Tales of Southwest Michigan's Past

The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was an aorganization created by the Union Veterans of the Civil War.  The G.A.R. existed between 1866 to 1956, covering a 90 year existence.  In Michigan there were 512 posts formed, and over 10,000 GAR posts create by the organization in the nation.  There were even a few posts five posts in Canada, one in Mexico and another in Peru.   T...

In this episode I explore some of the early history of Niles, Michigan which was established on the site of the old Fort St. Joseph.  I also cover the history of how it became to be known as the ' City of Four Flags ' as well as discuss some of the historic places one can still visit today in the city.  Additionally I cover some of the early railroad history, and its importance as a tran...

Memorial Day as we know it today traces its origins to the years following the American Civil War.  The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) had a lot of influence in the creation of this day, which was first known as Decoration Day form established in 1868.  However there were ceremornies that existed in many cities across the country as early as 1866.   In this special Memorial Day...

In this episode, I interview author Blaine Pardoe on his book Lost Eagles: One Man's Mission to Find Missing Airmen in Two World Wars , which is the story of Fred Zinn.  In this interview we talk about Fred Zinn , and his service in World War One in the French and American military, as well as his service in World War II.  He pioneer the concept of recovering lost airmen, and the system...

Victor Carroll Squier, better known in his time as V.C. Squier was a violin maker, music store owner and instructor in Battle Creek.  He had learned the craft of violin making from his father, as well as other prominent violin makers in the Boston area.  He established his coming in 1890 in Battle Creek, repairing and manufacturing violins and other string instruments.  His company...

In this episode I explore the history of coyote migration in North and Central America, and when they first arrived in Southwest Michigan.  The history of the coyote expansion is a fascinating one, as they are the only mammal species to expand their geographic territory over the last 100+ years, whereas all others have contracted.  The coyote has expanded its range by an unprecidented 40...

In this episode I interview three members of the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC), Mike Moroz, the President, Cindy Yawkley Co-Chair of the Education Committee for the society and Cathy LaPointe, the treasurer.  We talk about the history of the underground railroad in Michigan, and the people in Cass County that we a part of it.  The URSCC has preserved three of the ho...

The earliest pioneers were agriculturalists, whether they intended to be this or not.  Their first priority upon arrival in the wilderness was establishing a food source.  Even the experienced farmers found establishing farms in the new country of Southwest Michigan a challenge and sometimes a hardship.  In this episode I explore some of that experience, as well as the wheat harvest...

In this episide I explore a history of postmasters and postal delivery in Calhoun County from mostly the 1800's to early 1900's.  I cover the original founding of the post offices in Albion, Marshall and Battle Creek, and their postmasters and early delivery systems.  Did you know the first post office Marshall was a cigar box?  The second one was even more interesting with it being...

In this episode I interview author Arnie Bernstein about his book, Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing .   The Bath Consolidated School was bombed on May 18, 1927 by a man named Andrew Kehoe.  The story is a tragic one, where at the end of the day, 44 people were killed including 38 children.  It was an event that shook the country, and devastated the Bath Community w...

In this episode I take a look at some of the history of early newspaper and magazine publications in Battle Creek, and other cities in Southwest Michigan.  I also explore the history of the Duplex Printing Press Company that once existed in the area, which supplied printing presses all over the world.  I further discuss the importance of preservation of archives of old newspapers with lo...

The period in Michigan from 1850 to 1910 was an interesting time of traveling circuses.  In this episide I explore several different circuses that came through Southwest Michigan during this time, including some very interesting anecdotes.   Old Hannibal the elephant and Jumbo the elephant came through the region.  Giraffes, polar bears, lions, tigers, zebras, seal ions and even a h...

In today's podcast interview my guest is Michael 'Mac' McCollough with the Willard Library, and we talk about some of the history of the library which was first established in 1840.  Many people have contributed to the success of the library over the many years, including Henry Denman, Charles Willard, George Willard, Adah Stevens McCutcheon and Helen Warner among many others.  We discus...

