New Buffalo, Michigan 49117
A Harbor Country® Community

New Buffalo Michigan is one of the eight SW Michigan communities that make up Harbor Country, located on the shores of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Galien River. Officially recognized in 1836 and in the early years as a safe harbor for ships traveling the Great Lakes. Known as the Southwest Gateway to Michigan, New Buffalo is the cornerstone city and capitol of Harbor Country® and houses the Michigan Travel Center on Interstate 94, and the seat of the Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce, which gave its name to the 8-city region in 1981. The spectacular views of Lake Michigan and the harbor from the downtown district is the center of Harbor Country activity; even for wild gulls, geese and ducks who line up daily at the banks to be fed by willing visitors. New Buffalo History Wessel Whittaker was having a miserable day. Bound for Chicago out of Buffalo NY, Wessel and his crew aboard the schooner Post Boy thought the end might be near. A savage November storm in 1834 grabbed control of their vessel and hurled it onto the Lake Michigan shore. Aground, and breaking up, the Post Evening at New Buffalo Harbor - Courtesy Kay Longacre Boy was lost. But Wessel and his crew managed to struggle ashore near the current village of Grand Beach. The New Yorkers, en route to St. Joseph to report the loss of their ship, came upon a harbor which Whittaker was certain could rival the port of Chicago. Captain Whittaker determined that he would return to the scene of his calamity and found his "New" Buffalo. Our courageous Captain , of course, wasn't the first visitor to New Buffalo. The Miami, Iroquois and Pottawatomi Indians all fought for control of the area. The Indians, and the game and fish they cherished, also attracted French traders and missionaries. But it was our Captain who first made New Buffalo into a permanent community.
Whittaker, along with friends and relatives, returned in 1835 and began to develop and promote their dream. Sawmills were constructed and log buildings for every purpose were built. More settlers arrived from New York and the South, with not dreams, but expectations of riches to be harvested here. Soon these pioneers learned the value of tourists. Land travelers between Detroit and Chicago meandered through New Buffalo and spent their tourist dollars here. But in the late 1840's, the Michigan Central Railroad Company completed the stretch of track between Niles and New Buffalo, making New Buffalo the end of the railroad line for travelers between Detroit and Chicago. An unprecedented scale of tourism quickly reshaped the town's character. Hotels, restaurants and numerous saloons, selling whiskey at five cents a pint, were established. The population grew as railroad and hospitality workers moved to New Buffalo. Visitor's wallets were lightened and the town flourished. When the rail line from New Buffalo to Chicago was completed in the 1850's, however, tourism declined as our former guests merely waved as their trains passed through town. Although the railroad continued to contribute to the local economy, it was not until the 1900's and the age of the automobile that New Buffalo re-established its link to tourism. In 1934 the State recognized New Buffalo as "The Gateway to Michigan" and built a tourist information center here, at a time when US 12 was the main southwest Michigan artery, intersecting with the final cross-state destination for the historical Red Arrow Highway. With the advent of the Interstate system, I-94 has now paralleled the Red Arrow route.The current Michigan Welcome Center on I-94 at New Buffalo is the busiest in Michigan. Wessel Whittaker's vision of New Buffalo's harbor may have been matched by local contractor Paul Oselka's. He began dredging the harbor and the channel leading to it in the 1960's. By 1975, New Buffalo's safe harbor became a reality and the new Whittaker Street bridge was dedicated. Not quite a port to equal Chicago's, but Wessel's harbor was finally complete.
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New Buffalo, Michigan Area Attractions & Public Services and area resources Area Dining - Lodging - Shopping - Entertianment Search Area Services by Category Amtrak Station www.amtrak.com Casino http://www.fourwindscasino.com City of New Buffalo http://www.cityofnewbuffalo.org/default.asp Beach Conditions, New Buffalo City Beach http://www.deq.state.mi.us/beach/public/site.aspx?SiteID=805 New Buffalo Beach, Park Fees: http://www.cityofnewbuffalo.org/citybeach.asp Berrien County Government www.berriencounty.org Harbor Country News - New Buffalo www.harborcountry-news.com New Buffalo Area Schools www.nbas.org New Buffalo Business Association www.newbuffalo.org New Buffalo Chamber of Commerce? It does not exist.. it is in fact, The Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce New Buffalo Lions Club www.newbuffalolions.org New Buffalo Savings Bank www.newbuffalosavings.com New Buffalo Township www.newbuffalotownship.org New Buffalo is part of Harbor Country's Alliance with Travel Michigan