Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-05-31
THRIVING MUSHROOM
The Vigorous Little City by Lake
Michigan Prospers-
PROPERTY BOONS TOWARD SUCCESS
And the Town 10 THRILLED With = spirit
Of Aggressive EntsrPrise-"W VIM"
Looks the Place over ssd Repro
auces Favorable Impresstsas.

4
tendent of the Boom Company there 10
reported as saying, q few days ago.
that the water IN the river was the low
est that had been known IN twenty five
years. And but recently the statement
appeared IN some newspaper. that
Lake Michigan is lower 10y several
feet than II was a quarter OF a century
ago." But are these things truey Ii
might be well for some expert hydro
grapher 10 institute an inquiry Tor
particulars. Is the water lower IN the
Straits of MackinawY Is 1t lower IN
Lake Huron and IN Lake ST. Clair Is
il lower in Detroit nver? For through
all these the waters from Lake Michi-
gan flow. Or on the other hand, is the
process of land upheaval still going OF
IN the western part OF this Lower PENN
sula of Michigan? These are some of
the important questions suggested by
the low-water reports.
some of Its Achievements.
But let us get back TO Muskegon.
There is high Muskeson and there are
Muskegon Heights. The latter have a
BOOM" or a ''craze," or "fad." BY
the way-what is 'fad? the impu-
dent little word comes at us IN all
shapes and ways; it should have a def
mite meaning given II, or II should be
banlshed, rs a nuisance in current
slang. Muskegon dates It's active growth
from 1850. From about half dozen
saw mile, a few groceries and beer
shops and few rough-board residences
at that time, 1t budded and blosscmed
and expanded until it has boasted of
some forty fast steam mills of COO, 000,.
600 feet per annum, of the finest stores
and banks and hotels in the western re-
! gion, of paved streets and electric cars,
of some good newspapers, of nearly
$4,000 population, and, lately, Of a
| 5000, 900 ire with over $500, 900 of insur-
ance ON the property destroyed. This
last setback will not last long. Already
new buildings are dotting the burnt dis
trict, and these will soon have the COM
pany of more costly and substantial
ones. In a year 1t will be better and
brighter than ever.
Her LAUNDERING Interests.
| The lumber business, SO far as pine
| lumber is concerned, is rapidly waning.
Probably il will be nearly ended within
| q dozen years, so fast are the pine for
ests of Michigan becoming stripped of
their treasures. Hence Muskegon saw
mills are going out of use, year by year.
now and then one being partially paid
| for by the insurance companies. These,
IN measure, will be replaced by manu-
factories in hard wood-wagon, furni-
ture, piano, farm implement making
and the like. Iron works, also, are al
ready an important factor in Muskegon
enterprise, and Its car shops have more
than 4 local reputation. In these
branches of industry the town has
bright future, the supply of accessible
| timber being abundant, and the port
the best on this side of the lake-belng
convenient for bringing in the ores aud
| their products from the Lake Superior
mining regions. Here is prospective
| growth and increasing wealth for many
years to come. The harbor is land
locked and large enough and deep
enough for all the lake shipping.
| Her Poetic Distances.
Muskegon is a city of magnificent dis
tances. On the one side il has a ragged
and rather picturesque border, fretted
and frlnged with dock-lln and piers
along the shore of the lake, which has
a long seml-cIrcular sweep of some four
miles-on the other two sides the lines
are straight. or nearly so, that Upon the
north running TO the middle of the
reedy swamp which was once open
water where the roads cross at the head
| of the lake. The city map resembles a
piece of irregular Mosaic work, and it
would not be strange If some ingenious
| lady, with scissors and fingers and
| needles, were to work it into crazy
| quilt for the next fair of their excellent
| horticultural society.
North Mu.kegons Strides.
Then there is North Muskegon, which
| asa village has been growing finely
during several years, facing the other
| on the opposite side of the lake. From
| the high grounds on both sides of the
lake arc handsome views of land and
water, looking across. North Muske-
gon has taken city rank and has full
set of officers of Its own, from mayor
down TO pstrolmen and aids. Two
years ago it had an ambition for annex
alton TO the main city; but grew indie
pendent and decided to GO it alone,
and is now doing so under new CITY
| charter. All in all, the two combined
expect before long 10 take position as
the third city IN the State-standing
next to Grand Rapids. OF course,
Grand Rapids can stand that, huske-
gon being a convenient and in some OF
It's features very attractive suburb as n
pleasure resort, only about an hours
ride distance from the Valley City.
Mnskegon Heights.
The boom at Muskegon heights means
something more than noise. That is
SCOT handsomely and squarely plotted
into lots and blocks and streets, al ioin-
ing the city on the soutb. at the south
east corner. SO much has been heard
of It through the papers and the hand
bills of the real estate boomers during
tho past year. that minute description
is unnecessary. Already the electric
cars are making regular trips from
Western avenue in the main city 10
Muskegon Heights. When the visitor
arrives at the latter be il greeted with
the slglt Of scores Of new buildings
going up. nestled in the midst Of the
f0lisge OF the oak srubs, and
On walking II the farthesf ones in
sight. fnds more beyond when he gets
there some fourteen factory hniid-
ings are already planted there, several
OF them nearly finished and sofne m ac-
tive operation. Ia other parts ~ the
ctv afs seven factories estshi isfed last
year ana now running They cisim 81
Investment 81 s2of9 .ls0 capital. and
fhe en- rlov rs4ert II three thousand men.
mostly skilled artisans. IheEr resources
are uarae assured. and the proaTiaters
a...f s,a.aFaaqr< krtnw no srri nod "a