Schoolcraft is a village in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States. It is located in Schoolcraft Township, about 13 miles (21 km) south of Kalamazoo along U.S. Route 131. According to official records from the 2020 census, the village had a population of 1,466 people. The village is named after Henry Schoolcraft, a person who studied geography, geology, and the cultures of different groups of people. The village is known for its annual Schoolcraft 4th of July celebration, which has taken place almost every year since 1925.

Geography

The United States Census Bureau reports that the village has a total area of 0.98 square miles (2.54 km), all of which is land. Schoolcraft is located on a prairie, and much of the land outside the village is farmland. The main crops grown in the area are corn and soybeans.

Demographics

In 2010, the village had 1,525 people, 616 households, and 405 families living there. The population density was 1,556.1 people per square mile (600.8 per square kilometer). There were 661 housing units, with an average density of 674.5 per square mile (260.4 per square kilometer). The racial makeup of the village was 95.6% White, 1.0% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race made up 2.0% of the population.

Of the 616 households, 34.6% had children under 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples, 10.6% had a female householder without a husband, 5.5% had a male householder without a wife, and 34.3% were non-families. Twenty-eight point nine percent of all households had only one person, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 people, and the average family size was 3.05 people.

The median age in the village was 38.1 years. Twenty-six point four percent of residents were under 18, 7.5% were between 18 and 24, 25.1% were between 25 and 44, 28% were between 45 and 64, and 12.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

In 2000, the village had 1,587 people, 615 households, and 418 families living there. The population density was 1,703.2 people per square mile (657.6 per square kilometer). There were 645 housing units, with an average density of 692.2 per square mile (267.3 per square kilometer). The racial makeup was 96.09% White, 0.38% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 2.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race made up 1.07% of the population.

Of the 615 households, 38.5% had children under 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples, 9.1% had a female householder without a husband, and 31.9% were non-families. Twenty-seven point three percent of all households had only one person, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.57 people, and the average family size was 3.19 people.

In the village, 29.6% of the population was under 18, 6.2% were between 18 and 24, 32.2% were between 25 and 44, 19.5% were between 45 and 64, and 12.5% were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and older, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $45,380, and the median income for a family was $54,205. Males had a median income of $37,500, while females had a median income of $27,639. The per capita income was $20,223. About 3.7% of families and 6.9% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under 18 and 9.2% of those 65 or older.

History

Euro-American settlers first arrived in the Schoolcraft area in 1828, nine years before Michigan became a state. Bazel Harrison moved his family from Ohio to what is now Prairie Ronde Township, becoming the first person to settle in the area that would later become Kalamazoo County. The village of Schoolcraft was officially established in 1831 by Lucius Lyon, a surveyor who later became a statesman. Lyon had first visited the area in 1823 as a surveyor working for the government. On October 5, 1831, Schoolcraft became the first town in Kalamazoo County. Lyon named the village after his friend, Henry Schoolcraft, who was an important member of the 1820 Cass Expedition. This expedition, led by territorial governor Lewis Cass, explored the Michigan Territory and helped encourage people to settle there.

Roads connecting Schoolcraft to the mouth of the Black River were approved in 1833, and roads to Edwardsville were approved in 1834. In 1835–36, the Michigan legislature approved state roads to Edwardsburg and St. Joseph. On March 14, 1840, the state legislature approved two new roads from Schoolcraft. One road was to be built to Abscota, a post office in Calhoun County, located in Township 4 South, Range 7 West, at the corners of Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8. John Kelly and E.L. Brown of Kalamazoo and Salmon Walker of Calhoun County were chosen to oversee this route. Another road was to be built from Schoolcraft to Albion. E. Larkin Brown and Albert E. Bull of Schoolcraft, along with Jesse Crowel of Albion, were appointed to plan and establish this road. In 1844, a state road from Battle Creek to Schoolcraft was authorized. In 1845, a state road connecting Schoolcraft to the Territorial Road was approved.

Schoolcraft became a General Law Village on January 4, 1866. It was reincorporated on March 12, 1869, and received a new charter in 1875.

Local Historic Sites

The home of Dr. Nathan Thomas in Schoolcraft was a "station" on the Underground Railroad. Dr. Thomas, the first doctor in Kalamazoo County and a Quaker who strongly supported efforts to end slavery in Michigan, built the house in 1835 on the corner of Cass Street and Centre Street. Between 1840 and 1860, it is believed that Dr. Thomas and his wife, Pamela Brown Thomas, provided shelter to between 1,000 and 1,500 enslaved people fleeing to Canada. In 1868, Dr. Thomas built a new house, and the original home was moved to its current location on Cass Street east of U.S. Route 131. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as a Michigan Historical Site.

The Schoolcraft United Methodist Church has been located at the corner of Grand Street and Clay Street in Schoolcraft since the early 1850s. The church congregation was formed in Prairie Ronde Township in 1832. Its first building, called the Ebenezer Episcopal Church of Prairie Ronde, constructed in 1836, was the first church of any denomination built north of the St. Joseph River.

Cooper's Island is a woodland covering about 23 acres (93,000 square meters) located approximately 1/4 mile west of U.S. Route 131 on West Eliza Street. The area contains a rich and rare collection of mesic forest plants and trees, which are remnants of the Big Island on Prairie Ronde, a forested area surrounded by prairie during the time of settlement. Cooper's Island is famous as the setting for James Fenimore Cooper’s 1848 novel The Oak Openings and is listed as a Michigan Historical Site.

The Schoolcraft Ladies Library, located at 163 Hayward Street, was built in 1896 and is also a state-listed historical site. The Ladies Library Association was founded in 1879 to offer educational opportunities to women in the community. At that time, there were no state-run educational institutions in the area until Western Normal College, now Western Michigan University, was established in Kalamazoo in 1903.

Schools

Schoolcraft is part of the Schoolcraft Community Schools school district.

• School Mascot: Eagle, or the Schoolcraft Eagles
• School Colors: Purple and Gold

Schoolcraft High School has won state championships in the following sports:

• Boys' Track: 1959
• Girls' Cross-country: 1992 (Class D)
• Boys' Golf: 1996, 1998, 2002 (Division 4)
• Football: 1988 (Class D), 1989 (Class C), 2001 (Division 6)
• Girls' Volleyball: 2008 (Class C)
• Boys' Basketball: 2011, 2022 (Class C)