Kibbie

KIBBIE

Vanished Towns

A map of the Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad line. Beginning at South Haven and heading east, the train stops are indicated at Kibbie, Lacota, Maple Forest, Grand Junction, Columbia, Berlamont, Bloomingdale, Gobles, Pine Grove, Kendall, Severns, Mentha, Williams, Alamo, Hopkins, Brownell and Kalamazoo.

Image Credit: Tom Maas

The 1870 construction of the Kalamazoo & South Haven Railroad created economic opportunity and new towns all along the line. Today, some communities remain, but others have vanished. As you travel the trail, imagine the people, businesses and communities once served by a railroad with several trains each day.

Black-and white postcard titled 'The Depot – Kibbies, Mich.' An abandoned two-story building with weathered wood siding and vines growing over a few windows, looks out over a field of milkweed and other grasses.

Image Credit: Dick Godfrey

Three black and white photos show small train stations at Columbia, Hopkins and Brownell. These stations featured three walls, horizontal wooden siding, a slanted wooden roof and a large opening facing the tracks.

Image Credit: Sue Hodapp

Kibbie: The Early Years

Kibbie was one of the new villages established in 1870. Within five years, it had 100 residents, a blacksmith, a wagon maker, a mill and a general store. Easy transportation to South Haven's fruit market brought businesses like a fruit exchange and cider mill to service local orchards.

A black and white postcard titled 'The Old Mill – Kibbies, Mich.' shows a flour mill in town. Part of the mill resembles a saltbox house; the rest of the wood-sided building is long with two freight entrances. A man dressed in overalls, arms crossed, stands by one of the large entrances; next to him, stands a woman dressed in a black hat, jacket and skirt.

Image Credit: Dick Godfrey

A black and white postcard titled 'General Store – Kibbies, Mich.' shows a two-story building with white, wooden siding and a brick chimney. A small, attached fruit stand with an awning has bowls and jars on the open counter. A simple, decorative wooden fence stands out front, along with a large wooden sandwich board that reads 'Chicago U.S. Standard.'

Image Credit: Dick Godfrey

The Tripp Family

John H. Tripp moved to Kibbie from upstate New York in 1880. He owned the general store and mill, served as the postmaster and was the agent for the telegraph and railroad. In 1896, Tripp created the Kibbie Telephone Company, which eventually strung 1,400 miles of wire throughout Van Buren and Allegan Counties, connecting all the way to Kalamazoo.

By 1921, the town had only 35 residents, and Hazel M. Tripp replaced her father at the general store and as postmaster. The post office closed in 1945.

Cover of the 1910-1911 Kibbie Telephone Company Directory, with 'Miss French' and 'Kibbie Tel Co.' handwritten at the top. The cover features an ad for Abell Drugs. Another ad reads in part: 'The Citizen's State Bank has provided every possible convenience for its depositors. We pay Four per cent interest on Time Certificates of Deposit. ... Phone 44.'

Image Credit: Van Buren District Library

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