BOOK ADVENTURE

Weekend Getaway: River Country in Michigan

In a plain, unadorned country kitchen, two long wooden tables covered with white tablecloths and an assortment of mismatched china are piled high with bowls and platters filled with meats, salads and vegetables.

The food has been made on several stoves, one fueled by wood, the others by kerosene. The sweet ketchup used to top the meatloaf and the applesauce were taken from the cellar below where they stood on long shelves among other jars filled with foods put up for the winter.

Young girls, dressed in pale pastel dresses and white bonnets, move swiftly, slicing freshly made bread, cutting chocolate cream and apple cream pies, heaping more pork tenderloin, taken from pigs raised here, on plates. The lard used to make the flaky pie crusts came from the same pigs, rendered by the women of the house.

Kerosene lanterns mounted on the wall or small candles light the rooms, which include two kitchens, one for summer use to fight against the heat. The flickering light is not for effect.

We are in an Amish home, one that sometimes is open to outsiders for meals by appointment only. Electricity is eschewed here, hard work is not. The people who own this home raise most of their own food, putting it up for the winter. Even the soap is hand-made.

The food served is typical Amish fare. After all, to maintain their level of labor, most Amish men must consume an average 8,000 calories a day; Amish women, 4,000. Despite these high caloric numbers, the need to diet appears not to exist here.

Outside of the Amish homestead, past white barns, grazing animals and a long green lawn, flows Nottawa Creek.

We are in River Country in Southwest Michigan, the name given to St. Joseph County and outlying regions, an area of small towns including Three Rivers, Mendon, Centreville, Nottawa and Leonidas and home to one of the largest Amish populations in the state.

A driving tour called the Amish Meander takes one through these hamlets and past the Amish businesses, but there is more than just the Amish that beckons visitors.

St. Joseph County has more navigable rivers, creeks and streams than any other county in Michigan. Several of Michigan's earliest and largest inland communities were located in River Country.

Both Native Americans and French explorers used the rivers and streams much in the same way we now use highways.

Though the advent of roads and railroads, as well as the building of dams, stopped much of the river traffic, it is still possible to spend time canoeing and kayaking along what is now part of the state's Heritage Water Trails.

It's hard to imagine a more picturesque spot than the falls and mill at Rawson's King Mill on King Road, one mile west of Leonidas. Restored by the Rawson family, the 1836 mill and its four acres were donated to the county in 1986. Plantings of colorful flowers mark the entrance to pathways and bridges that connect two small islands. One path leads into the woods where a bench sits at the tip of a small island that overlooks the river. Another path heads past the mill and toward the waterfalls that spills down into the river.

The town of Mendon has taken advantage of its prime riverfront property. Steps lead from the downtown to a small park area with a boardwalk that follows the river. Local businesses, including the Bistro Rio, a restaurant housed in an elegant turn-of-the-last-century building, sit on a bluff overlooking the river.

Nearby is the 1843 Mendon Country Inn, which once was a stagecoach stop. Owned by Geoff and Cheryl Clarke, who originate from South Africa and who once managed a game reserve there before moving here six years ago, the Inn originally was known as the Western Hotel. Now called the Wakeman House, it was rebuilt in 1873 by Adams Wakeman, who used bricks made of St. Joseph River clay and fired on the property to redo the large and rambling home.

HOW TO GET THERE: You need a good map to meander properly. But, to start, take I-80/90 Toll Road east and exit onto M 66 north or U.S. 131 north through Constantine, a little town with many restored older homes. Towns and cities on the tour include, Three Rivers, Sturgis, Mendon, Centreville, Leonidas, Union City, Clarendon, Quincy, Coldwater and California. The main roads in the Amish Meander are M-60, M-66 and M-86. Be sure to get off on the back roads, that's the best way to explore.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.rivercountry.com or call (800) 447-2821. Maps are available from them. For information about attending an Amish meal, contact Lorraine Stuart at (269) 496-8008. The meals usually require a minimum of eight to 10 people.

WHAT TO BRING: A camera, walking shoes and your curiosity, particularly about stopping in many of the little Amish businesses that are run from homes and barns where you can buy homemade noodles, fresh eggs and honey.

