The Making of the Bottoms

The area of Battle Creek that became known as the Bottoms had a history that dates back to the late nineteenth century, when it was known simply as "the flats." An agricultural, then industrial, then mixed commercial and residential neighborhood, the Bottoms was the center of Battle Creek's working class.

This working class composition, along with the various waves of migration that the neighborhood experienced, greatly contributed to the formation of the tight-knit community and rich cultural heritage of the later Bottoms.