Why We Love Muskegon

We Like Our Water Unsalted...

Muskegon is framed by two lakes. The first, of course, is Lake Michigan. One of the five Great Lakes. It really needs no introduction. Muskegon Lake, on the other hand is one of Michigan's hidden gems. Approximately 2.5 miles wide and 5.5 miles long, for recreational boaters, large and small, it provides shelter on a rough day on the Big Lake. Both are unsalted. We like it that way. Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Our Sand like Sugar,

In past years, the sand dunes found along the shoreline of Muskegon were considered a raw material to be mined for industry. Today, they are a protected natural resource, shared and enjoyed by all the creatures of Earth. Source: Joe Gee Photography

And Our Sunsets Picturesque.

Muskegon sits on the sugar-sand shore of Lake Michigan. With a lake of this size and a vantage point facing west, you get sunsets. Drop-what-you're-doing-and-head-toward-the-beach sunsets. Movie-like romantic sunsets. Mind-blowing sunsets. No two are alike, and the show runs year around. Many cities measure the distance to the beach in minutes.  We measure ours in moments. Source: Joe Gee Photography

San Francisco has it's Four Seasons. So do we.

San Francisco calls their Four Seasons a hotel. In Muskegon we call them Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Each are spectacular and bring inspiration in their own way. Source: Joe Gee Photography

The Birthplace of Snowboarding.

Here is one of those inspirations. Nearly a foot of new snow covered the sand dune behind Sherm Poppen's home on Christmas Day in 1965.  In his attempt to entertain his two young daughters, he created the prototype for the Snurfer - the first commercial snowboard. Soon after, Muskegon became home to the National Snurfing championships. The 1979 championships featured a young competitor named Jake Burton Carpenter. The owner of a small, struggling  business, he had come to town to showcase his version of the toy he loved as a kid.  Of course, today we know the sport as snowboarding, and Jake as the head of the largest snowboard manufacturer in the world. But it all started here. Source: Sean Mullally

Home of the Big Reds...

...and the Crusaders, and Eagles, and Rockets and Cardinals and Sailors and  Tigers and Norsemen. With Autumn comes high school football. And few places in the country bring it like Muskegon. The Big Reds of Muskegon High School first started playing the game in 1895.  Today they rank in the top ten in the nation in all-time victories and over the years have won 16 state titles.  Their home is historic Hackley Stadium, designed by the same folks that brought you the Big House in Ann Arbor, Notre Dame Stadium and old Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.  Alumni include University of Michigan's greatest all-around athlete Bennie Oosterbaan and NFL ironman Earl Morrall. Friday night is filled with outstanding options as Muskegon is also home to the Catholic Central Crusaders, who have notched eleven state football crowns, the Muskegon Oakridge Eagles, who have won three titles. The Rockets of Reeths Puffer, the Cardinals of Orchard View, the Sailors of Mona Shores, the Tigers of Muskegon Heights, and the Norsemen of North Muskegon. Source: Local Sports Journal

Our own Field of Dreams.

A League of Their Own - the Hollywood tale of  the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League - is the story of what local residents called entertainment during the war years in Muskegon. Baseball has been played on Marsh Field since it opened in 1916.  In nearly 100 years of service, the ball park has seen minor league baseball, Negro League baseball, high school baseball, recreational baseball, and, yes, AAGPBL baseball. The Muskegon Lassies, featuring the great Doris Sams, filled the old grandstand at the park from 1946 to 1950.  Elston Howard, the first to cross Major League baseball's color line with the New York Yankees, got his start in professional baseball at Marsh as a member of the Muskegon Clippers in 1950. Today, over 200 ballgames take place on the historic grounds each year.  Now, like then, there's still nothing like a day at the ballpark. Source: Local Sports Journal

Michigan's most beautiful train station.

Muskegon's Union Station opened it's doors in 1895.  A Richardsonian Romanesque style structure, almost immediately the depot served as a backdrop for William Jennings Bryan's whistle stop campaign in 1896 during his first run at the presidency. During the days when the steel rails dominated transportation, it would serve many others. Harry Truman and Richard Nixon stopped by in later years. To silent film comedian Buster Keaton and many others, the sight of the station meant they were home.  While today the restored station serves as Muskegon's Visitor's Bureau and Convention Center, you really should pop inside even if you're not here for a visit or a convention. It's as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside. Source: Ron Pesch

The Birthplace of Iggy Pop.

