Bracing Against The Wind at Saugatuck Dunes State Park

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Bracing Against The Wind

Bracing Against The Wind, photo by josiah.keen.

2 months and only 60 miles? Looks like this Michigan shoreline tour might take more than just a summer (or a year) since I insist on pulling the car over at every state park along the way.

Josiah says the park is near his hometown of Holland and a frequent retreat. These pics are part of his great set of photos of Saugatuck Dunes State Park (view slideshow).

With the exception of a link to the interesting looking Felt Mansion (of which I suspect there will be more heard about here in the future), Wikipedia’s entry for Saugatuck Dunes State Park is pretty sparse, so we turn to the official Saugatuck Dunes State Park site which explains:

View Josiah's Saugatuck Dunes slideshow

A day-use park along a secluded strip of Lake Michigan shoreline, Saugatuck Dunes State Park offers 1,000 acres of land with 2.5 miles of shore line. The Lake Michigan beach is a 0.6 mile hike from the picnic parking area. In addition, the park has fresh water coastal dunes that are over 200 feet tall. The park’s terrain varies from steep slopes to rolling hills. The park, located in Allegan County, is relatively undeveloped. The land for Saugatuck Dunes was acquired in 1971 from the Augustinian Order, who used the buildings as a seminary. When the state took ownership, the structures were used as a prison and state police offices.The park’s major attractions are the long sandy beaches and the 300-acre natural area, which contains a coastal dune system, as well as three endangered plant species. Nature enthusiasts, birdwatchers and hikers are the predominant day users.

The park has also been a site of tension between preservation and development. In 2001, Concerned Citizens for Saugatuck Dunes State Park was founded in response to proposals to use the park for a water treatment plant. Recently, they and other groups formed the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance. Check them both out for background and also this video slideshow.

Check out the Flickr photo map and also explore the area at Saugatuck Dunes State Park on our Absolute Michigan map.

Postcard History of Sister Lakes, Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Speedboat ‘King Tut’ on Indian Lake

Speedboat ‘King Tut’ on Indian Lake The photographer taking a picture of the speedboat King Tut in 1929 had no idea of its significance. Earl Wiest Jr. and Ralph Tice, owners of Tice’s Beach at the north end of Indian Lake, were intense rivals. Who had the faster boat was an example. Tice won this round by building King Tut, the fastest boat on the lake, and racing it in front of Wiest’s Resort.

Happyland Resort on Magician Lake (Dowagiac)

The introduction to Sister Lakes by R.L. Rasmussen, a new book in Arcadia Publishing’s Postcard History Series, says that technically the two lakes that are called the Sister Lakes are Round Lake and Crooked Lake. In 1877 a post office for Sister Lakes was established in the area between the two lakes.

The book covers these two lakes and also the other nine lakes within a six-mile radius: Magician Lake, Indian Lake, Dewey Lake, Round Lake with 194 acres; Big and Little Crooked Lakes, Cable Lake and the four smaller lakes of Keeler, Pipestone, Priest, and Brush.

Happyland Resort on Magician Lake (above right, click for larger view) These young vacationers are from a 1923 postcard. This resort was originally started by Frederic E. Howe. He and his wife had a theatrical troupe that would spend their summers there writing plays and taking them out on the road. These actors would then be available to groups attempting to raise money for special causes.

You can learn more about Sister Lakes at the Sister Lakes, Michigan web site (nice map of the Sister Lakes area too) and also view the area on Google Maps.

The photos and captions reprinted with permission from Sister Lakes by R.L. Rasmussen. The book is available from the publisher online at www.arcadiapublishing.com or by calling 888-313-2665.

View other excerpts from Arcadia Publishing’s Michigan books at Michigan in Pictures!

Happy 4th of July, Michigan!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Lan July 4th parade 127e

Lan July 4th parade 127e, photo by indefinitejourney.

Fourth of July, July 4th, the Fourth or Independence Day – call it what you will, this is our day. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

I doubt Adams envisioned the star-shaped sunglasses, but bring on the pomp, the parades (the picnics!), the sports and games (best leave the guns at home), the bells, bonfires and brilliant, booming illuminations. Somewhere amidst all of that if you can, think about the acts of devotion that could be made towards making this nation and state ever more worthy of celebration and love.

I should point out that this photo is part of an awesome set of Lansing 4th of July Parade photos (slideshow!!)

Summer 2007 … LAUNCHED!

Posted on by farlane

The Launch! by starryeyez024

The Launch! by starryeyez024

Memorial Weekend is a time to honor the sacrifice of those who have fought for our country, but it’s also the beginning of summer. When I saw the photos of Kendall and her family having fun this weekend on a Michigan lake (Joslin Lake in Unadilla), I knew that this important facet of Memorial Weekend couldn’t pass unremarked.

It seems as if quite a number of people braved the dire forecast, took their lives in their hands and ventured out into the potentially chilly Michigan air. 360Michigan’s Mark Houston went to the Memorial Day Parade in Ferndale while Dave Hogg snapped some shots at Royal Oak’s Parade. David McGowan spent the weekend in the Manistee National Forest with some campfire cooked venison stew. Shqipo went to the St. Mary’s Polish Fair in Keego Harbor while Craig took in the Holland Farmer’s Market (and some tasty asparagus!). Joy took a pair of horses to the Empire Beach while Mario Q lamented that the Tigers just didn’t have the horses to pull off a victory vs. the Indians at Comerica.

