Category Archives: Parks

The Concrete Bridges of McCourtie Park

Posted on by Posted in Bridges, Parks .

On US-12 in the town of Somerset Center is McCourtie Park. The park has some wonderful concrete bridges that span a little creek which flows through the park. A Historical marker tells the stories of these bridges and the park:

Somerset Center native W. H. L. McCourtie (1872 – 1933) was introduced to the cement industry by W. F. Cowham of Jackson in 1897. McCourtie soon went to Dallas, Texas, where he made a fortune speculating in oil and established the Trinity Portland Cement Company. During the 1920s McCourtie returned to Somerset Center. In 1924 he acquired his family’s home and turned it into a community showplace. McCourtie sought to create a model town. He gave free white paint to any home owner that needed it. He also hosted the community’s annual homecoming celebration. Thousands of people came to “Aiden Lair” to witness stunt flyers and enjoy baseball, local musicians, dancing and unlimited refreshments. At the height of the Great Depression, McCourtie offered his estate as a place “Where Friends Meet Friends and Part More Friendly.”

The W. H. L. McCourtie Estate may contain the country’s largest collection of el trabeio rustico, the Mexican folk tradition of sculpting concrete to look like wood. Around 1930, most likely inspired by work he had seen in Texas, cement tycoon W. H. L. McCourtie hired itinerant Mexican artisans George Cardoso and Ralph Corona to construct seventeen bridges on his property. The artisans formed the bridges with steel rods and then hand sculpted wet concrete to resemble planed lumber, rough logs, thatch, and rope. Different species of trees can be identified. Two concrete trees that stand on the property continue to serve as chimneys for the underground rathskellar and garage. The McCourtie estate is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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Minnie Farmer Spring

Posted on by Posted in Artesian Springs, Parks .

Minnie Farmer Park stands next to the Tamarack Creek in the northeast part of Howard City. It is a little roadside park with a pavilion. Next to the creek behind the pavilion is a pipe sticking out of the ground with artesian spring water flowing from it. The well is a hidden little gem and I like to stop there and fill up my water bottle when I am passing through.

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Little Girls Point

Posted on by Posted in Parks, upper peninsula .

Little Girls Point is a county park that stands along the Lake Superior shoreline west of Ironwood. A stone shed stands in the middle of the park. I am not exactly sure what it is used for, maybe an old well pump house. It is a beautiful place to stop for a picnic and watch the waves on Lake Superior.

The name of the park is a curious one and it has a unique story. Legend has it that a young Chippewa woman named Leelinaw lived with her family further to the north in what is now the Porcupine Mountains State Park. She loved to paddle her canoe along the shoreline of the great lake they call Gitche Gumee (Lake Superior). She was told not to stop at the point covered in pine trees because it was haunted by Puk Wadginees or “the little men of the wood”.

On the day of her wedding Leelinaw ventured, out as she had done before, and stopped at the point to explore the grove of pine trees. She never returned and by nightfall the point was searched using torches but she was never found. A wooden sign stands in the park telling the story of Leelinaw and her disappearance.

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The Speakeasy In The Park

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, Parks .

McCourtie Park sits in Somerset Center along US-12. It is mostly known for its ornate concrete bridges. Before it was a park it was a sprawling estate owned by William Herbert Lee “Herb” McCourtie who built a mansion and the bridges on the property. The large mansion was razed years ago and the estate is now open to the public as a county park.

One interesting feature of the park is a rather unappealing looking structure cut into the hillside. It was built as a garage by McCourtie but also used as what he called the “Rathskeller,” (German for a beer hall that was underground or in a basement). Inside was a fully functional English-style bar, with brass foot rails, hand hewn ceiling beams, leaded windows and dark oak-paneled walls adorned with swords, spears and shields. A swinging door led to a card room that was rumored to be the site of all-night poker parties, one reportedly attended by Henry Ford

Because McCourtie enjoyed partaking in the consumption of alcoholic beverages during prohibition the rathskeller had a 10 foot by 10 foot vault with a hidden entrance to the outside. It is believed to be used for stocking the vault with bottle of liquor. There are even rumors that Al Capone has visited the rathskeller. I am not sure how much of it is true but the old garage still remains in the park. Too bad the old mansion did not survive.

