Ottawa Beach in Holland in Ottawa County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ottawa Beach
Photographed By Craig Doda, June 14, 2019
1. Ottawa Beach Marker
Side 1
Inscription.
Ottawa Beach is a well - preserved example of the summer cottage resorts that developed along the Lake Michigan shore during the late nineteenth century. In 1885 the West Michigan Park Association purchased eighty acres of land here. In May 1886, Ottawa County Surveyor Albert Peck platted the resort with 150 cottage lots, streets, and a lot for a hotel. He designated the majority of the land as park area owned in common by cottagers, with each residential lot abutting one of the parks. The Hotel Ottawa, built immediately for the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad (later the Pere Marquette Railway), was one of the largest resort hotels on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Some guests arrived by train: many by steamship from Chicago. The hotel burned in 1923. , Construction of cottages in the Ottawa Beach resort began in June 1886. Most cottage owners, shareholders in the West Michigan Park Association, hailed from Grand Rapids. Among the earliest cottagers were prominent business people. furniture makers, railroad officers and politicians. For more than a century, the same families returned each summer, often occupying the same houses for decades. From the 1930s through the mid 1960s future U.S. President Gerald Ford spent many summer vacations at Ottawa Beach, first at his parents' cottage and then at one he owned with his brothers. In 2001, Ford recalled: "I loved Ottawa Beach--both cottages. There is no finer sand beach worldwide.” Ottawa Beach is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Ottawa Beach is a well - preserved
example of the summer cottage
resorts that developed along the
Lake Michigan shore during the late
nineteenth century. In 1885 the West
Michigan Park Association purchased
eighty acres of land here. In May
1886, Ottawa County Surveyor Albert
Peck platted the resort with 150
cottage lots, streets, and a lot for
a hotel. He designated the majority
of the land as park area owned in
common by cottagers, with each
residential lot abutting one of the
parks. The Hotel Ottawa, built
immediately for the Chicago and West
Michigan Railroad (later the Pere
Marquette Railway), was one of the
largest resort hotels on the eastern
shore of Lake Michigan. Some guests
arrived by train: many by steamship
from Chicago. The hotel burned
in 1923.
Construction of cottages in the
Ottawa Beach resort began in June
1886. Most cottage owners,
shareholders in the West Michigan
Park Association, hailed from Grand
Rapids. Among the earliest cottagers
were prominent business people.
furniture makers, railroad officers
and politicians. For more than a
century, the same families returned
each summer, often occupying the
same houses for decades. From the
1930s through the mid 1960s future
U.S. President Gerald Ford spent
many summer vacations at Ottawa
Beach, first at his parents' cottage
and
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then at one he owned with his
brothers. In 2001, Ford recalled: "I
loved Ottawa Beach--both cottages.
There is no finer sand beach
worldwide.” Ottawa Beach is listed
in the National Register of
Historic Places.
Erected 2002 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number L2108.)
Location. 42° 46.524′ N, 86° 12.073′ W. Marker is in Holland, Michigan, in Ottawa County. It is in Ottawa Beach. Marker is at the intersection of Ottawa Beach Road and Auburn Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Ottawa Beach Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2245 Auburn Ave, Holland MI 49424, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 307 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 22, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.