Sailor Pines - Croton Hardy Dam Area
You
can still walk through a stand of near virgin timber in the lower
peninsula. The Croton area is only a little north of Grand Rapids
in Newaygo County. In the 1920's the lumber era was passing and
Mr. William Sailors was reviewing his timber holdings. He found
that he owned a stand that was maturing but the trees were not yet large
enough to harvest. He had participated in the lumber boom and had
seen the giant pines toppled forest by forest.
Mr. Sailor's decided to preserve this last stand of pines and today you can wander through them and see what lumberjacks would have seen in the 1800's. Some of these are now giants, 30" in diameter and 100' tall. This stand of pines is dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Sailors. The area is managed by their children.
The pines are located on 52nd Street a quarter mile east of Locust Ave.
Riverside Resort is a great place to stay nearby.