The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s in Otsego and Plainwell, Michigan

Abstract

There is a scarcity of material available on the small town involvement with the Ku Klux Klan. Therefore, Norman Weaver, a historian of Midwestern Klan history, admonishes students interested in the Klan to look at small town experiences. This study focuses on the career of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in two small towns in Southwestern Michigan. These two towns are Otsego and Plainwell; both are located in the Southeastern corner of Allegan County. The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, to look at the national Klan experience of the post-World War I era and second, to focus on the local Klan experiences of Otsego and Plainwell, in order to determine the extent to which they correspond to the national experience.