Ancient Garden Bed

Ancient Garden Bed Committee

When you visit Bronson Park, do you know that you are near

one of 17 ancient garden beds found in Kalamazoo County

when the settlers arrived?

According to Wilbert B. Hinsdale's Archaeological Atlas of Michigan,

one such ancient garden bed was located where the Park Club stands.

It was wheel-shaped and believed to be part of a 10-acre bed.

If you are a Michigan enthusiast or like doing research or

are an amateur, professional, or retired historian, anthropologist, or

surveyor and like the idea of collaborating on a community

research project, join KIB's committee to uncover the history about

the ancient garden bed near Bronson Park.

This project fits right into Michiganology, an effort by the

Michigan History Center to encourage research using overlooked

resources that lead to forgotten historical facts. We'll use Michigan

archives that have surveyor maps and other digital collections.

You could be a "Michiganologist" working on this project with KIB!

Meetings will be by Zoom since most of the research materials are

online.

By the end of 2025/early 2026, the results of this project could

contribute to America250MI, part of a broader effort to contribute

stories about our nation's past in celebration of America's 250th

birthday in 2026. The committee may also be able to contribute

to KIB's Flower Power theme for the 2026 planting season.

Here are some of the online resources we'll look at:

and more

If you're interested, in joining the committee, sign up here.