Tri-Village
Mid-Michigan Tri-Village Area | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s): "The Beermuda Triangle" | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Clinton County & Ionia County, Michigan |
| Township | Riley, Westphalia, Dallas, Bengal, Essex, Lebanon, Portland, Lyons, & North Plains |
| Founded | 1836 (Westphalia)
1857 (Pewamo) 1867 (Fowler) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 135.51 sq mi (218.08 km2) |
| Population | |
| • Estimate (2019)[3] | 18,933 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT |
| Area code(s) | 989 |
The Tri-Village area is a geographical and cultural region in Mid-Michigan made up of the villages of Fowler, Pewamo, Westphalia, and the surrounding area. The region is located in the U.S. state of Michigan, about 25 miles (40.2 km)
northwest of Lansing. Although the region includes three villages and two school systems, it is generally viewed as one larger community because of its close cultural ties.
The Tri-Village area is known for its high percentage of Roman Catholics, its agricultural economy, local deer hunting, and its popular alcohol choice of Busch Light.
History
Westphalia
Westphalia’s first settlers arrived in the Port of New York on October 5th, 1836 aboard the Leontine. They had traveled from the western part of Germany. These first settlers were Father Anton Kopp, Westphalia’s pioneer priest, and the Eberhard Platte family. By way of the Erie Canal, they landed in Detroit.
Taking the advice of Father Martin Kundig of St. Mary's Parish in Detroit, Father Kopp and Eberhard Platte set out on foot for the newly established land office in the town of Ionia. The two men traveled on foot to Ionia by Dexter Trail. They were able to purchase land in Section 5 of Westphalia Township. They named the settlement Westphalia in memory of their German homeland.
Pewamo
Pewamo was founded as a station along the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway. The village name was suggested by J.C. Blanchard in honor of Chief Pewamo, with whom he had hunted along the nearby Grand River.
Fowler
Originally called "Dallas", Fowler was created when Robert Highman, Chief Engineer of the Detroit, Grand Haven, and Milwaukee Railroad, and E.A Wales acquired a tract of land along the railroad right-of-way in 1857. Dallas was later changed to Isabella and subsequently Fowler. The town subsequently moved to a tract of land 1/10 of a mile west of the original tract, owned by John N. Fowler and in 1869 the name was changed to "Fowler". The village was originally settled in a swampy area and the move was driven by the lack of economic growth.
Geography
Although there is no official geographical area considered the Tri-Village Area, the region is generally associated with the combined school districts of Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools and Fowler Community Schools. This completely or partially includes the six Clinton County townships of Riley, Westphalia, Dallas, Bengal, Essex, Lebanon, and the three Ionia County townships of Portland, Lyons, and North Plains.
This Nine township area has a population of approximately 18,933 people.[5], though the main townships of Dallas, Westphalia, and Lyons make up about 8,320 people.
| Township | 2010 Population | 2020 Population | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riley | 2,024 | 2,059 | +1.73% |
| Westphalia | 2,365 | 2,393 | +1.18% |
| Dallas | 2,369 | 2,395 | +1.10% |
| Bengal | 1,188 | 1,203 | +1.26% |
| Essex | 1,910 | 1,940 | +1.57% |
| Lebanon | 605 | 611 | +0.99% |
| Portland | 3,404 | 3,490 | +2.53% |
| Lyons | 3,465 | 3,532 | +1.93% |
| North Plains | 1,279 | 1,310 | +2.42% |
| Total | 18,609 | 18,933 | +1.74% |
Significant Infrastructure
Roads
The main roads that run through the Tri-Village area include:
- M21/Bluewater Hwy (East/West)
- Wright Road (North/South
- Price Road (East/West)
- Grange Road (North/South)
- Clintonia Road/State St (North/South)
- Divine Hwy (North/South)
- Colony Road (East/West)
Rivers/Lakes
- Grand River
- Maple River
- Stony Creek
- Looking Glass
Parks/Recreation
- M21 Bike Trail (From Owosso to Lowell)
- Droste Park (Westphalia)
- Blossom Time Park (Pewamo)
- Fowler Conservation Club (Fowler)
Education
The Tri-Village area is home to two community school districts, which are divided among grade levels:
- Fowler
- MHT
- Fowler Elementary
- Fowler Middle/High School
- Pewamo
- St. Joseph Elementary School
- Pewamo-Westphalia Elementary School (K-6)
- Westphalia
- St. Mary School (K-6)[6]
- Pewamo-Westphalia Middle/High School (7-12)
High School Football
The Tri-Village area prides itself on its High School athletic rivalry. Both schools compete in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference. The two schools compete in an annual football game for bragging rights in the community. As of 2021, the Pewamo-Westphalia and Fowler High Schools have faced each other 55 times with PW winning 28 times, and Fowler winning 27. The football programs have won a combined 7 State Championships and both schools are viewed statistically as top football programs in the state of Michigan (Fowler #10, Pewamo-Westphalia #30)[7].
