KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI
GENEALOGY & LOCAL HISTORY
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the Kalamazoo region Kalamazoo is an Indian Word said to mean "boiling water." Originally it was applied to the river that flows north - westerly to Lake Michigan. A trickle of settlers in the late 1820's became a torrent in the 1830's as the region's fertile prairies, oak openings, bottom lands and ample sources of water power became known. The village of Bronson, founded in 1829 by Titus Bronson, is now the city of Kalamazoo. Here, Lincoln made his only known Michigan speech. J. Fennimore Cooper wrote about the area in Oak Openings. Kalamazoo College founded in 1833, Nazareth College (1897), Western Michigan University (1903) are here. Once famous for its celery and its stoves, Kalamazoo is now known for many products including paper and drugs. The nation's first permanent pedestrian mall was opened in the downtown section in 1959. |
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One of three identical markers placed in highway rest areas that summarize the settlement of the Kalamazoo region. This Marker is in a I-94 rest area east of Kalamazoo |
KALAMAZOO COUNTY HISTORICAL MARKERS PAGE 1
| Historical Markers Page 1 |
| Marker Index |
| Links |
| Historical Markers - Bronson Park |
| Kalamazoo Views |
| Portage Bicentennial Park |
| Kalamazoo Mall |
| Portage Bicentennial Park |
| Page 1 | Bronson Park: | |
| The Kalamazoo Region | ||
| The Liberty Pole - Pioneers and Patriots | ||
| Lincoln at Kalamazoo | ||
| Lincoln's Speech | ||
| G. A. R. Cannon - Civil War | ||
| Page 2 | 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry | |
| U. S. S. Maine - Spanish American War | ||
| Veteran's - Philippine Insurrection | ||
| Veteran's, MIA, KIA - Vietnam | ||
| Lucinda Hinsdale Stone | ||
| Page 3 | Bronson Park Area: | |
| The Park Club - WWII veteran's | ||
| Ladies Library | ||
| Kalamazoo Public Library - stained glass | ||
| Page 4 | Kalamazoo Mall: | |
| David Walbridge | ||
| William E. Upjohn | ||
| The UpJohn Company | ||
| The Kalamazoo River | ||
| Page 5 | City of Kalamazoo: | |
| Edward Israel, Artic Explorer | ||
| Kalamazoo College - original site | ||
| Kalamazoo College | ||
| Kalamazoo State Hospital | ||
| GAR Civil War Monument - Riverside Cemetery | ||
| Page 6 | Portage: | |
| Veteran's Memorial - Portage Central Cemetery | ||
| Portage Bicentennial Park: | ||
| Grain Elevator and Grist Mill | ||
| Hayloft Theater | ||
| District No. 8 Schoolhouse | ||
| Stuart Manor | ||
| Austin Lake: | ||
| Giem Centennial Family Farm | ||
| Page 7 | Vicksburg Historic Village: | |
| Christian Memorial Bench | ||
| Webster Memorial Bench | ||
| Vicksburg: | ||
| Vicker's Mill | ||
| Prairie Ronde: | ||
| Charles & Joyce Swartz Marker |
| Michigan Historical Markers - Kalamazoo County (many photos and good information ) |
| Go to Scott Duncan's Pioneer Cemetery page for an image of the Historical Marker for the Kalamazoo Pioneer Cemetery |
| Michigan's Historical Marker Program |
| Kalamazoo & Michigan Civil War Monuments |
| National Historic Sites in Michigan |
HISTORICAL MARKERS - Bronson Park
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A plaque marking the 1907 presentation of a "liberty Pole" in honor of "Patriots and Pioneers" by the Daughters of the American Revolution |
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Abraham Lincoln Speech
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A marker placed in Bronson Park to commemorate Lincoln's 1856 visit and address. |
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This marker indicates the exact spot of Lincoln's Bronson Park address. |
CIVIL WAR
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This marker stands in Bronson Park, a naval cannon from the Civil War donated by the Grand Army of the Republic. |
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1908 postcard of the second Kalamazoo County Court House with the GAR cannon shown at its left. |
