War of 1812 Forge

Unresolved History of the "Old Smithy"

Scholars of history would probably prefer for there to never be a question or a hint of wrongness regarding the facts of history that cannot be resolved with unassailable research, verifiable evidence and primary documents. Unfortunately, the muddiness of history is simply part of the noble pursuit of acquiring knowledge, and the sometimes challenge of solving a mystery is at the core of that chase. A case in point: the whereabouts of a forge established by the British government, and the Michigan Potawatomie who provided support for the British during the War of 1812. The “old smithy” was constructed to “repair guns and sharpen knives for the Indians who were allies of the English.” (KG, 5-22-38)

Over the course of several years, I’ve stumbled across the suggestion that this forge existed near today’s Kleinstuck Preserve. The specifics of this version of history seems to have passed from one historical source to the next. A book about the history of the Hillcrest Neighborhood, which sits just north of the marshy preserve mentions the British forge as possibly having been situated there, as well as a book of Kalamazoo trivia published in the early 1980s. In a historical timeline of Kalamazoo published by the Kalamazoo Gazette on 11 February 1996, the legend of the forge having been located in the “vicinity of Kleinstuck” was once more repeated. Like a person whispering details into someone’s ear, who then passed the information on to another person’s ear, some of the important details were seemingly being lost each time the topic was passed along. I’ve spoken with several patrons over the years who were eager to prove that the forge was located in the marshy preserve. Let’s look at what we know.

The tale of the forge first got its start with a personal account delivered in 1854 by Hezekiah G. Wells on the occasion of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the village’s establishment, and published a year later by the Ladies’ Library Association. So what took place between 1812 and 1854? Wells’ recollections focus on a trip he made from his residence in Prairie Ronde in 1833 to the “Trading House”, the “great mart” for the trading of goods and ‘necessaries’ located south of the Village of Bronson. Wells says that the trading post was near ‘The Furnace’ (i.e. forge). Wells’ goal was to acquire “a supply of salt.” Upon his arrival, Wells found a large number of Potawatomie engaged in the trading of different goods. Once he procured his barrel of salt for “twelve dollars and fifty cents in silver coin”, Wells set out to return southward to his home with several companions. Along with Wells was Sagamaw, the “village Chief of some two score of Indian Lodges” and his interpreter Durocher. As the three proceeded southward, they came across an area of land “about one mile south from the present Axtell Farm House.” Wells continues:

“The Indian pointed to a mound shaped spot of land, entirely surrounded by the marsh, and explained through Durocher that there stood, during the last war with England, a shop, in which two men, (one French, the other English) labored in repairing the guns of the Indians. He stated that the rude shop was erected, and the men paid by the British Government, and that the repairs were made for the Indians, free of any charge; that the shop was placed on that knoll or mound surrounded by a wet marsh, as a protection to some extent, against fire. Sagamaw also stated, that many Indians were at that spot, for weeks, obtaining repairs and making their simple arrangements, in anticipation of a great battle to be fought in the month of December, A.D. 1812, in the Eastern part of what now constitutes the State of Michigan, and that their expectations were sadly realized in the bloody fight at Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, on the 22nd day of January, A.D. 1813.”

Given their route homeward from the trading post, heading southward, we can presume that the description is nowhere near the Kleinstuck marsh, primarily because the Axtell family had multiple properties scattered throughout the county, including a large parcel of land between Milham Road (aka Indian Fields Road) and Romence Road. It is true that Benjamin Franklin Axtell owned land near Kleinstuck, providing advocates of the Kleinstuck theory some credence, but given the additional details about the forge’s location, it would seem unlikely that a forge would be erected in an unpopulated, malaria-filled swamp, miles from where the Potawatomie were known to reside. If we look at the 1861 county plat map, we can see where Benjamin’s brother Riley’s land was located. Riley, a physician and farmer, owned several acres of land just east of the Portage Creek.

The possible location of the forge was in very close proximity to the tract of prairie land (approximately four square miles) which possessed a sizeable Potawatomie presence (aka Indian Fields). Today, this portion of the City of Portage is recognized with a historical marker at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport. The marker also alludes to the War of 1812, that being the use of land as a holding ground for American soldiers captured as prisoners of war. It seems reasonable to conclude that the prisoners were held in close proximity to the forge. Wells claimed that in 1833, there was still visible evidence of charred remnants of the forge, including the block which held the anvil. In 1869, as part of a county history that was published in the county directory, there is reference to the “old smithy.” The Kalamazoo portion of the history was written by historian and journalist George Torrey. Borrowing from the Wells account, Torrey wrote:

“The principal village hereabouts in 1812 was Indian Fields, in Portage, a hidden village, situated away from the trails. It was the time when the warriors were away aiding the British; a period marked and commemorated by the old smithy, erected on the Prairie Ronde trail, near the south line of the “Axtell farm,” so often visited and so well remembered by the old settlers. This pioneer mechanic shop of this place and the Kalamazoo valley, was set up here by the English Government, and a smith was stationed here, to repair fire-locks, prepare bullets, etc., and there was probably a “cache” of powder, lead, knives and other “war material.” The smithy consisted of a round block upon which an anvil had been placed and the remains of a rude forge, built of logs and earth, but which had crumbled away in the lapse of years. A heap of charcoal and some debris of the furnace and work-shop can still be found by raking away the accumulated vegetable mold.”

–Kalamazoo County Directory with a History of the County, 1869-70

In May of 1938, two men of prominent Kalamazoo pioneer families were also interested in identifying the location of the forge. The two historical gumshoes were Dr. Walter DenBleyker (grandson of Paulus DenBleyker) and attorney Stephen H. Wattles (grandson of Col. Stephen H. Wattles). The two men posed in front of a bush where they believed the old forge once stood for a Kalamazoo Gazette photographer. DenBleyker was the one who found the mound, described at the time as “nine-tenths of a mile south of the intersection of Indian Fields Road and Lovers Lane.”

A look at a contemporary Google Map, with an overlay of the 1861 plat map gives us an idea as to where the forge may have been located, if one presumes that it was indeed, in the southern portion of Axtell’s property.

We may not have any physical evidence to examine after more than two centuries of changes to the land, but we can use the information from the secondary sources we have to make educated determinations as to the forge’s onetime whereabouts. What do you think?

Article written by Ryan Gage, Kalamazoo Public Library staff, December 2024