denBleyker, Paulus

Paulus denBleyker, his family and employees were among the first Dutch pioneers to settle in Kalamazoo. In 1846 Rev. Albertus VanRaalte had preceded him to western Michigan, and in his letters he spoke of the opportunities and future that existed...

Germans in Kalamazoo

Germans and Enterprise From its inception, Kalamazoo has always been a place comprised of people from diverse cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds, seeking out ways to put down roots and…

Irish in Kalamazoo

Portrait of John Dudgeon, c.1870-1880 Irish migration patterns in the 19th century suggests that most who arrived in Michigan, ended up either working as manual laborers in Detroit or Grand…

Latvian Immigration Story

“It is clear that the Latvians are one of the many ethnic groups that enrich Michigan’s culture. They are a “tile” that helps to form the state’s vivid cultural mosaic.”…

The Dutch Influence

“Between 1820 and 1840, the number of Hollanders coming to America had averaged fewer than one hundred a year. Between 1847 and 1857 ten times that number arrived, nearly half…