Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago Railway: The “Fruit Belt Line”

By Keith Howard, Digital Preservation Specialist, Kalamazoo Public Library
7:00 pm in person at Scott Club
To attend by Zoom, request an invite by email to info@scottclub.org

The story of the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago Railway, otherwise known as the “Fruit Belt Line,” is a rather long and twisted tale of “wishful thinking and hoped-for wealth.” The short-lived railroad originally was planned to be an efficient electric interurban train connecting Kalamazoo and South Haven. Instead, it became a ramshackle steam train that meandered through Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties toward the Lake Michigan shoreline. Join us as we learn how the “Fruit Belt Line” came to be and what became of it while we trace its route through the West Michigan countryside.

Keith Howard is a Digital Preservation Specialist at the Kalamazoo Public Library and a former instructor of business communication and information technology at WMU’s Haworth College of Business. He has a true passion for exploring and documenting local history. Keith has authored or contributed to more than one hundred articles on the KPL website, and his work has appeared in several leading publications, including Michigan History Magazine, SW Michigan Spark, Brewery History journal, and others. Keith lives in Oshtemo with his dog, Benson.

Programs are FREE and open to all!

All programs begin at 1:00 p.m. unless noted otherwise. This year's programs and concerts will be a hybrid of in-person (at the Scott Club unless noted otherwise) and online. Non-members/guests please send email to info@scottclub.org to request a Zoom link.