Five Faves

Pivotal events in Kalamazoo's history

BY LYNN HOUGHTON

When people hear the word pivotal, they may think of something important that changed the trajectory of a person, an event, a community, an organization or a business. Sometimes we don’t know that this event will be pivotal until after a period of time. The following five events in Kalamazoo's history may not have been considered significant, critical or pivotal when they happened, but they became recognized years later for having molded Kalamazoo.

Village of Bronson becomes county seat

April 2, 1831

Being named a county seat was huge, as it brought people and prominence to the village of Bronson, which was Kalamazoo’s name until 1836.

Those making the decision looked at factors such as location, population and incentives. Bronson had the first two, and it was Titus Bronson and his brother-in-law Stephen Richardson who offered land for a courthouse, jail, academy and the first four churches, in addition to a public burying ground. Two other sites under consideration were Comstock and Prairie Ronde. The Kalamazoo County commissioners, appointed by Michigan’s Territorial Governor Lewis Cass, submitted their report to him in January 1831, recommending the village of Bronson for this distinction, and he approved it on April 2.

First train rolls into Kalamazoo

Feb. 1, 1846

Feb. 1, 1846, seemed like a typical Sunday, with local churches, especially those on Church Square (the area now known as Bronson Park and its surroundings), filled with worshippers — until a whistle could be heard in the distance. An 1880 history of Kalamazoo County recorded that people left their pews to witness the arrival of the locomotive St. Joseph, which was pulling one car and signaling the beginning of regular rail travel to Kalamazoo. Previously goods were transported down the Kalamazoo River on flatboats to Lake Michigan, which was expensive and sometimes unpredictable due to the time of year. The railroad was a more dependable mode of transportation, and the Michigan Central Railroad, the first line in Kalamazoo, traveled east to west. By 1870, more railroads came to Kalamazoo, opening up the area to more development.

Kalamazoo Paper Co. is created

Oct. 1, 1866

On the evening of Oct. 1, 1866, a group of Kalamazoo businessmen gathered to discuss opening a paper mill. The area had what was needed, including raw materials, transportation (namely railroads) and capital from local residents. Most importantly, Kalamazoo had a river and numerous tributaries to serve as power sources and places for waste disposal. So, the businessmen decided that evening to launch the Kalamazoo Paper Co. The first mill was located on Portage Creek near Cork Street and became one of the many mills that would exist in the city and surrounding communities of Vicksburg, Plainwell and Parchment. These mills were among the largest employers in the area. Many of them are gone now, but local communities continue to deal with the residual problems created by the mills, including their negative impact on the environment.

Portage beats Kalamazoo to the punch

Feb. 28, 1962

A few interesting events led to the creation of the city of Portage. First, Kalamazoo, like many cities, would increase its tax base and provide services to other jurisdictions by annexing land outside the city's boundaries. In 1945, The Upjohn Co. purchased land in Portage Township, which had grown tremendously between 1940 and 1950. On Feb. 28, 1962, Portage Township officials found out Kalamazoo citizens were collecting signatures on a petition to try to annex the Upjohn plant, in addition to other land in Kalamazoo Township. Portage Township immediately started its own petition to become a city and completed signature collection the same day. That petition beat the Kalamazoo annexation petition to the Kalamazoo County clerk’s office by 45 minutes that day, eventually leading to a vote that approved the creation of the city of Portage in 1963. (Photo courtesy Portage District Library).

Kalamazoo chosen for Western State Normal School

Aug. 28, 1903

For many years, normal schools in Michigan prepared students primarily to be teachers. By 1900, there were three such schools in Michigan, located in Ypsilanti, Mount Pleasant and Marquette. The state created a fourth normal school in May 1903, to be called Western State Normal School. More than 30 cities and towns vied to become the home of this new school, and the incentives were important. Kalamazoo’s bid included 20 acres of land, public utilities, graded streets, and sidewalks. Kalamazoo Public Schools would allow use of its buildings and offered to pay some of the training school's teachers’ salaries. The state accepted Kalamazoo’s offer, announcing on Aug. 28, 1903, that Kalamazoo would become the home of an institution, now Western Michigan University, that has shaped this community ever since.

About the Author

Lynn Houghton is the regional history curator at the Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections, located in the Zhang Legacy Collection Center, where she works with researchers and students of all ages. She is the co-author of Kalamazoo Lost and Found, a book on Kalamazoo history and architecture, and has written a number of Five Faves features for Encore. She also participated in the PBS series 10 That Changed America, about the history of architecture and urban planning, and has led a series of walking tours in Kalamazoo and other parts of Kalamazoo County. She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in history from WMU and a master’s in library and information science from Wayne State University.