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The City of Coldwater, 1861-1961

Branch County · dedicated 1961 · Intersection US-12 & US-27, Coldwater

Potawatomi Indians ceded Coldwater Prairie to the United States in 1827. The Indians called it Chucksewyabish, meaning "cold spring water." Coldwater is located at the junction of [the] Old Sauk and Fort Wayne Indian Trails. The settlement's first house was built near this site in 1830 by Hugh Campbell. The first school was organized in 1832. Coldwater became a village in 1837, the county seat of Branch County in 1842, and a city on February 28, 1861. The State Home and Training School, dating back to 1871, is here. Coldwater has many fine old houses, legacies of the pioneers who built this city.

Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Marker data: Michigan History Center

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