<p>In 1825, the opening of the Erie Canal triggered a migration of pioneer families from America's East Coast to the Michigan territory. By 1836, entrepreneurs had dug a mill race and platted a village that would eventually become Battle Creek. The town was first known as a farm implement center for the Midwest, then became the "Health City" (for its connection to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Dr. J. H. Kellogg's Battle Creek Sanitarium), and eventually became known as the "Cereal City," because it was the birthplace of ready-to-eat breakfast foods. By pairing archival and modern photographs, this book documents how Battle Creek advanced from a small settlement to a thriving community. This comparative perspective reveals many changes and advancements in Battle Creek's physical and cultural landscape.</p>

Battle Creek (MI) (Then & Now)

History

Ashley, Martin

Thornton, Kurt

Americas

Arcadia Publishing

Founded in 1831, Battle Creek has transformed itself with a rapidly changing world-from agrarian milling community to manufacturing center to the current morph into a food health research center. For 100 years, "Cereal City" has been connected to ready-to-eat breakfast foods, home to the Post Division of General Foods, Ralston Foods, and the Kellogg Company, making it the largest cereal-producing city in the world. Visitors and residents alike have enjoyed mailing postcards of this dynamic community to friends and family all over the world.

Battle Creek (Postcard History Series)

Arts & Photography

Bennett, Carol

Photography & Video

In the 1960s, Battle Creek was a successful industrial town known around the world as the "Cereal City" due to the area's largest employers, the ready-to-eat breakfast food companies of Ralston Foods, the Kellogg Company, and the Post division of General Foods. As these long-established businesses began to downsize, automate, and relocate, the community met the new economic and social challenges by developing a downtown pedestrian mall, converting a former military base into a vibrant industrial park, and merging two municipalities into the third-largest city (by area) in Michigan. These changes, along with many others, have continued to guide this Midwestern community into the 21st century.

Battle Creek (Images of Modern America)

In 1825, two government surveyors platting the southwest Michigan territory engaged in a small skirmish with two Native Americans. With a humorous nod, the surveyors gave the name Battle Creek to the river where this encounter took place. A few years later, a group of entrepreneurs, led by Sands McCamly, established a milling community and named it after the river. Thus the city of Battle Creek had its start. Over the following 170 years, it has grown into a thriving community of culture and character. This book uses historical photos and rare illustrations to trace Battle Creek's chronological development, from its water-powered mills, its railroads and factories, and its identity as a major stop on the Underground Railroad to its eventual pre-eminence as the "Cereal City."

Battle Creek

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Thornton, Kurt. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Thornton, Kurt

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Thornton, Kurt. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Battle Creek (MI) (Then & Now)

Battle Creek (Postcard History Series)

Battle Creek (Images of Modern America)

Battle Creek