Newaygo, MI

Newaygo's history follows the Muskegon River from fur trading to lumber, cement, and recreation. French trappers settled along the river in 1834, and the Penoyer brothers later built the first sawmill at Penoyer Creek. Logging moved timber downriver toward Lake Michigan; marl beds then supported cement production from 1890 to 1930. The Big Red Mill, on the east bank, survives in a new role as grain storage after serving as a lumber mill and cement plant. The river still divides and connects the city. Newaygo State Park overlooks Hardy Dam Pond, with campgrounds, boat access, disc golf, fishing, and the Dragon Trail along the embankment. Riverfront plans and the city museum keep water access and older buildings in the same frame. Newaygo is a place where the river is both the original highway and the reason the town's daily map still faces the water.