|
Cross over Dexter Street and turn left on the sidewalk back towards town.
A sand dune nearby is covered with the waste product slag, a glassy material created during iron production. Slag has been used for railroad beds, roads and also ornamentally in jewelry and Tiffany-style lamps.
The dam site and sawmill were built here in 1856, creating a second mouth for Elk River. The Power Dam [13] was built in 1916 on the saw mill site, enlarging this mouth of River. As of Sep. 2007, the Stockhausen family has one turbine inside that is generating electricity. Behind the dam are pilings from the Old Pier. Looking north into Grand Traverse Bay, imagine the sailing ships of the 1890s , coming from the mines in the Upper Peninsula and carrying the taconite (iron ore) to be smelted here in Elk Rapids. Out-bound sailing ships carried pig iron and lumber to the ports of the Great Lakes.
Dam Beach is one of the best swimming spots around. At the Fishing Park, fishermen come here frequently to catch lake trout, bass, steelhead perch and whitefish.
Stop at the gardens and spillway, then go back and down to the boardwalk beside Kids Pond, and walk along the boardwalk.
The Zupin-Anderson Garden [14] is one of the most beautiful in the Village. In 1959 it was established in memory of Marie Zupin, a past Club President. A new area was added and dedicated in 1985 in memory of another past Club President, Ariel Anderson.
The Spillway, originally wood, now pipes and rocks, is part of the original river mouth and connects the Upper Harbor with Kids Pond as the water heads for the bay. There is a family of muskrats living under the tree by the boardwalk and near the spillway. They come out from time to time to find food, such as crickets,and fish, and to play in the water.
Between Kids pond and the library bridge is the approximate location of the original sawmill, built by Abram Wadsworth in 1851. It is a favorite fishing spot for young and old in all seasons. The unique Cedar Street bridge ahead connects the town with the Island House (library) and the Lower Harbor.
|
