Incorporated as a village in 1827, making it the oldest village in the state, White Pigeon, located in historic St. Joseph County, was an outpost of civilization when much of the rest of the area was undeveloped wilderness.  Thus, it is a place of "firsts" for the county such as in 1828 when the county's first hotel opened its doors in White Pigeon. 

That same year, a post office was established in the village and the following year, St. Joseph County's first mail route, from Tecumseh to White Pigeon, provided mail each way twice a week in the summer and once every two weeks in the winter.  John Winchell of White Pigeon was the first mailman in the county.

In another county first, a stagecoach operated on Chicago Road in 1831 and 1832 traveling between Tecumseh, White Pigeon and Niles. Soon the White Pigeon Eating House & Hotel opened.  By 1831, White Pigeon had a population of 800.  During the 1830s, White Pigeon had three hotels because of the large amount of traffic on Chicago Road, so called because it connected Detroit to Chicago.  

White Pigeon is named after a heroic Native American chief who lived here in the early 1800's.  The village, tucked along the banks of the St. Joseph River, is a pleasant stop for both boaters and travelers along the historic highway.

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