A history of Sturgis,
since 1827
Postcards, papers and photographs of Sturgis from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗In 1827, Judge John Sturgis came to the St. Joseph Valley area in southern Michigan territory and settled in what is now Sturgis. The original site of his home can be seen at Pioneer Park, maintained by the City of Sturgis. Legend has it that Sturgis was chosen as the town's name because Mrs. John Sturgis baked a pan of biscuits and sent them to a surveying party near their cabin. Lewis Cass, who later became governor, was part of that surveying party. When the time came to name the town, Governor Cass remembered the biscuits and was insistent that the town be named Sturgis. In 1896, Sturgis officially became a city.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Sturgis’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewChicago Street, looking west, Stu…, c. 1930: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Sturgis
See all 17 →
Sturgis, decade by decade
CommonsChicago Street, looking west, Sturgis, Michigan (68050)c. 1930
CommonsHigh school and gymnasium, Sturgis, Michigan (68051)c. 1930
CommonsHotel Elliott, excellent dining room service, Sturgis Michi…c. 1930
CommonsMcKenzie Hall (mess hall) and Howe Hall, Howe School, near …c. 1930
CommonsOakland Terrace, Sturgis, Michigan (71107)c. 1930
CommonsOaklawn Terrace, Sturgis, Michigan (68053)c. 19301990s
Nothing in Sturgis is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Sturgis has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Star Milling and Electric Company Historic District in Lima, 3.6 miles away.
Sturgis and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Chicago Street, looking west, Sturgis, Michigan (68050) (c. 1930) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.