2024 West Michigan Photo Contest

Posted on by farlane

Hoffmaster State Park Rainbow by Lillian Dotzlaf

The West Michigan Tourist Association invites you to participate in their 2024 West Michigan Photo Contest. Prizes include packages from some great businesses & they are looking for traveler photo submissions from the entire west half of Michigan – all the way from the Indiana border to Mackinac Island and into the Upper Peninsula.

“We love getting to see all of the amazing photos from all throughout West Michigan – it’s a highlight of the summer!” said Kaylie Pomper, Marketing Manager. “We love seeing so many different perspectives from the photos shared with us. It’s a great way to see involvement from the communities that make up our beautiful state.”

Pomper also noted that photos do not need to be taken this month in order to submit them to the photo contest. “If you have West Michigan photos from your past visits to the area, we encourage you to enter those as well! West Michigan is photogenic all seasons of the year, so don’t feel that you’re only limited to submitting summer photos.”

All photo entries must be received by July 29th, 2024. Judges will be awarding prizes in the categories of “Beach/Lake Photo; Travelers Exploring Iconic West Michigan Destinations; Downtown Photo; Fairs & Festivals Photo” with an additional prize awarded via public voting by WMTA’s Facebook audience.

Lillian won the public vote last year & shared “I am elated I won the public vote category with the rainbow photo I took just after my Dad passed away. I am so blessed to call this place home. Thank you WMTA for giving me the opportunity and to Mackinac Island for the phenomenal prize package. I know I’ve got an extra angel looking out for me.”

Indeed!! Check out Lillian’s work on Instagram and at Little Lill’s Photography on Facebook!

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Along the West Michigan Pike

Posted on by farlane

Beach House 2

Beach House 2, photo by Lori Hernandez

Amy Arnold has a cool feature on the West Michigan Pike called Highway to History at Seeking Michigan that says (in part):

You may know it as old M-11, old US 31, the Red Arrow Highway or the Blue Star Highway – all names for a road that was originally called the West Michigan Pike, the first continuous concrete highway in West Michigan. Begun in 1911 as part of a strategy to bring auto tourists from Chicago to Michigan, the road was completed in 1922 and ran from New Buffalo to Mackinaw City.

…In the 1920s, an effort to create a series of connected, safe places for auto travelers to stay resulted in the development of a series of parks along the route, including seven state parks between New Buffalo and Ludington. During the Depression, Ludington State Park was the first state park in Michigan to be constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and was a showplace for the National Park Service program. The West Michigan Pike was also important in Michigan’s early conservation history. Much of Michigan’s land had been clear cut and abandoned by the lumber industry. The state incorporated highway beautification and reforestation as part of its work to create good roads in Michigan.

Read more at Seeking Michigan, and you can also check out Amy’s historical study of architectural resources along the West Michigan Pike at Michigan Beach Towns. If you’d like to retrace the route, here’s an old flyer with the West Michigan Pike route.

Also, they note that there’s an exhibit titled Yesterday on the West Michigan Pike: Photographs by Vincent J. Musi, that shows the noted National Geographic photographers photos taken along the Pike in 2008. View some right here.

View Lori’s photo background bigtacular and see more in her Ludington State Park slideshow.

More beach wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!