Religion
Roman Catholicism
The Tri-Village area is known for Catholicism. The region has 3 Catholic Churches, St. Mary's Parish[8] and Most Holy Trinity Parish[9] in the Diocese of Lansing, and St. Joseph Parish[10] in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
A New York Times article "In Two Michigan Villages, a Higher Calling Is Often Heard" highlights the area for its large Catholic population, who produce a significant amount of Priests and Nuns. The article is quoted as saying "Everyone is Catholic, everyone is related and everyone shows up at Mass."[11]
St. Mary's in Westphalia is the 8th Largest parish in the Diocese of Lansing.[12]
Politics
Conservative
Due to the popular local stances of traditional Christian values, the Tri-Village Area votes heavily conservative. Examining the 2016 US Presidential Election, the Tri-Village area voted significantly Republican. According to Mlive, Westphalia Township is the 12th most conservative in the state, and Dallas Township was 23rd.[13]
- Westphalia 81% Republican
- Dallas 79% Republican
- Riley 61% Republican
- Bengal 66% Republican
- Lebanon 66% Republican
- Essex 64% Republican
- Lyons 64% Republican
- Portland 62% Republican
- Riley 61% Republican
- North Plains 61% Republican
Recreation
Setback
Setback is a popular card game unique to the Tri-Village area. It's a variation of Pitch, a card game involving a bidding phase and trick taking. A table will generally include 4-8 players, though most commonly played with 6 (3 teams of 2 or 2 teams of 3).
Bidding
Beginning with eldest hand, each player gets one chance to bid for the privilege of declaring the trump suit. A bid is the number of points that the bidder undertakes to win in the deal, the minimum bid being 3 and the maximum is 5. Each player must make a higher bid than the previous player, or pass. The player who makes the bid must win as many points as he or she bid. The bidder leads with and establishes the trump suit (as the suit of the card led). Teams may receive points even if they did not win the bid. A bidder who did not win at least the number of points undertaken with the bid does not receive any of the points, and is instead set back by the amount of the bid. Negative scores are possible.
Scoring
| Description | Point | |
|---|---|---|
| High | Highest trump in play | 1 |
| Low | Lowest trump in play | 1 |
| Right Jack | Jack of trump | 1 |
| Left Jack | Jack of same color as trump | 1 |
| Game | Most card-points | 1 |
Game is determined based on how many face cards are brought in by each partner. The total number of points toward game is 80, and whichever team has the most wins the 5th point (game).
| Aces | 4 |
| Kings | 3 |
| Queens | 2 |
| Jacks | 1 |
| 10's | 10 |
Deer Hunting
Deer Hunting is also extremely popular. The Oak Hill Gun Club and the Fowler Conservation Club host hunting events and hunter safety. The region enjoys hunting on private land but also public land such as the Maple River State Game Area.
Car Shows
One of the largest car shows in Michigan, the Westphalia Cruise-In displays classic cars on the downtown streets of Westphalia. An annual event held by the village of Westphalia in conjunction with the Portland Cruisers, classic cars and classic car enthusiasts flock to downtown Westphalia every June to view over 800 classic cars and experience the local shops and restaurants. The Cruise in 2018 hosted 1,312 cars.
References
- ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwwwcensusgov - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedUSCensusEst2019CenPopScriptOnlyDirtyFixDoNotUse - ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ Bureau, US Census. "City and Town Population Totals: 2010-2020". The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ↑ "St. Mary School". St. Mary Parish. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ↑ "Top Michigan High School 11-Man Football Programs Since 1950". michigan-football.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ↑ "St. Mary Parish". St. Mary Parish. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ↑ "Most Holy Trinity". Most Holy Trinity. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ↑ "St. Joseph Parish Pewamo". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Capecchi, Christina (2014-06-17). "In Two Michigan Villages, a Higher Calling Is Often Heard". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ↑ "The Vital Statistics". Diocese of Lansing. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ↑ MLive, Julie Mack | special to (2019-07-29). "76 Michigan communities where Trump got 75% of vote or more in 2016". mlive. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
External links
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