Croton Pond

Croton Dam (above) - Historical Site
The Michigan
lumber boom in the last half of the 1800’s was very good to the lower peninsula
and put Newaygo County on the map. The Muskegon River, Michigan's longest river,
and one of the world's cleanest rivers, became the lifeblood of the area, first
for transporting lumber, and later for hydroelectric power. Two of the three
huge dams built after the turn of the century still operate today - the Croton
& Hardy Dams.
Croton Dam is one of a series of concrete and earthen dams
build along the Muskegon River Watershed which begins in northern Michigan at
Houghton Lake and extends southwestward where it eventually reaches Lake
Michigan via Muskegon Lake at Muskegon, Michigan. Croton Dam has been in
continuous operation since 1907 and is the site of the great salmon migration