Born April 21, 1947, James Newell Osterberg Jr. called Muskegon home before the family headed east to Ypsilanti, MI, and ultimately, fame for the artist today known as Iggy Pop.  In 1942, this 31-room lumbering-era mansion, the John Torrent House, was opened by a group of 21 Osteopathic physicians and surgeons as Muskegon Osteopathic Hospital. It is here that Osterberg found his "Lust for Life." Source: Ron Pesch

Where Greyhound Got Its Name.

Born in 1889, Edwin Carl Ekstrom, a native of Ludington, MI, launched Safety Motor Coach Lines in 1924 with the purchase of four Fageol 22-passenger intercity buses running between Muskegon and Grand Rapids. Over the next two years, thanks to his ties to the industry, the bus service would grow to service much of the west Michigan shoreline, then expand to dominate area passenger transportation to Chicago. Ekstrom painted his Fageol coaches a distinctive blue-grey tone. Locals said they looked like greyhounds running down the road.  Ekstrom quickly adopted the imagery into a logo, and added it to his fleet. "Greyhounds of the Highway" and "Ride the Greyhounds" became taglines for his company. In April of 1926, Fageol Safety Coaches presented Ekstrom with a beautiful greyhound dog to celebrate his company's purchase of their 50th coach.  Ekstrom appropriately named the dog "Bus" and it became the mascot for the bus line. In October, a massive merger created the framework that became what we know today as Greyhound, and Ekstrom's logo, slightly modified, became the symbol of the company. Hibbing, MN is credited with the company's start. Muskegon is where it got its name. Source: Ron Pesch

Let's Do the Twist.

When it comes to the favorite food of many on the shore, pizza certainly ranks near the top.  Addam and Heather Oliver are relative new-comers to the pizza business. Mr. Scribs, a local favorite, has been around since the 1960's. Glenside Pub, offers a fantastic Monday Night Special, and their pizza has been a favorite of many since the 1980s. Fricano's Muskegon Lake, is part of a famous family of pizza taverns that opened in 1949. The local edition set up shop in 2002, and has a great view of Muskegon Lake. The Oliver's place is called Bernie O's Pizza. It opened in 2006 and has since shown up on national television and "Best Pizza" lists. Try "The Twist." Source: Oliver

Where Silence Shines Like Silver.

He was born in Kansas, but called Muskegon "Home." Buster Keaton once rivaled Charlie Chaplin as the leading comedian of the silent era. Today, many also recognize him as one of the top film directors in the history of Hollywood. "The best summers of my life were spent in the cottage Pop had built on Lake Muskegon in 1908," he wrote in his autobiography. In 2013, Philadelphia artist and author Matt Phelan created an award-winning graphic novel titled Bluffton about this area of town where young Keaton spent his lakeshore summer vacations. For over 20 years, members of the International Buster Keaton Society have visited town to celebrate the life of their hero. Join them on a Saturday night in October, when they open up a restored movie palace to share a show with the public, and to cheer the actions of this movie star.  It is a sight to see. Source: Hollywood

A Restored Movie Palace.

It began life as the Michigan Theater. Built in 1929, it was one of multiple movie palaces located in the downtown area. Locals still mourn the loss of the Regent Theater. Opened in 1916 it seated 1,100, but was felled by the wrecking ball during the days of urban renewal. The Michigan Theater nearly met the same fate. Instead, A. Harold Frauenthal donated funds to the local Community Foundation, and the building was saved.  Brought back to its original glory through the efforts of the community, the theater, now known as the Frauenthal, seats 1,726 and ranks among the finest in Michigan. These days it hosts numerous weddings, concerts and events, including the Buster Keaton film festival, where the theater's glorious Barton organ is showcased. Oh, and there is a balcony.  Now that's something you don't see at the local cineplex these days. Source: Community Foundation for Muskegon County

Unruly Pigeons.

