Kalamazoo, Michigan Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Economic history === [[File:LocomotivCraneDerrickCarSRM.jpg|thumb|[[Canadian National Railways|CNR]] derrick car (Sylvester Manufacturing Company, Kalamazoo Railway Supply Company). Mounted on a push car, pulled with a [[railroad speeder|speeder]] or draisine.<ref name="SRM">{{cite web |title = Welcome to Saskrailmuseum.org |work = Contact Us |date = September 11, 2008 |url = http://www.saskrailmuseum.org/ |access-date = October 3, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081015051856/http://www.saskrailmuseum.org/ |archive-date = October 15, 2008 }} </ref>]] In the past, Kalamazoo was known for its production of [[windmills]], [[mandolin]]s, [[horse and buggy|buggies]], [[automobiles]], [[cigars]], [[stove]]s, [[paper]], and paper products. Agriculturally, it once was noted for [[celery]]. Although much of it has become suburbanized, the surrounding area still produces farm crops, primarily corn and soybeans. Kalamazoo was the original home of Gibson Guitar Corporation, which spawned the still-local [[Heritage Guitars]]. The company was incorporated as "Gibson Mandolin - Guitar Co., Ltd" on October 11, 1902, by the craftsman [[Orville Gibson]]. One budget model was named the [[Gibson Kalamazoo Electric Guitar|Gibson Kalamazoo "Melody Maker" Electric Guitar]]. Operations were moved gradually from Kalamazoo to [[Memphis, Tennessee]] (Electric Division) and [[Bozeman, Montana|Bozeman]], [[Montana]] (Acoustic Division) in the 1980s. Some workers from the original factory stayed in Kalamazoo to create the [[Heritage Guitars|Heritage Guitar]] company.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.heritageguitar.com/ |title = Heritage Guitar Inc., of Kalamazoo |work = heritageguitar.com |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140517185252/http://heritageguitar.com/ |archive-date = May 17, 2014 |access-date = December 28, 2012 }}</ref> Kalamazoo was once known as the "Paper City" because of the paper mills in and near the city. The [[Allied Paper Corporation]] operated several mills and employed 1,300 people in Kalamazoo during the late 1960s. As the forests of West Michigan were logged, paper mills closed.<ref>{{cite news |title = Paper Industry Provides 25% of City's Employment |work = Kalamazoo News |date = July 18, 1940 }}{{page needed|date=February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = This is Still the Paper City |first = Al |last = Jones |work = Kalamazoo Gazette |date = March 14, 1999 }}{{page needed|date=February 2019}}</ref> Early in the 20th century, Kalamazoo was home to the [[Brass Era car]] company [[Barley Motor Car Co.|Barley]]. Kalamazoo was also headquarters of the [[Checker Motors Company]], the former manufacturer of the [[Checker Cab]], which also stamped sheet metal parts for other auto manufacturers. Checker closed on June 25, 2009, a victim of the [[Late-2000s recession]]. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page