Allegan County Heritage Trail
Tour
The Allegan County Tourist Council has developed a
self-guided tour so that people can discover and have
adventures into the history, sights and sounds of Allegan
County. This
tour will allow people to see historic villages and towns as
well as bountiful farmlands and orchards which were and still
are the backbone of this rural county. More information on the
Heritage Trail Tour can be found at www.allegancounty.org/heritagetrail/. This
tour has numerous stops, but it is not necessary to do them
in order, they can be completed in any order.
We plan to place caches at each historic stop along
this tour. Our
goal with this series is to have fun, but also to enjoy the
beautiful sites of Allegan County. We also hope that we can
bring some history of the area to people who are
interested. Now
let’s get on with our journey.
Welcome to the Village
Martin
Martin, which was named for President Martin Van
Buren, had its beginning in 1836 when Mumford Eldred
purchased forty acres of land and built his cabin in the
township. Martin
became part of the transportation link between Grand Rapids
and Kalamazoo in 1855 when a plank road was completed between
the tow cities.
The construction of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad in
1870 helped to make the village an area trade
center.
Side Bar:
Local Man Becomes National Civil War
Hero! On
May 10, 1865, Jefferson
Davis, the President of the Confederate States, was
captured. Being
guarded by Federal Troops, President Davis made an attempt to
escape. The men
who foiled this escape became national heroes. One of those men was Andrew
Bee, a former Martin resident. He was buried in the Martin
cemetery along with other Civil War veterans
You will be looking for a micro. Please check the hide
before leaving to make sure that it is not visible. Muggles
could be a factor. Have Fun!
Sorry, but no FTF
prize this time.