Muskegon was one of two places in America where Guinness was once brewed.  Today, a pair of microbreweries in the downtown area are bringing back a tradition that was started in 1875, when a trio of enterprising Germans opened the Muskegon Brewing Company.  The final barrels rolled out of that brewery, then owned by Gobels, in 1957. To the joy of many, Unruly Brewery and Pigeon Hill Brewery, located a couple city blocks from each other, have resurrected the craft.  In addition, each is located in a historic building renovated with an eye to the past.  Source: Madelyn Hastings | mlive.com

Rebel Road a Time to celebrate Bikes.

It was over a decade ago when residents first experienced the roar of Bike Time as it rumbled into town. Recently the event expanded into two simultaneous events, with the addition of Rebel Road. Annually, an estimated crowd of over 100,000 take in the sites, sounds and camaraderie of this rally. Museum-class bikes jockey with custom-paint jobs  for attention. Burn-out events, motorcycle stunt shows, music, vendor booths, a beauty contest and of course, ice-cold beverages beckon as one strolls along Western Avenue - the downtown throughfare transformed into Steel House Alley during the four-day event. Word in some circles is that the event is making a run at the Top Ten bike rallies in the nation.  The area's sunny skies and cool waterfront breezes continue to enhance that climb. Source: MLive

Farm to Table.

Historians say that Muskegon's first Farmers Market opened in 1921. The city's most recent incarnation arrived in 2014. Moved a short distanct up a hill to a central location in the city's downtown, without question today's version has been a hit. A Saturday morning visit to the open air market has always been a sight to see. A true amalgamation of the American public are brought together for the most basic of reasons. What happens because of it is amazing. Color, class, religion and all else that separate us disappear. Kindness, courtesy, conversation and friendship fill the air with possibilities.  Wander, watch and learn. And, perhaps, grab an apple or a slice of watermelon from a favorite farmer while you're there. Source: Muskegon Farmers Market

We're all Irish - at least for a weekend.

For over a decade, the Michigan Irish Music Festival has focused on fun on the waterfront, while delivering a fantastic mix of music, food and beverage.  The largest Irish Fest in Michigan, and one of the largest in the Midwest, the list of performers that have played the event include nearly every act of note.  Yet, perhaps the most endearing aspect of the festival is the organizers attention to customer service. From start to finish, rain or shine, the experience is unforgettable. Source: www.michiganirish.org

Art Deco Elegance.

It's older than the Titanic, and still afloat.  Most know her as the Milwaukee Clipper, and since retirement in 1970 at the age of 65, she's had quite a life.  After relatively short stays in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Navy Pier in Chicago, and Hammond, Indiana, she came home to Muskegon. The Clipper began life as the Juniata. Owned by the Erie & Western Transportation company, she sailed between Buffalo, New York and Duluth, Minnesota in those early years and was the epitome of first-class Great Lakes travel. Retired because of her wooden superstructure, the ship was purchased by the McKee family, who went to famed navel architect George G. Sharp for a redesign. Launched from Wisconsin in June of 1941, the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper was fittingly rechristened with a bottle of milk.  For the next 30 years, she would carry travelers and their automobiles between Milwaukee and Muskegon. Loving hands have worked to restore this National Historic Landmark, and today the Clipper has been reborn as a museum, showcasing the days when cruising the Great Lakes was done on a grand scale. Source: Milwaukee Clipper

Walk Where Heroes Walked.

The LST 393 is but one of two such vessels still in existence in the United States. At one time, more that 1,000 Landing Ship Tanks helped deliver troops, tanks and amphibious assault vehicles from shore to shore. Serving from WWII through the Vietnam War, tens of thousands of enlisted men spent time aboard such ships. Sold and rechristened the Highway 16, from 1946 until 1973, the ship served as a new car ferry, shuttling the latest from the Big Three to points west. Docked on Muskegon Lake, today the ship recalls its outstanding wartime record as a nationally known veterans museum. Source: William J. Dragga

Horse Hockey!

