Bloomer Park, located at the north end of John R Road in Rochester Hills, is the city’s oldest park. The centennial of its founding will occur in 2022. Long before anyone thought of dedicating the land for recreational purposes, the location was part of a pioneer-era transportation project called the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal. The Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal was begun under Michigan’s first governor, Stevens T. Mason, who broke ground for the waterway near Mount Clemens in 1838. State leaders … [Read more...]
Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal Hike Saturday October 26
October 21, 2019 by Leave a Comment
The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm presents Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal Hike, Saturday, October 26 The Clinton and Kalamazoo Canal Society has partnered with the Rochester Hills Museum and several other communities to explore, preserve, and interpret the history of the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal that attempted to cross Michigan in the 1830s. Only 16 miles were completed from Mt. Clemens to Rochester. Join several guides as we hike a two-mile stretch of the Canal starting at Riverbends … [Read more...]
A Tour of the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal
April 16, 2019 by Leave a Comment
A Tour of the Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal Saturday, April 20 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. $12 – Museum Members $18 – Public Program includes a boxed lunch Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather Registration required by 12 noon on April 17 via PayPal www.rochesterhills.org/musprograms or 248-656-4663 Michigan’s first internal improvement in 1837 was a proposed canal that was supposed to run through the Rochester community. Join us for a tour of the remains of the Clinton –Kalamazoo canal … [Read more...]
The Hamlin Family Legacy
August 21, 2018 by 5 Comments
The Story of the Hamlin Name in the Rochester Area Hamlin Road, Hamlin School, Hamlin Place Farms Subdivision – even Hamlin Pub – all owe their names to a pioneer settler of Avon Township (now Rochester Hills) named John Fairchild Hamlin. The immigrant ancestor of John F. Hamlin settled in the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1640. Some branches of the family moved on to New York State, where John Fairchild Hamlin was born in the Finger Lakes region in 1799. Hamlin family footprints are … [Read more...]
A Tour of the Clinton Kalamazoo Canal
April 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm is offering a tour and history of the ill-fated Clinton–Kalamazoo Canal on Saturday, April 14, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Cost is $12/Museum Members, $18/nonmembers. This program includes a boxed lunch. Deadline for registration is Wednesday, April 11 via PayPal at www.rochesterhills.org/musprograms The Clinton Kalamazoo Canal started in 1837 as Michigan’s first internal public works project and … [Read more...]
