I was trying to count the times I have visited Michigan and it definitely rivals Florida. I have been to Grand Rapids, Lansing, Saugatuck, Traverse City and mostly to Grand Haven where good friends live. Grand Haven is a small town nestled between Holland and Muskegon on the western coast of the state, just a few hours outside of Chicago. The beach here is beautiful and the Grand River is the port for access to Lake Michigan. There was a lot of boat traffic on the weekend we arrived, a picture perfect Michigan fall day.
This time, I was determined to delve into the history of the area since there was so much I didn’t know. In 1805, the Territory of Michigan was established. Grand Haven became a village in 1835. In 1836, the first frame building was completed. Michigan became the 26th state in 1837. By 1874, the population in Grand Haven was 3140 and there were 28 steam lumber mills.
As happened in so many cities, there was a huge fire in 1889 that destroyed most of the town’s buildings and and in 1890, the lumber era ended. A 1929 storm sank 4 ships on Lake Michigan.
Our friends don’t do much social media so I am going to respect their privacy and just include some cute dog photos.
We had a truly wonderful visit and I feel so lucky to spend time with friends I have known for 40 years.