By KEVIN HOWELL with JEAN HOWELL
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories about Mason County’s Cultural Heritage Trails.
After years of visiting Michigan, my wife Jean and I moved here from Indiana a little more than a year ago, because we love the scenery and the “big” lakeshore. But, like we always do when we travel, we wanted to learn about the place, its culture and its history.
I looked over a website describing trails developed by the Cultural Economic Task Force of Mason County and decided it might be a fun way to learn more about our new, adopted home. Six trails are listed – Agricultural Trail, Barn Quilt Trail, Music Heritage Trail, Sculpture Trail and Maritime Heritage Trail – and I decided to attack the list from the bottom and hit the Maritime Heritage Trail first.
Armed with cell phones – the trails are totally technological, though you can print maps as well – my wife, as navigator, and I headed toward Ludington. Traveling west on US-10, toward the lakeshore, I was reminded that it was National Hot Dog Day, which has nothing to do with this story other than I took note of the hotdog food truck. For fellow chowhounds, I’ll explain that it and other food trucks stand near the highway, in a parking lot near the corner of Nelson Road.
I refrained from stopping for a Ludington Dog, a Chicago Dog or one of the other tasty dogs and encouraged my truck to keep heading downtown. Passing clothing, souvenir and curio shops, restaurants and bars – and plenty of masked-up tourists – we headed to Ludington Beach at Stearns Park. It’s always worth a cruise through the beach parking area, even on a cloudy day, as it provides a good look at the lake. During our visit the water was fairly calm, with the wind up just enough to see crew unfurl their sails as their sailboats left the harbor.
Stearns Park is also the entry to the North Breakwater walkway that runs about a half mile to the North Breakwater Light, number 512 on the Maritime Trail. According to the trail’s short audio description, Congress set aside funds in 1923 to replace a lighthouse on the south pier constantly damaged by stormy weather. In 1994, after reconfiguration of the concrete pier, the light settled slightly – leaving a noticeable list to the northwest. The light is owned by the City of Ludington and managed by the Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association and is open to the public. The breakwater, often awash with wave action, was busy with visitors traversing its length.
Passing through Stearns Park, we turned back onto Lakeshore Drive and followed it a few blocks until it dead ended at the Ludington Maritime Museum. The museum is not listed in the tour guide, but many points of interest along the trail are highlighted inside it, in more detail. Google Ludington Maritime Museum for hours of operation and details.
Since we had visited the museum previously, we skirted around the east side of the building and along a walkway behind it for a view of the harbor entrance and the new Coast Guard Station. The museum is the former 1934 Coast Guard Station, number 509 in the guide. According to the two-minute audio clip, funding for the station was made available to help stop liquor coming into the country during Prohibition. Despite years of upgrades, the station was deemed outdated by 2003. A new station was built next door. The old station was handed over to the city and eventually to the Mason County Historical Society.
After watching a few more sailboats and yachts at the mouth of the harbor, we headed east on Loomis Street toward Ludington’s Municipal Marina. This is where all watercraft dock: Police and DNR patrol craft, sailboats, ocean-faring-sized yachts and sportfishing charter boats. It’s a place for daydreams, as we idled by and picked out the boat of our dreams. Sigh.
We headed to William Street then turned right and drove a couple blocks to Waterfront Park, a scenic spot on the harbor and Pere Marquette Lake. Here, you can stroll past sculptures interpreting the history and culture of Ludington. A well-made play structure entices youngsters, and this is a pleasant place for adults to watch boats cruise by. The S.S. Badger car ferry may be docked nearby, if it’s not heading into or out of the harbor on a trip across the big lake to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The park is also the location of numerous stops along the Maritime Trail, including at the Badger’s sister vessel, the S.S. Spartan.
Number 402 on the trail, Kristin Kokkin’s “Spirit of Ludington” sculpture, honors the memory of Charles Conrad, a Ludington native. The piece embodies the city’s maritime culture, art, commerce and significant people and is a tribute to the Ludington spirit. Conrad’s story and eight more park sculptures await your discovery.
At this point, Navigator Jean reminded me that we had missed a couple of interpretive points near the museum, so back we went. Two more sculptures can be found on walkways near the harbor entrance to Lake Michigan, on the west side of the Coast Guard Station at the south end of the Ludington public boat ramp. The sculptures pay tribute to an 1886 schooner that sank near Onekama and to the popular sportfishing charter industry. Check out the interpretive sign that explains how the harbor was developed, another interesting story, and enjoy the view as it is today.
In total, there are 22 interpretive points along the Maritime Heritage Trail highlighting the area’s ghost towns and industries: salt, lumber, shipbuilding and commercial fishing, among others.
Hmmm, I wonder if I still have time to get that hotdog?
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For information, visit http://masoncountyculture.com/trails. Click “Online Trails App,” on the left, to find the trail sites.
