Because of its position on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Black River, South Haven has always been a port city.

Prior to colonization by white settlers, the area was inhabited at different times by Potawatomi and Iroquois native people.

In the 1850s the first permanent settlers arrived, and early in the decade the first steam sawmills were built on the Black River.

[5] In 1853, the first hotel in South Haven, known as the Forest House, was built at the corner of Phoenix and Center Streets.

[6] The building was subsequently moved a few doors south and still stands, though greatly modified, and no longer used as a hotel.

The timber harvested in South Haven was shipped to Chicago and Milwaukee via steamboats and schooners, and the cleared forests were then used by fruit farmers, who primarily grew peaches, blueberries and apples.

Around the early 1900s, theaters, a casino, an opera house, an amusement park, and many resorts contributed to a rise in popularity of the city.

[citation needed] The last passenger steamboat left South Haven for Chicago on Labor Day, 1941, though recreational boating increased steadily.

Other events, such as the Ice Breaker Festival, Harborfest, the art shows and Fourth of July fireworks display remain very popular.

The beaches, boating and relaxing atmosphere will continue to ensure that the City of South Haven remains a popular warm-weather destination.

The South Pier Lighthouse, built in 1903 to replace the light established in 1872,[8] is still operational, and is accessible from a public beach.

The extreme western ends are classified as oceanic (Cfb), while the inner parts of the city border on a hot-summer continental climate (Dfa), with moderation by Lake Michigan.

The Scott Club on Phoenix St. was designed by South Haven architect John Cornelius Randall and constructed in 1891.

The club house has two large stained glass windows portraying Sir Walter Scott and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The South Haven Center for the Arts is housed in the 1906 neoclassical Carnegie Library, also on Phoenix St.

The Michigan Maritime Museum also hosts an electrically powered river launch called the Lindy Lou.

The Historical Association of South Haven, which now operates out of the old Hartman School, which it is refurbishing, is devoted to documenting and retelling the city's rich history.