Covered Bridges of the Flat River

I have yet to see a river in Michigan that wasn’t a beauty to behold, at least in its better stretches. But the Flat, unmarred for most of its journey from its headwaters in Six Lakes to its juncture with the Grand in Lowell, is an exceptionally lovely river.
Granted, my opinion may be a bit [...]

Belding Michigan

If you like history and old historical buildings, you will love Belding. Located on Belding Rd (M44) in northern Ionia County, Belding is a sleeper when it comes to history and places of interest.
Driving through town you cannot help but notice the towers on the turn of the century industrial buildings. All located along the [...]

Ionia Michigan

The Grand River winds its way through Ionia County. It has been an important waterway throughout history. The area was first home to Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa Villages. Sometime later, traders and missionaries arrived in the area. In the spring of 1832, Mr. Samuel Dexter from New York made a real estate purchase of one [...]

Sessions Lake, Ionia State Recreation Area

Sessions Lake is located in the center of the Ionia State Recreation Area. Located in Ionia County at the corner of David Highway and Jordan Lake Road, Sessions Lake is only 3 ½ miles north of exit 64, off I96.
Developed in 1983, this 4500 acre state park has something for everyone with it’s lightly rolling [...]

Cajun Cookin’ on the Riverfront

Most of us have an image of Pleasantville tucked away somewhere in our minds.
Remember Pleasantville from your first grade reader—that idyllic community of gracious lawns, a sunlit body of water, and a perennially happy neighborhood where John and Jean romped with Spot, their dog? Your introductory reader may have used different names, but you know [...]

Whites Bridge, Ionia County

Recently while I was driving down an unassuming gravel road just south of Smyrna in Ionia County, I came upon this gem of a bridge.
The fourteen foot wide Whites Bridge on Whites Bridge Road spans 120 feet over the Flat River. Built in 1870, it is actually the third bridge on this site. It was [...]