The area was first settled by Arthur Newton in 1874, and he platted the community the following year. The community received a station along the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad, which later became part of the Pere Marquette Railway. Nelson also became the first postmaster when a post office opened on March 10, 1876. He wanted the post office to be named Riverside, as it was located along the Pine River. However, there was already another Riverside post office in operation in Berrien County. His post office and community would instead be named Riverdale. The post office has remained in continuous operation and is located at 6728 North Lumberjack Road in the center of the community.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
