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Park Lands and Mount Baldhead news

Archive
Scans of Commercial Record newspaper clippings about the Village of Saugatuck's efforts to promote, sell and develop on the Park Lands on the west side of the Kalamazoo river. Also clipping about the various stairs and towers built on Mt. Baldhead, the camping grounds and picnic pavilion at the base of the dune, efforts to control the drifting sand, observations, visitors, and early "Park Pointers" articles.
Likely 1895
cr1884071101BaldheadPark.jpg 64KB cr1884082201NewBaldheadPark-1.jpg 56KB; S. Born and J.C. Born of Kalamazoo first campers cr1884082201NewBaldheadPark-2.jpg 76KB; Ki-kal-ma-zu, Nim-mee-kee Ottawa chief cr1884082901BaldheadPark-1.jpg 191KB Grand Rapids Daily Democrat Aug. 26; 294 steps and five landings. cites end of lumbering as impetus for creating park cr1884082901BaldheadPark-2.jpg 43KB; Alice Purdy from Richmond captained by O.C. Robinson cr1884082901ParkPoints.jpg 63KB; Douglas Band ascended Baldhead, subscriptions for observatory, steamer A.B. Taylor cr1884090501ParkPoints.jpg 61KB; Dock in place, stove for brewing coffee or tea, observatory under construction, village will pay fee for marriage on top of dune. Editor Houtkamp mentioned as park supporter in Plainwell Leader cr1884091201ParkPoints.jpg 46KB; fence for hitching teams. 40 foot high observatory provokes cr1884102401StarsAndStripesOnBaldhead.jpg 11KB cr1884121201MtBaldheadSand.jpg 17KB; moving sand observed cr1885060501BaldheadStairsRepaired.jpg 15KB; stairs repaired cr1885091101RoadFromBaldhead.jpg 41KB; attempt to create road from Baldhead to lake cr1885091801BearonBaldhead.jpg 32KB; Mrs. Jewett of Allegan recalls a bear sighting cr1886052101PavillionForBaldheadPark.jpg 13KB; William Finley of Douglas prepares plan for pavillion [sic] cr1886070201BaldheadPavilionAlmostDone.jpg 12KB; Don Henderson, pavilion painted cr1886070201PoemToBaldheadPark.jpg 24KB; poem by L.B.G. Chicago June 30, 1886 cr1886082701MrsThompson-StairstoBaldhead.jpg 21KB; 82-year-old Mrs. Thompson of Plainwell climbs to top of observatory cr1887051301BaldheadStepsCoveredWSand.jpg 13KB; top of stairs burried cr1887071501Resorters-BaldheadPark.jpg 18KB; tents at the park cr1893030308OldBaldHead-Story.jpg 125KB; cr1893061601BaldheadStepsCoveredInSand.jpg 9KB; steps covered with sand cr1894091401VillagePlats25LotsAtBaldheadPark.jpg 19KB; 25 lots will be offered for sale cr1894092101CountySurveyorToPlatParkAddition.jpg 6KB; surveyor expected cr1894120701LotsOnParkGrounds.jpg 29KB; Plots offered with sale with details to discourage speculation cr1895012501ParkLotSoldToAHoutkamp.jpg 27KB; lot sold to A. Houtkamp of Milwaukee. H.L. House also offering lots. cr1895041201FirstCottageToBeBuiltBaldheadPark.jpg 13KB; A. Houtkamp cottage about to begin construction cr1895041201LitzenbergerGetsBaldheadFenseContract.jpg 6KB; Jacob Litzenberger awarded contract for sand fences across top of dune cr1895041201NewStairwayToBeBuilt.jpg 14KB; New stairway to be built using Lone Pine hill steps cr1895041901ParkLots-KirbyWeedandWeed.jpg 29KB; Frank Kirby, E.E. Weed and F.M. Weed mentioned as smart investors in cottage building plans cr1895051001FMWeedToBuild3CottagesInPark.jpg 14KB; Frank M. Weed expects to build three cottages cr1895051701MtBaldheadFences.jpg 15KB; sand fences completed cr1895060701DouglasRecordSneersAtParkLots.jpg 27KB; shade from the Douglas Record editor cr1895060701ThreeCottagesStartedinBaldheadPark.jpg 6KB cr1895062801VanDalsenCottageInPark.jpg 5KB; Frank M. Weed closed contract for VanDalsen cottage cr1895070501HoutkampCottageBegun.jpg 4KB cr1895071201HoutkampCottageReady.jpg 10KB cr1895072601AHoutkampOccupiesCottage.jpg 11KB cr1895083001BlissVanDalsonBuyParkLots.jpg 13KB; Lots sold to Mr. Perryman of Dallas, Texas, Mrs. Bliss of Chicago and Mrs. Van Dalson cr1895083001ESPerrymanBuysParkLot.jpg 