Tales of Southwest Michigan's Past

Have you ever wanted to know the story of the origins of Tony the Tiger ?  That famous character that has become a household name in cereal for decades?  The back story behind the changes in the advertising industry which ultimately led up to the creation of the cartoon character adorning cereal boxes is a very interesting one.  In this episode I rely on the book ' Cerealizing Ameri...

Casey Winningham is a professional headstone carver who uses traditional techniques in his craft.  He also has done a lot of headstone and monument restoration.  He joins me in this interview to talk about some of the history of memorial stones, symbology found on stones and his experiences as a stone carver.  For more information on Casey Winningham , visit: https://caseywinningham...

Alonzo Noble was one of the early pioneers of the village of Battle Creek, arriving in 1836 with his wife.  He established the second store in the village history, on the central corner of downtown.  He built the first home with a chimney in the history of the area, and he would go onto become a stable and successful dry goods store in the community.  He later became the second Mayo...

The village of Paw Paw is located in Van Buren County, and is has some interesting history.  I was able to uncover a collection of stories from the early days of the founding of the village that are great tales from yesterday.  One story of a man who named nine pairs of oxen, and cleared wooded acreage for many new pioneer settlers.  Another of a man who visited the home of an India...

The Greenfield House in Athens, Michigan is a historic home on the north side of the Athens village which was built by Sylvester Ware sometime between 1963-1965.  He was established a window and blind milling factory adjacent to the home, and was very involved in the milling industry in Athens.  After his death, the home was sold to El Dorado Greenfield in approximately 1883, who was ano...

Dulcenia (also spelled Dulcina) Daily was a woman who had endured a lot of loss and hardship in her life.  She was widowed at young age when her husband died just three years into their marriage, and she raised her son on her own, only to have him die in the Civil War.  She worked for years in a department in Washington D.C. helping people overcome their struggles following the war, and...

Many people are familiar with the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia.  Not everyone is aware there are unknown soldiers buried in many cemeteries across Michigan.  In Southwest Michigan there are gravesites for these men in Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Allegan, Ottawa and Lake Counties to name a just a few.  Many are from the Civil War when as many as 40% of the dead soldiers...

Dennis Skupinksi from Michigan's Military Heritage Museum joins me for an interview on the subject of the Toledo War.  The historic boundary dispute between Michigan and Ohio, which was a complicated test for the growing Republic of the United States.  Mr. Skupiniski explains the events that led up to the territorial dispute which almost became a military conflict, but was ultimately set...

Lake Odessa is a small village of a little over 2000 people on the southern edge of Ionia County in Michigan.  It has an interesting history, as it was once about 1/2 mile North of its present location and known as Bonanza .  When the railroad came through, the entire village moved, including entire merchandise stores and goods to establish themselves closer to the train depot and railro...

Camp Custer just west of Battle Creek was built in 1917 in just six months to provide comfortable quarters for 36,000 who were being trained to go over to the war in Europe.  The camp was built on the site of the village that was once known as Harmonia, and stretched its length of over four miles of territory. It was an incredible undertaking that had never been done before in the history of...

In this episode Bobbie Mathis from the Union City Society for Historic Preservation and Andrew Noland from Silent Cities Restoration join me to talk about cemetery headstone restoration .  Both have restored over 2000 headstones in various cemeteries across Michigan.  We discuss types of material historically used in headstones, the process used to level and repair headstones, as well as...

There was once a small community in Leroy Township known as Dogtown .  Today you would not even know this community every existed.  How did this community which was originally known as Fiddler's Grove become Dogtown?  These are the questions I asked myself when I first discovered the title of the little village marked on an 1894 Atlas of Leroy Township.  I began searching newsp...

Battle Creek Michigan has been the home to many music legends.  Some have been forgotten with time, and others still have their music played today in popular culture.   Del Shannon was famous for his #1 song 'Runaway', as was Junior 'Shotgun' Walker and the All Stars had several hits on the R&B Charts.  Much of their music is still popular, and some of their songs are still used...

