Calhoun County, Michigan

Welcome to Historic Calhoun County!

Calhoun County was established in 1833, named after John C. Calhoun, States Rights advocate and Vice President of the U.S. under both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. The first settler to the area was Sidney Ketchum, who in 1830 came to Marshall, now the county seat, from New York. In 1835, Albion College was founded by the Methodist Church, significantly contributing to the stabilization of the area. Around the same time, Isaac Crary, from Marshall, drafted the section of the Michigan State Constitution on education: today, he is considered the father of the Michigan public school system. Calhoun County’s growth escalated when Dr. John Kellogg and the Seventh Day Adventists built a health sanitarium at Battle Creek in 1866. With Kellogg’s creation of a cereal called "granola," the rest was history with the town now referred to as the Cereal Capital of the World.

Today, Calhoun County remains culturally progressive while still retaining much of its tradition. Battle Creek’s Friendship Park reflects this spirit, with its contemporary design which includes a memorial to the Underground Railroad, with the stately Kellogg manor in the background. Marshall is noted for its careful preservation of turn-of-the-century buildings and homes, a must-see for Victorian enthusiasts. There are also plenty of recreational opportunities here, such as canoeing Pine Creek near Athens, or fishing at Duck Lake. And it’s a great place to live, too!

If you have comments or suggestions, please take a minute to write to the InfoMI Help Desk.
Back to InfoMI Main Page.