St. Joseph (Michigan)

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St. Joseph
Nickname : St. Joe
St. Joseph (Michigan)
St. Joseph
St. Joseph
Location in Michigan
Basic data
Foundation : 1834
State : United States
State : Michigan
County : Berrien County
Coordinates : 42 ° 6 ′  N , 86 ° 29 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 6 ′  N , 86 ° 29 ′  W
Time zone : Atlantic Standard Time ( UTC − 4 )
Inhabitants :
-  Metropolitan Area :		 8,365 (as of 2016)
154,010 (as of 2016)
Population density : 1,003 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 12.43 km 2  (around 5 mi 2 ) of
which 8.34 km 2  (around 3 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 192 m
Postal code : 49085
FIPS : 26-70960
GNIS ID : 0636762
Website : sjcity.com
Mayor : Michael Garey
St Joseph Michigan aerial view.jpg
St. Joseph from the air

St. Joseph is a city in the state of Michigan in the United States . It was founded in 1834 and received city rights in 1891. At the 2010 census , the city had 8,365 inhabitants. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the St. Joseph River about 140 km northeast of Chicago. St. Joseph is the capital of Berrien County . It is also the seat of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers .

history

In the beginning, today's area around St. Joseph was an important Indian trading center, as it was on a main route between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi . Both the Miami and the Potawatomi traveled this route and used the area around St. Joseph to rest. Furthermore, the St. Joseph River offered a connection to a Sauk trade route , which was considered the main land route through Michigan.

In 1669, Europeans discovered the estuary and the French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle founded Fort Miami at this point . In 1679, La Salle waited in vain for the Le Griffon to return . When he gave up the ship as missing, he and his men were the first Europeans to cross the Lower Peninsula .

The next white settler in the area was William Burnett, who ran a trading post at the mouth of the St. Joseph River around 1780. He traded groceries, skins, and other goods with Detroit , Mackinac, and Chicago .

In 1829 Calvin Britain , who had taught on a Baptist mission in Niles , came to the St. Joseph area from Jefferson County . A short time later, he developed a land map for a settlement, which he named Newburyport after a coastal town in Massachusetts , drawing more settlers to the area. The plots sold quickly and the settlement flourished. The estuary of the St. Joseph was straightened and jetties were built. Furthermore, the first lighthouse in St. Joseph was built during this time . In 1834 Newburyport was renamed and St. Joseph was founded.

In 1825 a ship connection between St. Joseph and Chicago was set up as a postal route , but it was only used sporadically. It wasn't until 1842 that Samuel and Eber Ward set up a scheduled connection that was in operation for eleven years. Before large shipping companies emerged on Lake Michigan , the trips were mainly carried out by boat owners. With the advent of the shipping industry in Benton Harbor and tourism in St. Joseph, more and more ships operated from the port.

U.S. Life Saving Service boathouse, circa 1874.

In 1876 the United States Lifesaving Service built a base in St. Joseph and appointed Joseph Napier as its director.

After a fierce election campaign, St. Joseph became the capital of Berrien County in 1894 . After Berrien Springs gave up, each of the county's three largest towns - Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, and Niles - claimed the title, but none gained enough votes. It was not until Benton Harbor and St. Joseph united their votes that they were sufficient for St. Joseph.

On October 11, 1898, Augustus Moore Herring brought one of his motorized aircraft to Silver Beach in St. Joseph. He took off with his glider and flew for seven seconds. Eleven days later, he even managed another flight of ten seconds. Although Herring was flying a motor-powered airplane, he was unable to control the flight. So he left it to the Wright brothers and the town of Kitty Hawk to carry out the first controlled powered flight five years later and thus to occupy a place in history that Herring and St. Joseph could also have occupied.

Downtown St. Joseph 2007

traffic

During the second half of the 19th century, the two major shipping companies, Goodrich Transportation and Graham and Morton, mainly operated between St. Joseph and Chicago. They dominated shipping traffic in St. Joseph for over a hundred years, although smaller companies also carried out shipping traffic during this time.

In 1874, Henry Graham and J. Stanley Morton began operating a steamship line from St. Joseph. The Graham and Morton Transportation Company emerged from this collaboration. They prevailed in tough competition, grew rapidly and, during the more than fifty years of their existence, became the second largest shipping company in St. Joseph after Goodrich Transportation. Goodrich ceased traffic to St. Joseph and Benton Harbor in 1880. In 1924 the Graham and Morton Transportation Company merged with Goodrich Transportation. Like most ports on Lake Michigan, traffic in St. Joseph declined in the early years of the 20th century, compounded by the Great Depression . The route between Chicago and St. Joseph lasted until the 1950s.