YOU'LL LIKE: The stone architecture. St. Edward Catholic Church, on State Street, one block off of Highway 60 in Mendon with its beautiful stained glass windows, soaring spire and intriguing outdoor nooks and crannies, is worth a stop. The top two bells of the old church, built in 1890, are 126 years old and 125 respectively. Other interesting stone buildings made from local rocks include the stone school in Leonidas and another school, built in 1870 that is now a museum, in nearby Nottawa. A nice drive by is Marantette, a 19th-century Georgian-style mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which is privately owned and beautifully landscaped.

KIDS WILL LIKE: A chance to go canoeing or kayaking on the St. Joseph River. Liquid Therapy Canoe Rental in Three Rivers offers canoe rental. Call (269) 273-9000.

AND DON'T MISS: North of Centreville on Covered Bridge Road is the longest covered bridge in Michigan, built in 1867. Not too far north of the bridge is the Culbertson Cemetery. The Culbertsons owned all the land south and east of the point where the cemetery lies to the river from 1835 to 1983. The small cemetery was illustrated in Ripley's Believe It or Not "as the cemetery in the middle of the road.''

COMBINE FALL COLOR TOURS AND HISTORIC BRIDGES IN ST. JOSEPH COUNTY’S RIVER COUNTRY ON ONE TANK OF GAS 

Explore the bridges of River Country. Bridges are part of Michigan’s rich history and River Country is dotted with several bridges over 100 years old. St. Joseph County is home to the longest covered bridge in the State and several other historic bridges.  

Just because some bridges aren’t used does not mean they do not have scenic value. Navigable by car and canoe, artistic and photographic opportunities like the ones found around the bridges abound in River Country.  

NOTEWORTHY BRIDGES

Open to Vehicle Traffic

• The Langley Covered Bridge

• Balk Road Bridge

• Big Hill Road Bridge

• Haybridge Road Bridge

• M-86 Bridge / Prairie River

Open to Pedestrians and Bicycles Only

• The Camel Back Bridge

Scenic Abandoned Bridges

• Old Cowling Road Bridge

• Railroad Street Bridge “Marantette Bridge”

BRIDGES OPEN TO VEHICLE TRAFFIC 

The Langley Covered Bridge is the longest of Michigan’s three remaining covered bridges and also one of the longest remaining covered bridges in the nation. Stretching 282 feet across the St. Joseph River, this timber truss bridge has been on the State Historic Register since 1965. Three miles north of M-86 in Centerville on Covered Bridge Rd, the Langley Bridge, named for Thomas Langley and Centerville’s pioneering family, was built in 1887 by Pierce Bodner. The bridge is made of three 94-foot spans, is 16 feet high and 19 feet wide. Despite the fact that the Langley Bridge was raised eight feet during the construction of the Sturgis Dam in 1910, it still sits unusually low for a bridge crossing. It was extensively repaired in 1950-51 and continues to be one the biggest attractions to the area.

Langley Covered Bridge 

The Balk Road Bridge is located along Balk Rd in Sturgis Township crossing the Fawn River. Built in 1910, the bridge remains open to traffic. The bridge has simple angled steel railings, a rare truss configuration, a wooden deck in good condition and is open to traffic with a three ton weight limit.  

Balk Road Bridge 

The Big Hill Road Bridge was built in 1905 over the Fawn River in Fawn River Township on Big Hill Road. The five panel bridge is made of steel lattice guardrail and a concrete deck. At 84 feet this is one of the longest surviving bridges of its kind. It is also still open to traffic. Interesting zoom photos can be had from the top edge of the valley. 

Big Hill Road Bridge 

The Haybridge Road Bridge is located on Haybridge Road outside of White Pigeon. Spanning 54 feet it was in 1912 and is still in use today. The original lattice railings are still present.  

Haybridge Road Bridge 

The M-86 Bridge crosses the Prairie River near Centreville on M-86. Built in 1923, it was re-constructed and moved to its current location in 1939. The bridge is a camelback warren pony truss. Though the original railings are no longer on the bridge, it contains a plaque stating the reopening in 1939.  

