The Village of Climax, Michigan is in eastern Kalamazoo County, in northern Climax Township, with a small northern portion of the village extending into Charleston Township.
The inhabited portion of the village is centered on the intersection of South 44th Street (Main Street) and East ON Avenue (Maple Street), which are the only roads leading to or from the village. I-94 (Officer Eric Zapata Memorial Highway) is north of the village. The unincorporated community of West Leroy is 4.1 miles southeast of the village, and nearby cities and villages include Galesburg (7.5 miles), Springfield (9.5 miles), Augusta (11.3 miles), Battle Creek (14.0 miles), Richland (15.9 miles), Athens (16.9 miles), Kalamazoo (17.3 miles), Portage (17.5 miles), and Vicksburg (18.6 miles).
Not far from Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and other cities, the village is largely a bedroom community. The village has a rural feel, and most residents own their own homes. Lawrence Memorial Library is downtown, and the Climax Crescent Newspaper is headquartered in the village, although it covers news from the surrounding region, as well. Just northwest of Climax is Cold Brook County Park, a 276-acre campground and RV park built around the Portage River, Portage Lake, and Blue Lake, with Potter Lake and McGinnis Lake just south of the park.
While Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula were, for the most part, passed by during the settling of the Midwest, European-American settlers came to the southern part of the Lower Peninsula earlier. The first recorded settlement of the area was by John Mullett, who came with his family in 1825. The Calvin White family came in 1831, and pair of brothers named Farnsworth came in 1832.
At that time, the region was a vast prairie that included a series of mounds that may have been Indian burial mounds, although that wasn't known at the time. Judge Caleb Eldred came with his son, Daniel B. Eldred, in 1834. Daniel is said to have climbed a tree and reported, "This caps the climax of everything we saw." In light of this, they named the place Climax Prairie. Eldred built a home, which still exists, in 1835.
As Judge Eldred was politically connected, he organized Climax Township, holding the first township meetings at his home. A post office was established in Climax Prairie on January 13, 1836, with Daniel Eldred as the first postmaster.
A harvesting machine developed by Hiram Moore and John Hascall was demonstrated in Climax Prairie in 1836. It proved to be the forerunner of the modern combine and the McCormick Reaper. While it could cut and thresh up to twenty acres of wheat a day, it required a team of sixteen horses to pull it.
In 1866, the Pennsylvania Railroad established a station in Climax Prairie and were followed by the Chicago & Lake Huron Railroad, leading to a period of growth in the community. On April 9, 1874, the village and post office names were shortened to Climax. The first Rural Free Delivery mail service in Michigan began in Climax in 1896. There were two routes, one in which the mail was delivered by horse and buggy, the other by bicycle. The post office was located at the site of the current library until 1964 when a new post office building was constructed.
Climax was incorporated as a village in 1899. Since the village first appeared on a census report in 1880, it has experienced a decline only in two decades, 1920 and 2010. Its peak population was 791 in 2000.
The focus of this guide is on the village of Climax, Michigan. Appropriate resources for this category may include websites representing the village or any individuals, businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, and events within the village.
Recommended Resources
Founded by Paul Burkett in 1956, the company’s current owners purchased the business in 1990, employing licensed sign contractors, office administrators, commercial graphic artists, fabricators, and state-licensed installation crews, offering two-year warranties on its work. Located in Climax, Michigan, its office address and a map showing its location are displayed, along with telephone and fax numbers, an email address, and an overview of its services and service area.
https://www.burkettsigns.com/
Based in Climax, Michigan, the Climax Clothing Company, doing business as Climax Jeans, designs and produces a line of high-end fashion clothing. Founded in 2008, its products include women’s jeans, shirts, and dresses, as well as men’s jeans and other clothing. A product catalog is featured online, and purchases can be made through the site. A sizing guide is included, and a profile of the company, informational blogs, and a contact form is included.
https://climaxjeans.com/
Situated in eastern Kalamazoo County, bordered to the east by Calhoun County, the township is in the southern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, and its offices are in the village of Climax. The official township website features a history of the township, meeting schedules for the board, planning commission, and road committee meetings, along with agendas and minutes, the township’s master plan, property tax data, zoning ordinances, and a zoning map.
https://www.climaxtownship.org/
Climax-Scotts Community Schools
Headquartered in the Village of Climax, Michigan, the public school district is mostly rural, comprising more than sixty square miles, offering a PK-12th-grade curriculum through the Climax-Scotts Elementary School in Scotts, and Climax-Scotts Junior/Senior High School in Climax, both of which are highlighted here, along with a staff directory, directions, daily announcements, daily schedules, curriculum guides and reports, a student handbook, and contacts.
https://www.csschools.net/
The Climax, Michigan club is part of Rotary International, a service organization whose stated purpose is to bring business and professional leaders together for humanitarian service, membership being by invitation. Club leaders are acknowledged, and a club member directory is presented, along with its committees, projects, weekly bulletins, announcements, meeting location, and various documents. The history of the Village of Climax is also featured.
http://www.climaxrotaryclub.com/
Owned and operated by a local family, the Climax, Michigan business specializes in auto body repair services, including frame and auto body repairs, and paint matching, as well as insurance assistance and free estimates. Employing state-certified technicians, the company has been in operation since 1983 and is located on North Main Street. Directions and a map showing the location of the shop are featured, along with its operating hours and contacts.
https://www.southernmichiganautobody.com/
Headquartered in Climax, Michigan, the newspaper covers the communities of Climax, Athens, Augusta, East Leroy, Fulton, Galesburg, Scotts, Vicksburg, and the surrounding region. Viewers may subscribe to its e-edition, print edition, or both through the site. While access to its full content requires a subscription, the site includes a photo gallery, local sports reports, a community calendar, obituaries, and classified advertising, as well as information about advertising opportunities.
http://www.theclimaxcrescent.com/
The official municipal website for the Climax Township village presents a brief history of the village, links to the township website, the Lawrence Memorial Library, and the Public Safety Department, and a calendar of community events. Village services and information about permit and application requirements, brush pick-up reminders, newsletters, township meeting schedules, agendas, and summaries, ordinances, resolutions, and council members.
https://www.villageofclimax.org/
