Berrien County ~ Michigan ~ History - Pioneer Days to Present - -  1679 to 1829 please see the wonderful presentation by: Southwestern Michigan Business and Tourism Directory which may be viewed at:   http://www.swmidirectory.org/History_of_Berrien_County.html

Berrien County was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians whose settlements were along the high ridges. After the Paleo-Indians came the Pottawattomie and the Miami who inhabited the area until many were pushed out by white settlers.

This county was named for John M. Berrien of Georgia. He was the U.S. Attorney General under U.S. President Andrew Jackson (1829-1831). Berrien county's boundaries were set off by an act of the legislature of the Michigan Territory on October 29, 1829.  It was initially attached as Niles Township to Cass County.

In 1831 Berrien County was detached from Cass County. Only three townships defined the county originally. They were Berrien Township, consisting of present-day townships of Berrien, Oronoko, and Lake plus a two-mile strip north of that territory; St. Joseph Township, consisting of everything north of Berrien Township; and Niles Township, consisting of everything south of Berrien Township.

Berrien County is located in the southwestern corner of Michigan and is bordered to the South by LaPorte County, Indiana. Early day settlers and modern day visitors are drawn to Berrien partially because of the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. The benefit of being near Lake Michigan helps extends the growing season in the area. This added to the rich loamy soil of the area makes it a very desirable growing area for fruit farms.

Another attraction is the Warren Dunes state park and its sandy beaches and sand dunes. Many of the areas natural attractions are owed to Edward Warren. Not only is the Warren Dunes state park named after him but also Warren Woods. He was the owner of Warren Featherbone Company in Three Oaks, Michigan which was quite an enterprising store for its day and time.

County Seat:
Berrien Springs is also named after John M. Berrien. The word "Springs" was added after mineral springs were discovered in the area. Berrien Springs was originally the county seat until 1894, when St. Joseph became county seat.
The Berrien Springs post office was opened on December 4, 1832, only under the name "Berrien" and changed to Berrien Springs on April 18, 1836.
St. Joseph was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. In later years it would be known as the twin city to Benton Harbor, after the later's development. (See Benton Harbor below)

Other County Facts:

Benton Harbor was founded by Henry C. Morton, Sterne Brunson and Charles Hull. All had schools named after them.
Benton Harbor was mainly swampland bordered by the Paw Paw River, through which a canal was built, hence the "harbor" in the city's name
In 1863, the settlement was given the name of Brunson Harbor but there were land deeds given in 1860 or earlier with the name of Brunson Harbor. Then by 1865 the name of the settlement was changed to Benton Harbor in honor of Thomas Hart Benton. He was a Missouri Senator who helped Michigan achieve statehood. In 1866, Benton Harbor was organized and in 1891 was incorporated into a city. This is one reason why you will not see Benton Harbor on the maps that we have provided on line.

Other Villages and Towns of Berrien County, Michiga