyde Schmidt was named the department's chief in November 1957, and, in May of 1958, the department went full time.

"This was the entire department," said Capt. Richard Meitz, looking at a photo from the late 50s. Meitz is the son of Wilfred Meitz and nephew of Marvin Meitz, two of the township's original firefighters.

"Around that time, there weren't a whole lot of fires," Meitz said. "It was usually grass fires, although they did have an occasional house or barn fire."

Meanwhile the Shelby Township Police Dept. was formed on May 18,1954. Robert W. Smith was hired as the first officer on Aug.30,1954 and would later become chief. A second officer was hired later in the year and a third in the fall of 1955. By 1960, however, the dept. grew to five full time officers and eight special officers.

And then there was protection of another sort. In 1955, construction was also completed at a U.S. Army Nike anti-aircraft missile battery in what is today River Bends Park. Officially designated Battery B-516th AAA Missile Battalion, the Utica Nike Site, the site was designed to shoot down enemy aircraft in the event the cold war escalated and the U.S. went to war with the Soviet Union.

In 1961, the Packard property was sold to the Ford Motor Co., which used the facilities to produce automotive trim parts and for parts storage until the 1990s.

Water and sewer service started to expand north into the township, particularly following pollution concerns in the Clinton River.

Voters in the township considered incorporating in late 1966 as the city of Shelbydale. There was also talk of merging Shelby Township and Utica in 1967. In 1972, new Shelby Township offices were constructed at 24 Mile and Van Dyke Ave. To avoid confused motorists looking for the new hall and its proximity to Disco, the road signs leading into the historic little hamlet were taken down. Thus Disco finally lost its identity, although it continues to be identified on some road maps.

Fire swept through and destroyed Spring Hill Farm in January 1973 as firefighters stood helplessly by, unable to bring in enough water to put the fire out. The Shelby Township Fire Dept. added six medics and inaugurated EMS services for township residents.

A historic locomotive and caboose were purchased by the township in 1977 and placed next to the newly restored Andrews Schoolhouse on the township municipal grounds.

In 1978, the township became the Charter Township of Shelby. By the 1980s, the spread of residential construction began running into problems with Shelby Township's past. The township farms, mushroom farms in particular, began disappearing when the incompatibility of farms and their earthy smells and residential neighborhoods began creating conflict. Some ugly problems from the past also came up to haunt township residents.

For many years, when the area was considered to be "the country" Shelby Township was home to several landfills and chemical disposal facilities. Some of the waste was burned while other quantities were dumped into the ground. LDI, a liquid waste disposal facility, caught fire in 1982 when chemicals waiting for disposal caught fire.

"I believe it spontaneously combusted," said George Morehouse Jr., the township fire chief at that time. He remembered the fire well, especially since he was burned helping put the fire out.

In 1983, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named the former G&H Landfill site as an environmental superfund site because of, among other contamination, the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

Shelby Township also got a little smaller in the late 1980s. After a bitter court battle, Utica successfully annexed 347 acres of prime real estate from southern Shelby Township in 1987.

In the late 1980s, the township political scene, never friendly to begin with, turned ugly with the evolution of the "musical chairs" board, where a group of board members resigned, then appointed their spouses as replacements.