Galien, Michigan
| Galien, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
Ice Cream Parlor in Galien
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 Location of Galien, Michigan |
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| Coordinates: 41°48′11″N 86°29′53″W / 41.80306°N 86.49806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Berrien |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.42 sq mi (1.09 km2) |
| • Land | 0.42 sq mi (1.09 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 669 ft (204 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 549 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 531 |
| • Density | 1,300/sq mi (500/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 49113 |
| Area code(s) | 269 |
| FIPS code | 26-31300 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1618901 |
Galien is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 549 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Galien Township. The village provides its own sewer utility.
The founder of the village of Galien was George A. Blakeslee. Born in Pennsylvania, he came to Galien Township in 1853. He platted Galien village in 1861, and it was incorporated in 1879. The village straddled a fairly new Michigan Central Railroad completed in 1849 from New Buffalo to Detroit.
Blakeslee operated a sawmill at the site of present-day Galien, and established a general store. He purchased several thousand acres in the vicinity of the village and harvested the timber for his sawmill operation. For many years after Galien was established, he was president of the village. Blakeslee Street was named after him and is located in the SE quadrant of the city plat.
In 1972?, fire broke out in the Potter Hardware Store (formerly Babcock/Boyce Hardware). As normal for the 1900 era construction, the buildings were attached with mostly wood interiors/structure including oiled wood floors. The fire spread quickly consuming the hardware store and the two adjacent buildings. Also hindering fire fighting was the lack of a city water system. Fire fighters had to tank water from a local creek to the site. Just to the south, another fire at Ray's IGA (formerly Litner Chevrolet) destroyed that building and resulted in the entire NE business district leveled by fire within a year. The village was left without a hardware and supermarket.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.42 square miles (1.09 km2), all land. Galien straddles U.S. Highway 12, and is located in the Galien River basin, being situated just west and south of the main stem.
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