White Pigeon, Michigan
White Pigeon is a village of 1,760 people in St. Joseph County, Michigan.
Why visit White Pigeon
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail and 3 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Art Gallery Building, Constantine Historic Commercial District and Wade Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 82°F; January lows average 17°F, and about 41 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in White Pigeon
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About White Pigeon
White Pigeon is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,718 at the 2020 census. The village is located within White Pigeon Township. Its also located along Michigan's border with Indiana.
From the Wikipedia article White Pigeon, Michigan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks6
Art Gallery Building
Museum · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
United States historic place
Constantine Historic Commercial District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Historic district in Constantine, Michigan
General Land Office
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Historic building in White Pigeon, Michigan
Morse–Scoville House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.0 mi
House in Constantine, United States of America
Wahbememe Burial Site and Monument
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Monument located at the junction of U.S. Routes 12 and 131 near White Pigeon, Michigan
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes3
Country Table Resturant
Diner · American · 0.5 mi
714 West Chicago Road
Mo-Th 06:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 06:00-21:00; Su 07:00-16:00
Subway
Fast food · Sandwich · 0.6 mi
215 East Chicago Road, White Pigeon
Mo-Fr 07:00-22:00; Sa 08:00-22:00; Su 09:00-21:00
Churches and places of worship5
History
White Pigeon was incorporated by European Americans in 1837. The United States Land Office, located in downtown White Pigeon, is the oldest surviving U.S. Land office in the state of Michigan. Following the cession of Native American lands in this area by leaders of regional tribes, the U.S. government sold more than 250,000 acres of land in Michigan for $1.25 an acre in the 1830s to settlers of Western Michigan.
The town was named after the local Potawatomi chief Wahbememe, which means White Pigeon. He was buried near the town, with a memorial stone marking the gravesite. This gravesite is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to legend, while he was at the gathering of the chiefs in Detroit, Wahbememe heard plans to attack the settlement which is now White Pigeon. The chief was a friend to the white settlers and did not want to see harm come to them, so he set out on foot and ran almost 150 miles to the settlement to warn the people. After running that long distance and giving his warning, he collapsed and soon died from exhaustion.
In 1861, the 11th Regiment of Michigan Volunteer Infantry together with Church's Battery, nearly a thousand men, formed at a training ground near the railyard. A monument was originally placed in 1915 and rededicated in 2014 at Depot Park.
From the History section of White Pigeon, Michigan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Map of White Pigeon
26 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°F | 17°F | 2.9 in | 15.0 in |
| Feb | 34°F | 18°F | 2.1 in | 9.7 in |
| Mar | 45°F | 26°F | 2.3 in | 3.7 in |
| Apr | 58°F | 36°F | 3.4 in | 0.6 in |
| May | 69°F | 48°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 79°F | 57°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 82°F | 60°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 59°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 74°F | 51°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 61°F | 40°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 47°F | 31°F | 3.0 in | 2.9 in |
| Dec | 36°F | 23°F | 2.4 in | 9.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Three Rivers (9 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
St. Joseph County has had 5 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for biologicals.
- 2020-03-27: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2005-09-07: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (Hurricane)
- 2004-06-30: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2001-01-10: Snow (Snowstorm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Kirsch Municipal Airport (IRS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Constantine 3 mi north, about 5 min by car
- Middlebury 9 mi south, about 15 min by car
- Bristol 11 mi southwest, about 18 min by car
- Centreville 11 mi northeast, about 17 min by car
- Sturgis 12 mi east, about 19 min by car
- Howe 13 mi southeast, about 20 min by car
- Lagrange 16 mi southeast, about 25 min by car
- Elkhart 17 mi southwest, about 28 min by car
- Goshen 18 mi southwest, about 29 min by car
- Dunlap 18 mi southwest, about 29 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- White Pigeon land office, Nyttend, Public domain
- The Art Gallery Building, Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Morse-Scoville House, Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Main Street Constantine Michigan, Chris Light ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Chief White Pigeon Monument, Nyttend, Public domain
- US Land Office White Pigeon, Michigan, Joshua S. Goodrich, J.D., LL.M., CC BY-SA 4.0
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