Lake Macatawa and the Port

Holland's access to Lake Michigan is indirect but crucial. The city sits on the eastern end of Lake Macatawa, a shallow inland lake connected to Lake Michigan by a narrow channel at its western end. Van Raalte understood this geography from the beginning. A connection to Lake Michigan meant a connection to the Great Lakes shipping network, which by the eighteen fifties was already carrying enormous volumes of grain, lumber, and manufactured goods between Chicago and the eastern ports.

The channel connecting Lake Macatawa to Lake Michigan was dug by the settlers themselves and completed in eighteen sixty so lake vessels could enter the harbor. Piers were later extended into Lake Michigan with federal help, and Holland became a functioning port, shipping lumber, grain, and eventually manufactured goods. The port allowed the kolonie to export what it produced and import what it needed.

Today the channel and the Lake Macatawa waterfront anchor a recreational economy. The Holland State Park at the channel's mouth on Lake Michigan is among the most visited state parks in Michigan, drawing people to its beach, its view across the channel to the lighthouse, and the views across the big lake. The red lighthouse at the end of the pier has become one of the most recognized landmarks in western Michigan and is known locally simply as Big Red.