Photo of Big Sable Point Lighthouse courtesy of Pure Ludington.
From staff reports
In case you’ve been away from your social media, smartphones and televisions the last 24 hours, you may now hear what everyone else in the area already knows: USA Today readers voted Ludington as the “Best Historic Small Town.”
Twenty U.S. towns having a population of 25,000 or fewer were nominated, and only one small town from Michigan was among them.
Ludington’s population was more than 7,500 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nominees were chosen by USA Today’s “panel of experts,” including editors, contributors and others from Gannett properties, according to a release from the Ludington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, which supplied most of the information used in this announcement.
Some of the other heady contenders for this recognition were California’s coastal Carmel-by-the-Sea, Colorado’s ski mecca known as Breckenridge, and Utah’s red rockin’ town of Moab. All three are resort towns like Ludington.
Ludington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s executive director weighed in.
“We are the perfect city to claim this title, with our rich history dating back to 1873 celebrated at last year’s sesquicentennial and our many historic attractions,” Brandy Miller said.
That history includes Historic White Pine Village, Big Sable Point Lighthouse, the S.S. Badger, the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and others. Some of the others from the lumber era are featured in the Freshwater Reporter Oct. 2020 story, “A ghost town, a cemetery and the spirit of the lumber barons”.
The Mason County Historical Society oversees the historic village and maritime museum. Executive Director Rebecca Berringer had this to say about the award.
“From its storied lumbering and maritime heritage to its vibrant cultural attractions and picturesque landscapes, Ludington is a shining example of small town charm. Being named America’s Best Historic Small Town not only honors our past but celebrates the enduring spirit of its people.”
For centuries the area was home to the Ottawa Indians. They fished the river, now known by its European name of Pere Marquette, and hunted and trapped along its shores among virgin white pine. (Read “A Brief History” on the website of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians HERE.)
Originally named Pere Marquette by the Europeans after the Jesuit explorer, the city of Ludington was later named for its lumber baron James Ludington.
A river channel used for logging was deepened by Charles Mears which allowed for subsequent shipping of salt, sand and chemicals mined nearby and facilitated commercial fishing.
The city’s beach and water access have been enjoyed by generations of residents and visitors, and appreciation of the area’s natural resources has been greatly enhanced by the nearby Ludington State Park and Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area, part of the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
