112. Perryman Street – Oval Beach Road
In the early 1900s, visitors reached the beach from Saugatuck by hopping aboard motorized boat taxis or by trudging over the tall dunes.
In 1902, the Village of Saugatuck purchased a parcel of lakefront property from wealthy Chicagoan William Harbert. Foreseeing the popularity of travel by automobile, another parcel was purchased in 1927. Combined, these parcels could become a fine public beach that would be even better if visitors could drive there.
After much negotiation, the Village made a deal with the Camp Gray leadership to improve and reroute Lincoln Road so it ran from the west-side Chain Ferry landing, up and over the dune to Lake Michigan. An oval-shaped cement parking lot was constructed with funds contributed by the U.S. Works Progress Administration. Oval Beach opened to the public in 1936 and was an immediate hit.
Lincoln Road was eventually renamed Perryman Street after Texas investor Edward S. Perryman, who built the extravagant but short-lived Pokagon Inn in 1899.