Transportation

Transportation transformed Kalamazoo from the mid-19th century through the 20th century. The Michigan Central Railroad reached the city in 1846 and linked it to important eastern markets, followed by the Lake Shore in 1867, the Grand Rapids & Indiana in 1870, a South Haven connection in 1870, the Fruit Belt in 1906, and two additional spurs in the 1880s and 1890s. By 1912, Kalamazoo had 75 daily passenger trains and numerous freight departures. Urban transit began in 1884 when the Kalamazoo Street Railway Company laid tracks for horse-drawn streetcars; by 1888, 30 cars ran on 12 miles of track, connecting growing suburbs with downtown. Electric trolleys replaced horse-drawn cars in 1893, and by 1912 the Michigan United Traction Company had expanded trolley lines to 20 miles, helping drive the growth of suburbs and resorts such as Oakwood Park on Woods Lake. A bitter strike in 1932 contributed to the trolley's decline, while a privately owned bus line offered greater mobility, and in 1967 the city established the Metro Transit Bus System. Automobiles also reshaped local travel and industry after the first horseless carriage appeared on Kalamazoo streets in 1900. Maurice and Charles Blood built a small 1902 model, and other locally made automobiles included the Cannon Flyer, Cornelian, Michigan, Barley, Handley-Knight, and Wolverine. The Roamer was produced from 1917 to 1929, and the most successful local vehicle, the Checker taxicab, was built from 1923 to 1982.

Kalamazoo, Michigan · United States