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Submitted by Marilyn Lane    

The following is an article about Coldwater, Michigan from The Kalamazoo
Valley Family Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1, dated September 1973:

"The dream of a future city was the motivating force behind the efforts
of the "Fathers of Coldwater," Reverend Allen Tibbits and John Hanchett.

Reverend Tibbits and Hanchett, about 1830, platted the Village of
Coldwater, established the first church, donated land for the first
school, and furnished land to those who by profession or trade were
needed in Coldwater.

The hamlet grew into a village and the village became a city officially
in February of 1861 when Michigan's Governor Austin Blair signed his
name to the new charter incorporating the Village.

Coldwater saw its first "iron horse" in December of 1850 when the first
passenger train arrived in Coldwater.

In the early days of the community, small, general stores were adequate
for the needs of the residents; however, in 1877, J.B. Branch and
Company opened Coldwater's first department store.

When manufactured gas became popular as a fuel, heat, and source of
light, the Coldwater Gas and Light Company was formed in 1860 to
manufacture and distribute natural gas to area consumers.  The company
erected its first gas manufacturing plant a year later.

An unusual Coldwater cultural and entertainment center of note was
constructed in 1882--the Tibbits' Opera House--built by a very
determined and farsighted citizen, Mayor Bart S. Tibbits.

The elegant Tibbits' Opera House matched those found in the large
Eastern cities.  Operas, plays, vaudeville shows and other entertaining
programs were featured attractions.

Tibbits also owned his own excursion boat and in 1866 he built a
toboggan slide in Coldwater for the recreation and entertainment of its
citizens.

By the turn of the century, the City had outgrown its original charter;
a new City Charter was drafted and signed into law by Governor Warren in
1905.  Six passenger trains a day now passed through Coldwater on the
Lake Shore Michigan Southern Railroad.

Telephones were introduced into Coldwater by the Wolverine Telephone
Company (now the General Telephone Company of Michigan) in 1902.

A modern hospital, Wade Memorial Hospital, was opened to the public for
the first time on November 6, 1921.  Sixteen years later it was
destroyed by fire with no loss of life.  Residents of Branch County went
to work to obtain a new hospital for Coldwater and in 1939 the
ultra-modern Branch City Community Health Center was opened to the
public.

Land for the City's beautiful Parkhurst Park was bequeathed to the City
in memory of General Parkhurst in the late 1920's.

A new era in transportation occurred in 1934 when the City Council
leased Legg Airport to establish its own municipal airport."

In the same publication, there is the following information about
Coldwater Township:

"During the early settlement of the township, the presence of Indians
was not uncommon, several bands of Pottawattamies still continuing to
roam the forest and plant their wigwams within sight of their white
neighbors.  They kept up a regular system of trading with the settlers,
and gradually became very familiar in their relations with them.

The township was first set off, and organized in the spring of 1833. 
The name is said to be a translation of the Indian word for Coldwater
Lake, which is extremely low in temperature."