With the incorporation of the Allegan and Marshall Railroad Company in 1836, directors began to plan out railways for passage between cities, connecting Marshall and Allegan by going through Battle Creek, Comstock, and Kalamazoo (then known as Bronson). A couple of projects were planned for Grand Rapids railroads around 1848, with surveys completed, but no actual projects were built until several years later. In 1868, several changes of routes and maps led to the creation of the Kalamazoo, Allegan, and Grand Rapids Railroad Company. The railroad extensions were built by late 1868, with the road being leased to the Michigan Southern Railroad Company. Further railroads continued to be constructed in Michigan during the later 1800s, extending out to Chicago and into Indiana. This railroad book was likely from the time when the railroads were being constructed through Allegan County.