Paw Paw Lake is a lake in Coloma Township

Coloma Charter Township, Michigan

Coloma Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,217 at the 2000 census. The city of Coloma lies within the township.The township is located in the north central portion of the county...

 and Watervliet Township

Watervliet Township, Michigan

Watervliet Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,392 at the 2000 census....

 in Berrien County, Michigan

Berrien County, Michigan

Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....

.

History

Paw Paw Lake was the site of a tourist area

Paw Paw Lake, Michigan

Paw Paw Lake is an unincorporated community in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes, without legal status as a municipality...

 in the early 20th Century. An 1894 Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 newspaper article was the catalyst in making the shore a resort area, and a rail line extension from nearby Coloma

Coloma, Michigan

Coloma is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,595 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....

in 1896 started the building boom. Pavilions, hotels, and cottages soon followed, with nationally-known acts performing at the pavilions. Most of these buildings are no longer extant.

Deer Forest

The nearby Deer Forest petting zoo in Coloma Township opened at the end of the heyday of the resort area. Though many of its assets were auctioned off on September 26, 2009, the park continues to operate.