County note shelf
Mecosta County Porch Notes
Stories, practical details, outdoor places, tax quirks, and local history connected to Mecosta County. This shelf has 10 practical notes and 14 local stories.
24 notes
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- History and cultureOld Settlers: Black history still gathered at School Section LakeThe annual Old Settlers Reunion at School Section Lake carries forward the history of Black families who settled in Mecosta and nearby counties.
- OutdoorsThe Stanwood spring that started a fight over who owns the waterNestlé's Ice Mountain plant near Stanwood drew spring water by the hundreds of gallons a minute for a state fee of about $200 a year, sparking a long Mecosta County court fight.
- History and cultureBig Rapids' Old Jail grew in two stagesBig Rapids built the jail block in 1893 and added a Queen Anne sheriff's residence in 1897; the combined building served the county until 1965.
- OutdoorsParis Park, where the state raised trout and shipped them in milk cansMichigan opened one of its first fish hatcheries at Paris in 1881; for decades it shipped trout in red milk cans by rail, and it is now a Mecosta County park.
- OutdoorsThe Dragon Trail at Hardy Pond: choose a segment, not all 45 milesAll 45 miles of the nonmotorized Dragon Trail are open around Hardy Pond. The useful first step is choosing a segment, trailhead, and parking pass.
- OutdoorsHaymarsh: 6,700 acres the state flooded on purpose for the ducksThe Haymarsh State Game Area's lakes are man-made — Haymarsh Lake was impounded by a dam in 1949 to grow marsh and open water for waterfowl, fishing, and trapping.
- History and cultureBarryton: a lumberman platted a town and put his own name on itFrank Barry laid out Barryton in 1894 on farmland at the fork of the Chippewa River; within two years the timber town had two hotels, two general stores, and a sawmill.
- History and cultureMorley was born the day the railroad crossed the Little MuskegonWhen the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad bridged the Little Muskegon River in June 1869, it created the village of Morley — the first rail town in Mecosta County.
- History and cultureThe Potawatomi leader whose name the county still carriesThe county and village of Mecosta take their name from a Potawatomi leader who signed an 1836 treaty; when the county organized in 1859, it chose to honor him.
- History and cultureBig Rapids' county museum grew out of the Phelps Free LibraryThe historical society bought the former Phelps Free Library for $1 and opened its permanent museum there in 1965; the building had once been lumberman Fitch Phelps's home.
- History and cultureFerris State University: the heart of Big RapidsHow Ferris State University shapes Big Rapids as a college town and county employer.
- History and cultureThe Jim Crow Museum at Ferris StateA sober look at Ferris State's Jim Crow Museum and its anti-racism teaching mission.
- History and cultureThe Wheatland Music FestivalWheatland Township hosts one of Michigan's best-loved traditional music festivals near Remus.
- OutdoorsHardy Dam and Hardy Pond: access, water levels, and buyer checksHardy Pond is a 3,971-acre reservoir across Newaygo and Mecosta counties. Here is how access, drawdowns, shoreline rights, and dam updates fit together.
- Home and propertyBuying in Canadian Lakes: it's a private communityCanadian Lakes buyers should budget for property-owner membership, dues, and community rules.
- Money and taxesDo you pay the Big Rapids income tax out here? Only if you work in the cityBig Rapids Township and Green Township residents do not owe Big Rapids resident income tax unless they live in the city.
- OutdoorsLake living in Mecosta CountyMecosta County lake buyers should ask about assessments, wells and septic systems, and legal lake levels.
- OutdoorsThe White Pine Trail and the Muskegon RiverBig Rapids, Morley, and Stanwood sit on the White Pine Trail, with the Muskegon River running through Big Rapids.
- Money and taxesThis city has a local income taxSome Michigan cities charge the standard local income tax: 1% for residents and 0.5% for nonresidents who work in the city.
- Home and propertyWells and septic in the townships: get your own inspectionMecosta County township buyers should arrange their own well and septic inspection before closing.
- OutdoorsNinety-two miles, no cars: the White Pine Trail townsThe Fred Meijer White Pine Trail runs 92 miles from Grand Rapids' edge to Cadillac, giving a string of small towns a linear state park for a main street.
- Money and taxesLive in a Michigan village? You pay an extra layer of property taxMichigan village residents usually pay village property taxes on top of township taxes, so the village boundary can change a buyer's total rate.
- Money and taxesBuying in a township? Watch for special assessments on top of your taxesMichigan township buyers should check for special assessments that can add separate road, sewer, water, lighting, sidewalk, or drain charges.
- Money and taxesIn Michigan, you get two property-tax bills a year — not oneMost Michigan property owners get separate summer and winter tax bills, with local rules deciding what lands on each bill.