During the summer of 1834, a group of eastern land investors set its sights on newly platted land at the "great bend" in the Kalamazoo River, now known as Allegan. This former site of a Pottawatomi village was blessed with both beauty and bounty. Surrounded by woods and with a river racing through
it, a busy community of commerce and recreation was envisioned. It was a perfect combination for enjoyable and productive lives for those who would purchase parcels of land. They could never imagine the many changes their riverside village would see--the part it would play in the rebuilding of...