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| Background
History on St. Joseph County |
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| St.
Joseph County by John Marvin |
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| Sections |
Intro
Costly Victory
Changing Times
County Government Inaugurated
Historical Firsts
Early Background
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Early Background (part2)
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Growth
continued and in 1830 stage coaches between Chicago and
Detroit ran through Sturgis, and the Methodists formed
a church society in that year. The first family in Nottawa
Township located near Centreville, which was platted in
1831. Centreville was designated the County seat in 1831
and St. Joseph County was officially incorporated as part
of the new State of Michigan.
Leonidas organized as a Township in 1831 and Colon Village,
begun in 1832, had a school by 1833. The first tavern
was opened on Sturgis Prairie in 1831 and there was a
saw mill on the Fawn River in the Crooked Creek area.
 The
Village of Moab in 1829 and St. Joseph in 1830 located
in Bucks Township (now Fabius and Lockport) were incorporated
in the Three Rivers plat of 1836. Three Rivers was engaged
in an intense rivalry with the Village of Echol, three
miles south on an island in the river but the village
was abandoned in 1840 after a dam broke.
In 1832 Chicago Drive was established as a military road.
The first hotel was built in Three Rivers at the corner
of Main and Portage in 1833, the same year that the first
school was built.
The New York Central Railroad ran through Sturgis and
by 1853 there was a rail connection from Three Rivers
to White Pigeon. Both Sturgis and Three Rivers were incorporated
as Villages in 1855.
Early records showed that Sturgis, in 1863, had a population
of 1,600, and that there were four churches, three lodges,
fourteen factories, twelve stores, a bank and a flour
mill. As 1874 Census showed three flour mills, one saw
mill, a planing mill, two pump factories and two schools
in Three Rivers. There was great excitement in 1872 when
deeds, mortgages and records were "kidnapped"
from the County Court House and held for ransom. Major
fires occurred in Sturgis in 1859 and Centreville in 1910.
But the County grew and prospered. The rural areas were
rural, and lake area development was seasonal. The non-farm
families clustered in the Cities, the Villages and the
small communities provided business services for their
surrounding areas.
The increasing use of the automobile and truck began to
change these patterns. Improved roads and rural electric
lines and the development of the septic tank made it possible
for urban families to build and live in the agricultural
areas and lake areas and drive to and from work. The County
population increased but the community population growth
slowed down, and small community business declined or
went out of existence. By 1830 there were 31,740 people
in the County. Forty-three percent were in Sturgis and
Three Rivers and eighteen percent were in the six Villages,
leaving thirty-nine percent in unincorporated areas. This
compares with fifty-three percent of the 1970 population
in unincorporated areas. The planning process is based
upon a thorough study of the physical factors, part population
growth, economic trends and land use patterns which will
influence the continuing development of the County.
St. Joseph County held their Sesquicentennial in 1979
to celebrate the 150 years of growth and dedicated service
to the people we have served and look forward to the years
ahead with continuing growth and development. |
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| DATE
FOUNDED |
| Nov.
4, 1829 |
| FOUNDING
LOCATION |
| White
Pigeon |
| POPULATION |
| 62,422 |
| SIZE |
| 520
Sq. Miles |
| QUICK
FACT |
| In
the 1830's St. Joseph County became a major hub between
Chicago and Detroit. |
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