On January 29, 1870, the Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad extended a route from New Buffalo to St. Joseph. The route connected St. Joseph with Grand Rapids , Muskegon , Detroit and Chicago. Until then, connections between these cities and St. Joseph existed only through Lake Michigan . Eventually the route was renamed the Chicago and West Michigan Railway and taken over by the Pere Marquette Railroad .

Commercial and industrial

In 1892 the Truscott Boat Manufacturing Company moved from Grand Rapids to St. Joseph. In the early twentieth century it was the largest employer in St. Joseph with 700 employees and produced six hundred wooden boats a year. The company built boats for the military during World War I , but got into trouble during the Great Depression. It was sold in 1940 and revived during World War II to build ships for the US Navy . In 1948 it went bankrupt.

In 1911, Louis and Frederick Upton, together with their uncle Emory Upton, founded a company for the production of household washing machines . The business flourished, the company grew and still exists today. In 1929 the Upton Machine Company merged with the Nineteen Hundred Washer Company and was continued under that name. In 1948 the company began selling appliances under the Whirlpool brand . Over the next decade, the Nineteen Hundred Washer Company changed its name to Whirlpool Corporation . Today Whirlpool Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of home appliances and continues to have large offices in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Whirlpool is also headquartered near Benton Harbor.

In 1891 the Silver Beach amusement park opened in St. Joseph. Logan Drake and Louis Wallace bought land from the Pere Marquette Railroad and built vacation bungalows on it to attract tourists to the seashore. As the park gained popularity, the two opened various stalls and rides . The first roller coaster called Chase Through The Clouds was built in 1904. It was later replaced by the Velvet roller coaster , which was then renamed The Comet . Popular attractions included the Carousel and the Shadowland Ballroom , which was built in 1927. During the 1960s and 1970s, the buildings became increasingly neglected and the number of visitors declined. Eventually the park was closed by the police in 1970 due to crime.

Rampage 2016

On July 11, 2016, inmate Larry Darnell Gordon opened fire on the third floor of the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph, killing two law officers and injuring a deputy and a civilian. Gordon was about to be brought to a court hearing when he stole a gun from a police officer and tried to take hostages. Shortly after he was taken hostage, other judicial officers shot him dead.

geography

According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of ​​12.43 km², of which 8.34 km² consists of land and 4 km² of water.

Demographics

year 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2016
population 2603 3733 5155 5936 7251 8349 8963 10,223 11,755 11,042 9622 9214 8789 8365 8288
source


2010

According to the 2010 census , 8,365 residents from 1,941 families in 3,933 households lived in the city. The population density was 1003 inhabitants per square kilometer. The ethnic distribution included 88.1% White, 5.3% African American , 3.4% Asian , 0.3% Native American , 0.9% other races, and 1.9% two or more races. 2.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latin American .

Children under the age of 18 lived in 20.6% of the 3,933 households. 37.5% consisted of married couples. 8.9% were single women and 2.9% were single men. The average household size was 1.97 people and the average family size was 2.74 people.

The mean age of the population was 41.6 years. 16.4% of the population were under 18, 9.2% between 18 and 24, 28.6% between 25 and 44, 27.2% between 45 and 64 and 18.6% were 65 or older. The gender distribution was 48.8% men and 51.2% women.

2000

According to the 2000 census, the city had 8,789 residents from 2,058 families in 4117 households. The population density was 989.3 inhabitants per square kilometer. There were 4,594 housing units at an average density of 1,338.8 per square kilometer. The ethnic distribution included 90.31% White, 5.11% African American, 0.41% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander , 1.29% Hispanic and Latin American, 0.46% other Ethnic groups and 1.31% members of two or more ethnic groups.

Children under the age of 18 lived in 22% of the 4117 households. 37.6% were married couples and 9.4% were single women. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.77.

The city's age distribution included 19% under 18 years of age, 9.5% between 18 and 24 years of age, 30.6% between 25 and 44 years of age, 22.7% between 45 and 65 years of age, and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older older. The average age was 39 years. For every 100 women there were 96 men and for every 100 women over the age of 18 there were 92.9 men over the age of 18.

