Titus Bronson

Who was Titus Bronson?

Titus Bronson is regarded as the eccentric founder of the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

In 1829, Titus Bronson, originally from Connecticut, was the first white settler to build a cabin within the present city limits. He platted the town in 1831 and named it the village of Bronson.

Bronson was frequently described as "eccentric" and argumentative and was later run out of town. The village of Bronson was renamed Kalamazoo in 1836. Today, a hospital and a park, among other things, are named after Titus Bronson.

After leaving Kalamazoo, Bronson found his way to Davenport, Iowa, where, in 1842, he lost most of his money in a land swindle. His wife also died in that same year. Bronson lived in Illinois for a short while, and then returned to Connecticut where he died a broken man. His headstone reads: "A Western Pioneer, Returned to Sleep with his Fathers."