Nims in Muskegon in Muskegon County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Pinchtown
Photographed By J. J. Prats, July 29, 2023
1. Pinchtown Marker, Side One
Registered Historic Local Site No. 1822
Side 1
Some of Muskegon’s earliest lumber mills were located in Pinchtown. In 1842, Joseph Stronach built a sawmill west of here on Muskegon Lake at Ruddiman’s Creek. In 1844, George and John Ruddiman purchased the mill. In 1848 the mill was swept away in a flood, and the Ruddimans rebuilt it the following year. Newcomb McGraft and Anthony Schuyler Montgomery purchased the mill in 1875. In 1890 the mill burned. Standard Oil Company (present-day Amoco) tanks and docks occupied the site from 1924 to 1991.
Side 2
Pinchtown was officially known as “Ruddiman’s Addition to the city of Muskegon” when it was platted by William Ruddiman in 1873. Township Clerk James Robinson gave the settlement its common name because it was pinched between the village of Lakeside and the city of Muskegon. On March 12, 1895, the Michigan legislature passed a bill, signed by Governor John T. Rich, that annexed Pinchtown to the city. Pinchtown was bounded by Lakeshore Drive, Laketon Avenue, Ruddiman Creek, and a gully. A shopping district occupied this site from the 1890s to 1950s.
Erected 1991 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1822.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 43° 13.2′ N, 86° 16.873′ W. Marker is in Muskegon, Michigan, in Muskegon County. It is in Nims. Marker is at the intersection of West Laketon Avenue and Lakeshore Drive, on the left when traveling west on West Laketon Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1836 Robinson Street, Muskegon MI 49441, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Lakeside (approx. 0.3 miles away); Union Depot (approx. 1˝ miles away); Hackley-Holt House (approx. 1˝ miles away); Hackley House (approx. 1˝ miles away); Hume House (approx. 1˝ miles away); Buster Keaton (approx. 1.7 miles away); Torrent House (approx. 1.8 miles away); Hackley Public Library (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Muskegon.
Also see . . . Michigan Places Named ‘Pinchtown’ and How They Got That Name. 2021 article by John Robinson on the 99.1 WFMK website. Excerpt:
This little place was an area that was squeezed (“pinched”) between Muskegon and the village of Lakeside.(Submitted on August 3, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)
Photographed By J. J. Prats, July 29, 2023
2. Pinchtown Marker, Side Two
Photographed By J. J. Prats, July 29, 2023
3. Pinchtown Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 467 times since then and 88 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 3, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
