Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Jackson (Michigan)

JACKSON, chief city of Jackson county, Michigan, U.S., is situated on the Grand river, about 75 miles west of Detroit. The city is paved and lighted with gas, and several of the buildings are very handsome. It is the seat of the large State penitentiary. The commercial interests of the city are fostered by its position on no fewer than six railways; and its manufactures are assisted by the water power, afforded by the river, which flows through the town, and is spanned by an iron bridge. Jackson manfactures fire-clay goods, railway and other carriages, chemicals, agricultural implements, &c., and has foundries, planing-mills, and flour-mills. The presence of bituminous coal in the neighbourhood affords additional stimulus to trade; and the surrounding country is fertile. A business college and a system of graded schools are among the educational resources of the city. Population in 1870, 11,447; in 1880, 16,105.