The Kalamazoo River was key to development of Kalamazoo County and was described as follows in the 1854 Michigan Gazetteer:
"Kalamazoo river, of Michigan, rises in Hillsdale county, in the S. part of the state, and flowing in a W. N.W. direction, enters Lake Michigan in Allegan county, 29 miles S. from Grand River. The whole length is nearly 200 miles, and the width near its mouth is between 300 and 400 feet. It is navigable for boats of 50 tons in all stages to Allegan, a distance of 38 miles. The region through which it flows is nearly level, and the soil is generally fertile."
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Prehistoric Period
Beginning in 1975 Western Michigan University anthropologists conducted field studies at many sites along the length of the Kalamazoo River to learn more about prehistoric human habitation. More than 400 separate sites were identified in Allegan County ranging in evidence of a single item to that of a complete campsite. Results of the study show that humans have used the Kalamazoo River basin continuously for more than 11,000 years. Artifacts from every prehistoric era have been found. Few permanent settlements, however, were found along the river. Studies and historic written records indicate the area was used seasonally for hunting, fishing and maple sugaring. It is thought that the basin did not have the kinds of soils necessary to encourage permanent settlements. However, from about 700 years ago, there has been some farming by Native Americans.
Historic
Probably the earliest Europeans to glimpse the mouth of the Kalamazoo River were Jesuit Priest Father Jacques Marquette and two companions as they were returning from visiting Indians in Illinois in 1675. Although other missionaries may subsequently have passed the mouth of the river, it wasn't until the late 1700s that the area was frequented by fur traders. By the early 1800s, there were several small communities along the river, including Kalamazoo. Farmers soon replaced fur traders and quickly populated much of the watershed. Many shipped their goods down the river on flat boats to Singapore, MI, established at the mouth of the river in the 1830s. This "bustling port," abandoned in the 1870s, was later buried by the shifting sand dunes. With the introduction of the Railroad in the 1840s, the importance of the river for transportation declined.
By the mid-1800s
several communities had grown up along the river as mill towns and commercial centers: Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Parchment, Plainwell, and Otsego. After the Civil War and into the 20th century, various industries, from cereal production to pharmaceuticals to automobile parts, flourished. Several communities became sites for paper production, which used the river for water intake and waste discharge. De-inking practices, which are no longer in use, led to PCB contamination of the river. Sewage effluent, other industrial discharges, and trash also contributed to the pollution of the river. For many years in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the river was an "eyesore" and most people did their best to avoid it. Beginning in the 1970s with the federal Clean Water Act, serious efforts were made to clean up the river. Although today the river is cleaner, the persistent PCB contamination has led to Superfund designation of a 35-mile section from Kalamazoo to Allegan Dam.
In the fall of 1990
The Kalamazoo River Partners of the Forum for Kalamazoo County conducted interviews with leaders from 33 organizations, representing the interests of business, government, education, recreation, and the general public. The purpose of survey was to inventory existing and proposed development along the river and ask for each community leader's personal visions for the future of the Kalamazoo River.