The spatial growth of Battle Creek accompanied the growth of the Adventist Church, and so, for better explaining the information, we use several maps of different periods. Consequently, it’s interesting to have this technical note to list and briefly discuss the early maps of Battle Creek and Calhoun County.
The population of Battle Creek grew rapidly, it doubled every two decades roughly.
| Decade | Population |
| 1850 | 1,064 |
| 1860 | – |
| 1870 | 5,838 |
| 1880 | 7,063 |
| 1890 | 13,197 |
| 1900 | 18,563 |
| 1910 | 25,267 |
| 1920 | 36,164 |
We pictorially trace the gradual development of the urban sprawl and the growth of the network of roads and railroads around Battle Creek. The starting point is a map of 1831, which marks the year of arrival of the first settlers. 1832: first pioneers arrive. Confluence of Kalamazoo river and Battle Creek in 1831 without any houses.
The same map maker, John Farmer, produced a map 6 years later which now did show a denser network of roads in Battle Creek area. But the map is to board to capture the Methodist church and the post office that were established in 1832. The village, first called Milton after the name of the township, later Garnsey, and finally Battle Creek. The map is coarse but beautiful and is intended to chart roads rather than the buildings in small villages. The main road is now listed Kalamazoo and connected Marshall and Battle Creek.
This gorgeous map from 1841 shows the few houses west of the north-south road. There’s already a post-office (Guernsey), a flour mill and a mill. Population maybe a few dozens.
The detail below shows the (future) Battle Creek’s post office (seems a french horn), a saw mill (wheel with spring), a flouring mill (wheel), there’s also sand stone north of the river (bricks on the left map), and marshes.
The photographs below are probably the oldest available taken in 1853. By this time the population was little more of 1,000 people (US Census 1920). This may have been the view the Joseph Bates saw while saw while he was on his way to the Post Office looking for “the most honest man in the village”
The map below from 1858 is significant mostly because it arguably shows the first cartographic reference to an Adventist church. See detail below.
Interestingly this map may well be the first to list an Adventist Church! even before the church adopted the name “Seventh-Day Adventists” in 1863. This was the second church built in Battle Creek, on the property of Pr. Joseph B. Frisbie (1816 – 1882) on Van Buren St. and Cass St.
This is Battle Creek as Joseph Bates saw it in 1852. By then the population was little more of 1,000 people (US Census 1920).
the
Battle Creek exhibits a busy industrial and economic activity by 1869. Flour mills (L. G. Kellogg is already established), factories of carriages, woolen goods, carpentry (doors, sashes, moulding), suction pumps, and iron pumps, agricultural implements (threshing machines, separators, and “horse powers”), and wood sawing machines. Several dealers and merchants completed a wide offer of machines and other tools.
aaaa
aaaa
aaaaa
aaaa