A restored Sinclair gas station in Cassopolis.
Last summer, I took a day off and headed southwest to Berrien Springs, Cassopolis, Vandalia and Jones.
Berrien Springs is about an hour from Kalamazoo and was platted in 1831. The Berrien Springs courthouse was completed in 1839, making it the oldest courthouse in the state. It’s now a museum. Muhammad Ali once had a house here. Berrien Springs was once known as the Christmas Pickle capital of the world, and after a short hiatus, has revived its annual Pickle Festival on July 4th.
I stopped and talked to Kathleen Pullano, the long-time publisher of the Journal Era, the local newspaper. The paper began in 1874 and the office is chocked full of Berrien Springs memorabilia. When I asked her what things she would suggest I see in the area, she mentioned the remains of the old St. Joseph Valley Interurban train line bridge across Lake Chapin. This line, built between 1889-1897, once connected Berrien Springs to Buchanan and Northern Indiana. There are plans to build a 1,300-foot walking bridge across the lake, using the old cement abutments. After standing on a bluff up above the lake, I tried to imagine the bridge and hoped to see its completion.
My next stop was about 20 miles to the east in Cassopolis.
Cassopolis was platted in 1831 and incorporated as a village in 1861. The town was a major part of the Underground Railroad and many African Americans settled here. This was my first trip through the area in a few years and I was impressed with the refurbished downtown. At the southern end of Broadway Street, the main north-south road through downtown, is a completely restored 1950’s Sinclair gas station. Just past it is the popular Stone Lake Beach with a long pier, paddle boats and a very large, sandy beach. It was packed with swimmers on the hot day I was in town. I enjoyed a delicious ice cream cone from Twirl as I walked the pier.
Broadway Street is lined with classic two- and three-story brick buildings. I met a man who was an artist and blacksmith. His shop was packed with cool antiques. I also met Evonne Gaskin, a friendly life-long resident who has a Gemstone, Fossil and Mineral Specimen store. She also enjoys attending fairs and farmers markets, selling succulents and cacti. Her dad is the local barber.
I poked my head into the door of the Cassopolis Beer Company and met the owners. They were very friendly and told me about all of their hard work that went into turning the old fire station into a brewery. It was very impressive and well worth a return visit.
Stone Lake Bar and Grill, Broadway Cafe, The B & C and the Holden Green Tavern are popular food destinations.
I headed back east to Kalamazoo along M60, passing through the small town of Vandalia, another major Underground Railroad stop. The Bonine House, a gorgeous red brick home, is being restored by the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County.
My last stop was in Jones. The small town has an interesting history of being turned into a Wild West tourist attraction back in the 1970’s by Ed Lowe, inventor of Kitty Litter. I remember visiting the Red Garter Saloon and a few other attractions about 40 years ago. Not much is left of the old attraction but you can still see a few remnants of the old Wild West store fronts, if you look closely.
