In 1875 in downtown Battle Creek, Michigan a murder happened in the middle of the day in October in a saloon at the corner of Jefferson and Main Street.  The man killed was described as a giant of a man, and his killer had fled down the street.  The trial that followed would reveal the story of a card game that erupted into a bar fight, which turned into a stabbing and a murder.  The details revealed in the trial offered a description of the bar scene in the city during the gilden age in Calhoun County.

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://www.michaeldelaware.com

Between 1867 to 1930 Kalamazoo was one of three cities in the U.S. that manufactured windmills for farms.  Windmills are structures that converted wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, and they were in the early days made of wood, and in later years made of metal.  They were essential tools on farms for grinding grain in gristmills, and later became replaced by more modern technology.  

In this episode, I take a journey through this history of this industry in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

To read the article on the Kalamazoo Library website that was referenced in this episode, go here: https://www.kpl.gov/local-history/kalamazoo-history/business/windmill-industry-in-kalamazoo/

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://www.michaeldelaware.com

In this episode I welcome back Amberrose Hammond to Tales of Southwest Michigan's Past to talk about her book Wicked Ottawa County.  She tells us stories of murder, intrigue and jealous lovers who make up her collection of morbid tales of the county just West of Grand Rapids.  She also discusses her upcoming projects and plans for 2023.  

For more information Amberrose Hammond, visit her website at: https://mysteriousmichigan.com/

To get a copy of her book on Amazon, visit: https://amzn.to/3l67kgN

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://michaeldelaware.com

In this episode I explore the history of Branch County newspapers that existed between 1837 to the 1880's.  The Michigan Star was the first one published in 1837 in the Village of Branch, and through the years there was the Coldwater Observer, The Branch County Democrat, the Coldwater Sentinel, The Branch County Republican, The Branch County Gazzette, The Democratic Union, The Southern Michigan News, The Coldwater Union Sentinel, The Republican, The Coldwater Reporter and the Coldwater Weekly Press all published in the immediate Coldwater area.  

In other parts of the county there existed publications in Bronson, Union City and Quincy.  

Most leaned towards the political views of a particular party of the time period, and and some existed only a few months.  It is a fascinating look at the history of the press in Branch County Michigan.  The information in this episode was taken from 'A History of Branch County Michigan' written by Crisfield Johnson and published in 1879.

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://www.MichaelDelaware.com

In 1897, the announcement of gold in Alaska sparked a group of entreprenuers from Kalamazoo to unite and make plans to seek their fortuned in the Yukon Territory.  They became popularly known as the 'Kalamazoo Hustlers' although their official name was the Kalamazoo Mining and Prospecting Company.  This is the story of their adventure in Alaska.

To read the article from the Kalamazoo Library, visit: https://www.kpl.gov/local-history/kalamazoo-history/general/kalamazoo-hustlers-and-the-gold-rush/

To find out more about or contact Michael Delaware, visit: https://www.michaeldelaware.com

My guest in this episode is Rhiannon Cizon from the Berrien County Historical Association.  She has been investigating the history of a murder of a Benton Harbor man that happened in 1904 named Mintor Northup.  The investigation crossed state lines into Northern Indiana, and also involved a very well respected law enforcement officer at the time.  The intrique includes threatening letters, horse thieves, and a brutal killing of a well respected resident.

For more information the Berrien County Historical Association, visit: https://berrienhistory.org

The Berrien County Historical Association on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BerrienCountyHistoricalAssociation

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://www.michaeldelaware.com

The Battle Creek Sanitarium was a very large medical facility for many decades, and at one point it was the largest in the United States.  It also had one of the largest nursing training programs of its time, training nurses from all over the U.S. and internationally.  In 1908, there was an article written on the Nursing Program and it offers a unique insight into the lives of the women who too part in the three year training there.  

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://www.michaeldelaware.com

For information on the events at the Battle Creek Regional History Museum mentioned at the end of this podcast, visit: https://bcrhm.Eventbrite.com

In this episode I read an article published in the Sunday Journal - Record on February 23, 1908.  It is called: Lunch Hour at the Postum Cereal Plant, and it offers a unique insight into the social customs of the time, and also the new innovation of a lunch room at the Postum Cereal Factory which was considered to be a new idea for that period in history.

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://www.michaeldelaware.com

On the evening of November 21st, 1883, just a short distance from Jackson, Michigan in Summit Township, Jacob Crouch, William Henry White, his son-in-law, Eunice White his daughter and a guest Moses Polley were all murdered in their beds by some unknown parties.  The case became known as the Crouch Murders in all the newspaper.  Some say the crimes were driven by greedy relatives who wanted Jacob Crouch's money.  Others claimed it was a robbery gone wrong.

An investigation was done, a trial was held, but no one was ultimately ever held accountable for these crimes.  Additionally, in the wake of this tragedy, a series of disturbing suicides, attempted murders and attempted suicides occurred with others related to the case.  The story crosses over Jackson, Spring Arbor, Union City and Marshall Michigan.

It is a forgotten story from the annals of Southwest Michigan, and it also an interesting look at the disfunctional police investigations and court systems of the time period.

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://MichaelDelaware.com

The Black Hand was a precursor to the mafia in the United States, and they primarily targeted the Italian immigrant population.  Although they committed violent crimes, such as murder, bombings and kidnapping; these actions were all just moves in a larger game, which was intended to keep the Italian communities living in fear of retribution.  They extorted money from hardworking laborers, as well as business owners who were in fear of something happening to their familes if they did not comply.  The Black Hand primarily existed from the early 1900's to the beginning of Prohibition, when it evolved into another form of organized crime.

In this episode, I explore some of the history of the Black Hand in Michigan.  I also revisit a murder I covered in Season One of Guiseppi Aiello in Battle Creek in 1917, as well as the bombing in of the Cascarelli Fruit Store in Hillsdale in 1923.  

For more information on Michael Delaware, visit: https://www.michaeldelaware.com