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The Kalamazoo Valley Family News Letter Vol. 2, No. 1 September 1972 Page 4 |
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County Rich In History
When the scenery was being handed out, Allegan County took some of everything . . . 25 miles of glistening Lake Michigan beaches; thousands of acres of game-filled forests; hill country to make a New Englander homesick; dozens of cold, crystal-clear trout streams; meandering rivers for canoeing; deep woods for exploring; more than a hundred lakes where the fish spend their vacations, and even a bit of desert complete with cactus.
Allegan County is rich in history. For countless centuries before the coming of the first permanent settlers in the 1830's, the area was criss-crossed by major Indian trails and the Kalamazoo River, which traverses the county from south-east to north-west, was one of their "superhighways."
Here are some points of interest for the history buff:
BURIED VILLAGE — Singapore, an early umber town, was located in Saugatuck township near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. It was buried beneath the shifting sands of huge dunes. The site is commemorated by a Michigan State Historical Commission marker located in front of the Saugatuck Village Hall.
YANKEE SPRINGS — Another historical marker calls attention to the site of a tavern begun by "Yankee Bill" Smith to serve patrons of the stage coach line between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. The marker is located at the Yankee Springs State Recreation Area located in Allegan and Barry counties east of Bradley.
RED BRICK TAVERN — Located in Gun Plain Township on old US-131 north of Plainwell. Was first brick house in the county and site of trading post, early school and the seat of government for "New Aberdeen," later called Plainfield. The tribal council grounds of the Ottawa Indians were located nearby on the present site of the Department of Natural Resources District Headquarters.
EARLY ALLEGAN — A marker located on the lawn of the Allegan County Building in Allegan commemorates the pioneers who turned a wilderness into a thriving agricultural and industrial area.
TROWBRIDGE DAM—Five miles southeast of Allegan is located the early hydro-electric dam where Charles Steinmetz — the "Wizard of Schenectady" — first put into practice his theories on high voltage electrical transmission.
SELKIRK LAKE MISSION — Another well known mission and Indian burial ground is located at Selkirk Lake near Bradley in Wayland Township.
ESPLANADE — A unique public square set aside in the original plat of the Village of Allegan on Marshall Street (M-89) is believed to have been the site of the Indian village visited by Father Marquette in 1675 and described in his journals as "among the largest" he had seen.
OLD WING MISSION — A marker in Sec. 3, Fillmore Township, denotes the site of "The Old Wing Mission" one of the county's first permanent Indian missions.
BUSHONG TRADING POST —A roadside park now marks the site of the Bushong Trading Post along the Kalamazoo River on Monroe Road, three miles west of Allegan.
PIER COVE — Site of a thriving early-day fruit shipping port. It is located on Lake Michigan in Ganges Township north of the West Allegan County Park.
OAKWOOD CEMETERY — The Allegan cemetery, located on Western Avenue (M-89 and M-40) is the final resting place of two Civil War generals, Gen. Elisha Mix and Gen. Benjamin D. Pritchard. The latter led the Union Army contingent which captured Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, at the close of the war.
DUNNINGVILLE — Signs may still be seen of this abandoned lumber town located in Valley Township on Bear Creek, just north of M-40.
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