The neon sign of a Seaway Avenue flower shop on May 6, 2008
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Author: Nick Kroes
Muskegon’s Ruddiman Pond was the focus of a major restoration effort last year. Could this explain the huge increase in the number of birds living there this spring? Whatever the reason, the early morning action there is really fun to watch.
This is the bridge at the north end of the Muskegon Log Booming Company pond on December 21, 2007.
There is a state historical marker on the other side of this pond that makes for very interesting reading. It says that…
Muskegon was the largest center of lumbering on Lower Michigan’s west coast. From the 1850s to the 1890s an immense amount of timber was floated to this port down the Muskegon River and its tributaries.
In 1864 the Muskegon Booming Company was formed to sort the logs and raft them to the mills. Here at the upper end of Muskegon Lake was the great storage boom where the logs, each identified by its owner’s log mark, were sorted into pens as fast as they floated in. They were then chained together into rafts which were towed to the mills by the company’s tugboats.
In thirty years the company delivered over ten billion board feet of logs.
Sunrise from Muskegon County’s White Lake channel on September 29, 2007.
Nero seems to be watching the mist being burned off by the morning sun at Duck Lake State Park.
The sunrise cuts through the Duck Lake mist on July 6, 2007.
Chris takes a quick break from the very serious work of thoroughly exploring the weeds to admire an amazing morning at Duck Lake State Park.
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Duck Lake State Park, June 2, 2007
A post-storm raindrop at Duck Lake State Park.
An old door looking for a new house on a snowy January morning.
An icy branch on Muskegon’s Lakeshore Bike Trail in January of 2007.
The Muskegon Causeway bridge early on the morning of January 12 2007.
Behind the train depot in downtown Muskegon on Christmas morning in 2006.
Muskegon Union Station was built by Chicago & West Michigan and the Muskegon, Grand Rapids & Indiana in 1895. C & WM became part of Pere Marquette. Muskegon, GR & I followed its parent into the Pennsylvania.
The depot remained in service as a passenger station until 1970, when Amtrak took over passenger train service on the C&O, and the Muskegon-Holland train was discontinued.
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Grand Avenue, December 9, 2006
Berries on Muskegon’s Grand Avenue, December 9, 2006.
One of the lights on the Causeway bridge on the morning of November 5, 2006.
A Muskegon River rail crossing as seen from the nearby bike trail on October 25, 2006.
Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center in downtown Muskegon on October 14, 2006
MAREC was developed as a direct response to the growing need for alternative and renewable energy sources. The mission of MAREC is to be an international destination point for researchers and businesses developing alternative energy technologies and applications. In addition, the Center will be a leading resource for education and instruction on alternative energy.
The initial spark for the development of MAREC came in 1999 when a group of Grand Valley State University faculty and Muskegon business people conceived the idea of a research and development facility focused on alternative energy. Subsequent partnerships between the business, community, and private sectors resulted in groundbreaking for the Center in late 2002, with the facility opening its doors in November 2003.
The Hartshorn boat launch dock early on the morning of October 9, 2006.
The full moon over the White Lake channel on October 7, 2006.
The harvest moon over the White Lake south wall on October 7, 2006.
The full moon over Lake Michigan just south of the White Lake channel.
Nero and I left early that morning to check out the moon shadows. Unfortunately, about five minutes after shooting this picture, Nero decided he should also check out one of the local skunks.
The rest of our walk was just as smelly as it was beautiful.