M-86 Bridge over the Prairie River 

Plaque on the M-86 Bridge 

OPEN TO PEDIESTRIANS AND BICYCLES ONLY

(No Motorized Vehicles Allowed) 

The Camel Back Bridge, located along U.S. 12 in Mottville, spans 270 feet. Also known as the Mottville Bridge it is the longest of its design in Michigan and was specifically preserved for its historical significance when the Michigan Department of Transportation built a new bridge to handle the traffic along U.S. 12. This design was used only in Michigan and there are only a few dozen left standing. The bridge has been preserved and kept intact over the St. Joseph River for non-motorized traffic.

The Camel Back Bridge 

SCENIC ABANDONED BRIDGES 

The Old Cowling Road Bridge is on the edge of historic downtown Three Rivers, Michigan. One look at the bridge and you can see it has been closed for eons! The west side of the bridge is next to the new Cowling Road, which makes for easy access. One look at the east end however reveals how long the bridge has been closed. With most abandoned bridges, you can usually see the old road grade and figure out where the road used to be, not the case with this bridge. There are mature trees growing on the approach to the bridge and there is no sign of the old road. The Cowling Road Bridge arches have deteriorated and weakened, resulting in the warping of the deck. Spalling is present on many parts of the concrete, which makes the bridge mysterious and unique. The bridge is attractive, partly due to a stamped stone design that was incorporated into the bridge. The remains of broken steel poles sunk into the concrete suggest that the original railing on the bridge was a pole railing. The bridge itself is a two span structure. 

Despite all the deterioration, no reinforcing rods are visible on the bridge. More research is needed on this structure. If it does not contain any reinforcing rods, it would be an extremely rare example of a concrete arch bridge that does not use reinforced concrete. 

Old Cowling Road Bridge 

The Railroad Street Bridge is also known by Mendon, Michigan locals as the Marantette Bridge. The bridge is dated by the Michigan Department of Transportation as being built in 1900. However, it was found that the year 1900 was used as a default date for bridges built in the late 1800s when the exact year is not known. This truss bridge is made of eight wooden panels and is the impressive length of 139 feet. This bridge has not been preserved and is not open to vehicle traffic.  It is a hit with artists and photographers amid the natural beauty of River Country in the background.

There are lots of places to get interesting side views of this bridge. A nearby abandoned railroad bridge offers perfect mid-span side views, while some exploring alongshore can

lead to other creative areas to get neat photos. The only thing hard to get of this bridge is a portal view, due to trees being in the way! MDOT incorrectly lists this bridge as Buckner Road Bridge. This bridge is mostly in village limits, while Buckner Road is not, and as such is known as the Railroad Street Bridge, or locally as the Marantette Bridge.

This bridge is in an un-restored condition. It sits in its original location in a park setting, a DNR boat launch site. The steel appears to be in great condition, however, sandblasting and painting would likely keep this bridge's superstructure around for a long time. The bridge is significant on a statewide and national scale as one of a rapidly shrinking number of through truss bridges. With its original guardrails, it also retains a good degree of integrity.

Railroad Street Bridge

Ice cream treats available from sternwheeler on Corey Lake

Residents on Corey Lake get an added treat the rest of this summer as the Country Loft Ice Cream boat roams the lake. The 35-foot sternwheeler is owned and operated by Ken and Janet Griffard. The boat will make daily excursions around the lake selling ice cream treats. Ken Griffard said, “We will be parked in front of Happy Landing, too.” All of our ice cream is made on the boat. The ice cream churn is state of the art. It is mounted on the front of the boat.” And, he added, “There is a 93-year-old 1917 motor operating the churn.” “Technically, I’ve got the same electric service as in a car,” Griffard said. “It’s all electric. I’ve got electric power to the paddle wheel, electric steering and it’s powered by batteries.” The unique craft was built by Three Rivers artisans from a drawing supplied by Griffard. Griffard said, “I give credit to Rich McClain for welding the boat, Dayton W. Smith for detail work and Steve Wilke for the signs.”