coldwater grew up around the chicago road, which was established in 1825. by the 1830s, thousands of families were using the road to move west. coldwater was established as a village in 1837, as the county seat in 1842, and as a city in 1861. the michigan southern railway built a line through the southern portion of the city in 1850, spurring development on the south side of the chicago road. the lots in the southern portion of the district, along pearl street, were substantially filled by 1870.