SESQUICENTENNIAL MONUMENT

Here is one of the earliest descriptions of Albion, from the 1838 Gazetteer of Michigan: "Albion, a village of recent origin, situated on the Kalamazoo River, on the located [proposed] route of the central railroad in Albion Township, Calhoun County. It has a post office, a saw mill, a flouring mill, a tavern, 3 stores, and 4 physicians. It is on the surveyed road from Monroe to Marshall, and one and a half miles south of the Territorial Road, ten miles from Marshall and 100 from Detroit. It contains about 40 dwellings, and is in a thriving condition." That’s how we got our start, folks.

In 1985, Albion celebrated its 150th anniversary. As part of the celebration, a special sesquicentennial monument was erected at the entrance to Rieger Park, just downstream from the original "Forks" of the Kalamazoo River. As you enter the Park from E. Erie St., look to your left and you’ll see this low-profile "wall" which is shaped like the forks of a river.

On this monument a plaque was placed to commemorate the celebration, and was funded by the Albion Civic Foundation. This plaque states "1835 Albion 1985. Erected in Celebration of 150 Years of Agriculture, Commerce, Education & Industry and as a Challenge for 150 More Years of Community Progress. A GOOD LIFE. The Albion Civic Foundation."

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of that monument in the distance at the entrance to Rieger Park, and the plaque which is placed upon it. How many of our readers have taken the time to view this monument? I’ll see you this coming Saturday. Be sure and stop by.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
	Michigan Prints by Maggie LaNoue Michigan Prints offers limited-edition archival Giclée prints, miniprints, notecards and boxed sets featuring Michigan landmarks, nature, resorts and nostalgia. Each print and card includes a legend on the back with stories about Michigan history. Albion scenes include the Kalamazoo River waterfall and the Blizzard of 1978. Find Michigan Prints online and at local shops. Michigan Prints \| Albion Scenes \| Custom Cards \| Zazzle Gifts
	AlbionMich.net — General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net is a hub for community life in the greater Albion area, featuring current news, city council updates, river restoration stories, parks and trails. See Albion's beautiful Kalamazoo River waterfall as it looks today — and follow the story of its future restoration. Includes news from The Recorder and stories about Albion's 17 parks. AlbionMich.net \| Albion Blog \| Frank Passic on AlbionMich.net
	General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net offers two General Guides to the Albion area — one covering community life including city council, veterans, history, youth and wellness resources, and one covering the outdoors including roads, rivers, parks, trails and downtown. Both guides feature stories by local writers including contributors to The Recorder, sorted by topic for easy reference. General Guide — Community \| General Guide — Outdoors
	Robin James — Indices Unlimited Robin James is the editor of the Albion Historical Notebook and has kept Frank Passic's thousands of articles organized and searchable for decades. A trained librarian and archivist, Robin specializes in back-of-book and online indexing, multimedia collection management, and corporate information distribution. He also enjoys strange music and is a contributing editor for Igloo electronic music magazine. For more about his indexing services, visit Indices Unlimited.
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