Early History

Named for a skirmish between a government land surveyor and two Indians which took place seven miles away and almost 175 years ago, Battle Creek is proud of its rich and varied past. Known in different eras of its history as the Queen City, Health City and the International City, today Battle Creek is Cereal City, the "best known city of its size in the country."

The village of Battle Creek began as a market and mill center for prairie farmers. By the last part of the nineteenth century, the city developed into a major industrial center supplying a variety goods, including agricultural machinery, steam pumps, violin strings and newspaper printing presses, to markets around the world.

Currently an international business center and amateur sports capital, Battle Creek was once a health and diet reform mecca for the chronically ill.