I loved my drive east to west across Michigan Sunday. We enjoyed a warm day that melted our snow supply. We survived a cold 19 degree Fahrenheit night that kept our lakes covered with ice. I wonder when I can look for Sandhill Cranes and Coots again. I haven't seen enough open water on Lake Muskegon for coots, but if you see a coot, please let me know. I visited Byron Michigan Sunday, a former mill town where two branches of the Shiawassee River meet, one arriving from Linden and Argentine and one arriving from Howell. The mill race on the Argentine branch still exists but I'm wondering if the water rights to use it for milling no longer reside in the miller's hands. The old Byron Manufacturing plant still stands close by, but I haven't seen it produce any product in three decades, or more. There are two dams for the Byron Mill Pond on the Argentine branch and not too many homes on the mill pond. I wonder if anyone is planning to burst those dams. Kayakers love to exercise their technique in the spumes. Linden Mill also has a mill pond and a dam, but it rotates a mill wheel just for show, an exhibit honoring Preston Bradley, radio preacher of Chicago who is town's favorite son. Fenton has a mill pond and the dam merely entertains people who visit the park with a chorus of rushing water. Argentine has the former Wolcott Mill, which is operated by electricity now. The water rights conferred by the Andrew Jackson or was it Johnson are now possessed by the Lobdell Lake Association, and not too long ago the association and the mill fought a water war in court. I heard the lake association employed the township pocket book to lawyer up. Wonder how they pulled that off.
Ore Creek flows into the Argentine branch of the Shiawassee River. I know there's a cider mill still making cider in Parshallville and plenty of trophy homes on Lake Shannon. It's been on Ore Creek for almost 14 decades and it still uses the water power to make cider, grind grain. Lobdell Lake is the result of damming Ore Creek before it joins the Shiawassee River in Argentine.
I always go to look at the Byron Manufacturing mill race right about now. We still have a snow supply on our ground, and the flood plain of the Shiawassee by the mill race roils with high water. I am wondering if we'll see some pretty high water in the week to come.
You might become Partial to Parshallville Cider Mill cider.
Go Westwind, Young Man
Lobdell - Bennett Lakes Association. Okay, so you own the water rights, and the township owns the assessment district that purchased the mill and the water rights. The association purchased the water rights from the mill assessment district? So the township defends your water rights? Must be some pretty good lawyers living on Lobdell Lake.
Preston Bradley, the guiding light of Chicago
Izaak Walton League. Preston loved to fish, so he start IWL to fight back against water pollution.
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