Mattawan Michigan, My Hometown
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Section 1: A Short Bio
Section 2: Hometown history
Section 3: Hometown attractions
Section 4: Other interesting things
Section 5: Map
Section 6: References
Hi, I'm Brennan Manzon. I'm a senior student here at Western Michigan University, and I'm majoring in E-Business Design. Aside from being a student, I spend my free time playing guitar, disc golfing, playing videogames, and other stereotypical college student activities. I love dogs and have a collection of two golden retrievers. A little know fact about me is that I have a twin brother who looks nothing like me. I was born in Chicago, lived in Big Rapids for a while, but have lived in Mattawan for most of my life, making it my home town. Currently, I work for Western's Study Abroad Department, providing I.T. support. This job provides great experience that is relevant to my major.
Other people in this picture
Elliott: My twin brother who goes to U of M. See, looks nothing like me.
Mom: That's my Mom. She's a teacher at the Mattawan School District
Taken from the Village of Mattawan Website,
The first people in the region, more than 400 years ago, were the Mound Builders. Their name derives from the earthworks of various sizes that they constructed. They were a highly skilled people who produced the copper cookware, arrowheads and stone implements occasionally found in this region today. Many believe that the civilization migrated to Mexico.
The Potawatomi Indians dominated the area for many years. They had migrated to southwest Michigan from southern Wisconsin around 1740. They did not believe in land ownership but protected the land on which they camped. Their shelters were wigwams constructed of bent saplings, bark and grass matting. Chief Pokagon, their spokesperson, was a well-educated, highly articulate man. His writings are well recorded in Michigan history. Although he and his followers were exempted from the Chicago treaty of 1821 and the later treaties of 1828 and 1833, a majority of the Potawatomi Indians left Van Buren County prior to statehood in 1836.
The Village Of Mattawan traces its beginnings to a federal
land grant given to Nathaniel Cheesboro, an attorney for the Michigan Central
Railroad, in 1839. With the completion of the railroad, Mr.Cheesboro named the
station "Mattawan" after a town on the Hudson River in New York. Lyman Lawrence
filed the first town plat in 1850 and called it Mattawan, after the name given
the railroad station which is an Indian word meaning "Good Pelts."
There would have been no Mattawan, Lawton or Decatur in Van Buren County if the railroad had followed the state surveyed route.
In 1839 the President set aside several thousand acres
of land in his namesake county of Van Buren to pioneer settlers. Several
families bought acreage and right-of-way land was purchased for the railroad.
These families received mail at the Antwerp post office and sent their children
to the Fitch School, both located on Red Arrow Highway. Church services were
held by " Circuit Riders " in private homes.
Between 1840 and 1850 a school was established, a grocery
store was built, and the first track of the New York Central Railroad was laid.
The Michigan Central Railroad, in the course of construction, built a depot and
railway shops. The depot housed a telegraph system and trained operators.
Several hotels were constructed and a post office was established. From 1850 to
1880 the town prospered as a shipping point for northern lumber until the
completion of the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad diverted the shipments.
In 1869-1970, Mattawan's so-called "peak years", there consisted a grain elevator, dealer in farm produce, two doctors, stockyards, four well-stocked general stores, grocery and clothing. Six passenger trains also served the town.
Fruit growing prospered in the area, especially grapevines brought from New York State in the late 1860's. By the 1880's Mattawan was shipping carloads of peaches and grapes to all parts of the Midwestern United States. The first juice plant, a logical extension of fruit farming, was built around 1900. The period between 1865 and 1980 was a golden age of agriculture for the area. The soils were fertile and labor was abundant. However, the early part of the 1890's saw severe droughts; later, a series of insects and diseases descended on crops. Prices fell to very low levels. Gradually, as better agricultural methods were found and mechanization increased, fruit farming prospered.
Section 3: Hometown Attractions
The biggest attraction of Mattawan would probably be it's school system. The quality of the schools seems to be the greatest reason to live in this district. Another attractive quality is that it is a fairly rural area with lots of open space.
Section 4: Other interesting Things
In 2006, the Mattawan Girls Little League Softball team won the Little League Softball World Series. The entire community had shown their support for the team throughout the season. I recall seeing many signs and painted cars and news stories supporting the team. This victory has made the Girl's softball team well known all round the state.
As you can see, Mattawan is a small town located just off of I-94.
- Family Picture.jpg - uploaded from camera
- highschool.jpg and highschool2.jpg - taken from Mattawan Consolidated Schools Website
- Mattawan Map.jpg - taken from Google Maps
- WorldSeries2.preview.jpg - taken from Village of Mattawan Website