The average annual income for a household was 37,032 US dollars and a family at 51,328 US dollars. Men had an average annual income of $ 36,250 and women of $ 26,395. The city's per capita income was $ 24,949. Around 4.3% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line - 6.1% of them under 18 and 6.3% over 65.

Arts and Culture

St. Joseph and its twin town Benton Harbor host the annual Blossomtime Festival .

The Krasl art exhibition On the Bluff is held at Lake Bluff Park on the weekend after July 4th each year .

Since 2005, the Concours d'Elegance of Southwest Michigan has also been held annually on the second Saturday in August. 75 classic car owners are invited to this event to showcase their vehicles in Lake Bluff Park.

The Silver Beach in St. Joseph

Venetian Festival

From 1979 to 2011 the Venetian Festival took place in St. Joseph, which included three traditions: the blessing of the river, the illuminated ship parade and a classic ship parade. The name of the festival paid homage to the parallels between St. Joseph and Venice .

In 1987 the USS Oliver Hazard Perry moored in port and the ship's commander offered tours to festival goers. This established a tradition in which ships of the US Navy regularly attended the festival. Musical performances on three stages also contributed to the festival's success. Many local musicians played on stage at The Bluff and the Shadowland Pavilion, while famous bands such as the Beach Boys , Cheap Trick , Little Big Town and Jason Michael Carroll performed on the main stage .

According to Michigan State University , around 63,000 visitors attended the Venetian Festival in 1997, generating sales of $ 1.7 million for the local economy.

Many competitions were also held along Silver Beach and the Saint Joseph River during the festival. Among other things, a volleyball tournament , a running competition and a sand sculpture competition took place.

The Illuminated and the Classic Ship Parade both took place on the St. Josef River and have been part of the Venetian Festival since 1987. Other attractions like fireworks and rides also attracted visitors from larger cities like Chicago . The blessing of the river was performed on July 30th and is still a tradition in St. Joseph to this day.

politics

The city government of St. Joseph is organized as the city ​​council . There is a city commission with five members who are elected jointly. Elections take place in November in years with even years. Three new seats are awarded for each election. The two candidates with the most votes receive their seats for four years and the candidate with the third most votes for two years. At the first meeting after the election, the commission elects a mayor and a deputy mayor from among its own ranks for the next two years . The commissioners are not full-time politicians. As a rule, they meet twice a month as a legislative body and set the general strategy for the city. The day-to-day business is delegated to an employed city ​​manager .

Municipal facilities include the town hall, a police station, the municipal utilities, the fire department, the Maud Preston Palenske library, the John and Dede Howard ice rink, a waterworks and a cemetery.

The Lake Michigan Shoreline Water and Sewage Treatment Authority supplies the communities of Lincoln Charter Township , Royalton Township , St. Joseph Charter Township and the towns of Shoreham and Stevensville with its waterworks . It also operates a sewage treatment plant owned by the towns of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. In addition to the cities and towns listed, the sewage treatment plant also serves the community of Benton Charter Township and parts of Sodus Township .

Occupation of the city commission
Surname function Year of first election
Michael Garey mayor 1999
Fran Chickering deputy mayor 2007
Jeffery Richards City Commissioner 1984
Mary Goff City Commissioner 1986
Chris Heugel City Commissioner 2013

schools

St. Joseph has two high schools , a Catholic school, two other Lutheran schools, and a college.

Public media

The local newspaper of St. Joseph is the Herald-Palladium, whose editorial office is based in the nearby St. Joseph Township . Various local radio and television stations can also be received.

traffic

Highways

St. Joseph is located on Interstate 94 , Michigan Highway 63 , Michigan Highway 139, and US Highway 91 . The Interstate 196 begins immediately northeast of Benton Harbor-St. Joseph.

An Amtrak drives past the marina

railroad

The train station of St. Joseph is a day by train Pere Marquette by Amtrak served.

Local transport

The Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority (TCATA) provides local transportation throughout the St. Joseph and Benton Harbor area. Originally, only calls were offered. However, three scheduled lines were later set up. Only one of these lines runs through St. Joseph. The other lines are limited to Benton Harbor and the surrounding area.

Airport

The Southwest Michigan Regional Airport is one of the cities of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.

Shipping

At the commercial port of St. Joseph, bulk goods will be handled by sea freighters. St. Joseph has two docks and another dock is in Benton Harbor. Due to the limited water depth in the port and the lack of the possibility of dredging, the throughput of goods is declining.