For more about the concrete bridges you can read my post about them HERE

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The Park In Michigan’s Hart

Posted on by Posted in Parks .

The Small town of Hart is a few miles southeast of Pentwater on the west coast of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Just north of town is the archway for John Gurney Park welcoming visitors. The park was one of the first auto tourist camps developed along the West Michigan Pike during the 1920s. As the affordability and popularity of the automobile grew Michiganders began to take day trips and the tourist parks gave the motorists a place to stop and rest and even camp overnight. Former state senator Theron Gurney and his wife, Helen, donated land to the village of Hart in 1912 for a park to honor their son. Lieutenant John Gurney died at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish American War.

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Parady Park

Posted on by Posted in Parks, people .

Parady Park sits in downtown Nashville Michigan located somewhat between Lansing and Kalamazoo. The park is named in honor of Emory Parady. He was born in New York in 1844 and was one of twenty-seven men from the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment who rode with the two detectives tracking John Wilkes Booth after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. On April 26, the patrol found Booth hiding at a Virginia farm. Two days later a fire was started to force Booth from the barn. Dring the fire one of the men had shot Booth in the neck. He was pulled from the barn and died a few hours later.  In 1866, Parady received a $1,365.84 reward for his role in Booth’s capture. In 1880 Emory Parady and his family moved to Nashville. He eventually moved to Oregon where he died in 1924

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Rawson King Mill

Posted on by Posted in Grain Elevators, Parks .

This historic mill was built in 1872 northwest of Leonidas. It closed in the 1960s due to changing regulations for grinding grain. Eston and Lydia Rawson purchased the mill and surrounding property and began restoring the old mill along with planting gardens and updating the landscaping. The Rawsons shared their little slice of heaven with the surrounding community often allowing for neighbors to use it for weddings and other gatherings. in 2015 the property was converted into a county park after Eston and Lydia donated it to St Joseph County.

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Milford Log Cabin

Posted on by Posted in Houses, Parks .

I saw this log cabin standing in Milford’s Southside Park next to the fire station. It looks like an old log cabin but according to the plaque on the front, it was built in 1982 by volunteers to celebrate the town’s sesquicentennial.

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Grand Ledge in Fitzgerald Park

Posted on by Posted in autumn, Parks .

The town of Grand Ledge is west of Lansing. As you can guess it is named for the ledges along the Grand River. Fitzgerald Park is named for former Michigan Governor Frank Fitzgerald. If you are looking for somewhere in lower Michigan to hike and explore the park has several trails along the river and rocky cliffs. It reminds me of hiking in the Keweenaw Peninsula without the long drive from southern Michigan.

P.S. If you go. The park is an Eaton County park and there is a $5 entrance fee but it is worth every penny, especially when the leaves are at their peak.

P.P.S. Thank you to everyone that came out to last night’s presentation at the Milford Independent Cinema. It was a lot of fun. If you missed it my next presentation is

Thursday, November 11th At 7:00PM

Rochester Hills Public Library

500 Olde Towne Rd, Rochester, MI 48307

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Mount Pisgah

Posted on by Posted in Nature, Parks .

Mt. Pisgah located in Holland State Park is not the tallest mountain in the state but at 157 feet and over 200 hundred steps I was feeling the burn as I climbed the stairway.

I was curious about the name Mt. Pisgah and I leared that was the name of the mountain that Moses climbed to view the promise land.

At the top of Holland Michigan’s Mt Pisgah, you will be rewarded with a view of Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan along with the Holland Harbor Lighthouse known as “Big Red”

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