This morning, I discovered that Google News has begun to digitize old newspapers. The selection and time periods are limited for now, but the archive does contains 392 papers from the Detroit Gazette, in the period from August 1, 1817 to April 8, 1830. Click here to see the archive.

An excerpt, from Jan 7, 1830:

The Peninsula of Michigan is rapidly filling up with enterprising emigrants, and in case of war, would be in an exposed and defenseless situation. Saginaw Bay and Fort Gratiot are prominent points upon the Canadian boundary, and the object of connecting those places, and Chicago with Detroit, is of great importance, as well for the defence of the Territory, as for the encouragement of the development of the country. Your memorialists believe, that in defence of a frontier, much consists in having good roads; they therefore respectfully solicit of Congress an additional appropriation of money to continue those roads...