New Richmond Historical Timeline

New Richmond Historical Timeline (HM1EAN)

Location: Fennville, MI 49408 Allegan County
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Country: United States of America
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N 42° 39.06', W 86° 6.407'

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Inscription
  • 1825 - Trading post established by Louis Campau (a Frenchman) at the mouth of the Rabbit River approximately one mile upstream from what is now New Richmond.
  • 1825 - Mack's Landing trading post established where Purdy's Landing is now located. So begins this area's notoriety as a main way point of goods being transferred up and down the Kalamazoo River.
  • 1836 - John Allen, from Ann Arbor, comes to Allegan county and maps the first village in what is to become Manilus Township. He employs Ralph Mann to oversee the development of "Richmond City," named after Allen's hometown of Richmond, Virginia.
  • 1837 - After the prospect of Allen's city faded, Mann moves south one mile and builds the first hydro-powered wood mill in the area. Many more will follows.
  • 1837 - First post office established in Richmond operating until 1839 before it is closed.
  • 1838 - First settler, James McCormick, comes to Richmond. McCormick purchases 160 acres and begins lucrative fruit farming industry in the area.
  • 1839 - Manilus Township is created through an act of legislation and the first township meeting is held at the home of Ralph Mann. John Allen is elected supervisor and Ralph Mann is elected Justice of the Peace.
  • 1840's - As lumber and fruit industries are booming more residents come to New Richmond. John Gidley (1842), Jonathon Wade (1844), Asa and Norman Bowker (1845), Thomas and Daniel Lamoureux (1845) and others.
  • 1842 - The first wooden bridge to connect the north and south banks of the Kalamazoo River is built. It collapses under the weight of an ox-cart in 1849.
  • 1843 - Post office is opened in village of Manilus where it operates until 1872. It is then moved to the village of Richmond (developed by H.F. Marsh). Upon applying for designation it is learned that there is already a Richmond in Michigan (Macomb County) and the name was changed to "New Richmond."
  • 1856 - The second wooden bridge to connect the north and south banks of the Kalamazoo River is built, but it collapses under the weight of a stagecoach in 1877.
  • 1871 - First railroad tracks made it to New Richmond. The Chicago & Michigan Lakeshore Railroad expands out to New Richmond to bring goods to the main shipping ports of Lake Michigan. This later becomes the Pere Marquette Line.
  • 1874 - Manilus Village becomes less and less important. Ralph Mann's saw mill closes after the destruction of the mill race. Tavern located in Manilus burns to the ground. The station at New Richmond becomes center of activity.
  • 1879 - "New Richmond Bridge" is built at a cost of $5000. The new swing bridge is built the Milwaukee Iron Bridge Company and has a wooden deck with an iron frame.
  • 1879 - Almost simultaneously the railroad builds a bridge next to the new swing bridge.
  • 1880's - With lumber resources dwindling in the region, industry begins to slow down. Coal comes into use as a fuel and the demand for wood grows less on the market. The mills that do stay open concentrate on hard woods for the growing furniture industry in West Michigan.
  • 1915 - Some time between 1915 and 1920, Paul Gamby is thought to have operated the swing bridge for the last time. The machinery then became encased in rust.
  • 1976 - Allegan County closes the bridge to vehicular traffic. "Concerned Citizens for the New Richmond Bridge" is formed after hearing of plans for demolishing the bridge.
  • 1979 - The bridge is re-opened after the citizen group and the County Road Commission collaborate on a renovation project. There was a parade of vintage cars passing over the bridge to commemorate the event.
  • 1979 - The New Richmond Bridge is put on the State Register of Historic Places.
  • 1997 - The New Richmond Bridge is once again closed to vehicular traffic by the Allegan Road Commission.
  • 1998 - The New Richmond Bridge is put on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • 2001 - Allegan County Road Commission receives federal funding for the complete restoration of the New Richmond swing bridge.
  • 2004 - Restoration of the New Richmond Bridge is completed. The bridge, now open to pedestrian traffic only, will be the centerpiece for a new Allegan County Park.
Details
HM NumberHM1EAN
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014 at 8:54pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 573215 N 4722446
Decimal Degrees42.65100000, -86.10678333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 39.06', W 86° 6.407'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 39' 3.60" N, 86° 6' 24.42" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)269
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 3198 Old Allegan Rd, Fennville MI 49408, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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