A state championship debater, Harry Bratsburg, known in acting circles as Harry Morgan, received his start at Muskegon High School.  His drama instructor was the football coach's wife, and Harry, of course, would always be her pride and joy. A failing office furniture salesman working for a company from his hometown, he auditioned for some parts in summer stock. The roles he landed and the people he met led him to New York, then Hollywood, film and television, and feature roles in TV's December Bride and Dragnet.  In 1978, he returned home for the filming of a Life Savers commercial still remembered by students of MHS who were sent home from school when the filming caused a power outage. While the commercial was quickly forgotten outside his hometown, the same cannot be said for his role as Colonel Sherman Tecumseh Potter, the beloved character he played on the hit television series M*A*S*H. He lasted to the ripe old age of 96.  May we all be so lucky. Source: Hollywood

Sleep in a real submarine, without enlisting for service.

Commissioned into service eight days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S.S. Silversides spent World War II patrolling Japan's coast. A total of 23 ships met their fate at the hands of this submarine. Docked along the channel connecting Muskegon Lake to Lake Michigan, this former member of the Pacific Fleet is the centerpiece of a 16,000 square foot museum on the site. It should not be missed. Source: Historic Navel Ships Association

Pictures of the Best Kind.

For a museum of its size, the Muskegon Museum of Art is considered one of the absolute finest in the nation. The permanent collection is home to a stunning assemblage of art by the likes of James Abbott Whistler, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, Alfred Sisley and many others. Tornado Over Kansas has appeared in over 150 publications since paint was artistically placed on canvas by John Steuart Curry. The museum was established thanks to the generosity of the Charles Hackley family. In 1912, the building was dedicated. Contained within, were "pictures of the best kind" purchased, as instructed at the time of the donation, with funds that Hackley left for such purpose prior to his death.  The opening was covered by newspapers in New York, Chicago, Boston and London. Source: Muskegon Museum of Art

Haddon Sundblom and the American Dream.

In 1931, the Coca Cola Company hired Haddon Sundblom to create artwork for their upcoming Christmas campaign. He was not the first to paint a Santa for the soft drink company. Coke had worked up Christmas advertising in the 1920s, but Sundblom's Santa would become the most beloved. His illustrations would be the feature of Coke's holiday advertising for decades to come. Born in 1899 in Muskegon, Sundblom was the youngest of three children born to Karl Sundblom and Karolina Andersson.  Karl was a carpenter; Karolina, a homemaker who cared for a houseful of children.  Karl was a widower, with six children from a previous marriage. Haddon lost his mother to pulmonary tuberculosis when he was 13. He dropped out of school to work and help support the family. Soon after, the family moved to Chicago. Working in construction, next to his father one would imagine, at night Haddon took classes in art and architecture. At age 19, he studied illustration at the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art at age 23. After apprenticing at the Charles Everett Johnson Studios, he opened a studio Stevens, Sundblom and Henry, with two colleagues. Along with Norman Rockwell, Sundblom painted the American Dream. His style influenced many. Along with the paintings for Coke, his images for Quaker Oats, including Aunt Jemima and the Quaker Oats Quaker, and Irma Harding for International Harvester remain iconic examples of advertising. Source: Coca Cola Co.

Hackleyville

Hackley Public Library, Hackley Hospital, Hackley Park, Hackley Art Gallery, Hackley Stadium, Hackley Manual Training School, Hackley Bank and Trust, Chase-Hackley Piano Company, the Hackley House.  Everywhere your turn, past and present, is the name.  And for good reason.  Muskegon was built on lumber. Sawmills lined Muskegon Lake in the late 1800s. At one point it is said that the city had more millionaires per capita that any other place in America; back when a million really meant something.  The city was then known as the Lumber Queen of the World. Then there was no more lumber. The forests of the north had been clear cut. Most of the lumber barons left town.  Hackley was one who stayed and worked to keep the city alive.  He became its philanthropist.  He attracted industry and invested in the place he loved. Although he died in 1905, over 100 years later, his the impact is still felt. This statue, along with the a sculpture of Athena, the goddess of learning by Lorado Taft, which stands on the grounds of Muskegon High School, commerate his legacy. Taft's work was dedicated in 1929.  This piece, featuring Hackley seated on a park bench overlooking Hackley Park, was dedicated in 2009.  Source: Sean Mullally

