A history of Kalamazoo, Michigan

194 Pages·09.237 MB·English

by  Ross, M. J

A HISTORY OF KALAMAZOO,
MICHIGAN
A The si a
Presented to
the Faculty of the Department of History
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts
by
Mary Jane Ross
September 1942
UMI Number: EP59523
All rights reserved
INFORMATION TO ALL USERS
The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.
In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript
and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed,
a note will indicate the deletion.
UMI
Dissertation Publishing
UMI EP59523
Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author.
Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC.
All rights reserved. This work is protected against
unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code
ProQuest
ProQuest LLC.
789 East Eisenhower Parkway
P.O. Box 1346
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346
This thesis, written by
____ _____________Vi —V Pf. i'd.___
under the direction of h2l:. Faculty Committee,
and approved by all its members, has been
presented to and accepted by the Council on
Graduate Study and Research in partial fulfill­
ment of the requirements for the degree of
Dean
Secretary
Date...
........ f.IVI.III)
4
PREFACE
Til© present study is an attempt to tell the story of
Kalamazoo in such a fashion as to be interesting and instruc­
tive at the same time* There has been much written on the
city, but it has never been collected in any logical or or­
ganized form*
Having always lived in Kalamazoo, I have felt a keen
interest in the city. The events of the past, that have gone
into the making of the city, have appealed to me as being
important to a real understanding of the conditions in the
community today.
Kalamazoo is located in Kalamazoo County in the south­
western part of the lower peninsula of the State of Michigan.
The city is typical of many American cities of the Middle
West. Nothing of vital importance in world history has oc­
curred there. But like hundreds of other cities, Kalamazoo
has grown and developed along lines that have made it a part
of the heart and core of American civilization.
The topic is so big that it has been necessary to
limit the study to those facts that have had a definite bear­
ing ~on the city today, and to omit those interesting facts
and stories that were important in their time but left no
imprint on the succeeding generations. It is with regret
that many such items were not included.
It has been my aim to start at the time of the first
settlement and to trace the development down to the present
day. The early settlers were busy for several years estab­
lishing their homes in the wilderness, and it was not until
1843 that the village was incorporated. An act of incorpora­
tion had been passed'earlier by the legislature, but the
villagers had disregarded it. After 1843 industries began to
flourish, schools and colleges were established, and the
community grew into a thriving town. Kalamazoo was incor­
porated as a city in 1884, and continued to expand and develop.
In 1918, the government of the city was changed to the city-
manager plan.
Information for the study was found in many places.
The Kalamazoo Gazette had the most material to offer. The
paper was first published in the city as early as 1834 and
contains an almost complete story of the community. Fortun­
ately the Kalamazoo Public Library has an almost complete
file of the paper. Reminiscences of early settlers were found
in various places and were used. County and state histories
were helpful. Village and city records were used for official
material. .
The name Kalamazoo is known to people the world over
due to the combination of sounds in the word. Few people,
however, know much about the city or the personalities that
have made it. It is my hope that this study may help to clear
up any misconceptions that have persisted in the minds of the
V
readers*
I wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation
to Doctor Owen 0. Coy for his patient help and guidance in
the preparation of this study. I also wish to thank
Doctor John Cooper and Doctor Francis Bowman for their as­
sistance and suggestions. The Kalamazoo Public Library staff
‘was very kind in letting me use the material that they have
and.offered much worth-while help. Especially do I wish to
thank Miss Jeanne Griffin of the library staff. To the many
others who have aided in one way or another, I . am truly
grateful.
Mary Jane Ross
TABLE OP CONTENTS
PAGE
FRONTISPIECE........................................... ii
PREFACE ................................................ iii
CHAPTER
I. PIONEER DAYS ................................... 1
French and English background . . . . . . . . 1
Early trading posts . • • • • • • • • • • • • 2
First settlers ....................... 3
Village of Bronson .......................... 10
II. DEVELOPMENT OF GOVERNMENT . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Village government .......................... 23
Kalamazoo becomes a city in 1884 27
Change to city-manager type of government • • 32
III. UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES . . . . 40
Water supply 40
City Light Plant • • • . • • • • • • • • • • 41
Fire protection • • • • • • • • 42
Police protection ......... • • • • • • • • • 48
Playgrounds and parks ............ 53
Health department . . • • • • • • .......... 54
Transportation ......... • • • • • • • * . . • 55
IV. DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY........................ 62
Various manufacturing concerns . • • • • • • 62
vii
CHAPTER PAGE
Department s t o r e s ............................. . 78
V. COMMON SCHOOLS AND THE LIBRARY .....................81
Public schools..................... 81
Parochial schools . . . . . . ................ . 92
Public library . . • .................• • . • • 95
VI. INSTITUTIONS OP HIGHER LEARNING....................100
Kalamazoo College....................... 100
Western Michigan College of Education ......... 118
VII. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT................... 130
Music ............ 131
Civic players and the civic auditorium • • • . • 136
Art • • • • . 139
Newspapers • • • • • .............. 141
C l u b s ............................. . ............. 147
VIII. CONCLUSION .....................................153
Federal and state leaders from Kalamazoo . . . . 153
Dutch settlers ........................... 155
Lincoln fs visit ......................... 157
Chamber of Commerce ................... 158
BIBLIOGRAPHY.......... 160
APPENDICES ............ 167
Appendix A . . . . . . . . • • • • • • 168
Appendix B ....................... 171
Appendix C . . • • • 175
Appendix D • • • • • • • • • . . ......... . . . . . . 177
LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS AND CHART
PAGE
Down Town Kalamazoo . . ............................ ii
Chart of City Government ............................ 38
Map of Village Plat ...................... 178
Kalamazoo's City Hall . . . ........................ 179
Kalamazoo's Main Street in 1865 . • . . 180
The Upjohn Company • # * • • • » « « • ......... . 181
Kalamazoo Public Library . • ........................ 182
Civic Auditorium .............................. 183
Birds-eye View of Down Town Kalamazoo * • • • • • * . 184