What Was There Before the Bottoms?

While the history of the Bottoms is prominent in community memory, the history of the area goes back nearly a century before the story of the Bottoms and shows the community orientation of the area as a place emphasizing parks and recreation.

John Meachem, a Battle Creek pioneer from Philadelphia, was the first person to bring modern development to the area. He developed a plat named “Meachem’s Addition” in 1856 and sold residential lots to businessmen and professionals. In order to improve the attractiveness of the area, Meachem reserved a two-acre plot of land at the top of a hill and named it Prospect Park. It was only the city’s second park – the first was McCamly Park.

 
Two images of early Prospect Park

 

While the modest park was great for strolls and beautiful views, locals decided a larger park could emphasize more active recreation. The result was the 1879 opening of the home of the Battle Creek Driving Park and Field Sports Association. Offering sixteen acres, the driving park - bounded by Grove, McCamly, and Ravine Streets, and by a swamp to the south - could accommodate horse racing on its track as well as contests of running and bicycling, and even managed to host baseball games on the grounds.

Battle Creek Driving Park at its 1879 grand opening

However, all this open space could not last during the era of industrialization in Battle Creek. Case and Willard threshing machine company built a large factory at the railroad tracks near South Kendall street in 1883. Soon residential dwellings began to cluster around the complex of shops that were part of the thresher manufacturing process. More than just the Advance Thresher Company – as Case and Willard became known – several areas south of the Kalamazoo River soon became home to large and small industrial and commercial concerns. Hamblin Avenue saw the development of iron foundries and nail factories at the turn of the century; later the area became a center for auto services – towing, repair, and parts businesses all opened in close proximity to take advantage of the auto boom. Michigan Carton Company on Fountain Street was a major employer for residents of the Bottoms.
Advance Thresher plant complex, 1894

 

Michigan Carton Co. complex (date unknown)
 
Michigan Carton employees, circa 1925

With the growing population, school facilities also became a necessity for the Flats, as they were then known. The first Jefferson School was opened in 1866 and was rebuilt first in 1893 after a fire and again in 1927 with a modern facility. This was the Jefferson School that many of the Bottoms residents attended as youths.

The Flats were not immune to flood problems before this area became known as the Bottoms. Several floods inundated the area during the early period of settlement, but did not do much damage until early in the twentieth century when the residential and industrial development were hit with several major floods.

Though the area has changed character several times, from agricultural to recreation to industry and residential, there is a continuity to the story that leads to the story of the Bottoms. Local institutions like schools and employers, and gathering spots like parks offer a shared experience to people who come into a community and shared memories to those who leave.