Ludington

Ludington was originally named Marquette for Jacques Marquette, the Jesuit explorer who died there in 1675. In 1847, Burr Caswell settled at the opening of the Pere Marquette River. This area began to attract many lumbering camps. James Ludington settled in this area and he owned the logging operations around the town. Ludington took the name after James Ludington in 1873. With Ludington’s Lake Michigan access, it became a major shipping port for the Great Lakes. In 1874, Ludington became the western terminus of the Flirt and Pere Marquette Railroad. Railroad car ferries were built in 1897 to transport lumber and other commodities to Wisconsin, Chicago, and other Michigan ports.

Ludington is located in Mason county and is located near Lake Michigan. Ludington attracts people year round for recreational activity. This includes boating and swimming on Lake Michigan, Hamlin Lake, and other nearby inland lakes. While boating is very popular in Ludington so is hunting, fishing, and camping. Biking and hiking through different trails of Ludington State Park is a very popular outdoor activity. Ludington has various campgrounds such as Ludington State Park campground, Buttersville Park Campground, and Mason County campground which is five miles south of Ludington. If you are not much of a camper there are also plenty of hotels, motels, lodges, and bed and breakfasts’ to stay at.

One popular recreational activity includes floating down the Big Sable River into Lake Michigan. Located in Ludington State Park, this one mile relaxing floating ride begins at the Hamlin Dam and ends in Lake Michigan.

project..michigandnr.com/Publications/PDFS/RecreationCamping/ludington_slideshow.pdf

The lakeshore and lighthouses are the most popular to visit while in Ludington. There are three lighthouses available to visit within an hour. Big Sable Lighthouse is located in Ludington State Park and was built in 1867. Visitors are able to explore the grounds of the lighthouse, tour the original Keeper’s Quarters which is now a gift shop, and climb the tower. Another lighthouse available to visit is the North Breakwater Lighthouse located on Stearns Park Beach, The Weather Channel named in one of the top 10 lighthouses to visit in the United States. The last lighthouse is Little Point Lighthouse located in Silver Lake State Park.

Even in the winter, Ludington attracts many people for winter sports. Many people cross country ski and snowshoe through the Lake Michigan dunes or through the trails.

Sources:

https://www.pureludington.com/Home

https://www.michigan.org/city/ludington