Incorporated as a village in 1837, White Pigeon is the oldest incorporated village in the state and was an outpost of civilization when much of the rest of the area was undeveloped wilderness. In 1828 the county’s first hotel opened its doors in White Pigeon and, in another county first, a stagecoach operated on Chicago Road in 1831 and 1832 traveling between Tecumseh, White Pigeon and Niles.