Kalamazoo And How It Grew

by Willis Frederick Dunbar, Richard N. Gregg (Illustrator), George G. Mallinson (Introduction)

Most of Kalamazoo County’s early white settlers were fur traders from England or New York. The remainder came from Pennsylvania and Maryland. After 1845 the number of foreign immigrants increased rapidly especially with the coming of the Hollanders in 1850. The growth rate of the county’s population reached its height between 1845-1860, when almost 8,000 newcomers settled there. That growth rate was not exceeded for 50 years when, between 1904-1920, the population grew to 214,000, quite an increase over the 1860 figure. Increased immigration, better transportation, and the appearance of diversified industries all played a role in Kalamazoo County’s growth.“Every community has its roots in the past. Its people live in the present and look to the future, but their way of life and their patterns of thought are conditioned by their heritage. A widespread understanding of that heritage is essential in order that progress may be planned wisely.“Hence, it has seemed desirable to gather into a single volume the story of Kalamazoo’s growth from a tiny fur-trading post in the wilderness to a modern metropolitan center.”—Willis F. Dunbar

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Willis Frederick Dunbar (1902-1970) was an American educator and historian.

He served as a faculty member and dean at Kalamazoo College, and a faculty member and department chairperson at Western Michigan University.

Dunbar also served as the vice mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1951-1953, 1955-1957. He was program director and director of public affairs at WKZO a Kalamazoo, Michigan, radio station, 1943-1951. He served as President of the Michigan Historical Society and the Michigan Historical Commission.

Reviews

[Tim Null · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kalamazoo and how it grew by Willis F. Dunbar. Copyrighted in 1959 by the School of Graduate Studies at Western Michigan University.

A listing at the WMU library states: "Willis Frederick Dunbar served as a faculty member and dean at Kalamazoo College, 1929-1942 and a faculty member and department chairperson at Western Michigan University, 1941-1970. Dunbar also served as the vice mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1951-1953, 1955-1957."

Begin segue: W.F. Dunbar was Vice Mayor of Kalamazoo when I was running around the Parkwood neighborhood causing as much mischief as I could manage. Next time you're in Kalamazoo you too can visit my neighborhood. Just start at the corner of Outlook Street and Inkster Avenue. Begin by running down Inkster Hill towards South Rose, then sprint on Rose over to Sandy Hill. Next climb the hill, and travel the back woods until you get to Crane Park. Then follow the traffic up Westnedge Hill until you get back to Inkster. Turn left on Inkster and skip on over to the Parkwood-Upjohn School. After that hop over to the playground and hang upside-down on a jungle-gym until the bell rings. If you can do all that and somehow manage to avoid Miss Lee, then you clearly know how to live in seventh heaven. The place, the neighborhood, where I grew up.
Segue end.

Perhaps the biggest delight for me in reading Dunbar's book about Kalamazoo was seeing the drawing of the initial five buildings to the teacher's college that eventually became Western Michigan University. The view was from the city side of Prospect Hill. Later on these five joined buildings were turned into an elementary school, junior high and high school. By the time I was admitted to the junior high, the high school was called University High School. I graduated from U-High in the spring of 1966. I lettered in football and track, and my grades were good enough to be admitted by Michigan State University.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had lots of fun reading this history of Kalamazoo, Michigan. I was born there, lived there for the first couple of years of my life and returned to visit my extended family often while I was growing up. I moved back there, got married and started my family there. It will always be home.
I learned some things from this book and I know some things that could have been added to it. I know where some of the bodies are buried and I lived through the 1980 tornado.
Maybe I should do some research and write my own history of Kalamazoo.