Shipping 2007
Companies Type of goods Ships tonnage
Consumers Limestone, sand and slag 27 277.106
Dock 63 Limestone, gravel and sand 13 171.187
Lafarge cement 27 185,250
Total 67 633,543


Earlier years
year Number of ships tonnage
2000 69 770.189
2001 87 1,118,964
2002 82 665.917
2003 90 794.572
2004 85 767.975

Personalities

sons and daughters of the town

Personalities who lived on site

St. Joseph in Pop Culture

The book The Other Side of the River by Alex Kotlowitz describes the death of an African American youth from the point of view of the residents of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. It deals with the relationship between the ethnic groups in the two cities.

The book controversially captured A Million Little Pieces (German title A Million Little Pieces ) by James Frey is partly set in or around St. Joseph. Frey went to St. Joseph High School. Parts of the population from the area including the police showed that the book is not only a true, but also partly a fictional story.

Stephen Christian, singer of the band Anberlin , spent part of his childhood in St. Joseph and mentions the city in one of his songs.

Web links

Commons : St. Joseph, Michigan  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Orville W. Coolidge: A Twentieth Century History of Berrien County, Michigan . The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois 1906.
  2. ^ Blanche M. Haines: French and Indian Footprints at Three Rivers on the St. Joseph. Glen A. Black Laboratory of Archeology, June 25, 2010, accessed March 23, 2018 .
  3. ^ Website of St. Joseph. January 4, 2010, accessed March 23, 2018 .
  4. ↑ John Logan Allen: North American Exploration, Vol. 2 . University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln 1997, ISBN 0-8032-1015-9 , pp. 475 .
  5. ↑ a b Matthew G. Anderson: The History of St. Joseph, Michigan. Michigan History Magazine, June 2004, accessed March 23, 2018 .
  6. ^ A b George Newman Fuller: Economic and Social Beginnings of Michigan . Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Company, 1916, p. 630 .
  7. ^ A b George Woodman Hilton: Lake Michigan Passenger Steamers . Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 2002, ISBN 0-8047-4240-5 , pp. 364 .
  8. ↑ Connie Braesch: Coast Guard Heroes: Joseph Napier. Coast Guard Compass - Official blog of the US Coast Guard, November 8, 2010, accessed March 23, 2018 .
  9. ↑ John Fedynsky: Michigan's County Courthouses . University of Michigan Press, 2010, ISBN 0-472-11728-9 , pp. 201 .
  10. ↑ Jeff Scott: Augustus Herring & the Wright Brothers. aerospaceweb.org, December 19, 2004, accessed March 23, 2018 .
  11. ^ Graham & Morton Transportation Company: Graham and Morton Line . AB Morse, 1915.
  12. ↑ Kenneth J. Blume: Historical Dictionaries of Professions and Industries . Scarecrow Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-8108-5634-9 , pp. 612 .
  13. ^ Website of the Whirlpool Corporation. October 8, 2008, accessed March 23, 2018 .
  14. ^ Silver Beach Amusement Park History. Southwest Michigan Business & Tourism Directory, accessed March 19, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Two bailiffs killed, deputy sheriff injured in Berrien County courthouse shooting. Article in Washington Post on July 11, 2016, accessed March 23, 2018 .
  16. ↑ US Local Lexicon 2010. (No longer available online.) United States Census Bureau, January 24, 2012, archived from the original on January 24, 2012 ; Retrieved November 25, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.census.gov
  17. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n U.S. Census of Population and Housing, archived. May 12, 2015, accessed March 19, 2018 .
  18. ^ Population and Housing Unit Estimates. US Census, accessed June 9, 2017 .
  19. ↑ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau , accessed November 25, 2012 .
  20. ↑ Join us Saturday, May 2nd at 10:30 AM in Downtown St. Joseph, Michigan for the 36th annual Run for the Buds! blossomtimefestival.org, July 12, 2011, accessed May 9, 2015 .
  21. ↑ 2013 Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff. krasl.org, July 27, 2013, accessed February 6, 2016 .
  22. ^ Lake Bluff Concours d'Elegance of Southwest Michigan. concoursswmi.com, accessed May 9, 2015 .
  23. ^ William F. Ast: Venetian Festival officials dissolve 33-year-old St. Joseph summer event. Michigan State University, September 28, 2011, accessed March 24, 2018 .
  24. ↑ a b Events for the festival. venetian.org, February 23, 2009, accessed March 24, 2018 .
  25. ^ Berrien County Transit. Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, January 27, 2011, accessed February 6, 2016 .