Category Archives: Parks

The Center of the Lower Peninsula

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, Parks .

This stone marker stands in Clapp Memorial Park in St Louis, Michigan. It declares that it is the geographical center of the Lower Peninsula. It stands near another stone that has a plaque on the top of hit that reads: Sidney S. Hastings placed this stone here in 1876 to mark the geographical center of lower Michigan. If you want to stand in the middle of the mitten this park in St Louis is the place to do it.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, if you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

The Map in the Park

Posted on by Posted in Parks .

Hagar Park sits in Jenison located west of Grand Rapids. It is in this Ottawa county park that you will find a landscaped field with the shape of a map of the United States. It even has some of the rivers and mountains shaped into it. I tried to get a pic of it but it does not show up well here is a pic from google maps that shows it next to the playground.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, if you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

Paris In The Springtime

Posted on by Posted in Parks, small towns .

Michigan in early springtime can be rather gray and gloomy with brown grass and bare trees. I needed to get away so I headed to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. No not the one in France but the one in Michigan a few miles north of Big Rapids.  John Parish arrived in the area in the 1850s and platted the village in 1865. It was at first named “Parish” after him, but the name later became Paris.

The County park in Paris was the site of the second fish hatchery in the state of Michigan. The Paris Fish Hatchery opened in 1881, and from 1913 to 1938, salmon and brown trout fingerlings were shipped in trains in milk cans painted a distinctive red color. The hatchery operated until 1964.  in 1972 it was acquired by the Mecosta County Park Commission and the land converted into a park. In 1980, Using old bed frames stored in one of the buildings, welding students from the Mecosta-Osceola Career Center in Big Rapids built the 20-foot-tall replica of the Eiffel Tower.

If you want to get away to see the Eiffel Tower and you can’t afford to travel to France, be sure to check out the replica in Paris, Michigan.

P.S. behind the tower is a trout pond. It was closed when I was there, but I will have to go back when it is open and the grass is green.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

Spring Grove

Posted on by Posted in Parks .

South of Grand Rapids, Near Hudsonville is Spring Grove Park. It is a county park that has a stream flowing through it fed by a natural spring. The crystal clear water bubbles up through the ground into a pool of water. It reminded me of a small version of Kitch-iti-kipi  at Palms Book State Park in the Upper Peninsula. If you are looking for a nice place for a stroll check out the little park in Southwest Michigan.

P.S. at one time there was a fountain for drinking water but it is gone now.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

Parker Mill

Posted on by Posted in Grain Elevators, Parks .

Parker Mill sits in the appropriately named Parker Mill County Park situated between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. The grist mill was built by William Parker in 1873, along the Flemming Creek.  After William died the mill was operated by his son and grandson until the 1960s. After the mill closed, it was purchased along with the land along the creek to create the county park. The mill still stands for visitors to see how grain was milled over a century ago. Visitors can also hike the trail along the creek to enjoy a bit of nature.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

 

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.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

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.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

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.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

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

Lost In Michigan Books are  ON SALE at Amazon. You can see more by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

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.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read