A PLACE AND ITS PEOPLE

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Among the earliest residents of the Kalamazoo area were the Potawatomi, who migrated from a region north of Lakes Huron and Superior around 1450. They were skilled at the construction and navigation of birch bark canoes, which they used to create a transportation network on the region's waterways.

On land, well-traveled footpaths used by the Potawatomi and other native peoples were the most practical routes through Michigan's forests and wetlands. European settlers used these trails (seen in red on the map) for the basis of many modern roads.

Map of Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties. Townships, cities, roads, lakes and streams are shown in black. Potawatomi trails, villages, early reservations, structures and earthen mounds are shown in red. Many red trails run through Kalamazoo, branching in all directions. Image Credit: Archaeological Atlas of Michigan , 1931

Trail Tree

The Potawatomi marked some footpaths by bending young saplings. As the trees grew, they kept a crooked shape. One such tree was located near here on F Avenue. It was removed when U.S. 131 was built. In 1930, young Ralph Kitchen posed by the tree.

In a black-and-white photograph, a young boy dressed in a thick sweater, pants and bomber hat stands beneath a towering leafless tree. The tree’s thick trunk bends down and then back up in the shape of a capital letter N. Image Credit: Sue Hodapp

Three Families Arrive in 1830

Deborah and Enoch Harris

Circa 1860 black-and-white image in a wood frame with red cloth and gold mat. Deborah Harris sits with her husband Enoch, his right arm wrapped around her. She wears a skirt, blouse and bonnet. He wears a dark suit. Image Credit: Kalamazoo Valley Museum

Enoch and Deborah Harris were the first settlers in Kalamazoo County. Early records suggest that they planted the first apple orchard in the area, and their daughter was Oshtemo Township's first bride. The Harris farm grew to more than 200 acres before Enoch died in 1870.

Benjamin and Maria Drake

A late 1800s color portrait shows Benjamin Drake seated in front of a light-colored background wearing a dark suit jacket, white high collared shirt and black tie. Benjamin faces to the left, has red hair and an intense expression. Image Credit: Tom Maas

A late 1800s color portrait shows Maria Drake seated in front of a light-colored background, wearing a black jacket with white lace collar and a headpiece covering her black hair. She faces right with a solemn look and downcast eyes. Image Credit: Tom Maas

Benjamin and Maria Drake moved to Kalamazoo from St. Clair County, Michigan. Their farm on Grand Prairie grew to nearly 500 acres. A fire destroyed their original 1852 brick farmhouse in 1882, but they rebuilt. Benjamin died a year later at the age of 96.

A 2017 photo shows a red brick house. Three wings form a capital letter T, each with a high-pitched roof and chimney. The main wing features a bay window on the end and a covered wooden porch along the side. Image Credit: Tom Maas

Today, Oshtemo Township maintains the Drake home as a historic site. It is located at 927 North Drake Road.

Titus Bronson

An 1879 painting. Titus Bronson with his newspaper sits in a chair on a log cabin porch; a table holds a bowl of potatoes and a straw hat rests on the floor. He wears a shirt, pants, vest and boots. Image Credit: Kalamazoo Valley Museum

The city of Kalamazoo was originally known as Bronson, named after Titus Bronson, who settled there in 1830. Residents changed the name of the town to Kalamazoo in 1836.

A black-and-white image of a painting with printed caption. From far left, a man observes four men and a woman working and conversing in a yard, where another woman milks a cow and pigs are feeding. Caption in text below. Image Credit: Kalamazoo Valley Museum

The caption in the above image reads: "View of the City of Kalamazoo, in 1832: The cabin on the right was the residence of TITUS BRONSON, proprietor of the Town and one of the Judges of the Court. The cabin on the left was occupied by the first County Court. On the extreme left in the distance is a log cabin occupied by Elisha Hall. (In front of the cabins) Doct. J. Abbot sits upon his horse conversing with Judge Bronson, across the fence. (To the left of the scene) Elder Merril is coming on his little black pony from a mission with the Indians." Underneath the description further information is given about the original image: "Photographed by S.C. Baldwin from a large Oil Painting by ANTHONY COOLEY, a resident of the place at the time."

Cricket Hunting on the Rails

In the 1940s, trains crossed muckland in Kalamazoo at Staples Avenue. Richard Hodapp and his friend John Veld hunted crickets there. They rolled a barrel across the muck to knock down stinging nettles and expose the insects. The best time to hunt was when the heavy steam engines with their pounding drivers created vibrations that forced crickets out of hiding. The boys sold them to bait shops for no more than a penny a piece.

A black-and-white photograph of two boys (the shorter one on the left) standing in front of their small fort, railroad tracks visible in the field behind them. The boys have a happy, excited expression with large smiles and squinted eyes. Richard Hodapp and his younger brother Vern built a fort near the railroad tracks. Image Credit: Sue Hodapp

Effect of Railroad

A 1920s illustrated postcard titled 'M.C.R.R. DEPOT, KALAMAZOO MICH.' Beneath a blue sky with puffy clouds, people stand by railroad tracks and on broad sidewalks in front of red brick buildings. A train waits on the middle of three tracks. Image Credit: Sue Hodapp

The first railroad to connect with Kalamazoo was the Central Railroad in 1846. Several other lines were built in the following decades, helping make Kalamazoo a vibrant commercial center. Finished in 1871, the Kalamazoo & South Haven Railroad provided convenient access for people seeking recreation on Lake Michigan.

In a black-and-white photo, a boy sits on a wooden trunk outside a train depot. Dressed in a thick dark suit, light-colored cap and lace-up shoes, he holds on to a metal bucket, a dark knapsack and a top hat. Image Credit: Sue Hodapp

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