24KB cr1895090601MacatawaParkSales.jpg 27KB; comparison to Macatawa park in Holalnd cr1895101101PerrymanCottageToBeBuilt.jpg 12KB; A.L. Weed and August Pfaff building Perryman cottage cr1895122001PerrymanCottageInclosed.jpg 23KB cr1896052901HFMarsh-AlleganBusinessmenToBuyParkLots.jpg 9KB; H.F. Marsh of Allegan intends to purchase lots cr1896052901NewParkBook1896-2.jpg 21KB; new park book cr1896052901NewParkBook1896.jpg 5kB; new park book cr1897072301NealToBuildParkCottage.jpg 20KB; Lots staked out for Dr. Neal of Chicago cr1897080601FiveParkLotsSold.jpg 13KB; Village president Reed cr1897080601WeedParkCottageSold.jpg 6KB; Weed cottage sold to Col. TenEyck of Chicago cr1897100101FourParkLotsSold.jpg 31KB cr1897101501NewPerrymanCottage.jpg 10KB cr1898052001GilmoreHasPfaffBuildCottage.jpg 10KB; J.W. Gilmore of Hinsdale, IL cr1898052001WindmillBuildOnPerrymanProperty.jpg 8KB; J.C. Linn erecting wind mill cr1898061701McGonagleBuysParkLotToBuild.jpg 7KB; Jos. McGonagle, cr1898070101MrsTreloreToBuildParkCottage.jpg 8KB; Mrs. Trelore of Chicago cr1898071501BarberCottage9thInPark.jpg 10KB; Mrs. Barber of Chicago cr1898072901ParkLotsSoldToNeal-Barber.jpg 6KB; Mrs. Neal, Mrs. Josephine Barber cr1898091601ESPerrymanBuysMoreLotsForCottages.jpg 11KB cr1898091601McGonegalNewResInPark.jpg 10KB; Joseph McGonagle cr1899052601PerrymanToAddStoryToCottage.jpg 8KB; P.H. Hancock cr1900012601ParkAdditionIncoporated.jpg 17KB; A.B. Kile cr1903010905ParkLandSold.jpg 31KB; The park land which has caused the village so much trouble for the last two years has been sold to William J. Hancock and Carrie R. Hancock cr1903101601VillageSellsLastOfTheParkLots.jpg 18KB; Village president Pear sells lots to Mrs. O.E. Moody of Chicago and Mrs. Frances of Chase Kansas City cr1905052601ShiftingSandstobeStopped-Baldhead.jpg 397KB; J.M. Westgate, Department of Agriculture called in cr1906060802PlanToStopShiftingSand.jpg 30KB; grass planted cr1913071801BuildingStairsToBaldhead-1.jpg 34KB cr1913071801BuildingStairsToBaldhead-2.jpg 24KB cr1916112304TowerOnBaldheadBlowsDown.jpg 16KB cr1928051808OldRiverOldBaldy-HarrietBirdPoem.jpg 94KB; poem by Harriett Bird cr1932041501BaldheadConservationWork.jpg 71KB; August Pfaff Jr. cr1932090208ConservationOfBaldhead.jpg 102KB; Conservation letter from R.F. Kroodsma Michigan Extension Forester to Harry W. Newnham cr1940032901AnObservatoryOnMtBaldhead.jpg 147KB; Harry Newnham floating idea of new observatory cr1940081601MrsHowellClimbsBaldhead.jpg 51KB; 83-year-old Mrs. Elizabeth Howell of St. Louis, MO climbs the 367 steps. cr1944100608PavilionAtBaldheadParkRebuilt.jpg 29KB; park pavilion rebuilt, P.L. Griffin cement work, August Pfaff lowering roof cr1950102009SaugatuckHS-BaldheadRace.jpg 395KB; Saugatuck High School Class race 1950 - Mr. Henderson, Patsy Engel, Don Webster, Kim Greene, Jerry Bale, Marc Waugh, Jerome Parker, George Goshorn, Carolyn Carr, Claire Knopp Park Lands and Mount Baldhead news picture number 76 cr1906091403OEMoodyCottageAlmostComplete.jpg; O.E. Moody cottage 1906 cr1940080204TheHemlocks.jpg; 1897 - The Weed Cottage at the Park has been sold to Col. TenEyck of Chicago. CR 6 Aug 1897 1897 - Relatives of Col. TenEyck buy two park lots. CR 1 Oct 1897

2024.01.09

The area is now known as Mount Baldhead Park and includes many of the residences on Park Street.

NewspapersDevelopment, land

Winthers, Sally

2024.01

Yoder, Chris

Donation, unconditional

These Commercial Record newspaper clippings — scanned by Chris Yoder in the 2000s — had been available on the pre-2023 SDHC website. The content has been moved to this online catalog for safekeeping. Publication dates are indicated in the year/month/day/page file name. For example "cr1938102801Description.jpg" = Commercial Record, 1938, October, 28th, page 01

Digital data in CatalogIt

Mount Baldhead Dune/ParkHoutkamp, Adrian 1849-1919

02/19/2024

06/22/2024