KALAHARI DESERT 



3199 



KALAMAZOO 



marck, cost 139,000,000. It was begun in 1887, 

 and when finished in 1895 was 190 feet wide at 

 the surface and 29.5 feet deep. When dread- 

 naughts were built for the navy it was found 

 the canal was not large enough to accommo- 

 date them. Accordingly it was enlarged, being 

 made 140 feet wide at the bottom, 330 feet 

 wide at the surface and thirty-six feet deep, 

 so the largest warships could pass through. 

 After the second completion of the canal it was 

 formally opened by Emperor William II on 

 June 24, 1914, six weeks before the War of 

 the Nations began. After the war the peace 

 conference ordered the canal internationalized, 

 that is, opened to all nations. 



KALAHARI, kahlahhah're, DESERT, a 

 region of central Southern Africa, occupying 

 most of Bechuanaland and part of the former 

 German Southwest Africa. It is a basin per- 

 haps 400 miles wide and 600 miles long, and 

 ^ elevated over 3,000 feet above the sea. 

 Some parts of it are thinly covered by tufts of 

 grass, other parts with scrubby trees. The 

 natives include both Bushmen (which see) and 

 the so-called Ba-kalaharis, who grow water- 

 melons and pumpkins and have herds of goats. 

 The baboon, buffalo, gnu, hippopotamus, gi- 

 raffe, leopard, lion, rhinoceros, elephant and 

 zebra are among the animals native to the 

 region. On the map appear a few lakes, in- 

 cluding Lake N'gami at the northwest, but 

 these are only shallow salt ponds, which re- 

 ceive the drainage of the rains which fall on 

 the outer edges of the desert. Artesian wells 

 have been bored in a few places by the British. 

 The Kalahari was the scene of part of Living- 

 stone's journeys. 



KALAMAZOO, kalamazoo' , MICH., an im- 

 portant railway center in the southwestern 

 part of the state, noted for its celery-raising 

 industry. It is situated on the Kalamazoo 

 River, in Kalamazoo County, of which it is 

 the county seat, twenty-eight miles west of 

 Battle Creek, fifty miles southeast of Grand 

 Rapids and 104 miles northeast of Chicago. 

 Transportation is provided by the Michigan 

 Central, the Grand Rapids & Indiana branch 

 of the Pennsylvania System, the Grank Trunk 

 and the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern. 

 Electric service is provided to cities as far 

 north as Grand Rapids and as far east as De- 

 troit. In freight and express tonnage Kala- 

 mazoo ranks third in the state, being exceeded 

 only by Detroit and Grand Rapids. The popu- 

 lation increased from 39,437 in 1910 to 48,886 

 (Federal estimate) in 1916; about 16,000 are 



foreign born, of whom 12,000 are Hollanders. 

 The area is eight square miles. 



Parks and Drives. Kalamazoo is located on 

 both sides of the Kalamazoo River, which 

 winds its way through a rich agricultural val- 

 ley. From the river, broad, tree-shaded ave- 

 nues lead to the highlands, where some of the 

 public institutions and beautiful residences are 

 situated. The park system comprises eighty- 

 five acres. In the heart of the city is Bronson 

 Park, with its "mound," a relic of the Mound 

 Builders; Milhom Park, Recreation Park and 

 Oakenwood Park are among the other pleasure 

 and recreation grounds. 



Buildings and Institutions. The most nota- 

 ble buildings are those of -the educational in- 

 stitutions, among which are the Western State 

 Normal School, with its spacious grounds, 

 Kalamazoo College, Nazareth Academy, the 

 New Central high school and East Avenue 

 school. Besides these, the city has several 

 parochial schools, business colleges, Barbour 

 College for boys and two branch libraries. 

 Public buildings worthy of mention are a court- 

 house, with its park, a post office, and the 

 Van Deusen Library, with 48,000 volumes. The 

 State Asylum for the Insane is located here. 



Industry and Manufacture. The celery-rais- 

 ing industry, for which Kalamazoo is famous, 

 employs several hundred people, chiefly Hol- 

 landers, and the annual output amounts to 

 about $2,000,000. In the line of manufacture 

 it is equally well known, as the fame of its 

 paper mills, which employ 6,000 people, has 

 traveled far. Sixteen of these mills are located 

 in Kalamazoo and vicinity, 1,200 tons being 

 the normal daily output. The allied paper 

 industries are also important and extensive; 

 these include envelope, paper-box, label and 

 stationery factories. Two of the seven playing- 

 card factories in the United States are located 

 here. Few cities of the size of Kalamazoo have 

 such varied products, from heavy boilers and 

 engines to automobiles and accessories, foundry 

 products, garments, sporting goods and musical 

 instruments. The Kalamazoo River furnishes 

 abundant power for manufacture. 



History. The first settlement was made in 

 1829 by Titus Bronson, and named Bronson, in 

 his honor; his original home is in a park which 

 bears his name. There are many legends as 

 to the origin of the name the city bears at 

 present ; the accepted one is that it is an Indian 

 name signifying Place of the Boiling Pot, as in 

 the vicinity occur hundreds of bubbling little 

 springs. Though the name is rhythmic and 



