Catskills of the Midwest

Catskills of the Midwest. . , South Haven became a bustling resort town in the late 19th century. Over time, vacationers arrived by steamship, train, horse and carriage, and car. Around 1900, there were 96 resorts reported in a published resort directory. Many resorts by the mid-1920s were owned and operated by people of Jewish ethnicity, transforming their farms into resorts to meet the needs for Jewish peoples to be lodged. It was the presence of these resorts that coined the descriptive name for South Haven, the "Catskills of the Midwest." , , Resorts were often locate on or near the beach and visitors enjoyed various activities on the water and in the downtown. Beach fun included sunbathing and swimming, fishing on the pier, bicycle races, and even a toboggan slide in 1894, with a height of 24 feet and a length of 40 feet. River ferries offered excursions to various parks located along the Black River. A figure-eight roller coaster was located on the Black River from approximately 1907-8 to 1916, where the Michigan Maritime Museum is located today. , , In addition, there were opera houses, movie houses, a race track, and dance halls. One of the most popular dance halls in South Haven was the Avery Beach Casino, built in approximately 1912-13, and located near today's North Beach. This hall hosted many dances throughout the big band era of the '20s, and also housed a movie theater. Later in its history, the Casino served as a roller rink before it was lost to fire in 1937.