"Municipal Pond" Becomes Union Lake

"Municipal Pond" Becomes Union Lake (HM1SO0)

Location: Union City, MI 49094 Branch County
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Country: United States of America
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N 42° 3.816', W 85° 9.562'

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Inscription
In 1923, when the Riley Dam was built in the St. Joe to create hydro for the village, the 500+ acre backwater was known only as the "Municipal Pond." There had not been enough time to clear the swampy land before damming, so trees were cut flush with the ice. While the dam project had nearly been blocked by local land owners, interest developed quickly in the shoreline property for cottages and resorts. Lots sold for $25-$50 apiece in the 1930s, and there were several rental cabin resorts. The fishing was legendary but did not fall under DNR conservation, as there was no "lake" designation. It wasn't until 1927 that local conservationists along with State Rep. Dr. McClain of Quincy secured the "Union Lake" designation so that state conservation efforts could help preserve fishing for later generations. The 90 member Union Lake Community Association formed in 1982 works diligently for water quality, weed control and fish stocking.
Details
HM NumberHM1SO0
Series This marker is part of the series, and the series.
Tags
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Year Placed2016
Placed ByUnion City Heritage Water Trail
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, June 19th, 2016 at 11:53am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 652287 N 4658476
Decimal Degrees42.06360000, -85.15936667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 3.816', W 85° 9.562'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 3' 48.96" N, 85° 9' 33.72" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)517
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Arbogast Rd, Union City MI 49094, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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