1918 Map of Kalamazoo

About this map

The Kalamazoo River and its accompanying rail lines form the industrial backbone of this Michigan landscape during the early twentieth century. Extensive rail infrastructure, including the Michigan Central RR and the Michigan Electric RR, connects the city of Kalamazoo to outlying industrial and agricultural nodes like Parchment and Plainwell. North of the city, the landscape is defined by the Gun Plains and a dense network of local schools and cemeteries that served the surrounding farmsteads. Institutional landmarks are prominent, notably the State Hospital and Nazareth Academy. Water features like Pine Lake and Warner Lake dot the northeastern corner, while the Otsego Dam near the town of Otsego signals the era’s harnessing of river power. This survey captures a moment of transition where established rural crossroads like Alamo and Cooper exist alongside the expanding residential footprint of Oakwood Heights and Ravenswood Heights.