In this episode I take a journey through the history of the Homer Village in Calhoun County.  The first pioneer settlers began arriving in 1832, and among them was a man named Milton Barney who established him homestead in the area of the village center today.  He built his log cabin, a general store and a mill along the Kalamazoo River, and even established the first bank.  Explore...

In this episode, I interview Dennis Skupinski from Michigan's Military Heritage Museum on World War One History.  Mr. Skupinski worked for 10 years with the United States World War One Centennial Commission on the Michigan history section of their website , and he has a tremendous amount of fascinating stories from this time to share.  Included in those stories are not only veterans who...

In this episode I interview Bobbie Mathis who has been the president of the Union City Society for Historic Preservation since 2016.  She is also done a lot of local research into Union City history, as well as historic Riverside Cemetery.  She was trained in tombstone restoration by the Cemetery Conservators of United Standards (CCUS) and has repaired and cleaned over 2000 stones so far...

William T. Palmer at the age of 18 joined the Bristich 61st Regiment in Winchester, England and was transported to the island of St. Helena, where he served for two years as part of the Superior Guards who were in charge of guarding Napoleon Bonaparte.  After Napoleons funeral in 1821, he was transferred to other duties until he was discharged from service after 15 years in Toronto, Canada. &...

In this episode I explore the notorious Crime Boss, gangster, racketeer and bootlegger Al Capone who reigned in Chicago from 1925 through 1932, during the years of Prohibition in the U.S.  During his time in power, he was said to have often escaped the hear of the windy city and found his way into Michigan and Wisconsin.  I did some research on some of the stories of hideaways, safe hous...

In this episode I interview Julie Kimmer, who has been the Manager of the Courthouse Square Museum in Charlotte, Michigan for over 20 years.  The museum is located in downtown Charlotte, and the building's cornerstone was placed in the center of the town square in 1883.  In 1885, the courthouse officially opened to the public.  It was in operation for 10 years before a fire gutted t...

This is the story of Dorrance Williams, an early pioneer in Calhoun County who settled on the Goguac Prairie in Battle Creek in 1831.  He previously had been a land surveyor for the U.S. Government, and had visited the area in 1829.  He lived his life as a suspicious man who was afraid everyone he dealt with was trying to cheat him.  A frequent visitor to the courtroom, he was the p...

Anson De Peuy Van Buren was born in 1822 in Kinderhook, New York.  He was a cousin of Martin Van Buren, the 8th President of the United States.  His Father Ephriam Van Buren, and his mother Olive Jay Van Buren, moved the family to Michigan settling in Battle Creek in 1836.  He was 13 years old, and would record the annals of his journey later in life along with many other stories of...

In this episode I interview Civil War Historian Maurice Imhoff who has been researching the Michigan 1st Colored Regiment since 2014.  The Michigan 1st eventually became the 102nd U.S. Colored Troops, which saw action in several engagements during the war.  Recruited from all over Southern Michigan, the regiment trained in Detroit during one of the coldest winters in 1863.  The unit...

Have you ever hear of the 85th Division which was stationed at Fort Custer in Battle Creek during World War 1?  The Division of 28,000 men were shipped to Europe in the summer of 1918, and when they arrived, 5000 of them formed the 339th Infantry and were sent not to France, but to Archangel, Russia near the Arctic Circle to fight the Bolshevik Army (the Russian Communists who had taken contr...

Plank roads were wooden routes made of hewn logs that were common in the Northest and Midwest of the U.S. in the first half of the 19th century.  At one time Michigan had over 60 plank road companies chartered in the state.  In 1849 the state legislature incorporated the Battle Creek & Hastings Plank Road Company to build a plank road between the two cities.  Some of the most pr...

In this episode I interview Robert Myers from the Michigan Historical Society where we cover stories of Berrien County.  We start with the early French settlement years surrounding Fort St. Joseph in Niles founded in 1684, to the establishment of the French Government fort in 1691, which later became a British fort.  We also talk about some of the early milling history and industry, as w...