Tales from the Road: Scotts, Michigan

Tales FROM THE road

~ scotts, michigan ~

By Steve Ellis

Over the last 10 years or so, I have chronicled trips to various interesting destinations around the state and country. Almost all have been at least an hour away and a few (Yosemite National Park, Glacier National Park, etc) have been a few thousand miles away.

Until recently, I never thought about writing about anywhere close to home until some recent bike rides through the little town of Scotts, southeast of Kalamazoo.

In its heyday, Scotts had a thriving downtown with a grocery store, bank, gas station and more. These are all gone now, but Scotts still maintains a handful of old brick buildings that are occupied and doing quite well. Land at Scotts was fi rst deeded to Dan Wheeler in 1835. A fur trader by the name of Samuel Scotts purchased 80 acres of land in 1849 and the community became known as Scotts Crossing and was later shortened to Scotts.

A post offi ce opened on February 19, 1872, with Servetus Bathrick as its fi rst postmaster.

In 1870, The Grand Trunk railroad reached Scotts bringing rapid growth to the area and turning it into into a thriving village. By 1881, there were 24 businesses registered in the directory including: two blacksmiths, two druggists, a livery stable, a photographer, two meat markets, a physician, a milliner, a mason, a barber, a cider manufacturer, a manufacturer of artifi cial limbs, a creamery, fl our mill and a saw mill. According to local historian Ron White, “at one time there were three taverns, two hotels, a pickle manufacturer and a dance hall located nearby at “McKain’s Corner”. A devastating fi re burned down about half the town on May 1,1911 and another fi re broke out a few years later. The town never really recovered and many residents moved away and the population and businesses declined as the City of Kalamazoo and suburbs grew.

The iconic “Scotts Mill” was built on land purchased by Lyman Earl in 1844 for $750. The site was originally settled in 1836, with a saw mill and a fl our mill constructed in 1845. The White family, whose descendants still live locally, operated the mill for several generations. The saw mill burned down in 1896. At one point, the fl our mill sold over 40,000 sacks of fl our per year, plus other products like pancake mix and bakery materials. The area became a County Park in 1976 and continues to be a great place to visit. On May 2, 2015, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck West Michigan with the epicenter less than one mile NW of Scotts. The quake was felt from Wisconsin to southern Ontario, and revealed a previously unknown fault line stretching from Kalamazoo to Coldwater.

During my travels through Scotts, I have a few somewhat regular stops that include:

Scooters Malt Shoppe- a fun destination since my kids were small and I’m glad to say it has not changed much in the last 20 years or more. Scooter’s serves up great ice cream as well as hot dogs and more and is packed with fun antiques. It is like stepping back in time to the “Good Old Days” of Scotts.

Scotts Country Store and Deli -a great stop on my bike rides and a place to catch up on the local news. They serve soft serve ice cream and I have heard great things about their pizza. Their parking lot is where the Scotts bank once sat.

Scotts Corner Cafe is located at the main corner in a classic two story building and a great place for breakfast and lunch. I have enjoyed many great breakfasts there over the years. A drive or bike ride through the streets of Scotts, reminds me of Mayberry from the Andy Griffi th Show-very peaceful and quiet with folks sitting on front porches and waving at passers by. If you are looking for something in the area to do, head over to Scotts and take a “Step Back in Time!”