When pioneers from the East first encountered patches of treeless prairie lands in Ohio they assumed that the absence of trees was a sign of poor soils. They soon discovered that this was not at all the case, and although the absence of timber for building and heating purposes continued to be a deterrent to the rapid settlement of the vast prairies of Illinois, settlers in Michigan quickly gravitated to the small prairies scattered throughout southwestern Michigan. At these sites, timber was readily available in the vicinity, where wide, magnificant oaks stood scattered in oak openings. One advantage of the prairie lands was that the pioneer did not have to engage in the backbreaking task of clearing the trees from the land, although it was very difficult to break up the soil, the task often requiring several yoke of oxen. Grass on the prairies grew waist-high, and naturally the root growth was thick and deep. But the soil, once made cultivable, was fabulously rich. The settlers were also attracted to "oak openings." Here the oak trees grew so tall and shaded the ground so completely that little or no brush or other vegetation grew underneath. It was possible to drive an ox team through oak openings for miles along an unblazed trail.