And Speaking of Statues

Statues. You'd be challenged to find a better-looking Lincoln anywhere. Or Grant for that matter.  Ulysses looks pretty good standing there, grabbing the lapels of his jacket.  He's held the same pose for over 100 years, as have Abe, William Tecumseh Sherman and David Farragut. Each Civil War hero has his corner of Hackley Park. Each found a home in Muskegon thanks to the generosity of Charles Hackley. Across the street you'll find the first statue commissioned of President William McKinley. Some might argue it isn't the most flattering of images. Still, it may be the most accurate. The green patina is now gone, as all the statues received a professional cleaning several years back. Today, they appear as they did over a century ago, treasured, as we hope they will be in another 100 years. Source: Steve Friedman Photography

Wild Iris Along the Bike Trail.

Muskegon County has over 60 miles of biking and hiking trails open for use by the public. In total, there are around 10 miles of such recreational pavement in the city of Muskegon. But the not-to-be-missed run is the Muskegon Lakeshore trail.  Various sections of the five-mile path that runs along Muskegon Lake between Pere Marquette Park and North Muskegon are nothing short of  jawdropping, take-your-breath-away beautiful. Lined with benches and swings, it still may be the best-kept secret in town. Once sawmills dominated this landscape. Soon after, they were replaced by heavy industry. Attracted to open water, the lakefront was an important resource in manufacturing. Then the 1960s and 1970s arrived, and they, too, closed their doors. Since that time, the waterfront has slowly been reclaimed. This time, residents have demanded that the view not be blocked and that the shoreline be restored. A stroll or a ride down this path will emphasize why. Source: William Reek Photography

The Cheese Lady

The short version of the story goes that Kathleen Fagan Riegler, tired of the travel involved with her job, resigned one day. She told her husband that instead, she would go to the Muskegon Farmer's Market to sell cheese. Like in a fairy tale, she did just that. And, like in a fairy tale, the people loved her cheese. They called her The Cheese Lady.  So, she decided to open a real store. And everyone ate cheese and lived happily ever after. The long version of the story isn't much different.  Kathleen's store in downtown Muskegon was at one point, an old computer shop and a bar in a non-descript building. Situated across from the Farmers' Market, today, it is a gorgeous brick-faced place with an oversized postcard mural of a Paris streetscape painted on the side. Twice a week, The Cheese Lady crosses the road to sell her wares from a stall at the relocated Farmer's Market - just like she did in the start of the fairy tale. Source: Brandon Bartoszek

Zephyrs, Mohawks, Lumberjacks, and Fury

For 50 years, Muskegon had professional hockey. Longtime members of the International Hockey League, fans saw phenomenal success and trying times on the ice of the L.C Walker Arena from the fall of 1960 until the winter of 1992. Then ownership moved the team to Cleveland.  Over-expansion and greed would ultimately kill that league, and eventually, professional hockey along the lakeshore and in many smaller towns across America.  But it didn't end the sport at the old barn. Instead, hockey in Muskegon has found new life in the juniors.  The Muskegon Lumberjacks celebrated their fifth season as members of the United States Hockey League in 2014-15.  A developmental league aimed at helping kids enhance their skills in preparation for play at the NCAA and professional level, it has operated as an all-junior league since the fall of 1979. Players range in age from 16 to 20. Teams operate in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota and Nebraska. For fans, it has been a change, as players move through the league quickly. After all, for many, college is waiting. For a few of the lucky ones there may even be a career beyond.  That dream has come true for 241 currently in the NHL, including league alum, Justin Abdelkader, a local kid playing for the Detroit Red Wings. We're still early in the game. Only time will tell if the modern day edition of the Lumberjacks will add names to future NHL rosters. While we wait for "remember when," the arena still ranks among the finest in the midwest, and the beer is cold. And on a frosty eve in the Midwest, there's nothing better than Hockey Night in Hockeytown. Source: USHLInteractive

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