At Cambridge Junction, two of the most important roads of Michigan's settlement era, the Monroe Pike and the Chicago Road, crossed, making the site a well-known place of travel, rest, lodging, and community life. Settlers and stagecoach riders used the crossroads as an important stopping place, while local people gathered there for celebrations, entertainment, and politics. The original frame tavern, built in the 1830s, served as an active stagecoach stop for more than a decade, and in 1853 the Walkers built the three-story brick Walker Tavern across the road. Later roadside facilities reflected the rise of the automobile and a growing tourist economy. In the 1840s, stagecoach drivers aimed to travel 50 miles a day, and the trip from Detroit to Chicago took about five days.