Douglas Records, 1864-2002

Archive

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Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Logged in users can click the pdf above to download a copy

Logged in users can click the pdf above to download a copy

Name/Title

Douglas Records, 1864-2002

Scope and Content

The following documents are held by Hope Collage. They are listed here to aid in research. H96-1279. Village of Douglas. Records, 1864-2002. 3.25 linear ft. One business day required for collection retrieval – please contact Hope College archivist. The SDHC archive has copies of many of these materials including: “Douglas: A Unique History of a Community,” by Larry J. Wagenaar, 1987 -- see accessions 2012.24 and 2019.43.03 Commercial Record -- see accession 2021.84.02 Property Tax Assessment Rolls 1891 and 1893 -- see accession 2021.62.08

Context

This collection consists of materials relating to the history of the Village of Douglas in Allegan County, Michigan. Included are newspaper clippings, ordinances, council proceedings (minutes), registration lists for elections, a history paper by Larry J. Wagenaar, property tax assessment records, and records of the village treasurer and clerk. Also includes a copy of a map of the village in 1864 and an oversized street-layout map from 1961.

Collection

Property records and tax assessments, Douglas, government

Acquisition

Notes

Processed by Michael Douma, July 2003

Archive Items Details

Title

Box 1

Description

Map, Dudleyville/Douglas, 1864 Newspaper Clippings Holland Sentinel, 1992-2002 The Commercial Record, 1954, 1964, 1967 Paper, “Douglas: A Unique History of a Community,” Larry J. Wagenaar, 1987

Title

Box 2

Description

Bonds and Oaths, 1929-1938 Council Proceedings, 1871-1895, 1938-1947 (2 volumes)

Title

Box 3

Description

Council Proceedings, 1948-1963, 1965-1972 (3 volumes)

Title

Box 4

Description

Receipts and Expenditures, 1936-1952 Treasurer’s Records, 1896-1924 Ordinances, 1924-1968

Title

Box 5

Description

Clerk’s Register of Warrants, 1895-1919 Clerk’s Account Book, 1961-1969

Title

Box 6

Description

Property Tax Assessments, 1892, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1898 (6 volumes)

Title

Box 7

Description

Property Tax Assessments, 1899, 1900, 1906, 1907 (5 volumes)

Title

Box 8

Description

Registration for Election, 1902-1930, 1934-1946 (2 volumes) Oversized Map of Douglas, 1961

Location

Building

Joint Archives of Holland

General Notes

Note

The land on which Douglas lies was previously inhabited by Pottawatomie Indians. In 1851, Jonathan Wade built the first house in the area of what became the failed city of Singapore. Wade, however, named his town Dudleyville, after his brother from Canada. Other early white settlers included William Scoville and Robert McDonald. Of more influence was William Dutcher, who purchased land in the area and officially platted it, naming it Dutchville. Later, Wade sold a portion of land to Dutcher in 1861 and the city was replatted and re-named again, apparently at the suggestion of other settlers, who had since moved there. Eventually, by decision at a town meeting, the town was named after the American Statesman, Stephen A. Douglas. It also appears, however, that Wade’s nephew, Col. Fred May, who came from Douglas on the Isle of Man, also suggested the same name. A debate about the origin of the village’s name continues, but the most likely explanation for the name involved a combination of these two sources above. The town was incorporated as a village in 1870. The area was home to many sawmills and the related lumber industry which was integral in providing for the rebuilding of Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871. The lumber industry worked itself out of a job and the area turned over to fruit production. Peaches from the area were called “Michigan Gold” and were sent by steamship to the Chicago market. A maritime industry thrived in the harbor shared with Saugatuck. A resort, tourist, and “cottage” culture emerged in the 1880s and took a propitious turn in 1910 when a group of Chicago artists established the Summer School of Paintings on Ox-Bow Lagoon, and when a huge dance hall, called the Big Pavilion, was built on the waterfront. Dreams of a booming city at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River faded way as the population stagnated then decreased, hitting a low of 305 in 1920. The village has grown steadily and has all but merged with Saugatuck. The issue of forming a conjoined city with neighboring Saugatuck has been an issue for most of the history of the village. Douglas remains a cultural and art center with an historic downtown and an active historical society.

Create Date

April 18, 2022

Update Date

November 18, 2023