Michigan City Marinas

by Jonita Davis, Michigan City Port Authority

Overview

Since its incorporation, Michigan City has appreciated its lakefront assets. The point at which Trail Creek collides with Lake Michigan has always been a source of pride for the city�s residents. However, it was not until 1959 that an agency was created to protect and maintain the city�s interests at the lakefront. Michigan City Marinas chronicles the agency�s efforts to realize the potential of one of Lake Michigan�s most magnificent ports. The people, events, and other government agencies that helped shape the future of the marinas are explored along with the Michigan City Port Authority�s tenacious oversight of the resources and facilities that are still in use today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439636756
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	03/30/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	43 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Jonita Davis is a freelance writer and Michigan City native who has researched the history of the Michigan City port extensively. Aided by images from the Michigan City News Dispatch, Davis traces the rise of Michigan City�s harbor from wooded bank to a bustling world-class port.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Birth of the Port Authority 11

2 Battle to Build a Marina 25

3 Gone Fishing 53

4 Growing Pains 61

5 Bringing Home the Boat Show 67

6 Concerned Citizens 77

7 The Pan American Games 97

8 Changing of the Guard 101

9 The Next Chapter 115

Bibliography 127

Editorial Reviews

Title: Marina at 50

Author: Staff Writer

Publisher: The News-Dispatch

Date: 4/8/09



The Michigan City Port Authority has a remarkable 50-year history, and the book written by Michigan City resident Jonita Davis, "Michigan City Marinas," is a treasury of information and photographs of the early years of the marina.



Michigan City has had a port since the first boats sailed in and out of the Trail Creek harbor in the early 1800s, but it wasn't until 1959 that the city reached the point where it created a public marina that caters to private pleasure craft. In post-World War II years, as the United States vaulted ahead in its standard of living, more people could afford motorboats or sailboats. As privately owned boats got bigger, they needed a place to be docked all summer.



Today, the Port Authority figures to rent all 580 public boat slips in the Washington Park Marina, as well as some 135 upstream slips. Before cities like Hammond, East Chicago and Portage created public marinas and vastly increased the number of slips available, the Washington Park Marina had a waiting list of people who wanted to dock their boat here.



Michigan City remains the preferred marina for many people. It has not only the attraction of Lake Michigan and a modern marina, it is next to Michigan City's major lakefront park, its zoo and nearby restaurants. All together, the make Michigan City a great boating city.



The legacy of creating this marina, detailed in Davis's book, is that today Michigan City is a beloved destination for people who enjoy sailing the Lake Michigan waters. Building a public marina for the larger privately owned boats has proved to be be a huge success.

From the Publisher