Holland, Michigan: flippin’ sweet.

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

flippin' sweet.

flippin’ sweet., photo by jill d.

Of this very wallpaper-friendly photo, Jill writes:

i took this one of my friend phil last spring. we were at this place called the bowl, which is basically a huge sand dune on the coast of lake michigan in holland, michigan. phil was a diver in high school — the combo of his back flip and the amazing sunset combined to make one of my favorite photos i’ve ever taken.

The Holland CVB’s history page tells the story of religious opression and economic depression in the Netherlands leading Dr. Albertus Christiaan & Christine Van Raalte, their family and congregation to take ship to America. At Detroit:

Dr. Van Raalte left his flock to survey the area and determine the best location for his Dutch Kolonie. Of all the sites that he studied, the one that was made to order for his colonizing plans was at the mouth of the Black River where it flowed into Black Lake (now Lake Macatawa) which, in turn, led to Lake Michigan. As soon as Van Raalte had satisfied himself that he had found the most desirable location for his colony, he lost no time in leading his group to the spot. They reached their destination on February 9, 1847.

There’s a ton more information about the early trials of the city and modern day Holland at the excellent Holland Convention and Visitor’s Bureau web site. Every May the city hosts Tulip Time, a celebration of all things Dutch and Dutch Village is a major Michigan tourist attraction. I think that this photo was taken at Holland State Park (also known as Ottawa Beach).

Wikipedia’s entry for Holland, Michigan says that as of the 2000 census, there were 35,048 people residing in the city (112,000 people in the metro area). Wikipedia also notes that Holland is home to the world’s largest pickle factory, that it is the birthplace of Slashdot, one of the first (the first?) blogs created by Hope College student Rob “CmdrTaco” Malda & company and that L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while summering in the resort community of Macatawa.

We’ve added Holland to our Absolute Michigan map of Michigan. Someday we’ll figure out how to let other people add stuff too. You can find more pictures of Holland from Michigan in Pictures (including a nice bit of history and a Tulip Time extravaganza) and get business info and stories at Absolute Michigan keyword Holland.

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Looking Down, Kalamazoo, MI by chicalookate

Looking Down, photo by chicalookate

After spending an hour yesterday afternoon exploring Kalamazoo video for our Absolute Michigan station on chime.tv, I decided to check out the slideshow of 10,000+ photos tagged “kalamazoo” on Flickr. After spending entirely too long with some really amazing photos and photographers, I have the following to report:

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.

Reflections :: Saugatuck, Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Reflections

Reflections, photo by chatursunil.

We get about 100 people a day who are searching for backgrounds for their computer. To them I say: this photo makes a great background!

Saugatuck (pop. 1065 in 2000) is the sister city to Douglas. This Saugatuck/Douglas history page says that unlike most Midwest frontier towns, neither town suffered the devastating fires nor the modernizing railroad. As a result, the villages provide a rare chance to see pre- and post-Civil Ware Greek Revival and Italianate architecture alongside later structures in the Arts & Crafts and Colonial Revival manner.

Like Douglas and many communities along Michigan’s western shore, Saugatuck was timbered out after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Still…

…Saugatuck and Douglas thrived, turning to shipping and fruit growing as a source of income in the latter part of the 1800s. Peaches from the area were called “Michigan Gold” and were shipped by large steamships to the Chicago market. Hundreds of ships of various types were built in Saugatuck shipyards and the town was a haven for ship captains.

A resort, tourist, and “cottage” culture emerged in the 1880s and took a propitious turn in 1910 when a group of Chicago artists established the Summer School of Paintings on Ox-Bow Lagoon, and when a huge dance hall, called the Big Pavilion, was built on the waterfront. The resulting influx of well-known artists and big name Chicago architects resulted in a wave of building in the Arts & Crafts and Colonial Revival manner. The seed planted at Ox-Bow has continued to flourish over the years, with the area is now known as the Art Coast of Michigan. Today, Ox-Bow continues to be affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Saugatuck/Douglas Visitors Bureau has a huge pile of information and photos and links, including a link to a pretty informative video tour of Saugatuck/Douglas. There’s also the Saugatuck/Douglas Area Business Association with more events, news & listings. Wikipedia’s entry on Saugatuck says that attractions today include art galleries, the harbor, marinas, scenery, unusual stores, the view from atop Mount Baldhead, tourist attractions, the famous Oval Beach on Lake Michigan, Saugatuck Dunes State Park and Allegan State Game Area.

Cool new feature alert!

Here’s the Google Map for Saugatuck in our newly created Absolute Michigan map of Michigan. I’ll try and loop back and add maps for the other entries in our Michigan shoreline tour.

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!

Surfing, Michigan Style

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Surfing01.jpg

Surfing01.jpg, photo by Evography.

Evography writes: Dropping in from the pier, the tricky part is not getting worked right back into the pier.

Check out his Great Lakes Surfing set (slideshow!!) for a bunch more photos, most of which are large enough for your computer background needs!

When you’re finished with that, head over to Absolute Michigan for a Michigan surfing extravaganza featuring tons of Great Lakes surfing videos (including some 1970s footage of folks surfing off this same pier!)

Which I should add is the Grand Haven Pier!

Sunset from Douglas beach

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

IMGP1498h

IMGP1498h, photo by norjam8.

The Wikipedia entry for Douglas, Michigan says Douglas (in Allegan County, pop. 1214 in 2000) and adjacent to Saugatuck, was originally known as Dudleyville and settled in 1851 as a lumber town. In 1861, residents changed the name to Douglas, maybe to honor Stephen A. Douglas or maybe because an early settler came name because he came from the Isle of Man (with a capital named Douglas). After the lumber went to rebuild Chicago, Douglas turned to fruit (especially peaches) and tourism.

Check out the Douglas Michigan history page for some cool old photos (and for Douglas business, events and city information. Here’s a Google map for Douglas to you can go there for the day or weekend. Douglas is also home to the Douglas Dutchers vintage baseball club who play a remarkably full schedule.

Norm has a ton more photos of West Michigan dunes and beaches and sunsets and sunrises.

Steel

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Steel

Steel, photo by MxPx.

Construction in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Be sure to look at it bigger.

Michigan Orchard in Snow

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Michigan Orchard in Snow

Michigan Orchard in Snow, photo by coonjamm.

Today’s photo of a cherry orchard near near Paw Paw from February will hopefully remind those of us tempted to complain about the heat of other things we could complain about.

I’d also like to call attention to Van Buren County, Michigan our latest Michigan shoreline county article on Absolute Michigan.

Telling the story of the Great Lakes

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

_DSC0179_8x8_toned

_DSC0179_8x8_toned, photo by kcephoto.

Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition is looking for stories (500 words or less) and photos about people and the lakes that fill folks with laughter, sadness, nostalgia, or wonder, and maybe even inspire us to think about the Great Lakes in a new way.

The story categories are Fishing, Camping and General and there’s also a photo category. In addition to grand prizes with two outdoor adventure packages (kayak, tent and sleeping bag and two photography packages including a digital camera) there will be monthly prizes (backpacks, fishing gear, digital cameras) for children, high school student and adult age groups.

The contest runs through August 20, and you can get all the details and view some of the submissions at healthylakes.org.

Protect the Great Lakes - before it’s too late