The Gull Prairie Road

A Brief History of Gull Road

Shortly after the village of Bronson (Kalamazoo) was established in 1831, “a diagonal road from Gull Prairie to Bronson” was surveyed, most likely following the course of an ancient trail laid down long ago by the area’s native inhabitants. Although it was little more than a dusty dirt path at the time, the road made travel possible between Kalamazoo and the village of Richland (then known as Gull Corners) and nearby Gull Lake. The trail once called the road to Gull Prairie (or the Gull Corners Road) is now known simply as Gull Road.

“Road from Bronson to Gull Prairie, commencing on the Territorial road, on the right bank of the Kalamazoo River, at Harrison’s Ferry, in town 2 south, range 11 west, and running with variations to the southeast corner of section 15 in town 1 south, range 10 west; whole distance eight miles and one hundred and forty rods. Surveyed Oct. 25, 1832, and Feb. 1, 1833, by Stephen Vickery.”

~Samuel W. Durant, 1880

Stagecoach Stop on Gull Corners Road

By the 1840s, W.G. Patterson of Kalamazoo and John K. Ward of Battle Creek had begun operating a stagecoach line between Battle Creek and Grand Rapids. A connecting line followed the Gull Prairie Road from Kalamazoo to Gull Corners (Richland) where passengers could then continue northward to Hastings and on to Grand Rapids and elsewhere.

But travel in those days was slow. The journey by stagecoach from Kalamazoo to Gull Corners took several hours, and the trip through to Grand Rapids was an all-day endeavor. Midway between Kalamazoo and Gull Corners was Hunt’s Tavern, a convenient stopping place where drivers could change horses, and stagecoach passengers could gain a bit of refreshment and perhaps a “stirrup cup” before continuing on their way. “All stage coaches made it a regular stop, and it was the traditional final stop for all the circus caravans heading into Kalamazoo” (Gazette).

The landmark tavern, likely built in the 1850s, stood along the east edge of the Gull Prairie Road at the 26th Street crossing in Comstock Township, about 4 miles east of Kalamazoo. According to local legend, the tavern “did a flourishing business and its fame spread far and wide among the traveling public” (Gazette).

Gardner and Christina Hunt

Hunt’s tavern was operated by Vermont natives Gardner Hunt and his wife Christina. The  longtime Kalamazoo residents were newlyweds in the 1850s as they served up homecooked meals and providing overnight accommodation for road weary travelers. The establishment was “widely known throughout the state because of its attractive surroundings, its homelike appearance and the kind and hospitable proprietors” (Gazette). The tavern ceased operation in the 1890s and saw a variety of uses until Christina Hunt’s death in 1912, after which time the building fell into disrepair and was eventually torn down.

“In the winter, Kalamazoo people went there for oyster suppers – parties would rent the dining room, bring their own barrel of oysters, and stage a dance.”

—Kalamazoo Gazette, 17 June 1945

“The Gull Lake Path”

After the Civil War, the “deep, cold and very pure” (Gazette) waters of Gull Lake gradually became a favored destination for fishing, picnicking, and other outdoor activities. E.L. Hawks created a resort at the south end of the lake during the 1870s which soon became a popular place for camping and lakeside recreation. But getting to Gull Lake during the 19th century wasn’t an easy journey. In 1868, residents of Comstock, Richland, and Kalamazoo took up a collection and paid $1,100 to have a 1,600-foot section of the roadway in Comstock Township graveled to make passage easier. Still, before the railroad and electric interurban lines were built, a drive out to the lake by horse and carriage (or hay wagon) was a day-long affair.

By the mid-1890s, still well ahead of automobile travel, the Gull Prairie Road (by then known simply as Gull Road) remained a muddy dirt wagon path. But with the bicycle craze in full swing by 1895, local “wheel” enthusiasts solicited funds and built a gravel bicycle pathway along the existing road from Kalamazoo to Richland and on to Gull Lake. With annual repair and improvement, it served hundreds of cyclists each year until 1902 when the roadway was prepared for a different kind of “wheel”… the automobile.

“The road at this point has been very level with little natural drainage, and following a heavy storm has always been a sea of mud.”

—Kalamazoo Gazette, 6 December 1911

“The Beautiful Gull Road”

As the popularity of bicycling gave way to the newfangled automobile, the road from Kalamazoo to Richland was graveled in 1910, and extended eastward to Gull Lake the following year. In 1913, a one-mile section of the road near Kalamazoo was paved with concrete and another mile was paved with crushed stone as an experiment to test the viability of the materials.

“The construction gang drawing gravel on the section of the Gull road near Hunt’s tavern will be occupied for six weeks as there are about 1,500 loads of gravel to be spread on the section under improvement.”

—Kalamazoo Gazette, 13 December 1913

At the close of First World War, “the famous, hard graveled Gull road” was in fine condition for motorists who were traveling northward to Crooked Lake and Wall Lake for day-long outings or extended retreats. By 1924, materials and technology had improved such that the full seven-mile run between Nazareth and Richland had become known as “the beautiful Gull Road” (Gazette), an 18-foot ribbon of smooth asphalt.

Nazareth College Stone Wall

The stone wall along the south and east sides of the former Nazareth Academy and College complex has intrigued Gull Road travelers for nearly a century. The wall, a gift to the community from an anonymous donor, was designed and built by Charles Glue, a stone mason from Mendon. Kalamazoo architects Charles A. Fairchild and his son Horatio designed the elaborate gateway entrance. The project began in June 1924 and took more than four years to complete. Stones were gathered from nearby farms and fields, the largest of which was a 2,700-pound boulder found near Mendon.

Gull Road Today

Today, Gull Road serves as a main artery between downtown Kalamazoo and the rapidly developing areas to the north and east. Homes, apartments, stores, restaurants, and a five-lane thoroughfare now share the land where farm fields and a muddy two-track dirt road used to be. An immediate medical care facility currently occupies the corner where “Ye Olde” Hunt’s Tavern once stood, and we think nothing of the few minutes it now takes to make the quick drive to Richland or Gull Lake over the same route that took hours by stagecoach on the old “road from Gull Prairie to Bronson” so long ago.

Written by Keith Howard, Kalamazoo Public Library staff, April 2025