I could go on and on, but since I’m starting to reach for transitions, I’ll ask you all to continue by posting links in the comments to any of your Michigan Memorial Day Weekend photos!

Throwing heavy stuff at the Alma Highland Festival & Games

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Caber Toss!

Caber Toss, photo by BearlyWorking

This photo is part of a set of 2006 Alma Highland Festival photos featuring kilt-clad competitors lifting and hurling heavy objects.

The Alma Highland Festival and Games take place May 26 & 27, 2007 on the campus of Alma College (2007 is the 40th annual). In addition to the Great Lakes Scottish Heavyweight Athletic Events, the festival includes piping, drumming and traditional Scottish fiddling and dancing competitions. There’s also games for children, the Parade of Tartans, and lessons and Scottish clan tents when you can learn about Scottish culture.

In addition to explaining the dance and band competitions, Wikipedia’s entry on the Highland Games lists the Heavy Events as stone put, Scottish hammer throw, weight throw, weight over the bar, sheaf toss and:

Caber toss: A long tapered pine pole or log is stood upright and hoisted by the competitor who balances it vertically holding the smaller end in his hands. Then the competitor runs forward attempting to toss it in such a way that it turns end over end with first, the upper (larger) end striking the ground and then the smaller end, originally held by the athlete, following through and in turn striking the ground in the 12 o’clock position measured relative to the direction of the run. If successful, the athlete is said to have turned the caber. Cabers vary greatly in length, weight, taper, and balance, all of which affect the degree of difficulty in making a successful toss. Competitors are judged on how closely their throws approximate the ideal 12 o’clock toss on an imaginary clock.

Celebrating 360 degrees of Michigan Week at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum

Posted on by farlane

Gothic Room from the SS City of Detroit III

Gothic Room from the SS City of Detroit III, photo by Mark Houston

In celebration of Michigan Week (May 19 – 25, 2007), Mark Houston over at 360Michigan has posted new panoramas from four locations: the National Trout Memorial (downtown Kalkaska in front of the Kalkaska Historical Museum), the Michigan Fireman’s Memorial (near Roscommon), the Manistee River and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum (Belle Isle, Detroit).

All of these are available as full screen, 360˚ QuickTime VR panoramas and are well worth a look, but the ones of the Dossin Museum really showcase the power of the technology.

The 16,000 square foot Dossin Great Lakes Museum is located on Belle Isle in the Detroit River and is dedicated to showcasing the story of the Great Lakes and Detroit’s role in regional and national maritime history. Permanent exhibits at the museum include the Miss Pepsi hydroplane racing boat, the bow anchor of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the S.S. William Clay Ford Pilot House, the restored smoking lounge of the S.S. City of Detroit III and one of the largest known collection of scale model ships in the world.

Mark has also created a Google map showing the location of all his panoramas.

Baskets of morels at the Boyne City Mushroom Festival

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Boyne City Mushroom Festival

This photo was provided by the Boyne City Morel Mushroom Festival. You can get a ton more information about the National Mushroom Festival and Michigan morel mushrooms today on Absolute Michigan.

Sleeping Bear Dune Rides, 1940

Posted on by farlane

Sleeping Bear Dune Rides, 1940, photo by Fred Dickinson

Sleeping Bear Dune Rides, 1940, photo by Fred Dickinson

In defiance of the weather we’re featuring a super-cool Michigan travelogue from 1949 on Absolute Michigan that begins in the Sleeping Bear Dunes. In addition to a selected of classic travel destinations, you can see the dunesmobiles in action.

Visit the Dickinson Gallery for many more classic photos and information on ordering and also check out Riding the Dunes from the Northern Michigan Journal for more about the Sleeping Bear Dunesmobiles.

Spring Training with emjsmith and the Detroit Tigers

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Untitled, photo by emjsmith.

So I’m just going to blog a quick spring training photo from emjsmith today…

…and then an hour later, there I was, happily dizzy in a pile of baseball pics. I though about an amazing action shot, an even more amazing action shot, 103.3 MPH tuning up or even a shot of Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland. I finally settled on this one of Craig Monroe fiving the faithful because (for me at least) this is what spring training is all about: ballplayers warming up for the season and having enough time to pay a little attention to those who pay so much attention to them. If you have some time, check out her great slideshow of Detroit Tiger Spring Training photos.

Em shoots the Class A Midwest League for MLB, so be sure to tune in during the season. You can see more of her baseball pics at her blog and other work at Emily Smith Photography.

Opening day is Monday, April 2nd (details at Absolute Michigan)

Kalamazoo Fire Department: Truck 17 in front of Old Central

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Truck 17 In front of Old Central

Truck 17 In front of Old Central, photo by Stoney06.

Joel Dinda knows old photos, so it’s not at all surprising that he found this great collection of historical photos from Brian Stone of the fire stations, fire trucks and the men of the Kalamazoo.

An added plus are his informative captions such as the one for the above: Old Central Station Kalamazoo Michigan. Truck is a 1936 Seagrave City Service Ladder. “Pride of the Department”.

Indeed. View the photo large and you can see that’s true.