History of Muskegon County
This year Muskegon County is celebrating its 150th anniversary as a political entity. The brief narrative included here has been adapted from a similar account that appears in the Muskegon County Directory. The pictures provided here originated as post cards and are intended to provide a glimpse at Muskegon County’s colorful past.
Located along Michigan’s west coast, Muskegon is a land of windswept sand dunes, naturally impounded rivers with natural harbors for shipping and recreation, an abundance of natural resources, a temperate climate, and potential for tremendous growth.
The political history of Muskegon began in 1837 when Muskegon Township was organized as a sub-division of Ottawa County. As a corporate entity, Muskegon County dates from 1859. Prior to that time the southern three-quarters of the county were attached to Ottawa County, while the northern quarter belonged to Oceana County. At the time of the county’s creation, in 1859, the county was divided into six townships, Muskegon, Norton, Ravenna, White River, Dalton, and Oceans, with a total population of 3,947.
Political development of the area coincided with the start of the lumbering era. The local lumber industry commenced in 1837 with the construction of three small sawmills on the south side of Muskegon Lake and another sawmill near the mouth of the White River. By the time the Muskegon lumber industry reached its peak in the mid-1880s, 47 sawmills surrounded Muskegon Lake, while another 16 dotted the shores of White Lake to the north. Other mills were located on Mona Lake and in small communities scattered throughout the County, such has Holton, Ravenna, and Casnovia. Muskegon was then known as the “Lumber Queen of the West”. The population consisted of native-born migrants from the northeastern states, plus immigrants from Canada, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Germany and the Netherlands.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, as the lumber era was fading away, the local economy was severely depressed, the community disorganized, and the population restive and demoralized. But, Muskegon was on the verge of a major makeover. Led by area industrialists, including Newcomb McGraft, Charles Hackley, and Thomas Hume, the city of Muskegon organized a program of economic development which attracted several substantial businesses to the community, drawn by the natural resources of the area: sand for foundries, hardwood timber for office furniture and sporting goods, second-growth timber for paper-making, and easy access to both the iron and copper mines of the upper peninsula and the rapidly developing automobile plants of southeastern Michigan. Before long, Muskegon was well on its way to becoming a diversified industrial center, having attracted such firms as Shaw-Walker, Brunswick-Balke, Campbell, Wyant and Cannon, Continental Motors, and the Central Paper Mill to the area. Most of the industrial development was centered in the city of Muskegon and in the newly developed community of Muskegon Heights. Thousands of emigrants from southern and eastern Europe came to Muskegon to further diversify the ethnic make-up of the community.
While the city of Muskegon was flexing its industrial muscles, the area north and south of Muskegon turned to the resort industry for salvation. The White Lake area boasted summer resort communities such as Sylvan Beach and Michillinda, augmented by dozens of tourist facilities and resort hotels. Mona Lake also joined in the tourist boom with several resorts, including the Lake Harbor Resort, which had its own golf course. The city of Muskegon had its own tourist attraction, the Lake Michigan Park, an amusement park located on Lake Michigan south of the Muskegon Lake channel. For many years most tourists arrived aboard large steamships, such as the vessels of the Chicago based Goodrich line and on passenger trains. The development of paved roads in the 1920s brought other tourists to the area. The most important of these roads was the West Michigan Pike that connected, through Chicago, with the west, and via the Dixie Highway, with the south.
Farmers found that the soil conditions, temperate climate, and access to Lake Michigan were ideal for developing fruit farms. Apples, peaches, pears, blueberries, and other fruit crops added greatly to the area’s economic development. Much of the annual harvest was shipped from what is now know as the Mart Dock in downtown Muskegon, but fruit and other products were also shipped from smaller docks in Fruitport, Whitehall and Montague.
The Great Depression of the 1930s undermined much of the area’s economic development, with massive unemployment, closed factories, and business consolidations. Despite the bleak economy, the depression decade was noteworthy for the inauguration of several local cultural organizations and entities. The Michigan Theater, now part of the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, was built in 1929 and has been one of Muskegon’s cultural gems ever since. That same year Victor Casenelli, an artist living in North Muskegon, was commissioned to draw his famous series of paintings depicting Muskegon’s history. They are now housed at the Muskegon County Museum, which itself was another product of the Great Depression. The West Shore Symphony Orchestra, which performs regularly at the Frauenthal Theater, was founded in 1939. Other cultural groups founded at about that time included the Cosmopolitan Male Singers, organized in 1933, and Muskegon’s Civic Theater organization, established in 1935.
The economy rebounded during World War II in response to Muskegon’s role as an “Arsenal of Democracy”, as Muskegon area factories worked twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week producing tank engines, landing craft, and other war-related products. With so many Muskegon men and women enlisted in the military, area businesses drew replacement labors from other states to fill the void: Latinos from Texas, African-Americans from Arkansas and Mississippi, and whites from Appalachia. Many area women also joined the labor force at that time.
The 1950s and 1960s brought a return to the economic doldrums. Factories cut back on production and laid off employees in unprecedented numbers. Many area businesses closed their doors permanently. The 1960s and 1970s were years of business consolidation, when numerous locally owned banks, commercial enterprises, and industrial establishments were sold to giant national and international corporations.
Since the 1970s the industrial community has continued to diversify in order to cope with an ever-changing and troublesome economy. The largest employer in the county is now Mercy Health partners, a consolidation of three previously independent hospitals. The largest industrial employer is Whitehall’s Howmet Corporation, a division of Alcoa Aluminum. The commercial center, once concentrated along Western Avenue in downtown Muskegon, has moved to new shopping centers, most notably the Lakes Mall, between Muskegon and Grand Haven.
As this brief history is written, during the sesquicentennial anniversary of the founding of Muskegon County, Muskegon is in the process of re-inventing itself once again, perhaps with an economy based on travel, tourism and recreation. The downtown is in the process of being revitalized with new construction, such as the Muskegon County Chamber of Commerce’s new building and the Culinary Institute of Michigan, a division of Baker College. Muskegon Community College also has plans for future growth in the downtown area. Travel and tourist related businesses, such as the Lake Express Ferry, Port City Princess, and Michigan’s Adventure amusement park, draw many visitors to the area, as do Muskegon’s many museums and historic sites. Muskegon’s many municipal, county, and state parks are also popular venues for visitors and local residents alike. No one knows what the future will be, but if history is a guide, we will find a way to add another progressive chapter to the many lives of Muskegon.
Daniel J. Yakes, Ph.D., Muskegon Community College, retired
