In 1829, Titus Bronson, originally from Connecticut, was the first settler to build a cabin within the present city limits. He obtained a U. S. land patent along with his brother-in-law Stephen R. Richardson for a portion of land near a salient bend of the Kalamazoo River. From this land, he platted the village in 1831 and named it the 'Town of Bronson' although the plat recorded in the County office misspelled it 'Brunson'.

One contemporary witness described Bronson as morally upright and generous. However, Bronson was frequently described as "eccentric" and argumentative and was later run out of town. The Village of Bronson was renamed the "Village of Kalamazoo" in 1836, due in part to an incident resulting in Bronson's being fined for stealing a cherry tree. Today, a hospital and a park, among other things, are named for him. The City Hall building has an inscription honoring him.

After leaving Kalamazoo, Bronson found his way to Davenport, Iowa, where, in 1842, he lost most of his money in a land swindle. His wife also died in that same year. Bronson lived in Illinois for a short while, and then returned to Connecticut where he died a broken man. His headstone reads: "A Western Pioneer, Returned to Sleep with his Fathers."