VICTORY PARK WATERFALL HISTORY, Part 2

We continue with our history of the Victory Park dam in Albion. In digging the raceway below the waterfall, workers constructed a fortified sod bank on the west side which ran parallel to the river, reinforced by willow trees planted close together to hold the earth. To keep the muskrats from burrowing holes through the bank, tin clippings were spread on the east inside slope of the embankment. This area gained the nickname "the Willow Walk."

The first sawmill erected by Tenney Peabody and Wareham Warner in the Market Place was the first of several water-powered enterprises erected in Albion, harnessing the waters of the Kalamazoo River via the Victory Park dam. Both the dam and the sawmill are drawn on the original 1836 Plat Map of Albion. The map notes that there was at 14-foot elevation drop from the dam to the sawmill. That sawmill helped provide the cut wood for the first homes and businesses constructed in our community. In 1835, Mr. Warner sold out his interest in the sawmill to the Albion Company, headed by Jesse Crowell (1797-1872). In 1837, Jesse Crowell erected a water-powered grist/flour mill on E. Erie St. along the raceway, which was known as the Brown Mill. It burned in 1883, and was replaced by a new structure nicknamed the "Red Mill." That operated until it closed at the turn of the century.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present an old postcard photo circa 1907, showing the Victory Park waterfall and the unrestrained waters in front flowing down the River. Today there are river walls to contain the flow. Notice the person in the distance with a horse and trailer crossing the Haven St. bridge.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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	AlbionMich.net — General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net is a hub for community life in the greater Albion area, featuring current news, city council updates, river restoration stories, parks and trails. See Albion's beautiful Kalamazoo River waterfall as it looks today — and follow the story of its future restoration. Includes news from The Recorder and stories about Albion's 17 parks. AlbionMich.net \| Albion Blog \| Frank Passic on AlbionMich.net
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	Robin James — Indices Unlimited Robin James is the editor of the Albion Historical Notebook and has kept Frank Passic's thousands of articles organized and searchable for decades. A trained librarian and archivist, Robin specializes in back-of-book and online indexing, multimedia collection management, and corporate information distribution. He also enjoys strange music and is a contributing editor for Igloo electronic music magazine. For more about his indexing services, visit Indices Unlimited.
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