Author Amberrose Hammond joins me on the podcast to talk about her book that will be released in August: Mysterious Michigan.  We discuss Michigan legends, ghost stories, the Spiritualism movement, and some other tales of the macabre.  She gives us insight into some of the interesting stories in her new book, as well as some from here other published works.  It is a fun and interest...

John Stewart Barry was elected the State of Michigan's 4th Governor in 1842, and served until 1846.  He was again elected in 1850 where he became the 8th Governor.  He is the only one in state history to serve three terms, and he is most noted for the expansion of the railroad, as well as the opening of the University of Michigan during his term.  He was also very interested in the...

Erastus Hussey was an early pioneer in Michigan, originally from the New York.  He first came to Michigan in 1824, and settled in the Plymouth Township area.  He eventually married, and had a child, and then moved to Battle Creek in September 1838.  First he was in the shoe repair manufacturing business, and also owned a grocery store.  He later owned and operated a dry good st...

The Haskell Home Orphanage was built in 1894 in Battle Creek Michigan, under the guidance of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, and funded by Caroline Haskell, and widow who had visited the Sanitarium and wanted to contribute to the community.  The model for the building was featured at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 when it was being constructed.   It was a beautiful three st...

A forgotten and yet disturbing tale from the early history of Battle Creek was the Haviland Children Murders of 1865 .  It was not the first crime in the community, nor would it be the last, but when it occurred, it sent shockwaves across the state of Michigan and even the nation.  Sarah Haviland, a mother of six, would decide to murder her own children so that she could be with a man sh...

The small village of Stevensville in Berrien County has a population of less than 1200 people.  It was originally platted by a man named Thomas L. Stevens in 1870.  He had purchased a large tract of acreage, and made an agreement with the Chicago and Went Michigan Lake Shore Railroad Company to allow them to lay a rail line through his land, and establish a train depot.  Another wel...

The Bailey Museum and Gardens honors the life of Liberty Hyde Bailey, Jr , known as the father of modern Horticulture.  He was born in South Haven, and grew up on an 80 acre tract of land where his father had an orchard and a forest.  From an early age, his mother, teacher and other members of the community saw the potential in the young Bailey, and helped him overcome his obstacles to g...

John Nichols was the co-founder of the Nichols & Shepard Company in Battle Creek that became internationally known in their time for the production of agricultural threshing machines.  The company was founded in 1850, and by 1870 it had grown from a small shop on canal street to a manufacturing facility on the East side of Battle Creek which consisted of 40 acres and a dedicated railroad...

In this episode I cover the early history of Kalamazoo Michigand the origins of the name Kalamazoo .  The town was originally named Bronson, after the first settler by that name.  In later years the town name was changed to Kalamazoo, after the river.  The area was once well known for celery as a crop, and it is the birthplace of the famous Gibson Guitars and the Checker Cabs, among...

In this episode I interview Julie Rathsack , who is the co-author of the book Ghosts of Grand Rapids which was released in 2013.  We cover a whole host of ghost stories about the Grand Rapids area, and also the historical backstories for many of the events and locations.  We discuss hauntings at the Michigan Bell Building , the Amway Grand Hotel , Phillips Mansion , St. Celia Music Cente...

The great flood that occured primarily in Southwest Michigan between March 24th through March 29th in 1904 was the most unprecedented event in the history of the state up to that point in history.  On March 14th, a snowstorm dropped a record snowfall across lower Michigan averaging 10 inches in most areas.  Later in the month this ice pack would combine with heavy rains to create an unpr...

In this episode I explore the early history of South Haven, located on the mouth of the Black River, as a pioneer settlement, emerging as a lumber milling industry and later a productive farming community known for its blueberries, apples and peaches.  I also discuss its growth as a city for tourism during the 1920's through 1940's, which developed into a prospering entertainment and resort a...