Allegan County's name was coined by the noted student of the Indians, Henry Schoolcraft. The County was set off in 1831 and organized in 1835. Settlement of the County seat, Allegan, was promoted in 1835 by eastern capitalists who were attracted by the site's sources of water power. For many years, steamboats traveled the Kalamazoo River between Allegan and Saugatuck. Extensive lumbering by the pioneers cleared the way for farm production, in which the County has been a leader.
Historical Slideshow
To the Citizens of Allegan County:
The Allegan County Board of Commissioners is proud to present to the public our official historical webpage. Since past Facilities Management Director Brett Butler unveiled the Allegan County Historical Photographic Project* displaying old photographs at some of our County buildings, a suggestion for a point of reference to those photographs turned into a unique and interesting online journey into Allegan County’s past.
We would like to give our thanks to the following individuals who have made this project a success:
- The Allegan County Historical Society
- Allegan County Historian John Pahl
- Mark Lovett of Frames Unlimited
- Brett Butler, former Allegan County Facilities Management Director
- Project Team Members:
- Administration Department: Rob Sarro, County Administrator; Denise Wilson, Executive Assistant, and Becky Blaine, Administrative Services Assistant
- Information Services Department: Steve Sedore, IS Director and Debra Harvey, Website Developer
A very special thanks to Debra Harvey, who without her knowledge, creative abilities and expertise, this project could not have been completed.
Sincerely,
The Allegan County Board of Commissioners
*For more information on this project contact the Administration Department.
 View the Historical SlideshowNOTE: You may need at the FREE Flash Player to view (at least version 9). |
Since this website is a continual work in progress, it can be expanded with additional photos. Any historian or interested party that wishes to have their picture(s) included for display, please contact the Administration Department. The photos may be sent via mail or email. A brief description with year or decade should also be provided.
Geography
Allegan County is located in the south west part of Lower Michigan. It has approximately 827 square miles of land with 25 miles of coast line along Lake Michigan. It is the 18th largest county in Michigan and has 24 townships.
The County is still mostly rural in nature, and still maintains an agriculture and tourist based economy, however trends are toward more light industry and technology which has translated into Allegan County being in one of the fastest growing regions of the state.
Research Resources
- Wikipedia.org
- State of Michigan History, Arts and Libraries (HAL)
- Michigan eLibrary (MeL)
- Genealogy Research - Library of Michigan
- Genealogical Death Indexing System (GENDIS) - Michigan Dept. of Community Health
- Michigan Vital Statistics
- Allegan County Treasurer's Office History
