The City of Dowagiac, Michigan straddles Silver Creek, Wayne, LaGrange, and Pokagon townships in the northwestern segment of Cass County, in the southwestern Lower Peninsula.
The chief routes to or through the city are M-51 and M-62, which run concurrently in Dowagiac's downtown district. Others include Dailey Road, Dutch Settlement Street, Marcellus Highway, Middle Crossing Road, Nubour Road, Rudy Road, and Wilbur Hill Road. Dowagiac Creek runs through the lower part of the city, and Pine Lake is just north of the city limits.
The Dowagiac River begins from a stream known as the Dowagiac Drain in southern Van Buren County, and is joined by the Red Run, and then the Lake of the Woods Drain near southern Hamilton Township, and becomes a river before entering into Wayne Township in Cass County. It flows in a southwesterly direction north of Dowagiac, where it passes through the Dowagiac Swamp, and is joined by Dowagiac Creek just west of the city.
Incorporated cities and villages within twenty miles of Dowagiac include Cassopolis, Eau Claire, Vandalia, Edwardsburg, Berrien Springs, Niles, Decatur, Marcellus, and Buchanan.
Dowagiac is the headquarters of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and is contained within the reservation, which includes land in ten counties in the region. They are the descendants of the residents of the Potawatomi villages that were situated along the St. Joseph, Paw Paw, and Kalamazoo rivers in southwestern Michigan and northern Indiana, although it is believed that the Potawatomi originally resided along the Atlantic coast.
Before its settlement by European-Americans, the land was mostly forested, while the northern part of what is now the city was swampland. The land is largely flat, but with some steep slopes in the southeastern part of the city.
Like many Midwestern cities, Dowagiac began as a railroad town. In 1847, Nicholas Chesbrough, a right-of-way buyer for the Michigan Central Railroad, and Jacob Benson, of Niles, bought eighty acres of land and platted the town, recording the plat on February 16, 1848. The town was named for the river north of town, which was originally spelled Dowagiake. However, when the railroad came through in late 1848, they gave it the current spelling.
Reportedly, the original word, in the Potawatomi language, was Ndowagayuk, which referred to a foraging ground, this being a place where the Potawatomi could fill his needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
Michigan Central Railroad built a small, wooden station at Dowagiac in late 1848 or early 1849, replacing it with a larger wood station in the 1870s. The current historic brick station was constructed in 1903 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Currently still in use, serving Amtrak's Blue Water and Wolverine trains, it was also a stop for the International Limited from 1982 to 2004. Today, Amtrak shares the station with the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce and Whistlestop Gifts, a retail boutique.
When the first European-American settlers came to the region, before it became a town, it was occupied by the Potawatomi. Most of the tribes moved west beginning in 1838, except for the Pokagon Band.
In 1830, William Renesten constructed a carding mill on Dowagiac Creek. He added a grist mill later, damming the creek and creating the millpond. Early settlers initially harvested the forest. When that was gone, they grew wheat, although the land was later planted in fruit trees, blueberries, peppermint, and vegetables. Maple syrup was also commonly produced.
Platted for the railroad in 1848, Dowagiac was incorporated as a village in 1858, and became a city in 1877. Over the years, its industries have included the manufacture of the roller grain drill, which planted and covered grain seeds in one operation. In 1868, P.D. Beckwith, the first mayor of Dowagiac, established a business producing the Round Oak Stoves, which were in use by all of Michigan Central's depots. For fifty years, the Round Oak Stove Company was the city's largest employer, and became the largest stove company in the United States by the 1880s. Other early industries have included the Judd Lumber Company, founded in 1859, and the Caruso Candy and Soda Shoppe, an authentic soda fountain that has been family-owned and operated in Dowagiac since 1922.
Except for a brief rise in 1990, the population of Dowagiac has trended downward for past six decades. Its peak population was 7,208 in 1960, and is currently under 6,000.
The city's public school students are served by the Dowagiac Union School District. Situated in the northeastern part of the city, Calvary Bible Academy is a private K-12 school. Dowagiac is also home to Southwestern Michigan College, a two-year school that offers on-campus housing.
The focus of this guide is on the City of Dowagiac, Michigan.
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Recommended Resources
The official municipal website publishes names and contacts for municipal board members and commissioners, city council meeting schedules and agendas, ward maps, zoning ordinances, its master plan, and a staff directory. Tax and utility bill payments may be made online, and a guide to city departments and services, area schools, churches, transportation services, health care facilities, and libraries is included, with information about business and economic development.
https://www.cityofdowagiac.com/
A member-owned, non-profit financial institution, DCU is located in Dowagiac, Michigan, and has an ATM location in Cassopolis. Organized in 1972, it became a Community Chartered Credit Union in 1978, and is part of the CO-OP ATM Network, giving members access to more than 30,000 ATMs nationwide. Its hours, locations, and an overview of its savings accounts checking accounts, club accounts, and Young Investors accounts are put forth.
https://www.dafcu.net/
DUS is a public school district in Dowagiac, Michigan, offering a PK-12th-grade curriculum through Justus Gage Elementary School, Kincheloe Elementary School, Patrick Hamilton Elementary School, Sister Lakes Elementary School, Dowagiac Middle School, and Union High School, as well as Pathfinders Alternative and Adult Education, each of which is featured here, along with a district calendar, a district newsletter, and enrollment data.
https://www.dowagiacschools.org/
Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce
Representing businesses and professional people in Dowagiac, Michigan, and the surrounding region, the Chamber is headquartered in the railroad depot building. Member benefits and rates, a member application, and membership renewals are available on its site, and its board of directors, ambassadors, staff, office hours, and contacts are included. A profile of Dowagiac and information about business opportunities and locations are presented.
https://dowagiacchamber.com/
The Pokégnek Bodéwadmik is a federally-recognized Potawatomi-speaking tribe based in southwestern Michigan and northeastern Indiana, with its governmental functions in Dowagiac, Michigan. The official government website includes a contact form for the Office of Tribal Council, as well as information about enrollment in the tribe, its governmental services, programs, and facilities, as well as economic development, career opportunities, and other resources.
http://www.pokagonband-nsn.gov/
The main campus of SMC is situated just outside the city limits , southeast of Dowagiac, with another campus near Niles. Its locations, admissions requirements, and new student orientation are featured, and its degree and certificate programs, university partnerships, transfer opportunities, a catalog of classes, costs, and financial aid programs are put forth, along with its accreditation status, departmental contacts, policy information, and employment opportunities.
https://www.swmich.edu/
