Holland Harbor - Michigan Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Description: When seeking a location for his Netherlands emigrant followers in 1847, the Reverend A. C. Van Raalte was attracted by the potential of using Black Lake (Lake Macatawa) as a harbor. However, the lake's outlet to Lake Michigan was blocked by sandbars and silt. Van Raalte appealed to Congress for help. The channel was surveyed in 1849, but was not successfully opened due to inadequate appropriations. Frustrated, the Dutch settlers dug the channel themselves. On July,1 1859, the small steamboat Huron put into port. Here, in 1886, the government established the harbor's first lifesaving station. By 1899 the channel had been relocated and harbor work completed. This spurred business and resort expansion. In 1900 over 1,095 schooners, steamers and barges used the harbor. Parking nearby?: yes Registered Site #: LO394 Historical Date: Not listed Historical Name: Not listed D/T ratings: Not listed website: Not listed

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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   12/24/2022 wildernessmama visited it 12/25/2017 theHostas visited it 09/16/2015 just for the fun visited it 03/02/2015 scrapcat visited it 07/28/2010 petendot visited it

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