"Agricultural Settlements: 1832 - 1834

Although the most desirable farm land--the prairies--had been largely taken up by settlers or speculators by the end of 1831, the oak openings and beech-maple forest remained essentially unoccupied and unpurchased at that time.

Oak openings were perceived early on as being nearly as valuable as the prairies, and much preferred to the dense forest. Several pioneers in Richland Township, for example, who arrived early enough to obtain prairie land selected instead oak openings near Gull Prairie. One of these settlers, who lived on the road from Bronson (later Kalamazoo) to Gull Prairie, told an 1836 traveler the reason he had not taken up prairie land. 

'A settler near the edge [of Gull Prairie] at whose house we dined, stated to me that from his own experience her preferred openings to prairie, that the old farmers on the latter think they begin to perceive a slight deterioration of soil by cultivation, whereas in Washtenaw County, for instance, some parts of which have been settled 12 years the openings have continued to improve with every crop to the present time.'

The agricultural settlers who purchased land between 1832 and 1834 favored the oak openings over the beech-maple forest. The two largest areas of this upland forest, in the southeastern and southwestern corners of the county, were essentially unoccupied in 1834.

Thus, it is obvious that settlers favored the oak openings over heavily timbered land. As soon as the prairie land in the county was all taken, settlement began in those townships dominated by oak openings. For example, in 1832 the first settler in Ross Township occupied an oak opening in section 18. The first settler in Cooper Township, in 1833, selected an oak opening in sections 2 and 11. And the initial settler in Pavilion Township in 1834 took up residence in an oak opening in section 2. 

That the occupation of the county spread from the prairies into the oak openings was recognized by an early historian who reported that in Oshtemo Township by 1836, the settlements were being "pushed" into the oak openings west of Grand Prairie. In fact, if they had the money, the settlers preferred to buy land in prairie or oak opening from speculators rather than beech-maple timbered land from the government. This was the case, even though in 1836 the prairie land was selling at prices of $10 to $15 per acre and the oak openings at about $5 per acre.  

The lack of interest in settling the heavy timber is revealed by the general absence of early information about Wakeshma Township, which was covered by that type growth. The 1869-70 Kalamazoo County Directory reported that the township "has been looked upon as a wilderness and forsaken place umbrageous and ambiguous with here and there a squatter," and was "just now [1869] getting itself out of the woods." Wakeshma Township did not receive its first settler until 1842 (14 years after the first settler had arrived in the county) and he probably would have taken up prairie or oak openings if he could have afforded them. By this time the farmers on Prairie Ronde had been exporting wheat for 11 years, and one farmer on Genesee Prairie was producing 1000 bushels of wheat a year. The reluctance of the pioneers to locate in the forested land in Wakeshma Township is understandable since it took five or six months of hard labor to clear a 20 acre plot."

(In 1831) " The unorganized counties of Calhoun, Eaton and Barry, and all the country north of these, were attached to Kalamazoo for judicial purposes. Bazel Harrison and Stephen Hoyt were appointed Justices of the County Court. The first record of the Court bears date Oct.17th, 1831, and Cyrus Lovell appears with a petition from the proprietors and citizens of the village of Bronson (present day Kalamazoo), requesting an alteration, in part, of the plat of said village 

The suit of Geo. Shaw, appellee, vs. Abraham J. Shaver and Epli. Harrison, appellants, the first litigated case on our records, took place at Bronson's house, at the October (1832)  session of the Court, Judge Bazel Harrison on the bench. Jury returned a verdict of $61 20, damages and costs. The attorneys in this suit were MeGaffey and Humphreys, for the plaintiff; and Cyrus Lovell and John Hascall, for defendants. This is the scene of Anthony Cooley's picture of " The First Court in Kalamazoo." - p. 38

(In October, 1834 Kalamazoo was struck by a tornado forced relocation of the court)

After the storm, Mr. Hays was obliged to find a place of shelter for his family, until his own house, twisted and torn by the storm, could be made habitable again. The only refuge that could be found was the new school-house on South street, then not wholly finished. The family used the back part of the school house to live in, and Judge Fletcher occupied the front part for holding a session of the Circuit Court-the partition walls being nothing more than suspended sheets and blankets. Several weeks elapsed before their own house was made ready again. Mr. David Hubbard and family, at the same time, occupied the old slab school house, adjoining, and the scenes and incidents of those days are by no means the least pleasant ones in the memories of the survivors of those two families. Among those who came here in the fall of 1834. we find the name of Epaphroditus Ransom, who, from the high positions he was, soon after his arrival, called upon to fill, both in county and State affairs, deserves more than a passing notice. - p45

The first term of the Kalamazoo Circuit Court (under the State) was held in the school house on South street, heretofore spoken of. The Grand Jury held their deliberations under the trees contiguous. The first "true bills" found against violators *of the " peace and dignity of the State " we need not here recite. The sessions of the Circuit Court were the occasions of the year. People flocked in to be present at the trial of the State cases, or as suitors and witnesses in every conceivable kind of litigation, from a dog suit up to the more dignified issue over a pair of steers. The felons of that day were hog and horse thieves; with a liberal sprinkling of those aristocratic rogues who sought to inflate the currency by "shoving the queer. " (Note: "shoving queer" means passing counterfeit money - probably much easier to do in pioneer times) - p. 50 Kalamazoo County Directory, J. M. Thomas, 1859. 

It houses two courtrooms with accessory offices and jury rooms, all of the county offices, record vaults, the county jail, and the sheriff's quarters.

It is fireproof throughout, of steel and reinforced concrete, and the exterior walls are faced with limestone.  The high base is granite.  It was completed in October 1937 and has a volume of 1,400,000 cubic feet.  The construction cost was $710, 817 and the project cost was $743,590." - Local Government Buildings ,  circa 1940