The Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River is one hundred fifty miles long. It starts at Hillsdale, goes to Saugatuck, and empties into Lake Michigan. All five lakes in Comstock empty into the Kalamazoo River.
The word Kalamazoo means "river crossing" or "boiling water." There are many stories about how the Kalamazoo River got its name. Here are two of them. There was a fleet Indian runner who got picked to run to the Kalamazoo River and back again before the water in a little pot fully boiled away. Another story is that some Potawattomi Indians went to a hill above the Kalamazoo River when the fog was rising and used the word "Kalamazoo."
In 1823, or perhaps earlier, there was a trading post near the river. Many Indians used to meet near the trading post on the banks of the river. The river was not very deep. A trader in Kalamazoo went down the Kalamazoo River to Lake Michigan. Kids in the 1920's did much of their swimming in this river. Today, people are polluting the Kalamazoo River.
The Kalamazoo River at Merrill Park
By Lindsey and Jessica
