Coldwater

By Randall Hazelbaker

The Coldwater area was first settled on the historic Sauk Trail in the 1830s. Coldwater became a village in 1837, and after the arrival of the railroads in the 1850s, it became a city in 1861. Majestic homes and buildings were constructed, churches and schools were established, and a vibrant community began to take shape. The 1900s brought more growth and challenges, as residents encountered the Great Depression, World War II, and subsequent eras of transition, renewal, and expansion. This book showcases a rare collection of historic images to document Coldwater's progress and development throughout the 20th century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Oct 27, 2004
• ISBN: 9781439615096

Randall Hazelbaker

Known locally as Mr. History, Randall Hazelbaker is Coldwater's unofficial town historian. Active in civic and community life for many years, he is well-known to Coldwaterites. He has researched and hosted several local history programs that have aired on cable television. A longtime collector of Coldwater memorabilia, the images found in this book come from Hazelbaker's extensive personal collection.

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INTRODUCTION

The city of Coldwater derives its name from the Potawatomi word chuck-sey-ya-bish meaning cold water. The first settlers came to this vicinity from upstate New York and New England via the Erie Canal, which opened in 1825. Traveling the Sauk Trail (now U.S. 12) between Detroit and Chicago, the early pioneers found it inhabited by fierce and war-like Potawatomi Indians. Many of the settlers, when seeing the presence of these Indians, kept moving on.

Potawatomi leader Chief Topinabee sold what is now Branch County to the United States government in 1821. This came about following a combination of two events: the defeat of Britain in the War of 1812 with its subsequent effect on the Indians, and the death of the Indian leader, Tecumseh, in 1813.

Joseph Godfrey established a trading post in 1822 near downtown Coldwater. Mr. Marantette set up another trading post later that same year near the present-day Oak Grove Cemetery. Branch County was laid out in 1829 and named after John Branch of North Carolina, who was President Jackson’s Secretary of the Navy.

Hugh Campbell built the first log cabin in 1830, located on East Chicago Street at the present site of the Masonic Temple. Allen Tibbits and Joseph Hanchett arrived from upstate New York with their families in 1831 and platted out a new village, calling it Lyons. The settlement changed its name to Coldwater within two years. The area’s first frame building was a hotel, built by A.F. Bolton in a small settlement called Masonville. Located on the east banks of the Coldwater River, Masonville was named the county seat of Branch County on the strength of this hotel.

Masonville didn’t hold this honor very long, as the village of Branch, located south of the present-day airport, became the county seat from 1831 to 1842, on the merit of the Black Hawk Mill. Once Coldwater was named the county seat, in 1842, both of these tiny settlements dwindled in population and ceased to exist.

The first school in Coldwater was started in 1832 with Cynthia Gloyd teaching nine pupils. Silas Holbrook opened the first store, and a sawmill opened at the junction of Division and South Clay Streets. In 1834, a schoolhouse was built on the corner of East Pearl and South Hudson Streets. The first church was built in 1835 by the Methodists. Coldwater, with a population of 140, was incorporated as a village in 1837; the same year Michigan became a state. To accommodate travelers during this era, there were 33 taverns, or inns, along the Sauk Trail between Quincy and Sturgis. By 1840, the Potawatomi Indians were removed to farther west, although some Indians remained and continued to live off the land. Two more churches were built in 1844, by the Baptists and Presbyterians. The Presbyterians’ church still survives today on South Jefferson Street, in use by a different denomination, and is the oldest church in Coldwater. The first jail was constructed in 1846 and the population voted against the sale of liquor that year. The county voted to build a brick courthouse in 1847 and it lasted 40 years, until a much larger courthouse was built to replace it in 1888.

Telegraph lines reached Coldwater in 1849 and St. Charles Catholic Church was formed that same year. The railroad came to Coldwater in 1850, which connected the town to the populous New England states. Coldwater had 370 houses in 1851, but lost eight downtown stores that year because of fires. The first zoning law, in 1854, prohibited the construction of any frame (wood) building from Clay Street to the downtown parks, along West Chicago Street. This is the reason the downtown buildings are constructed completely of brick. The year 1854 saw the establishment of Oak Grove Cemetery. Two years later, the fire department was established with Clinton B. Fisk as foreman. The Episcopal Church corner stone was laid in 1857, and completed five years later.

Coldwater was incorporated as a city in 1861, the same year the Loomis Battery left for war with six brass cannons and 120 men, of which only 49 would return three years later. It is estimated that over 500 men from Coldwater fought in the Civil War, and the federal government purchased over 3,000 horses from Coldwater horse farms.

Coldwater’s first millionaire was S.M. Seely, who in 1865 made $1.5 million from oil speculations. The year 1865 also saw the opening of the Coldwater National Bank. In 1870 the Lewis Art Gallery opened, and ten years later the first bicycle was brought to Coldwater. Bell Telephone came to town in 1882, which was also the year that the Tibbits Opera House was built. The public library was erected in 1886 with the help of local businessman E.R. Clarke. In the 1890s, the public utilities commenced operations with electrical service and a water system. The year 1905 saw the present city charter adopted into